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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-12697

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 in each NHS board area, broken down by the (i) charge and (ii) type of emergency worker involved, and how many custodial sentences were imposed, broken down by the average length of sentence.

Data on NHS board areas and type of emergency worker involved are not held in the Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database.

Prosecutions and convictions under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 were published in January 2017 as part of an additional dataset to the Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2015-16 statistical publication. 'Criminal Proceedings for offences against emergency workers' is available to view on the SG website http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice/Datasets/DatasetsCrimProc/EWA1.

Under the Act section 1(1) covers; police, fire service, ambulance service and registered medical practitioners, nurses and midwives. The other sections cover other emergency workers, such as coastguards, social workers, persons assisting emergency workers, and health workers in hospital premises.

People receiving a custodial sentence for convictions under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005, where main charge 2006-07 to 2015-16

Charge	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
Total custody	66	93	93	70	96	107	98	87	74	58
Section 1(1)	13	13	23	32	45	49	36	34	35	32
Section 2(1)	28	32	17	5	13	8	9	6	7	4
Section 3(1)	1	-	3	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Section 5(1)	24	48	50	33	37	50	53	47	32	22

Average sentence¹ in days, for offences under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005, 2006-07 to 2015-16

Charge

2006-07

2007-08

2008-09

2009-10

2010-11

2011-12

2012-13

2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

Mean

Total custody	66	112	92	129	93	151	70	151	96	133	107	151	97	161	87	160	74	187	58	153
Section 1(1)	13	85	12	122	23	121	32	140	45	129	49	151	36	164	34	163	35	171	32	144
Section 2(1)	28	115	32	130	17	177	5	140	13	130	8	149	9	176	6	159	7	235	4	219
Section 3(1)	1	122	-	-	3	152	-	-	1	122	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Section 5(1)	24	123	48	129	50	156	33	164	37	140	50	152	52	156	47	158	32	195	22	154

1. Average sentence lengths excludes life sentences and indeterminate detention, detention of a child aged under 16 and recall sentences.

Source: Scottish Government Criminal Proceedings database

Question reference: S5W-12584

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 23 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many parenting classes in each local authority area it has offered support to in each year since 1999.

We do not hold information relating to the work of previous administrations.

However, between 2012-2016 the Scottish Government contributed an initial
£52.5 million to the Early Years Change Fund. Part of the Scottish Government’s contribution included £9 million of direct funding, via local government settlements for Family Support.

Local Government had discretion on how to allocate their funding contributions, whilst the Scottish Government and NHS funding was allocated towards a number of specific programmes, home support and outreach; family and parenting programmes and support

In addition to this, the Scottish Government awarded £14 million in 2016-17 to 116 organisations who support children, families and communities across Scotland, through the Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention Fund and Adult Learning and Empowering Communities Fund.

Of these, 21 are for organisations in the area of parenting and family support totalling funding of £4.282 million.

Question reference: S5W-12592

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 23 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the information that is given by GPs to people with mental health concerns.

Question reference: S5W-12717

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board that locally-contracted social care providers are experiencing staff turnover rates of up to 50%.

It is the responsibility of Integration Joint Boards working with partners and commissioned services to deliver and to manage all aspects of the resources, including staff, which are required to deliver the services.

Attracting and retaining the right people, and raising the status of social care as a profession, is key to delivering quality care. We have taken action to protect social care services, including investment for paying the Living Wage to adult social care workers.

We are working with COSLA and other key partners to deliver major reforms to adult social care and on a jointly owned workforce plan, both of which will support collaborative work on workforce issues.

Question reference: S5W-12580

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many environmental health officers each local authority has employed in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S5W-12572

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether using underpasses instead of roundabouts on the Edinburgh city bypass could improve traffic flow.

The Scottish Government is currently undertaking the development and assessment of the preferred option for improvements at Sheriffhall Roundabout. This is due to culminate in 2019 with the publication of draft Orders. Delivery of the scheme itself can only commence when the scheme is approved under the statutory procedures and thereafter a timetable for construction can be set.

Further consideration of the rationale to improve traffic flow on the Edinburgh City Bypass will be considered as part of the review of the Strategic Transport Projects Review, in line with commitments made in the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

Question reference: S5W-12573

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the Gogar roundabout to improve traffic flow eastbound.

The A8 and Gogar Roundabout do not form part of the Trunk Road Network and therefore this is a matter for City of Edinburgh Council as Local Roads Authority.

The Scottish Government has committed £20 million as part of the Edinburgh and South East City Region Deal to improving public transport infrastructure in West Edinburgh. Although the specific proposals have yet to be finalised, the Scottish Government understands that improvements to the A8 at Gogar Roundabout and the Maybury Junction are both being considered by City of Edinburgh Council.

Question reference: S5W-12591

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many care residents have died following (a) admission and (b) readmission to hospital in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S5W-12601

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support people with MS to access autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT).

The role of the Scottish Government is to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards in order that they can deliver services that meet the needs of their local population. Within this context, it is for clinical audit and local clinical governance structures to monitor how well clinicians and NHS Boards are complying with existing clinical guidelines and to ensure that new and emerging evidence and good practice guidelines are considered at regular intervals.

NHS Boards take decisions on whether to adopt technologies based on evidence of their safety and proven clinical and cost effectiveness.

Question reference: S5W-12686

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 22 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement the new assessment and approval pathway for ultra-orphan medicines.