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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-05449

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 22 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the cost benefits of using continuous glucose monitoring, and how much it estimates this technology saves the NHS by preventing, for example, eye disease, amputations and other health problems that can result from diabetes.

Diabetes accounts for around 10% of the health budget and it is estimated that 80% of these costs are for treating complications associated with diabetes, such as diabetic retinopathy, foot ulcers (which can lead to amputation) and renal failure. Attaining good glycaemic control significantly reduces the risk of developing complications.

The Scottish Diabetes Group’s national approach to CGM has been developed taking account of clinical evidence and all the costs associated with the treatment and management of diabetes. It is estimated that for those who would clinically benefit from CGM, the technology can support a reduction in cost to NHS Scotland of around £3,000 per person in relation to short term complications and will contribute towards reducing the costs in relation to longer term complications.

Question reference: S5W-05448

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 22 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that continuous glucose monitoring is provided to all people with diabetes who need it.

Scottish Government works closely with the Scottish Diabetes Group, our national advisory group, to oversee and drive implementation of our Diabetes Improvement Plan (2014) to improve care and treatment for people living with diabetes in Scotland. The Plan includes a range of actions that aim to support improvements in glycaemic control, including the development of a national approach to the provision of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM).

Our national approach has been developed taking account of the clinical evidence which recommends the use of CGM devices for a small number of people with diabetes as an aid to improve glycaemic control, but does not recommend CGM for routine use. Clinicians are best placed to provide specific advice and support to individuals, based on their circumstances, which can include the provision of CGM where a clinical need for one is identified. The national approach will support clinicians in the provision of this technology and ensure that those who would clinically benefit from it can receive it.

To support this, we are investing over £10m over the term of the Parliament, to increase the provision of insulin pump therapy and CGM.

Question reference: S5W-05018

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 22 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on child and adolescent mental health in 2015-16, also broken down by NHS board, and what percentage of (a) the overall (i) NHS and (ii) mental health budget and (b) each NHS board's budget this represents.

Scottish Health Service Costs is published annually by ISD Scotland with the support of the Scottish Government. Published costs information for NHSScotland, including for child and adolescent mental health expenditure (Report R04LSX and SFR 8.3); mental health expenditure (Report R340) and total NHS expenditure (Report R300) can be found at: https://isdscotland.scot.nhs.uk/Health-Topics/Finance/Costs/.

Question reference: S5W-05355

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been convicted of (a) dangerous and (b) careless driving in each year since 1999, broken down by area.

Question reference: S5W-05563

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5W-05356

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns that too many drivers who may have caused death or serious injury are being convicted of careless driving rather than dangerous driving.

Question reference: S5W-05359

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns that too few of people convicted of dangerous driving receive custodial sentences.

In any given case, sentencing is a matter for the court within the overall legal framework.

The law in relation to careless driving and dangerous driving is not devolved to Scotland and the UK Government has recently published a consultation seeking views on enhancing the powers of the court when sentencing for serious driving offences.

The Scottish Sentencing Council has included within its recently published business plan their intention to consider dangerous driving. The Council's business plan period runs until October 2018.

Question reference: S5W-05357

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that drivers who are convicted of careless and dangerous driving receive sentences that are appropriate to the severity of the crimes committed.

In any given case, sentencing is a matter for the court within the overall legal framework.

The Scottish Sentencing Council has included within its recently published business plan their intention to consider dangerous driving. The Council's business plan period runs until October 2018.

Question reference: S5W-05358

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how the views of family members and friends of people who have been killed or seriously injured by careless or dangerous driving are taken into account in (a) the justice system and (b) sentencing policy for those convicted of careless and dangerous driving.

The investigation and prosecution of crime are operational matters for Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service respectively. Sentencing is a matter for the court.

In considering the public interest, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service advise that they take a number of factors into account, including the interests of the victim, the accused and the wider community. They advise this can involve competing interests and will vary with every case.

Victims (or relatives of victims if the victim is deceased) can make victim statements in certain cases involving serious crime and this includes careless driving or dangerous driving. In determining the sentence to impose on an offender, the court must have regard those parts of the statement it considers to be relevant to the offence.

Question reference: S5W-05354

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the number of people being convicted of death by careless driving is reportedly increasing as the number being convicted of death by dangerous driving is decreasing.