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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-11673

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much in Barnet consequentials arising from health expenditure there has been in each year since 2010, and how this has been allocated.

As disclosed in response to parliamentary question S5W-09441 on 23 June 2017, health resource consequentials received and allocated between 2011-12 and 2016-17 are set out in the following table.

	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m	£m
Health resource consequentials from UK Government	280	249	292	284	348	397
Allocated by Scottish Government to frontline health budget	280	249	292	284	383	397

This shows that the Scottish Government has delivered its commitment made in 2010-11 to pass on health resource consequentials in full, with further investment over and above consequentials made by the Scottish Government in 2015-16.

Figures prior to the period outlined above are not available on a basis which is directly comparable between the Department of Health and the Scottish Government health portfolio. An example of this is the inclusion of spending on adult social care within figures for the Department of Health.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S5W-11698

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will take account of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights when it reviews mental health and incapacity legislation.

The Scottish Government is committed to creating a modern, inclusive Scotland which protects, respects and realises internationally recognised human rights, and is working with the whole of Scottish society to deliver a shared vision for a Scotland where everyone can live a life of human dignity. The Scotland Act 1998 requires that all Scottish Parliament legislation and all acts of members of the Scottish Government must be compatible with core ECHR rights (“the Convention rights”). In addition, the Human Rights Act 1998 ensures that every public authority in Scotland is obliged to act compatibly with the Convention rights and enables human rights cases to be taken in domestic courts.

Scottish mental health and incapacity legislation is based on rights and principles. We believe that the 2003 Act is fully compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The 2003 Act has never been found, in part or in whole, by the European Court of Human Rights to be not compliant with ECHR.

During the passage of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2015, the Scottish Government committed to undertake a review to determine whether the provisions of the 2003 Act fulfil the needs of people with learning disability and autism. Alongside the review, there is also the ongoing work relating to the Adults With Incapacity legislation and a full formal consultation will launch later in the year. It would therefore be inappropriate to consider wider changes to mental health legislation until these pieces of work have concluded.

Question reference: S5W-11659

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many calls were made to the NHS whistleblower phone line in 2016-17, broken down by the NHS board area that the issue referred to.

From 1 January 2016 to 1 January 2017, the latest date to which figures are published, a total of 53 calls were made to the Whistleblowing Alert and Advice Lines Services (formerly the NHSScotland Confidential Alert Line). This figure comprises 40 public interest cases (whistleblowing) and 13 private cases (contractual).

Due to the independent and confidential nature of the service, the Scottish Government does not hold a breakdown of the total number of cases by NHS Board. Of the public interest cases, where individuals identify the Board they work for, the Board is advised directly in a format which cannot compromise the identity of the member of staff. This is done on a 6 monthly basis.

Figures are provided in 6 monthly periods then published online at the following link. Please note that the figures until 31 July 2017 will be published shortly.

Whistleblowing Alert and Advice Services

Question reference: S5W-11837

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Health Protection Scotland publishes data on laboratory reports of norovirus for the latest four weeks only; whether the information for earlier weeks is publically available and, if not, whether it will publish the information for each week since January 2012.

On 2 October 2017 a new norovirus reporting system recording all ward and bay closures due to norovirus outbreaks in Scotland was launched by Health Protection Scotland (HPS). This will allow closure figures to be selected by date and health board and the ability to view several months’ worth of norovirus data at one time http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/giz/norovirussurveillance.aspx. As this reporting system has only just commenced there is limited data available under the new process, which will be reviewed by HPS after 12 months.

Until 1 October 2017, HPS published a weekly norovirus report on its website. The focus of this report was on the latest four weeks of data to ensure the most relevant information was available. This helped NHS boards with outbreak preparedness and impact assessment, particularly during the winter months when norovirus numbers can increase. Copies of norovirus reports between October 2011 to September 2017 are still available from HPS on request http://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/giz/norovirus.aspx.

Question reference: S5W-11669

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 24 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much was raised each year by the Public Health Supplement Levy, and what this was spent on.

Question reference: S5O-01351

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage more people to carry out voluntary work in their communities.

Question reference: S5W-11518

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 16 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its contingency planning for a similar event in Scotland this winter, what assessment it has made of the recent influenza outbreak in Australia.

Whilst the strains of flu circulating in Australia this past winter have led to a significant increase in cases, it is too early to know which strains of flu will dominate in Scotland this coming flu season. The news that the southern hemisphere has experienced its worst flu outbreak in years is a timely reminder that the best way to protect the people of Scotland is by encouraging everyone who is eligible to take up their offer of the flu vaccine.

Health Protection Scotland's weekly updates showing the current epidemiological picture on flu infections across Scotland will be routinely monitored over the winter period to help us detect early warning of imminent surges in activity.

Question reference: S5W-11662

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 16 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have received screening for genetic cancers in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S5W-11621

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with its proposal that immunisation programmes should be transferred from general practice, and what analysis it has carried out of how this transfer could impact on (a) overall vaccination rates and (b) tackling health inequalities (i) in (A) urban and (B) rural areas and (ii) among older or vulnerable people.

The Government is in the process of establishing the Vaccination Transformation Programme to take forward this work. The programme will run for three years and will support a geographically phased transformation, with NHS Boards developing local plans to deliver the changes at a pace and in the order that best suits local needs and on the basis of local agreement with all relevant partners and stakeholders. Health Boards are currently developing plans for the first year of the programme. Maintaining vaccination uptake rates, and the safety and sustainability of vaccine delivery, are key objectives of the programme.

Question reference: S5W-11520

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase uptake rates for the influenza vaccine in each eligible group.

The Scottish Government runs an annual flu marketing campaign to promote the flu vaccine and increase uptake amongst those who are eligible. This year's national campaign will highlight the importance of the flu vaccine which will both raise awareness and also challenge perceptions of the risks and consequences of flu amongst different eligible groups. The campaign will include television and radio adverts, pharmacy bags, leaflets, engagement with various stakeholder organisations and a range of PR and online activity. National invitation letters have also been sent to everyone over the age of 65 and all children aged 2-5 and primary school aged children inviting them to take up the offer of the flu vaccine.