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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S4F-02697

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2015

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S4W-24816

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) Governance Board had the consent of the people concerned when it linked records from the 2011 census and the NHSCR.

The linkage which was carried out between an extract of the NHSCR and an extract of the 2011 census was carried out under the direction of the Beyond 2011 Programme Board which was chaired by the Registrar General.

The Data Protection Act 1998 does not require consent to allow processing of data provided that any processing of data is fair and legal and that appropriate conditions are met. The processing was fair as it was not possible to identify individuals in the outputs, no decisions were made in respect to individuals and the processing was necessary in the legitimate interests of National Records of Scotland for carrying out statistics and research. The processing was also legal as under section 5 of the Census Act 1920 the Registrar General has a duty to further the supply and better co-ordination of available statistical information with respect to the number and condition of the population in the interval between each census.

Question reference: S4W-24818

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost was of the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) Governance Board’s research exercise to link the NHSCR and the 2011 census.

Question reference: S4W-24810

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government on what legislative authority the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) Governance Board decided to link the NHSCR to the 2011 census.

The linkage which was carried out between an extract of the National Health Service Central Register (NHSCR) and an extract of the 2011 Census was carried out under the direction of the Beyond 2011 Programme Board which was chaired by the Registrar General.

Section 5 of the Census Act 1920 imposes a duty on the Registrar General to further the supply and provide for the better co-ordination of any available statistical information with respect to the number and condition of the population between each census. The statistical research exercised that was carried out between the NHSCR and the census data was carried out in support of this duty.

Question reference: S4W-24817

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) Governance Board conducted a cost/benefit analysis of the research exercise to link the NHSCR and the 2011 census and, if so, what it concluded.

The linkage which was carried out between an extract of the National Health Service Central Register and an extract of the 2011 Census was carried out under the direction of the Beyond 2011 Programme Board which was chaired by the Registrar General.

The programme contained several work streams and this linkage project was a subset of one work stream. A cost/benefit analysis was not produced for this specific piece of work, which involved minimal costs (see the answer to question S4W-24818 on 19 March 2015)

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Question reference: S4W-24812

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the outcomes were of the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) Governance Board’s decision to link the NHSCR to the 2011 census.

Question reference: S4W-24813

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether information from the 2011 census has been included in the NHS Central Register.

Question reference: S4W-24815

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) Governance Board’s decision to link the 2011 census and NHSCR is consistent with the Scottish Government's identity and management principles.

Question reference: S4W-24811

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the NHS Central Register (NHSCR) Governance Board linked the NHSCR to the 2011 census.

The Beyond 2011 Programme was established to explore the provision of population and socio-demographic statistics in Scotland. The programme aimed to investigate a range of options and alternatives in relation to the supply and provision of available statistical information, including the possibility of using administrative sources and methods for developing a more cost-effective and efficient census design. This linkage of extracts took place to help assess the suitability of increasing the use of the NHSCR in the production of census statistics.

Question reference: S4W-24814

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 19 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether an identifying number or code is retained in either the 2011 census or the NHS Central Register to allow individual records in one system to be cross-referenced to the other.