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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: S5T-01494

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 February 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that school menus in around three quarters of council areas include processed meats containing nitrites.

Question reference: S5W-20937

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 13 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated to support the endometriosis centre in (a) Edinburgh and (b) Aberdeen.

There are two specialist centres open in Edinburgh (based at the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh and the Royal) and in Aberdeen (Royal Infirmary). It is the responsibility of local NHS Boards to ensure patients are able to access the appropriate care for endometriosis funded through existing NHS budgets.

Scottish Government has been working closely with the West of Scotland to progress the business case and establish a centre in the West. NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde have confirmed their costs are in line with other centres.

Question reference: S5W-21259

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how not measuring the BMI of all children over five could impact on the effectiveness of the diet and healthy weight delivery plan in meeting its aspirations regarding children and young people’s weight.

Question reference: S5W-21109

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not implemented the recommendation by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in Scotland that the BMI of all children over five is measured.

In July 2018, the Scottish Government published ‘A healthier future: Scotland’s diet and healthy weight delivery plan’. The plan sets out our vision for everyone in Scotland to eat well and have a healthy weight, and our ambitions to halve childhood obesity by 2030 and significantly reduce health inequalities.

ISD currently publishes annual statistics on the proportion of children in Primary 1 in schools across Scotland who have healthy, high, and low body mass index (BMI). As part of the Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan we have committed to exploring current practice, evidence and cost-effective options for improving the tracking, support and data beyond Primary 1. This work is underway and we will make decisions about next steps later this year.

The Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan can be accessed here: www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781787810556 .

The Body Mass Index of Primary 1 Children in Scotland School Year 2017/18 publication is available here: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Child-Health/Publications/2018-12-11/2018-12-11-P1-BMI-Statistics-Publication-Report.pdf

Question reference: S5W-21110

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the ISD report, Body Mass Index of Primary 1 Children in Scotland School Year 2017/18, which records an increase in the overweight and obesity gap between children from rich and poor backgrounds, and how the diet and healthy weight delivery plan will aim to alleviate this.

Health inequalities are a symptom of wider social inequalities. That is why the Scottish Government is taking action to address underlying causes, including ending poverty, fair wages, supporting families, and improving our physical and social environments.

We are also reforming public health. In June 2018, with COSLA, we published Public Health Priorities for Scotland. Creating a Scotland where we all eat well and have a healthy weight and level of physical activity is one of these six interlinked priorities. In 2019 we will establish of a new national public health body, which will have a leading role in supporting work to tackle health inequalities.

The Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan is clear in its ambition to significantly reduce diet related health inequalities. The wide range of actions includes population level measures and targeted interventions such as:

- restricting the in-store marketing and promotion of foods high in fat, salt and sugar but with little or no nutritional value in order to reduce the public health harm associated with poor diet.

- Food Standards Scotland’s Out of Home strategy which includes better information for consumers, currently out for consultation.

- Early intervention and targeted support for children, young people and families delivered by Health Boards and their partners to help them to achieve a healthy diet and weight.

The Public Health Priorities can be accessed here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-public-health-priorities/pages/0/

The Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan can be accessed here: www.gov.scot/ISBN/9781787810556 .

Question reference: S5W-20507

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the withdrawal of services by Healthcare Environmental Services, whether it will detail its contingency plan to ensure that clinical waste is disposed of safely, and where the alternative storage, collection and treatment services have been procured from.

Due to the withdrawal of services by Healthcare Environmental Services Ltd, interim contingency arrangements have been put in place to ensure NHS Scotland services to the public are maintained. These arrangements, procured centrally by NHS National Services Scotland, for the NHS across Scotland, were initiated on 7 December 2018.

Services are being provided by around 15 companies under temporary contracts. Collection of waste from NHSScotland priority sites (large hospitals) is being undertaken by three licensed waste carriers covering the whole of Scotland. These are - Northwards Ltd, John Mitchell Haulage (Grangemouth) Ltd and W H Malcolm (Linwood) Ltd. Contracts are in place with specialist companies to provide community collections from smaller sites, including GPs and Community Pharmacists.

In total there are over 4,000 community sites being supported. Waste is collected and transported directly to authorised (licence or permitted) facilities in Scotland and England.

Question reference: S5W-21123

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Glasgow endometriosis centre has been allocated to fund clinical nurse specialists, and how many hours per role this funds.

Question reference: S5W-20935

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many hours of dedicated pelvic pain management is provided to support people with (a) endometriosis and (b) other pelvic pain conditions, broken down by NHS board.

This information regarding endometriosis and other pelvic pain conditions is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has commissioned the development of a Core Minimum Dataset (CMD) to be collected by all specialist pain services, and a series of Quality Performance Indicators (QPIs).

These will be evidence-based, use routinely-collected data where possible, and have been subject to two consultation exercises. We are currently working with ISD to establish methods of integrating the necessary data collection into NHS IT systems, with a view to piloting this as soon as this is ready.

Once the data from CMD and QPIs are available, we will be able to report baseline and outcome characteristics of patients attending pain services (including cause and severity of pain, and its impact); and the nature and quality of service provision. This will include people with endometriosis and other pelvic pain conditions where they are seen by a specialist pain service but not any that are being treated by gynaecologists out with the pain service.

We will also be able to compare services between regions and changes over time, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of service improvement initiatives. Further information is available at the NHS Research Scotland Website: http://www.nhsresearchscotland.org.uk/research-areas/pain/sub-page-2

Question reference: S5W-20933

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much the Glasgow endometriosis centre has been allocated to fund consultants dedicated in (a) gynaecology, (b) pain management, (c) colorectal surgery and (d) urology, and how many hours per role this funds.

The West of Scotland dedicated BSGE Accredited Severe Endometriosis Service is expected to be up and running from April 2019 and is being funded through local NHS Health Boards. It will bring together work that was previously dispersed across different sites. The following table sets out the planned uplift from existing services, as well as additional funds that will enable supporting surgical support to ring fence capacity, which will be used to establish this centre.

	Funding	Hours
Gynaecology	Uplift from existing services	75 hours	2.0 wte
Pain Management	Uplift from existing services
Colorectal	£60,000	18.5 hours	0.5 wte
Urology	£12,600	3.5 hours	0.10

Question reference: S5W-20936

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many trained specialist endometriosis surgeons there are, broken down by NHS board, and how many of their hours are allocated specifically to endometriosis care and surgery.

There are two specialist centres open in Edinburgh (based at the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh and the Royal) and in Aberdeen (Royal Infirmary). A specialist centre in the West of Scotland is expected to be operational by April 2019. It is the responsibility of local NHS Boards to ensure patients are able to access the appropriate care for endometriosis, including ensuring appropriate access to trained specialist surgeons is in place. Scottish Government does hold this information.