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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-19634

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of how occupational therapy can be more effectively delivered in schools, colleges and universities to help deal with mental health problems among young people.

We have made absolutely clear the commitment of this government to promoting children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. There are a range of professionals, including occupational therapy services, who have a valuable contribution to make to supporting and improving children and young people’s mental health. Education authorities and schools can utilise a spectrum of support services, including occupational therapists, to meet the needs of their pupils.

To support students in colleges and universities the Scottish Government has supported the NUS Scotland’s “Think Positive” project, which focusses on the importance of early intervention. Additional funding for the project was announced in March 2018, to; help institutions create a Student Mental Health Agreement, launch a small grants scheme (up to £250), encourage innovation, and organise events to share best practice in student mental health support.

Further, The Programme for Government includes commitments to provide counsellors in schools and further and higher education to provide support and to develop and maintain positive mental health and wellbeing for children and young people.

Question reference: S5W-19633

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the number of occupational therapists in schools to help improve mental health provision for children and young people.

We have made absolutely clear the commitment of this government to promoting and supporting children’s mental health and wellbeing, through wide ranging commitments in our Programme for Government.

Those commitments build on the responsibilities of education authorities to identify, provide for, and to review the additional support needs of their pupils, under the Additional Support for Learning Act. The Act enables education authorities to seek help from other agencies in delivering these duties. This includes support for improving the mental health of pupils provided by occupational therapy services.

Question reference: S5W-19167

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether a decision has been made regarding the cystic fibrosis drug, Orkambi, which was being considered for assessment under the new ultra-orphan medicine pathway that took effect on 1 October 2018.

Yes. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has determined, further to a request from the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, that Orkambi ® is not suitable for assessment under the new ultra-orphan pathway. The SMC has come to this view having regard to the approximately 900 people in Scotland who suffer from cystic fibrosis. The ultra-orphan pathway is intended for conditions with a prevalence of 1 in 50,000 or less, equivalent to around 100 people in Scotland. The SMC takes decisions independently of Ministers.

The Scottish Government continues to call upon the manufacturer of Orkambi ® , Vertex Pharmaceuticals, to make a new submission to the SMC, at a fair price that allows general access on the NHS. Clinicians may also apply for individual patients to have access to the medicine, through the Peer Approved Clinical System (PACS) Tier Two, which has been in place since June 2018. The Scottish Government is collecting information from Health Boards about the use of PACS Tier Two and plans to publish statistics as part of the previously announced reviews of the new process six and twelve months after its commencement.

Question reference: S5W-19251

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reduction in the frequency of (a) dental checks and (b) scale and polish treatments proposed in the Oral Health Improvement Plan might have on oral (i) health and (ii) cancer outcomes, and what evidence it considered when developing this proposal.

The Plan articulates a move to a preventive care system where patients would be seen according to their oral health need. This means that patients may be seen more frequently than currently if they have poor oral health and some less frequently if their level of oral health and general health justifies it. This model is supported by National Institute and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Guidelines on the frequency of dental check-ups.

The model of care we propose also includes an Oral Health Risk Assessment and personalised care plan for adult patients in relation to oral cancer, gum disease and decay according to their degree of risk. This is a considerable enhancement on the current check-up regime.

Patients who need a scale and polish will continue to receive this treatment. Recent evidence from the iQUAD study led by the University of Dundee and the Health Services Research Unit in the University of Aberdeen has informed the policy. In the future the emphasis will be on treating periodontal disease. For patients with periodontal disease or a high risk of developing it, the intention is to ensure these patients receive a clinically proven programme of periodontal care.

Question reference: S5W-19030

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which bacteria was identified during the incidents that were reported at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow in March 2018, and whether it is the same bacteria that was identified during similar incidents in November 2015.

On 20 March 2018 the then Cabinet Secretary, Shona Robison MSP, announced to Parliament that she had asked Health Protection Scotland (HPS) to undertake a thorough investigation of this incident. This investigation is on-going and once it has concluded a report will be provided. This report will address the incident in full and the outcomes will be used to inform learning for NHSScotland.

Regarding the incident in 2015, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has confirmed that HPS conducted a thorough investigation of the incident and concluded that it was not related to bacteria in the water.

Question reference: S5W-19255

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 22 October 2018

To ask Scottish Government how it will ensure that the proposed payment change to encourage dentists to give more advice to patients, which is set out in the Oral Health Improvement Plan, will not result in dentists being penalised if patients do not follow that advice.

The Oral Health Improvement Plan sets out a programme of phased introduction of Oral Health Risk Assessments (OHRA) for adult patients. The purpose of these assessments is to ensure that patients receive personalised care plans in relation to oral cancer, gum disease and decay according to their degree of risk.

The intention would be to link any future payments to actual care and treatment provided by GDPs, in this case the assessment, and any related treatment. In developing the OHRA cognisance will be taken of the need to the train dentists in effective communication skills.

Question reference: S5W-19254

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 22 October 2018

To ask Scottish Government how it will ensure that proposed domiciliary dental care, which is set out in the Oral Health Improvement Plan, will be compatible with the General Dental Council’s standards document.

Question reference: S5W-19256

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 22 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what the total expenditure on NHS dental services has been in each of the last five years, (a) gross and (b) net of patient charge revenue, also broken down by head of population.

Total expenditure on NHS Dental Services for the last five years is set out in the following table, gross and net of patient charges revenue. Expenditure includes General Dental Services, Public Dental Services and the following hospital specialties: Dental, Oral Surgery and Medicine, Maxillofacial Surgery and AHP Outpatient service provided by Dental Ancillary staff. This information is based on Scottish Health Service Costs, an annual publication from ISD Scotland. Over the five year period, gross expenditure per head of population has risen by 3.1% and net expenditure per head by 3.6%.

Total Expenditure on NHS Dental Services
	2016-17	2015-16	2014-15	2013-14	2012-13
Total Expenditure - Gross of income (£k)	535,106	526,382	518,124	508,826	510,151
Total Expenditure - Net of income (£k)	461,312	453,318	448,046	439,970	437,848
Population	5,404,700	5,373,000	5,347,600	5,327,700	5,313,600
Gross expenditure per head (£)	99.01	97.97	96.89	95.51	96.01
Net expenditure per head (£)	85.35	84.37	83.78	82.58	82.40

Question reference: S5W-19088

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2018
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 17 October 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential for self-sampling to increase coverage of cervical screening.

The Scottish Government takes advice from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group which advises Ministers and the NHS in the four UK countries about all aspects of screening policy.

The UK NSC are currently reviewing the evidence for HPV self-sampling as an additional test to address non-attendance within the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. We await advice from the UK NSC and will carefully consider any recommendations provided.

Question reference: S5W-19229

Current Status: Withdrawn