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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-03396

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many employees in the mental health sector it expects to retire in 2016-17, and how many of these posts will be subsequently advertised.

In accordance with current legislation we can no longer presume a retiral age as this is discriminatory. As a result, information relating to numbers of Mental Health staff expected to retire in 2016-17 is not available.

However, despite record levels of staffing in NHS Scotland, we acknowledge that we need to plan carefully to prepare for the challenges we face. That is why we have committed to producing a National and Regional Workforce Planning system that will help deliver a sustainable Health and Social Care system.

Question reference: S5W-03399

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of NHS procurement employees is qualified in procurement, also broken down by the proportion holding Chartered Institute of Procurement accreditation.

Personnel employed within procurement across NHSScotland hold a wide variety of qualifications ranging from NVQ/SVQ certificates to degrees in law, engineering, business studies and clinical competencies. Approximately 30% hold accreditation with the Chartered Institute of Procurement (CIPS) with a number of others studying for the qualification. Not all posts require CIPS and based on the nature of the role the job specification will describe the required minimum qualification and/or experience requirements.

Question reference: S5W-03405

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how many vacated hospital buildings there are in each NHS board, also broken down by when each building will be emptied of all re-useable equipment and furnishings.

Question reference: S5W-03402

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how often the NHS procurement process is audited and by whom, also broken down by the outcome of last audit for each NHS board.

NHS National Procurement are the appointed Centre of Expertise for auditing procurement processes at each Health Board as part of the annual capability review. In addition to this, all Health Boards have Internal Auditors, who will include procurement in their routine programme of work.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information regarding the latest audit for each Health Board – this information is retained locally.

Question reference: S5W-03458

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many nursing staff working days in each NHS board have been lost due to illness in each of the last five years, and what information it has on how many times the absence was covered by colleagues.

The welfare of NHS staff is critically important with every health board required to have policies in place and to comply with national policies on managing health at work. The Scottish Government is actively addressing the sickness absence challenge.

Under this Government, the number of qualified Nurses and Midwives have increased by 5.2% to over 43,100 Whole Time Equivalent.

It is for health boards to plan and deliver clinical services and ensure that they have the correct staff in place to meet the needs of their services and ensure high quality patient care.

This level of sickness absence information is not held centrally. NHS National Services Scotland, Information Services Department collect and publish sickness absence data at a national and board level once a year:

https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2016-06-07/Sickness_Absence_M2016.xls

Question reference: S5W-03769

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 1 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what communication the Scottish Health Council has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde regarding (a) Lightburn and (b) the Vale of Leven Hospital since May 2015.

The independent Scottish Health Council (SHC) works with NHS Boards and communities across Scotland to promote and support the involvement of people in NHS Scotland: that includes instances where changes to NHS services are being considered by a Board or Boards. The Health Council's support and advice on potential service changes is offered within the context of the well-established and long-standing process set out in the national guidance: "Informing, Engaging and Consulting People in Developing Health and Community Care Services" (CEL 4(2010)). Specific communications with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on proposals in respect of Lightburn and Vale of Leven Hospitals are a matter for the independent SHC.

Question reference: S5W-03403

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 27 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS-related meetings and seminars were held off NHS campuses in 2016, and at what cost.

Question reference: S5O-00275

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 November 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how the annual value of Scotland’s exports to the EU compares with its exports to the UK.

Question reference: S5W-03392

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 19 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in implement the recommendations regarding procurement set out in the paper, Review of ICT Infrastructure in the Public Sector in Scotland (the McLelland report).

The Review of ICT Infrastructure in the Public Sector in Scotland published in 2011, recommended that the public sector embrace an integrated approach to ICT procurement, apply effective oversight and governance to the procurement process and ensure Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have appropriate access to public sector opportunities.

The Scottish Government strategic approach to ICT procurement is outlined in Scotland’s Digital Future: Delivery of Public Services which also includes a National Digital & ICT Portfolio Procurement Plan. A Central Government ICT Assurance Framework is also in place to ensure appropriate approvals and assurances are aligned to enable successful project delivery.

The Scottish Government has continued to deliver a number of national collaborative ICT procurement frameworks in areas such as ICT Hardware, Fixed Telephony and Digital & ICT Services. These frameworks are extensively utilised across the Scottish public sector. Another example of effective collaborative procurement has been the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) Programme which has delivered a single public services network available for the use of any, and potentially all, public services organisations within Scotland; with aggregated demand delivering both cost and performance advantages.

Ensuring SMEs have access to public sector contract opportunities is a key objective. The Procurement Reform (Scotland ) Act 2014 and the Scottish Model of Procurement, are designed to make our public procurement contracts readily accessible to SMEs, many of which are currently providing high quality ICT products and services to the Scottish public sector.

Question reference: S5W-03406

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2016
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 7 October 2016

To ask the Scottish Government by what date the new research manager to support reducing HIV transmission will be appointed and how much research funding the appointee will be provided with in each of the next five years, also expressed in real terms.

The intention is to recruit a new research manager to be in post by March 2017 at the latest.

The research manager will not have their own research budget. As set out in updated Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework, published in September 2015, the role of the research manager will be to co-ordinate research across the Framework (including on HIV prevention); to support the NHS and other partners in accessing funding and grants from other sources; to collate and share evidence of what works; and to develop a research strategy for the Framework.