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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: S5O-03008

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will carry out a review of the car park booking system.

Question reference: S5T-01544

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital faces a repair bill of up to £50 million.

Question reference: S5O-02995

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 March 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish an up-to-date timetable for the introduction of legislation included in its Programme for Government.

Question reference: S5W-21582

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 5 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on when the responses to its consultation on a female genital mutilation (FGM) bill will be published.

Question reference: S5W-21486

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 4 March 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in each NHS board area have received treatment for an eating disorder in each year since 2016-17.

The analysis provided contains information on the number of individuals discharged from NHS hospitals after being admitted with eating disorder diagnoses, broken down by health board of treatment and financial year from 2016-17 to 2017-18. As the figures do not include people treated in private facilities, they may present an undercount of the total number treated for eating disorders.

Health Board	Financial Year
	2016-17	2017-18	Total
Ayrshire & Arran	25	14	39
Borders	12	10	22
Dumfries & Galloway	19	20	39
Fife	21	29	50
Forth Valley	11	19	30
Grampian	50	66	116
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	121	115	236
Highland	22	40	62
Island Boards 2	6	8	14
Lanarkshire	39	39	78
Lothian	106	98	204
Other 3	49	48	97
Tayside	36	30	66
Total	517	536	1,053

Sources: Information Service Division (SMR01, SMR04)

Notes:

1 - An eating disorder diagnosis is based on current classifications in Chapter V of the International Classification of Diseases -10 Classification of Mental and Behavioural Disorders.

2 - Due to small numbers, the Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles health boards have been grouped under Island Boards to protect patient confidentiality.

3 - Due to small numbers, the National Facility, Non-NHS Provider/Location, and State Hospital health boards have been grouped under Other to protect patient confidentiality.

Question reference: S5W-21472

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 28 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures published by Information Services Division (ISD), which record 46.7% of new dementia diagnoses being referred for automatic 12-month support packages, and what action it is taking to increase this figure.

The Scottish Government continues to take national action to support local partnerships in improving the number of referrals into and the quality of post-diagnostic support services, as part of the 2017-2020 National Dementia Strategy. This includes action to support service innovation and modernisation, action to train the post-diagnostic workforce, and to improve the consistency of the application of the national service offer. We recently commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland to lead work on a new locality-based project to test the delivery of home-based post-diagnostic services to a high volume of clients with a high level of additional care needs. This will involve innovations in terms of service design, professional roles and technology. A test site will be selected in coming months.

In addition, we have extended by 12 months the projects in East Edinburgh, Nithsdale and Shetland to test the re-location of post-diagnostic services in primary care. We also continue to deliver post-diagnostic training as part of the national Promoting Excellence dementia skills and knowledge framework.

Many people are diagnosed in very old age with other chronic or terminal conditions and for some their dementia support – including in residential or acute settings– will be an addition to existing care packages and not reflected in the post-diagnostic figures. Others will not wish to take up the service straight away while they process their diagnosis. We are doing more work to understand the array of reasons individuals might not complete the service.

Integration Joint Boards are responsible for planning, commissioning and delivering dementia post-diagnostic services. The Scottish Budget delivers additional resource funding of almost £730 million (5.5%) for health and care services. Our budget includes £160 million of additional health and care investment in local authorities – which will support social care and mental health measures, including those delivered by Integrated Joint Boards.

Question reference: S5W-21619

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 27 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve mental health service provision for autistic people, in light of a recent survey by the Autistic Mutual Aid Society, which indicated that a quarter of people were denied this support because they are autistic.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to improving the lives of autistic people in Scotland through The Scottish Strategy for Autism and values the involvement of autistic people in the strategies planning and decision.

Local provision of mental health support for autistic people is the responsibility of the local NHS Boards The Scottish Government is clear that all NHS Boards must ensure that their services are planned efficiently so that patients - including autistic people - have swift and safe access to the full range of services they need. Nationally, support is also available through NHS 24, the Samaritans, Breathing Space and NHS Living Life.

Question reference: S5W-21614

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 February 2019
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 27 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve mental health support for farmers.

The Scottish Government made a clear commitment to improving mental health provision including specifically those in rural areas through the Mental Health Strategy published in 2017 and Better Mental Health in Scotland: PfG delivery plan published in 2018.

The National Rural Mental Health Forum was established in 2017 through Scottish Government funding and helps people in rural areas including farmers to maintain good mental health and wellbeing. Members of the forum include National Farmers Union Scotland, Scottish Tenant Farmers' Association and the Scottish Farmer.

Currently, the Forum are linking with the work being done by the National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group who have been established to drive delivery of the Suicide Prevention Action Plan.

As part of the broader programme of work to enhance digital services, NHS 24 will roll out video-conferencing clinics trials between October 2019 and March 2020 to improve access to psychological assessment and therapies in rural areas through the use of technology such as video-conferencing.

Furthermore, in December 2018 the Scottish Government published its first national strategy to help tackle social isolation and loneliness and build stronger social connections. As part of this, and in recognition of the distinct needs of those in rural communities, including farmers, we will engage with bodies like Scottish Rural Action and Scotland’s National Rural Mental Health Forum.

Question reference: S5W-21261

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in relation to statistics in the Royal College of Radiologists report, The breast imaging and diagnostic workforce in the United Kingdom, which state that 20% of breast radiologists in Scotland are expected to retire between 2015 and 2025.

Numbers of clinical radiology consultants in NHSScotland have increased in this government by 45.4%: from 223.5 WTE in September 2006 to 325.0 WTE as at September 2018.

We have also enhanced the supply of doctors to fill radiology training posts, with 26 new training places between 2014 and 2017 – an increase of 20%. We are continuing to invest in radiology specialty training and from 2018-23 we are increasing trainee posts by 50.

While it is possible to retire at 55, there is no fixed retirement age. We seek to make use of consultants and their experience wherever we can. Many doctors who retire continue to work on an ad hoc basis for NHS Scotland through the NHS Staff Bank.

Question reference: S5W-21260

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 January 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in relation to the statistics in the ISD publication, Cancer Incidence Projections for Scotland 2013-2027, which show that the number of new cases of female breast cancer is projected to increase by 27% between 2008-12 and 2023-27, from just over 22,400 cases to nearly 28,600.

We are committed to improving the prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and aftercare for all people living in Scotland who are affected by any form of cancer. This is reflected in our £100 million, 5 year national cancer strategy, ‘Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action’ .

It is welcome that overall cancer incidence has decreased over the past 10 years, but we want to help reduce that further.

We will continue to take bold and progressive preventative strategies, such as a minimum unit pricing for alcohol, to encourage people to adopt healthy lifestyles thereby reducing their risk of developing cancer.

People can survive for longer after treatment the earlier a cancer is diagnosed - around 85.2% of breast cancers are detected at early stages (stage 1 or 2). That is why we will continue to work - through our National Screening, and Detect Cancer Early (DCE) programmes - toward identifying breast cancers at the earliest stage, and to continue to drive down the existing inequalities gap.

We continue dialogue with breast cancer charities to focus on improving breast cancer services for everyone in Scotland who needs them.