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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-15789

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 30 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide a substantive answer to question S5W-14907, which received a holding response on 13 March 2018.

Question reference: S5W-15792

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15087 by Shona Robison on 21 March 2018, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding what assessment it has made of how many GPs will retire in each of the next 10 years.

The Scottish Government recently announced a commitment to increasing the number of GPs by at least 800 over ten years to ensure a sustainable service that meets the increasing demand on our services. Our strategy to recruit and retain our existing GPs will be set out in part 3 of the national health and social care workforce plan, which will be published in the near future.

The plan provides detail on the modelling work undertaken to estimate the number of GPs likely to be in the workforce over the next 10 years. Considering the age and gender of the current workforce, the number that typically leave and join the profession on an annual basis and taking account of increased part-time working.

Question reference: S5W-15791

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 24 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15090 by Shona Robison on 21 March 2018, whether, in the course of the Primary Care Workforce Survey Scotland 2017, it was provided with the information that was requested regarding what the longest period is that a current GP post has been vacant for, and in which NHS board this is and, if so, whether it will provide this information.

Question reference: S5W-15790

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-15089 by Shona Robison on 21 March 2018, whether it will provide the information that was requested regarding how many posts in each NHS board were vacant for (a) between (i) six and 12, (ii) 12 and 18, (iii) 18 and 24, (iv) 24 and 30 and (v) 30 and 36 and (b) over 36 months.

Question reference: S5W-14907

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 16 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS clinical staff have taken early retirement in each year since 2010-11, and what analysis it has carried out of their reasons for doing so, broken down by NHS board.

It is not possible to break down early retirals according clinical and other staff groups as SPPA pension records focus on scheme entitlements rather than staff group. However, the following table covers all staff who were directly employed and whose records indicate Voluntary Early Retirement with an Actuarial Reduction (VERA) or Preserved VERA, in addition to two further categories which do not apply to GPs - Voluntary Early Retirement with No Reduction (VER) and Premature Retirement (PREM).

Note that where data is available that identifies less than 5 in any Health Board area, the actual figures have been removed for data protection reasons to guard against the possibility of identifying the specific individuals who have retired under these terms.

Board Area	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18 1
Ayrshire & Arran	14	20	30	28	33	58	35	41
Borders	10	7	7	9	16	15	16	17
Dumfries & Galloway	13	13	14	24	15	19	24	33
Fife	17	29	20	29	31	37	34	40
Forth Valley	19	34	30	25	18	25	34	33
Grampian	25	39	22	51	49	58	40	41
Grt. Glasgow & Clyde	63	71	90	91	110	126	136	141
Highland	21	16	17	25	26	40	43	37
Lanarkshire	29	37	23	40	58	59	54	51
Lothian	36	41	42	52	49	85	71	69
Orkney	6	<5	<5	<5	6	<5	<5	<5
Shetland	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5
Tayside	24	21	32	41	34	45	41	75
Western Isles	<5	0	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5

NHS Ed. for Scotland	<5	8	<5	8	<5	7	<5	<5
NHS Health Scotland	<5	<5	5	0	<5	<5	<5	<5
Nat. Services Scotland	11	22	28	22	27	20	16	26
National Waiting Times	<5	<5	8	<5	<5	<5	6	<5
Scot. Ambulance Serv.	14	21	20	31	44	31	30	29
State Hospital	<5	<5	8	<5	0	<5	<5	<5

Small Employers 2	37	32	28	31	46	40	42	50
Dental Practitioners	8	8	10	14	20	31	23	30
Highland Council 3	0	0	0	0	<5	0	0	0

Total	358	429	446	532	597	711	659	730

1. Available figures for year so far. May be subject to revision as data is refined.

2. Small Employers – GP Practice Staff (Admin, Support and Nurses) and Small Direction Bodies.

3. Highland Council Direction Body.

Reasons for retirement are not recorded in the system but it is important to note that the fact that someone has accessed their pension does not necessarily mean that they have stopped working in the NHS. The NHS Scotland Pension Scheme allows staff to retire and return, usually on reduced hours, and this can be a good way for staff to find a manageable way to continue working as they get older, whilst the service is able to retain their skills and experience.

Question reference: S5W-15120

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 29 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of NHS Grampian and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde reportedly being the only NHS boards that offer Botox treatment for migraines, what its response is to reports that they do not accept people from other board areas who require this treatment.

The role of the Scottish Government is to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS Boards to allow them to deliver services that meet the needs of their local populations. Where an agreed treatment is not available locally then the local board have the option to refer the patient to another board. This will be dependent on the availability of a specific service locally, and current demands.

Question reference: S5W-14906

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how many GPs have taken early retirement in each year since 2007, broken down by NHS board.

The following table covers practitioners whose records indicate Voluntary Early Retirement with an Actuarial Reduction (VERA) and Preserved VERA (i.e. situations where someone has left the NHS Scotland Pension Scheme with preserved benefits then decided to take these at an actuarially reduced level before what would have been their normal pension age).

Board Area	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10	2010-11	2011-12
A&A	0	<5	<5	0	<5
Borders	0	0	<5	<5	<5
D&G	0	0	<5	<5	<5
Fife	<5	<5	0	5	6
Forth Valley	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5
Grampian	<5	<5	<5	5	<5
GG&C	5	5	<5	<5	7
Highland	0	<5	<5	<5	5
Lanarkshire	<5	<5	<5	<5	6
Lothian	<5	6	<5	<5	6
Orkney	<5	<5	0	<5	0
Tayside	<5	7	<5	<5	<5
Shetland	0	0	<5	<5	0
Western Isl.	0	<5	0	0	<5
Not Traced ²	<5	<5	<5	<5	<5
Total	22	34	27	33	52

Board Area	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
A&A	<5	9	<5	<5	8
Borders	<5	5	0	<5	<5
D&G	0	5	0	<5	<5
Fife	7	5	<5	<5	6
Forth Valley	5	8	<5	<5	<5
Grampian	<5	8	<5	7	6
GG&C	13	14	16	10	21
Highland	<5	<5	<5	6	7
Lanarkshire	11	11	15	7	6
Lothian	9	13	9	9	10
Orkney	0	0	<5	0	0
Tayside	<5	5	5	8	<5
Shetland	<5	0	0	0	0
Western Isl.	<5	0	<5	<5	0
Not Traced ²	<5	<5	7	<5	0
Total	63	91	70	67	74

1. Figures cover the year so far.

2. Cases where no Board area could be identified.

Question reference: S5O-01964

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the prescription of cannabis-derived therapies on the NHS.

Question reference: S5W-15227

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) support and (b) resources it provides to the parents or carers of children receiving mental health treatment on the child's discharge from hospital, and whether it plans to extend this.

Question reference: S5W-15087

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 21 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how many GPs will retire in each of the next 10 years.

We know that GP recruitment and retention is an issue for some areas of Scotland. That’s why the groundbreaking new GP contract for Scotland – jointly designed and agreed with the British Medical Association – will help ensure that GPs are able to spend more time with patients and less time on bureaucracy. It will help reduce doctors’ overall workload and make general practice an even more attractive career prospect by allowing GPs to focus on the patients who need them most.

We have recently announced the commitment to increasing the number of GPs by at least 800 over ten years to ensure a sustainable service that meets increasing demand on our services. Our strategy to recruit and retain our existing GPs will be set out in part 3 of the national health and social care workforce plan to be published shortly.