- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the (a) number of deaths as a result of the recreational use of nitrous oxide in each year for which data is available, also broken down by age group and (b) cost to the NHS of treating patients as a result of harm or injuries sustained through the recreational use of nitrous oxide, and whether it will provide a breakdown of the types of injuries that have been sustained through the recreational use of nitrous oxide.
Answer
As Nitrous Oxide is not classed as a controlled substance under the reserved Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, it is not routinely screened for in toxicology testing.
The National Records of Scotland do publish ‘Accidental poisoning by and exposure to noxious substances’, but do not provide specific substance breakdowns.
Analysis of hospital admissions in relation to Nitrous Oxide would be limited by use of the ICD-10 diagnostic coding system. Nitrous Oxide use is coded within the ‘inhalant’ or ‘volatile substance’ category (F18), but this also contains other substances such as butane and glue, so it isn’t possible to narrow it down to the admissions specific to nitrous. There is also no mention of intentionality (i.e. recreational use) within these data.
- Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-12923 by Jenny Gilruth on 10 January 2023, which refers to "key areas of work completed to date", where information on these completed works is published, and whether it will provide the results of this work.
Answer
The Outline Business Case will, when fully endorsed, be published on the Transport Scotland website as is normal practice.
Transport Scotland would not routinely publish the other completed areas of work including the development of a concept timetable. However, progress on this project has been and will continue to be shared at regular intervals with key stakeholders.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the effectiveness of Scottish Coast Guard Rescue Teams and related mental health support for their staff.
Answer
The Scottish Government has had no recent discussions with the UK Government on these issues; I have, however, recently met with the Maritime Coastguard Agency regarding all aspects of their operations in Scotland.
Coastguard operations are matters reserved to the UK Government and the responsibility of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, reporting to the Secretary of State for Transport, are responsible for providing effective operations and the welfare of its workforce.
The Scottish Government expects the highest shipping safety and other regulatory standards around Scotland’s coasts and that coastguard staff welfare issues are afforded paramount importance in what is a sometimes hazardous line of employment.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to reduce ScotRail's arrival and departure delays at (a) Ayr and (b) Girvan Station, in light of statistics showing the percentage of trains arriving on time in the period 11 December 2022 to 7 January 2023 was just 37.7% at Girvan and 67% at Ayr.
Answer
As the member is aware, ScotRail’s performance is measured using the industry standard Public Performance Measure (PPM) which combines reliability and punctuality into a single performance metric. To achieve PPM, a service must arrive/terminate at a station within 5 minutes of its booked arrival time.
PPM is a practical measurement of performance, which allows time for rail staff to assist passengers or hold trains for connections to be made when appropriate.
PPM figures at Ayr and Girvan in the latest reporting period (11 Dec 2022 – 7 Jan 2023) are 91.4% and 91.3% respectively, showing more than 9 out of 10 trains arriving at these stations met their performance target. Services at these stations showed better performance than the network as a whole.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of adults with type 2 diabetes entered remission in each year since 2007.
Answer
This is a matter for NHS Scotland Health Boards. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to statistics showing that just 37.7% of trains arriving on time at Girvan Station between 11 December 2022 and 7 January 2023.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-14100 on 6 February 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what it is has done to ensure that women with gestational diabetes have access to information, support, and follow-up, to help them prevent developing type 2 diabetes.
Answer
Through the Framework for the Prevention, Early Detection and Early Intervention of Type 2 Diabetes (The Framework), Scottish Government are supporting NHS boards to develop and enhance pathways for those diagnosed with gestational diabetes.
The Framework identifies those with gestational diabetes as being at high risk of developing type 2 Diabetes after pregnancy. Through the implementation of the Framework, NHS boards offer those diagnosed with gestational diabetes timely access to type 2 Diabetes prevention education, specialist dietetic treatment and, where appropriate, access to a suitable weight management programme after their pregnancy.
Using investment in the Framework to date, Scotland’s NHS Health boards have developed enhanced options for pregnant women for treatment of gestational diabetes in pregnancy. These involve education and clinical support provided by specialist midwives and dietitians. The results of this have seen a significant number of pregnant women controlling their blood-sugar levels through diet alone. The investment in 2021-22 is referenced in response to S6W-14363 on 6 February 2023.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Alexander Stewart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it permits the shooting of wildfowl within 10 yards of locations where birds fly in to roost.
Answer
There is no specific legislation that prohibits the shooting of wildfowl within 10 yards of locations where birds fly in to roost.
The rules applying to the hunting of wildfowl are set out in the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. These rules do not prohibit the shooting of wildfowl within 10 yards of locations where birds fly in to roost. The Scottish Government is not aware of any reason to introduce such a prohibition.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Linlithgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in increasing the number of patients accessing NHS dental care in West Lothian, following the reintroduction of a system of fee per item payments in an attempt to incentivise NHS dental teams to see patients.
Answer
Information on dental activity is not held at a West Lothian level. Public Health Scotland presently publish information on activity at a national level and this shows that over 1.6 million NHS examination appointment were completed between April and October 2022, with an average of more than 300,000 course of treatment per month.
However, the most recent participation statistics, which measure the number of registered patients who have had contact with a NHS dentist over a two year period, are available at a Lothian level and show that we are on the road to recovery. Participation statistics for Lothian shows that as at 30 September 2022, 432,249 people in Lothian had contact with a NHS dentist, compared to 372,513 as at 31 March 2022. This means there has been an increase of 59,736 people accessing NHS dental services in Lothian between March and September 2022.
- Asked by: Craig Hoy, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 6 February 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the implementation of the Framework for the Prevention, Early Detection and Early Intervention of Type 2 Diabetes.
Answer
We are in year 5 of delivery of the Framework, which has seen the adoption of effective and evidence based treatments across Scotland. Through regular investment, we continue to support NHS boards to improve weight management services.
In 2022-23, NHS Scotland health boards were allocated £5,946,496 to support the implementation of the Framework. With investment to date, boards have continued to expand the delivery of weight management services and incorporated digital platforms, in line with our national standards . These standards aim to ensure a fair and equal approach in weight management services in Scotland. We have committed to funding the continued implementation of the Framework for at least the duration of this parliamentary term, to 2026-27.
To support health boards in planning and implementing the Framework, we have appointed two professional advisers. They provide direct support to boards through attendance at local oversight groups and in the setting of annual milestones to ensure Framework delivery. Alongside this, Framework implementation is monitored by our national oversight group.