Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-01146

Asked by: Annabelle Ewing, MSP for Cowdenbeath, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to assess the impact of the new ScotRail timetable on passengers in the Cowdenbeath constituency.

Question reference: S6O-01143

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns by the Scottish division of the train drivers union, ASLEF, regarding proposals to make further cuts to ScotRail services.

Question reference: S6O-01147

Asked by: Maggie Chapman, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the social impact of economic development in the north east.

Question reference: S6W-07576

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the £5 million that it provided for the financial year 2020-21 to support the wellbeing of people working in health, social care and social work was (a) allocated and (b) spent.

Question reference: S6W-08053

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will conduct an under 16 cancer patient survey.

The Scottish Government does not currently have plans to conduct an under 16 cancer patient survey. The Managed Service Network for Children and Young People with Cancer published a strategy in September 2021, ‘ Collaborative and Compassionate Cancer Care ’, which commits to improving services nationally and supporting a consistent approach to care and treatment across the country for children and young people up to the age of 25. This strategy was developed through consultation with service users, parents and carers, partner organisations and NHS Scotland staff.

Question reference: S6W-07934

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to tackle any gaps in data in order to better inform NHS workforce planning.

On 11 March 2022, we published the National Health and Social Care Workforce Strategy.

As part of the Strategy, we have committed to taking forward specific actions to improve how we gather, use and assess NHS Workforce data. This includes taking steps to improve the demographic data we collect and the analysis we undertake of data obtained at different geographic levels within our health and social care system.

The Strategy further commits us to taking forward complementary actions to improve workforce planning capacity and capability within our health boards and health and social care partnerships (HSCPs).

New guidance has already been communicated to health boards and HSCPs to support the production of demand-led 3-year workforce plans, supported by local systems’ workforce data. Later this year we will also publish new staffing projections for health and social care.

Complementary data systems and data improvement work is taking place, as part of the Implementation Programme being established to support delivery of the Workforce Strategy. We have undertaken to publish annual updates outlining progress with the Strategy’s implementation, in support of our tri-partite ambition to achieve long-term workforce sustainability through recovery, growth and service transformation.

Question reference: S6W-07946

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings it had with trade unions, staff representatives and passenger or transport groups between December 2019 and March 2022 in relation to the nationalisation of Scotland’s railways.

Between December 2019 to March 2022 Transport Scotland undertook regular meetings with trade unions, staff representatives and passenger/transport groups at which the subject of ScotRail services moving to a Scottish Government owned operator i.e. ScotRail Trains Limited from 1 April 2022 would have been discussed.

The former Minister for Transport, Mr Dey, met with the collective Rail Trade Unions twice and individually with them once, with the exception of RMT who declined to meet at the time. There was a third collective meeting schedule to take place on the day Mr Dey resigned.

I have had one collective Rail Trade Unions meeting and have held five individual meetings with Trade Union representatives. Public ownership was discussed at all these meetings along with other issues such as pay negotiations and industrial relations for example.

The former Minister for Transport also met with Transport Focus and I met with Transport Focus on 21 April where I provided an update on the transition from Abellio ScotRail to ScotRail Trains Ltd.

Question reference: S6W-07941

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that some people in a high-risk category, who are eligible for anti-viral medication to treat COVID-19, have been asked to travel from Helensburgh to Oban, following a positive test, in order to receive this medication.

Question reference: S6W-08096

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address reported social worker shortages in specialist (a) adult and (b) paediatric cystic fibrosis centres.

Due to the variable management required, much of the treatment required by Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients is specialist and tailored to the needs of the individual patient. The Scottish Government therefore expects NHS Boards to treat CF patients according to individual need, this includes ensuring clinical psychologist and social work input when required.

Whilst the Scottish Government set out the wider policy within which NHS Scotland is expected to deliver services, we expect all NHS Boards to provide high quality care that is safe, effective and person-centred. This is a matter for NHS Boards locally. The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government is committed to working to improve outcomes for people with rare conditions, including Cystic Fibrosis. We are developing an Scottish Action Plan for Rare Disease based on the four priorities of the UK Rare Disease Framework: faster diagnoses, increased awareness, better care co-ordination, and access to specialist treatments and care.

Question reference: S6W-08085

Asked by: Emma Harper, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that (a) children and (b) adults diagnosed with cystic fibrosis have the clinical psychologist and social worker resourcing available in their multidisciplinary team, as set out in the service specifications for adult and paediatric care.

Both adult and paediatric patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) can access a range of appropriate services via their local NHS Boards, Integrated Joint Board and specialist centres.

The National Services Division (NSD) of NHS National Services Scotland commission a number of highly specialist services for young people and adults with CF are delivered via multi-disciplinary teams, including clinical psychologists at 3 specialist centres around the country – in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh. There are also outreach services in Dundee and Inverness. Paediatric CF services are delivered locally by NHS Boards like through the South-East Scotland Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Service.

Due to the variable management required, much of the treatment required by CF patients is specialist and tailored to the needs of the individual patient. The Scottish Government therefore expects NHS Boards to treat CF patients according to individual need, this includes ensuring clinical psychologist and social work input when required.

The Scottish Government is committed to working to improve outcomes for people with rare conditions, including Cystic Fibrosis. We are developing an Scottish Action Plan for Rare Disease based on the four priorities of the UK Rare Disease Framework: faster diagnoses, increased awareness, better care co-ordination, and access to specialist treatments and care.

Seòmar agus comataidhean