Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-24815

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to reduce paediatric surgery waiting times at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow and when it expects these to improve.

As part of the Waiting Times Improvement Plan we are making available more than £102 million in 2019-20 to increase capacity in the system, of which more than £22 million has been made available to Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board.

The Scottish Government is aware the Paediatric Service at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow is under significant pressure which has resulted in longer waiting times. This investment will enhance capacity through for example, increased staffing, evening and weekend clinics and additional theatre sessions to ensure progress towards delivering the Waiting Times Improvement Plan.

This will contribute towards having a positive impact on waiting times for patients and this investment will see phased and sustained improvement with the aim that no patient will wait more than the waiting standards and guarantee.

Question reference: S5W-24983

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage school pupils to study medicine.

Our education system aims to provide young people with experiences and with careers information, advice and guidance to raise awareness of opportunities and support informed choices. Skills Development Scotland, our national skills body, works in partnership with every school and with employers to ensure school pupils can access the support they need to consider their future. Advice is impartial and encourages young people to identify their interests, strengths and aspirations, and in turn identify the career option that is right for them.

In addition, targeted schools programmes have been developed to encourage and support young people into careers in health and medicine in particular.

Question reference: S5W-24968

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the information on mortality rates was contained in annex 1 to A Summary of the Health of the Nation and not in the body of the main document, Personalising Realistic Medicine: Chief Medical Officer for Scotland's Annual Report 2017-2018.

In previous years, the Health of the Nation Summary Report, has been included at the end of the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report. This year, they were published separately, as they cover two complementary, but distinctly different topics.

The Chief Medical Officer’s latest Annual Report, Personalising Realistic Medicine was published on 25 April, and is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/personalising-realistic-medicine-chief-medical-officer-scotland-annual-report-2017-2018/ .

The Health of the Nation Summary Report was published on 25 April, and is available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-health-nation-annex-chief-medical-officer-scotlands-annual-report-2017-2018/ .

Question reference: S5W-24810

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 5 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many poultry holdings with egg laying hens failed inspections in each year since 1 January 2012, and how many of these were due to breaches in (a) egg marketing, (b) salmonella testing, (c) hygiene standards and (d) failings in welfare.

Question reference: S5O-03499

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when the Crown Office will release its findings from the investigation into the fatal fire at Cameron House in December 2017.

Question reference: S5W-24821

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government who was responsible for negotiating the settlement of costs relating to the judicial review brought by the former First Minister, Alex Salmond, and whether the First Minister was advised.

Question reference: S5W-24809

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many welfare inspections have been carried out annually since 1 January 2012 on poultry holdings with egg laying hens that contain (a) more and (b) fewer than 1,000 birds.

APHA conducts inspections for welfare non-compliance issues at poultry holdings on behalf of the Scottish Ministers and maintains the records of such inspections. The Scottish Government understands, from figures provided by APHA, that 144 inspections of poultry holdings with egg laying hens has been carried out since 2014 and is not broken down by flock size. Due to the change in systems of recording outcomes by APHA, records are not readily available for 2012 and 2013.

Question reference: S5W-24817

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any problems with settlement at Brimmond School in Aberdeen; whether Hub North Scotland Ltd or Aberdeen City Council have instructed reports to investigate any such issues, and, if so, from whom reports have been commissioned and when they were instructed.

The Scottish Government has taken the allegations about settlement issues at Brimmond School very seriously.

Aberdeen City Council, as the owner of the building, categorically assured us that the claims are untrue. over past few years, Aberdeen City Council and Hub North Scotland has sought independent engineering advice by two separate engineers: Ramsay & Chalmers and Fairhurst; as well as the project Engineer, Buro Happold, and all three categorically refute the claims.

Question reference: S5W-24819

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it sought an independent audit of the cost of legal fees in the judicial review brought by the former First Minister, Alex Salmond.

The Court in this case awarded expenses to the former First Minister, Alex Salmond. Established procedures were followed to agree the sums to be paid. The Scottish Government legal team represented the Scottish Government in this process, and they also engaged law accountants to provide additional external expert advice. There was no need to have the account taxed by the Auditor of Court, and thereby incur additional expense, given that agreement was reached. As is normal in such cases, the detail of these negotiations is confidential. The First Minister was advised after settlement had been reached.

Question reference: S5W-24820

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the costs relating to the judicial review brought by the former First Minister, Alex Salmond, were reduced as a result of the “extensive negotiation” referred to by the Scottish Government spokesperson in the Sunday Mail article of 18 August 2019 and if so, by how much.

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