- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much money from its Budget has been spent on primary care in each of the last five years.
Answer
This information is available in the Scottish Health Service Costs (often referred to as the 'Costs Book'), published annually by Public Health Scotland (previously Information Services Division).
The 2021-22 Costs Book was published in February 2023 and provides a high-level summary of health service costs, including the costs of delivering family health services. The 2022-23 Costs Book will be published in 2024.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 11 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many students (a) applied for and (b) were awarded the paramedic bursary in its first year of operation.
Answer
In the 2021-22 academic year, the Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary eligibility criteria was expanded to incorporate paramedic science students studying in Scotland and renamed the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary (PNMSB).
In the 2021-22 academic year, there were 700 funding applications from students studying a paramedic science course with 670 being awarded the bursary.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 5 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its assessment of current supplies of hormone replacement therapy medication.
Answer
The Scottish Government are aware that there have been continuing shortages across the UK due to a number of factors. The supply of medicines, including HRT products and the associated legislation, is a reserved matter for the UK Government. We continue to engage with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to seek a lasting solution.
A series of UK-wide Serious Shortage Protocols (SSPs) have been issued by DHSC, after consultation with the Scottish Government and other UK administrations, allowing community pharmacists to supply specific alternatives without needing to seek agreement from the prescribing doctor. An SSP is an additional tool to manage and mitigate medication shortages. This gives individuals the option to receive substitute products in a safe and effective way to ensure medication continues to be available to all.
There are over 70 HRT products available in the UK and supply issues are affecting only a small number of them.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 3 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its employees have been offered mental health first aid training in each of the last five years.
Answer
The following table illustrating the number of staff trained to become qualified in delivering support for Mental Health First Aid and the year this was completed.
Year | Number mental health first aiders trained |
2022 | 2 |
2021 | 2 |
2020 | 1 |
2019 | 31 |
2018 | 109 |
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many places have been available on the National Clinical Skills for Pharmacists Programme in each year since it was established.
Answer
Time period covered | Clinical skills places offered |
November 2020 – October 2021 | 551 places |
November 2021 – December 2021 | 126 places |
January 2022 – December 2022 | 1457 places |
January 2023 – March 2023 | 433 places |
April 2023 – December 2023 | 1364 places to be offered |
From November 2020 to October 2021 a total of 551 delegate places of clinical skills training for pharmacists were delivered. 126 delegate places of clinical skills training for pharmacists were delivered from November 2021 to end of December 2021 and a further 1457 delegate places of clinical skills training for pharmacists were delivered between January and December 2022.
For January – March 2023, 433 clinical skills training places have been offered with a further 1364 places to be offered up to 31 December 2023.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what the median gender pay gap was for its employees in each of the last five years.
Answer
The mean and median gender pay gaps in Core Scottish Government is detailed in the following table:
Date | Median Pay Gap | Mean Pay Gap |
1 April 2022 | 0.0% | 1.5% |
1 April 2021 | 2.8% | 1.4% |
1 April 2020 | 8.8% | 2.6% |
1 April 2019 | 0.0% | 2.2% |
1 April 2018 | 0.0% | 3.7% |
As set out in the regularly published Scottish Government Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming Report, our preferred method of reporting on the gender pay gap is to use the mean pay gap data. That is because the calculation of the mean pay gap is comprised of all salaries and ensures that all staff are represented in the statistical analysis. Whereas, the median is the value below which 50% of observations fall and is less affected by a relatively small number of higher earners and / or any skewed distribution of earnings.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many times the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care made official visits to NHS hospitals in each year since his appointment in May 2021.
Answer
Ministerial engagements (including official visits), overseas travel, car journeys, domestic travel and gifts received are published on the Scottish Government website at: in line with the terms of the Scottish Ministerial Code.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the delays to the two new hospital buildings in Aberdeen that have resulted in an increase in the overall budget costs for these projects, how much additional capital it has had to provide in total to NHS infrastructure projects, due to delays to the operational date, in each of the past five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government publishes an update on progress on all major capital investment projects every 6 months in its Infrastructure Investment Plan and includes information on the following the projects:
- NHS Grampian - Aberdeen Baird Family Hospital and ANCHOR Centre
- National Waiting Times Centre Board - Hospital Expansion Programme - Phase 2
- NHS Lothian - National Treatment Centre
- NHS Highland – National Treatment Centre
- NHS Forth Valley - National Treatment Centre
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde - North East Hub
- NHS Ayrshire & Arran - Foxgrove (National Secure Adolescent Inpatient Service)
- NHS Tayside - Ninewells Electrical Infrastructure Zone 3
- NHS Ayrshire & Arran - National Treatment Centre - Ayrshire & Arran
The full report is published here:
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has made an assessment of the findings of the literature review, The development of cognitive and emotional maturity in adolescents and its relevance in judicial contexts, which was submitted to the Scottish Sentencing Council in January 2020, in relation to policy areas that engage the wellbeing and welfare of young people, including (a) education, (b) health and (c) equalities.
Answer
The literature review 'The development of cognitive and emotional maturity in adolescents and its relevance in judicial contexts' was commissioned by the independent Scottish Sentencing Council to inform its work in developing a sentencing guideline on young people. Its conclusions specifically relate to those aspects of adolescents and young people's cognitive and emotional development and maturity which are relevant to judicial decision-making with a particular focus on its relevance to decisions about the sentencing of young people convicted of criminal offences.
As the report focuses specifically on how evidence about the development of cognitive and emotional maturity in adolescents and young adults is relevant to decision making in judicial contexts, the Scottish Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of its findings' relevance in other policy areas.
- Asked by: Tess White, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 2 May 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to improve data collection among women with recurrent or metastatic breast cancer, in order to assess the outcome of primary cancer treatments.
Answer
The Scottish Government is considering the options in relation to collecting data on secondary breast cancer in Scotland, taking consideration of clinical time required and how it can be used to improve services.
The National Cancer Quality Steering group have overseen the development of a newly proposed Quality Performance Indicator on ‘Recurrence Following Breast Cancer Treatment’ in 2022.
Further to this, the Scottish Government continues its dialogue with Public Health Scotland, NHS England and the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership alongside breast cancer specialists and the charity Breast Cancer Now regarding data collection for secondary breast cancer.
