- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Scotland about establishing a Scottish cancer trials register to increase awareness of clinical trials among clinicians and patients.
Answer
The Scottish Government published the independently produced Improving Equity of Access to Cancer Clinical Trials in Scotland report in February 2023, which includes a recommendation for the establishment of a national register for cancer clinical trials in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office has established an Equity of Access Implementation Board, which includes clinical research expertise from NHS Scotland, to consider this and other recommendations in the report.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the number of centres that can provide CAR T-cell therapy.
Answer
Following National Services Division (NSD)’s national review of CAR-T services, NHS Scotland Health Board Chief Executives have recently endorsed a regional service model for CAR-T cell therapy to be delivered across three centres within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, NHS Grampian and NHS Lothian.
Work is underway to progress establishing the two further centres with an aim for the regional service model to be delivered across all three centres by financial year 2024-25.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve access to clinical trials for blood cancer patients living in rural and remote areas.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office has established an Implementation Board to prioritise and take forward the recommendations of an independent report on Improving Equity of Access to Cancer Clinical Trials in Scotland that was published in February 2023: . Implementation of recommendations is anticipated to improve access to cancer clinical trials in Scotland.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to provide for exemption schemes in the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill for military personnel working in Scotland.
Answer
As set out in the Policy Memorandum, accompanying the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, the policy intention is that a local authority can establish exemptions to a visitor levy scheme in its area as it believes are appropriate. The Bill therefore provides for a local authority to put such exemptions in place, which will be informed by advice in national guidance being developed by local government and business organisations in the Visitor Levy Expert Group.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Paul McLennan on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many homes have been secured for key workers as a result of the £25 million of additional funding that it provided for housing for key workers in rural areas.
Answer
The Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund was announced in the First Minister’s Policy Prospectus in April 2023, with further details included in the Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan, published on 13 October 2023.
To date no homes have been secured through funding from the Rural Affordable Homes for Key Workers Fund. Local Authorities have been made aware of the demand-led fund and we expect those with rural communities to be considering and developing proposals to access the fund as part of their annual Strategic Housing Investment Plan process.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to provide for exemption schemes in the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill for outward bound education visits.
Answer
As set out in the Policy Memorandum, accompanying the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, the policy intention is that a local authority can establish exemptions to a visitor levy scheme in its area as it believes are appropriate. The Bill therefore provides for a local authority to put such exemptions in place, which will be informed by advice in national guidance being developed by local government and business organisations in the Visitor Levy Expert Group.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to provide for exemption schemes in the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill for charities and third sector workers.
Answer
As set out in the Policy Memorandum, accompanying the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, the policy intention is that a local authority can establish exemptions to a visitor levy scheme in its area as it believes are appropriate. The Bill therefore provides for a local authority to put such exemptions in place, which will be informed by advice in national guidance being developed by local government and business organisations in the Visitor Levy Expert Group.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to provide for exemption schemes in the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill for medical professionals working in Scotland.
Answer
As set out in the Policy Memorandum, accompanying the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, the policy intention is that a local authority can establish exemptions to a visitor levy scheme in its area as it believes are appropriate. The Bill therefore provides for a local authority to put such exemptions in place, which will be informed by advice in national guidance being developed by local government and business organisations in the Visitor Levy Expert Group.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken to provide for exemption schemes in the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill for children and young people.
Answer
As set out in the Policy Memorandum, accompanying the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, the policy intention is that a local authority can establish exemptions to a visitor levy scheme in its area as it believes are appropriate. The Bill therefore provides for a local authority to put such exemptions in place, which will be informed by advice in national guidance being developed by local government and business organisations in the Visitor Levy Expert Group.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 16 November 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have participated in clinical trials for haematological conditions in each year since 2017.
Answer
Data from the NHS Research Scotland Haematology Specialty Group and Cancer Research Network presented in the table below show the number of patients who have been recruited to clinical studies, including clinical trials, for non-malignant and malignant haematology conditions, respectively in each year since 2017.
Year | Non-malignant | Malignant |
2017 | 2103 | 133 |
2018 | 1849 | 238 |
2019 | 1743 | 187 |
2020 | 242 | 74 |
2021 | 214 | 108 |
2022 | 552 | 138 |
2023 (complete to 31/10-2023) | 613 | 113 |