Monday 14 May 2012 SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

Transcription

1 Monday 14 May 2012 SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE Health and Social Care Siobhan McMahon (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive how many residents of Scotland received medical treatment in other parts of the UK in (a) , (b) , (c) and (d) , broken down by (i) NHS board of residence, (ii) the hospital and the local health authority that provided the treatment and (iii) the nature of the procedure and what the combined annual cost was to those NHS boards. (S4W-07013) Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of residents of Scotland who received medical treatment as an in-patient or day case (elective and emergency admissions) in other parts of the UK is provided for England, Northern Ireland and Wales separately. The data across the UK is not directly comparable due to differences in data definitions. The tables are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 53931). Information on the combined annual cost to NHS boards is not collected centrally. Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive what the monthly cost is (a) per patient and (b) to the NHS of the 10 most expensive pharmacological (i) treatments and (ii) treatments for cancer available for routine use on the NHS, and what the associated indications are. (S4W-07016) Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the monthly cost per patient and to the NHS of the 10 most expensive pharmacological treatments and treatments of cancer available for routine use is not available centrally. Also, treatment, specifically for cancer, can be complex and often involves the use of a combination of medicines which would make it difficult to identify cost per treatment. Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive what the monthly cost has been (a) per patient and (b) to the NHS of the 10 most expensive pharmacological (i) treatments and (ii) treatments for cancer provided via individual patient treatment requests in each year since 1999 and what the associated indications are. (S4W-07018) Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the monthly cost per patient and to the NHS of the 10 most expensive pharmacological treatments and treatments of cancer available for routine use is not available centrally. Treatment, specifically for cancer, can be complex and often involves the use of a combination of medicines which would make it difficult to identify cost per treatment. NHS Board Individual Patient Treatment Request (IPTR) arrangements allow for the clinical consideration of not recommended medicines for individual patients in certain circumstances. Guidance on the IPTR arrangements was published on 17 May 2010 and took full effect from 1 April The Scottish Government is committed to monitoring NHS board progress in implementing the guidance. Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the NHS budget would have been spent on abiraterone had it been approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium for routine use on the NHS. (S4W-07020) Nicola Sturgeon: Abiraterone was not recommended for routine use in the NHS in Scotland by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). Details of potential costs had it been approved are not available centrally. The SMC do, however, publish limited budget impact information and this can be obtained from their website at:

2 NHS Boards have Individual Patient Treatment Request arrangements in place which allow for the clinical consideration of not recommended medicines for individual patients in certain circumstances. Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive what the name and cost are of each pharmacological treatment that (a) has and (b) has not been made available for routine use in the NHS for (i) prostate, (ii) lung, (iii) bowel and (iv) breast cancer in each year since Nicola Sturgeon: The information is not held centrally. (S4W-07021) Decisions on which medicines should be made routinely available in the NHS in Scotland are taken independently by the Scottish Medicines Consortium. Details of the process undertaken by SMC and information on individual decisions and advice are available on their website at: for medicines have been made in each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board area. (S4W-07025) Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of successful and unsuccessful Individual Patient Treatment Requests made to NHS boards since 1999 is not held centrally. for pharmacological treatments have been made in each year since 1999, also broken down by (i) NHS board area and (ii) associated indication. (S4W-07026) Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of successful and unsuccessful Individual Patient Treatment Requests made to NHS boards since 1999 is not held centrally. for abiraterone have been made in each year since it was first licensed, also broken down by NHS board area. (S4W-07027) Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of successful and unsuccessful Individual Patient Treatment Requests made to NHS boards is not held centrally.

3 Guidance on IPTR arrangements was published on 17 May 2010 and took full effect from 1 April This was followed up by the issue of good practice guidance on 18 March 2011 and further advice on 13 February 2012 following a clinical group review of extant guidance. The Scottish Government has also committed to monitor NHS board progress in implementing guidance on the introduction and availability of newly licensed medicines in the NHS in Scotland. for cabazitaxel have been made in each year since it was first licensed, also broken down by NHS board area. (S4W-07028) Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of successful and unsuccessful Individual Patient Treatment Requests made to NHS Boards is not held centrally. Guidance on IPTR arrangements was published on 17 May 2010 and took full effect from 1 April This was followed up by the issue of good practice guidance on 18 March 2011 and further advice on 13 February 2012 following a clinical group review of extant guidance. The Scottish Government has also committed to monitor NHS board progress in implementing guidance on the introduction and availability of newly licensed medicines in the NHS in Scotland. for cancer drugs have been made in each year since 1999, also broken down by (i) NHS board area, (ii) type of drug, (iii) cost of drug and (iv) associated indication. (S4W-07029) Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of successful and unsuccessful individual patient treatment requests made to NHS boards is not held centrally. Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive how much would be saved annually by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde by halving the number of medical secretaries per consultant surgeon. (S4W-07063) Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact halving the number of medical secretaries per consultant surgeon in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals would have on patient care. (S4W-07064) Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what reviews have been carried out to assess the impact on patient care if the number of medical secretaries per consultant surgeon is halved in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals. (S4W-07065)

4 Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not centrally held. While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality health care in Scotland, it is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the needs of the population. This includes how best to utilise funding and staff, taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs. Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive when it was first consulted by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde on the proposal to halve the number of medical secretaries per consultant surgeon and what its response was. (S4W-07066) Nicola Sturgeon: The planning of services is a matter for the individual NHS board. While the Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality health care in Scotland, it is for each NHS board to decide how best to deliver those services to meet the needs of the population. This includes how best to utilise funding and staff, taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs. Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the incidence of skin cancer. (S4W-07068) Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has led the way in the UK by being the first country to introduce legislation for sunbed use. The Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 (Sunbed) Regulations 2009 were brought into force on 1 December The Act bans operators from allowing the use of sunbeds by under 18s in commercial premises; prohibits the sale or hire of sunbeds to under 18s; requires operators to supervise the use of sunbeds; places a duty upon the operator of a sunbed premise to display a public information notice; and requires operators to provide customers with information on the health risks associated with sunbed use. Scotland also benefits from Cancer Research UK s SunSmart campaign which provides education on the dangers associated with the sun and sunbed exposure to a UK wide audience. Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Executive what its (a) position is on and (b) plans are to develop research into the link between epigenetic changes and the development of breast cancer. (S4W-07069) Nicola Sturgeon: There are well-established environmental and genetic risk factors for breast cancer, and it is likely that a proportion of breast cancer risk is explained by their interaction. The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Government has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and healthcare needs in Scotland. CSO does not ring fence funds for specific areas of research but supports projects of a sufficiently high standard initiated by the research community in Scotland. This role is well known and advertised throughout the healthcare and academic community. There is already research in progress in Scotland on the epigenetics of breast cancer susceptibility. CSO would welcome further proposals for research that will help to understand and prevent breast cancer, which would be subject to the usual peer and committee review. Kenneth Gibson (Cunninghame North) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to improve aftercare for stroke patients. (S4W-07070) Nicola Sturgeon: Stroke has been a clinical priority for the Scottish Government for over 15 years. We re working with NHS boards and the voluntary sector to ensure people who have had a stroke get access to the care and support they need to help them return to independent living. Our Heart Disease and Stroke Action Plan, published in 2009, contains a range of specific actions which focus not just on providing the best possible care in the acute setting, but also on helping people's longer-term recovery in their own communities.

5 Learning and Justice Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are eligible for free school meals. (S4W-06996) Alasdair Allan: Scottish Ministers are clear about the benefit of providing a nutritious, free school meal to children and young people living in low income households and have taken a number of actions in recent years to extend eligibility. However, national eligibility in Scotland is linked to the receipt of certain prescribed benefits which are a reserved matter. As a result the Scottish Government does not hold, or separately collect, information about the number of children and young people eligible for free school meals. The 2011 School Meals Survey recorded that 131,254 pupils (19.7 per cent of the school roll) were registered to receive a free school meal in Scotland. This figure includes children registered due to national eligibility and P1-P3 children eligible to receive a free school meal due to local initiatives introduced from August 2010 which aim to promote healthy eating habits. Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect would be of introducing an income threshold of 7,500 on eligibility for free school meals. (S4W-06997) Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is considering what action it needs to take to maintain access to free school meals following the introduction of universal credit. It is intended that the current levels of provision will be protected. However, the detail of how this will be achieved has not yet been decided. Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the introduction of an income threshold on free school meals eligibility. (S4W-06998) Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-6997 on 14 May All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament s website, the search facility for which can be found at: Strategy and External Affairs Joan McAlpine (South Scotland) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to the creative sector in (a) Dumfries and Galloway and (b) East Lothian. Holding answer issued: 9 May 2012 (S4W-06634) Fiona Hyslop: Creative Scotland, our national body for the arts, culture and the creative industries, has invested over 800,000 in East Lothian in This includes investment of 50,000 to upgrade and refurbish the main hall at the Brunton Theatre and 68,938 to the Lamp of Lothian Trust for the Lammermuir Festival 2012, part of the Year of Creative Scotland One Step Further programme. Creative Scotland has also invested over 950,000 in Dumfries and Galloway in This includes their commitment of 140,000 to its Place partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council Creative Place Award to Wigtown and Creetown, and 12,000 for the opening event of the Big Burns Supper Festival, a new event which took place in January Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is for retaining, preserving and promoting Scotland s industrial heritage. (S4W-06999) Fiona Hyslop: On behalf of the Scottish Ministers, Historic Scotland provides statutory protection to industrial heritage sites across Scotland and cares for a number of key industrial sites in its portfolio. The government also directly and indirectly supports a range of nationally significant industrial

6 museums as well as less specialised museums holding significant industrial collections. This, together with important industrial holdings in the other national collections, including the National Museums of Scotland, the National Records of Scotland, and the National Monuments Record of Scotland (at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland), demonstrates our firm commitment to the preservation and promotion of our industrial heritage. Looking to the future, I am pleased to note that Historic Scotland has recently created an Industrial Heritage team which will work with partners and stakeholders across the heritage sector, with education and tourism organisations, and with industry itself. A key objective will be to carry out an upto-date assessment of the nature, scope and condition of Scotland s industrial heritage, and subsequently to develop a strategy based on the information gathered. This is an area of our heritage which has perhaps been under valued in the past, but I believe there is potential for it to play a much more significant part in our future. Drew Smith (Glasgow) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the preservation and loss of buildings, items and locations that it considers to be part of Scotland s industrial heritage. (S4W-07000) Fiona Hyslop: Scotland s industrial heritage is wide-ranging, deeply ingrained in Scottish culture, and of global significance. One of our five World Heritage Sites, New Lanark, is industrial, and the Forth Bridge, which is on the revised UK tentative list, is being prepared for nomination in the coming years. Historic Scotland (HS), assists in monitoring the state of preservation of industrial heritage through statutory protection, comparative study and evaluation, through promoting better understanding, facilitating positive change, and, where appropriate, by levering in investment. Some sizeable structures, buildings and locations, are managed by other public bodies, like Network Rail, the Northern Lighthouse Board, Scottish Water and British Waterways (Scotland). Prominent examples include the Forth and Tay Bridges, the Bell Rock Lighthouse and the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals, together with the Falkirk Wheel. The condition of our most important historic buildings is routinely monitored through the Buildings at Risk Register (BARR), which is funded by Historic Scotland and delivered by a team at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), in partnership with local authority Conservation Officers. RCAHMS also operates survey programmes dedicated to industrial sites and buildings, and threatened buildings in particular. Conservation Areas, which are managed by local authorities, often also contain significant industrial heritage. They are eligible to receive support through the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (funded by Historic Scotland) and Townscape Heritage Initiative (funded by Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)). A good example of this is in Glasgow, where Govan Workspace is investing HS and HLF funds in the formerly disused Fairfield Shipyard s drawing offices. Our focus is not, however, confined to industrial sites and buildings. Scottish Ministers also support the preservation of items that are not fixtures and are portable. These are preserved in our archives, libraries and museums. In particular, the National Museum of Scotland, local authority museums and independent industrial museums monitor their respective collections, and have developed policies for acquisition. Their work can be measured against a baseline survey by the Scottish Museums Council (now Museums and Galleries Scotland) in Equally, the National Records of Scotland actively collects and conserves records relating to our historic industries, and works closely with local authority and university archives, and with the Business Archives Council of Scotland. Finally, these and other organisations, including the Institution of Civil Engineers also meet regularly under the umbrella of the Scottish Industrial Archaeology Panel, which routinely exchanges information about sites at risk, relevant collections of archives (which might be taken in through the Business Archives Council of Scotland) and museum-worthy artefacts. Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with (a) BSkyB shareholders or (b) parties that opposed the News Corporation takeover bid for BSkyB regarding the impact of the takeover on jobs or investment in Scotland.

7 (S4W-07010) Fiona Hyslop: The information requested is being collated. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 53971). Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has expressed views to the UK Government or regulatory authorities regarding the impact on jobs and investment in Scotland of a concentration of media ownership. (S4W-07011) Fiona Hyslop: The information requested is being collated. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 53972). Paul Martin (Glasgow Provan) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with media companies other than News Corporation or its subsidiary companies regarding the potential impact on jobs and investment in Scotland of a successful News Corporation bid for full control of BSkyB and on what dates these took place. (S4W-07012) Fiona Hyslop: The information requested is being collated. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 53973). Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact will be on listed buildings in Scotland of the UK s Government s proposal to withdraw VAT relief on approved alterations to them and what the reasons are for its position on this matter. (S4W-07023) Fiona Hyslop: The UK Government s proposal is clearly a deeply regrettable step in the opposite direction from the approach that the Scottish Ministers advocate. Maintaining the VAT relief on alterations to listed buildings, and reducing the VAT rate applicable to repairs and maintenance, would be important positive steps which would stimulate economic activity in a sector worth around 2.3 billion gross value added to Scotland s economy, a significant proportion of which is attributable to construction activity. It would further bring empty homes back into use, reduce the incentive to use non-vat registered contractors and help improve the condition of houses. I wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 26 April urging him to withdraw from this policy. Patricia Ferguson (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to the UK Government s consultation on the proposal to remove the zero rate of VAT for approved work to listed buildings. (S4W-07024) Fiona Hyslop: Unfortunately, the consultation document published by HM Revenue and Customs does not offer the opportunity to comment on the substance of the proposals, only on the draft legislation that has been prepared to implement the proposed changes. Further, despite the consultation document pronouncing that the proposed changes represent the best option, the UK Government officials have not, at the time of writing, approached Scottish officials to discuss the impact of this measure on the historic environment, an area of policy which is devolved. I have therefore written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer expressing my concern about the proposal to remove VAT relief on approved alterations to listed buildings and urging him to reconsider introducing this deeply regrettable policy change. John Pentland (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Executive what role a Scotland separated from the rest of the United Kingdom would have in the British Overseas Territories. (S4W-07036)

8 Fiona Hyslop: On independence there would be a negotiated agreement between an independent Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom on all relevant interests, assets and liabilities. Tavish Scott (Shetland Islands) (Scottish Liberal Democrats): To ask the Scottish Executive what official visits to the United States the First Minister has made since May (S4W-07046) Fiona Hyslop: Since May 2007 the First Minister has made three official visits to the United States in October 2007, April 2008 and February 2009.