Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-32919

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the adequacy of mental health support provided to cancer patients and their families (a) during the treatment journey and (b) after treatment.

Our Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 makes clear that Mental Health Support forms part of an individual’s basic care. Individuals requiring support should have access to this at the point of clinical need.

To help understand the demand and capacity for cancer related psychological care and support, a national scoping exercise was conducted as part of a Macmillan Psychology and Support Project with findings published in November 2024. The findings are being considered by Scottish Government.

We also published the Psychological Therapies and Support Framework for People Affected by Cancer to support Health Boards in considering the services which should be available to those affected by cancer, including psychological support.

The Framework includes quality statements and self-assessment tools for organisations providing support to benchmark themselves on an annual basis and develop local action plans as appropriate. The benchmarking exercise was carried out across Scotland for the first time in 2024 with Regional Cancer Networks coordinating the activity and Scottish Government looks forward to receiving findings.

Question reference: S6W-32917

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to (a) increase public awareness of cancer symptoms, including rare cancers, and (b) incorporate education about cancer symptoms into the national school curriculum.

Our most recent Detect Cancer Earlier campaign – Be The Early Bird – first launched on March 2023, aiming to reduce fear of cancer and empower those with possible symptoms to act early. Following successful independent evaluation, the campaign re-ran in September 2023 and August 2024 to prompt health-seeking behaviour.

In parallel, a Detect Cancer Earlier roadshow visited communities across Scotland in March and September 2024 to reinforce key messages, with further activity planned for March 2025.

We continue to work with NHS Scotland to ensure that the NHS Inform website provides cancer information that best meets patient needs, including symptoms and treatments.

Work is ongoing with third sector organisations to support them in any awareness raising efforts within schools, including the provision of Be The Early Bird resources that may be helpful.

Question reference: S6W-32832

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget has been for flood prevention schemes in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2024-25.

Since 2008, the Scottish Government has made available £42 million per year to local authorities to invest in flood risk management actions – a commitment that is in place until 2026. A further £150million was committed across the course of this parliament.

Financial Year	Funding Amount (M)
2007-08	42
2008-09	42
2009-10	42
2010-11	42
2011-12	42
2012-13	42
2013-14	42
2014-15	42
2015-16	42
2016-17	42
2017-18	42
2018-19	42
2019-20	42
2020-21	42
2021-22	52
2022-23	63
2023-24	61
2024-25	62.5

Question reference: S6W-32851

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) it and (b) the NHS has spent on legal costs regarding compensation for medical negligence in the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-32835

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 16 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether all cycle 1 flood prevention schemes have been approved, and in which financial year the resource will be drawn down.

Local authorities are responsible for developing and delivering flood protection schemes and the Scottish Government provides funding to support this.

31 cycle one flood protection schemes remain eligible for grant funding as they were notified as required under the Flood Risk Management Act 2009 by the 31 March 2024 deadline agreed by Ministers and COSLA Leaders.

8 have been withdrawn from the cycle one funding programme (2 voluntarily and 6 because they failed to meet the notification deadline of 31 March 2024).1 is no longer required.

Local authorities provide a spend profile for each flood protection scheme annually to the Scottish Government and this determines how much funding is distributed to each eligible scheme in any given year.

Question reference: S6W-32852

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how much compensation was paid by the NHS to settle medical negligence claims in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.

The Annual Reports for the NHS Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS) provide details of the scheme along with the number and value of claims made during each financial year and historical values.

The Annual Reports, which also cover information available in terms of categorisation of claims, are published online at Access annual reports for the scheme | National Services Scotland.

Some settlements are paid through a smaller lump sum together with periodic payments. Detail of these Periodic Payment Orders may be found at page 9.

Question reference: S6W-32853

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many medical negligence claims have been settled by the NHS in the last five years, and how many cases are still to be concluded.

The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.

The Annual Reports for the NHS Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS) provide details of the scheme along with the number and value of claims made during each financial year and historical values.

The Annual Reports, which also cover information available in terms of categorisation of claims, are published online at Access annual reports for the scheme | National Services Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-32833

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what the planned budget for flood prevention schemes is for 2025-26.

Question reference: S6W-32854

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to medical negligence claims settled by the NHS in the last five years, whether the cost of a claimant’s legal fees is normally (a) settled as part of the claim and (b) included in the total compensation payment figure, and, on average, what percentage of the total compensation payment such costs represent.

The information requested is not collected or held centrally by the Scottish Government and would require to be obtained from Health Boards.

The Annual Reports for the NHS Clinical Negligence and Other Risks Indemnity Scheme (CNORIS) provide details of the scheme along with the number and value of claims made during each financial year and historical values.

The Annual Reports, which also cover information available in terms of categorisation of claims, are published online at Access annual reports for the scheme | National Services Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-32836

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 January 2025
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 15 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the status of all cycle 2 flood prevention schemes and when it plans to announce successful projects, and in which financial year the money will be drawn down.

A joint COSLA/Scottish Government Flood Risk Management Funding Working Group, including representatives from Scottish Government, COSLA, SEPA, local authority Directors of Finance and flood officers has been established to discuss reform of funding and governance for flood resilience actions in Scotland and make recommendations on these issues to COSLA and Scottish Ministers.

The current funding arrangements end in FY2025/26 and this group is considering what will follow, including arrangements for schemes put forward under the 2022 Flood Risk Management Plans.

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