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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4F-02941

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 September 2015

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with women's groups following reports that the UK Government plans to devolve abortion law.

Question reference: S4O-04538

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether a public local inquiry will be held following the publication of the draft road order material for the A9 Berriedale Braes improvement scheme.

Question reference: S4W-26898

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the long-term plan is for the Connected Communities network.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is working with partners, including Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, NHS and Community Broadband Scotland to assess what the rollout of fibre through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme will mean for Connected Communities customers.

HIE is currently exploring whether the Connected Communities network could benefit from the core subsea fibre connection which was installed as part of the DSSB programme. This high-capacity backhaul link brought superfast services into Stornoway earlier this summer. Once HIE establishes the reach of new fibre services in the Western Isles arising from DSSB, there will be a better understanding of the role that Connected Communities could play in providing services in the future.

Question reference: S4W-26901

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the route is of the fibre cabling being laid in North Uist as part of the rollout of superfast broadband and what its proximity is to the (a) Berneray, (b) Sollas, (c) Lochmaddy, (d) Bayhead, (e) Locheport and (f) Benbecula exchange.

As a result of the £410 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme, subsea fibre now links Harris (Leverburgh) with North Uist (Lochmaddy) while a land cable runs from Lochmaddy to Benbecula (following the A867). Further access cable will be laid to provide coverage in the Sollas, Lochmaddy, Locheport and Benbecula exchange areas. The Bernera exchange area is likely to be linked by microwave radio. Currently there are no plans to provide coverage in the Bayhead exchange area.

As part of preparatory work for phase 2 of our broadband programme, Highlands and Islands Enterprise has requested that BT examine ways of increasing coverage in all exchange areas where there are no current rollout plans. This includes areas such as Bayhead.

Question reference: S4W-26899

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) exchanges and (b) cabinets are being upgraded as part of the rollout of superfast broadband in the Western Isles.

As a result of the £410 million Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme, the first fibre broadband services in the Western Isles went live in Stornoway in July 2015. Further rollout in Stornoway is planned.

Fibre broadband in the following 28 exchanges in the Western Isles is expected over 2015 and 2016:

Back	Crossbost	Lochmaddy
Balallan	Eriskay	Manish
Barvas	Garrabost	North Tolsta
Benbecula	Gravir	Northbay
Berneray	Grogarry	Port O’Ness
Borve	Harris	Scalpay
Callanish	Leverburgh	Shawbost
Carloway	Lochboisdale	Sollas
Carnan	Locheport	Stornoway
Castlebay

The following seven exchanges are not currently expected to receive coverage from the DSSB programme: Bayhead, Bornish, Drinnishadder, Great Bernera, Scarsta, Scarp, Timsgarry. We are exploring how coverage to these areas can be extended in phase 2 of our broadband programme.

Only Stornoway and Garrabost exchanges have existing cabinets that can be upgraded as part of DSSB. In all other areas, and within Stornoway and Garrabost as well, BT will be installing new cabinets.

Question reference: S4W-26927

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a streamlined NHS patients’ complaints procedure that has less emphasis on process, is designed to eliminate defensiveness and ensures that complaints are considered independently in an open and sensitive manner.

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman’s Complaints Standards Authority is already leading work for the Scottish Government on the development of a revised NHS complaints procedure, in line with one of the recommendations of the Scottish Health Council’s Listening and Learning report on how feedback, comments, concerns and complaints can be used to drive improvement across NHS services in Scotland. A working group, with membership drawn from across health boards, was recently convened to progress this and will meet for the first time in September 2015.

Question reference: S4W-26917

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage NHS medical staff to develop career paths that will lead them into senior NHS management positions.

The Scottish Government fully recognises the importance of providing development opportunities for NHS medical staff in order to encourage those who are keen to move into senior management positions. As such, we are developing and promoting a number of initiatives to encourage leadership and management development through high quality programmes, management training schemes, toolkits and resources.

This includes work with the Scottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges which has established a ‘Working Group on Professionalism and Excellence’ with the aim of promoting the values of leadership at all levels of the profession. The Scottish Trainer Framework also supports the development of clinical leaders and future senior educators in NHS roles, providing the competences and training required for clinicians to become recognised trainers to support the development of students and doctors in training programmes.

NHS Education Scotland (NES) is also involved in a number of initiatives that directly encourage NHS staff to consider management career paths, including the Leadership and Management Programme which provides online and face to face training that is available for all doctors undertaking speciality training; whilst NES and the Scottish Government offer several Scottish Clinical Leadership Fellowships each year, where doctors in training work with senior medical colleagues in NES, Scottish Government and other partner host organisations including the General Medical Council and Health Improvement Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-26919

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it is encouraging NHS boards to be proactive in relation to the risk assessment of patient care.

The National Standards for Clinical Governance and Risk Management, published in 2005, set out the requirement for NHS boards to self-assess their arrangements for clinical governance and risk management to support the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred care and services.

The Scottish Government published the Governance for Quality Healthcare Agreement in 2013. This sets out the respective roles and responsibilities of the Scottish Government, NHS board chief executives, NHS board chairs and non-executives and all staff and includes recommended actions in respect of risk management to support the oversight, planning, and delivery of healthcare services.

In addition, the Learning from adverse events through reporting and review – A national framework for Scotland (2^nd edition), published by Healthcare Improvement Scotland in April 2015, includes risk assessment and prevention actions for boards to minimise risks in order to provide high quality care.

Question reference: S4W-26921

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider requiring all NHS boards to develop, publish and promote policies aimed at engaging with staff while understanding and responding to their professional concerns.

The NHSScotland Staff Governance Standard already places a specific obligation on NHS boards, as employers, to ensure that all staff have access to communication channels which offer the opportunity to give and receive feedback, either directly or via their trade union/professional organisation, on organisational and service delivery issues at all levels.

The NHSScotland Partnership Information Network (PIN) policies, which underpin the Staff Governance Standard, provide a minimum standard of practice in employment, helping to ensure fair and consistent management of staff which meets both current legislative requirements and best employment practice. These policies, which are promoted locally, and accessible via a range of mediums, cover, amongst other things, whistleblowing and bullying and harassment.

Question reference: S4W-26920

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 14 August 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how it is working with NHS boards to develop more meaningful performance indicators that are centred on quality of care rather than on financial or activity performance targets.

In order to ensure high quality, continuously improving health and social care, the Scottish Government recognises that it is important to strike the right balance between improvement, performance management and scrutiny. Through the Local Delivery Planning (LDP) process, the Scottish Government engaged with a range of stakeholders in considering the performance standards for the NHS in Scotland. In recent years there has been significant reduction in the number of standards and targets that are monitored through the NHS performance frameworks. Reflecting this changing approach boards were asked to develop LDPs for 2015-16 which focused on new actions planned in a small number of priority areas for improvement including prevention and health inequalities, antenatal and early years, person centredness, safety, primary care and integration.

We will continue to review the performance standards and the LDP process for the NHS in Scotland.

In addition Healthcare Improvement Scotland is currently consulting on new enhanced proposals for scrutiny of the quality of care, structured around a more comprehensive set of measures that cover all of the factors knowing to contribute to the quality of health and care. The consultation can be found at:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/our_work/governance_and_assurance/quality_of_care_reviews/qoc_reviews_consultation.aspx