Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-23023

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how overdue the MV Loch Seaforth is in entering (a) sea trials and (b) service.

The original delivery date of the MV Loch Seaforth was 30 June 2014. Owing to a number of factors, including storm damage to the yard, dry docking of the vessel to resolve a problem with the propeller system and partial sea trials, the delivery date was delayed. The vessel was finally completed and handed over to CalMac Ferries Ltd on 24October 2014.

The MV Loch Seaforth is currently undergoing further sea trials and following the completion of harbour works at Stornoway she will shortly be entering service on the Ullapool-Stornoway route.

Question reference: S4W-23022

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the MV Loch Seaforth to enter commercial service on the Stornoway to Ullapool route.

Question reference: S4W-23020

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the change in ownership of the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard in Germany had on the completion time of the MV Loch Seaforth.

Question reference: S4W-23021

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether recent negotiations over the ownership of the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft shipyard have delayed the final fitting out and preparation of systems on the MV Loch Seaforth.

Question reference: S4O-03727

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with The Highland Council about the A890 Stromeferry bypass.

Question reference: S4O-03680

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to establish domestic abuse courts across the country.

Question reference: S4O-03620

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce the gender pay gap.

From 2007 to date the Scottish Government has committed £3.9 million to fund projects aimed at tackling the gender pay gap and occupational segregation.

Under the public sector equality duty in the Equality Act 2010, the Scottish Government introduced a specific duty to place a requirement on relevant public authorities to publish gender pay gap information and statements on equal pay.

The devolution of equality and employment law, as set out in our proposals to the Smith Commission, would enable us to introduce further measures to reduce the gender pay gap.

Question reference: S4W-22215

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 22 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it is giving to women with mesh implants and whether it is encouraging them to seek a second opinion where necessary.

The Scottish Government has prepared a ‘Frequently asked Questions’ document which has been published on the NHS Inform website.

http://www.nhsinform.co.uk/behind-the-headlines/special-reports/2014/06/~/media/NHSinform/BehindTheHeadlines/VaginalMesh_June2014_PDF.ashx

Advice to women who already have implants is as follows.

For the majority of women, tapes and meshes result in a successful treatment of stress urinary incontinence and prolapses respectively. However, if a woman has adverse symptoms or problems that she thinks might be due to her surgery, it is important that she should talk to her GP for onward referral to an appropriate specialist who has experience with tape or mesh complications.

Information is available on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website or from the relevant professional bodies (British Association of Urological Surgeons and British Society of Urogynaecology).

Women experiencing problems should go back to their implanting surgeon or see their GP for onward referral to an appropriate clinician. They should also report their problems to the MHRA, with as much detail as possible about the device involved. The patient should be referred to a centre that specialises in operating on complex cases.

The Chief Medical Officer has written to all GPs, through Medical Directors, on 11 July 2013, 20 December 2013 and on 2 June 2014 regarding the investigation and management of patients with vaginal mesh and tape products.

An expert group, chaired by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, is developing new pathways of care for women experiencing complications and may require complex surgery.

Question reference: S4W-21948

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what target time it has set the Patient and Clinician Engagement process to consider submissions.

The Task and Finish Group report provided to me and published by the Health and Sport Committee covered the issue of timescales for the new approach. The report set out that where the Patient and Clinician Engagement (PACE) step is invoked it would require a ‘pause’ in the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) process of less than three months, which the Task and Finish Group noted was quicker than the resubmission process following ‘not recommended’ advice. I asked Healthcare Improvement Scotland to implement this new approach as recommended in the report and this is therefore the timescale SMC are working to with regard to the PACE step. The first decisions from this new process are expected in autumn 2014.

Question reference: S4W-21949

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 August 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Patient and Clinician Engagement process has a prioritised waiting list for medicines and, if so, what the criteria are.

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) does not operate on the basis of having a waiting list for submissions. The Task and Finish Group report provided to me and published by the Health and Sport Committee noted that the SMC should engage with health boards and Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees to determine which medicines should have priority on resubmission according to patient needs. The SMC has agreed their approach with pharmaceutical industry representatives.

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