Questions and answers

Question reference: S4F-03168

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 January 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 January 2016

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government’s target for building affordable homes will resolve the housing crisis that she referred to during First Minister's Questions on 7 January 2016.

Question reference: S4W-28722

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 11 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many school pupils have been recorded as having English as an additional language (EAL) in each of the last five years, and how many staff have been trained in teaching EAL pupils.

The number of pupils who have been recorded as having English as an additional language (EAL) in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The level of English language competence for these pupils ranges from ‘New to English’ to ‘Competent’, and therefore pupils would have differing levels of need for support.

Number of pupils recorded with EAL:

Year	Number
2015	35,440
2014	32,509
2013	29,532
2012	26,131
2011	24,555

Source: Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland

The number of staff who have been trained in teaching EAL pupils is a matter for education authorities and not held centrally.

Question reference: S4W-28724

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 11 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language and whether these are being met.

It is for education authorities to assess the needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language. The Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 (as amended) requires education authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of pupils for whose education they are responsible and to tailor provision according to their individual needs. English as an additional language has been identified as a potential additional support need specifically within the Act's Code of Practice.

Question reference: S4W-28664

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people regularly volunteer.

Question reference: S4W-28665

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the findings were of the Demonstration Project and how it plans to follow up on the project.

The summary findings of the Demonstration Project show that the current emphasis in relation to recruiting and retaining volunteers needs to be widened to reflect a more sophisticated view of the volunteers, and the complexities of their motivations and needs. To follow up these findings, the Scottish Government, Volunteer Scotland and others are working closely together to explore new ways to achieve a sustainable growth in volunteering participation in Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-28663

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 9 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people have volunteered in each of the last four years.

The Scottish Household Survey indicates that levels of volunteering have remained relatively stable over the last four years, with around three in ten adults providing unpaid help to organisations or groups. The survey also indicates that three in four (75%) of adults that volunteer do so for up to 10 hours a week.

The Scottish Household Survey captures the percentage of adults in Scotland who volunteer in a ‘formal’ way. We know that many people also volunteer in an informal way through helping friends or neighbours. So in reality the percentage of people volunteering will be higher than the survey suggests.

Question reference: S4W-28768

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce any excess mortality associated with weekend emergency admissions.

The sustainability and seven day services evidence and analysis sub-group considered the issue of excess mortality and weekend hospital admissions. On the basis of the evidence currently available it concluded that there is no obvious link between mortality and day of the week in Scottish hospitals and the level of care received.

Through the sustainability and seven days service programme, the Scottish Government is working in collaboration with service providers, clinicians, employers and unions to remove any inappropriate variations in care in the evenings and at weekends for patients who are acutely ill, improving care for those already in hospitals, and ensuring that this is sustainable in the long term.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) is admired across the world in relation to its results with reliably implementing evidence based interventions. The SPSP is about delivering reliable, safe care for every patient, every time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since the acute SPSP was initiated in 2008, there has been a 15.7% reduction in hospital standardised mortality ratios since 2007. The SPSP will continue to work with boards with an aim to support further reduction in mortality across NHS Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-28767

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 9 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the conclusion of the study, Weekend admissions as an independent predictor of mortality: an analysis of Scottish hospital admissions, by Handel, Patel, Skingsley, Bramley, Sobieski and Ramagopalan that “there is still a significant excess mortality associated with weekend emergency admissions”.

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) study paper Weekend admissions as an independent predictor of mortality (BMJ 2012) highlights a reduction in mortality over the course of the study, which ran from 1999 to 2009 with the cause for any apparent increase in mortality being an issue of debate. Admissions to emergency departments over the weekend often comprise a more unwell population of patients, some of whom will suffer a higher rate of mortality regardless of other factors that may exclusively apply to the weekend. The study itself acknowledges that “it is clearly critical to understand the precise cause of this excess mortality before measures can be put in place to mitigate the effect of weekend admissions on survival.”

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) is already delivering reliable, safe care for every patient, every time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Furthermore, through the sustainability and seven days service programme, the Scottish Government is working in collaboration with service providers, clinicians, employers and unions to remove any inappropriate variations in care in the evenings and at weekends for patients who are acutely ill, improving care for those already in hospitals, and ensuring that this is sustainable in the long term.

Question reference: S4W-28770

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether an assessment has been made of whether the Scottish Patient Safety Programme reduces any excess mortality associated with weekend emergency admissions.

Question reference: S4W-28769

Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 7 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it expects the Scottish Patient Safety Programme to reduce any excess mortality associated with weekend emergency admissions.

Patient safety is our top priority, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Through our sustainability and seven day services programme, work is being taken forward to remove any inappropriate variations in care in the evenings and at weekends for patients who are acutely ill, improving care for those already in hospital, and ensuring that this is sustainable in the long term.

The Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) is admired across the world in relation to its results with reliably implementing evidence based interventions. The SPSP is about delivering reliable, safe care for every patient, every time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Since the acute SPSP was initiated in 2008, there has been a 15.7% reduction in hospital standardised mortality ratios since 2007. The SPSP will continue to work with boards with an aim to support further reduction in mortality across NHSScotland.

Chamber and committees