- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been awarded to businesses in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) the Western Isles, (c) the Highlands, (d) Orkney, (e) Shetland and (f) Moray from the Regional Food Fund in each year since it was established.
Answer
Information on funding awarded to projects from the Regional Food Fund in each year since it was established is published on the Scotland Food & Drink website and can be found at the following link: https://foodanddrink.scot/regional-food-growth/regional-food-fund/
- Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when the Inner Sound Local Fisheries Management Advisory Group last met, and how often it meets.
Answer
In February 2020, the Scottish Government published the Inshore Fisheries Pilot: Inner Sound of Skye Consultation Outcome Report. One of the recommendations contained in the report, was to establish an Inner Sound Local Fisheries Management Advisory Group. There are currently live legal proceedings relating to the Outcome Report and therefore it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many drop-in clinics have been established to administer COVID-19 booster vaccinations.
Answer
NHS health boards lead on the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Vaccination centres have frequently changed throughout the programme, with some facilities being repurposed, and drop-in clinics being made available as we have had to exercise flexibility.
As such, the Scottish Government do not hold the requested level of information as the number changes frequently.
Further Information regarding the number of vaccination centres operating in each health board area, and their opening hours can be found on NHS inform.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many Police Scotland officers in U Division have been routinely deployed in the Ayrshire area in each month since January 2018.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. The recruitment and deployment of Police Officers and Police Staff is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
Scottish Government statistics show that we have a higher number of officers than at any time during the previous administration. We currently have 17,232 officers, with Scotland having around 32 officers per 10,000 population compared to around
23 per 10,000 population in England and Wales.
The Chief Constable regularly reviews the size and shape of the policing workforce in light of changing demands. Local police divisions have a core complement of officers who are always dedicated locally to community and response policing, and they can additionally draw on specialist expertise and resources at a regional and national level – providing the right people in the right place at the right time to keep people safe and to meet the needs of our communities.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, what its position is on parents attending nativity plays, and whether schools are permitted to require them to provide a valid vaccination status.
Answer
Current guidance reflects the best scientific and clinical advice, as well as the current state of the pandemic and the anticipated trajectory of infections. The restrictions which limit non-essential visitors in schools and early learning and childcare settings, include attendance by parents for nativity plays and similar events. However, we know that many schools and settings plan to use other creative means to present these activities, such as streaming them online or holding them outdoors.
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when it will confirm the details of its Climate Justice Resilience Fund, and whether it will ensure that its Global South partners are involved in helping determine its priorities.
Answer
The Scottish Government has agreed to grant £1 million to the Climate Justice Resilience Fund to support their work to address the needs of communities suffering the most acute impacts of climate change and develop and test a framework for delivering loss & damage programming. We will be working with the Fund to develop further details on programming in the first quarter of 2022.
As in all Climate Justice Fund programming, the perspectives of communities will be central to the design and determination of priorities.
- Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider routinely publishing all the data and statistics that it produces with a breakdown by parliamentary constituency, in addition to local authority or NHS board, in order that all elected members representing those constituencies can be fully informed about data trends within the communities they represent, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Government aims to publish data at local and regional levels including parliamentary constituencies wherever it is possible and appropriate to do so. A large amount of data is already published at the level of parliamentary constituencies by the Scottish Government via its Official Statistics open data platform statistics.gov.scot .
In some cases however it may not be possible or appropriate to publish data at this level. In some cases data may not be collected at a level that allows for aggregation at parliamentary constituency level, it may not be possible due to issues of confidentiality, or due to concerns around the robustness of estimates produced for some areas. The collection and publication of statistics should also be proportionate to the requirements of the users of statistics, including the level at which decisions are made or services are delivered.
Such decisions about the appropriate level of geography at which to collect and publish data are made on a case by case basis and are done so based on user engagement activity and in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics . This approach is also consistent with the Government Statistical Service Geography Policy and the upcoming Government Statistical Service Subnational Data Strategy.
- Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 October 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether people aged 50 to 69 will need to book their COVID-19 booster vaccines online, as opposed to receiving a letter inviting them for a scheduled appointment, and, if so, for what reason, and what support is available for people who do not have access to online services and would like to arrange their appointment as soon as possible.
Answer
Those aged over 70, and those at highest clinical risk from COVID-19 have been receiving invitations for flu and Covid-19 booster appointment from 6 October.
Appointments for COVID-19 boosters have now been offered to all those aged 60 and over. Clinics for those aged 60 to 69 are continuing, with strong uptake among this cohort.
The online self-booking portal for adults aged 50 to 59, those aged over 16 who are unpaid carers and household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals launched on 15 Nov.
Over one third of those aged 50 to 59 have now had their booster and people in this group are urged to book their own appointment on the online portal at NHS Inform or phoning the National Helpline. Those in the 50-59 cohort who have not yet received their booster have been contacted by text/email and will receive a ‘blue letter’ reminder from Friday 10 December to make a booking as soon as possible.
A guide is available at Coronavirus (COVID-19) booster vaccination | The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine (nhsinform.scot) for advising individuals how they will be invited for vaccination.
Those who are eligible can book or reschedule appointments via the COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 22 October 2021
-
Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many people who are eligible for their COVID-19 booster vaccine have received this dose, and by what date all eligible people will have received their COVID-19 booster vaccine.
Answer
Booster vaccinations in Scotland started as soon as possible once the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provided their advice on boosters. In response to the changing risk posed by the Omicron variant, the booster will now be given no sooner than 3 months after the primary course.
1,961,588 people have received a booster or 3rd dose to 8 December, and we are working as quickly as we can, prioritising those most vulnerable.
Data is published at COVID-19 Daily Dashboard | Tableau Public which includes boosters and 3rd doses delivered per JCVI cohort.
We continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the vaccination data to provide robust statistics that enhance public understanding.
While demographic difference make robust comparisons difficult, figures from the UK dashboard show we have administered boosters or 3rd doses to a greater proportion of the population than the other UK nations at this stage of the programme.
We are aiming to offer the booster vaccine to everyone aged 18 or older who is eligible by the end of January 2022.
- Asked by: Michael Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels statistics.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2021
