Chamber and committees

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: S6W-03287

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 4 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the findings of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Racial Inequality and Mental Health in Scotland: A call to action.

Question reference: S6W-03286

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 1 October 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to implement each of the eight recommendations that are directed to it in the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland report, Racial Inequality and Mental Health in Scotland: A call to action.

Question reference: S6O-00233

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 30 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that young people's views on climate change are listened to in the run up to COP26.

On 13 September, we announced £300,000 of support for the 16th conference of youth—COY16—the UN’s official youth event for COP26. For the first time, five young people from Scotland will join participants from around the world and will help to shape the conference’s statement. We also support the Young Scot-led Scottish youth climate programme, which enables Scottish children and young people to host a climate youth summit ahead of COP26 to design the legacy that they want from the conference and to act as local champions across the country.

Question reference: S6F-00322

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the ongoing economic impact on Scotland of Brexit.

Question reference: S6T-00151

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is in discussions with the UK Government regarding its decision to terminate its supply agreement with Valneva for its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, VLA2001.

Question reference: S6W-02618

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to alleviate any impact of the shortage of blood specimen collection tubes.

The Scottish Government is working closely with NHS National Services Scotland (NSS), NHS Boards and other partners to manage supply issues relating to certain blood collection tubes.

NSS is continuing to meet supply requirements and all of NHS Scotland services are currently operating as normal. A number of resilience measures have been activated by NSS and they are working in partnership with clinical and laboratory colleagues, suppliers and NHS colleagues across the UK. NSS is reviewing the medium-term supply position closely and is seeking to ensure products remain available.

Guidance about best practice in diagnostic test use was issued on 20 August 2021.

Question reference: S6O-00134

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports vulnerable people in the prison system.

Question reference: S6W-02585

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will implement the Scottish National Party manifesto commitment to renew every play park; how much funding will be allocated to this, and what support will be provided to ensure that (a) the renewed parks are regularly maintained and (b) any antisocial behaviour at these renewed facilities is addressed at a community level.

The Scottish Government is providing funding of £60 million towards renewing play parks in Scotland to ensure that all children have access to quality play in their own community. This funding will be distributed to local authorities over the course of this parliamentary term. The first allocation of £5 million for 2021-22 was agreed with COSLA in July 2021 and every local authority has been notified of their individual allocation.

The funding being provided is for the renewal and refurbishment of play parks, ongoing maintenance of play parks is the responsibility of individual local authorities, who will manage their budgets and allocate financial resources to play parks maintenance based on local needs and priorities. We are continuing to work in partnership with COSLA to agree a suite of national aims and principles to provide the framework for delivery of the commitment.

The Scottish Government want every child to have safe access to play and expect that local authorities and other local agencies will play their part in ensuring this. Law and order around the location of public play parks is matter for the relevant local authority and Police Scotland, who are able to exercise powers under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, section 96 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, section 18 - 22 of the Public Order Act 1986 and section 38 of the Criminal justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.

It is for the local authority, Police Scotland and ultimately the courts, to use the powers available to them, to take appropriate and proportionate action against any individual taking part in antisocial behaviour.

Question reference: S6O-00101

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for cataract surgery.

Question reference: S6W-02128

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 25 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the current guidance on vitamin D supplementation.

We currently have no plans to revise our advice on vitamin D supplementation. We will continue to be guided by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and others as the evidence base on vitamin D develops. We will review our advice as necessary based on their recommendations.

Our current advice on vitamin D supplementation, which is based on recommendations by SACN, advisors to the four UK nations, is available at https://www.gov.scot/publications/vitamin-d-advice-for-all-age-groups/

In terms of supplement dosage, our advice is a supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D (400 IU). This applies to adults and children over one year of age. Ten micrograms per day is the average amount needed by the majority (97.5%) of the population to maintain adequate vitamin D levels when UVB sunlight exposure is minimal to maintain bone and muscle health. Our advice is based on SACN’s 2016 report; Vitamin D and Health.

This report is available at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/537616/SACN_Vitamin_D_and_Health_report.pdf

In December 2020, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), SACN, and Public Health England published updated guidance on vitamin D in relation to COVID-19 following a rapid review of recent evidence. The guidance states that there is still currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. It reiterates that people should continue to follow current advice on vitamin D supplementation to maintain bone and muscle health.

The NICE guideline is available at https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG187

SACN published an updated rapid review on Vitamin D and acute respiratory tractinfections (ARTI) in December 2020. In it, SACN recommended the reference nutrient intake for vitamin D remain unchanged, at 10 micrograms per day.

The review is available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/945179/SACN_December2020_VitaminD_AcuteRespiratoryTractInfections.pdf

In June 2021, SACN published a paper summarising monitoring of recent evidence on nutrition and COVID-19. It did not identify any new trials in relation to vitamin D and COVID-19 that would require the re-review of the current rapid guideline from NICE, SACN and PHE, or that would change current dietary advice.

The paper is available at:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/992875/SACN_Process_for_monitoring_evidence_on_nutrition_and_COVID-19__June21_.pdf

SACN will continue to support NICE with their monitoring of evidence on vitamin D.

The UK COVID-19 Therapeutic Advisory Panel (UK C-TAP) continues to monitor ongoing COVID-19 related Vitamin D trials. It is responsible for reviewing and prioritising suitable compounds based on promising scientific evidence. Evidence on vitamin D and on COVID-19 is also being monitored by RAPID-C19, a multi-agency initiative aiming to get treatments for COVID-19 to NHS patients quickly and safely, as well as by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Innovation Observatory (IO), a national medical horizon scanning facility at Newcastle University. SACN has agreed it will no longer monitor evidence in relation to vitamin D and COVID-19/ARTI, as monitoring is being continued by these organisations.