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: S5W-31137

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30898 by Jeane Freeman on 6 August 2020, whether the distance noted from Dumbarton to Port Glasgow is actually 16 miles by road and not 5.5 miles as indicated, which appears to be the distance measured in a straight line.

Question reference: S5W-30921

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not issued advice in response to reports that COVID-19 can infect through the eyes.

There is some evidence that Covid-19 may cause conjunctivitis. Although this appears to be rare, eye health care professionals have been made aware that this can occur. There may be an increased risk of direct transmission through touching the eyes or tears during examination, however there no specific precautions are required beyond routine infection prevention and control practices, such as PPE, washing hands and appropriate disinfection of surfaces and instruments.

Our current understanding remains that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets (coughing or sneezing) directly into the mucous areas of individuals; or contact with contaminated surfaces which are then spread to the nose or mouth by touch.

Guidance for optometry and optometrists, including on the use of eye protection, is also included within the Primary Care Guidance https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/web-resources-container/covid-19-advice-for-dental-teams/

Our actions will continue to develop in response to what the scientific community learn about the virus.

Question reference: S5W-31274

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ever waived legal privilege to release legal advice given to ministers regarding (a) past court proceedings against them, (b) policy or administrative matters and (c) the making of potential decisions.

By virtue of the right to legal professional privilege which attaches to all clients including Governments, the content of any legal advice received by the Scottish Government is confidential.

Successive Scottish and Westminster Governments have not disclosed the source or content of legal advice other than in the most exceptional circumstances.

The Scottish Ministers have authorised disclosure of legal advice in the particular circumstances of a very limited number of cases which each involved a judicial inquiry: the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, the (UK) Infected Blood Inquiry and the Trams Inquiry.

Question reference: S5W-31238

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all of its current special advisers, broken down by (a) job title, (b) role and (c) salary scale.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26805 on 19 December 2019. In addition Mairi McAllan, Special Adviser, Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, was employed with effect from 6 January 2020, initially to provide maternity cover. Stewart Maxwell is no longer a Special Adviser. We will shortly publish the annual list of special advisers.

The Special Adviser pay bands, and numbers within each band are:

Pay Band	Pay Range	Number of SpAds in each Band
1	£39,445 - £52,904	1
2	£52,905 - £66,317	7
3	£65,017 - £88,564	5
3 (premium)	£86,965 - £100,942	0
4	£86,965 - £104,462	1

Question reference: S5F-04344

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2020

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that the Test and Protect system is functioning effectively.

Question reference: S5W-31300

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure continued uptake of school milk, in light of its reported plan to leave the UK Nursery Milk Scheme.

Question reference: S5W-31319

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is being provided to schools on social distancing during transfers between classrooms in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19.

The published Guidance on preparing for the start of the new school term in August 2020 contains a section on minimising contact between individuals and groups (paragraphs 40 to 60). This section notes that within specific school settings, risk assessments should consider the ways in which busy corridors, entrances and exits could be avoided, with mitigations that could include one way and/or external circulation routes.

The guidance has been updated to note that face coverings should (unless exemptions apply) be worn by adults and young people in secondary schools when moving about the school in corridors and communal areas, where physical distancing is particularly difficult to maintain.

Question reference: S5W-31299

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish information regarding the milk and healthy snack scheme that is planned to coincide with the expansion of funded early learning and childcare.

In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, Scottish Ministers have postponed the introduction of the new milk and healthy snack scheme. Discussions with key stakeholders paused as public sector resource has been focussed on the Covid-19 response. Discussions with CoSLA and our wider stakeholders are expected to resume soon and we will publish information about the new scheme when a new timescale has been confirmed.

Question reference: S5W-31231

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30851 by Kate Forbes on 10 August 2020, what its response is to concerns that the Water Industry Commission for Scotland has reportedly been routinely breaching the guidance on air travel to London, and whether it is aware of any other similar breaches by the Commission regarding air travel.

It is the responsibility for agencies, such as WICS, to determine their own travel policies. The Scottish Government has accepted that the Commission’s current policies are consistent with the business needs of the organisation and expects the Commission to keep these policies under review. I refer the member to the answer to S5W-30847 on 13 August 2020 for information on how WICS offsets the carbon footprint of its activities.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-31233

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-3085, S5W-30852 and S5W-30853 by Kate Forbes on 10 August 2020, whether it considers the Water Industry Commission for Scotland's policy on the (a) use of economy, business and first class air travel and (b) air travel loyalty schemes is consistent with the published guidance.