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-31042

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many specialist infection control nurses are currently employed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, broken down by hospital, and how this figure compares with each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government does not hold current or past employment information on the number of specialist infection control nurses within individual NHS Boards.

The NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) website includes information on the Infection Prevention and Control Service in NHSGGC and the local Infection Prevention Control Teams (IPCTs) which cover different geographical sectors. This information can be accessed via the NHSGGC website: https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/your-health/infection-prevention-and-control/about-us/#

Question reference: S5W-30964

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30407 by Jeane Freeman on 28 July 2020, how many of the 2,000 staff who might be called on at short notice are (a) have been hired from outwith the NHS and (b) are former NHS employees.

Question reference: S5W-31236

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

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements are in place for its agencies to seek approval for their staffing structures and the (a) number of promoted posts and (b) pay grades attached to such posts, and what routine periodic inspections of the staff and grading structures of its agencies takes place.

The continuing authority to determine the most appropriate staffing structures rests with the Accountable Officer within each Agency which is in line with the delegation of civil service terms and conditions of service by the Minister for the Civil Service under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992. For those Agencies which are staffed with employees on Scottish Government Main (SGM) terms and conditions of employment, the evaluation and grading of posts takes place via Scottish Government People Directorate guidance. Table 1 below details the current pay and grading structure within SGM. Table 2 details the Agencies within SGM showing the number of staff at each level. Promotion is available between all pay ranges within the SGM pay and grading structure from A3 onwards.

Table1 - SGM Pay and Grading structure with effect from 1 April 2020

	A3	A4	B1	B2	B3	BF	C1	C2	C3
Max-3			£26,155	£30,652	£38,541	£30,400	£48,930	£64,057	£74,038
Max-2	£20,064	£23,344	£27,150	£32,138	£39,663	£33,266	£52,478	£66,285	£74,884
Max-1	£21,148	£24,107	£28,172	£33,624	£42,194	£35,184	£56,122	£69,163	£75,728
Max	£22,232	£24,909	£29,192	£35,110	£46,599	£37,578	£61,006	£73,935	£76,574

Table 2 - staffing structure of SGM Agencies as at 31 July 2020

Agency	A3	A4	B1	B2	B3	BF	C1	C2	C3
Accountant in Bankruptcy	41		46	24	12		4		1
Disclosure Scotland	141	32	55	32	26	1	6	3	1
Education Scotland	31	7	11	21	48		42	146	18
Scottish Public Pensions Agency	19	135	80	31	13	1	10	4	1
Student Awards Agency for Scotland	113	15	46	21	25		8	3	2
Transport Scotland	34	26	41	98	139	7	79	38	10
Social Security Scotland	164	36	191	130	83	3	40	14	1

Those Agencies outwith SGM should be approached separately and will be able to provide the data specific and relevant to them.

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-31235

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, when it last asked the Water Industry Commission for Scotland to review its air travel policy for the conduct of its business, and what action it took to ensure that this policy was consistent with the published guidance.

Question reference: S5W-31232

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 action it has taken to ensure that the Water Industry Commission for Scotland observes the guidance regarding air travel to London.

Question reference: S5W-31136

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29778 by Jeane Freeman on 3 August 2020, for what reason there was a three-week delay between announcing routine testing for all care home staff and guidance on this being issued.

This guidance was as a result of changes to the nurse director and public health director role set out in a cabinet secretary letter published on 17 May and this is additional guidance to that already issued to care homes by HPS and Scottish Government and also earlier letters and advice about testing routes issued to directors of public health. The letter referenced on the 17 May is attached: https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/advice-and-guidance/2020/05/coronavirus-covid-19-care-home-oversight/documents/letter-from-cabinet-secretary-for-health-and-sport-regarding-multi-professional-oversight-in-care-homes---may-2020/letter-from-cabinet-secretary-for-health-and-sport-regarding-multi-professional-oversight-in-care-homes---may-2020/govscot%3Adocument/Letter%2Bfrom%2BCabinet%2BSecretary%2Bfor%2BHealth%2Band%2BSport%2Bregarding%2Bmulti%2Bprofessional%2Boversight%2Bin%2Bcare%2Bhomes%2B-%2B17%2BMay%2B2020.pdf

Question reference: S5W-31135

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29778 by Jeane Freeman on 3 August 2020, for what reason it has not provided resources to local authorities to ensure that all care home staff are tested.

The Scottish Government has agreed with COSLA to meet additional costs incurred through Covid-19. We continue to work closely with Integration Authorities and care homes and will provide further funding so that care homes have the resources needed throughout this pandemic. We have released an initial £50 million to Health and Social Care Partnerships to meet these additional costs. A second tranche of funding, an additional £50 million, was announced 03 August.

Question reference: S5W-31060

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the required standard of PPE has been to protect staff of public bodies in Scotland during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities. Responsibility for purchasing PPE to protect their staff sits with each public body, but they must comply with all relevant legislation and guidance. Therefore, questions about the standard of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.

Health & Safety is a reserved matter and all employers must comply with the relevant legislation, undertaking risk assessments as required. That legislation has been used to develop guidance on PPE for health and social care settings in Scotland. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe

Question reference: S5W-31058

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government which companies have supplied PPE to public bodies in Scotland during the COVID-19 outbreak, broken down by the (a) volume, (b) value and (c) origin of the items.

Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities and are responsible for running their own tendering exercises and for the decisions they take as part of those exercises. Therefore, questions about the volume, value and origin of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.