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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 9475 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-34351

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether people employed in (a) pharmacy and (b) grocery and food retailing will be deemed key workers, allowing them to access education and childcare services while schools are closed.

The key worker definitions agreed with local government and published on 6 January 2021 for the current, exceptional provision of in-school learning and childcare for children of key workers, includes all health and care staff and workers without whom there would be a significant impact on Scotland. This allows essential pharmacy, grocery and food retail workers to request access to such provision from their local authority or childcare provider.

It is however essential to note that, to reduce interactions and help to drive down community transmission of Covid-19, the number of key worker children presenting during the strict lockdown period must be kept to an absolute minimum and it is for authorities, schools and providers to consider and respond to individual requests. Employers are therefore asked to strictly prioritise and only request places for staff who are critical to the provision of essential services and supplies and have no alternate childcare or working options.

Question reference: S5F-04752

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 January 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-34582

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 25 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) applied for and (b) received the Self-Isolation Support Grant in October 2020, broken down by gender.

Management Information on the number of applications and awards for Self-Isolation Support Grant are available at: Scottish Welfare Fund, Self-Isolation Support Grant and Discretionary Housing Payments: monthly data - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the total number of people applying for and receiving the Self-Isolation Support Grant, broken down by gender.

Question reference: S5W-34583

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 25 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on publishing a breakdown of details of Self-Isolation Support Grant (a) applications and (b) awards by gender.

The Scottish Government does not collect information on the total number of people applying for and receiving the Self-Isolation Support Grant, broken down by gender. More information about our data collection will be published in the background information of our quarterly Scottish Welfare Fund publication, on 26 January: Scottish Government social security statistics publications - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S5W-34211

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many frontline NHS workers have been tested using lateral flow testing in each week of December 2020, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S5W-34208

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33868 by Fiona Hyslop on 14 December 2020, on what date the current exclusivity agreement between Scottish Enterprise and Flamingoland was renewed.

Question reference: S5W-34414

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32250 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 October 2020, whether it will publish the modelling used to calculate the figure of upwards of £11 million for the remainder of this financial year.

Question reference: S5W-34413

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32250 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 October 2020, how many people it estimates are eligible to receive the Self-Isolation Support Grant should they need to self-isolate.

We estimate around 44,700 people would be eligible for the Self-Isolation Support Grant, should they be asked to isolate. This estimate reflects those that are 'in work' in receipt of universal credit, adjusted for those we anticipate will not be able to work from home. This number also reflects those that would be eligible should a child be asked to isolate. This estimate of the total potential eligibility should not be interpreted as a the total number of people we expect to ask to self isolate.

Question reference: S5W-34202

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 19 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33864 by Kevin Stewart on 17 December 2020, what analysis it has carried out of the potential impact of asbestos on public health in Scotland; when it last met the UK Government to discuss the eradication of the substance, and how frequently such meetings take place.

The Scottish Government has no responsibilities in relation to asbestos.

The management of asbestos in buildings is a reserved matter for the UK Government and is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive.

I have written to Sarah Albon, Chief Executive of the Health and Safety Executive and to Mims Davies MP, Minister for Employment in UK Government for a response on the potential impact of asbestos on public health in Scotland and any programme of work to eradicate the substance. I will write to you once I have received a reply from both parties to inform you of their response.

Question reference: S5W-34212

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 19 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many care homes have carried out lateral flow testing for visitors in each week of December 2020, broken down by local authority area.

We began rolling out lateral flow testing for care home visitors on 7 December to 14 early adopter care homes across 5 local authority areas.

Two of our three new NHS regional lab hubs went live on a phased basis last week with the West and the North hub are now receiving samples. The East regional hub will be operational by the end of January.

Processing the weekly tests of 42% of care home staff has now moved to our NHS labs as planned and we will complete that transition again by the end of January.

All Care Homes now have the equipment for Lateral Flow Testing and a rolling programme of training is underway to provide testing for care home visitors with Lateral Flow Testing to support professional visitors to care homes from the beginning of January.

Further data on lateral flow is available in the Public Health Scotland Weekly Statistic Report: https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/population-health/covid-19/covid-19-statistical-report/