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-30865

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of the work that it is doing to support research into (a) a vaccine for and (b) the treatment and management of COVID-19.

Details about the research projects funded from the rapid research in COVID-19 call issued by the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO), which include a project relating to COVID-19 vaccine development and projects relating to the treatment and management of COVID-19, are available at: https://www.cso.scot.nhs.uk/rapid-research-in-covid-19-programme/

Details about the COVID-19-related clinical research projects that are being supported by the Scottish Government’s investment, through CSO, in NHS Research Scotland (NRS) are available at: http://www.nhsresearchscotland.org.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-research . NRS is also supporting the participation of the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow with NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde in the UK trial of the Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine.

CSO and NRS are also working with the National Institute for Health Research and NHS Digital and partners in Wales and Northern Ireland on the UK-wide NHS COVID-19 vaccine research register to support COVID-19 vaccine trials. Details about this are available at: https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/vaccine-studies/

Question reference: S5O-04535

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to empower local authorities to make decisions that will strengthen their communities as they move on following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5F-04297

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government is providing for the arts sector, in light of reported concerns regarding the impact of the lockdown on the sector and loss of jobs.

Question reference: S5W-31038

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what methods it is using to monitor nutritional standards in the provision of holiday meals for children.

The Scottish Government has given local authorities the flexibility to co-ordinate food provision to families eligible for free school meals, during the school summer holidays, in any manner which they feel best meets the local needs and circumstances of all eligible families within their respective areas. Local authorities have made provision through a variety of methods including providing eligible families with direct cash payments; supermarket or shop vouchers; delivering food items directly to the homes of eligible families; and providing food at local hubs for collection.

The provisions set out in The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008 apply only to food which is served in schools, however we would encourage that healthy and nutritious meal options continue to be provided to eligible families during the school summer holidays where local authorities are providing food items directly to eligible families.

Question reference: S5W-31039

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the results of any nutritional monitoring that it has carried out of food packages given to children during the summer holidays.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-31038 on 13 August 2020. The Scottish Government has given local authorities the flexibility to co-ordinate food provision to families eligible for free school meals, during the school summer holidays, in any manner which they feel best meets the local needs and circumstances of all eligible families within their respective areas.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5O-04488

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what conditions it has set through its financial support for bus operators to keep services viable through the pandemic and as Scotland comes out of lockdown.

Question reference: S5W-31037

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the results of any monitoring of nutritional requirements at care homes.

The Care Inspectorate is responsible for the inspection and regulation of care homes in Scotland. In 2018 and 2019, the Care Inspectorate published quality frameworks for care homes for older people and care homes for adults. The provision of food and drink that meets residents’ needs and wishes is considered during the inspection of care homes and is a key focus of Quality Indicator 1.3: People’s health benefits for their care and support.

The Care Inspectorate publishes all inspection reports on its website.

Question reference: S5W-31040

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 31 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the nutritional guidelines for food served in care homes.

The Care Inspectorate have produced Eating and Drinking Well in Care: good practice guidance for older people, published 2018. This collaborative resource provides information on older peoples dietary needs and related food and fluid requirements, referring to a food first approach and key messages to highlight the importance of a creative approach when encouraging people to eat and drink.

The Care Inspectorate has also worked with the Royal College of Speech and Language therapists and Scottish Care to co-produce guidance for people with eating, drinking and swallowing needs which includes examples of good practice. This guidance was published in 2020.

Both of these documents help inspectors to assess the quality of care being provided but also support care home providers to better understand and implement good quality care.

Question reference: S5W-30864

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reporting cases of COVID-19 by postcode, and not by region.

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring information on the Covid-19 epidemic in Scotland is available to the public. Information cannot be released if it is potentially disclosive – that is, if there is a risk that individuals could be identified. Therefore, the geographies at which we report must represent a large enough population that individuals cannot be identified.

Public Health Scotland released a dashboard on 29 July 2020 that shows information at the level of local authority. The dashboard can be accessed at https://public.tableau.com/profile/phs.covid.19#!/

Question reference: S5W-30355

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 3 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the communities secretary’s statement that the provision of funding for food over the school holidays represents an opportunity for it to learn about what is working, what it could do more of and how it might link policies with others, what work is being carried out with local authorities to improve the quality, value and quantity of food being provided, and whether it now plans to enshrine a right to food for all in law.

Local authorities and third sector organisations have shown leadership in coordinating responses to food insecurity throughout the pandemic with support from The Scottish Government’s Food Fund. The additional £27.6 million announced for the summer holidays sits within a package of over £110 million invested to tackle food insecurity during this time.

Our Food Fund Guidance has given local authorities flexibility to meet the needs of their communities. We are regularly engaging with local partners to understand how support is being delivered and share best practice. Our approach has been commended by the Poverty and Inequality Commission and our local partners have noted how much value has been added through direct collaboration – we want to bank this good policy and practice.

To do that, on 9 June, the Scottish Government announced the creation of a Social Renewal Advisory Board, underpinned by a series of policy circles including one on access to food. The Board aims to build on the shifts in policy and practice that we have seen as a result of working across portfolios and in partnership with frontline service deliverers in local government, the third sector and communities. It will focus on reducing poverty and disadvantage, embedding a human-rights based approach and advancing equality.

The Scottish Government already takes a human rights approach to tackling food insecurity by promoting the living wage and through the design and delivery of our new Scottish social security system. We have continued to promote a cash first response to food insecurity where appropriate, and have more than doubled the value of the Scottish Welfare Fund to support this. We are putting money in the pockets those who need it, enabling access to nutritious food, and supporting people to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

Beyond this, the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership will also be exploring a new statutory human rights framework for Scotland and is currently considering the approach it will take to specific rights. In doing so, it will cover civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including measures to protect against poverty.