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-35748

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set up and fund a specialist centre for Foetal Valproate Spectrum disorder.

The Scottish Government is committed to implementing all of the recommendations of Baroness Cumberlege’s review where they relate to the responsibilities of the Scottish Government.

To address the recommendations outlined in First Do No Harm for individuals and the families affected by sodium valproate and Primodos requires a programme of work that aims to mitigate any future potential harm through a multi-layered approach to rapidly reduce, and eventually eradicate, harm applicable and relevant to the Scottish context. Therefore, the Scottish Government will work collaboratively with colleagues across the Scottish Government, the NHS and representative groups to explore potential options for establishing sodium valproate specialist centres and/or services in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-35750

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on redress for victims of sodium valproate, as recommended in the Baroness Cumberlege Report.

Question reference: S5W-35749

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the proposed timescale is for implementing recommendations in the Baroness Cumberlege Report that relate to sodium valproate.

Question reference: S5W-34976

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 11 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether its shielding list includes everyone with a health condition recorded on the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) clinically extremely vulnerable list.

The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery and in the groups on the shielding list.

People on the shielding list meet the criteria of the clinically extremely vulnerable as defined in group 4 of the JCVI.

People on the shielding list are individuals who have a condition that puts them at the highest clinical risk of severe illness or mortality from COVID-19. These conditions have been identified by the Chief Medical Officers across the UK and can be found here .

Question reference: S5W-34975

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 8 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether its shielding list includes unpaid carers who are recorded on the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) clinically extremely vulnerable list.

People on the shielding list meet the criteria of the clinically extremely vulnerable as defined in group 4 of the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI). People on the shielding list are individuals who have a condition that puts them at the highest clinical risk of severe illness or mortality from COVID-19. These conditions have been identified by the Chief Medical Officers across the UK and can be found here .

The shielding list does not exclude any category of people, including unpaid carers. Therefore, a number of unpaid carers may fall into this priority group based on their health.

Throughout the pandemic, the Scottish Government has been clear that those who meet the criteria of the clinically vulnerable should be shielding and that any decisions and measures to protect the health of those shielding should be a priority.

Question reference: S5W-35526

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether people who were rejected by the Close Contact Services Fund or the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund due to technical errors will be given more time to re-apply, or be able to appeal the rejection.

Question reference: S5W-35527

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when people who were rejected by the Close Contact Fund or Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund due to technical errors will be reconsidered for assistance.

Question reference: S5O-05106

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on broadband roll-out in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S5W-35338

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Climate Challenge Fund will allow the continuation and/or extension of some existing projects beyond two years.

46 projects across Scotland will continue to be funded through the Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund in 2021-22 for the second year of their two-year projects.

Projects currently funded through the Climate Challenge Fund will not receive an extension to their existing project. The new framework for community climate action - based around a network of regional hubs and Climate Action Towns - will seek to build on CCF projects and ensure that that they deliver a sustainable legacy, as well as supporting an acceleration of climate action at a local level.

Question reference: S5W-35336

Asked by: Joan McAlpine, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Climate Challenge Fund will be extended to 2021-22 and, if so, what pans it has for it that year.

46 projects across Scotland will continue to be funded through the Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund in 2021-22 for the second year of their two-year projects.

Following a review of the Climate Challenge Fund in 2019, and as set out in the Programme for Government 2020-21, we shall provide further support for community climate action through the development of new networks of regional hubs and Climate Action Towns, to promote collaboration and empower communities to drive forward activity contributing towards our just transition to a net zero nation.