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-29725

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, what steps it has taken to advise employers and employees of Section 44 of the Employment Relations Act (1996), which provides employees with the means to contest the adequacy or appropriateness of safety arrangements, without fear of recrimination or detriment, giving them the right to withdraw from and not return to workplaces where they believe they will be exposed to imminent danger to their health.

Question reference: S5W-29848

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29557 by Jeane Freeman on 10 June 2020, what the information governance issues being faced by Public Health Scotland are.

Public Health Scotland have been working with the Scottish Government to agree the Information Governance Framework to support the transfer of data into PHS. This is now achieved and the data arrived on 12 June 2020. Once analysis has been completed a publication date will be pre-announced by PHS on their website in the forthcoming publications section.

The delays occurred simply due to the amount of time it took to get multiple and subsequent iterations of both the data sharing agreements and data privacy impact assessments cleared by both the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland (or Information Services Division, ISD, as it was at the time).

Question reference: S5W-29721

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 16 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reported concerns with safety in such facilities because of the COVID-19 outbreak, what its position is on whether the risk from the virus that is faced directly by staff working in contact/call centres, and that the danger that they might pass on the infection to others, should be treated as a devolved public health issue not only a matter of occupational health and safety.

We have been clear that the risk from the virus is both a public health and health & safety issue and we are addressing that by being consistently clear that it is vital that all businesses act responsibly and align fully with the physical distancing measures introduced to protect the nation’s heath, well-being and economic future. Advice from the Chief Medical Officer is that all non-essential business premises, sites and attractions should close unless and until we can all be clear how operations can be undertaken safely and in a way that is fully compliant with physical distancing. To support this we have published guidance for businesses in Scotland on physical distancing and closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-29696

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 16 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) Scottish Enterprise and (b) its other agencies have paid in each of the last five years to companies that make, supply or provide components for the (i) armed forces and (ii) police and security forces of other countries, broken down by country.

Question reference: S5W-29552

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 15 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its senior managers have reportedly been awarded pay rises of up to 12%; how this compares with the salary increases that have been offered to its other employees, and what its position is on the fairness of this.

Public Sector Pay Policy was agreed as part of the Scottish Budget 2020-21 and includes a basic increase of £750 or 3%. Pay progression is at the discretion of individual employers. The pay awards for all Scottish Government staff are entirely consistent with the Policy. Following representation and discussion with the civil service unions I directed public bodies, including the Scottish Government, to implement the basic elements of Pay Policy as an interim pay award. Given other pressures and priorities public bodies may not have been able to engage with the unions in the normal way to discuss pay and the interim award provides certainty to public sector workers and their families.

Pay progression, which is not automatic and reflects continued development in the grade, is an important factor in allowing us to continue to meet equal pay requirements and reduce any pay gap, and is consistent with pay arrangements in place in other parts of the public sector. These pay progression increases are therefore designed to deliver equity and fairness by ensuring equal pay for work of equal value and have been agreed with the recognised trade unions.

Question reference: S5W-29599

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 12 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to publish an action plan on health, social and economic inequalities experienced by black and minority ethnic (BAME) people, which have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 20 March 2020 we published the Year 2 progress update on our Race Equality Action Plan. A final year report of this Plan will be published in 2021, which will include consideration of activity across all relevant portfolios, including particular attention to the issues which have been highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, the Race Equality Action Plan Programme Board met on 5 May to discuss the specific impact of Covid-19. A new Expert Reference Group on the impact of Covid-19 on Minority Ethnic communities has also been established to advise and support the Programme Board in this important agenda.

Question reference: S5O-04425

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to encourage employers and unions across major economic sectors to engage in national collective bargaining.

Question reference: S5W-29077

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Gartnavel COVID-19 testing centre was closed at a time when concerns were reportedly being raised by care home staff that they were passing on the virus to residents, some of whom subsequently died.

The Gartnavel centre has been closed temporarily as the number of health and social care staff who are self-isolating and referred for testing has reduced. The testing staff have been moved into an additional mobile testing team as there are a number of staff without transport unable to attend the drive-thru centres.

The situation at the Gartnavel centre is reviewed on a daily basis and it can be stood up quickly if the number of symptomatic health or social care staff requiring tests increases again. Symptomatic care home staff are still being tested through the staff testing programme either at the other sites or by the home testing teams.

Question reference: S5W-29044

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it did not support the testing of asymptomatic NHS, care home and home care staff, given that this policy was adopted prior to the establishment of its COVID-19 advisory committee, and on whose advice its policy was based.

Since 1 May, Scottish Government policy has been to test residents and staff in care homes with a confirmed case of Covid-19, and in linked homes where staff work between homes run by the same operator following an outbreak in one. Sample testing should also take place in care homes where there are no cases.

From the week commencing 25 May Scottish Government policy has been to offer all care home staff weekly testing regardless of symptoms or whether there is an ongoing outbreak in their care home.

Question reference: S5W-29038

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when its policy on the testing of asymptomatic people changed from not testing to testing.

Decisions undertaken on how best to respond to COVID-19 are continually assessed against the evidence and as this evolves, so too does our response. Whilst testing for COVID-19 is most reliable in individuals experiencing symptoms it is recognised that in some circumstances there is value in broadening the eligibility criteria.

The risks associated with care homes is an example of this and why decisions were taken to expand testing to include residents on admission to a care home, all staff and residents regardless of symptoms as part of enhanced outbreak management and as announced on 18 May 2020, all staff regardless of whether COVID-19 infection has been detected.