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-29011

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has contracted with a private laboratory in Northern Ireland to have COVID-19 tests processed.

Question reference: S5W-29045

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many COVID-19 outbreaks/cases it has not made public due to patient confidentiality or for any other reason.

We report the number of all cases for people testing positive for COVID-19 through our daily briefings.

In any outbreak, an independent, multi-disciplinary, multi-agency group Incident Management Team (IMT) is established. The IMT provides a framework, response and resources to enable the NHS board and other statutory agencies to fulfil their remits. The IMT considers what information can be released to maintain patient confidentiality while also protecting public health.

Question reference: S5W-29078

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 15 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport was advised of the closure of the Gartnavel COVID-19 testing centre before it happened, and what her position on its closure was.

The Scottish Government was not advised of the closure of Gartnavel testing centre. However, on inquiry we understand 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. 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. 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-28535

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the planned 1.2 million COVID-19 tests in sentinel practices have been carried out.

The Scottish Government did not commit to undertake 1.2 million COVID-19 tests in sentinel practices – 1.2 million is the maximum representative population that the network of 200 GP practices involved in testing covers.

To maximise access to COVID-19 testing post-lockdown, and in response to the implementation of the new Community Pathway, we continue to work with NHS Boards to operate a community testing programme for enhanced surveillance. This approach is based around triage from NHS 24 to community telephone hubs and community assessment centres, rather than through GP practices.

This will provide information on those people presenting with mild to moderate symptoms and widens our understanding of Covid-19 within the community.

Question reference: S5W-28534

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments of a former chief medical officer in response to the COVID-19 outbreak that it should "Test, test, test. Trace the contacts and isolate them".

Question reference: S5W-28164

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is on community testing and isolating every suspected case of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-28166

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it did not follow World Health Organization (WHO) advice to test and isolate every suspected case of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-28246

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the comments by its National Clinical Director on Channel 4 on 16 March 2020, whether it will confirm how many key workers (a) overall and (b) in the nuclear sector had been tested for COVID-19 by the end of each week since that date.

As of 18 May, at least 32,166 key workers or their family members have been tested. This does not include key workers tested through the UK Government regional or mobile testing units, and is therefore likely to undercount the number of keyworkers tested. Information on the number of tests carried out each day since 2 March may be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-trends-in-daily-data/

Data is not collected for every sector and figures specifically for the nuclear (or energy sector more widely) are not available. At present we collect data on tests delivered for health and social care staff, along with the total number of tests delivered.

Question reference: S5W-28170

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the scientific evidence on which it based its decision to not roll out community testing for COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-28410

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will roll out community testing for COVID-19.

We are continuing to rapidly increase our testing capacity and keep its use under constant review, including whether there are other groups who could or should be tested to improve our knowledge of the spread of the virus and to protect individuals.

On 4 May the Scottish Government published a Test, Trace, Isolate and Support Strategy, which is designed to interrupt chains of transmission of Covid-19 in the community.

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-test-trace-isolate-support/pages/1/