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-32266

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 23 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether a cough, by definition, produces an aerosol.

1. Both the UK Government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) and Health Protection Scotland (HPS) have given careful consideration to the available evidence and, during the course of the pandemic, have reviewed what should be considered an AGP.

2. Coughing has been reviewed by NERVTAG and is not considered an aerosol generating procedure (AGP).

3. A new UK AGP Panel Chaired by Professor Jacqui Reilly has been convened. Its purpose is to provide practical and scientific advice to the Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on specific high risk AGPs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, by assessing the evidence on aerosol generating procedures, taking into account the potential route of transmission, for complex and unclear cases where there are differing views, and recommend the appropriate classification. This panel will replace the current NERVTAG group.

Question reference: S5W-32279

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 23 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost is of (a) a surgical type two, (b) an FFP2 and (c) FFP3 face mask, and whether this is a factor in determining whether to distribute this type of equipment to NHS staff.

Decisions on which type of PPE to use in different settings are based on clinical guidance, and as an employer the NHS is, under health and safety law, responsible for the protection of its staff. No price has never ever been used as a factor in deciding what product is to be issued.

The cost of PPE varies according to the negotiated cost of purchase on the market. The current cost of a single map of each type is as follows:

a)Type IIR mask: £0.16 (July 2020 onwards) – £0.70 (March/April 2020)

b)FFP2 mask (these are not used per guidance, and no longer purchased): £0.98 - £3.00 (March 2020)

c)FFP3 respirator masks: £1.85 - £6.00 (March 2020 to July 2020, prices are now near £2.00)

Question reference: S5W-32277

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 23 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many PPE items have had their expiry date changed since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, broken down by the (a) type of product and (b) (i) original and (ii) revised expiry date.

Details are as follows:

Product	Manufacturer	Original expiry date	Revised expiry date	Approx. Quantity
FFP3 respirators	3M	2016	March 2021	1,772,189
FFP3 respirators	Alpha Solway	2012	March 2021	106,776

Source: NHS NSS

Two groups of FFP3 respirators have been tested and revalidated as part of UK-wide laboratory testing, organised by the Department for Health and Social Care. In March 2020, tests show the FFP3 respirators in question still complied with the EN149 standard, which is endorsed by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties Scotland.

Revalidating stock and thereby extending the shelf-life of masks is standard practice to ensure supply of critical equipment to front line staff during crises. All revalidated PPE is required to meet the same standards and subjected to the same tests as equipment that is being tested for the first time.

Question reference: S5F-04449

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 October 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04422

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04400

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-30910

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the monthly running costs are of the NHS Louisa Jordan hospital, also broken down by cost category.

Question reference: S5F-04377

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-31301

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions NHS Information Services Division (ISD) has had with the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce and its sub-groups since July 2019.

Information services division ((ISD) became part of Public Health Scotland (PHS) from 1 April 2020. A range of officials from PHS have been actively involved in the work of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce and its sub-groups since its first meeting in September 2019.

As well as being represented on the main Taskforce, a PHS representative is leading the work of the Public Health Surveillance sub-group, whilst a representative sits on the Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) sub-group. PHS is also supporting engagement on implementation of the MAT Standards with a range of partners as part of the MAT sub-groups work.

PHS further support the Taskforce and its sub-groups by providing briefings on a range of issues, including; data governance, timescales for delivery of statistical reports and other PHS projects, advice on the feasibility of research; and the impact of COVID-19 on people who use drugs.

Question reference: S5W-31303

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures suggesting that drug deaths in Scotland have risen by more than three times since 2005, and have been the world's worst since November 2008.

National Records of Scotland are responsible for publishing annual data on drug related deaths. The most recently published report reports on deaths in 2018. Information within the report confirms a total of 1187 drug related deaths in 2018.

I do not recognise the claim that Scotland has had the worst number of drug related deaths since November 2008 and I am not aware of any data that would indicate this. Data does show, however, that the number of drug deaths in Scotland has been on an upward trajectory since data collection began in 1992.

The number of drug related deaths, and the levels of drug related harm, that occur in Scotland is unacceptable, and it is a priority of this Government to do all we can to tackle this public health emergency that we are facing. I established a Drug Deaths Taskforce as part of our ongoing response, and we have invested around £895 million in services to tackle alcohol and drug use since 2008.