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: S6W-04924

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 22 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support pupils in light of reports of a five-fold increase in the number of children who have missed more than half of their schooling over the last academic year.

This five-fold increase refers only to primary pupils and the proportion of pupils absent for over 50% of the time remains very small at 1% of all primary pupils. The wider context is that in 2020-21 over 41% of pupils had attendance rates over 95%. It should be further noted that 2020-21 daily management information are not directly comparable to the 2018-19 National Statistics due to differences in collection methods, quality assurance undertaken and COVID-19 related school closures in 2020-21.

To ensure schools and local authorities are able to best support pupils’ education the Government has committed almost £500m funding during 2020-21 and 2021-22 to support education recovery, and we continue to prioritise support for children and young people in the continued navigation of the pandemic. We are investing £260m to recruit additional teachers, including £20m for tutoring and mentoring to help children and families, along with £90 million to support local authorities in implementing protection measures to ensure schools are safe, open and welcoming.

We also delivered £25m in 2020-21 for over 72,000 devices and more than 14,000 connectivity packages have been distributed to learners across Scotland and we remain committed to ensuring every child has access to a device and connectivity by the end of this Parliament.

Furthermore, record investment of £215 million in the Scottish Attainment Challenge this year, including a £20 million Pupil Equity Funding premium, is providing additional support for children and young people who need it most.

With the support of £1 billion over this parliamentary term, the refreshed Scottish Attainment Challenge programme will support continued empowerment of school leaders through Pupil Equity Funding and a clearer and funded strategic role for all 32 local authorities. This will enable local authorities and schools to implement local, evidence based approaches to supporting children and young people impacted by poverty.

Question reference: S6W-05164

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 21 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reported concerns about dog welfare in relation to ear cropping.

The Scottish Government considers the practice of cropping a dog's ears purely for cosmetic reasons in order to achieve a desired look a despicable and cruel practice. Should the Scottish Parliament agree that the measures set out in the Kept Animals Bill should apply to Scotland then that Bill, if delivered, will provide Scottish Ministers with regulation making powers to prohibit the importation of certain types or classes of animals, including dogs that have been mutilated for cosmetic reasons.

If and when these new powers are available to us, we will seek to bring forward new legislation to prohibit the importation into Scotland of dogs with cropped ears or other unacceptable mutilations. Meantime, we continue to work with the other GB administrations, APHA and animal welfare stakeholders to highlight the illegality and cruelty of such procedures.

Question reference: S6W-04915

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 21 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it recommends that cyclists wear a helmet.

Wearing a helmet is a matter of personal choice, not a requirement.

The wearing of cycle helmets is covered by the Highway Code and is a matter reserved to the UK Government. It recommends wearing a cycle helmet which conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and securely fastened, if cyclists choose to do so.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the safety of all vulnerable road users through a variety of means including the building of safe, high quality active travel infrastructure, providing training and encouraging good road user behaviour with mutual respect.

Question reference: S6F-00633

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 December 2021

To ask the First Minister how many missing person investigations have been carried out in 2021.

Question reference: S6W-05114

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce pop-up COVID-19 vaccination centres in supermarkets and shopping centres.

Local teams look at available space within their area when considering appropriate locations for COVID-19 vaccination centres to meet local requirements, that have the right reach and size of venue for their population. Pop-up clinics can be located in a variety of venues with local health boards considering, amongst other things, the flow of queues; the time of year; and the health and safety of staff and the public when scoping out new locations.

Since the vaccine rollout began, we have made the vaccine as accessible as possible and drop in clinics are available throughout Scotland’s mainland health boards. The most up to date list of which can be found at: https://www.nhsinform.scot/vaccinedropinclinics.

Question reference: S6W-04789

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many COVID-19 vaccine doses have not been used within their expiry date, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) type of vaccine.

Question reference: S6W-04967

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will next meet (a) COSLA and (b) teaching unions in relation to pay restoration for teachers.

Teachers’ pay negotiations are a matter for the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), comprising membership from local authority employers, teacher unions and Scottish Government.

The last SNCT pay negotiation meeting was held on 17 November. The next meeting will be arranged at the appropriate time.

The Scottish Government is committed to supporting a fair pay offer for teachers and remains committed to working with our partners in the SNCT to bring these discussions to a successful conclusion.

Question reference: S6W-04796

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide more information about the location of the single event linked to the identification of nine cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-04794

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has launched an Incident Management Team in response to the identification of cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in Scotland, and, if so, (a) when it first met, (b) who the chairperson is and (c) whether it involves international public health agencies, in addition to national ones.

An Incident Management Team was stood up on 27 November specifically for Omicron. The team has met daily since and continues to do so. The group is chaired by Public Health Scotland’s Incident Directors. The team meets with other UK nations and wider partners to share intelligence on a four nations basis. The team’s composition does not extend to international public health agencies but they do receive information on the latest international situation with Omicron.

Question reference: S6W-04841

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is in place for local authorities regarding restrictions on school nativity plays.

Our reducing risks in schools guidance sets out the current COVID-19 mitigations in schools.

Current guidance reflects the best scientific and clinical advice, as well as the current state of the pandemic and the anticipated trajectory of infections. The restrictions, which limit non-essential visitors in schools and early learning and childcare settings, include attendance by parents for nativity plays and similar events. However, we know that many schools and settings plan to use other creative means to present these activities, such as streaming them online or holding them outdoors.