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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 3550 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-30969

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether charitable organisations such as drop-in centres that provide hot meals and supplies for those who need it are expected to follow the hospitality guidelines for safe reopening, or whether a more specific update will be issued.

Charitable organisations providing hot meals and supplies for those who need it should follow appropriate COVID-19 infection prevention and control guidelines which apply to the catering/food service sector. Food Standards Scotland has published a guidance package for all food businesses which details the measures that should be implemented to protect staff, volunteers and users of these services from COVID-19. The Scottish Government has also produced guidance for the hospitality sector which includes useful advice on measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in settings where food is served.

However, it is also important that those responsible for managing these services contact their Local Authority Environmental Health department for advice on how this guidance applies to their particular circumstances.

Question reference: S5T-02339

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that patients have timely access to cancer services, and when cancer surgery will be restored to full capacity across all NHS boards.

Question reference: S5O-04500

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the work of NHS preparations for the end of the Brexit transitionary period.

Question reference: S5W-30949

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that there is representation of people with arthritis and their supporters on its Mobilisation Recovery Group.

The Mobilisation Recovery Group, which I chair, is an advisory group established under Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design: the Framework for NHS Scotland ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/re-mobilise-recover-re-design-framework-nhs-scotland/ ) to generate key expert, stakeholder and system-wide input into decisions on resuming and supporting service provision, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The full remit and membership of the Group is available alongside the minutes of each meeting at:

https://www.gov.scot/groups/mobilisation-recovery-group/

The membership of the Group, which includes Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland, will be kept under review to ensure that it continues to bring together stakeholders and decision makers; guaranteeing that that the delivery of health and social care services maintains a strong focus on quality, equity and person-centred care, within the necessary constraints of the COVID-19 response.

During the pandemic, emergency and urgent care has been provided, including treatment for pain as a result of emergency, acute presentations, infusion pumps for palliative care services and treatment for complex regional pain syndrome. We remain committed to resuming the full range of pain services as quickly as it is safe to do so, and we will shortly publish a COVID-19 Recovery Framework for NHS Pain Management Services to continue to inform this activity.

Question reference: S5W-30834

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the evidence it used to determine that 20 people are permitted to attend a funeral service, while 50 are permitted to attend other church services in the same location with the same safety measures in place.

Funerals are highly emotional and incredibly difficult events in our lifetimes. They are unique and intimate. Unlike most other gatherings, those in attendance are likely to know or be close to many others in attendance. Because of this, it is much more likely that vital public health measures to help mitigate or break chains of transmission of COVID-19, such as observing strict 2 metre physical distancing between households, will be forgotten. This is completely understandable at a time of grief, when people need the support of their close family and friends more than ever.

This has been the basis for us taking a much more cautious and careful approach when it comes to funeral services when compared to other gatherings, as we continue to seek to suppress the virus.

Question reference: S5W-30739

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support people with diabetes who are at increased risk from COVID-19, and whether it is considering any additional protections on their returning to work, as well as on the return of other groups of people who are shielding.

The Scottish Government appreciates returning to work will be a worrying time for people living with an underlying health condition, such as diabetes.

The health and wellbeing of individuals, communities and the economy is the priority of the Scottish Government. All employers in Scotland should follow the existing Scottish guidance, support workers to follow health protection advice and have a statutory duty to ensure that workers’ health and safety is protected. This includes undertaking risk assessments of their work activity, assessing the risk from Covid-19 spread in the workplace, and putting in place appropriate mitigating measures.

We published guidance for employers and employees to support people who considered themselves at higher risk of contracting Covid-19 on 30 July 2020. This provides practical measures which should be taken, including risk assessments and prioritising their needs in planning phased returns to physical workplaces. This guidance can be found by following link:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/covid-shielding/pages/returning-to-work/

Question reference: S5W-30950

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what safeguards it is putting in place to ensure that NHS boards and integration authorities are involving people with arthritis as services are resumed, as per their statutory duties.

Robust arrangements for public engagement are in place for both NHS Boards and Integration Authorities.

Health Boards are subject to the public involvement duties set out in the NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004 and the national CEL 4 (2010) guidance on “Informing, engaging and consulting people in developing health and community care services”.

Integration Authorities have a range of duties conferred upon them through the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014, which requires a comprehensive approach to engagement and participation with a range of key stakeholders.

We expect NHS Boards and Integration Authorities to apply the principles of early and meaningful engagement proportionately when making decisions regarding the delivery of arthritis services. Healthcare Improvement Scotland - Community Engagement have also developed guidance to support engagement during this time.

Question reference: S5W-30948

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether future guidance to NHS boards can include reference to the statutory duty to involve patients in service delivery.

There is already national guidance to support NHS Boards to fulfil their public involvement duties under the NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004.

The CEL 4 (2010) guidance to NHS Boards, “Informing, Engaging and Consulting People in Developing Health and Community Care Services”, which is available online at http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_04.pdf , sets out how NHS Boards should inform, engage with, and consult with patients and their local communities.

I wrote to all NHS Boards in June this year to remind them of their duties and the national guidance.

We are working jointly with COSLA to develop updated community engagement guidance which will apply across health and social care. This work was temporarily paused due to the pandemic and will restart when it is appropriate to do so.

Question reference: S5T-02306

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will begin talks with trade unions regarding NHS staff pay and conditions.

Question reference: S5W-30720

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the hospital occupancy rate has been in each week since the NHS was placed on an emergency footing on 17 March 2020, broken down by (a) hospital and (b) NHS board, and what the rate was during the same period in 2019.

Public Health Scotland publish data on bed occupancy on a quarterly basis. They have pre-announced that Acute Hospital Activity and Beds data to end March 2020, is scheduled for publication in September 2020 and that quarterly data for April to June 2020 is scheduled for publication in November 2020.

https://beta.isdscotland.org/forthcoming-publications/

Public Health Scotland also publish weekly data on hospital inpatient admissions as part of their weekly COVID-19 publication. This data shows that the number of hospital inpatient admissions dropped to its lowest level compared to the pre-COVID average during April and has steadily increased in recent weeks. The reduced number of admissions is likely to have had an impact on the overall occupancy during this period also. A link to this data is provided here: https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-covid-wider-impact/