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-35459

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 4 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the demand for adolescent eating disorder services since March 2020.

We continue to monitor research, referral rates and engage regularly with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service Lead Clinicians, Service Managers and Heads of Child Psychology Group to provide us with an understanding of how those with an eating disorder, and their families, are feeling during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure that the right help and support is available.

Our Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan, published in October 2020, has a specific action to ensure that the National Review of Eating Disorder Services takes into account the effects of the pandemic and lockdown on access to help and support. The Review will be publishing their final report and recommendations at the end of this month.

Question reference: S5W-35120

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance and support is in place for teachers of physical education who, due to COVID-19 restrictions, are having to run outdoor activities in poor or challenging weather conditions.

Guidelines on physical education and dance have been prepared by Education Scotland to assist with decision-making and the safe implementation of timetabled physical education. The guidelines are continually updated to reflect any changes in the scientific advice. Currently, two metre physical distancing must be maintained in secondary, minimal sharing of equipment, and being outside all contribute to further lowering of any risk of transmission.

On 9 February 2021, Education Scotland ran a webinar attended by 227 teachers to share online pedagogy and how to create a supportive learning environment. Through online learning, teachers have set physical activity challenges, both indoors and outdoors, so that learners can choose depending on their home setting. These practices were shared at the webinar and welcomed by the attendees. The webinar Teams space is now ‘live’ for teachers to continue to collaborate, share practice, and seek solutions in these challenging times. A recorded version of the webinar will be shared on DigiLearn in due course and similar events will be considered for the future.

Question reference: S5W-33913

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether funeral directors and crematorium staff will be part of the second phase of key workers receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority list has been updated to include funeral workers who are considered frontline funeral operatives and mortuary technicians/embalmers, as they are both at risk of exposure and likely to spend a considerable amount of time in care homes and hospital settings where they may also expose multiple patients. They are eligible for vaccination under category 2 of the JCVI list.

Question reference: S5W-35286

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33980 by Jeanne Freeman on 14 January 2021, whether it will confirm by what date all people entitled to the £500 bonus for health and social care staff will have received their payment.

The majority of NHS Scotland staff will receive the thank you payment in February. For those staff who had previously left and have since returned to NHS Scotland, the payment will be made in March. For ex-NHS Scotland staff, the payment will be made from March onwards with timing being dependent on those people returning the necessary forms.

Independent contractors will be paid a lump sum on March which will be their responsibility to disburse to staff. Payments to sessional staff may be later in the new Financial Year.

The Scottish Government are working with Social Care stakeholders to make the payment to staff from March onwards.

Question reference: S5O-05088

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase funding to local authorities.

Question reference: S5W-33566

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the outline business case for its proposed publicly-owned energy company.

The Scottish Government made a commitment to discuss the outcomes of the outline business case and agree next steps with local authorities before publishing the report. We have not been able to do this as we and local authorities have had to prioritise efforts to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic. We are now reviewing the report in light of significant changes such as the declaration of a climate emergency and our ambitious net zero targets, and we are working with local authorities to determine our next steps. We will publish the outline business case once we have done this.

Question reference: S5W-35236

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 22 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) laying of regulations for minimum energy efficiency standards and (b) compliance dates which will be set out in the regulations.

The draft Heat in Buildings Strategy (HBS) published on 5 February 2021, brings together the Scottish Government’s ambitions on energy efficiency and heat decarbonisation into a single framework, and provides an update to the 2018 Energy Efficient Scotland Routemap and the 2015 Heat Policy statement.

The draft HBS provides a framework to introduce regulations in a way that is proportionate and which considers the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s people, including continuing to target the eradication of poor energy efficiency as a driver of fuel poverty and ensuring our actions have no detrimental impact on fuel poverty, unless additional mitigating measures can also be put in place.

In summary the framework for energy efficiency standards, including proposed compliance dates is as follows:

	The Proposed Standard	Dates to lay regulations	Dates to meet the standards	Backstop dates for compliance
Private Rented Sector	To reach a level equivalent to EPC C for new tenancies	By 2025	2025-2027	2028 for all tenancies
Owner Occupier Sector	To reach a level equivalent to EPC C	By 2025	Triggers proposed between 2025-2034	2035
Social Housing	To reach EPC B	Standards reviewed in 2023	2024-2031	2032
Multi tenure/Mixed use	To reach a level equivalent to EPC C	By 2025	2025-2044	2045
Non-Domestic Buildings	More challenging energy improvement targets to reduce ‎ demand for heat and ensure zero emissions heat supply to apply ‎ at trigger points	By 2025	Triggers proposed between 2025-2044	2045

The HBS sets out our intention to consult on the detail of these proposed standards over the next few years, including on reforms to the assessment process and EPC metrics which will underpin the regulations.

Progress on initial standards within the PRS to reach a standard of EPC D have been paused as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and will be revisited as we emerge from the pandemic.

Question reference: S5O-05060

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that older patients in hospital are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Question reference: S5W-34854

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of some people experiencing long-term symptoms of COVID-19, such as fatigue, that prevent them undertaking everyday tasks, when patients will be able to access treatment for the condition, long COVID, in a similar way to the services provided by NHS England.

There are already a range of services in place, to support people experiencing symptoms of Long COVID, including local primary care teams, community based rehabilitation services and specialised secondary care where needed.

As we continue to learn and respond to the pandemic, it is crucial that the decisions we take are based on the latest available evidence and are aligned to clinical guidance. This includes decisions on whether to commission services dedicated to Long COVID.

At present this is using the knowledge and expertise already within our NHS to deliver care tailored to individual need across a wide range of specialisms.

We are engaging with people living with Long COVID, NHS Boards and the wider clinical community in Scotland to deepen our understanding of the symptoms and impact of Long COVID to help us continue to tailor the holistic diagnosis and the treatment, which patients need. This includes examining how to enhance and better co-ordinate existing pathways from primary and community care services to provide the multidisciplinary and person-centred support that people may require.

The recently published SIGN guideline should be used by clinical teams to initiate the treatment and support needed by those suffering from longer-term symptoms of Covid and to identify where they need urgent medical or psychiatric support. We are engaging further with clinical groups to develop more joined-up pathways, to provide a streamlined approach and minimise patients being passed from speciality to speciality unnecessarily.

We are also working closely with Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland to explore how third sector services, working alongside our NHS, can deliver holistic support for people experiencing Long COVID.

Question reference: S5W-34858

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether self-catering accommodation businesses in island communities will have access to the same financial support as self-catering properties in areas subject to Level 4 restrictions.

Islands businesses in Level 3 are also eligible for support to the equivalent of Level 4 Strategic Framework Business Fund. Eligible businesses, including self-catering accommodation businesses will be able to access closure funds as well as, where applicable, the Large Self-Catering Grant. This is for larger self-catering properties which have been uniquely impacted by the single household rule introduced on the 23 rd of September. Self-catering businesses are eligible to apply for this support comprising one off payments of £2,000 if they have a property which accommodates 7 or more people for which they pay Non Domestic Rates.