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: S5O-04873

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on closing the attainment gap between pupils from the most and least deprived backgrounds.

Question reference: S5O-04854

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the courts system to allow criminal jury trials to proceed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5O-04759

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is providing to the UK Government with its review of transport infrastructure.

Question reference: S5W-32967

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 11 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to extend free dental treatment to women for a year after the birth of their child, in light of the impact of COVID-19 on accessing treatment.

Question reference: S5W-32229

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 9 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the scientific and medical evidence on which the most recent COVID-19 restrictions are based.

Question reference: S5W-32792

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 9 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the system that is currently being used for the roll-out of the flu vaccination programme will also be used for the roll-out of a COVID-19 vaccine once one is available.

Eligibility and prioritisation decision will be based on clinical evidence and we will be guided by the JCVI which provides independent advice on immunisation, including on the efficacy and safety of vaccines and priority groups to be vaccinated.

We are taking a different approach for a COVID-19 programme, incorporating learning from this year's seasonal flu delivery. We are developing a national plan for COVID-19 where delivery models will be determined nationally, in consultation with Health Boards. In terms of systems for calling people in for appointments, we are investigating how we can use the digital infrastructure developed for contact tracing to support a more effective and efficient means of scheduling appointments.

Question reference: S5W-32331

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the changes to the COVID-19 restrictions, whether it will provide an update on what funding streams are available to assist squash clubs.

The Scottish Government recognises the financial pressures felt by the sport sector.

Since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak the Scottish Government has worked closely with the UK Government and private and public sector partners to develop a range of support mechanisms for businesses. Information on all available support for businesses can be found on Find BusinessSupport . The website is regularly updated with information on any new support packages or changes to existing ones.

The Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF) is a £20m emergency fund for charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations working in Scotland. The fund supports organisations that already deliver services and products but find themselves in financial difficulties directly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The primary intention of the fund is to help third sector organisations to stabilise and manage cash flows over this difficult period. For more information, please visit: https://scvo.org.uk/support/coronavirus/funding/scottish-government/third-sector-resilience-fund sport scotland have communicated to all Scottish governing bodies of sport and local partners that they will receive six months of their annual investment in April/May, totalling £16.4m. At the same time sport scotland is creating a £1.5 million fund to provide additional support to governing bodies.

I would suggest clubs explore all finance avenues which are open to them and contact Scottish Squash to raise any concerns they still have.

Question reference: S5W-32228

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 27 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it plans to introduce to assist local and community sports clubs in allowing spectators back in, and what financial measures will be implemented to help mitigate the impact of lost revenue due to spectators not being permitted to attend games.

I know that this continues to be an enormously challenging time for the sporting sector and the pandemic has put a real financial strain on many sporting organisations.

sportscotland has supported the sector during the pandemic by providing upfront annual investment to Scottish governing bodies of sport and local partners and has also created an additional £1.5 million fund. However, I know that there are further financial issues for those sporting organisations who rely on income from spectators.

I met with the UK Minister for Sport, Heritage and Tourism on 1 October 2020 to discuss the financial package being developed by the UK Government to support those sporting organisations which are most affected by a delay of the return of spectators to stadia. We are still awaiting clarity on Barnett consequential funding to Scotland as a result of the UK Government scheme. However, in order that we will be in a position to move quickly once we receive further information from the UK Government, I have asked sportscotland to collect any additional financial information to ensure any support we put in place is properly targeted.

Sport brings enjoyment to the many people who watch and play, and we don’t want supporters to be delayed in returning for any longer than is absolutely necessary.

Question reference: S5O-04691

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 October 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the Scottish Growth Scheme.

Question reference: S5W-32007

Asked by: Finlay Carson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the further restrictions imposed on 23 September 2020, what plans it has to introduce testing for staff working in supported living accommodation that is regulated by the Care Inspectorate.

On 17 August the Scottish Government published Scotland’s COVID-19 Testing Strategy which identifies our priorities for the next phase of testing, further details can be found here:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-scotlands-testing-strategy-adapting-pandemic/

The Scottish Government is committed to using testing where it has a clear purpose and can contribute to reducing the risk of transmission. Decisions to make testing available to new groups are based on careful consideration of the contribution it can make in particular circumstances. We will continue to adopt a flexible approach to testing which is based on the best available evidence to address the challenges where it can have the greatest impact and is guided by scientific, clinical and public health advice from our expert advisory structures.

Testing provides a point in time assessment of whether a person has the infection and should not be seen as a substitute fora strong emphasis on symptomatic social care staff immediately self-isolating and arranging testing, use of appropriate PPE, physical distancing, environmental optimisation and decontamination and good social hygiene.

Public Health Scotland have produced guidance to support staff and users of supported living accommodation which can be found here: https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/web-resources-container/covid-19-information-and-guidance-for-social-community-and-residential-care-settings/