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-30499

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 27 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29883 by Michael Matheson on 22 June 2020, whether it yet has a date for when guidance on how driving instructors can resume providing driving lessons safely will be published.

Question reference: S5W-30246

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when updated guidance regarding COVID-19 will be provided for professional dog walking companies in order for them to walk larger groups.

Question reference: S5W-30724

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when clarity can be provided to beauty salons as to whether specific treatments, such as facials, can be carried out when they reopen on 22 July 2020.

Updated guidance for the retail sector, which includes close contact services, such as beauty salons, was published on 17 July. This includes a section on services offered in the ‘high risk zone’, defined as ‘the area in front of the face where splashes and droplets from the nose and mouth may be present’. It also contains a checklist for those providing close contact services to help them assess that the therapies and treatments they are providing are safe.

Question reference: S5W-30632

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 10 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether nail technicians who run their businesses from home will be able to resume services on 22 July 2020, in line with nail salons.

Following an announcement by the First Minister on 9 July, beauty salons offering services including nail treatments are permitted to reopen from 22 July.

The Scottish Government has published guidance for close contact services based on a risk assessment process which business owners should use to identify which treatments and activities can be offered. Further guidance will be issued to provide clarity around businesses operating from home.

Question reference: S5W-30429

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 23 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when beauticians who specialise in services such as nail treatments will be permitted to operate again.

Following publication of the update routemap on 9 July, beauticians including those specialising in nail treatments are permitted to resume trading from 22 July 2020.

The Scottish Government has published guidance for close contact services including beauticians. This guidance is based on a risk assessment process and outlines our expectations on the steps which businesses will take before and after reopening.

Question reference: S5W-30245

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 23 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether escape room businesses are covered by the COVID-19 guidance for cinemas and theatres.

Question reference: S5W-30415

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 22 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether mobile hairdressers will be permitted to operate again from 15 July 2020.

Question reference: S5W-30350

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Race Equality Action Plan will take account of the recommendation in the BEMIS conference report, A Thematic Conference on Tackling Hate Crime and Prejudice Motivated by Racial and Religious Hatred, to set up an expert group that will examine how to integrate material in the curriculum for excellence on colonialism and how this impacts on society today.

On 20 March 2020 we published the Year 2 progress update on our Race Equality Action Plan. A final year report of this Plan will be published in 2021, which will include consideration of activity across all relevant portfolios.

Scotland’s curriculum is not prescriptive. It provides teachers with a flexible framework through the experiences and outcomes. Education Scotland are in the process of work to exemplify how race equality can be addressed in education through whole schools approaches and the ethos and life of the school as well as across all curricular areas. An external reference group, including BEMIS and CRER, are guiding the work and a race equality in education resource for practitioners is nearly complete, due for launch in September.

Education Scotland have also developed a quick reference guide to existing key resources for practitioners about Black history and BAME heritage, including colonialism. We plan to make use of existing groups, including the Ethnic Minorities Resilience Network and members of the Diversity in the Teaching Profession working group, to inform whether any further action is needed.

Question reference: S5W-30351

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether its Race Equality Action Plan will take account of the recommendation of the International Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination to ensure that the curriculum for excellence contains material regarding the human rights violations and slavery associated with colonialism.

Scotland’s curriculum is not prescriptive. It provides teachers with a flexible framework through the experiences and outcomes. Education Scotland have developed a quick reference guide to existing key resources for practitioners about black history and BAME heritage, including colonialism and slavery. We plan to make use of existing groups, including the Ethnic Minorities Resilience Network and members of the Diversity in the Teaching Profession working group, to identify any additional resources and inform whether any further action is needed.

Question reference: S5W-30122

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 19 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been sent to local authorities regarding reopening the public conveniences that have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it will ensure that there is adequate public provision of these services as the country moves out of lockdown.

The Scottish Government has released guidance on how public and customer toilets can open safely. This guidance has been sent directly to local authorities to assist in planning the safe reopening of public toilets. We are reviewing current policy on an on-going basis taken into account the latest scientific and medical evidence. You can view a copy of the guidance on the Scottish Government website here .