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: S6T-00069

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 14 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the allegation made by Jim McColl in The Herald on Sunday that £25 million of public money was wasted on the "forced" nationalisation of Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd.

Question reference: S6W-00394

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what additional funding has been provided to the Ayrshire Police Division to help fight drug-related crime, given that the number of drug-related crimes recorded by police in South Ayrshire has increased year on year since 2016/17.

The Scottish Government provides grant in aid funding to the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), which along with the Chief Constable has responsibility for allocating these resources across policing priorities. Despite constraints on Scotland’s public services through a decade of UK austerity, the Scottish Government investment in policing this year has increased by £60.5 million to more than £1.3 billion. An additional £15 million has been made available to the SPA in 2021-22 to specifically to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the policing budget.

As of 31 March 2021, there were 17,283 officers, which is significantly above the level inherited in 2007, with a higher number of officers than at any time during the previous administration.

Police Scotland will continue to prioritise reducing the harms to communities by tackling alcohol and drug misuse as outlined in their South Ayrshire Local Police Plan. The Scottish Government believes that the best way to reduce drug-related crime and drug-related death is to get people into appropriate treatment and support services at every point of the criminal justice system. However we must not be complacent, we will continue to bear down on crime in Scotland, through protecting police budgets and substantial investment in preventative programs.

Question reference: S6W-00421

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the tagging of offenders in (a) stalking cases and (b) cases connected with persistent harassment.

Sentencing decisions are for the independent courts in each case based on the circumstances before them. Courts can already impose electronic monitoring for a range of offences where they deem it appropriate. Sentences such as a Restriction of Liberty Order include an electronically monitored curfew and can include exclusion zones around an address which can also be monitored electronically.

Electronic monitoring can also be a feature of post-release sentence management as a condition of licence. The Parole Board have the ability to recommend licence conditions which can include being electronically monitored at or away from a particular location.

Question reference: S6W-00192

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what proportion of staff who work in schools have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Currently 63% of teachers have had 1 dose of the vaccine. How reflective of the wider workforce the teacher figures will be will depend on the difference in age profile and underlying health conditions between these populations. Those working in the Early Learning Care sector tend to be younger so their vaccination rates would be expected to be lower at the moment. Statistics were published on 2 June 2021 at https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/population-health/covid-19/covid-19-statistical-report/

Question reference: S6W-00190

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Sea Eagle Management Scheme payments are paid from the NatureScot budget and not from the Scottish Government's agriculture budget, in light of these payments being primarily to support farming.

The Sea Eagle Management Scheme is not an agricultural financial support scheme. It has historically been provided by NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) to provide practical support which includes advice, loan of scaring equipment and research for livestock farmers and crofters who suffer impacts across the sea eagle breeding range.

One of the objectives of the current White-tailed Eagle Action Plan is to consider whether support of farm and croft management relating to sea eagles should be included in future agri-environment programmes. This will help to develop the right conditions for the sustainable co-existence between sea eagles and sheep farming in ways which benefit the biodiversity, economic and social interests of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-00191

Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Sea Eagle Management Scheme payments are not directed solely to farms and croft landholdings where there are independently verified livestock predation incidents established by veterinary post-mortem analysis.

The Sea Eagle Management Scheme is not a compensation scheme and therefore does not require verification of predation. It is not possible to retrieve all carcasses in suspected predation incidents as sea eagles generally take prey back to their nests. The aim is to support farmers and crofters to manage livestock in the presence of sea eagles and to minimise the risks of possible predation through that management. Applications to the scheme are accepted only where there is known sea eagle activity and after discussions between expert contractors and the applicant to assess the level of sea eagle activity and possible impacts.

Question reference: S6W-00309

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many claims have been made to the Social Care Staff Support Fund, and what the total spend of the fund has been, broken down by month.

The Scottish Government launched the Social Care Staff Support Fund on 25 June 2020 to ensure that social care workers receive their expected income should they be off ill or self-isolating due to coronavirus.

Following detailed review of the financial position, £1.7 billion of additional funding was provided in 2020-21 to support the Health and Social Care Sector in the response to the pandemic.

A total of £561 million was allocated to Integration Authorities for 2020-21, including funding for sustainability payments, in addition to wider social care support, for example for reducing delayed discharges, for loss of income and for other staff costs.

Staffing costs claimed through sustainability payments encompass the Social Care Staff Support Fund, the staff movement policy and other additional staffing arrangements therefore, we do not have data broken down to the level asked for. The guidance for the financial support for social care providers recommends a light touch approach to gathering evidence, recognising the administrative burden of claiming additional costs on both commissioners and providers alike, whilst they respond to the pandemic.

All of these additional costs are recorded through the Local Mobilisation Plans and form an audit record of how funds have been spent.

There is a robust process in place to ensure that public funds are spent appropriately, this consists of a requirement to ensure clear audit trails are in place to record how funding has been spent. Local Authority and Health and Social Care Partnerships will also have their own internal and governance processes in place and Section 95 officers must adhere to their duties in relation to accounting for public funds. This includes ensuring that payments for additional costs are made in line with the guidance.

Feedback from stakeholders confirms that the Social Care Staff Support Fund has been - and continues to be – utilised to prevent financial hardship for eligible social care workers.

Question reference: S6W-00308

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many social care providers have access to PPE distribution hubs, and how this will change following its review of eligibility.

The PPE Hubs provide top up and emergency PPE to social care providers across Scotland if their existing supply routes fail. Those eligible to access the Hubs include staff in care homes, care home visitors, care at home providers, unpaid carers, personal assistants, day services, sheltered housing services, supported housing and housing support, children’s homes and hospices across all sectors (public, voluntary and private).

Work is currently being taken forward with Health and Social Care Partnerships and representatives from the adult social care sector to examine whether providers would benefit from expanding the eligibility criteria further and what impact this might have on the broader operation of the Hubs and for PPE support to the sector as a whole.

Question reference: S6W-00216

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential benefits of the (a) procurement and (b) deployment of professional high-efficiency particulate air purifiers in enclosed workspaces.

The UK Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (“SAGE”) Environmental and Modelling Group (“EMG”) published a paper on 4 November 2020 on the “ Potential application of air cleaning devices and personal decontamination to manage transmission of COVID-19 ”, to which NHS National Services Scotland contributed on behalf of the Scottish Government. Work is due to start with the Office of Product Safety and Standards and the SAGE EMG to consider air cleaners further as there is no recognised standard for their efficacy.

Question reference: S6W-00193

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to accelerate the rate at which staff working in schools will be vaccinated against COVID-19.