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-36066

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 March 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 24 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the City of Edinburgh Council area and NHS Lothian’s percentage coverage of the first dose of COVID-19 vaccinations are reportedly the lowest of all local authorities and NHS boards respectively, and when it expects them to be in line with the national average.

Population estimates of JCVI priority groups were published in the COVID-19 Vaccine deployment plan on 14 January drawing on the latest available data at that point. The variance in the population demographic across Health Board areas for the age groups is not accounted for. The uptake data published by Public Health Scotland against these denominators means it may appear that Lothian are behind, however this is not the case.

NHS Lothian have vaccinated in line with JCVI priority groups according to their available supply. As published data shows, as at 10 th March, over a quarter of a million people in Lothian have received their first dose of vaccine with over 23,000 of those having received their second dose – this is good progress.

Lothian are currently vaccinating priority groups 6 (underlying health conditions and unpaid carers) and 7 (60-64 years). They will start to invite groups 8 (55-59 years) and 9 (50-54 years) in line with available supply. NHS Lothian’s target date to begin appointing JCVI priority cohort 9 is week commencing 29 March with target completion date of 9 April, dependent on vaccine supply.

Question reference: S5F-04920

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 March 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04895

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 March 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04878

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 March 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04857

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 4 March 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04833

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04813

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 February 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-34873

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 10 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the impact of NHS call centre staff working in their office rather than at home during the COVID-19 pandemic on (a) the transmission of the virus and (b) employee safety.

NHS24 is a critical part of our health service and continue to play an important role during the pandemic. The safety of all staff in NHS24 is our top priority.

NHS24 have put a considerable amount of effort into ensuring staff safety, including acquisition of two additional operational sites to ensure staff are able to maintain 2 m distance at all times; robust infection prevention and control systems are in place and staff and trade unions have played a key role throughout in both developing the approach and ensuring compliance.

NHS Boards have worked very closely with Health Protection Scotland (HPS) infection control to develop stringent protocols for use in call centres to help keep all staff safe. This includes, implementing social distancing measures, allocating individual equipment, headsets, wipes and hand gel as well as a regular programme of deep cleaning the call centre sites.

Given their role of ensuring safe and effective triage of patients, using clinical supervision where required, frontline call handling is not something which can be easily done from the home environment as it could cause major clinical risk . Where staff are able to work at home in terms of non-frontline services then they are doing so.

Question reference: S5F-04790

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 February 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5F-04771

Asked by: Ruth Davidson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 February 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.