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-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-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.

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 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-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.

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-30138

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will permit the partners of pregnant women to attend antenatal appointments during the easing of the COVID-19 lockdown.

On the 30 th of June 2020, I announced during the daily media briefing that visiting restrictions are being relaxed in hospitals from 13 July, in line with Scotland’s Coronavirus Route Map. In addition we are also developing additional guidance for Maternity Services specific to visiting within the maternity and neonatal setting.

This means that partners of pregnant women will be able to attend ante-natal, clinic, scan appointments and visit women on postnatal wards.

The new guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-hospital-visiting-guidance/ .

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 .

Question reference: S5W-30056

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 16 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to allow commercial businesses to open their customer toilets for public use.

Question reference: S5W-30046

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 15 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many radiology vacancies have been unfilled in each NHS board in the last 12 months.

Information on Clinical Radiology vacancies in the last 12 months, broken down by NHS Board, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at:

https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/workforce-official-statistics/nhsscotland
-workforce/publications/02-june-2020/data-tables/

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on collation of more detailed data by Boards, reduced vacancy data is being reported for this quarter - March 2020.

Scotland-level data on vacancies for Consultants, Nursing & Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals for March 2020 is not available.

Question reference: S5W-30047

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 15 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many psychiatry vacancies have been unfilled in each NHS board in the last 12 months.

Information on Psychiatry specialty vacancies in the last 12 months, broken down by NHS Board, can be found on the TURAS NHS Education for Scotland workforce statistics site at:

https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/workforce-official-statistics/nhsscotland
-workforce/publications/02-june-2020/data-tables/

Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on collation of more detailed data by Boards, reduced vacancy data is being reported for this quarter - March 2020.

Scotland-level data on vacancies for Consultants, Nursing & Midwifery and Allied Health Professionals for March 2020 is not available.