Questions and answers

Question reference: S6T-00500

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent National Records of Scotland report, Healthy Life Expectancy in Scotland, showing that healthy life expectancy has decreased in each of the last four years for females, and in each of the last three years for males.

Question reference: S6O-00715

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider a complete ban on fox hunting.

Question reference: S6O-00590

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards require pregnant medical staff to work in settings where there are patients with COVID-19.

The Department for Health and Social Care guidance for pregnant women in the workplace, covers NHS staff in all settings in Scotland and we have taken steps to ensure it is applied. The guidance clearly states that all pregnant staff must have a workplace risk assessment and can only continue working if the risk assessment says, it is safe for them to do so.

If a risk is identified employers must adjust their working conditions to remove the risk or offer alternative work on the same terms and conditions. If this is not possible then the member of staff will be asked not to attend work, but will continue to be paid as if at work. This ensures there is no detriment to NHS staff.

We continue to promote the use of risk assessments across Health and Social Care and on an individual, case by case basis.

Question reference: S6W-04858

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop a stand-alone and cross-cutting strategy for unpaid carers that will incorporate COVID-19 recovery and social care winter planning.

We recognise the incredible contribution that Scotland’s unpaid carers make to our communities and know that the pandemic has added significant additional pressures. We are committed to giving a strong voice to unpaid carers, listening to their needs and acting on what they tell us.

We will develop and publish a stand-alone Carers Strategy with a focus on COVID-19 recovery and improving carer support in a meaningful and sustainable way. The strategy will focus on carers and their needs, setting out how policies across the Scottish Government can work together with other public bodies to support carers as we recover from the pandemic and beyond.

We will engage with unpaid carers about the strategy’s scope and purpose in the coming months, and this will inform its development. Our approach to the development of the strategy will be both a collaborative and an iterative one which will draw on the knowledge and lived experience of unpaid carers so that the strategy is shaped by those who best understand the many challenges faced. We will seek to publish the strategy as soon as possible to provide a clear vision for how we will respond to the challenges faced by so many carers.

Question reference: S6W-04857

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will develop a stand-alone strategy for carers, and, if so, when the strategy will be published.

We recognise the incredible contribution that Scotland’s unpaid carers make to our communities and know that the pandemic has added significant additional pressures. We are committed to giving a strong voice to unpaid carers, listening to their needs and acting on what they tell us.

We will develop and publish a stand-alone Carers Strategy with a focus on recovery and improving carer support in a meaningful and sustainable way. The strategy will focus on carers and their needs, setting out how policies across the Scottish Government can work together with other public bodies to support carers as we recover from the pandemic and beyond.

We will engage with unpaid carers about the strategy’s scope and purpose in the coming months, and this will inform its development. Our approach to the development of the strategy will be both a collaborative and an iterative one which will draw on the knowledge and lived experience of unpaid carers so that the strategy is shaped by those who best understand the many challenges faced. We will seek to publish the strategy as soon as possible to provide a clear vision for how we will respond to the challenges faced by so many carers.

Question reference: S6O-00537

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many tenants in the West of Scotland have used the Tenant Grant Fund and Tenant Hardship Loan Fund.

Question reference: S6O-00491

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the Omicron variant on the implementation of its COVID-19 recovery strategy.

Question reference: S6F-00531

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the report, Towards a Scotland that cares: a new National Outcome on Care for the National Performance Framework, by the University of the West of Scotland, which is supported by Oxfam Scotland, Carers Scotland, Scottish Care, the Scottish Women’s Budget Group and One Parent Families Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-00475

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has carried out an Equality Impact Assessment following reports that it plans to cease funding for the Schools Programme as part of the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

Question reference: S6W-03230

Asked by: Paul O'Kane, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 November 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many times an ambulance has been dispatched single-crewed in each year since 2019, broken down by (a) Scottish Ambulance Service division and (b) NHS board area.

Ambulances are not single-crewed other than in exceptional circumstances, such as short notice unplanned staff absences, and every effort is made to double crew ambulances through rostered and relief staff, overtime or our bank staff. Ambulance Technicians are able to deliver high quality care to patients, but where a paramedic skill set is required, paramedics will be tasked to calls.

Unfortunately as a result of COVID-19 there has been occasions where single crewing has had to be used as a result of late notice staff abstractions, however we are continuing to work with the Scottish Ambulance Service to reduce this where possible.

The following table outlines the number of ambulance that have been dispatched single-crewed in each year since 2019, broken down by (a) Scottish Ambulance Service division and (b) NHS board area, as requested.

Financial Year	Qtr	East	West	North	Scotland
Financial Year	Qtr	% Single Crewed Shifts	% Single Crewed Shifts	% Single Crewed Shifts	% Single Crewed Shifts
2019-20	Q1	1.23%	1.30%	1.99%	1.43%
2019-20	Q2	1.44%	1.94%	2.85%	1.99%
2019-20	Q3	1.63%	1.70%	3.25%	2.03%
2019-20	Q4	1.58%	1.52%	2.93%	1.86%
2020-21	Q1	0.71%	1.18%	0.59%	0.90%
2020-21	Q2	1.13%	1.28%	2.60%	1.53%
2020-21	Q3	1.18%	1.26%	2.36%	1.48%
2020-21	Q4	0.87%	0.95%	1.81%	1.12%
2021-22	Q1	1.29%	1.16%	2.23%	1.44%

* 2021-22 Q1 figures are reference to April - June.

Chamber and committees