- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 September 2020
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not issued advice in response to reports that COVID-19 can infect through the eyes.
Answer
There is some evidence that Covid-19 may cause conjunctivitis. Although this appears to be rare, eye health care professionals have been made aware that this can occur. There may be an increased risk of direct transmission through touching the eyes or tears during examination, however there no specific precautions are required beyond routine infection prevention and control practices, such as PPE, washing hands and appropriate disinfection of surfaces and instruments.
Our current understanding remains that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets (coughing or sneezing) directly into the mucous areas of individuals; or contact with contaminated surfaces which are then spread to the nose or mouth by touch.
Guidance for optometry and optometrists, including on the use of eye protection, is also included within the Primary Care Guidance https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/web-resources-container/covid-19-advice-for-dental-teams/
Our actions will continue to develop in response to what the scientific community learn about the virus.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 September 2020
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30898 by Jeane Freeman on 6 August 2020, whether the distance noted from Dumbarton to Port Glasgow is actually 16 miles by road and not 5.5 miles as indicated, which appears to be the distance measured in a straight line.
Answer
The distance measured of 5.5 was in error, this should have read 15.5 miles between Port Glasgow and Dumbarton. I offer the member my apologies for that error and gratitude to her for the opportunity to provide a correction.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 September 2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ever waived legal privilege to release legal advice given to ministers regarding (a) past court proceedings against them, (b) policy or administrative matters and (c) the making of potential decisions.
Answer
By virtue of the right to legal professional privilege which attaches to all clients including Governments, the content of any legal advice received by the Scottish Government is confidential.
Successive Scottish and Westminster Governments have not disclosed the source or content of legal advice other than in the most exceptional circumstances.
The Scottish Ministers have authorised disclosure of legal advice in the particular circumstances of a very limited number of cases which each involved a judicial inquiry: the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, the (UK) Infected Blood Inquiry and the Trams Inquiry.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 September 2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all of its current special advisers, broken down by (a) job title, (b) role and (c) salary scale.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26805 on 19 December 2019. In addition Mairi McAllan, Special Adviser, Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, was employed with effect from 6 January 2020, initially to provide maternity cover. Stewart Maxwell is no longer a Special Adviser. We will shortly publish the annual list of special advisers.
The Special Adviser pay bands, and numbers within each band are:
Pay Band | Pay Range | Number of SpAds in each Band |
1 | £39,445 - £52,904 | 1 |
2 | £52,905 - £66,317 | 7 |
3 | £65,017 - £88,564 | 5 |
3 (premium) | £86,965 - £100,942 | 0 |
4 | £86,965 - £104,462 | 1 |
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2020
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2020
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that the Test and Protect system is functioning effectively.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2020
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 28 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure continued uptake of school milk, in light of its reported plan to leave the UK Nursery Milk Scheme.
Answer
Schools are not eligible to claim under the UK Nursery Milk Scheme and therefore should Scotland withdraw from this scheme there will be no effect on uptake of school milk.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 28 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is being provided to schools on social distancing during transfers between classrooms in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19.
Answer
The published Guidance on preparing for the start of the new school term in August 2020 contains a section on minimising contact between individuals and groups (paragraphs 40 to 60). This section notes that within specific school settings, risk assessments should consider the ways in which busy corridors, entrances and exits could be avoided, with mitigations that could include one way and/or external circulation routes.
The guidance has been updated to note that face coverings should (unless exemptions apply) be worn by adults and young people in secondary schools when moving about the school in corridors and communal areas, where physical distancing is particularly difficult to maintain.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government what the required standard of PPE has been to protect staff of public bodies in Scotland during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer
Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities. Responsibility for purchasing PPE to protect their staff sits with each public body, but they must comply with all relevant legislation and guidance. Therefore, questions about the standard of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.
Health & Safety is a reserved matter and all employers must comply with the relevant legislation, undertaking risk assessments as required. That legislation has been used to develop guidance on PPE for health and social care settings in Scotland. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government which companies have supplied PPE to public bodies in Scotland during the COVID-19 outbreak, broken down by the (a) volume, (b) value and (c) origin of the items.
Answer
Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities and are responsible for running their own tendering exercises and for the decisions they take as part of those exercises. Therefore, questions about the volume, value and origin of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 August 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 August 2020
To ask the Scottish Government whether any PPE supplied to public bodies in Scotland during the COVID-19 outbreak has not met the required standard and, if so, what was done with it.
Answer
Public bodies operate independently from Scottish Ministers for their procurement activities, and the responsibility for purchasing PPE and making sure it is fit for purpose lies with each public body. Therefore, questions about the standard of PPE acquired by a public body should be addressed to the public body in question as we do not hold this information centrally.
Health & Safety is a reserved matter and all employers must comply with the relevant legislation, undertaking risk assessments as required. That legislation has been used to develop guidance on PPE for health and social care settings in Scotland. It is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-infection-prevention-and-control/covid-19-personal-protective-equipment-ppe
