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: S6W-00846

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 5 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what public information it has published regarding how to take an accurate COVID-19 lateral flow test, and whether it has any concerns that some people are not following the correct procedure.

Lateral Flow Device (LFD) tests are approved for use by the MHRA, the UK's regulator of medicines and medical devices, responsible for ensuring their safety, quality and effectiveness. LFDs are all packaged with Instructions for Use, which are required by the MHRA to be easy to follow and available in a range of languages and formats. The Scottish Government has developed a range of resources in accordance with this.

The Scottish Government worked with NHS Inform to promote information on how to accurately take an LFD test. This included commissioning a video from Professor Jason Leitch with instructions on how to take the test. This has been translated into multiple languages including BSL, Arabic, Polish and Urdu, as have written instructions. The gov.scot site points to NHS Inform as the primary place to read the instructions.

Working with Young Scot, content was created that was aimed at children and young people on how to take an accurate LFD test, including a video from Dr Punam Krishan. A range of marketing assets have also been developed on how to do an LFD test, including posters for health and social care workers to share with local authorities and health boards.

Anyone who experiences any harm, injury, false positives or negatives, or difficulties in using the self-test device should report this to MHRA via the Coronavirus Yellow Card website, which helps identify issues which might not have previously been known that can then be addressed.

Question reference: S6W-00863

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what public information action it plans to provide to ensure that people understand the benefits of vaccination and to avoid confusion and false information, in light of any changes to the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

We continue to develop our COVID-19 vaccination communication strategy and marketing campaign.

To date the following groups have been targeted, in order, through communications:

those aged over 80 – through targeted letters
care home staff and residents and health and social care staff through letters, leaflets, and care home staff and resident posters
those eligible over 50 – targeted by a national advertising campaign
those 18-49 – targeted by a national advertising campaign
those under 30 – targeted by a national advertising campaign to encourage early registration for vaccination
vulnerable and seldom heard audiences – through stakeholder engagement including liaison with a wide range of groups and communities via trusted voices.

We also continue our Roll up your sleeve COVID-19 communication and campaign activity, and accurate up to date information is available from NHS Inform .

Question reference: S6W-00847

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 1 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding whether the NHS document that serves as proof of a person's COVID-19 vaccination status will be accepted internationally.

Question reference: S6W-00952

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 30 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on unemployment levels if furlough ends as currently planned.

The Scottish Government publishes summaries of the latest key economic statistics and analysis on the Scottish Economy in its Monthly Economic Brief, available at:

https://www.gov.scot/collections/monthly-economic-briefs/

The Scottish Government’s last outlook for the economy was published in the December 2020 edition, before the furlough scheme was extended to September. However, the latest analysis from the Bank of England is for unemployment to peak at 5.5% in 2021 as the furlough scheme ends, broadly in range with the latest forecasts from other independent forecasters.

The next set of forecasts for the Scottish economy will be published by the Scottish Fiscal Commission on Thursday 26 August.

Question reference: S6W-00861

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the gap between the availability of mental health services and the demand for them.

The Scottish Government has not conducted a national gap analysis across all mental health services. However, within our programme of enhanced improvement support to seven Boards, we have undertaken demand and capacity modelling to inform local improvement plans for CAMHS and Psychological Therapies, with the aim of meeting the waiting times standards and clearing backlogs by end March 2023. This support, where required, will be extended to the remaining Boards over 2021-22.

Question reference: S6W-00748

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what role (a) testing, and (b) vaccine status is going to play in the ongoing response to COVID-19, following the completed roll-out of the vaccination programme.

Test and Protect will change as the population becomes more protected by vaccination, but will still play a role in mitigating clusters and outbreaks where they arise, slowing infection spread and protecting populations at risk.

Contact tracing and testing of close contacts will continue as we move forward through the pandemic, including beyond Level 0.

We are following the clinical trials on daily contact testing closely, and will review Scottish Government policy in light of the evidence as it emerges. Any change to Scotland’s self-isolation policy continues to be informed by clinical and scientific advice, and would be subject to MHRA approval of lateral flow tests for ‘test to release’ purposes.

We will continue to consider the appropriateness of existing public health guidance on self-isolation in light of the emerging evidence regarding the efficacy of the vaccine in preventing infection and onwards transmission of Covid-19.

Question reference: S6W-00747

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will remove all COVID-19 restrictions following the completed roll-out of the vaccination programme, or whether it will pursue a "COVID-Zero" policy.

Reflecting on the success of the vaccination programme, our revised strategic intent is to work “to suppress the virus to a level consistent with alleviating its harms while we recover and rebuild for a better future.” Deciding when to remove COVID-19 restrictions will be informed by conditions based on clinical advice. These conditions will ensure that the virus remains sufficiently under control in Scotland and that enough people are protected by two doses of the vaccination. At present, our current analysis of the state of the epidemic indicates that the lifting of Level 0 restrictions should not happen until at least all adults over 40 years of age have been protected by two doses of the vaccine. We expect this to happen by 9 August. However, in order to maintain the progress we have made in returning to more normality, it will be important that people continue to stick to a set of baseline measures to stop the virus resurging and to protect those who do not have protection from vaccination.

I want us to get to a position where we do not have to think about Covid in our day-to-day lives in any respect. However, if we want to continue our progression towards that time, we might all have to accept baseline protective measures for a longer period, and we will work with stakeholders on what these should be.

But ultimately, we are dealing with an unpredictable virus, and we have to respond to what the data is telling us at the time.

Question reference: S6W-00752

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 28 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the support that businesses will need in the next 6 to 12 months, should physical interactions move towards pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.

As we continue to move out of lockdown, with the safety of Scotland’s workforce a priority, we are also focused on supporting the recovery of Scotland’s businesses.

We are in close and regular dialogue with business leaders on a range of priority issues, including economic recovery and business support. As we face the challenges of EU exit and Covid, we have an opportunity to design an economic recovery that works for all of Scotland’s people.

We are living in more hopeful times. With the success of the vaccination programme we can now see a route to a more normal way of life.

Question reference: S6T-00101

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of female prisoners on remand, following reports that one-in-four women in custody are awaiting trial.

Question reference: S6W-00511

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 21 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has held regarding the possible introduction of the insecticide, imidacloprid, on fish farms, and what less toxic treatments have been considered as an alternative.