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: S5F-04925

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 March 2021

To ask the First Minister how many unpaid carers have been vaccinated to date.

Question reference: S5O-05100

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been given to hospitality and tourism businesses in Inverclyde.

Question reference: S5O-05067

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5F-04852

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

To ask the First Minister how much the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund has paid out to date to support tenants who are struggling with rent arrears.

Question reference: S5O-05059

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Inverclyde HSCP regarding either a replacement for, or investment in, Port Glasgow Health Centre.

Question reference: S5W-35068

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Maree Todd on 9 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the financial support for childminders that it announced on 21 January 2021.

The Deputy First Minister announced a £1m Childminding Business Sustainability Fund on the 21 January. Since then we have worked closely with stakeholders, including the Scottish Childminding Association and the Unite the Union Childminding Branch, to discuss the targeting of this fund to those most in need.

Further to those discussions and careful consideration of the challenge of ensuring financial support reaches those most in need as quickly as possible, the Scottish Government is extending the fund to a total of £3,228,750. This additional funding will allow a simpler fund to be established, offering a single rate of grant set at £750 for every childminder in Scotland registered with the Care Inspectorate.

Further information on the fund is set out on the Scottish Government website , we intend to be able to make the grants available to childminders in the coming weeks.

Question reference: S5W-34695

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 1 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on providing COVID-19 vaccinations to police officers before the wider roll-out to the general public.

The Scottish Government greatly value the work of Scotland’s police officers and staff in keeping communities safe throughout this pandemic, they have been at the frontline of this public health response and we are grateful for the work they have undertaken.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions are guided by the independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The Scottish Government is adhering to the priority list devised by the JCVI which has been designed to target those at greatest risk from this virus and it is estimated to address over 90 per cent of preventable mortality from the virus in Scotland. This is the priority rollout all nations of the UK are working towards and it is vital that we adhere to these lists in order to avoid more lives being lost.

Question reference: S5F-04769

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 January 2021

To ask the First Minister what consideration the Scottish Government is giving to providing funding to small businesses that are classed as essential and have no access to sector-specific support, but whose profits have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the advice to the public to stay at home.

Question reference: S5W-34465

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 25 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been invested in Inverclyde through the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund in each calendar year of the current parliamentary session.

Inverclyde Council has not received any allocations from the Vacant & Derelict Land Fund to date. Each year the fund is distributed to a maximum of five local authorities using a methodology that has already been agreed with COSLA and local government. It takes into account a range of objectives and indicators and ranks each local authority accordingly. For 2020-21, the eligible local authorities continued to be Fife, Glasgow City, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Councils.

Question reference: S5W-34302

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available to people who are required to self-isolate but who are not eligible for the Self-Isolation Support Grant or Scottish Welfare Fund grants.

The Scottish Government introduced the £500 Self-Isolation Support Grant on 12 October 2020, to enable low income workers to self-isolate, when required to do so by Test and Protect. This helps to ensure they can self-isolate without suffering a financial loss.

The eligibility criteria were further extended on 7 December to include to people who are eligible for benefits but not currently in receipt of them, and to parents and carers of children who have been told to self-isolate.

Those who are ineligible for the SISG may however be eligible for an emergency grant from their local authority. Scottish Welfare Fund Crisis Grants are available to all people regardless of their current benefit eligibility. They are specifically designed to provide a safety net when an emergency situation occurs and there is no other way to cover costs.

In addition, support can provided via the Local Self-Isolation Support Service which is a proactive outbound call service operated by local authorities. The service calls people who are self-isolating, and who are happy to pass on their details. This service helps with support to access food, medication, and other essentials, whilst also signposting to further advice services.

Help can also be provided by contacting The National Assistance Helpline on 0800 111 4000 which anyone can contact, and operates between 09.00 to 17.00 every weekday.