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-32100

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 20 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the Workforce Specialist Service that was announced in the Programme for Government will be (a) established and (b) staffed.

Question reference: S5W-32120

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science last met senior management at Heriot-Watt University, and what was discussed.

Question reference: S5W-32119

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the loss of a reported 130 teaching posts at Heriot-Watt University will have on (a) course choice, (b) student experience and (c) research capacity.

Heriot-Watt University has indicated that the losses are likely to be 110 academic and professional services posts, and 20 research posts that are coming to the end of contract. The University has stated that any decisions on the roles being lost will be carefully assessed with students, course programmes and research in mind. The University has stated that it is committed to finding these role reductions through voluntary means wherever possible.

As with all universities, Heriot-Watt regularly reviews its portfolio of courses to ensure it provides programmes that meet market demand. There are no current plans to stop any undergraduate subjects. Heriot-Watt have also stated that they remain fully committed to providing the highest quality learning experience for all students, and to engaging in research that contributes to the future success of the University and of the wider economy.

Question reference: S5W-32116

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Heriot-Watt University’s reported plans to make 130 teaching and professional services staff redundant, and what support it has offered the university to help avoid this.

The Scottish Government is working closely with the Scottish Funding Council and the further and higher education sectors to mitigate the issues created by Covid-19. On 9 July, I announced to Parliament our Further and Higher Education Sustainability Plan. This highlighted the steps the Scottish Government has taken to support higher education, including £75m to protect world leading research and £10m for estates development, from which Heriot-Watt University have benefitted.

The Plan also details the further measures we are taking to safeguard higher education, including the development of scholarships for EU and international students; and other collective actions to attract international students to Scotland.

In spite of the challenges, Fair Work remains central to our strategy and, wherever possible, jobs and income levels should be protected for the benefit of the wider economy.

Question reference: S5W-32162

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 14 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government who is responsible for signing off changes to emergency powers in each ministerial portfolio area in circumstances where the Parliament does not have an opportunity to vote on such changes.

Question reference: S5W-32117

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons Heriot-Watt University is reported to have financial challenges.

Covid-19 has hit all of our universities hard and Heriot-Watt university is no exception.

Universities are reporting financial pressures for academic year 2020-21 and beyond largely due to the limited resources available to generate income. This includes a reduction in international students fees, and reduced demand for their accommodation and hospitality services, all of which contribute to annual income.

Along with the Scottish Funding Council and Universities Scotland, our universities are working relentlessly to maintain the message that they are open and welcome all students, including those from outside the UK, either remotely or on campus where it is possible and safe to do so.

As a Government we continue to monitor the economic condition of the university sector overall and at an individual institution level to ensure they remain sustainable throughout this crisis and beyond.

Question reference: S5W-32121

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 13 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that Heriot-Watt University is at risk of being unable to continue as a stand-alone university.

The financial pressures created by the Covid-19 pandemic have been unprecedented in all areas of society including the ability of our universities to generate income.

We continue to work closely with Universities Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council on how the sector can remain at the forefront of global education and research when we emerge from this crisis.

However, it remains vital that universities continue to develop their own mitigating strategies to minimise negative impacts on their short, medium and long term financial sustainability and we will continue to support them to do this.

Question reference: S5W-31759

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 11 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason patients are being referred to the specialist mesh service in Glasgow, in light of the terms of reference for, moderator of, and team running the unit not yet being published.

It is important to note that the service in Glasgow was previously providing the mesh complications service, in partnership with NHS Lothian. As such, referrals to this specialist service have not stopped throughout the pandemic. This is different to other services which receive national designation, as they would habitually stand up their referrals gradually. Since designation in July, women who were listed for surgery, pre-Covid, have started to undergo their procedures.

Work is ongoing to embed the principles raised by Baroness Cumberlege in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review in to the Glasgow service and as the service develops, we will continue to listen to the views of women and ensure that they get the services they need. Women’s views have been fed in to this service already through the Health and Social Care Alliance’s report “My Life, My Experience” and further patient involvement and engagement will be undertaken.

As previously stated, Glasgow are continuing with recruitment to expand their multidisciplinary teams and a full MDT will be in place by early 2021. I should also explain that work is ongoing to update the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde website with details of the disciplines involved in the Service and when invited for an outpatient appointment, women will be advised of which consultant is running that clinic. Women will then be seen by that consultant or someone in their team. This is standard practice in large teaching hospitals. Of course, there may be occasions, like staff sickness, where another consultant covers the service, rather than cancelling patients.

Question reference: S5W-31799

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) Clostridium difficile (C.diff) and (b) MRSA tests have been carried out in hospitals in each NHS board area during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)tests that are carried out in hospitals across NHS Scotland. However, National Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland publish quarterly data on healthcare associated and community associated CDI and Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (SABs) by NHS Scotland board.

MRSA and meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bloodstream infections are not reported on individually due to small numbers of MRSA cases, but are part of the overall SAB data.

The most recent quarterly data was published in July 2020 and covers the period January to March 2020 (Quarter 1).

The report can be found at the following link:

https://hpspubsrepo.blob.core.windows.net/hps-website/nss/3093/documents/2_2020-07-07-SAB-CDI-EColi-SSI-Infections-Q1-2020-Report.pdf .

The next quarterly epidemiological data on CDI infections, SABs, Escherichia coli bloodstream infections (ECB) and Surgical Site Infection (SSI), covering April to June 2020 (Quarter 2), will be published on Tuesday 6 October 2020.

In the latest Healthcare Associated Infection Annual Report, published on 22 September 2020, National ARHAI Scotland report that both MRSA bloodstream infections and CDI rates have decreased over the past five years.

Question reference: S5O-04656

Asked by: Neil Findlay, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle climate change.