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-30907

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 18 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources it will make available to the NHS to ensure the safe distribution of the flu vaccine in 2020.

As part of their planning, NHS Boards have been asked to record and submit to Scottish Government additional delivery costs that they encounter in adapting immunisation programmes to meet Covid-19 requirements (e,g. physical distancing, PPE) and expanding to new eligible groups this season. Additional resources will be provided to Boards to meet these costs.

Additional flu vaccine has been procured to meet increased uptake levels and provide sufficient stock to vaccinate newly eligible groups.

Question reference: S5F-04278

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-30913

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has done of the (a) short-, (b) medium- and (c) long-term implications to dentistry service as a result of COVID-19.

The government has been fully focused on containing the community spread of the virus during its response to the pandemic and a key part of this is within the dental setting. The delivery of dental services has been balanced since March between combatting COVID-19 and the oral health needs of patients in order to support those in need of urgent dental care and to protect both patients and dental teams from the virus.

During the lockdown patients were able to be seen for urgent dental care in one of 75 centres throughout Scotland. From 22 June dental practices began reopening and have followed a phased remobilisation plan expanding the list of treatments available to patients.

Question reference: S5W-30906

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what protections, instructions or guidance it will issue to ensure that people who require the flu vaccine in 2020 will receive the vaccination safely if there is a second wave of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-30905

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 14 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration is has given to widening the field of people who are eligible for the flu vaccination in 2020, and, if it proposes to do so, what the criteria will be.

The seasonal flu vaccination programme helps to protect the most vulnerable and alleviate pressure on the NHS. This will be more important than ever this year, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That is why this flu season, we are extending free eligibility to social care workers who provide direct care, household members of individuals who are shielding, all those aged 55 and over, and those aged 50-54 if vaccine supplies allow.

Question reference: S5W-30914

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the the Scottish Human Rights Commission briefing on care homes and human rights during COVID-19, which was published on 14 July 2020.

The Scottish Government welcomes the report from the Scottish Human Rights Commission and will consider the application of the requirements of the human rights framework and legislation to any future public inquiry into the Scottish Government's handling of the coronavirus.

The Scottish Government has always placed the upholding of human rights at the heart of its approach and since the start of the pandemic our priority has been to save people's lives, wherever they live.

A framework of legislation protects the rights of individuals receiving care and we have worked closely with our colleagues in the NHS, local government and the voluntary and independent sectors to ensure the needs and rights of residents in care homes are able to be met.

Any person who has COVID-19 should be treated as an individual and it is essential that their human rights continue to be fully respected, protected and fulfilled during the pandemic. While our decisions to the COVID-19 response have been guided by the scientific evidence available at the time, human rights have remained absolutely core to all our considerations.

Question reference: S5W-30917

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government if a successful vaccination is found against COVID-19, what plans it has in place for its distribution.

A safe and effective COVID-19 vaccination is dependent on success in at least one of over 200 vaccine trials underway worldwide in terms of both development and manufacture. When a vaccination might be available, and considerations about delivery and prioritisation, will depend in part on which vaccine candidates are successful.

While there is no guarantee of success in any of the trials, we are planning on the basis of a vaccine becoming available. In Scotland we already deliver nearly 2 million doses of vaccine routinely every year and we have a comprehensive vaccine delivery infrastructure in place. We are working on a plan to upscale this to deliver a COVID-19 vaccine, in the event that a safe and effective vaccine does become available, and we have established the Flu Vaccines and COVID-19 Vaccinations Delivery Programme Board to oversee this work.

In doing this, we will be guided by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which provides independent scientific advice on immunisation to all UK Health Departments, including on the efficacy and safety of vaccines and priority groups to be vaccinated.

Question reference: S5W-30904

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to recruit additional NHS staff to ensure that staffing complements are adequate to meet any increase in absence rates due to continued shielding requirements for staff.

In addition to national recruitment activity undertaken via the Health and Social Care Covid-19 Accelerated Recruitment Portal, launched in March of this year, boards have been supported to undertake local recruitment activity where they feel this is necessary. These routes have enabled returning health professionals to come forward and support our health and social care services at this time of national emergency.

We continue to monitor absence and will take action where necessary. The rate of NHS absence related to shielding remained static at between 2% and 3% between April 2020 and the pause to shielding on 31 July 2020. We have issued clear national guidance to assist not only those who were in the shielding category, but also the wider workforce, to be able to undertake effective individual risk assessment. This guidance will empower staff to make informed choices and facilitate their safe return to the workplace.

Question reference: S5W-30912

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many retired NHS staff, and people who previously worked in the NHS, volunteered to come back to the health service during the COVID-19 pandemic; how many of those were used, and how many are still undertaking work there.

At 7 August 2020, there are 279 returning healthcare professionals, sourced via the Covid-19 Health and Social Care Accelerated Recruitment Portal who continue to be deployed in NHS Scotland. A further 1,468 returning staff have been made available to NHS Boards for active deployment.

All applicants via the portal were asked to affirm their interest in taking up a role within NHS Scotland in June of this year. 2,236 Healthcare returners remain registered on the Portal (including the 1,468 returning staff cleared for deployment).

Data obtained via the COVID-19 Health and Social Care Accelerated Recruitment Portal does not include returning health professionals recruited locally by individual NHS Boards. This data is not centrally held.

Source: TURAS Data Intelligence, NHS Education for Scotland.

Note: Data is not available on the number of returning health professionals previously employed by NHSScotland. Information provided on 'returning healthcare professionals' may include those previously employed by private and other non-NHSScotland healthcare providers.

Question reference: S5W-30916

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many death in service payments have been made to the families of frontline (a) NHS and (b) social care workers who died as a result of COVID-19.

We have recently extended the death in service scheme in NHS Scotland to include a flat £60,000 payment to next of kin of all NHS staff who die in service where COVID-19 is a documented factor. There are four applicants to the NHS scheme, all currently being processed for payment, and Social Care are currently in touch with a further four applicants. We are working to identify everyone who is eligible to receive this payment, and would encourage all potential applicants to come forward.