Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-33550

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the scientific evidence regarding the transmission of COVID-19 on which it based its decision to close gyms in areas subject to Level 4 restrictions.

Decisions on what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown are guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. Proposals are technically assessed using the best available evidence and analysis of their potential benefits and harms to health, the economy, and broader society to minimise overall harm and ensure transmission of the virus continues to be suppressed. This assessment process includes oversight of the assessed health risks in different settings by the Chief Medical Officer and input from the other Chief Clinicians as appropriate.

Question reference: S5W-33681

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the scientific justification for its decision to not permit spectators, who would be situated outside and socially distanced from one another, at semi-professional football matches in areas subject to Level 3 restrictions.

We appreciate the impact on clubs and supporters, but our priority is to supress the virus and safeguard lives. Every human interaction is a potential bridge for the virus. Although outdoors is safer than indoors and small crowds safer than large, neither are risk free – which is why we are only permitting spectators at stadium events in lower risk level 0 and level 1 areas. The best way to get supporters back to sport is to reduce the prevalence of the virus.

This approach – based on advice from clinicians – takes into account a number of factors, including travel to and from venues and movement within grounds.

Question reference: S5O-04836

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to NFU Scotland’s call for Less Favoured Area Support Scheme payments for 2020 to be fully reinstated to 2018 rates.

Question reference: S5W-33292

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 30 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that businesses in the catering equipment hire sector are able to access the same COVID-19-related business rates relief and hardship support grants as their counterparts in the wider hospitality industry.

Question reference: S5W-33289

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 26 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it would consider increasing the person limit for wedding ceremonies, especially in levels 1 and 2, as a way to support the wedding industry.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of marriage and civil partnership to couples and to society more widely. Whilst our priority is public health, we know that the wide range of businesses operating in the wedding sector have been significantly affected.

Gatherings for weddings fulfil many of the high-risk criteria for transmission of the virus which is most strongly associated with close and prolonged contact in indoor environments. The protection levels approach of our Strategic Framework sets out proportionate action to address the harm from the virus whilst acknowledging the wider health, social and economic harms.

This means that, at all protection levels, special provision has been made for marriage ceremonies to continue as an exception to the restrictions affecting social gatherings. The numbers permitted to attend wedding ceremonies in areas affected by Levels 1-4 is set at 20 and is set at 50 if an area moves into Level 0. Exceptions at Levels 2 and 3 also allow for regulated venues hosting receptions to continue to serve alcohol and to remain open longer so that receptions can continue.

There is also a comprehensive package of financial support from the UK Government and the Scottish Government for businesses to mitigate the impacts of the restrictions. Subsequent to the regulations supporting the Strategic Framework commencing on 2nd November, there have been changes to the financial support package. New Scottish Government financial support will apply across all the relevant levels and will provide grants for eligible businesses required to close by law, as well as for businesses that remain open but are specifically required to modify their operations by protection measures.

The Scottish Government continues to listen to concerns from businesses and consider these as we regularly review the restrictions and guidance in place.

Question reference: S5W-33178

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 25 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that dentistry students from the 2019 cohort are receiving less funding and financial support compared with their predecessors.

Dental students are required to undertake a period of vocational training following graduation. Most students who graduated in 2019 would have completed their vocational training this year and have recently started in their first associate position in a dental practice.

Associates are self-employed independent dental contractors and their income is determined by an associate agreement with the practice owner, whereby the practice owner provides workplace facilities in return for a share of the income generated by the associate. This is typically around 50% of the associate's earnings but we are aware some practices take considerably more. The responsibility for ensuring a new associate is appropriately reimbursed from the financial support measures sits with the practice owner.

The memorandum to dentists in PCA(D)(2020)13 outlines details of enhanced support measures from 1 November. NHS dental services has received an unprecedented amount of financial support, including £12m of emergency payments per month to support dental incomes, additional funding of £2.75m per month as specific sectoral support and £8m of free PPE to date. For dental practices that are predominately NHS, the support package is equivalent to funding levels pre-COVID.

Question reference: S5W-33099

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 24 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what scientific evidence it has used to determine whether socially-distanced and COVID-19-secure group exercise classes are more likely to transmit the virus than individual exercise in large gyms.

Under the current restrictions, indoor exercise classes can proceed in Levels 0, 1 and 2. Outdoor exercise classes can take place in all Levels with up to a maximum of 30 participants with physical distancing. You can find out more information on COVID protection level for each local area and get information on what you can and cannot do at each level here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-protection-levels/ .

Decisions on what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown are guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. Proposals are technically assessed using the best available evidence and analysis of their potential benefits and harms to health, the economy, and broader society to minimise overall harm and ensure transmission of the virus continues to be suppressed. This assessment process includes oversight of the assessed health risks in different settings by the Chief Medical Officer and input from the other Chief Clinicians as appropriate.

Question reference: S5W-32911

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in each local authority area are (a) eligible and (b) ineligible for the new contingency funding for (i) nightclubs and (ii) soft play centres that it announced on 27 October 2020; what evidence it received from each council regarding the number of such businesses in their area, and whether it will publish the guidance that it issued to assist them with this.

This first phase of the Contingency Fund is targeted to support Scotland’s soft play and nightclub sectors, which have been unable to reopen since March. The grant is intended and is rationalised as a measure to protect jobs, prevent business closures and promote economic recovery.

The Scottish Government worked with COSLA and SLAED to identify the most appropriate delivery model, and the contingency fund is being administered by Local Authorities. An indicative total of 149 nightclubs and 135 soft plays are expected to receive this grant, with local authorities responsible for finalising the decision on businesses’ eligibility in line with the criteria already set out on the Scottish Government website at https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-business-contingency-fund/pages/contingency-fund-phase-1/ .

The Scottish Government is working closely with COSLA and Local Authorities to deliver the fund, including monitoring arrangements and data will be published in due course

Question reference: S5W-32396

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 2 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £25 million of reserve funding announced on 18 March 2020 from the £350 million of funding for communities during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been allocated and remains in reserve.

The £25 million reserve announced within the Communities funding package has been allocated in full in order to meet increased demand and emerging need. The funding has been allocated as below:

£5 million was allocated to the Third Sector Resilience Fund in order to meet increased demand, awards totalling over £22 million have been made to around 1,300 third sector organisations to stabilise and manage cash flows. Remaining funds will be refocused into the Community and Third Sector Recovery Programme;
£5 million was allocated to the first phase of Connecting Scotland supporting the award of over 7,500 devices to those that are digitally excluded, on a low income and clinically at increased risk from COVID-19;
£15 million was allocated to meet demand for grocery packages distributed to individuals at extreme clinical risk from COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-32051

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 15 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the First Minister's commitment to "providing resources for additional environmental health officers" in her statement on 22 September 2020 (Official Report, c.16), how many officers it considers require to be recruited; by what date additional officers should be recruited, and how much funding it will provide to enable this.

Chamber and committees