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-02917

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason regular cervical screening tests have been changed from every three to every five years.

Question reference: S6O-00195

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S6W-02196

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that some people who have received their second COVID-19 vaccination on or after 22 July 2021 have experienced delays in their online vaccination status certificate being updated.

There are no specific delays recorded affecting the updating of online vaccination status on or after 22 July 2021.

Currently there is an interim solution to provide access to vaccination status for those who need it for international travel. It is only designed to be in place for a short period of time and we are focussing all our efforts on developing a digital Covid Status Certificates App ready for the end of September this year. This long-term solution will have accessible options for those who need them.

We have made vaccination records available to Scottish citizens who have been vaccinated in Scotland should they be required for entry into another country. It is possible for an individual vaccinated in England and Scotland to obtain a letter from each.

We currently advise people to check the requirements of entry into another country, which can be found on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website: Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) . If individuals are in any doubt as to what will be accepted, we recommend checking with the country they are travelling to.

For further details, anyone can call the National Helpline on 0800 030 8013.

Question reference: S6W-01682

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 13 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider reviewing self-isolation guidelines for staff working in social care in order to ensure that an adequate level of care can be maintained with minimal disruption (a) for vulnerable young people and (b) in all social care settings.

The Scotland Government no longer require social care staff (in line with the general population) to self-isolate if they are double vaccinated, symptom free and return a negative PCR test. As an additional protection social care staff are also asked to undertake daily LFD testing for ten days following covid exposure.

More information can be found at the following link:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) – exemption of fully vaccinated social care staff from isolation: information for providers - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Question reference: S6W-02154

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 27 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it will launch its public consultation on restricting the advertising and promotion of electronic cigarettes, and what the anticipated timetable is for introducing any such measures.

Question reference: S6W-02089

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) bursary and (b) financial support is available to medical students to assist with their studies, including to support those having to study at home.

Medical students who are studying medicine full-time as a first degree are entitled to the standard undergraduate student support package for their full period of study. This means their tuition fees are paid by the Scottish Government through Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) – plus they can apply to SAAS for loans and bursaries to help with living costs dependent on their individual circumstances.

The only bursary specifically for Medical Students is a £4,000 per annum optional ‘return of service’ bursary offered to those who secure a place on ScotGEM – which is a graduate-entry undergraduate medical programme. If the bursary is accepted in all 4 years of study, amounting to £16,000 overall, the student would be expected to remain and work within NHS Scotland for 4 years following graduation.

Question reference: S6W-01591

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 23 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider expanding the number of suppliers offering COVID-19 testing kits to those travelling abroad.

The Covid-19 test kits are home PCR kits provided by NHS Test & Trace. Currently, we are not using private test providers for international travellers arriving into Scotland from green and amber list countries.

We are having on-going discussions with the UK government on using private test providers, particularly about the speed and reliability of the flow of data from private companies. We are keen to understand fully the key performance indicators (KPIs) that have been recently set for these companies and the process should these not be met.

Question reference: S6W-01298

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will offer COVID-19 vaccinations to 17-year-olds entering further or higher education in 2021-22 prior to the start of the academic year.

All young people 16 to 17 years of age are now being offered the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination in Scotland. In line with the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), they will be offered a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. People who are 16 or 17 in mainland Scotland will be invited to register their interest through the online portal at NHS Inform, and will then be sent an appointment via SMS or email. Eligible young people in Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles will be contacted by their health board and invited to attend clinics.

Drop-in clinics are available for 16 to 17-years-olds. Anyone who doesn’t register an interest or attend a drop-in clinic, will be sent an appointment invitation through the post.

Question reference: S6W-01856

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what support is being offered to dental practices to assist them in addressing long waiting times for patients.

The dental sector has been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Pre-COVID levels of patient volume are currently not achievable within the current framework of infection, protection and control (IPC) measures.

The Scottish Government has recently announced a 50 per cent increase in free PPE to dental practices and new funding of £5m to support improved ventilation facilities in dental surgeries. Both these measures are intending to increase the productivity of practices, enabling them to see more patients, within the current set of IPC constraints.

We can also confirm that we are working closely with UK partners as part of the review of IPC Guidance as we emerge from this pandemic. The intention is to ensure that as soon as it is safe to do so dental services can resume normal levels of activity.

Question reference: S6W-00442

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 18 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that there are no discrepancies in pay between nurses and other healthcare workers who administer COVID-19 vaccinations.

We have worked to ensure that nobody is placed at detriment as a result of their participation in the programme as a vaccinator.

Our desire to protect as much of Scotland’s population as quickly as possible has necessitated the deployment of all available resources, and the rate of progress we have seen would not have been possible without the mobilisation at pace of a large, capable and diverse workforce. We are grateful for the contribution nurses have made alongside other Healthcare Professionals.

It is our expectation that reliance on the temporary measures currently in place will reduce as Health Boards continue with efforts to recruit a sustainable vaccinator workforce.