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-30576

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to relax the guidance on social distancing for under-12s to include all children who are transitioning from P7 to S1.

The Scottish Government is required by law to review lockdown restrictions every three weeks. The next review falls on 10 August. On the basis of the scientific advice, and subject to all other risk mitigation measures being appropriately implemented, the current guidance in relation to school settings is clear; there is no requirement for physical distancing between children in primary schools and secondary schools. The guidance is available here: Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance on preparing for the start of the new school term in August 2020

Question reference: S5W-30756

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons schools and other local authority venues are not permitted to open in the evenings or on weekends for youth work or youth sports clubs, in light of a return to school in August 2020.

The Covid-19 Education Recovery Group, which brings together councils, teachers’ representatives, parent bodies and trades unions, continue to meet to discuss the next steps as we plan for the safe re-opening of schools and on the 30th of July we published detailed guidance for the full time return to schools in August.

The Scottish Government has published guidance for the community learning and development sector, developed in partnership with local authorities and youth work providers, setting out health and safety guidance to ensure a safe return to normal provision of youth work activity. Youth work activities can take many forms, for example outdoor youth work, which has, in line with the route map, been able to resume from 13 July.

The decision to permit youth work activities to take place in local authority venues is a decision for local authorities, who will take into account their own health and safety needs and whether they can safely meet government guidelines and guidance on the resumption of educational activities.

Question reference: S5W-30584

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that any COVID-19 treatments that are developed from the £5 million that it has awarded to institutions for rapid research are openly licensed to ensure that they are affordable and accessible.

The licensing of medicines is reserved to the UK Government.

A small number of the 56 research projects funded through the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO) rapid research in COVID-19 call are investigating potential treatments for COVID-19. These projects are examining either existing, or are an early stage exploration of new, therapy. If the results of these studies are promising, further research evaluations will be needed beyond the CSO funded projects before application in routine clinical practice could be considered. In line with CSO’s standard conditions of grant, responsibility for any exploitation of research results from these projects rests with the grant holding Institutions and these Institutions must inform CSO of any proposed discussion or negotiation on commercial exploitation of the results.

Question reference: S5W-30838

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the roll out of electronic patient records (EPR).

We continue to work with key partners across Scotland to ensure that information is available to all staff when and where they need. This includes work to develop Regional Clinical Portals and the roll out of HEPMA ( Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration ) systems across Scotland, with NHS Lothian starting their implementation of HEPMA during July. These projects support interoperability of data sharing between existing electronic systems, and improvement in the quality of electronic information shared amongst clinicians.

For the longer term, and as part of the Digital Health & Care strategy, a National Digital Platform is being developed and has started to bring together service data that is appropriately accessible to the workforce regardless of where they are based. This includes an open source electronic patient record called ‘Openeyes’ for ophthalmology that enables asynchronous (non-real time) consultations with patients, supports Emergency Eyecare Treatment Centres and shares the information needed to treat patients between optometrists and ophthalmologists. This is currently being implemented within the National Digital Platform for use in NHS Forth Valley and NHS Grampian prior to further expansion across Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-30889

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether its electronic patient record (EPR) will be available to all practitioners in primary and secondary care.

Question reference: S5W-30581

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 31 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Dexamethasone is effective for the treatment of COVID-19, and that, because it is out of patent, it is inexpensive, whether will it use its Crown Use Licence powers to override any patents on other COVID-19 treatments to help ensure affordability and accessibility, including Remdesivir, which has reportedly being set a charge of $2,340 by its manufacturer for a course of treatment.

Question reference: S5W-30589

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-29884 by Michael Matheson on 22 June 2020, whether it can provide any further clarity as to when driving tests can resume.

Question reference: S5W-30583

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many treatment courses of Remdesivir are in stock and, in light of reports that the United States has bought all remaining stock for the next three months, what its position is on where there is a sufficient supply for the treatment of COVID-19 across all NHS board areas in the short- to medium-term.

The supply of medicines is reserved to the UK Government, and is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The DHSC has advised Scottish Government officials that is confident there is sufficient supply of remdesivir in the NHS to support current demand.

The Scottish Government will continue to take every available option to ensure that patients in Scotland can access the medicines they need.

Question reference: S5W-30516

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of research studies that suggest an upsurge in post-viral fatigue syndrome and, potentially, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), following the COVID-19 pandemic, and what its response is to this.

Question reference: S5W-30461

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether people who are unable to wear face coverings for health reasons will require proof of these reasons when (a) using public transport and (b) shopping or working in a shop.