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: S5O-04669

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on traffic levels on the A90/M90 of planned housing developments.

Question reference: S5W-31866

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what lessons it can learn from the roll-out of Spaces for People regarding the need for effective and accessible community consultation, which can be applied to other initiatives.

The Scottish Government introduced the Spaces for People programme to quickly deliver temporary infrastructure changes as a response to the Covid-19 emergency. Local authorities are responsible for delivery of all aspects of these changes.

The Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) hold regular themed video conferences with local authorities to discuss progress and share best practice on engagement and other matters as they roll out their Spaces for People schemes.

Transport Scotland will monitor the overall Spaces for People programme together with Sustrans, COSLA and SCOTS to support continuous improvement across future schemes.

Question reference: S5W-31865

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that the Spaces for People programme will be fully evaluated to assess (a) value for money and (b) the programme's impact on (i) communities in general and (ii) disabled people.

The Scottish Government introduced the Spaces for People programme with the key aim to protect public health during the Covid-19 emergency.

A national monitoring and evaluation framework for Spaces for People has been developed by Sustrans Scotland in partnership with the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland. This framework sets out the evaluation criteria and will form the basis of full programme evaluation.

Sustrans Scotland, who administer the Spaces for People programme, is providing guidance on monitoring as part of a package of support offered to local authorities and public bodies for individual projects.

Question reference: S5W-32015

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether self-chartered physiotherapists who visit clients in their homes are classed as tradespeople and therefore exempt from the new COVID-19 restrictions.

Throughout our response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, where an urgent clinical need has been present access to Physiotherapy services has remained.

As a statutorily regulated healthcare professional, a privately practising physiotherapist must undertake an individual risk assessment for each client. If, having ruled out the option of a virtual appointment, the privately practicing physiotherapist feels that treatment is necessary in their client’s home they may continue to visit their clients at home following the guidance as set out by Health Protection Scotland, the Health and Care Professions Council, the Scottish Government and their own Professional body, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

Question reference: S5W-31893

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what restrictions will be in place regarding where parent-led baby and toddler groups can meet to allow them to resume their services.

Guidance for the safe running of organised activities for children and young people under 18 was updated on 24 September Coronavirus (COVID-19): organised activities for children . It includes what is meant by a ‘public space’ and a further reference to the Community Centre Guidance and who has overall responsibility for the premises, where they are not owned by the organisation/club/service provider.

Organisers should also consult the guidance: Staying safe and protecting others to ensure that they meet the necessary requirements.

Question reference: S5W-31988

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the SQA exam diet for National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers will proceed as normal in spring 2021.

Our ambition remains to run a 2021 examination diet, however, Covid-19 continues to present real risk of further disruption for individual learners, individual schools and colleges, or more widely across the country during the course of this year. We also do not know what situation we will face in the spring of next year when the exam diet would normally take place.

Our approach to exams must remain appropriate to the circumstances we face and it is critical that that we take account of the lessons from Professor Priestley’s review of the 2020 national qualifications. The SQA and the Education Recovery Group continue to look at contingencies in relation to exams. I have committed to providing as much clarity and certainty as possible on this matter in early October.

Question reference: S5W-31802

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make additional financial assistance available to newly self-employed people who did not qualify for the furlough or Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

We recognised that there are gaps in the business support schemes provided by the UK Government and for that reason introduced the Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund on 30 April. The intention of this scheme was to provide a limited amount of support to people who became self-employed on or after 6 April 2019 and were unable to access other forms of business support or working age benefits. The NSEHF has subsequently closed and at present there are no plans to re-open it. We are providing other targeted business supports including funding and the latest information is published at findbusinesssupport.gov.scot

Question reference: S5W-31812

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 14 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make additional financial assistance available to self-employed people who remain unable to work due to COVID-19 restrictions and are no longer eligible for support through the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme.

The Self Employed Income Support Scheme is a UK Government scheme and applications for the second and final grant are now open. Eligible businesses that have been adversely affected on or after 14 July 2020 can make a claim for the second grant on or before 19 October 2020. Although we welcome the UK Government’s SEISS because it will provide much needed support for many self-employed people in Scotland, we recognise that some self-employed people will fall outside of the eligibility of the scheme. We have called on the UK Government to extend the scheme to end the uncertainty for self-employed people and ensure that they are not left behind in the ongoing response to this crisis. The continuation of the scheme will be crucial for self-employed people to comply with the self-isolation requirements of Test and Protect. The Scottish Government has already and will continue to provide a range of targeted funding supports which can be found at findbusinesssupport.gov.scot

Question reference: S5W-31770

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 11 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 22 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how people who are unable to download the software necessary to use the Test and Protect App, or do not have a smartphone, will be able to access it.

Question reference: S5W-31559

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 18 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider removing the reference to events described as a "lumiere/lighted walk" in its COVID-19 events sector guidance in order to allow organisers of such events to risk-assess capacity and potentially allow more than 200 attendees at any one time.