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-00222

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will offer to Scotland-based musicians to cover any additional costs of touring that they might face because of Brexit.

The Scottish Government recognises the additional barriers that Scotland-based touring musicians are likely to face as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU, including the potential need for visas and work permits. We are working closely with the sector to consider urgently what additional support can be provided to musicians and others working in the sector to mitigate these barriers.

The Scottish Government has already provided funding for Arts Infopoint UK, which will provide advice and support to cultural and creative professionals on obtaining visas and other requirements for working in the UK.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly called on the UK Government to negotiate with the EU to seek visa- and work permit-free arrangements for cultural and creative professionals working in EU countries on a short-term basis, for activities including touring. Scottish Ministers are continuing to make the case for such arrangements to be sought in engagements with UK counterparts.

Question reference: S6W-00249

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will revise its vaccination policy to ensure that, regardless of their home address, all school staff within the Glasgow City Council area are prioritised for vaccination within the next month.

All of our decision making in the approach to responding to Covid-19 is guided by the latest scientific evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) , advice from Health Protection Scotland and our Chief Medical Officer. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provides advice on immunisation to all UK Health Departments, including on the efficacy and safety of vaccines.

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the independent expert advice from the JCVI.

The JCVI priority groups are based on either vulnerability to Covid-19, or on interacting with (and therefore possibly spreading to) people who are vulnerable to Covid-19.

The JCVI’s recommendation continues to be that an age-based approach is the best way to address the risk of severe illness and mortality.

Calling people forward in age cohorts is operationally very simple and this process has already worked well during the earlier stages of the programme. This approach will be taken by the 4 Nations across the UK and we will continue to vaccinate as quickly as supplies allow.

We are adhering to the priority list devised by the JCVI which has been designed to target those at greatest risk from COVID-19 and is estimated to address over 90% of preventable mortality from the virus in Scotland. This is the priority rollout all nations of the UK are working towards and it is extremely important that we adhere to these lists in order to avoid more lives being lost. It would be a dereliction of our duty to the people of Scotland to deviate from the JCVIs expert advice.

Question reference: S6W-00223

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the format of funding that might be provided to support any extra costs of touring that Scotland-based musicians might face because of Brexit.

Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with UK Government departments, including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), regarding support for touring musicians and others working in the sector, who are based in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK. Ongoing discussions aim to ensure that support for touring musicians from the Scottish Government and UK Government is coordinated where necessary.

Scottish Government officials and representatives of Creative Scotland are members of the DCMS Touring Working Group, which is currently considering a range of options for supporting touring musicians based in the UK, and to mitigate the impacts of EU exit.

The Scottish Government has made clear to the UK Government that any potential UK-wide initiatives to support international touring must take a 4-nations approach, respecting the devolved nature of culture, and include a meaningful decision-making role for Scottish Ministers.

I am due to meet the UK Minister of State for Digital and Culture on 17 June 2021 to discuss international working in the culture and creative sectors, including how touring musicians and others working in the sector can best be supported.

Question reference: S6W-00181

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 8 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of people receiving letters saying they have not attended their COVID-19 vaccine appointment after receiving their first dose, and whether it can confirm that (a) medical records will not be affected and (b) people will still be invited for their second dose of the vaccine.

I’m sure you can appreciate the vaccination program has been delivered at a pace and scale we have never experienced before and as such this is one of the largest and most complicated logistical exercises ever undertaken in peacetime. Over 3,267,290 people have received the first dose and 2,075,231 people have received the second dose of the Covid vaccination in the period 8 December to 7:30 am Tuesday 01 June. This is over 71% of our eligible population for the first dose and 45% for second doses.

With any operation of such scale, it is regrettable the administrative errors have occurred.

In a small number of cases across different health boards, some people have received letters incorrectly saying that they had not attended their first vaccination appointment, when they had.

If someone has received one of these letters, and they have had their 1st dose vaccination – they should phone the national phone line on 0800 030 8013 – to help us make sure your central record is up to date and ensure your 2nd appointment is provided for you. We apologise for the inconvenience or confusion that this has caused.

Question reference: S6W-00297

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Christina McKelvie on 8 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will define religious events, such as Baptisms and Holy Communions, as “life events” in order for them to take place safely, allowing for celebration in residential and public places.

We acknowledge how challenging these past 15 months have been for everyone in our society, including our faith and belief communities who have not been able to come together to celebrate important occasions as they normally would.

Ceremonies that take place within places of worship to mark religious life events and that form part of a wider service (including baptisms, christenings and coming-of-age ceremonies) have been permitted in accordance with the guidance on the safe use of places of worship since the resumption of congregational worship in March 2021, and are subject to the guidance on calculating physical distance based capacity .

Marriages, civil partnerships, and funeral services are exceptions to the general restrictions on gatherings in public or at private dwellings in the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) Regulations 2020 at all the protection levels of the updated Strategic Framework, along with receptions and post-funeral gatherings in public places at protection levels 0 to 3. We have also published guidance on these events, including on the numbers who can attend at the different protection levels. Marriages, civil partnerships and funerals are of particular importance to people and society and they are protected under the European Convention on Human Rights. Additionally, funerals are extremely important events with every funeral celebrating and commemorating a life lived and a loved one no longer with us. There are also very practical reasons why funerals cannot be postponed for any significant length of time.

However at this time, there are no specific exceptions for other religious life events, or any associated receptions and celebrations following them, outwith a place of worship. These remain subject to the general restrictions on gatherings, including in public, for example at a hospitality venue.

While the Scottish Government appreciates these would normally be occasions which are shared with families and loved ones, the Covid situation is still serious, and we need to continue to minimise the spread of the virus, balancing the harms from the virus which are potentially fatal, with the impact on faith and belief communities of the restrictions on places of worship.

We will continue to engage with our faith and belief stakeholders and we keep this under constant review as we cautiously progress out of lockdown.

Question reference: S6F-00095

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2021

To ask the First Minister, in light of the growth in short-term teaching contracts, how many of the 3,500 teaching and classroom assistant posts that the Scottish Government has committed to creating will be given permanent contracts.

Question reference: S6F-00091

Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2021

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to address the reported backlog of NHS dental appointments for children and young people.

Question reference: S6F-00084

Asked by: Gillian Mackay, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to improve trans and LGBT+ healthcare.

Question reference: S6F-00078

Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2021

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that, to meet the SQA quality assurance processes, local authorities are validating teachers’ estimated grades using a school’s prior attainment data.

Question reference: S6F-00073

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 June 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2021

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will support and fund the roll-out of body-worn cameras for police officers and ambulance crews.