Seòmar agus comataidhean

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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 8794 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5W-34472

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what priority will be given to foster carers in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Those who are entitled to a vaccine will be contacted by their Health Board letting them know where they will receive the vaccine and how to book their appointment. We are adhering to the priority list devised by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) who have advised an age-based programme will capture those with clinical risk factors as the risk of death is very strongly linked with age, more so than any other factor. A number of foster carers may fall into the priority risk groups set out by the JCVI; these individuals will receive an invitation to their vaccine appointment.

Question reference: S5W-34423

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether members of the public will be able to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine to be administered in a pharmacy similar to the way in which a member of the public may pay for a flu vaccine to be administered in a pharmacy.

Question reference: S5W-34898

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many prescriptions have been given for (a) benzodiazepines, including clonazepam, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants and (d) opioids in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available, and how these figures compare with the 12-month period prior to that.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. All information on prescribed and dispensed items are published and categorised by the British National Formulary chapter, in both monthly open data files and as part of the annual Dispenser Payments and Prescription Cost Analysis which was last released on 29 September 2020. Information on prescribing in the community is available on the Public Health Scotland website. This can be accessed at https://www.opendata.nhs.scot/dataset/prescriptions-in-the-community .

Question reference: S5W-34877

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the planned 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to be administered each week will be (a) first and (b) second doses.

The public health Scotland provides an overview of first and second doses for each vaccines weekly. Please note that this data is dependent on the vaccine supply from the UK government.

See the link here: COVID-19 statistical report 17 February 2021 - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org)

The page 7 provides an information on the total number of vaccination by week, vaccine type and dose number.

Question reference: S5W-35242

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent to date on its #WeAreScotland campaign.

Question reference: S5W-35069

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the funding announced in the Winter Plan for Social Protection will be made available to people in need of financial support.

The First Minister announced the Scottish Government's Winter Plan for Social Protection on 30 November 2020, comprising a £100 million package of measures to support people and communities over the winter period.

This additional funding has now been made available to local authorities and key third sector partners to deliver the enhanced support outlined within the package, helping many of the most disadvantaged people to cope with winter weather and the economic impact of COVID-19 and Brexit. This is on top of the increased support offered through the Scottish Welfare Fund, Discretionary Housing Payments and the new Self-Isolation Support Grant.

A breakdown of investment can be found on the Scottish Government website, using the following link;

Winter support fund for families and children - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

As set out in response to S5W-35173 on 12 February 2021, as part of this package of support, over 144,128 COVID Winter Hardship Payments, worth a total of £14.41 million, have been made for children and young people in receipt of Free School Meals on the basis of low income.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-34201

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on extending the COVID-19 vaccination priority group, “adults with Downs Syndrome”, to include adults with other severe and complex learning disabilities.

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 Interim 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.

Those with severe learning difficulty are considered clinically vulnerable by the JVCI, and are part of cohort 6. This includes all those with severe and complexes learning difficulty and not only those with downs syndrome. The JCVIs full list of those who are considered clinically vulnerable includes,

•Chronic respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and severe asthma

• Chronic heart disease (and vascular disease)

• Chronic kidney disease 8

• Chronic liver disease

• Chronic neurological disease including epilepsy

• Down’s syndrome

• Severe and profound learning disability

• Diabetes

• Solid organ, bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients

• People with specific cancers

• Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment

• Asplenia and splenic dysfunction

• Morbid obesity

• Severe mental illness

Question reference: S5W-35121

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to meet with employers and trade unions within the whisky sector to agree an industrial strategy for whisky, in light of the ongoing tariffs in relation to Scottish Single Malt whisky.

Question reference: S5F-04834

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-35122

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-34615 by Kate Forbes on 29 January 2021, whether it will provide a breakdown of Financial Transactions money allocated in the budget for 2021-22 by portfolio.

The breakdown of Financial Transactions allocated in the Scottish Budget 2021-22 by portfolio is available in table A.05 (page 146) of the Scottish Budget 2021-22 document published on 28 January 2021. The Scottish Budget 2021-22 is still subject to Parliamentary process.

The Budget document is available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2021-22/

It should be noted that the figures for the deployment of Financial Transactions provided in answer S5W-34615 on 29 January 2021 were year-end figures showing actual disbursements whereas the Budget document is showing intended allocations which may be subject to in-year adjustments.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx