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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-08180

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many undergraduate nursing students it anticipates will be admitted to Scottish universities in (a) 2022, (b) 2023, (c) 2024 and (d) 2025, and, of these, how many it anticipates will be Scottish funded entrants.

Student nurses entering Scottish Government funded degree programmes will increase by 9% in 2022-23, to a total recommended intake of 4536 students. This will be the 10 th successive increase in recommended student numbers, with the intake doubling over the last decade. We anticipate most of these students will be eligible for the Paramedic, Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary.

Every year, the Scottish Government undertakes a robust nursing student intake planning process to determine the target number of pre-registration students to which Scottish universities should recruit to in the following academic year to meet estimated future nursing workforce demands.

Question reference: S6W-08183

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide free N95 face masks to severely immunosuppressed people to help to protect them from catching COVID-19.

N95 face masks are not used in the UK. The Scottish Government has considered the use of Respiratory Protective Equipment (FFP3) for those on the Highest risk list in community settings, including those who are immunosuppressed and there isn’t sufficient evidence to confirm the benefits as well as possible disadvantages. Care is needed to ensure that people don’t use wrongly or misunderstand the protection they provide in different settings.

Question reference: S6W-08178

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many undergraduate medical students it anticipates will be admitted to Scottish universities in (a) 2022, (b) 2023, (c) 2024 and (d) 2025, and, of these, how many it anticipates will be designated as Scottish funded entrants.

The Programme for Government (PfG) 2021 commits to expanding medical school places by at least 100 per annum over this lifetime of this Parliament and doubling the number of widening access places. The medical undergraduate intake for 2022-23 has been set at 1317, of which it is anticipated that 1,239 students will be Scots/UK/ROI or Gibraltar and 78 will be international including EU. This intake represents an increase of 200 places above the 2021/22 intake target of 1,117 thereby delivering the first two tranches of the PfG commitment.

The Scottish Government is committed to growing the number of Scottish domiciled students studying medicine at Scottish universities as a policy priority through widening access and other targeted interventions. Places reserved for widening access students are being increased by 30 (bringing the total to 90) and pre-medical entry places are being increased by 20 (bringing the total to 70 places) in 2022-23.

Intake targets for 2023-24 and 2024-25 have not yet been set but will be considered in light of the PfG commitment.

Question reference: S6W-08056

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been prosecuted for elder abuse in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S6W-08333

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the actions of Well Pharmacy, in light of reports that the company is insisting that staff who test positive for COVID-19 continue to work when they are in patient-facing roles and dealing with clinically vulnerable people.

We expect health and social care employers, including community pharmacies, to follow the guidance on managing staff with symptoms of a respiratory infection, or a positive COVID-19 test.

This specifies that if staff test positive for COVID/19, regardless of whether they have symptoms, they should not attend work for a minimum of 5 full days. If they work with patients or service users in face-to-face settings, they can return to work if they have had 2 consecutive negative LFD test results (taken at least 24 hours apart).’

Question reference: S6O-01095

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on using Scottish Water's reserves to fund a £100 rebate for customers.

Question reference: S6W-08100

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to develop an occupational health improvement strategy for the NHS in Scotland similar to that which is reportedly in place in other UK nations.

We are currently working with the NHS to consider a national occupational health improvement strategy for Scotland.

While this work is carried out, we continue to complement the wellbeing support available at a local level through our national wellbeing resources. These include the National Wellbeing Hub, a 24/7 National Wellbeing Helpline, confidential mental health treatment through the Workforce Specialist Service and funding for additional local psychological support.

We are also providing further support for practical measures to aid rest and recuperation alongside additional resources such as Coaching for Wellbeing and grief and bereavement support.

Question reference: S6W-08182

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 11 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action is being taken to ensure that severely immunosuppressed people are not at risk of contracting COVID-19 following the lifting of restrictions.

Before we made the decision to lift remaining legal measures and close the Highest Risk list, we and our clinical advisers carefully considered the impact on people who are immunosuppressed or immunocompromised. There is strong evidence to show that the vaccine is offering significant protection and preventing the majority of people whose immune systems are suppressed or compromised from becoming severely ill if they are infected with COVID-19.

We know that the degree of protection offered by the vaccines wanes over time, which is why booster vaccinations are needed to maintain the best protection against COVID-19 for those at highest risk of the severe effects of the virus. Second booster appointments for people with suppressed immune systems have already started.

However, we are also aware that for some of this group, it is not possible to mount a full immune response due to their medication, treatment or health condition.

Many immunosuppressed or immunocompromised individuals lived with and managed the risk posed by other diseases and infections before the COVID-19 pandemic, and will continue to be advised by their GP and specialist clinical team, who best know their individual circumstances, on how to reduce their risk of infection from both COVID-19 and other viruses. We’ve also made new treatments available to those who are eligible for them who will benefit the most – including some people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed .

Question reference: S6W-08050

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the Young Patients Family Fund to cover outpatient as well as inpatient treatment.

Question reference: S6W-08051

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 10 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the Young Patients Family Fund to include support for 18- to 25-year-olds.

The Young Patients Family Fund provides valuable financial support to eligible visitors of inpatients up to the age of 18. There are currently no plans to extend the age range.

Those aged between 18 – 25 years old continue to have access to the Patient Travel Expenses Scheme or the Highlands and Islands Travel Scheme, both of which provide eligible claimants with support to meet travel costs associated with outpatient appointments.