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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-32439

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many employers have signed up to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Working Forward campaign, and what impact this has had on employees.

Question reference: S5W-32443

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 6 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of calls to the EHRC Scotland have related to maternity and pregnancy rights, including breaches of employment rights.

Question reference: S5W-32774

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the COVID-19 Strategic Framework, how it will consult on extending police powers to enable officers to enter homes to enforce indoor household meeting restrictions.

Further to the COVID-19 Strategic Framework, and in keeping with the move to a levels based approach, Regulation 6 of the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 provides a power of entry for all “relevant persons”, along with detailed conditions as to how and when that power may be exercised.

The Scottish Government has informally consulted with public bodies and other relevant stakeholders affected by the levels-based approach, which the Regulations implement, including Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority and Local Authorities.

As with the other measures taken to tackle the public health emergency, Regulation 6 will be in place for no longer than is justified and, like the other Regulations currently in force, will be reviewed on a regular basis.

Police Scotland continue to apply the 4Es approach of Engagement, Explanation, Encouragement with Enforcement only as a last resort, and has reported that, to date, compliance with the Regulations has generally been good.

Question reference: S5W-32445

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the £40 million of support that it announced on 7 October 2020 to provide, on average, £2,000 per hospitality business for a reduction or total loss of trade for 16 days is sufficient, in light of the ongoing difficulties that many of these businesses were already facing.

We are providing support both as a result of the brake restrictions and the Strategic Framework.

For between 9 October and 2 November, the COVID-19 Restrictions Fund will now provide one-off grants of up to £4,310 to businesses required to close by regulations. For businesses that may remain open but are directly impacted by the restrictions, the maximum hardship fund grant will increase to £2,155. Additionally, grants of £1,650 will help those firms that are required to close to help meet the 20% employer’s contribution that they required to pay under the current UK Government furlough scheme.

From 2 November, grants will be available for every 4 week period of restrictions. As outlined in the Strategic Framework, announced 23 October, grants of £2,000 or £3,000 (depending on rateable value) will be available for business required to close by law. A hardship grant of £1,400 or £2,100 (depending on rateable value) for businesses that remain open but are directly impacted by restrictions.

Although the Scottish Government recognises that this has been a particularly difficult year for hospitality businesses, the Scottish Government cannot compensate businesses for all loss. This is emergency, lifeline funding for businesses and builds on our already substantial package of over £2.3 billion which has been awarded so far.

We know more support will be needed into the future however the Scottish Government’s resources are limited – we do not have the borrowing powers required to fully support industries affected by the impact of covid. Along with other Devolved Administrations we have consistently pressed the UK Government for increased powers to enable us to tailor our response and we will continue to make that case.

Question reference: S5W-32715

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to initiate a marketing campaign to promote the merits of Arnish fabrication yard to potential users.

Question reference: S5W-32716

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the principal terms are of the sub-lease of the Arnish fabrication yard by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to DF Barnes/BiFab.

Question reference: S5W-32447

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to allow Test and Protect to have the ability to capture data on where infections take place in order to put in place restrictions that do not impact on sectors that are COVID-secure.

Backwards contact tracing is regularly undertaken by Test and Protect’s contact tracers, going back 7 days prior to symptom onset in positive cases to establish where infections may have occurred.

The evidence paper on infection trends, published on 7 October 2020, shows the percentage of individuals who have tested positive for Covid-19 that reported having visited a venue or taken part in a recreational activity within 7 days of their symptoms developing or receiving a positive test.

www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-evidence-paper-october-2020/ .

Question reference: S5W-32442

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what proportion of calls to the Maternity Action helpline since March 2020 have come from Scotland, and what the main areas of concern raised in these have been.

Question reference: S5W-32714

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action was taken to provide school meal vouchers during the October 2020 school holidays, and what plans it has for the Christmas holidays.

The Scottish Government is making a £30 million package available to local authorities to support people facing financial insecurity as a result of COVID-19.

£10 million from this funding package will be used to enable local authorities to provide free school meals, or an alternative provision to free school meals, to eligible families during the forthcoming Christmas and February mid-term holidays. Funding will also be provided to local authorities to cover the Easter holidays in 2021.

Local authorities which continued to make provision available to eligible families during the recent October mid-term holidays will also be reimbursed through this funding package.

Question reference: S5W-32446

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has that indicates a direct correlation between rising COVID-19 infections and traceability back to hospitality settings.