Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-34221

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has changed the reporting of COVID-19 cases in local authority areas so that they are reportedly no longer available for the general public to view and, if it was concerned that the previous approach risked breaching patient confidentiality, whether it will publish the evidence that informed this.

Reporting of COVID-19 cases by local authority is published by Public Health Scotland (PHS) on the COVID-19 Daily Cases Dashboard . The dashboard is updated daily and includes data for neighbourhoods (intermediate zones) where there are 3 or more confirmed positive cases of COVID-19.

From 14 December 2020, PHS made changes to how they publish small area COVID figures, with the changes applied to the historic trend data going back to March 2020.The changes balance the need to release as much information as possible whilst minimising the risks that individuals may be identified and also trying to ensure that the information is presented in a clear and meaningful way. This means data is now suppressed when a local neighbourhood has fewer than 3 positive cases, with the area labelled as having “0-2” confirmed cases and no population rate being applied. This is to help protect patient confidentiality and reduce situations where very small numbers of cases in an area with a small population show a disproportionately high rate. The new approach means that users can no longer separate out local neighbourhood areas with zero confirmed cases, but it is important to note that zero confirmed cases does not mean that there is no infection present in an area; the maps can only ever be an indicator of infection levels because they only show confirmed positive cases. The new approach also introduces a wider scale of rate categories used to colour the maps, which makes it easier for users in areas with high rates of confirmed positive cases to see variation between neighbourhoods and changes over time. In the interests of transparency, users can also now download the data underlying the neighbourhood level maps from the open data platform https://www.opendata.nhs.scot/dataset/covid-19-in-scotland .

Further information on the changes and why these were made are set out on the PHS website .

Question reference: S5W-34363

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 19 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the most recent COVID-19 regulations have removed welfare dog grooming from the list of essential services.

The Scottish Government has not removed welfare dog grooming from the list of essential services.

The Scottish Government recognises that the lack of access to professional pet grooming services has the potential to impact on the welfare of certain breeds of animal, particularly those requiring regular grooming to maintain their wellbeing.

Routine grooming is deemed a non-essential business activity. Where an animal is not at risk of pain or injury, professional groomers should not be providing routine grooming services in mainland Scotland.

Where essential professional grooming on welfare grounds is undertaken it must be conducted in line with the rules on physical distancing. Such tasks essential for the welfare of an animal include the clipping of heavy coats and claws.

Question reference: S5W-33706

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 7 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision in the case of R Quincy Bell and A v. Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust & others in the English High Court, what steps it will now take to review the provision of services for children with gender dysphoria, including the prescription of puberty blockers.

Whilst the ruling from the High Court on 2 December has no formal status in Scotland we are examining it with intent. The law in Scotland on the capacity of young people to consent to medical treatment is different to that in England and Wales. Under the Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991, a person under 16 can consent to a medical procedure or treatment where the qualified medical practitioner attending them considers they are capable of understanding the nature and possible consequences of that procedure or treatment.

NHS England has announced that Dr Hilary Cass OBE, former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, will lead an independent review into gender identity services for children and young people. The review includes examination of the issues around the prescription of puberty blocking and cross-sex hormone drugs to young people. It is expected that the review will report its findings on those issues in early 2021 with wider findings to follow later in the year.

NHS Scotland and the National Gender Identity Clinical Network Scotland are working with services to best meet the needs of young people in Scotland. Though some of this work was paused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are now in a position where we can start to progress it once again. This will include work to review current pathways, improve waiting times and ensure that trans young people and all young people exploring their gender identity can access appropriate care in a timely manner.

We do not look to duplicate the work of the review in Scotland and will closely consider the findings of the review when they become available early next year.

Question reference: S5O-04920

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions it is having with local authorities regarding fly-tipping.

Question reference: S5W-33970

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 21 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 9 December 2020 (Official Report, c.13), in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "approximately £500 million [in Barnett consequentials] is to be allocated to support transport services and cover pandemic-related income shortfalls within organisations such as Police Scotland, the Scottish Funding Council and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service", whether it will confirm the exact amount of such funding that will be allocated to each of these organisations in 2020-21, also broken down by the amount that has been allocated since April 2020.

The allocation of approximately £500 million in consequential funding referred to in the question is broken down as follows:

Category	£m
Transport	200
Registers of Scotland Income Shortfall	22
Devolved taxes shortfall	150
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service Income Shortfall	17
Police Scotland Income shortfall	9
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Income Shortfall	2
Scottish Funding Council Income Shortfall and Exam Support	25
Disclosure Scotland income shortfall	7
Social distanced courts	6
Zoo support	2
Contingency	50
Outdoor Education support	2
Staffing allocated to support COVID	8
Marketing spend to support COVID	7
TOTAL	505

In addition, transport was allocated £358 million at the Summer Budget Revision and £222 million at the Autumn Budget Revision.

This is a continually evolving picture and the overall allocations are based on latest requirements and forecasts. Additional details on the ongoing allocation of funding for the response to the COVID-19 emergency will be set in the Spring budget revision later in this financial year.

All Covid-19 related consequentials will be fully committed to funding the Scottish Government’s emergency response. These consequentials are not ring-fenced and will be allocated based on need.

Question reference: S5W-33969

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 21 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 9 December 2020 (Official Report, c.13), in light of the cabinet secretary's comment that "around £600 million [in Barnett consequentials] is to be allocated to health and social care, wider public health initiatives and welfare support", whether it will confirm the exact amount that will be allocated to health and social care in 2020-21, also broken down by the amount that has been allocated since April 2020.

The allocation of around £600 million in consequential funding referred to in the question is broken down as follows:

Category	£m
Vaccinations, Track and Trace and other costs	240
£500 bonus	177
Sport	30
Sport loans	25
Winter Social Plan	100
Free School Meals	5
Self-isolation payments	12
TOTAL	589

Around £6 billion of consequentials were allocated in the Summer and Autumn Budget Revisions. Since then, consequentials provided have been increased to £8.2 billion. £2.5 billion of this funding has been allocated to Health to date via the Summer and Autumn Budget Revisions. Including wider public health initiatives, the total allocated to health will be £3.2 billion following the Spring Budget Revision.

This is a continually evolving picture and the overall allocations are based on latest requirements and forecasts. Additional details on the ongoing allocation of funding for the response to the COVID-19 emergency will be set in the Spring budget revision later in this financial year.

All Covid-19 related consequentials will be fully committed to funding the Scottish Government’s emergency response. These consequentials are not ring-fenced and will be allocated based on need.

Question reference: S5W-33705

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will announce details of its financial assistance to tenants in the private rented sector who have been impacted by COVID-19.

The Tenant Hardship Loan Fund, as announced in August’s Programme for Government, opened for applications on 7 December 2020.

Communications regarding this support scheme have been distributed by Scottish Government and our key partner organisations, via standard online channels. We issued a press release on 7 December, alongside a tweet announcing the opening of the scheme.

We have worked carefully on our own communications and with our partners to ensure awareness of this support is wide-spread and appropriate.

Question reference: S5W-33678

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 7 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether any formal Ministerial Direction was issued in relation to its legal position in the case of Alex Salmond vs Leslie Evans & Scottish Ministers.

The Principal Accountable Officer for the Scottish Administration (the Permanent Secretary) and Accountable Officers designated by them for parts of the Scottish Administration are under a statutory duty to obtain written authority (sometimes called Ministerial Direction) from the relevant Minister where they consider that any action they are required to take would be inconsistent with their responsibilities. These responsibilities include ensuring financial propriety and regularity and ensuring that relevant resources are used economically, efficiently and effectively (i.e. value for money).

With respect to its legal position in the case of Alex Salmond vs Leslie Evans & Scottish Ministers, no such written authority was requested by Accountable Officers or the Principle Accountable Officer.

Question reference: S5O-04812

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research by Age UK, which suggests that 157,000 over-65s in Scotland are expecting to feel lonely over the festive season.

Question reference: S5W-33172

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £8.2 billion that the UK Government has committed to provide to it has been received, also broken down by how much has been allocated to each portfolio area.

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