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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: S6W-02824

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 22 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to the potential impact of COVID-19 vaccine certification on people who were recorded, following an investigation via the Yellow Card Scheme, as having had an adverse reaction to their first dose, and did not therefore receive a second dose for medical reasons.

We are developing an approval process for medical exemptions. It is important to say that the number of people for whom vaccination cannot be safely completed with the right support will be very small. Reasons for exemptions would be medical contraindications that might include severe anaphylactic reaction across the range of vaccines and those receiving end of life care. The detail of how this will work will be finalised and published before implementation.

Question reference: S6W-02836

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2021
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 21 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle sectarianism in Scotland.

The Scottish Government continues to take forward the recommendations of the Advisory Group on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland which were reviewed positively by Professor Duncan Morrow in March 2017. The work has been focussed and delivered through education projects in schools, colleges, communities and workplaces for children and adults.

It is important that we all take responsibility to do more to rid Scotland of bigotry and prejudice. The Scottish Government is fully committed to tackling sectarianism in Scotland and have invested an unprecedented £15 million since 2012 including £557,000 in 2021- 22.

Question reference: S6O-00143

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 September 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Ferguson Marine regarding the building of vessels for CMAL.

Question reference: S6W-02194

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of medical students in each of the last five years was Scotland-domiciled.

Not all of the information being requested is held at present by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Funding Council has however provided HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) data showing what percentage of all students studying medicine at Scottish medical schools, across all years of studies, were Scottish domiciled. This data is limited up to and including academic year 2019-20.

Academic Year	Scottish Domiciled Students (%)
2015-16	52.6
2016-17	53.4
2017-18	53.7
2018-19	54.3
2019-20	54.5

Question reference: S6W-02195

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it provides to medical students from disadvantaged backgrounds each year, including during placement years.

Widening access to medicine for disadvantaged students remains a primary focus of the Scottish Government. As of academic year 2021-22, there are 60 places shared among Scotland's 5 medical schools which are reserved for students who meet the criteria for widening access, and we have committed to doubling that number over the lifetime of this Parliament. There are also SG funded pre-medical entry courses running at the universities of Aberdeen and Glasgow which aim to prepare aspiring medical students by helping them to get the academic qualifications required for entry into undergraduate medicine.

All medical students who are studying medicine full-time as a first degree are entitled to the standard undergraduate student support package for the full duration of their studies. This means the teaching costs are paid by the Scottish Government to the Universities (via the Scottish Funding Council) and their tuition fees are paid by the Scottish Government through Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). They can also apply to SAAS for various loans and bursaries to help with living costs, depending on their individual circumstances.

Question reference: S6W-02193

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many medical students at the University of (a) Edinburgh, (b) Aberdeen, (c) Dundee (d) Glasgow and (e) St Andrews (in conjunction with Dundee) in each of the last five years were educated in state-funded schools in (i) Scotland and (ii) the rest of the UK, also expressed as a percentage.

Question reference: S6F-00200

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2021

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government regarding reports of retail stock and staff shortages in the run-up to Christmas.

Question reference: S6O-00066

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 September 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how its policies and actions across government will support Inverclyde to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S6W-01669

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 18 August 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of (a) youth and (b) adult antisocial behaviour were reported on the (i) Glasgow-Wemyss Bay and (b) Glasgow-Gourock train line in each month of the last two years, and in how many of those cases was someone (A) found guilty and (B) issued with a fine as a result.

Question reference: S6W-00850

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 14 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what research is being carried out regarding the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines on people who receive immunosuppressant medication.

The OCTAVE trial funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) is a collaborative project involving the Universities of Birmingham, Glasgow, Oxford, Liverpool, Imperial College London and Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. This research work is investigating the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines being used in the UK in 2021 in up to 5,000 people from certain clinically at-risk patient groups who have impaired immune system function through underlying disease or drug treatment.

Further information is available here:

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) constantly review all published and unpublished data to inform vaccination policy recommendation. The JCVI have reviewed data already on this topic and will do so in an on-going basis.