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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-00807

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with introducing legislation to support people affected by mesh implants.

Question reference: S6W-00427

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 16 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to (a) local authorities and (b) primary schools regarding children's transitions from early learning and childcare to primary school (i) generally and (ii) in relation to parents and carers attending their child's P1 induction days.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19): early learning and childcare (ELC) services was updated on 21 May to include a new section with guidance on transitions to primary school . This guidance is aimed at ELC settings and local authorities. Similar guidance has also been issued to schools.The guidance states that where this minimises the number of adults visiting schools, children should be accompanied to transition visits by ELC staff rather than by parents. The guidance explains that this should also ensure that the visit is undertaken by someone who is familiar with and used to applying the COVID risk mitigations in education settings.

Schools will be able to explain what alternative provisions they have in place to engage with parents remotely to support their child’s transition to school.

The guidance also explains that schools should be able to proceed with enhanced in person transition visits to support children who need it most. This allows children with additional support needs to become familiar with the primary school before they attend in August, in line with responsibilities under the Additional Support for Learning Act. This may involve the attendance of parents but this will be decided on a case by case basis through dialogue between the ELC setting and the school and should be supported by a bespoke risk assessment.

Question reference: S6W-00348

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 11 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with (a) COSLA and (b) teaching unions regarding temporary teaching positions.

The recruitment and deployment of teachers in local authority schools are matters for individual local authorities.

Whilst local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of their staff, we are firmly of the view that we will need all possible teaching resources at our disposal to compensate for any loss of learning suffered since the start of the pandemic. It is for that reason that we have provided over £200 million of additional funding to support the recruitment of additional staff to aid education recovery.

In the first 100 days of this Parliamentary term, we will fund councils to increase teacher numbers by 1,000 and classroom assistants by 500. This as part of our commitment to support the recruitment of 3,500 additional teachers and classroom assistants over the parliamentary term.

We are working closely with COSLA regarding recruitment practices and the employment of teachers for next academic year, and Local Authorities are currently undertaking an assessment of staff requirements to support education recovery. This issue has also been discussed with the teaching unions at the Scottish Negotiation Committee for Teachers.

Question reference: S6W-00093

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing COVID-19 vaccinations to UK seafarers, such as cruise ship employees, using Scottish ports while working in UK waters.

Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of workers, other than frontline health and social care workers. We are inviting those of working age in all sectors for vaccination, in line with advice on clinical risk of severe disease and hospitalisation.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority lists represents 99% of the preventable mortality from COVID-19 and throughout the delivery of the vaccination programme. The JCVI advice is that an age-based approach is the best way to quickly protect those who have not yet had the vaccine but who are at increased risk due to occupation or other factors.

The Scottish Government has met its target to offer all of those in JCVI groups 1 to 9 an initial dose of COVID vaccine, with over 99 per cent of those aged over 50 having received their first dose. Those aged over 40 are now in the process of being invited for vaccination. Beyond that we will aim, supplies permitting, to have offered first doses to the entire adult population by end July, rather than September as previously anticipated.

Question reference: S5F-04925

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 March 2021

To ask the First Minister how many unpaid carers have been vaccinated to date.

Question reference: S5O-05100

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 March 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been given to hospitality and tourism businesses in Inverclyde.

Question reference: S5O-05067

Current Status: Withdrawn

Question reference: S5F-04852

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

To ask the First Minister how much the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund has paid out to date to support tenants who are struggling with rent arrears.

Question reference: S5O-05059

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Inverclyde HSCP regarding either a replacement for, or investment in, Port Glasgow Health Centre.

Question reference: S5W-35068

Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 February 2021
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Maree Todd on 9 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the financial support for childminders that it announced on 21 January 2021.

The Deputy First Minister announced a £1m Childminding Business Sustainability Fund on the 21 January. Since then we have worked closely with stakeholders, including the Scottish Childminding Association and the Unite the Union Childminding Branch, to discuss the targeting of this fund to those most in need.

Further to those discussions and careful consideration of the challenge of ensuring financial support reaches those most in need as quickly as possible, the Scottish Government is extending the fund to a total of £3,228,750. This additional funding will allow a simpler fund to be established, offering a single rate of grant set at £750 for every childminder in Scotland registered with the Care Inspectorate.

Further information on the fund is set out on the Scottish Government website , we intend to be able to make the grants available to childminders in the coming weeks.