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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-25907

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is issued by (a) NHS Education for Scotland and (b) medical schools regarding fatigue among medical staff.

NHS Education for Scotland`s Thriving in Medicine is a collection of online resources to support doctors, including ways to address and combat fatigue: https://www.scotlanddeanery.nhs.scot/trainee-information/thriving-in-medicine/ .

The GMC’s Promoting Excellence: standards for medical education and training sets out requirements for the management and delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and training. University medical schools encompass GMC requirements which includes a requirement for medicals schools to minimise the adverse effects of fatigue and workload.

We continue to improve working practices for junior doctors to limit the impact of fatigue. This includes ensuring no more than seven days or shifts are worked in a row, banning working seven consecutive night shifts, and requiring all junior doctor rotas to contain a minimum 46-hour rest period following a run of full shift night working.

Question reference: S5W-25972

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many prescriptions for medical cannabis were issued by the NHS between November 2017 and November 2018.

Question reference: S5W-25923

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether issues relating to fatigue and wellbeing in relation to NHS staff are included in the curriculum of medical courses at Scottish universities.

The GMC’s ‘Promoting Excellence: Standards for Medical Education and Training’ sets out requirements for the management and delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education and training. University medical schools encompass GMC requirements which includes a requirement for medicals schools to minimise the adverse effects of fatigue and workload.

Student mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for the Scottish Government and we are investing £20m in the sector over the next 4 years so that colleges and universities can access and recruit additional mental health councillors.

Universities will also be required to have a mental health strategy openly available and to work alongside student associations to ensure this is implemented.

Question reference: S5W-25926

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will incorporate questions on fatigue in the 2020 NHS Staff Survey in order to assess any issues arising and take appropriate action to ensure the wellbeing of NHS staff.

The annual iMatter questionnaire designed by staff, for staff, asks them if they feel that their manager and their employer cares about their wellbeing. This allows managers and health and social employers to monitor and take action to reduce work related stress, staff workloads and other wellbeing matters such as fatigue.

Additionally, the NHS Scotland Staff Governance Standard requires health boards to demonstrate that staff are provided with a continuously improving and safe working environment and that they are promoting the health and wellbeing of staff.

We will continue to survey all staff through iMatter in 2020.

Question reference: S5W-26307

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how much each local authority has paid to carry out (a) urgent and (b) essential repair or maintenance work in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in each year since 2007.

This information is not held centrally. Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, it is the responsibility of all local authorities to maintain the school estate.

However, the Scottish Government's school building programmes - the current £1.8 billion Scotland’s Schools for the Future and the new £1 billion Learning Estate Investment Programme – are helping to replace the worst condition schools across Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-26306

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) short-visit, (b) full and (c) other type of school inspections have been carried out in each of the last five years.

The following table sets out the number of (a) short; (b) full and; (c) other school inspections undertaken in the last five academic years.

	2014-15 2	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18 3	2018-19
Short	0	9	23	46	125
Full	141	134	138	136	127
Other 1	52	53	65	50	49

Source: Education Scotland. All figures include local authority schools, grant-aided schools and independent schools.

Notes

1 “Other” includes Further inspections of schools where the original inspection had identified the quality of education was not good enough; Quality Improvement and Professional Engagement visits of independent schools for which a report is published; post registration inspections of independent schools and; section 66 inspections instructed by Scottish Ministers.

2 For academic years 14-15–16-17

1. Inspection of schools in Guernsey are included in the full inspection figures

2. All through schools are included twice in recognition that they include both primary and secondary sector.

3. For academic years 17-18 -18-19

1. Inspection of Guernsey schools is included within “other” figures

Question reference: S5W-26177

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25824 by Michael Matheson on 30 October 2019, when the sensors will be fitted.

Question reference: S5W-26222

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the City of Edinburgh Council about the safety of scaffolding at the annual Christmas market.

Question reference: S5O-03772

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what plans it has to make provision in future years to offer the flu vaccination to its contractor staff.

Question reference: S5W-26195

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 14 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the provisions in the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill allow the selling and promotion (a) of editorial products at the sales point, (b) digitally of one-off subscriptions and (c) of editorial supplements within news products or separately under news entity title branding.

The Bill prohibits unauthorised advertising and outdoor trading in three event zones in Glasgow during the Championship period. It also bans ticket touting for profit. Exceptions to these offences will be set out in regulations. The provisions in the Bill do not affect the editorial content of newspapers or other publications.

In order to provide an indication of how it expects to use its powers in the Bill, the Scottish Government shared illustrative regulations with the Scottish Parliament on 17 October 2019:
https://www.parliament.scot/S5_European/Inquiries/CTEEA_
2019.10.17_MinEuropetoConvenerUEFA.pdf

The Scottish Government has also shared these illustrative regulations with stakeholders, including the Advertising Association, in order to seek feedback so that the regulations can be refined prior to laying in draft early in 2020.

Proposed exceptions in the illustrative regulations include allowing the selling or distribution of current newspapers in the event zones, unless the newspaper has been created with the primary function of advertising a product or service. There is also an exception to allow advertising on personal property, unless the person knows they are participating in ambush marketing.