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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-29630

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many drug-related deaths there have been during the COVID-19 outbreak.

National Records Scotland (NRS) are responsible for publishing the Scottish drug death statistics on an annual basis. The last publication made by NRS was in July 2019.

We are currently awaiting details from them with regards to the date of publication for the 2019-2020 drug death statistics, which will include information on the number of recorded drug-related deaths during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Drug Death Taskforce (DDTF) and officials are in regular contact with Police Scotland around suspected drug deaths during this time.

Question reference: S5W-29617

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government which cancer screening lab teams have not been used during the COVID-19 outbreak.

During the COVID-19 outbreak all cancer screening lab staff have continued to work on a variety of activities, including ongoing processing of tests which were returned prior to the pause of the screening programmes and assisting with testing for COVID-19.

There is ongoing work to prepare for the resumption of screening which includes lab staff preparing to start work on new tests as soon as they are received.

Question reference: S5W-29734

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what provision is currently in place for children and young people with a learning disability who require inpatient psychiatric care.

NHS National Services Scotland has agreements in place with NHS England for cross border admissions to specialist Learning Disability Adolescent Psychiatric Units for those with severe and profound learning disabilities. These will remain in place until the new National Learning Disability Inpatient Unit is open. Children and young people with mild to moderate learning disabilities have access to the National Child Psychiatry Inpatient Unit and the Regional Child and Adolescent Inpatient Units.

Question reference: S5O-04437

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to minimise waiting times for delayed operations.

Question reference: S5W-29494

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessment it carried out after it became aware of the COVID-19 outbreak at the 2020 Nike conference regarding the possibility of the disease spreading (a) in Edinburgh and (b) across Scotland.

An Incident Management Team (IMT) was established to investigate and manage the incident at the Nike conference. The IMT is an independent, multi-disciplinary and multi-agency group, which provides a framework, response and resources to enable the NHS board(s) and other statutory agencies to fulfil their remits.

It is part of the IMT’s remit to consider what actions are required following any incident. Each incident is judged individually. On the Nike Conference incident, as all contacts had been identified and contacted, the risk to the public was deemed by the IMT to be low.

Research from the University of Glasgow published on 8 June on viral lineages of the disease concluded that the actions taken to manage the Nike outbreak were successful in containing spread from that incident. This led to the eradication of this particular viral lineage, with no evidence of any wider outbreak associated with it in Scotland since that time.

The IMT will produce its report in due course and within the agreed timescales of within three to six months of the debrief.

Question reference: S5W-29406

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had regarding DNR (do not resuscitate) forms being put in place for individual patients during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Ministers have made it repeatedly clear that the guidance on the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary (DNACPR) forms has not changed in light of the Covid-19 outbreak and that they expect conversations around such matters to be handled with the utmost compassion, care and tact.

Where concerns have been shared with Ministers about the use of DNACPR forms for specific individuals, they have asked Scottish Government officials to raise this with the relevant health and social care organisation so that any issues can be quickly resolved.

On the 10 April, the Chief Medical Officer, Chair of the Scottish General Practitioners Committee of the BMA and Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) wrote to GPs to provide advice and support on having anticipatory care planning conversations and to make clear that there is no requirement for health professionals to have a DNACPR discussion as part of this conversation, unless the patient wishes to discuss it or clinician feels strongly it is necessary to raise in conversation for the patient’s wellbeing. On the 17 April, a further joint letter from the Scottish Government’s Chief Medical Officer, BMA and RCGP was sent to GPs to reinforce the advice already provided.

Question reference: S5W-29409

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many retired medics returning to support the NHS have been employed during the COVID-19 outbreak.

As at 5 June 2020, 19 medics who declared themselves as retired on an Expression of Interest form through the Accelerated recruitment Portal have subsequently been employed.

Retired medics who have been granted a temporary license to practise may seek employment either through a health board, the Accelerated Recruitment Portal, or both.

In addition to staff made available through the portal, local recruitment activity already begun in NHS Greater Glasgow has already led to 1,517 appointments and in NHS Lothian to 760 offers of employment.

Over 1500 staff have been made available to NHS Scotland Boards through the Accelerated Recruitment Portal so far, which has also supported the placement of over 4,600 nursing and midwifery students and over 560 medical graduates in boards to assist with our response.

Question reference: S5W-29619

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had to develop a long-term solution to providing free parking at NHS sites that have privately-owned car parks.

The Scottish Government introduced free car parking on all NHS owned car parks in December 2008, a policy which has saved patients, staff and visitors over £41 million since it was introduced.

The Scottish Government is actively pursuing a long term solution for the parking situation at the three PFI owned hospital car parks, but due to the commercial sensitivities of any option being considered, we are not in a position to provide a detailed update at this point.

Question reference: S5W-29635

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support has been provided during the COVID-19 outbreak to prisoners who are bi-polar prisoners, and what impact this has had on prison staff protocols.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

NHS Health Boards are responsible for the treatment and care of those with mental conditions in Scotland’s prisons, this includes those who may have a bipolar disorder. SPS are working with partners, including NHS, to support those in custody during this time.

If any person in custody wishes access to a member of the Mental Health Team, then they are able to self-refer. A Healthcare Professional will conduct an assessment within 7 to 14 days of a self-referral being submitted.

SPS staff are experienced in dealing with and supporting people who have mental health conditions. Where SPS staff have any immediate concerns regarding an individual’s mental health or risk of suicide, they can request an urgent assessment by the Mental Health Team. Where someone is identified as at risk of self-harm or suicide, SPS staff will initiate a concern form and interview the individual concerned. Those at risk of suicide are managed under SPS’ suicide prevention process, ‘Talk to Me’.

Self-help support leaflets, designed by SPS Psychologists, have been issued to everyone in custody and these provide information and tools which can be used to maintain a sense of wellbeing during the current pandemic.

All prisons continue to have Chaplains on site and they are available to talk to individuals who request pastoral support.

Question reference: S5W-29634

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the average time has been for people to receive COVID-19 results each day under the Test and Trace programme.