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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-28933

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS patients have received treatment in the independent sector during the period of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Question reference: S5W-28934

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when will it respond to the final report of the Junior Doctors’ 48-hour Expert Working Group.

Prior to the current CV-19 situation, I had arranged to meet the BMA to discuss the report and recommendations.

The current CV-19 response has necessitated the pausing of many areas of work, as we focus on responding to this pandemic. It is vital that this important report and its recommendations are discussed in detail and in partnership with BMA Scotland.

As we start planning to return to routine business, I will arrange to discuss the report and its recommendations with BMA Scotland as soon as is practical to determine a way forward.

Question reference: S5T-02220

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that there have been around 600 more deaths in care homes from COVID-19 than officially recorded.

Question reference: S5W-28399

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 1 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the staff absence rate has been in the care home sector since the COVID-19 outbreak began, and what information it has regarding how many have been absent because they (a) are suspected of having and (b) have the virus.

3,121 staff were reported as absent in adult care homes due to COVID-19, based on returns received from 813 (75%) adult care homes as at 12 May. Staff absent due to COVID-19 represents 7.3% of all adult care home staff (42,626) for whom a return was provided. Scottish Government has published this data and will be publishing updated data every week on our website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-daily-data-for-scotland/

Question reference: S5W-29056

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 27 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings Ministers held to discuss the Silver Swan pandemic meeting in 2015.

Question reference: S5T-02214

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will have recruited all 2,000 contact tracers by the end of May.

Question reference: S5W-28936

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 26 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £30 million received from the National Lottery Communities Fund has been distributed.

The Scottish Government has not received £30 million from the National Lottery Community Fund, but has been notified by HM Treasury of an estimated £30 million consequentials relating to UK Government grant to the National Lottery Community Fund in respect of England.

The Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government announced additional support for the third sector in Scotland on 18 March 2020 as part of a £350 million package of communities funding, prior to the UK Government announcement of funding for charities.

This funding exceeds the consequentials expected for Scotland from the UK Government.

The Scottish Government funding package includes a £50 million Wellbeing Fund to provide support to third sector organisations, including charities and social enterprises, helping them to work with at-risk people most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. It also includes a Third Sector Resilience Fund, now worth £25 million, to provide an emergency fund for charities, community groups, social enterprises and voluntary organisations working in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-28938

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many independent care home residents have been tested for COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-29055

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many care home (a) staff and (b) residents in the (i) local authority, (ii) charitable and (iii) independent sector have been tested for COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-28935

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of hospital-acquired COVID-19 have been reported in each NHS board.

Due to the prolonged incubation period of COVID-19, it has not so far been possible to report with the accuracy required how many cases of healthcare associated infection (HCAI) involving COVID-19 have occurred in each NHS board.

The normal definition of a HCAI is an infection, not present or incubating on admission, which then arises after 48 hours from admission. Current estimates for COVID-19 suggest a median incubation period from 5–6 days, with a range from 1–14 days. This means that COVID-19 arising before day 14 in hospital may not be HCAI.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) is however working with UK counterparts, taking into account recent discussions at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, to establish UK-wide HCAI definitions for COVID-19. It is hoped then to publish information about data collected in NHS Boards based on these definitions as soon as is possible, and I will write to the member when this information is available.