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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-29667

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 10 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what provision there is for (a) symptomatic and (b) asymptomatic (i) staff and (ii) patients in COVID-19-free sites where cancer diagnostic tests and treatments take place to be tested for the virus.

Our testing strategy is firmly based on the advice from senior clinicians and public health experts. The testing of healthcare workers continues to be our priority, and all symptomatic NHS workers or symptomatic household members are eligible for testing.

In addition, on 23 June I announced that we are now routinely testing health care workers where the evidence tells us that it is appropriate to do so, while all health care workers connected to a nosocomial outbreak will be tested regardless of whether or not they have symptoms.

We will also test, on a weekly basis, staff working in specialist cancer units, in long-term care of the elderly, and in long-stay mental health wards. Boards are being asked to start this additional testing by 8 July.

The nosocomial expert group did not consider wholesale routine testing of asymptomatic health care workers to be an effective and proportionate method of tackling nosocomial risk.

Question reference: S5W-29666

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how regularly healthcare workers in COVID-19-free sites are being tested for the virus.

Question reference: S5O-04417

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement and discussions it has had with the UK Government in relation to the forming of new trade agreements.

Question reference: S5W-28407

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of Scotland's established life sciences sector, for what reason it is not making greater use of the expertise in university and research institute labs throughout the country to increase the testing capacity for COVID-19.

Academic partnerships have already been set up with laboratories at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Aberdeen and two further academic partnerships are expected to go live in June. Additional capacity is provided by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service.

The University of Glasgow hosts one of three Lighthouse Labs established across the UK to analyse samples taken from regional testing centres, which are part of the UK Expanded Testing programme.

National Services Scotland is assessing offers of laboratory space from various sectors in Scotland. This requires ensuring the testing is done in a way that is safe and meets high quality standards for confidence in the results and complies with due diligence. National Services Scotland are working with Enterprise Scotland to engage with private laboratories that have offered assistance.

Question reference: S5O-04344

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to the further education sector to help develop the skills of people whose employment has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-28388

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 13 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the announcement by the UK Government of a £750 million fund for frontline charities across the UK, whether Barnett consequentials of £60 million will be directed towards hospices in Scotland, and, if so, how much will be allocated directly to them.

The consequentials arising from the UK Government announcement do not include £60 million in consequentials for hospices. HM Treasury has indicated Scotland will receive an estimated £19 million in consequentials in respect of the £200 million for hospices included in the UK Government’s announcement of £750 million for charities.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport wrote to Scottish Hospices on 28 April to confirm that we are committed to providing funding support to hospices and will work with them to understand their needs.

The Scottish Government has already announced its own support for charities. On 18 March, the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Communities announced a £350 million package of funding to support organisations helping people and communities across Scotland – of which £125 million is supporting the charitable sector.

Question reference: S5T-02144

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 May 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when recycling centres will be designated as an essential service and reopened.

Question reference: S5W-27849

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 20 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the Scottish Natural Heritage report, Developing a counting methodology for mountain hares (Lepus timidus) in Scotland, whether the standardised national counting method has been rolled out to all moors where shooting takes place.

The standardised national counting method has been rolled out on 60 estates with grouse moors in the central and eastern Highlands and in the Lammermuir Hills. This followed 8 training sessions organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT). Counts have been received by GWCT from two-thirds of these estates so far.

In order to obtain good coverage of the main areas managed for driven grouse shooting, the GWCT estimates that training for another 14 - 16 estates is required.

In addition, SNH has undertaken training of staff responsible for the management of upland National Nature Reserves in the Central Highlands. Although none of these are managed as grouse moors, it is important to undertake counts in other habitats used by mountain hares, albeit at lower population density, in order to provide information on the wider hare population as well as the population present on grouse moors.

SNH will continue to work with estates and partners to develop ways to share results to ensure robust data analysis and reporting.

Question reference: S5O-04300

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for addressing potholes on Scotland’s roads.

Question reference: S5W-27682

Asked by: Alex Rowley, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 March 2020
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 11 March 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in addressing the environmental dump at Lathalmond M90 Commerce Park in Fife.

SEPA officials met with the representatives of the landowners in December 2019, who agreed to present a costed plan for the removal, disposal and recycling options for the wastes.

While an outline of this plan has been presented to SEPA, further details are still required from the company before engagement with SEPA's partners can begin. SEPA has requested that this further information is provided by the end of March.