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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-07051

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 25 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to retain the confidence of people who are clinically vulnerable as progress is made under the revised Strategic Framework for tackling COVID-19.

Throughout the pandemic we have provided bespoke advice, information and support to help protect the approximately 180,000 people on Scotland’s Highest Risk List.

While we will continue to ensure people at highest risk know where to turn if they need further guidance, clinicians and GPs are the primary source of advice for those on the Highest Risk List. They best know the personal circumstances and conditions of each individual and can advise them on what, if any, precautions to take as they would have before the pandemic, and can provide tailored information and support.

There is strong evidence that people's risk from Covid-19 has significantly changed as a result of the vaccination programme and the time is now right for us to consider who still needs to be on the Highest Risk List. In the meantime, we will:

? continue to respond to scientific and clinical advice regarding COVID treatments, making sure that those who we know will benefit most from them are able to access them; and,

? continue to look at ways to identify people who may be at highest risk, taking emerging evidence into account.

? work with our Clinical Advisory Group to provide support to those who no longer need to be on the list where the evidence indicates that they are no longer at highest risk

Our aim is to ensure that people who have been on the Highest Risk List are supported, empowered, and included throughout this calmer period into a more normal way of living. It has been nearly two years since we asked people to shield, and it is crucial that they are now supported to benefit from the lifting of restrictions as much as everyone else.

Question reference: S6F-00947

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 March 2022

To ask the First Minister what work is being done to extend the "warm Scots welcome" to Ukrainians arriving in the UK.

Question reference: S6W-07138

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2022
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 21 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason raising the 100MW threshold to 300MW for innovation projects within the Innovation and Targeted Oil and Gas Decarbonisation (INTOG) planning process will create additional regional cumulative impacts, while allowing decarbonisation of oil and gas projects to progress with no individual project thresholds in place and without the same concern regarding cumulative impacts, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

It is not the case that one category of project, under INTOG, may create additional cumulative impact while another may not. All offshore wind projects have the potential to contribute to cumulative impact on our natural environment and other sea users. The INTOG planning process has outlined spatial limitations for the entire INTOG planning process. This includes limitations on where Targeted Oil and Gas projects can be located, and where Innovation projects will be considered. It also includes areas of exclusion to help manage, at the plan level, the potential for negative impact.

Question reference: S6O-00887

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 March 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support is in place to assist GPs in certifying Power of Attorney documents.

Question reference: S6O-00797

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how North Lanarkshire Council and other local authorities are supporting the roll-out of free bus travel for under 22s.

Question reference: S6O-00775

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken in schools to promote the mental and emotional wellbeing of children and young people.

Question reference: S6O-00721

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support local authorities in dealing with instances of bullying in schools.

Question reference: S6O-00674

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support it has made available for those business sectors that were impacted by COVID-19 restrictions required to control the Omicron wave of infections.

Question reference: S6W-05268

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what further consideration it has given to population-based recommendations and guidance on vitamin D supplementation, in light of Scotland's reported low vitamin D status and evidence that the vitamin may be able to play a role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including in the study, Therapeutic and prognostic role of vitamin D for COVID-19 infection: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 43 observational studies.

Our current advice on vitamin D supplementation is based on the consensus of the scientific evidence, as presented to all UK nations by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).

On 19 June 2021, SACN published a paper summarising the monitoring of recent evidence on nutrition and COVID-19. It is available at

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/992875/SACN_Process_for_monitoring_evidence_on_nutrition_and_COVID-19__June21_.pdf.

SACN concluded that, to date, the monitoring exercise had not identified any new trials in relation to vitamin D and COVID-19 that would change current dietary advice or require the re-review of the rapid guideline published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Public Health England and SACN on 17 December 2020. The rapid guideline states:

people should continue to follow existing advice on vitamin D supplementation to maintain bone and muscle health
there is currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely to prevent or treat COVID-19

The rapid guideline is available at https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/NG187

The UK COVID-19 Therapeutic Advisory Panel (UK C-TAP) is continuing to monitor ongoing COVID-19 related Vitamin D trials. I understand the SACN secretariat is in contact with the NICE surveillance team and officials supporting UK C-TAP to ensure complementary approaches. Evidence on vitamin D in relation to COVID-19 is also being monitored by the multi-agency initiative ‘Research to Access Pathway for Investigational Drugs in COVID-19’.

We will continue to look to NICE and others who are closely monitoring this evidence base.

Question reference: S6O-00619

Asked by: Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to encourage people, who are able, to donate blood, particularly during the winter period and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.