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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: S5O-04641

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it is allocating to support the aviation sector to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5T-02399

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans for the 2021 exam diet.

Question reference: S5W-31589

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to enforce the use of face coverings in secondary schools.

Updated guidance, published on 25 August 2020, states that face coverings should - unless exemptions apply - be worn by pupils and staff in secondary schools in corridors and communal areas, where distancing is particularly difficult to maintain. Education Scotland have worked with Young Scot to develop awareness raising materials for schools in support of the guidance.

Implementation of the agreed guidance is the responsibility of local authorities and schools, working closely with their school communities. However, we are working with partners to carefully monitor how the guidance is being applied in practice. We seek regular feedback from partners via the Education Recovery Group about the experiences of pupils and staff in schools for these purposes. Where there is a need to take action, either by updating our guidance or ensuring it is being given practical effect, we will work with partners to do so.

In addition, we are aware that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have carried out 500 initial telephone sample checks and schools have to date achieved a compliance rate of over 80%. The HSE will be undertaking follow up visits where there are any areas of concern.

Question reference: S5W-31586

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plan to (a) establish 350 school counsellor posts and (b) ensure that every secondary school has a counselling service.

Question reference: S5W-31587

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plan to appoint an additional 250 school nurses by 2022.

Question reference: S5W-31590

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects to achieve the target set out in the Programme for Government of recruiting an additional (a) 1,400 teachers and (b) 200 teaching support staff.

Local authority recruitment of additional teachers and support staff is underway, informed by ongoing assessment by schools and local authorities of the needs of children and young people during the first few weeks of their return to school. Once this process has concluded, we will be in a position to provide the number of additional teachers that have been recruited.

Current estimates from local authorities suggest that an additional 740 teachers have already been recruited, with plans in place to recruit another 250. We would expect this number to increase as schools continue to assess the needs of children and young people over the coming weeks.

Question reference: S5O-04603

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to stimulate greater investment in Scotland’s economy in the wake of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-31322

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is considering to allow communion services to resume, and whether it is planning to issue any updated guidelines to churches to ensure that this can be carried out safely.

I recognise the difficulty in having been unable to fully come together within places of worship since the start of lockdown in March. Over the recent months the Scottish Government has worked closely with faith communities to produce guidance to support places of worship to reopen in line with restrictions, including for the latest easement on the 15 July, which allowed for the resumption of communal worship.

The intention of the places of worship guidance is for it be used as an overarching non-prescriptive framework, and the principles and expectations set out in the guidance – including those relating to physical distancing and hygiene safeguards - should be incorporated into faith-specific guidance, expanding on them where appropriate.

When interpreting the guidance on the safe use of places of worship, we ask that faith communities take a common sense approach. It is for faith communities to determine what faith-specific practices, which may include communion, are essential and how they can be done in a way that is safe and in accordance with the guidance. Decisions on reopening that are made by places of worship should be taken in the spirit of achieving the collective aim of keeping transmission rates low and communities safe.

We will continue to work closely with Scotland’s faith communities as we move towards fully reopening places of worship as soon as it is safe to do so.

Question reference: S5W-31321

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it is considering relaxing the restrictions on the maximum number of people allowed to attend church.

On the 20 August, we reviewed the current restrictions limiting the number of people allowed to attend a place of worship. Giving consideration to Scotland’s broader position regarding virus suppression and to minimise overall harm and ensure transmission of the virus continues to be suppressed, it was decided on balance to maintain the current limit of 50 people in line with two metre physical distancing guidelines.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-31084 on 18 August 2020 detailing the reasoning behind the current restriction on numbers.

We remain committed to ensuring that these restrictions last no longer than is necessary and we will consider them again, on 10 September, as part of the next three weekly review set out in the Framework for Decision Making.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5T-02350

Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many pupils have tested positive for COVID-19 since schools reopened.