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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-04865

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to accelerate projects that will support the economy in Dumfriesshire.

Question reference: S5W-33682

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 9 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many property transactions, taking place within Scotland, await the formal issue of updated title deeds by the Registers of Scotland, where the updated title deed has not been made available to the property purchaser within six months of the date of completion of the property transaction.

This is a question for the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland (RoS). She advises me that RoS receives and processes over 550,000 applications on average every year, of which 91% are completed in under 20 days. Their service standards differ depending on the type of application received, with the most complex having a service level agreement of nine months. As at the 3 December 2020, RoS had 42,971 applications to register a disposition, that were older than six months. RoS has recently published information on revised Key Performance Targets and new ways of working that will allow it to deal more effectively with a backlog that has worsened during lockdown. This is in addition to the expedite service it offers to citizens and solicitors who require their completed title sheet more urgently. Properties undergoing registration can still be safely transacted on.

Question reference: S5W-33480

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 7 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is making available to ice rinks, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Question reference: S5W-33530

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether self-catering premises in local authority areas subject to Level (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 restrictions, whose businesses are directly affected by the impact of travel restrictions, are eligible to receive a COVID-19 business restrictions grant.

The Strategic Framework Business Fund offers financial support to businesses legally required to close or to modify their operations. Self-catering businesses in Levels 1&2 or 3, affected by travel restrictions are not eligible for this support. Self-catering businesses required to close in level 4 may be eligible for support if they meet the eligibility criteria. Coronavirus Business Support Grants, the Tourism Hardship fund, rates relief and the £1.5 million Coronavirus Support scheme have all supported self-caterers. We have also provided an additional £30m to support businesses through the local authority discretionary fund. Scotland’s lack of borrowing powers prevents us from fully responding to the economic crisis, and limited funds mean that we must target resources.

Question reference: S5O-04811

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what further support will be made available to help services respond to the needs of older people, in light of the COVID-19 restrictions.

Question reference: S5W-33186

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 24 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is making available to larger self-catering units that are unable to trade viably as a result of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Self-catering businesses were eligible for either £10,000 and £25,000 grants for businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure. This extended to 75% for subsequent properties. We provided an additional £1.5 m for self-catering businesses who didn’t meet the 140 day eligibility criteria. We recognise that the single-household rule presents difficulties for large property owners, however with limited financial resources, our priority must be to assist those who have not received support. We’re considering further support in line with recommendations from the Tourism Taskforce and continue to request from the UK Government the transfer of financial powers to enable us to respond fully to business needs.

Question reference: S5W-32999

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will (a) provide funding and (b) put temporary planning restrictions in place to allow care homes to create covered outdoor areas for visiting purposes.

Visiting is vital to the wellbeing of residents in residential care and their loved ones and should continue to be supported as safely as possible. This is why we encourage care homes to apply our national guidance at a local level with oversight from Directors of Public Health, taking account of local risk factors.

Every care home should develop its own risk assessment and visiting protocol which should be agreed in liaison with the local Health Protection Team and/or Care Home Clinical and Care Professional Oversight Team. Where outdoor visits take place will be dependent upon the unique environment of the care home and consideration should be given to ensuring that this is as safe and comfortable as possible. The guidance confirms that outdoor structures require sufficient ventilation and air flow and ensure there is adequate space within them for people to physically distance at all times, including when it rains.

With regard to planning restrictions, the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning wrote to planning authorities on 2 nd July encouraging them to take a relaxed and pragmatic approach to the enforcement of breaches of planning control during the pandemic – in particular with regard to the temporary use of outdoor spaces to enable businesses to continue to operate, whilst supporting social distancing.

Planning regulations already permit a wide range of temporary developments and changes of use for up to 28 days per calendar year without the need to apply for planning permission and our letter to local authorities stated that, while physical distancing requirements remain, it is likely that many temporary uses will be needed for longer periods. The letter states that, in line with the wider approach to relaxing planning control at this time, and for the avoidance of doubt, we do not expect the limits of the 28 day rule to be enforced against reasonable temporary outdoor uses, which may include temporary structures, should a longer period be appropriate and helpful to businesses.

We have allocated a total of £150 million this year for social care as part of our additional COVID funding to help the social care sector deal with the financial implications of the pandemic. Our Winter Plan recognises that to ensure winter preparedness this year, that additional resources will be required and the Plan is being supported by further funding of up to £112 million. We are working with COSLA, and wider partners, immediately on effective allocation of this funding through mechanisms that promote additionality of services and value for money.

Question reference: S5W-32996

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 20 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to routinely test home carers.

The Scottish Government’s Strategic Framework for the Pandemic, published on 23 October, sets out plans to develop the testing element of Test and Protect over the next three months which focusses on building capacity within NHS Scotland and deploying expansions in UK Government testing capacity and capability to its maximum effect in Scotland. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/covid-19-scotlands-strategic-framework/

As detailed in our Clinical and Scientific review of the Testing Strategy, the consensus clinical view of the prioritisation of capacity, over and above that required to meet symptomatic demand, clinical care requirements and existing commitments, is that the focus in any extension of routine regular asymptomatic testing should be on protecting those most vulnerable to severe harm. Further details can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-review-of-testing-strategy-october-2020/

With parliament's agreement I hope to set out our plans for expansion of routine asymptomatic testing before the end of November.

Question reference: S5W-33007

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what impact COVID-19 is having on NHS dental capacity, and whether it considers there are sufficient appointments available to meet demand.

Work has been carried out at pace to improve our understanding and risk management of COVID-19 transmission in dental settings, which has allowed for further progression with NHS dental remobilisation. Dentists have been able to provide the full range of NHS care and treatment to patients from 1 November, however, this is not business as usual.

Because of physical distancing and infection prevention and control arrangements the number of patients that can be seen safely remains below normal levels. As practices will have a limited number of appointments each day, dentists will have to continue to use their clinical judgement to prioritise those people with urgent dental problems and those most in need of treatment and it will take time for dental teams to work through all the patients who wish to be seen.

Question reference: S5W-33008

Asked by: Oliver Mundell, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 16 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with the Chief Dental Officer prior to the announcement that NHS dental care would resume on 1 November 2020.