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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: S5W-29219

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support has been allocated to local authorities to support local sports clubs and community groups that are facing hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-29218

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available during the COVID-19 pandemic to sports clubs that are liable to pay rent for sports facilities from local authorities.

The Scottish Government, in conjunction with sport scotland, will continue to work closely with all partners to understand their specific circumstances in supporting community sport to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and will consider these as part of our ongoing commitment to determine what further support might be needed. We are helping sporting organisations and groups to access the various funding streams available for community sport organisations which can be found on the COVID-19 dedicated pages on the sport scotland website. Particularly, the job retention scheme, non-domestic rates relief and the third sector resilience fund.

sport scotland have communicated to all Scottish governing bodies of sport and local partners that they will receive six months of their annual investment in April/May, totalling £16.4m. They have also relaxed the usual targets or outcomes they would normally attach to this funding. This will allow recipients to mitigate the worst of the immediate impact on their operations, protect jobs, and continue to support their clubs and communities.

Further to these, we have introduced a 100 per cent rate relief for non-domestic properties in the Retail, Hospitality, Leisure and Airport (RHLA) sectors in 2020-21. Sports clubs may be eligible if they occupy premises wholly or mainly used for purposes set out in The Non-Domestic Rates (Coronavirus Reliefs) (Scotland) Regulations 2020.

Further, sports clubs may also be eligible for other reliefs offered by the Scottish Government, for instance charitable rates relief or sports relief. As at 31 May 2019, 1,760 properties were in receipt of sports club relief and this led to a reduction in their rates bills of £15.5 million.

Additional support for sports clubs is available through the Business Support Grant Scheme. This includes the Small Business Grant for small sports clubs in receipt of the Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS), or eligible for the SBBS but in receipt of sports relief or charitable rates relief. £10,000 may be available on the first eligible property, and 75% grants (£7,500) may be available on each additional property.

From 8 June the upper rateable value threshold for retail, hospitality or leisure (RHL) properties with individual rateable values of up to £18,000 each will also be extended: currently at £51,000 for all RHL, will be increased to a cumulative value of £500,000.

Businesses in the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure sectors, operating in a premises with a rateable value between £18,001 and £51,000, will be eligible for a £25,000 grant on their first eligible property, and grants of £18,750 will be available on any additional qualifying properties that a ratepayer may have.

The funding for business support provided to local authorities is not broken down by sector or business type. We have increased our 2020-21 General Revenue Grant by £972 million to offset the reduction in business rates income resulting from our package of support for businesses through rates reliefs, effectively underwriting their income stream. The Scottish Government has allocated £1.17 billion to the funding for the Business Grant Support Scheme.

Question reference: S5O-04399

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to roll out superfast broadband, and how this has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-28454

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what correspondence the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport has had with the relevant representatives of care homes and nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government is in regular written and phone contact with Scottish Care, who are the representative body of most care home providers in Scotland, on a range of matters relating to Covid-19 and I regularly speak to their CEO, Dr Donald Macaskill. Matters that we continue to have regular dialogue with Scottish Care include: the response to Covid 19, infection and control and clinical matters, development of guidance, PPE, care home sustainability and workforce matters. Scottish Care and their members are actively involved in a range of national care home groups to support care homes at this time. This includes the Care Home Rapid Action Group and the Clinical and Professional Advisory Group for Care Homes.

Question reference: S5W-28452

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issued to local authorities on limiting the transmission of COVID-19 in care homes and nursing homes at the start of the pandemic.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) publishes infection control guidance for all care homes including those run by Local Authorities which is updated regularly. It was most recently updated on 20 May. The HPS guidance is based on the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual and includes advice on how to prevent and manage the spread of all respiratory infections including COVID-19.

To supplement HPS guidance, the Scottish Government also issued clinical and practice guidance for care homes. This was first published on 13 March and updated on 26 March and 15 May. This guidance draws on the HPS guidance but provides more detailed information on some of the practical steps that are required to protect staff and residents. Both the HPS and the Scottish Government guidance is continually reviewed to take account of the emerging picture around COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-28453

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued by local authorities to care homes and nursing homes on the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Health Protection Scotland, jointly with the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health Wales, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, Public Health England and NHS England published updated personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance for all health and social care settings including care homes and nursing homes in relation to COVID-19 on 2 April. The revised guidance is available at: www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/covid-19/ . The guidance outlines what type of PPE frontline health and social care workers should be wearing in different settings and scenarios. This guidance was widely communicated to health and social care bodies, including Scottish Care, Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) and Health and Social Care Partnerships.

The Scottish Government also issued a joint statement with COSLA and Trade Unions on 9 April confirming that this four Nations guidance is the official and fully comprehensive guidance on the matter of the use of PPE in the context of COVID-19.

Health Protection Scotland guidance also refers to the use of PPE.

Question reference: S5W-29396

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out on the economic impact of easing lockdown in line with the phased approach that it set out in its document, Scotland's route map through and out of the crisis.

The route map takes an evidence-led and transparent approach to easing restrictions and sets out a phased approach towards the future. We will retain current restrictions while they remain justified, necessary and proportionate, and will not change them unless and until it is safe to do so. Our decisions are based on our assessment of the current evidence for Scotland and involve taking difficult decisions that seek to balance health, social and economic harms so as to minimise overall harm.

Our modelling shows that there is a risk that if restrictions are lifted too soon then a second surge in infection could lead to further harm to our economy, health and society.

The Chief Economist’s latest economic outlook is set out in the latest State of the Economy report, available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/state-economy-april-2020/ .

As well as the Monthly Economic Brief for May, available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/monthly-economic-brief/ .

Question reference: S5F-04179

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 June 2020

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government plans to offer self-isolating people under the NHS Test and Protect programme.

Question reference: S5W-28767

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of current milk prices, and whether it will adjust relevant funding to respond to the needs of the industry.

Question reference: S5W-28764

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding the decision to temporarily relax UK competition law to support the dairy industry during the COVID-19 outbreak.