- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what briefings and information ministers have received from health officials regarding the monkeypox outbreak.
Answer
Scottish Government Ministers regularly meet with and are briefed by health officials and clinical advisers to ensure they are kept up to date with the ongoing situation regarding case numbers, treatment pathways and public health information messaging on the current monkeypox outbreak. This includes all relevant updates from the public health agencies across the UK, which are leading on the Monkeypox response.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had with their ministerial counterparts in other parts of the UK regarding the monkeypox outbreak.
Answer
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care attends regular meetings with his counterparts in the UK and other Devolved Administrations to ensure that the Scottish Government is represented in relation to public health incidents which require a coordinated 4 Nations response.
Additionally, Public Health Scotland (PHS) are leading on the response in Scotland and are working with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Public Health Wales and Northern Ireland HSC Health Protection Agency to ensure a coordinated response to monkeypox in the UK. Where appropriate, Scottish Government officials are also represented on 4 nations groups established to support these coordination efforts.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09207 by Ash Regan on 30 June 2022, whether it has any plans to translate this guidance into formal regulations, and how many buildings currently have personal fire evacuation plans in place for disabled tenants.
Answer
There are currently no plans to translate the guidance into formal regulations, however the Scottish Government keeps this under review.
The Scottish Government does not hold information on individuals who have personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs). Further information on fire safety and PEEPs can be found in the Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Existing Specialised Housing and Similar Premises and Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Existing Specialised Housing and Similar Premises .
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09208 by Ash Regan on 30 June 2022, how much funding has been (a) allocated and (b) spent to date on installing evacuation alert systems.
Answer
Local authorities receive a notional element for housing activities in their general and capital grant funding, but it is for each authority to determine how its funding is used and we do not collect data on allocation.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09208 by Ash Regan on 30 June 2022, whether it will clarify what constitutes its "risk based approach"; what buildings are classified as at risk, and what evidence it is using to both inform and justify this risked-based approach.
Answer
The Scottish Government Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Existing High Rise Domestic Buildings includes a template and advice on carrying out a fire risk assessment of the building. The outcome of this assessment will give an idea of the relative risk of the premises and what mitigations might be helpful.
The Scottish Government worked with key partners including the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate for Scotland when drafting the guidance. The guidance was widely consulted on setting out the reasoning for the approach taken.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 16 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-09208 by Ash Regan on 30 June 2022, how many buildings in Scotland have (a) been identified as at risk and (b) had evacuation alert systems installed.
Answer
Evacuation alert systems were introduced to all new high rise domestic buildings over 18m to assist the Fire and Rescue Service in the unlikely event of a partial or full evacuation of the building following the outbreak of fire.
The guidance in the technical handbooks is not retrospective and applied to new buildings or conversions from 1 October 2019. Local authority building standards services hold building warrant records, which should show which buildings have evacuation alert systems installed.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 June 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ash Regan on 12 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether there is legislation in Scotland equivalent to Section 59 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, giving local authorities the power to make public spaces protection orders to help address any noisy behaviour in public spaces.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to tackling all forms of antisocial behaviour and recognises that this can blight people’s lives. Our national strategy is based on prevention, early intervention and diversionary activities. We recognise that no single approach will tackle all antisocial behaviour. That is why we support a suite of activities which includes Antisocial Behaviour Orders and Fixed Penalty Notices.
There is no Scottish legislation equivalent to Section 59 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 that conveys specific power to local authorities to make public spaces protection orders to help address any noisy behaviour in public spaces.
However, the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, supported by Scottish Government guidance, helps ensure that local authorities and Police Scotland have a robust range of powers and tools allowing them to proportionately address such issues as they arise in their areas and provides a wide range of measures for dealing with all forms of antisocial behaviour.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 9 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many prisons there are and what percentage of those have dedicated mental health professionals; and how many (a) additional mental health professionals in prisons have been recruited under Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 and (b) mental health professionals in total are based in prisons, as of 1 April 2022.
Answer
There are 15 prisons located throughout Scotland, 2 of which are managed privately.
Responsibility for providing prison healthcare was transferred from Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to NHS in 2011, and as such the Scottish Government does not hold data on the mental health workforce.
Data such as the number of staff in post or vacancies is collected on specific job roles but not within specific settings such as prisons.
While the Scottish Government provides funding for recruitment under Action 15, workforce and service planning is conducted by Integration Authorities according to the needs of their populations.
Under Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-27, 54.4 whole time equivalent (WTE) mental health posts have been recruited to in our prisons.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what specific criteria it is using to prioritise those who are most in need of treatment as it addresses the NHS Scotland backlog, and what is the evidence used to determine the criteria.
Answer
The Scottish Government has recently announced a new set of ambitious targets to eliminate long waits, with an initial focus on long waits over two years for new outpatients by August 2022 and for inpatients and day case procedures by September 2022.
We have recently stepped down the Clinical Prioritisation Framework that was in place since November 2020 to help Boards prioritise waiting lists throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
This move is a return to pre-pandemic approach of treating patients on an urgent and routine basis, giving Health Boards and clinicians full flexibility to manage waiting lists with a focus on eliminating long waits, as well as continuing to treat the most clinically urgent patients.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 9 August 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide financial and other support to NHS staff with Long COVID after the transitional arrangements for COVID Special Leave end on 31 August 2022.
Answer
On 24 June it was confirmed that all Temporary Covid Policies (including Special Leave) will be removed ( https://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/dl/DL(2022)21.pdf) and that from 1 September 2022, NHS Scotland colleagues who are absent due to COVID-19 will revert to contractual sick leave entitlement (Section 14 – Sickness Absence https://www.msg.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/AfC-Handbook-Master-Scottish-Copy-2021-Revamp.pdf ).
All NHS colleagues benefit from the Once for Scotland Attendance Policy ( https://workforce.nhs.scot/policies/attendance-policy-overview/attendance-policy/ ) which aims to encourage attendance and support employees, where health issues impact on their ability to be at work.
At present, support for people with Long COVID in Scotland is underpinned by the full range of NHS services, including local primary care teams, community based rehabilitation services and referrals for secondary care investigation where needed.
To ensure care continues to be resourced and delivered across Scotland in the most appropriate way, we are investing an initial £3 million from our Long COVID Support Fund over this financial year to support NHS Boards and key partners to take forward a range of projects to improve care and support for people with Long COVID.
This will provide resource to enable Boards to design models of care tailored to the specific needs of their local populations, which may involve strengthening the co-ordination of existing services, or establishing dedicated services where appropriate.