- Asked by: Meghan Gallacher, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the COVID-19 guidance for nightclubs under the new Level 0 framework and, in light of them being unable to reopen on 19 July 2021, what additional support it will offer to (a) these businesses, (b) staff and (c) freelance performers.
Answer
We do not underestimate the severe impact the pandemic is having on the night-time sector and restrictions will not be kept in place a day longer than necessary. As the First Minister made clear on 13 July, a gradual approach to the lifting of restrictions gives the best chance of sustainability and will help build people’s confidence to return to their normal lives and support these businesses.
We have previously made additional funding of up to £750 per week available to nightclubs depending on their Rateable Value. We regularly engage with the night time industry. Guidance for the night time economy will be developed in partnership with the industry in line with the decisions on moving beyond level 0 and taking account of the baseline measures which will be in place. We are however, at this time, unable to commit to further funding for businesses or their employees including those in the night time economy due to a lack of further consequentials from the UK Government.
We continue to urge the UK Government to extend both the Self Employment Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to support both workers and the self-employed impacted by the ongoing influence of COVID-19 the economy .
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress is being made on ensuring nationwide availability of home-based testing for HPV.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-35673 on 5 March 2021. Since that answer, the working group met again on 5 July and will continue to make progress over the rest of 2021.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00689 by Maree Todd on 2 July 2021, for what reason the information requested is not held centrally.
Answer
While the Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally, the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) hold information about defibrillators across Scotland – available at: Registering your Automated External Defibrillator . The key aspect of the information held relates to the location in order to support SAS call handlers to direct OHCA bystanders to the nearest publicly accessible defibrillator, rather than maintaining a record of the type of building where the defibrillator is placed.
In searching this publicly accessible information, there are over 150 defibrillators at school locations across Scotland currently registered with the Scottish Ambulance Service.
It is, however, it is important to note that registration of defibrillators is voluntary, and the responsibility of the defibrillator guardian, therefore this may not be an accurate picture of the number of defibrillators placed in schools across Scotland. I refer the member to my answer given to PQ S6W-01501, in which I recommend that you may wish to contact Scottish Local Authorities individually for information they may hold.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-00689 by Maree Todd on 2 July 2021, whether it considers that the information requested can be kept accurate and up-to-date, given that it is not held centrally.
Answer
The Scottish Government encourages any defibrillator guardian, including those placed in primary or secondary schools, to register their device with the Scottish Ambulance Service to enable an accurate and up to date central record of defibrillators across Scotland.
Through encouraging registration of defibrillators across Scotland, we can better understand their placement, usage and maintain a more accurate and up-to date record.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-33254 by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 December 2020, how many patients who had their routine cervical screening test delayed have (a) now received a test, (b) been referred for further investigation and (c) not yet received an invite for an appointment.
Answer
Initial estimates suggest that 5,786 invitations have not yet issued to people affected by the pause, but it should be stressed that this will be for a range of reasons, including participants being excluded from the programme after it restarted, or taking the opportunity to be screened at their GP ahead of their scheduled prompt to make an appointment. Data on patients who had their routine cervical screening test delayed and have (a) now received a test, (b) referred for further investigation is not routinely available at present.
Public Health Scotland will release their annual statistical report on the cervical screening programme on 1 September 2021.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what information has been provided to the public on the decision to extend routine invitations for cervical screening appointments from every three years to five years.
Answer
On 16 March 2020, the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme replaced cervical cytology (looking at cells under a microscope) with a more sensitive test which screens for human papillomavirus (HPV). The new test is more effective at identifying those at risk of developing cervical cancer, meaning women who don’t have HPV will be invited for a cervical screening test every five years instead of every three.
A news release was issued by the Scottish Government to announce this change to the programme on 15 March 2020, and the information available on NHS inform and public information leaflets was updated to reflect the change.
Due to the impact of Covid-19, the cervical screening programme was temporarily paused on 30 March 2020. This meant that some of the communications materials that had been prepared to raise awareness of the move to HPV testing were not released until Cervical Screening Awareness Week in June 2021.
Later this year, the Scottish Government plans to launch a campaign to communicate the benefits of cervical screening. Further awareness raising of the move to five year routine testing will be undertaken to coincide with this campaign.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether the change in scheduling of routine invitations for cervical screening from three years to five years applies to women who had their last appointment prior the change to the system in 2020.
Answer
Following the implementation of high risk human papillomavirus (HPV) primary screening in March 2020, the screening interval for all participants where HPV is not found in their sample will be five years. The five year interval will apply to women only once they have been screened using the hr-HPV primary screen and received a negative result. Women who receive a positive result will receive more frequent screening depending on what cell changes are found in cytology.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for the (a) completion and (b) opening of the replacement of HMP Barlinnie, and whether planning permission for this to be sited south of Royston Road in the city has been approved.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
1. It is anticipated that the replacement for HMP Barlinnie (HMP Glasgow) will be completed in 2026.
2. HMP Glasgow is estimated to open during 2026. A Planning Permission in Principle application was submitted to Glasgow City Council in December 2019 who subsequently approved the application and issued the planning decision notice, in August 2020. Full details of the application are publicly available on Glasgow City Council’s Planning Portal.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Matheson on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the implications of the Deposit Return Scheme on SEPA’s resources.
Answer
SEPA maintains a robust programme structure to plan, track, and deliver the regulator function for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). Capital and resource funding for this programme are agreed between SEPA and the Scottish Government as part of the annual Budget process.
Once DRS goes live, the costs of registering producers with SEPA and regulating producers and the scheme administrator in respect of their obligations under DRS will be recovered through the annual registration fee of £360. This fee is to be paid to SEPA by producers with a turnover of greater than £85,000 per year.
- Asked by: Jamie Greene, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 July 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 4 August 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to support policing in local authorities in the rest of Scotland during COP26, when substantial numbers of officers will be transferred to Glasgow for its duration.
Answer
COP26 will be the biggest international summit the UK has ever hosted, meaning that the policing operation is considerable and will require large deployments of both Police Scotland officers and mutual aid officers brought in from other parts of the UK.
Decisions on how to allocate these resources are a matter for the Chief Constable. However, the recent HMICS review into Police Scotland’s planning for the event offers a high degree of assurance around the service’s ability to balance business as usual policing with delivering a safe and secure COP26.