Questions and answers

Question reference: S6F-00713

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2022

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-00711

Asked by: Douglas Ross, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 January 2022

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-05622

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it defines as (a) "where technically feasible" and (b) "cost effective" as set out on page 23 of Tackling Fuel Poverty Strategy in Scotland: Strategic Approach.

The Heat in Buildings Strategy confirms our intention to introduce – subject to consultation later this year – regulations requiring Scotland’s homes and other buildings to meet EPC Band C equivalent by 2033, where that is technically feasible and cost effective. This key proposal from the Heat in Buildings Strategy aligns with our commitment in Tackling Fuel Poverty Strategy in Scotland: Strategic Approach, of addressing poor energy efficiency and fuel poverty in homes.

We have previously consulted in December 2019 on proposals for introducing minimum energy efficiency standards in owner occupied housing, which included potential options for defining cost effectiveness and technical feasibility. We are further developing these definitions ahead of the planned consultation later this year.

Question reference: S6W-05586

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the annual staffing numbers for Transport Scotland have been in each year since 2011, broken down by (a) full-time equivalent positions, (b) head count and (c) seasonal workers.

Transport Scotland Staff Numbers Since 2011
Year	(a) FTE	(b) Head Count	(c)Seasonal Worker
2011	*	403	0
2012	*	382	0
2013	*	380	0
2014	*	401	0
2015	*	404	0
2016	375.7	389	0
2017	379.8	394	0
2018	385.8	398	0
2019	427.5	443	0
2020	462.2	479	0
2021	482	497	0

Please see information in regards to reference S6W-05586 . Attached is the figures as requested since 2011 and broken down by (A) FTE (B) Headcount and (C) Seasonal workers. Transport Scotland as an organisation do not have Seasonal Workers and this is the reason for the nil response. Please note , in relation to the Q for (A) FTE, we can only provide FTE figures for the period 2016-2021. FTE figures prior to 2016 are not available, hence why the “ * ” response shows in some parts of that section. This is due to the way that FTE information was collated at that time, as it has been cleansed as per our data retention policy.

Question reference: S6W-05605

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish data on deaths resulting from COVID-19, broken down by cases where individuals were (a) vaccinated and (b) unvaccinated.

The COVID-19 statistical report which is published weekly includes a section for COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalisations, and Deaths by Vaccine Status. These can be found at this link. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20580

This reports on the total number of COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 related acute hospital admissions and confirmed COVID-19 deaths by their vaccination status and covers the period from December 2020 to present.

Question reference: S6W-05482

Asked by: Jackie Dunbar, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when people who had their flu vaccination appointments cancelled due to reprioritising the COVID-19 booster vaccine will receive their flu vaccines.

Question reference: S6W-05604

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish data on hospitalisations as a result of COVID-19, broken down by cases where individuals were (a) vaccinated and (b) unvaccinated.

The COVID-19 statistical report which is published weekly includes a section for COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalisations, and Deaths by Vaccine Status. These can be found at this link. https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/show-all-releases?id=20580

This reports on the total number of COVID-19 cases, COVID-19 related acute hospital admissions and confirmed COVID-19 deaths by their vaccination status and covers the period from December 2020 to present.

Question reference: S6W-05637

Asked by: Willie Rennie, MSP for North East Fife, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether information on the number of air filters that are being used in school classrooms has been collected for use by the Education Recovery Group.

It is for local authorities to exercise their statutory responsibilities and deliver a safe environment for all school users. It is also for local authorities to determine what remedial action is required in their schools, in line with guidance.

The recently announced funding of up to £5 million is in addition to previous funding of £10 million to address issues around ventilation and CO2 monitoring, and on top of £90m of COVID-19 logistics funding.

We continue to engage regularly with stakeholders on ventilation, including in the COVID-19 Education Recovery Group.

Question reference: S6W-05464

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Patrick Harvie on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the (a) minutes of the third meeting of the Fire Safety Review Panel will be published and (b) Panel is expected to finalise its work.

Minutes of the third meeting of the Fire Safety Review Panel will be ratified at the fourth review panel meeting on 24 January 2022 and published shortly thereafter.

The next fire safety review panel meeting on 24 January 2022 will be the final panel meeting, subject to any new evidence emerging from the Grenfell Inquiry. The Building (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2022 are expected to be laid in the Scottish Parliament by the end of March with supporting guidance published in the Spring. The new regulations and guidance are planned to come into force on 1 October 2022.

Question reference: S6W-05349

Asked by: Colin Beattie, MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 24 January 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the waiting time for surgery for Priority 4 gynaecology patients, in light of some patients being informed that the waiting time for some procedures is currently over 100 weeks.

As you know, the NHS in Scotland is under unprecedented pressure, particularly as a result of this latest Covid wave, and a number of services have been stood down in order to support urgent and emergency demand.

The latest data shows Boards are reporting a 65% increase in coronavirus absence compared to the previous week and significantly faster rate of increase in Covid hospitalisations this year compared to last January. This is a reminder of the challenges our NHS continues to face, having a high impact on waiting times for those people waiting to receive scheduled treatment.

Those waiting for treatment should be signposted to help on how they can manage their condition, and are encourage to seek support if they feel their mental health is being impacted.

The NHS Recovery Plan, which is backed by over £1 billion of additional investment, sets out how the Scottish Government will increase NHS capacity by at least 10% as quickly as possible in order to address backlogs and meet the ongoing healthcare needs for people across the country, including gynaecology patients.

Women’s Health is key priority for this government, which is why we published an ambitious Women’s Health Plan in August 2021. The Women’s Health Plan underpins actions to improve women’s health inequalities by raising awareness around women’s health, improving access to health care for women across their life course and reducing inequalities in health outcomes for girls and women, both for sex-specific conditions and in women’s general health.

Seòmar agus comataidhean