Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,393 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will continue the Better Places Green Recovery Fund in 2022-23, and, if so, how much it will allocate to the fund.
Answer · Kate Forbes: We have always been clear from the outset, that the funding provided in 2021-22 would be for 1 year only. This was funded from the Covid consequentials afforded to us by the UK Government. The scheme was designed to help public bodies, local authorities and …
7 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research has been carried out into the causes and impact of dystonia.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04972 on 20 December 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-committ…
7 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding has been allocated to support patients with dystonia.
Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-04972 on 20 December 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-committ…
7 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support services are available for people who have dystonia.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that all people living in Scotland with dystonia are able to access the best possible care and support, and benefit from healthcare services that are safe, effective and put people at the centre of their care. …
7 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have dystonia, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Maree Todd: Information on the amount of people living with dystonia in each NHS board area is not held centrally by the Scottish Government or Public Health Scotland (PHS). The Scottish Government has submitted a request through NHS Scotland’s Scottish Primary Care Inf…
6 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the value of the underspend is in (a) each portfolio and (b) total arising from its 2021-22 Budget; whether any of the underspend is in the health budget, and how much of any underspend has been carried forward.
Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government currently forecasts a balanced resource budget position by the end of 2021-22. The £200 million of additional Covid support for Business’s and for Self Isolation Support Grants announced by the First Minister on 14 December 2021 has b…
6 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it remains committed to passing all Barnett consequentials related to health and social care onto health and social care services.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The 2022-23 Scottish Budget provides investment of £18 billion for the Health and Social Care Portfolio, delivering on the commitment to pass on frontline health and care Barnett consequentials in full.
6 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much additional funding it will receive for health and social care in its Budget for 2022-23 as a result of the increase in National Insurance, and whether all of the funding will be fully committed to health and social care.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The funding associated with the Health and Social Care Levy is estimated to be around £1 billion per annum on average across the UK Spending Review period; however HM Treasury has not specifically quantified this funding within our overall settlement. All fro…
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Census is reportedly over budget by £21.6 million.
Answer · Angus Robertson: As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ministers agreed to move the date of Scotland’s Census from March 2021 to March 2022. This decision was taken to address significant pandemic risks to the successful completion of the census and to the delivery of the ben…
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the longest permitted time is between full inspections of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There is no legislative or other provisions which specifies timescales within which inspections must take place. The HM Chief Inspector of Education agrees on an annual basis with the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills the scale and priorities of the …
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many inspections of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools have been carried out since January 2021, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Routine inspections of early learning and childcare settings and schools have been paused since March 2020 as a result of the impact of COVID-19. HM Inspectors of Education are aware of the ongoing challenges faced by local authority staff, education staff, l…
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will support schools in the event that more children develop long COVID, potentially resulting in more students requiring access to additional support.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are committed to ensuring that all children and young people get the support that they need to reach their full potential. The Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act 2004 (as amended) places duties on education authorities to identify, provide fo…
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the COVID-19 in Scotland dashboard does not include a specific indicator showing the number of long COVID cases.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish government does not include its long COVID estimates in the COVID-19 in Scotland dashboard, because they are instead published in the weekly Scottish Government Coronavirus (COVID-19): modelling the epidemic series of publications ( Coronavirus …
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking, in addition to encouraging natural ventilation, to make classrooms safer learning environments for children during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government Reducing Risks in Schools guidance contains a range of mitigations, such as use of face coverings, distancing requirements in schools and on school transport, and guidance for visitors and in-school events. This guidance is currently…
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what inquiries it is conducting into the prevalence of long COVID, and its potential impact on (a) children and (b) the population as a whole.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: he Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office has funded nine research projects designed to improve our understanding of the longer term effects of the COVID-19 infection, or long COVID. Three projects focus on the prevalence and symptoms of long COVID. All…
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that cases of long COVID have nearly doubled since August 2021.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government recognises the negative impact that long COVID can have on the health and wellbeing of those affected. We are already taking action to ensure that people are supported in the most appropriate way possible, and are committed to do more.…
2 Dec 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has relating to the risk of children developing long COVID.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Sub-Group on Education and Children’s Issues published a summary report of the evidence on children, schools, early learning and childcare settings and transmission from COVID-19 on 12 August 2021. This included a brief summ…
30 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many meetings the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care has had with the British Dental Association Scotland since 1 September 2021.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: There have been no meetings between the myself and BDA Scotland since 1 September. Meetings between officials and BDA Scotland take place routinely and the Cabinet Secretary is fully briefed on these discussions.
30 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS boards have informed it that they have cancelled elective surgeries since 1 September 2021.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Limited information is published in the Stage of Treatment publication on cancellation by service rates. You will find this information at: Stage of treatment waiting times - Inpatients, day cases and new outpatients 30 November 2021 - NHS waiting times - st…
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many dental nurses have been seconded to administer COVID-19 and flu vaccinations.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: A total of 22,635 dental staff are registered on the Vaccine Management Tool (VMT). This includes both dentists and dental nurses. These staff would register voluntarily, as independent contractors, on the relevant staff bank of their health board, and book …
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many drop-in clinics have been established to administer COVID-19 booster vaccinations.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: NHS health boards lead on the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. Vaccination centres have frequently changed throughout the programme, with some facilities being repurposed, and drop-in clinics being made available as we have had to exercis…
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what data it is gathering on the impact that the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine certification scheme has had on vaccine uptake and the motivations of individuals in coming forward for their vaccination appointments.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Our review process has been informed by the latest evidence from public opinion as well as the clinical and scientific literature, and from international experience. We published an updated evidence paper on the COVID-19 status certification scheme on Frida…
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many lateral flow tests have been issued to people in Scotland in each week since October 2021, and what is the total number issued since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Maree Todd: The majority of Lateral Flow Tests are distributed through the UK 4 nations National Testing Programme and a detailed breakdown is not available. Information on the number of Lateral Flow Tests used and reported in Scotland is published weekly by Public Healt…
29 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much each NHS board will be allocated from the reported £30 million to support GP practices, and when GP practices will receive their share of this funding.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: NHS Boards will be allocated the £30 million to support GP practices in two tranches based upon their practices’ weighted share of registered patients under the Scottish Workload Formula at the time of the allocation. The following table provides an indicatio…
26 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Health and Safety Executive has invoked a Divisional Major Incident Response Plan in relation to deaths due to hospital-acquired infection at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested regarding whether the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has invoked a Divisional Major Incident Response Plan, in relation to deaths due to hospital associated infection at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, is not centrally he…
26 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Health and Safety Executive has carried out any investigation into deaths due to hospital-acquired infection at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested regarding whether the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has carried out any investigation into deaths due to hospital-acquired infection at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is not centrally held by the Scottish Government. He…
25 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether there have been any water sampling assessments made in wards 4a and 4b at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, and, if so, (a) what the results were and (b) whether any changes to practices and procedures were made as a result.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: From January 2019 to June 2021, 150 samples were collected from these areas. Of these samples, 141 underwent potable testing, and only one sample, collected from 4B in November 2019 breached the high-risk threshold for organism counts at 37°. NHS GG&C…
25 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what environmental assessments were carried out at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where aspergillus infection was suspected; when each assessment was conducted, and whether any changes to practices and procedures were made as a result.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Because of the unpredictable lifecycle of this particular organism, it is not possible to routinely test buildings for an Aspergillus infection. Where water ingress creates the conditions for mould, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s staff work to remedy faults …
25 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what risk assessments have been carried out in wards 4a and 4b at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital; what the results were, and whether any changes to practices and procedures were made as a result.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: A variety of risk assessments are undertaken across all wards in the Hospital, including 4a and 4b, covering social distancing, hand hygiene, infection control precautions (SICPs) audits every 6 months, patient placement, and the verification of the specialis…
25 Nov 2021 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many case note reviews have been carried out in relation to patients at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where aspergillus infection has been suspected.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The information requested is not centrally held by the Scottish Government. Information on case reviews is held by the appropriate health board for local learning and quality improvement purposes.