Jackie Baillie

25 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce repeated routine testing for COVID-19 for teachers in (a) mainstream and (b) special needs schools.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is operating a number of pathfinder testing programmes with the aim of delivering a sustainable system of regular asymptomatic testing for staff in a school environment. The pilots are primarily intended to help us rapidly identify and…

25 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government in which priority group for the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme will teachers in (a) mainstream and (b) special needs schools be included.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is increasing age, and that …

22 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has carried out on the most effective message carriers for conveying information and advice on (a) COVID-19, (b) the COVID-19 vaccine and (c) accessing the NHS during the pandemic.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government carries out weekly research with a nationally representative sample of approximately 1,000 people on attitudes and behaviours relating to COVID-19 and the vaccine. In addition, focus groups are conducted on specific topics, including …

21 Jan 2021 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.

18 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many staff at Ferguson Marine have their main domicile outwith the UK.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Ferguson Marine has no staff who have their main domicile outwith the UK.

18 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that staff at Ferguson Marine were allowed to arrive at the shipyard immediately after getting off an overseas flight at Edinburgh Airport and were not made to self-isolate, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Fergusons pipe-fitting subcontractor, HB Hydraulics, which operates a subcontractor office on-site at the shipyard, recruited additional workers to handle the growing volume of its work on the dual fuel ferries. Without the prior knowledge or agreement of Fer…

18 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that social distancing measures are not being followed at Ferguson Marine shipyard, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Ferguson Marine has always complied with Scottish Government guidelines on Covid-19 and has worked closely with trades unions to make sure there are robust measures in place, and these have limited in-yard transmission to a single case since work at the yard …

15 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Financial Transactions money has been deployed to the Scottish National Investment Bank since its inception.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Initial capitalisation is through Financial Transactions, this includes budget of £490 million for precursor investment allocated between 2018-21 which includes £220m in this year’s budget. The Bank’s first investment is £12.5m in M Squared Lasers and more in…

15 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much Financial Transactions money it has received from the UK Government in each year since 2010, broken down by where it has been deployed.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The information requested is set out in the tables that follow. Due to a number of factors such as the repayments of earlier loans which allowed funds to be recycled, the figures for the Financial Transactions received and those disbursed, by year, do not rec…

14 Jan 2021 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.

14 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on publishing a breakdown of details of Self-Isolation Support Grant (a) applications and (b) awards by gender.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government does not collect information on the total number of people applying for and receiving the Self-Isolation Support Grant, broken down by gender. More information about our data collection will be published in the background information o…

14 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people (a) applied for and (b) received the Self-Isolation Support Grant in October 2020, broken down by gender.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Management Information on the number of applications and awards for Self-Isolation Support Grant are available at: Scottish Welfare Fund, Self-Isolation Support Grant and Discretionary Housing Payments: monthly data - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) The Scottish G…

14 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to prioritise frontline essential retail workers as part of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: To save lives it is essential that vaccination be given to the first priority groups as set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), these being residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, people over the age of 80, and f…

13 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether dog walking businesses are allowed to operate under the current COVID-19 restrictions.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: Professional dog walkers may continue to carry out their business under the current Covid-19 restrictions. The Scottish Government issued Guidance for Animal Owners on 11 January 2021 which permits this to take place within the requirements of the guidance o…

11 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action Police Scotland is taking under the most recent COVID-19 restrictions to ensure that only essential travel by car takes place.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Other than the most essential journeys, people should not be travelling by car between Scotland and other parts of the UK or between local authority areas. While operational matters are for the Chief Constable, Police Scotland have been clear that they will c…

11 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what priority will be given to foster carers in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Those who are entitled to a vaccine will be contacted by their Health Board letting them know where they will receive the vaccine and how to book their appointment. We are adhering to the priority list devised by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunis…

8 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32645 by Jeane Freeman on 12 November 2020, whether it will provide an update on its consultation on the implementation of proposed guidance on the provision of short-term mobility aids; when it expects this consultation to conclude, if it has not a…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Officials have now updated the draft guidance to address concerns raised, and plan to carry out a short consultation in February 2021. It is expected that the consultation will last for approximately three weeks, and following collation and analysis of the re…

8 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether members of the public will be able to pay for a COVID-19 vaccine to be administered in a pharmacy similar to the way in which a member of the public may pay for a flu vaccine to be administered in a pharmacy.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Those who are entitled to a vaccine will be contacted by their Health Board letting them know where they will receive the vaccine and how to book their appointment. NHS Scotland is contacting eligible people by phone or letter to arrange COVID vaccination, w…

8 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether pharmacies will be involved in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Yes, Community Pharmacists and members of the pharmacy team can be involved in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine. The community pharmacy network across Scotland continue to play a key role in the NHS response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is vital that…

7 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to provide alternative methods of protection from COVID-19, other than a needle vaccination, for individuals with severe and complex learning disabilities who are unable to receive injections.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Individuals that require adjustments in order to receive vaccinations should contact their Health board and GP, so that specialists who are aware of their specific needs may make adjustments best suited to the patient. Appointments may be moved to a clinic if…

7 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32250 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 October 2020, whether it will publish the modelling used to calculate the figure of upwards of £11 million for the remainder of this financial year.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The modelling for this figure uses Scottish Government pandemic forecasts alongside data on the number of people receiving Universal Credit, and the contacts per case data published by Public Health Scotland. Due to the high degree of uncertainty and sensitiv…

7 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32250 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 21 October 2020, how many people it estimates are eligible to receive the Self-Isolation Support Grant should they need to self-isolate.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We estimate around 44,700 people would be eligible for the Self-Isolation Support Grant, should they be asked to isolate. This estimate reflects those that are 'in work' in receipt of universal credit, adjusted for those we anticipate will not be able to work…

7 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the number of grants applied for and claimed broken down by local authority for future publications of Self-Isolation Support Grant data.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We will publish management information on the Self-Isolation Support Grant (SISG) broken down by local authority as part of our quarterly Scottish Welfare Fund publication. The next publication will be on 26 January and will include the number of SISG applica…

7 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish data for November and December 2020 Self-Isolation Support Grant applications and claims.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The latest management information on the Self-Isolation Support Grant including figures for November was published on 12 January. We are currently collecting information about December which will be published on 9 February 2021.

6 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether state aid limits will apply to (a) recent and (b) future grants awarded to businesses under its Strategic Framework Business Fund in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Strategic Framework Business Fund awards issued up to 31 December 2020 were subject to EU State aid regulations. As of 1 January 2021 any grants considered to be a subsidy will need to be complaint with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

5 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many and (b) what percentage of (i) care home residents, (ii) care home staff, (iii) NHS staff, (iv) social care staff and (v) people over 80 have been given a COVID-19 vaccination each week.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: As of 23 December Public Health Scotland are publishing weekly vaccination statistics on their website. As further vaccination data becomes available, PHS will consider expanding their reporting in line with this.

5 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has encouraged former NHS staff that can give COVID-19 vaccinations to return to the workforce and, if so, how many have been recruited.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has welcomed support from former NHS staff who have offered to assist in the delivery of the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme. Individuals can offer their support at: Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance on offering support - gov.scot (www.…

5 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many registered COVID-19 vaccinators there are in each NHS board area.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Registered Vaccinators (Headcount), Vaccination Management Tool (VMT) Health Board 22-Jan-21 NHS Ayrshire and Arran 237 NHS Borders 189 NHS Dumfries and Galloway 412 NHS Education for Scotland 2 NHS Fife 206 NHS Forth Valley 372 NHS Grampian …

5 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) GPs, (b) dentists, (c) nurses and (d) other health professionals can give COVID-19 vaccinations.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We have written to Health Boards asking that they secure a daily workforce of c. 1,700 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) vaccinators and c.970 support staff, with a view to delivering 400,000 doses per week by the end of February. Publication of the National Proto…

5 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether people employed in (a) pharmacy and (b) grocery and food retailing will be deemed key workers, allowing them to access education and childcare services while schools are closed.

Answer · John Swinney: The key worker definitions agreed with local government and published on 6 January 2021 for the current, exceptional provision of in-school learning and childcare for children of key workers, includes all health and care staff and workers without whom there w…