Jackie Baillie

16 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-27952 by Jeane Freeman on 15 April 2020, when sampling of COVID-19 started.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Health Protection Scotland are conducting surveillance swab testing in the community for individuals with mild to moderate symptoms. Testing commenced on 27 April and results are available a week later by HPS report for internal planning and surveillance purp…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many ventilators there will be per million people to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak at full capacity; how this compares with the number of such equipment (a) on 1 January 2020, (b) when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed and (c) on 13 April 2020, and what information it has r…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS Scotland has more than trebled its adult ICU capacity from a base of 173 beds to a surge capacity of 585 and, further, Health Boards are preparing to quadruple the base ICU capacity, bringing the total number of adult beds to over 700. To deliver that in…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government in what areas it has diverged from the UK Government in the provision of business relief for responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, and for what reason.

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has always been explicit that we are passing on every penny of the UK Government’s consequential funding that has come for business support to Scotland. We have delivered a package of financial support to help as many businesses as pos…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much in Barnett consequentials it has allocated to each ministerial portfolio to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Decisions on allocations of COVID-19 consequential funding are ongoing. Scottish Ministers plan to publish a Summer Budget Revision at the end of May for consideration by the Scottish Parliament before summer recess. The Budget Revision will detail all fundin…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses there are per 10,000 people, and what information it has regarding how this compares with (a) England and (b) Wales.

Answer · Kate Forbes: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28392 on 13 May 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/2…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which laboratories are being used for COVID-19 testing, and whether it can increase capacity for this by using existing facilities in universities and industry.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: NHS labs are operating in all 14 health board areas and additional capacity is provided by the University of Edinburgh, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, the University of Aberdeen and, as part of the UK Expanded Testing programme, the Glasgow …

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the guidance issued to NHS boards allows for laundry to be done on site where in-house laundry facilities exist.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28349 on 20 May 2020. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS staff can use in-house laundry facilities to wash uniforms to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Contaminated uniforms are always washed in NHS laundry facilities and there should be no exception to this. NHS laundry facilities can be used to launder non-contaminated uniforms, where available. Where staff have access to NHS laundry facilities this is als…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many ventilators it has ordered in response to the COVID-19 outbreak; (a) from where and (b) on what dates the orders were placed, and when the equipment is expected to arrive.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28268 on 4 May 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/288…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of its resources it has used to supplement relief for businesses beyond the support provided by the UK Government, broken down by the (a) measures supported and (b) level of funding provided.

Answer · Kate Forbes: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28357 on 12 May 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) NHS staff, (b) social care staff, (c) NHS patients and (d) families of health and social care staff were tested for COVID-19 by (i) 30 March, (ii) 6 April and (iii) 13 April 2020.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: This data is not available. Public Health Scotland started receiving data according to type of worker from 16 April 2020 and the data collection does not separate staff from their family members. The COVID-19 data and trend charts for Scotland are published …

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are employed in the (a) NHS and (b) social care sector.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The latest published data on the NHS workforce shows that as at 31 December 2019, 142,471.4 Whole Time Equivalent people were employed in the NHS workforce in Scotland. Full details can be found at: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/NES-Pub…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many intensive care beds there will be per million people to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak at full capacity; how this compares with the number of such beds (a) on 1 January 2020, (b) when the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed and (c) on 13 April 2020, and what information it ha…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28361 on 19 May 2020. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many tests for COVID-19 have been carried out each day, and when testing started.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Live COVID-19 testing started on 10 February 2020. The number of people tested and results that were positive or negative are reported daily as part of the COVID-19 data and trend charts for Scotland from 2 March 2020. The figures for the number of people te…

14 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it has allocated the Barnett consequentials that it has received for business relief, broken down by the (a) amount received for each initiative, (b) purpose of each grant and (c) number of businesses supported.

Answer · Kate Forbes: a) To date the consequentials in respect of UK Government COVID-19 business support measures total £2,313 million and the estimated cost of the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 business support measures totals £2,341 million, which includes the doubling of the …

3 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to reduce the reportedly increased number of people roaming through livestock farms during the COVID-19 outbreak, and whether it will consider temporarily revoking the right to roam, particularly during lambing season.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is in regular dialogue with key stakeholders to understand the impact of reported increases in people exercising their access rights during the Covid-19 pandemic and to develop an agreed position. Officials have engaged and consulted w…

31 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has, beyond statutory sick pay, to provide financial support for people working in care and residential homes who need to self-isolate.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Jointly with COSLA, I have agreed there will be no delay for adult social care support workers receiving at least the new Real Living Wage rate of £9.30 an hour for all hours worked, including sleep-overs and hours worked by personal assistants. This is payab…

30 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with energy companies regarding reducing tariffs during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is in regular dialogue with Energy UK and individual energy companies to understand the impact of the Covid 19 on their operations and on energy consumers. There has been ministerial and official engagement with suppliers and Ofgem fo…

30 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the data regarding people who have (a) tested positive for and (b) died from COVID-19 is available, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The number of laboratory confirmed positive tests of COVID-19 by Local Authority area and the total number of deaths are published daily: https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/658feae0ab1d432f9fdb53aa082e4130 The total number of people who h…

30 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with supermarkets regarding prioritising older and vulnerable people for deliveries during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · John Swinney: We have been engaged in detailed discussions with supermarkets since the end of March about prioritising deliveries during the COVID-19 outbreak, to support all those at the highest clinical risk from COVID-19 to self-isolate, or ‘shield’. People at the highe…

27 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the take-up of childcare has been in response to the COVID-19 outbreak by each type of key worker, broken down by industry sector.

Answer · John Swinney: The level of detail requested is not held centrally. The data that has been provided by local authority indicates that around 1% of the relevant school and early year’s population have been attending local authority hubs since schools were asked to close.  

27 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide personal protective equipment for funeral directors in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government understands the importance of protecting the funeral sector from the risk of infectious transmission of COVID-19 via contact with the deceased. We advise that, taking account of the latest evidence­ based health guidance, organisation…

26 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether sawmills are classed as an "essential business" during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Sawmills are a key part of the timber supply chain which supports ‘essential businesses’. Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors define those facilities, systems, sites and networks necessary for the functioning of the country and the delivery of the …

26 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with universities to ensure that students are not required to pay student fees for accommodation that they are unable to stay in due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish Government officials are in regular discussion with providers of student accommodation and their networks to work together to support students and to find solutions to issues as they emerge. At the end of March, I wrote to all college and university…

26 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the streamlining of the vaccine development process during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The development of a new vaccine for COVID-19 is an urgent international challenge. The Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office has regular contact with equivalents in the other UK health departments as part of UK wide coordination of COVID-19-related rese…

26 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what ethical guidelines it will put in place for the rationing of medical equipment during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: There are no plans to ration medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Every effort is being made to ensure that the capability and capacity needed are put in place.

26 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its exit strategy is from the current state of lockdown that is in place in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Coronavirus (Covid-19): framework for decision making was published on 23 April 2020 and outlines the approach and principles that will guide decision making about transitioning out of the current lockdown arrangements. The framework can be accessed here: h…

26 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the World Health Organization's anti-viral testing programme, Solidarity.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Scottish sites are actively enrolling patients into trials of drugs to treat COVID-19, principally through the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVID Therapy) Trial. As part of international efforts to co-ordinate and accelerate COVID-19 research, data betw…

26 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that students who have a lack of access to patients receive adequate training to become junior doctors while this is being fast-tracked in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government welcomes the collaborative efforts of Scotland’s medical schools, Health Boards, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and the General Medical Council, to make it possible for all final year medical students to graduate earlier than usual a…

26 Mar 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is aiming to reduce baseline demand for non-COVID-19 hospital admissions.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: To reduce demand on acute hospitals we are working with Health Boards and partners to scale back non-urgent elective procedures and reduce the number of patients delayed in hospital waiting on their next stage of care. We are encouraging the public to access…