Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to protect immunosuppressed hospital patients from COVID-19.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The NHS Scotland has adopted the Infection Prevention and Control Guidance agreed by the four UK nations and published on the UK Government website. This has specific guidance about reducing the risk of transmission in hospital settings https://www.gov.uk/g…
26 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to care for vulnerable people who are self-isolating in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is working hard to support those that are vulnerable and self-isolating. We have set up a national phone line to ensure those who are at risk, and who have no other support available, can access help for their essential needs. The nati…
26 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to further "flatten the curve" during lockdown in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Given there is no vaccine or reliable treatment available, a series of social distancing measures have been introduced as these are the most effective way of delaying the spread of the virus, reducing the impact on health and social care services and therefor…
26 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the self-catering tourism sector has been excluded from grant assistance from the Business Support Fund that has been set up to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Kate Forbes: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-28076 on 15 April 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/…
25 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to ensure that every residential care home is provided with adequate personal protective equipment so that staff can continue to provide care to their vulnerable and at-risk residents.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The safety of our health and social care workforce is an absolute priority, and we are continuously looking to improve the distribution of the protective equipment that is so vital in the fight against COVID-19. All care home owners have a responsibility to m…
23 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what provision will be made for the delivery of free school meals when schools are closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · John Swinney: All children and young people who rely on free school meals will continue to receive them during this period. Free school meals are a vital measure for families, children and young people across the country, and the Scottish Government is very grateful for th…
23 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional resources will be provided by the Scottish Welfare Fund to local authorities, broken down by authority.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is providing an additional £45 million to local authorities for the provision of awards from the Scottish Welfare Fund. £22 million of that will be distributed immediately using the current SIMD model as set out in the following table.…
23 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it will provide to third sector organisations that experience a substantial decline in fundraising income due to the cancellation of large-scale income-generating events as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: On 18 March the Scottish Government announced that an additional £350 million would be made available to those most affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. As part of this a £20 million Third Sector Resilience fund has been established to provide sup…
23 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how its Food Fund will operate and who will be eligible to apply.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Of the £70 million Food Fund, £60 million will be directed at structured public sector responses. This includes the initial £30 million being made available to local authorities to support households who may experience barriers in accessing food and up to £30…
23 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what flexibilities will be applied to the eligibility criteria for applications to the Scottish Welfare Fund as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Welfare Funds (Scotland) Regulations 2016 allow for more than 3 awards in a rolling 12 month period where the local authority considers there are exceptional circumstances. We have written to local authorities to remind them of this, to make it clear that…
19 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that children with additional support needs continue to receive the support for learning that they need to enable them to continue to study while schools are closed.
Answer · John Swinney: One of our key priorities is to ensure that vulnerable children and young people continue to benefit from the learning, care and support that schools and nurseries provide for them. We have been working with local authorities to ensure they have plans in pla…
19 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that families receive any additional social care support they need to care for disabled children when they are unable to access the support they normally receive at school.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government issued guidance on 26 March that provides further information to support education authorities and schools in their considerations and plans in relation to vulnerable pupils, including those with complex additional support needs, whils…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with foodbanks regarding providing additional assistance to people affected by the current pandemic.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: In addition to introducing a £350m package of funding and coordinated support for individuals and communities affected by COVID-19, we are in frequent contact with key national stakeholders such as the Trussell Trust, the Independent Food Aid Network and Fare…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the current pandemic, whether it will waive the rule that the Scottish Welfare Fund can only make three crisis grant payments to an individual in any year.
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The regulations governing the Scottish Welfare Fund allow a local authority to make more than 3 payments to an individual in a 12 month period if it considers there are exceptional circumstances. We have written to practitioners in each local authority confir…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingency planning is in place should teaching or nursery staff contract COVID-19 and have to remain off work.
Answer · John Swinney: In response to the escalating COVID -19 outbreak, all schools and ELC premises closed on 20 March for an indefinite period with the exception of any critical provision to protect Key workers, and vulnerable children. Teaching staff Teaching, learning and su…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingency planning is in place should healthcare staff contract COVID-19 and have to remain off work.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is doing everything it can to ensure we have sufficient numbers of staff on the ground who are well supported in these challenging times. NHS Education for Scotland has created a new Health and Social Care Covid19 Accelerated Recruitm…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria will be used to determine whether schools should close due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · John Swinney: All schools were required to close on 20 March 2020, with the exception of any critical provision required to protect a number of key groups and interests. This decision was based on, firstly, scientific advice indicating that closing schools would help to su…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many intensive care beds there are in each NHS board area.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The international standard for an appropriate pandemic response is to double ICU capacity. NHS Scotland has more than trebled its adult ICU capacity, from a base of 173 beds to a surge capacity of 585. These beds will be brought into use as needs dictate, on…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there are reportedly no posters at points of entry to the country explaining the need for self-isolation as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Officials are in regular contact with all Scottish airports and sea-ports throughout COVID-19 outbreak. I can confirm that at the time this question was issued (16 March) all airports were displaying the latest posters as agreed with Public Health England an…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) business organisations, (b) local authorities and (c) the voluntary sector regarding measures to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I am, along with other Ministers and officials, holding regular and continuing discussions with business organisations, local authorities and the voluntary sector. This is ensuring that we have a comprehensive view of business concerns and where we can best s…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) banks, (b) energy companies and (c) local authorities regarding financial assistance for people in low-income households who are affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is working closely with the UK Government, a range of organisations and sectors to ensure that individuals facing financial difficulties as a consequence of the Covid-19 outbreak are supported. I announced on 18 March in Parliament tha…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingency plans there are for maternity services during the COVID-19 outbreak, and whether this includes planning for more home deliveries.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: All pregnant women will continue to receive high quality care from maternity professionals throughout the period when we are dealing with COVID-19. This is a fast moving situation and there are currently significant pressures on staffing across NHS Health Sco…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what additional welfare measures it plans to assist people affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government is making available £350 million of funding to support local government, the third sector, communities and people during this unprecedented public health emergency. This coherent, substantial package of funding and support will address…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason travellers were reportedly not tested for COVID-19 at points of entry to the country.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: In order to make best use of available testing capacity we have identified three priorities for testing, these are: to direct our testing capacity effectively to save lives and protect the vulnerable; to ensure that critical staff can return to work as soon a…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what contingency planning is in place if there is an insufficient number of hospital beds to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: As well as the planning and preparations that Health Boards are already making to increase their bed capacity, we are also working closely with independent healthcare providers in Scotland to identify whether there is additional capacity they can provide to s…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ordered additional hospital ventilation machines in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and, if so, (a) how many and (b) when are they expected to be available.
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/2887…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out of the number of people that might require hospitalisation as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, and how many people are likely to be affected.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has been modelling the impact for Scotland and updating this work as new epidemiological work and assumptions are provided by the UK Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) and the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modell…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is not testing everyone who has reported symptoms of COVID-19.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our priorities for testing are directing testing capacity to save lives and protect the vulnerable; ensuring that critical staff can return to work as soon as possible; and monitoring and reporting of the spread and prevalence of the virus in the population a…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what advice it has issued to people with pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, regarding protecting themselves from COVID-19.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The four UK nations’ Chief Medical Officers have identified six categories of people at highest risk of severe illness from COVID-19 which includes people with severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis. These people are being advised to follow sh…
16 Mar 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which GP surgeries will test people for the extension of testing for COVID-19 that was announced on 15 March 2020.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Community testing part of the enhanced surveillance is being adjusted to work with the new community pathway – community hubs and community assessment centres. Surveillance testing will now either be carried out at home or at the community hubs rather tha…