Pauline McNeill

30 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) evidence and (b) professional opinion informed its COVID-19 policy of not allowing music to be played in pubs and restaurants.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Factors such as background sound that may lead to raised voices or cause people to lean-in close to others to be heard are a risk factor in the transmission of coronavirus. This is recognised by a wide body of publicly available scientific evidence in relatio…

28 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the waiting list is for access to be seen by a (a) psychologist, (b) psychiatrist and (c) mental health professional.

Answer · Clare Haughey: Public Health Scotland do not currently hold waiting times data for mental health services by individual clinical specialty (i.e. psychologist, psychiatrist, mental health professional). Public Health Scotland do hold aggregate information on Waiting Times fo…

28 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what waiting time targets there are for crisis interventions in mental health.

Answer · Clare Haughey: There are no waiting times targets for crisis interventions because all mental health emergencies should be dealt with immediately. Health Boards will have different methods of responding to crisis situations through a number of different channels such as Me…

28 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what specific mental health services provision there is for adolescents.

Answer · Clare Haughey: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) continue to support children and young people in need of specialist mental health support, although there will be adjustments in how that is delivered to accommodate coronavirus restrictions. We have also a…

24 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how young people can access its job guarantee scheme.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government welcomed the report Youth Guarantee - No-one Left Behind written by Sandy Begbie. The report set out a number of recommendations and actions on how an employer-led Young Person’s Guarantee could be taken forward. Work is ongoing with …

24 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its jobs guarantee scheme will work in Glasgow; what types of jobs will be available; what pay will be offered, and for how long the jobs will be guaranteed.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government will allocate £30m of our investment in the Young Person’s Guarantee in 2020/21 to local authorities. This will support them to deliver a range of interventions to enhance employability support to young people and to employers. This wi…

23 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there will be increased enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions to stop house parties, in light of them reportedly contributing to the spread of the virus.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The enforcement of the Coronavirus Regulations is a matter for the Chief Constable and Police Scotland. Police Scotland have indicated that, to date, the vast majority of people are, as we would expect, complying with the regulations. In Police Scotland’s ap…

22 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers it safe for teachers who were previously shielding to now work in classrooms and, if so, for what reason.

Answer · John Swinney: Our guidance on preparing for the start of new school term in August 2020 ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-preparing-start-new-school-term-august-2020-version-2/pages/2/ ) aims to support a safe return to school for all chil…

22 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to the balance between public heath regarding the spread of COVID-19 and the mental health implications of further lockdown restrictions.

Answer · Clare Haughey: We are aware that the tightening of restrictions announced by the First Minister on 22 September may cause additional concerns and in some cases heightened emotional distress. However the Scottish Government is committed to both taking appropriate action to c…

22 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve visiting rights to residential care facilities, in light of the mental health impact on residents who are unable to see their family.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Visiting is a fundamental part of the health and wellbeing of those who live in care homes, and I recognise how incredibly hard it has been for residents and their families not to have regular face to face contact. The visiting guidance has been developed wi…

14 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of a rise in mental health problems among young people since the start of COVID-19 outbreak; what analysis is has carried out of this, and what action it is taking to alleviate the issue.

Answer · Clare Haughey: We recognise the importance of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, even more so during the Covid-19 outbreak. That is why we want to make sure anyone who needs support can get access to support which is appropriate to their needs. Our Pr…

11 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will confirm who will be eligible to receive funds arising as a consequence of the UK Government's remediation cladding funding, for which it has received consequential funds.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is very conscious that homeowners affected by cladding issues following the terrible events at Grenfell tower are facing difficulties through no fault of their own. As I made clear to Members at the Local Government and Communities Co…

11 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to take to engage with homeowners faced with costs arising from the need to replace dangerous cladding on their properties.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is very conscious that homeowners affected by cladding issues following the terrible events at Grenfell tower are facing difficulties through no fault of their own. On 30 March 2020, Scottish Ministers agreed to set up a Technical Wor…

11 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funds will be made available to homeowners who now have an obligation to replace dangerous cladding on their properties.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is very conscious that homeowners affected by cladding issues following the terrible events at Grenfell tower are facing difficulties through no fault of their own. We have been working with industry and others to tackle buildings whe…

7 Sep 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister for what reason the Scottish Government is delaying the ban on placing homeless households into unsuitable accommodation, which it announced in May 2020.

19 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the COVID-19 restrictions have had on the night-time economy.

12 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when housing association offices will reopen.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: It is up to individual housing associations to make decisions on the re-opening of their offices, considering local circumstances, which services are essential, the number of staff required to perform essential tasks, and how they can be provided in line with…

10 Aug 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports of an increased number of evictions predicted for this autumn.

9 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with the SQA regarding the 2020 exam modelling system.

Answer · John Swinney: I asked the SQA to develop an alternative approach to certification in the absence of the 2020 exam diet. I was briefed on the alternative certification model in May and June, when SQA published their outline approach, and I was informed of the moderation out…

9 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list any concerns that it has raised with the SQA regarding the 2020 exam system.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government had regular discussions with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) with regards to the awarding of results in 2020. I asked the SQA to develop an alternative approach to certification in the absence of the 2020 exam diet and SQA …

9 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the SQA was aware that the 2020 exam modelling system would result in lower grading of students from certain postcode areas.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Qualifications Authority results as announced on 4 August produced higher increases in the pass rates amongst young people from deprived backgrounds than from any other group and showed that the size of the gap between the most and least disadvan…

9 Jun 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to provide targeted support to 16- to 24-year-olds who have been shielding during the COVID-19 lockdown to help them gain employment.

4 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with energy companies to help alleviate any fuel poverty that has been caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government is engaging regularly with Energy UK and Ofgem to ensure that the needs of fuel poor households are considered. We are also engaging with individual suppliers to discuss how they are supporting their customers. I last spoke to Energy U…

4 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which phase of the COVID-19 lockdown transition plan will allow community centres to reopen and function.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Government published online guidance for community and public services including community facilities on 8 June 2020, and will continue to keep this guidance under regular review: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-what-you-c…

3 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what capacity there is for 90-minute COVID-19 testing.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our policy around point of care testing is currently in development and a plan to explore this in further detail is being developed.

3 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government at what stage in the easing of lockdown restrictions physiotherapists will be able to return to work.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government recognises the important role that Physiotherapists play in maintaining the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland and while progress out of the crisis has not be as quick as any of us would have wished for, we must move forwar…

1 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what public health initiatives it plans to promote the importance of maintaining good physical and mental health during the various stages of the COVID-19 lockdown process.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We are working collaboratively with partners across the physical activity sector to ensure that we are best able to support people to keep physically active during the Covid-19 outbreak and as restrictions continue to be lifted. sport scotland in partnership…

1 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to help (a) people who have lost employment and (b) young people who have missed out on job opportunities because they have had to shield from COVID-19.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government announced £33 million in 2020-21 budget to support people back to work as we gradually restart the economy. This Government has a strong track record of tackling youth unemployment through our internationally recognised Youth Employme…

21 May 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much extra money it has put into the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) fund since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: On 20 May the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning announced in the Scottish Parliament an increase to the amount made available for other DHPs - those that are available outside of our full mitigation of the bedroom tax - by a further £5 milli…

21 May 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has extended the eligibility criteria for the Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) fund, in light of the COVID-19 crisis.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The power of the Scottish Ministers to make provision in relation to Discretionary Housing Payments is restricted by schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998. As a result, the Scottish Ministers have no power to extend eligibility for Discretionary Housing Payment…