Sarah Boyack

1 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments regarding care staff by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport during the ministerial statement on care homes on 1 September 2020 (Official Report, c. 64), what its position is on the level of pay across the social care sector, and whether it will abolish the…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Since 2016 we have had a joint policy with COSLA to ensure that all adult social care workers are paid at least the real living wage in the context of a system that is currently delivered by private, third sector and public employers. We also have a long-stan…

31 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the modelling system that it has used to determine its testing programme; how many tests it estimates need to be undertaken to keep key workers in post; how it expects testing to be accessed; when all testing will be delivered locally; what the anticipated waiting…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Governments approach to modelling COVID-19 testing draws together a number of data sources, and is reflected in the our current Testing Strategy. We continue to work closely with colleagues across the NHS to further understand testing demand from…

26 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to empower local authorities to make decisions that will strengthen their communities as they move on following the COVID-19 pandemic.

17 Aug 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government is providing for the arts sector, in light of reported concerns regarding the impact of the lockdown on the sector and loss of jobs.

12 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what conditions it has set through its financial support for bus operators to keep services viable through the pandemic and as Scotland comes out of lockdown.

31 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what methods it is using to monitor nutritional standards in the provision of holiday meals for children.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has given local authorities the flexibility to co-ordinate food provision to families eligible for free school meals, during the school summer holidays, in any manner which they feel best meets the local needs and circumstances of all …

31 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the nutritional guidelines for food served in care homes.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Care Inspectorate have produced Eating and Drinking Well in Care: good practice guidance for older people, published 2018. This collaborative resource provides information on older peoples dietary needs and related food and fluid requirements, referring t…

31 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the results of any nutritional monitoring that it has carried out of food packages given to children during the summer holidays.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-31038 on 13 August 2020. The Scottish Government has given local authorities the flexibility to co-ordinate food provision to families eligible for free school meals, during the school summer holidays, in any m…

31 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide the results of any monitoring of nutritional requirements at care homes.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Care Inspectorate is responsible for the inspection and regulation of care homes in Scotland. In 2018 and 2019, the Care Inspectorate published quality frameworks for care homes for older people and care homes for adults. The provision of food and drink t…

30 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish guidance regarding restarting day care services and support for older people who have been isolated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The guidance to support the safe re-opening and delivery of building-based day services for adults was published on the 31 August on the Scottish Government website at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-adult-social-care-buil…

21 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish details of the work that it is doing to support research into (a) a vaccine for and (b) the treatment and management of COVID-19.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Details about the research projects funded from the rapid research in COVID-19 call issued by the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office (CSO), which include a project relating to COVID-19 vaccine development and projects relating to the treatment and m…

21 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reporting cases of COVID-19 by postcode, and not by region.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring information on the Covid-19 epidemic in Scotland is available to the public. Information cannot be released if it is potentially disclosive – that is, if there is a risk that individuals could be identified. Th…

10 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the response by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 9 July 2020 to questions regarding local government finance (Official Report, c. 49), when it will announce whether it will change primary legislation so that local authorities will not be required to produce balanced budge…

Answer · Kate Forbes: In partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Government is continuing to consider every option to ensure that local authorities have the financial support and financial flexibility to produce balanced budgets in 2020-21. The Scottish Government have requested urg…

10 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the response by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 9 July 2020 to questions regarding local government finance (Official Report, c. 49), when it will announce whether it will pass on to local authorities the consequentials from the UK Government’s announcement of £500 milli…

Answer · Kate Forbes: The Scottish Government has committed to making consequentials available to support the response to Covid-19 across public services, including local government. The Scottish Government is currently in discussions with COSLA regarding the additional consequen…

30 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the communities secretary’s statement that food provision should be delivered on a whole household, cash first principle, whether it will provide details of any guidance and support that it has provided to local authorities on the quality and value for money of either food o…

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has provided local authorities with a further £27.6 million to help support vulnerable households. This funding is made up of £12.6 million to continue the provision of food to families eligible for free school meals during the course …

30 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the communities secretary’s statement that the provision of funding for food over the school holidays represents an opportunity for it to learn about what is working, what it could do more of and how it might link policies with others, what work is being carried out with loc…

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Local authorities and third sector organisations have shown leadership in coordinating responses to food insecurity throughout the pandemic with support from The Scottish Government’s Food Fund. The additional £27.6 million announced for the summer holidays s…

30 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the financial sources of the £27.5 million of recently announced funding to provide food to children over the summer holidays.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: In addition to our original £70m Food Fund, on 16th June The Scottish Government announced £27.6 million in funding to local authorities to support those at-risk over the summer months. Importantly, £12.6m of this funding will enable the continuation of free…

30 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of how the £110 million of funding for food security since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic has been allocated.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: In addition to our original £70m Food Fund announced in March, we have now committed to supporting local authorities with a further £27.6 million over the summer months, and are providing a further £15m for an extension of the shielding programme. The Suppor…

23 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it believes the scientific basis and efficacy to be of the "five-mile" rule in its pandemic guidance, and for what reason it believes that five miles is more likely to restrict the spread of the virus than, for example, 20 miles.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government removed the five mile restriction on Friday 3 July 2020. The five mile restriction was imposed to ensure that everyone stayed within their local area. This allowed us to contain transmission and suppress the virus.

18 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the guidelines are for visiting terminally-ill care home residents during the COVID-19 outbreak, and whether they have any flexibility to allow families to visit patients who are undergoing extended end of life care.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The National Clinical and Practice Guidance for Adult Care Homes in Scotland during the COVID-19 pandemic was first published on 13 March and recently updated on the 15 th May. This guidance states that only essential visits should be permitted. Essential vi…

18 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of death rates from COVID-19 being lower in many countries with a predominantly Asian or Black population, what information it has on the reasons why (a) Bangladeshi and (b) other BAME people are reportedly more at risk of dying from COVID-19 in the UK; what its position is on …

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is deeply concerned by reports from England and Wales suggesting that minority ethnic communities are disproportionally affected by COVID-19. To ensure we better understand the risks and impacts of Covid-19 on ethnic minority communit…

17 Jun 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the Food Fund is sufficient to support groups most in need over the summer, including families with children who are eligible for free school meals.

11 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether zoos and other attractions will be eligible for bridging support following the reopening of the tourism sector to mitigate for the loss of income during the COVID-19 lockdown, and whether it will confirm when all such facilities will be able to reopen to the public.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: On 10 June the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism gave an indicative re-opening date for tourism of 15 July. The First Minister Announced on 18 June that zoos and gardens may re-open to the public, for local visitors only, from 29 June. On 18 Ju…

11 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the owners of (a) Edinburgh and (b) Five Sisters Zoo regarding the (i) impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the zoo’s operations and finances and (ii) requirements of the zoo ahead of reopening to the public.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Officials have been in close contact with senior staff at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland throughout the pandemic and have made direct contact with all Scottish zoos on several occasions. Data on the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown was gathered via a…

10 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, to help boost their local economies and further develop civic pride, what action it will take to encourage people to support their local hospitality providers, tourism sites and cultural attractions in the coming months as the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions are relaxed.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: VisitScotland will launch a domestic marketing campaign, specifically aimed at driving local tourism and encouraging people to undertake activities and see the sights in their local area once tourism can safely reopen for business. Our date for reopening will…

10 Jun 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the promotion of local and day-trip tourism in its work as part of its domestic visitor marketing campaign.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government recognises the vital role domestic tourism will play in the recovery of the sector. To support this, an indicative reopening date of 15 July was announced in Parliament on 10 June. VisitScotland, as the national tourism agency, will be…

10 Jun 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the issues raised by the global Black Lives Matter protests, what steps it is taking to acknowledge and counter Scotland’s historic role in slavery and promote the contribution that can be made through its international development work with Commonwealth countries.

8 Jun 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what concerns the Scottish Government has regarding the availability of food for children and low-income families during the summer months, in light of the reported rise in food poverty caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

20 May 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local authorities to maintain any increased services resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak.

8 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when NHS Lothian will receive confirmation that its COVID-19 plans will be funded.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: All NHS Boards have had confirmation that they will receive additional funding to support their Covid-19 plans, with NHS Lothian having already received £7.5 million to cover initial costs. The Scottish Government will continue its close engagement with all B…