Stuart McMillan

2 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to (a) local authorities and (b) primary schools regarding children's transitions from early learning and childcare to primary school (i) generally and (ii) in relation to parents and carers attending their child's P1 induction days.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Coronavirus (COVID-19): early learning and childcare (ELC) services was updated on 21 May to include a new section with guidance on transitions to primary school . This guidance is aimed at ELC settings and local authorities. Similar guidance has also…

1 Jun 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with (a) COSLA and (b) teaching unions regarding temporary teaching positions.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The recruitment and deployment of teachers in local authority schools are matters for individual local authorities. Whilst local authorities are responsible for the recruitment and deployment of their staff, we are firmly of the view that we will need all p…

18 May 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing COVID-19 vaccinations to UK seafarers, such as cruise ship employees, using Scottish ports while working in UK waters.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of workers, other than frontline health and social care workers. We are inviting those of working age in all sectors for vaccination, in line with advice on clinical risk of severe disease and hospitalisation. T…

22 Mar 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how many unpaid carers have been vaccinated to date.

2 Mar 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been given to hospitality and tourism businesses in Inverclyde.

24 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Inverclyde Council and what was discussed.

22 Feb 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how much the Tenant Hardship Loan Fund has paid out to date to support tenants who are struggling with rent arrears.

17 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Inverclyde HSCP regarding either a replacement for, or investment in, Port Glasgow Health Centre.

8 Feb 2021 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the financial support for childminders that it announced on 21 January 2021.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Deputy First Minister announced a £1m Childminding Business Sustainability Fund on the 21 January. Since then we have worked closely with stakeholders, including the Scottish Childminding Association and the Unite the Union Childminding Branch, to discuss…

25 Jan 2021 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what consideration the Scottish Government is giving to providing funding to small businesses that are classed as essential and have no access to sector-specific support, but whose profits have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the advice to the public to stay at home.

20 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on providing COVID-19 vaccinations to police officers before the wider roll-out to the general public.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government greatly value the work of Scotland’s police officers and staff in keeping communities safe throughout this pandemic, they have been at the frontline of this public health response and we are grateful for the work they have undertaken. …

11 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been invested in Inverclyde through the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund in each calendar year of the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Inverclyde Council has not received any allocations from the Vacant & Derelict Land Fund to date. Each year the fund is distributed to a maximum of five local authorities using a methodology that has already been agreed with COSLA and local government. It tak…

23 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available to people who are required to self-isolate but who are not eligible for the Self-Isolation Support Grant or Scottish Welfare Fund grants.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government introduced the £500 Self-Isolation Support Grant on 12 October 2020, to enable low income workers to self-isolate, when required to do so by Test and Protect. This helps to ensure they can self-isolate without suffering a financial los…

22 Dec 2020 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish its Heat in Buildings Strategy.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy was due to be published earlier this year but was delayed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will now be published in January 2021. The draft strategy will follow on from the update to the Climate Cha…

30 Nov 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how many people have been cautioned by Police Scotland for travelling between areas with higher and lower COVID-19 restriction levels since the current legislation was passed.

18 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assurances it can provide to students in Inverclyde that their exam results will be reflective of the work that they do in this academic year.

13 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether tighter COVID-19 measures will be put in place for the busier Christmas shopping period to ensure that supermarkets can protect their staff.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: There are well-established measures in place for supermarkets with many now standard operating practice. These include ensuring there is a two metre distance between customers; limiting the numbers of customers in stores at any one time; managing customer mov…

13 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with supermarkets regarding implementing current COVID-19 health and safety measures to protect staff.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has had regular dialogue with retailers on a range of issues throughout the COVID19 pandemic which has included both official and ministerial discussions. Dialogue has been a mixture of one to one and sector-wide discussions. Food Stan…

12 Nov 2020 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the coronavirus legislation in place.

Answer · Michael Russell: Amendments to the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions and Requirements) (Local Levels) (Scotland) Regulations 2020 have been laid before the Scottish Parliament today. These amendments come into force at 6 am on Friday 13 November to change the curr…

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the COVID-19 Test and Protect system has indicated hotspots or types of settings that people in Inverclyde have visited prior to testing positive for the virus.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Contacts are traced from information collected and made available to Test and Protect by Incident Management Teams. This allows Test and Protect to contact those who may have been exposed to the virus in a particular setting, and request them to take appropri…

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information has been provided by the COVID-19 Test and Protect system regarding the reported rise in positive cases and test positivity in Inverclyde.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Trend data by specimen date in Inverclyde can be viewed on the Public Health Scotland Dashboard at: https://public.tableau.com/profile/phs.covid.19#!/vizhome/COVID-19DailyDashboard_15960160643010/Overview

4 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in partnership with local authorities, landowners and tourism operators to prevent illegal dumping of waste in laybys.

16 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider allowing background music to be played in hospitality venues indoors when they reopen, but specifying a decibel level that should not be exceeded.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: An expert group will look again at the issue of safe low level background sound management with a view to developing guidance for the hospitality sector.  

7 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the most recent COVID-19 restrictions are based on NHS board area, rather than local authority area, in light of this approach resulting in Inverclyde being included in the strictest restrictions despite it having a lower infection rate than other areas that are not inclu…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The geographical extent of the current measures for the Central Belt of Scotland, which include Inverclyde, is based on clinical judgement, not only of incidence and prevalence, but also of the resilience and workload of public health teams. The Scottish Gove…

6 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Childminding Association's statement on 25 September 2020 that almost half of all professional childminding businesses in Scotland are on the edge of financial viability and require further financial support from the Scottish Government.

Answer · Maree Todd: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32221 on 29 October 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/parliamentarybusines…

28 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is providing to care homes to help increase indoor visiting, in light of the winter period approaching, when the weather will not make outdoor visiting possible for many residents and visitors.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I announced on 12 October 2020 that the guidance to support care homes with visiting had been updated. This guidance provides additional advice to help care homes better balance safety with the need for family and visitor contact and it also offers greater fl…

28 Sep 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what extra support the Scottish Government can provide to Police Scotland to assist with the additional pressures being placed on officers dealing with COVID-19 measures.

14 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on pregnant teachers working in schools after 28 weeks.

Answer · John Swinney: The SG has published detailed guidance on the safe return to school. This is designed to safeguard the wellbeing of children, young people and staff. Whilst it sets out general guidance for all those involved in schools settings, it also recognises the import…

14 Sep 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that the highest proportion of positive COVID-19 tests is among young adults.

1 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Inverclyde Council, Transport Scotland and Scottish Water regarding their plans to eliminate flooding in Inverclyde.