Alison Johnstone

18 Mar 2021 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.

4 Mar 2021 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.

3 Mar 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on working towards making Scotland the world's first rewilding nation.

1 Mar 2021 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the detection of the so-called Brazilian variant of COVID-19 in Scotland.

25 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data it is collecting regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the mental health of BAME people.

Answer · Clare Haughey: Data on the mental health of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people in Scotland is collected in the Scottish COVID-19 Mental Health Tracker Study. This surveys a representative sample of adults in Scotland about a range of mental health and wellbeing …

24 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to reports that the mental health of BAME men has been the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Clare Haughey: We know that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on many people’s mental health. However, we recognise that the pandemic has had a more adverse impact on the mental health of some groups of the population, including BAME communities. That is why …

24 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is being provided to English language schools that have had to close as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Kate Forbes: We recognise the financial challenges that English Language Schools are experiencing as a result of restrictions introduced to control the spread of COVID-19. The limited funding made available to the Scottish Government by the UK Government prevents us from …

24 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether people living with HIV will be able to access the COVID-19 vaccine through their HIV clinic, as is the case in England and Wales.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: On 22 February, I announced that people with underlying health conditions and unpaid carers are beginning to receive coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations. The first to be invited will be people who have conditions which are included on both the JCVI priority …

24 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it engages with people who have lived experienced of long-term COVID-19 symptoms when devising support for people with long-COVID.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We are working with people living with Long COVID, third sector organisations, NHS Boards and the wider clinical community in Scotland to deepen our understanding of the symptoms and impact of Long COVID to help us continue to tailor the diagnosis and the sup…

18 Feb 2021 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.

15 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being provided to student social workers who are unable to obtain placements and whose qualification might be delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Students studying a course of Higher Education (HE) who require to repeat a full year of study are able to access an additional year of funding known as a ‘+1’. Care Experienced students studying in HE are able to access two additional years of funding. HE st…

7 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what COVID-19-related business support is available to cattery and kennel businesses, in light of reports that some have been advised that their business does not fall into a category where such support is available.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We recognise the economic impact that the necessary restrictions are having on businesses of all kinds across Scotland. Through the £30 million Discretionary Fund we are empowering local authorities to support businesses and self-employed people in their area…

7 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to businesses that are not required to close by the COVID-19 restrictions but are experiencing financial difficulties because of the impact of the pandemic and the restrictions that are in place elsewhere on the amount of business that they can carry out.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Strategic Framework details funding available for businesses that can remain open but are specifically required to modify operations by law, for example having to close earlier than normal. These Business Restrictions Grants are payable very four weeks an…

3 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many incidents involving snaring have been reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in Scotland in each calendar year since 2017, also broken down by how many subsequent (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there were.

Answer · James Wolffe QC: On receipt of a case from a reporting agency, the Procurator Fiscal will decide what action may be taken in the public interest with reference to the published Prosecution Code. Prosecutorial action may only be taken where there is sufficient evidence in law.…

1 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that (a) people on low incomes, (b) older people and (c) vulnerable people are supported to (i) acquire, (ii) install and (iii) maintain in working order the smoke and heat alarm equipment specified in the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 (Tolerable Standard) (Exten…

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The Scottish Government has provided information on its website and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) have been providing information and leaflets during their Home Fire Safety Visits (HFSVs) on the types of alarms that will meet the required standa…

23 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people in each NHS board area have been provided with hotel accommodation in which to self-isolate since 23 March 2020.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is working closely with COSLA and Public Health Scotland to provide help to people who may need additional support to self-isolate, including the provision of accommodation, where it is needed. ? The pathway to accessing this support …

16 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that dentists who commenced their vocational training year in August 2019 are facing a reduction in pay of 50% due to insufficient COVID-19 top-up payments.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33178 on 25 November 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/parliamentarybusine…

12 Nov 2020 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in the Chamber.

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that positive COVID-19 test results reach contact-tracing teams immediately.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Test results from NHS Scotland laboratories feed directly through to the Electronic Communication of Surveillance in Scotland (ECOSS) system from which data is polled by NHS NSS throughout the day and passed into the contact tracing service’s Case Management …

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that positive COVID-19 test results reach relevant health professionals, such as general practitioners, promptly.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: A significant amount of work has been done to ensure all results both positive and negative are digitally transferred to the GP record. This applies to both NHS and lighthouse labs.

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of international evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to COVID-19 severity, whether it will fund the provision of vitamin D supplements for all people in Scotland.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has no plans to fund universal supplementation of vitamin D. In June this year, the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), published the outcome of their …

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what studies it (a) has undertaken and (b) is undertaking on vitamin D blood levels.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer to the member to the answer to question S5W-33173 on 2 December 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/parliamentarybusi…

11 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of international evidence linking vitamin D deficiency to COVID-19 severity, what studies it (a) has undertaken and (b) is undertaking to monitor the effect of vitamin D levels on COVID-19 severity.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has not and is not currently undertaking any research studies relating to vitamin D and Covid-19. Recent open calls inviting research proposals on Covid-19 generated significant interest however none of the studies involved vitamin D. …

4 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on the rural economy of wildlife crime linked to grouse moor management.

4 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the NHS Scotland sustainability strategy will be published.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The publication of the NHS Scotland Sustainability Strategy has been delayed due to COVID priorities. The new date of the publication has not been agreed and it will be reviewed once the position with the pandemic clarifies.

2 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been made for a Self-Isolation Support Grant since the scheme's launch; how many of these have been successful, and what the average length of time has been between application and receipt of a grant.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are currently collecting information on Self-Isolation Support Grant uptake from local authorities and we will publish summary information on the first month of the scheme in December.

2 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has plans to discourage the use of glyphosate.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government funds research into, and promotes, the adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which aims to help land managers in all sectors reduce their reliance on the use of pesticides, including those containing glyphosate. IPM is a site s…

2 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data it collects on the use of glyphosate.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Information on the use of pesticides, including herbicides containing glyphosate, on a range of agricultural and horticultural crops, is collected and published annually by the Scottish Government’s Pesticide Survey Unit. www.sasa.gov.uk/pesticides/pesticide…

2 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is reconsidering its position on the use of glyphosate, in light of recent bans on its use in Austria and Germany.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Both the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency’s Committee for Risk Assessment carried out detailed reviews of glyphosate and concluded that the available scientific evidence did not raise safety concerns that would prevent i…

29 Oct 2020 · First Minister's Question

Question to be taken in Chamber.