Joan McAlpine

2 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in meeting its climate change targets and, to help achieve this, what support it has made available to reduce emissions on farms and crofts.

19 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will fully implement the recommendations of the Cumberlege review regarding children damaged by sodium valproate and, if so, what the timescale will be.

12 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the justice secretary has received a response from the UK Government to his calls for an urgent four nation ministerial meeting on fisheries and maritime security.

5 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to tackle climate change.

3 Jul 2020 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will further support performing arts venues in Scotland that have been seriously affected by COVID-19.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government today is announcing a new £10m fund to support not-for-profit venues in the performing arts sector who are experiencing significant difficulties from the impact of Covid-19. The fund adds to measures introduced for the culture sector a…

17 Jun 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many organisations in South Scotland have received support from the Third Sector Resilience Fund.

10 Jun 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to evidence submitted to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee stating that over 320 financial services firms have taken steps to relocate to Europe before the end of the Brexit transition period.

19 May 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is helping colleges and their students deal with the COVID-19 outbreak and prepare for economic recovery.

4 May 2020 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government how soon it will begin to test asymptomatic people in the community as part of its test, trace, isolate and support strategy.

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much influence it considers the need to control resources had in the four nations' personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance that it has signed up to in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The development of the UK-wide 4 nations COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) guidance was based on current evidence for droplet transmission. The transmission of COVID-19 is considered to occur mainly through respiratory droplets generated by cou…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will depart from the four nations' personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and instruct that all carers wear surgical masks whenever they administer care to vulnerable people, whether in the community, supported accommodation, care hom…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Updated PPE guidance was published on 2 April 2020 for health and social care workers. This followed a review of the existing guidance against the latest evidence and WHO advice, on the safest way to protect health and social care staff. The guidance had inpu…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what evaluation it has made of the ability of care workers to wear protective masks on the basis of self-assessed risk if this is not supported by their line managers.

Answer · Clare Haughey: We have not specifically evaluated this. I expect all employers to support their staff to follow the updated PPE guidance that was published on 2 April 2020, which includes the ability for staff to do an individual risk assessment of whether PPE is needed whe…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many vulnerable people receiving personal care might have contracted COVID-19 from a care worker not wearing a protective mask.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We do not collect this information. It would also be almost impossible to determine whether the single factor in someone contracting COVID-19 is because a care worker didn’t wear a protective mask. Our national PPE guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/pub…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to international evidence, including from the World Health Organization, which suggest that protective face masks can help prevent the wearer from spreading COVID-19.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Guidance on the personal use of face coverings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic was published on 28 April 2020 and can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-public-use-of-face-coverings/.  

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether an asymptomatic care worker who has not been tested can make an accurate assessment that they are not carrying COVID-19.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: All care home staff are routinely offered testing, even in care homes where there are no confirmed cases of Covid-19. This testing will be offered to both symptomatic and asymptomatic care home workers. Based on the advice of our Chief Medical Officer, these …

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly not instructed care workers who come within two metres of a vulnerable person to wear a protective mask in every instance, given that the rest of the population are obliged to stay two metres apart from each other in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our national expert body, Health Protection Scotland, jointly with the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health Wales, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, Public Health England and NHS England published updated PPE guidance in relation to COVID-…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the testing it has announced for workers and residents in care homes will apply to all residential settings.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The approach to testing for Health and Social Care staff also applies to staff working in the community and other residential settings. For those in community care and residents in residential settings other than care homes, the previous approach on testing, …

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a vulnerable cared-for person, or their guardian if they do not have capacity, has a right to demand that the person caring for them wears a protective mask in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We are clear that a person can ask their carer to wear a mask should they feel vulnerable.  

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what proportion of care workers have chosen to (a) wear and (b) not wear a protective mask in response to the COVID-19 outbreak on the basis of their own risk assessment since the four nations personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance was issued on 2 …

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. However, all employers should be supporting their staff to follow the updated PPE guidance that was published on 2 April 2020, which includes the ability for individuals to risk assess whether t…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many vulnerable people received personal care from a worker not wearing a protective mask before the four nations personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance in response to the COVID-19 outbreak was updated on 2 April 2020 to allow individual self-a…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not collated at a national level. Prior to the national PPE guidance being issued on 2 April, guidance on the use of PPE was included in the Health Protection Scotland infection control guidance for Social or Community Care and Residential…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it agrees with table two of the four nations personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, which was issued on 2 April 2020, which says that health and social care workers in the community need only wear a protective face mask if treating a pe…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: It is clear in my joint statement with COSLA and Trades Unions on 9 April 2020 that social and home care workers can wear a fluid resistant face mask along with other appropriate PPE where the person they are visiting or otherwise attending to is neither co…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the testing it has announced for workers and residents in care homes will apply to (a) people receiving care in the community, including at home, and (b) disabled and other vulnerable people in supported accommodation.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The approach to testing for Health and Social Care staff applies to staff working in the community and other residential settings too. For those in community care and residents in residential settings other than care homes, the previous approach on testing, b…

21 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what basis a care worker can self-assess that they do not need to wear a protective mask while administering care to a vulnerable person during the COVID-19 outbreak (a) given the reported rate of false negative test results and (b) if they have not been tested for the virus.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Self-assessment should be based on the professional judgement of the care worker, based on their assessment of the patient and the situation. For example, if the social care worker was undertaking a procedure where there was a risk of exposure to blood or bod…

2 Apr 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will identify and support people over 70 who are not on the shielded list during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Christina McKelvie: The Scottish Government has asked people over 70 outwith the shielded group, to adhere to public health guidance. We recognise that some people are unable to leave home, are without support and may need others’ help. In response, we launched a new national He…

18 Mar 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there will be a role for volunteers to ease pressure on health and social care during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Volunteers are part of the fabric of the NHS in Scotland and we recognise and appreciate the enormous contribution they make to the lives of individuals and communities. Volunteers enhance service provision, helping to free up professional resources and we ar…

4 Mar 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it is spending in 2020-21 to provide some stability for farmers and crofters in light of ongoing uncertainties caused by Brexit.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Since October last year over £380 million has been paid through National Basic Payment Scheme and LFASS loans. This is over £13 million more than the autumn and winter of 2018-19. We have committed £934.5 million for the coming year, this represents the full…

26 Feb 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment to uphold the single sex exemptions under the Equality Act 2010, what its response is to concerns that this could be undermined by allowing male hospital patients who identify as female, including those who have made no physical changes, to be placed in wards …

4 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what role encouraging the construction of more homes to certified Passivhaus standard could have on lifting residents out of fuel poverty.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: Tackling fuel poverty is a priority for the Scottish Government and improving the energy efficiency of homes to ensure that they are both warmer and cheaper to heat will help to lift residents out of fuel poverty The construction of homes certified to Passiv…

4 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether accelerating the construction of new houses to certified Passivhaus standard would be a positive response to the climate crisis declared in Scotland.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: The construction of new housing that has low energy use will reduce the associated carbon emissions and assist in mitigating against the impacts of climate change. A certified Passivhaus may be considered one example of such a low energy building. As part of…

4 Feb 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the health benefits to householders resulting from living in a house built to certified Passivhaus standard.

Answer · Kevin Stewart: No assessment specific to the health benefits of living in a certified Passivhaus have been made by the Scottish Government. Research has been carried out on behalf of Scottish Government to investigate occupier influence on indoor air quality in dwellings. …