Miles Briggs

23 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support blood cancer patients in priority group 6 for the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, who are not being actively treated and have been advised by their consultants to shield.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Patients’ own clinicians will be best placed to provide specific advice, many will also be contacted by their own GP directly who will be able to provide specific clinical advice for their circumstances. I have made it clear to all the Health Boards and prof…

23 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the COVID-19 outcomes for blood cancer patients who (a) are and (b) are not receiving active treatment, and how this is reflected in vaccine priority groups and shielding policy.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is continuing to engage with the Joint committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the issue of priority vaccines for terminally ill patients and those at risk of being immunosuppressed. I have written to the JCVI on this matt…

23 Feb 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the finance secretary will include funding for a replacement Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in its Budget for 2021-22.

22 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the revised Heart Disease Action Plan will recognise the role that the third sector has in supporting people with heart disease and providing support that can extend beyond NHS treatment.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government recognises the contribution the third sector makes on the issues that matter to those who live with heart disease across Scotland. That is why the National Advisory Committee for Heart Disease includes representation from third sector …

22 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the forthcoming Respiratory Care Action Plan will highlight the role of third sector initiatives, such as Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Hospital to Home support service, in supporting people with lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and working…

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Respiratory Care Action Plan has been developed in partnership with key stakeholders from across health and social care and the third sector. The Plan will set out priorities and commitments which aim to improve the diagnosis, treatment and support of peo…

17 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland plans to increase the number of patrols around schools when pupils return to ensure that social distancing is maintained among adults congregating at drop-off and pick-up times and, if so, whether it will provide additional funding to support this.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: Operational policing decisions are the responsibility of the Chief Constable but Police Scotland have confirmed that they have no plans to increase the number of patrols around schools.  

16 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) whether and (b) how a person registered as a temporary patient with a GP will be contacted for a COVID-19 vaccination at the appropriate time for their risk group.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: Vaccinations are taking place differently across Scotland to reflect the needs of local communities. NHS Scotland Heath Boards are responsible for the local delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine. As such, Health Boards along with GPs are responsible for making dec…

15 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on administering COVID-19 vaccinations to hospital inpatients to avoid them missing their scheduled vaccination in the community.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Based on the current guidelines issued by the Chief Medical Officer on 5 February ( CMO(2021)03 - COVID-19 vaccination programme: bringing forward priority cohorts (scot.nhs.uk) , and wherever practical health boards should seek to vaccinate patients in the…

10 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-24799 by Joe FitzPatrick on 11 September 2019, what progress has been made in monitoring the uptake of young carer support under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The first publication of the results from the Carers Census was released on 15 December 2020. This report presented data on carers being supported by local services during the first year following the implementation of the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016. However,…

10 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether students who are British citizens and who experienced care in a non-UK country will be eligible for its Care Experienced Bursary.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Care Experienced Bursary (CEB) is available to eligible full-time further education students and higher education students studying at undergraduate level. To be eligible to claim the CEB, students must have been looked after by a Local Authority in the…

5 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether blind people will be a priority group in the roll-out of its COVID-19 vaccination programme, in light of the difficulties they may have with social distancing.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: To save lives it is important we continue to follow the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI) guidance in the planning of vaccine delivery. This evidence-based guidance advises that the single greatest risk of mortality from COVID-19 is inc…

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many new contracts it has awarded to companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Ivan McKee: The Scottish Government has awarded 578 contracts to external suppliers during the period of the pandemic. This figure is taken from the Scottish Government's contract register for the dates 15 March 2020 to the present? (9 February 2021). Of these awards, 55…

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many offers of support it has received from companies on matters relating to the COVID-19 pandemic since it began.

Answer · Ivan McKee: Scottish Ministers issued an appeal to businesses on 22 March 2020 for support in accessing critical health supplies, including personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitiser, test kits, ventilators and related oxygen equipment. Offers were initially col…

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many referrals have been made to the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion from each NHS board area in each year since 2007.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not hold this information at specific site level. This information is held locally by NHS Lothian.  

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Lothian regarding the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in each year since 2007.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has discussions with NHS Lothian regularly regarding its capital investment plans, including its plans for the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion.  

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have requested patient transport services in the NHS Lothian area in each year since 2007.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table lists the number of requests made for the Patient Transport Service (provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service) in the NHS Lothian area from 2011. The Scottish Ambulance Service does not have this data for before 2011. Calendar Year Num…

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the (a) rates of prosecution of and (b) fines given to people who cause damage to (i) private and (ii) public property through graffiti.

Answer · Ash Denham: The most recent published National Statistics for Recorded Crime in Scotland shows that in the period 2019-20, there were 45,074 recorded cases in the “vandalism etc” category, which includes sub categories malicious mischief, vandalism, culpable and reckless…

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to regulate spray paint sales.

Answer · Ash Denham: Under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004, it is a criminal offence to sell an aerosol paint container to anyone under the age of 16. We believe that the current legislation protects young people and helps to prevent graffiti, while ensuring tho…

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people who have died from suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Clare Haughey: Statistics which cover suicide figures in Scotland during the pandemic period from 2020 to 2021 are not yet available. National Records of Scotland expect to publish the 2020 figures in June 2021.

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cases of graffiti using spray paint have been reported to Police Scotland in each year since 2007.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. The data we receive from Police Scotland for production of the Recorded Crime in Scotland National Statistics is a simple count of the numbers of crimes and offences, for each local authority, w…

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much hospital waste has been (a) generated and (b) stored at sites in Scotland in each month in (i) 2020 and (ii) 2021.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: a) The following table shows the amount of clinical waste generated by the NHS in Scotland in 2020 and 2021: Year Month Waste (tonnes) 2020 January 1,568 February 1,472 March 1,602 April 1,415 May 1,404 June 1,528 July 1,605 August 1,926 …

3 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-26493 by Clare Haughey on 9 December 2019, whether it will provide the same information for 2019-20.

Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Scottish Health Service Costs are published annually by Public Health Scotland. Publication of data for 2019-20, which includes Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services spending, has been further del…

2 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government in light of research by Marie Curie, the University of Edinburgh, King's College London and Public Health Scotland, How many people will need palliative care in Scotland by 2040? A mixed-method study of projected palliative need and recommendations for service delivery, which has project…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Providing high quality, person centred care for people towards the end of life is an important priority for the Scottish Government. We want people to get the care and support that is right for them and enable them to stay in their local community for as long…

2 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what data and evidence it collects to determine whether people with terminal illnesses are able to access palliative care services across all settings.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: We do not have a single measure that captures performance against this aim, as the provision of palliative care depends on the interaction of a range of services - formal palliative care, care at home and care home services, and access to hospice and hospice-…

2 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards its vision that by 2021 everyone who needs palliative care will have access to it.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Care for people towards the end of life is an important priority for the Scottish Government. Good care at end of life requires collaborative, multi-disciplinary support, which is why Integration Authorities have been given statutory responsibility for meetin…

2 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the National Digital Platform will be rolled out, and what training will be provided on its use for health and social care staff.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The National Digital Platform is not a single system but a range of products and tools that are becoming available over time, with development led by NHS Education for Scotland (NES). Its main purpose is to provide the underpinning technologies that make avai…

2 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce mandatory palliative and end-of-life care training for all health and social care staff who work with terminally ill people, including care home staff.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that health and social care professionals have the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide high quality palliative and end of life care, relevant to their role. In April 2018, we published a palliative and…

29 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the budget allocation was for the Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland prior to the Scottish Budget 2021-22 being published.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34861 on 25 February 2021. 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…

29 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32650 by Joe FitzPatrick on 12 November 2020, when it expects the Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland will be published.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-34860 on 11 February 2021. 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…

29 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it plans to spend on the respiratory conditions in the Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland as part of the Scottish Budget 2021-22, broken down by each condition, (a) asthma, (b) bronchiectasis, (c) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), (d) idiopathic pulmonary fi…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Once the final Respiratory Action Plan has been published later this year, we will develop a programme for its implementation. This implementation programme will give a clearer understanding of the funding required in 2021 and subsequent financial years to de…