Miles Briggs

26 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that residents in the Lothian region have been unable to access COVID-19 tests due to a lack of availability of slots at testing centres, and what action it will take to address this.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Over the week commencing 21 August there was a significant increase in demand for testing, some of it associated with the re-opening of schools. This led to issues with the booking portal. We brought these to the attention of the UK Government and have worke…

26 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported delays and bureaucracy that have been faced by retired GPs who have volunteered to help the NHS during the COVID-19 pandemic; whether it will investigate these delays, and how it will ensure that all retired GPs who wish to volunteer will be available to …

Answer · Jeane Freeman: In March 2020, the Scottish Government and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) launched the Health and Social Care Covid-19 Accelerated Recruitment Portal. The Portal has allowed returning professionals, including retired GPs and others with relevant skills and …

25 Aug 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had regarding reported concerns relating to the underfunding of The City of Edinburgh Council.

21 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether anticipated cost savings as a result of moving towards the use of non-branded and generic pharmaceutical products were a factor in the decision to remove all prescription charges, and what analysis it has conducted of cost savings as a result of moving towards the use of such pro…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The prescribing of generic medicines has been a long term initiative and was not the key decision behind the abolition of prescription charges. The prescribing of generic medicines can often cost considerably less than branded equivalents, and are clinically …

31 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much (a) each NHS board has spent on legal costs and (b) has been spent through the Central Legal Office in each NHS board in each year since 2007.

31 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that NHS boards achieve value for money in relation to legal costs for (a) actions defending patient complaints, (b) medical negligence cases and (c) other legal action.

31 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns regarding reported health and social care budget reductions proposed by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB), and how it will ensure that EIJB has sufficient funding to meet local health and social care requirements.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The budget for the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board has increased by £23.6 million to £681.1 million in 2020-21. Along with all Integration Joint Boards, Edinburgh is working to address its savings challenge for the year and to deliver financial balance. Al…

30 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30403 by Jeane Freeman on 28 July 2020, what its response is to student paramedics' reported concerns that the support that they receive is less than provided to a number of others, including nursing students, and whether it will reconsider offering…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government recognises the concerns of student paramedics and we will shortly be commencing a review of the education provided to Allied Health Professionals, including paramedics, and the financial support offered to students will be considered a…

27 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the reported delays to hearings of the Additional Support Needs Tribunal.

Answer · John Swinney: The Additional Support Needs jurisdiction of the Health and Education Chamber of the First-Tier Tribunal for Scotland hears references regarding certain decisions of education authorities regarding the provision of educational support under the Education (Add…

27 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided during the COVID-19 crisis to organisations that work with people recovering from drug and/or alcohol addiction, and what its response is to reported concerns that this has not been sufficient.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Scotland’s Interim Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith and I wrote to health boards and Integration Joint Boards on 16 April 2020 to ensure the need for continuation of care for this group of people is prioritised. A copy of this letter can be found here …

27 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when organisations that work with people recovering from drug and/or alcohol addiction will be permitted to resume using church halls and other community facilities, and what discussions it has had with these organisations and other stakeholders regarding this.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Scotland's roadmap that details the phased pathway out of lockdown was updated on the 30th July, and includes guidance and advice for community spaces and churches regarding opening for meetings. Where third sector providers of support groups deem remote supp…

24 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of shortages in the supply of HRT products, including patches, and what discussions it has had with relevant bodies about the supply chain.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The supply and pricing of medicines is reserved to the UK Government. The UK Department of Health and Social Care Medicines Shortages Team have been working closely with all suppliers of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) medicines to maintain overall supply t…

20 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost was of each external public relations contract that has it let in the (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) current financial year.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Contract Agency Award Date End Date Spend 18-19 Spend 19-20 Spend 20-21 Healthier Scotland       PR Smarts 06-Mar-18 05-Mar-21 £77,331.00 £75,020.00 £75,405.00        Greener       PR Stripe 03-Apr-18 02-Apr-21 £36,005.00 £35,000.00 £0…

20 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) Special Advisers, (b) communications staff and (c) public relations officials it has appointed since 1 January 2018; on what dates each was appointed; whether they were employed on a full- or part-time basis, and what the total (i) salary and (ii) pension cost was for each.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Two Special Adviser appointments were made during the period stated: October 2018 and January 2020. Both are full-time appointments. Salary information for Special Advisers is published annually in Government Initiated Questions (GIQ). Although two Special Ad…

20 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects (a) swimming pools to reopen and (b) competitive swimming to restart, and what its response is to suggestions that swimming can be restarted safely with appropriate measures.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The indicative date for the reopening of indoor sport and leisure facilities including swimming pools is 14 September. However the Scottish Government will continue to review the situation to see if earlier reopening is possible, with the intention to provide…

17 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-27374 by Jeane Freeman on 26 February 2020, whether any progress has been made on this issue.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Each NHS Board is responsible under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and its subsequent regulations, to provide appropriate rest facilities for their staff. They are best placed locally to determine the particular requirements for sleeping pods in hos…

17 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason there is a limit of 20 people who can attend a church funeral service, in light of 50 people being able to attend a religious service held in the same location and with the same safety measures in place.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-30834 on 12 August 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/parliamentarybusiness…

17 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether COVID-19 has had an impact on the development of the new Edinburgh Cancer Centre.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The development timetable for the new Edinburgh Cancer Centre has not been impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic. We are in regular contact with the centre project team, with officials meeting them on 22 July 2020. The Initial Agreement for the Re-Provision of t…

16 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve the information it holds about people living in care homes, in light of the computer tool that is available to care homes from the Public Health Scotland website to record the dependency details of every resident each month.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: There are several strands of work that are currently underway to strengthen the information about people living and working in care homes and also others who receive social care support. These include: the Indicator Of Relative Need Tool (IORN); the developm…

16 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people were living in care homes at the end of (a) February and (b) June 2020, and how many admissions to care homes there were during same period.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Information for the requested time periods is not held by the Scottish Government. The most recently available information on the number of residents and admissions to care homes in Scotland is published by Public Health Scotland; https://www.isdscotland.org…

16 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates cricket matches will be able to be played without any restrictions, in light of many cricketers reportedly stating that this can be done safely.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We are continuing to work with sport scotland and our sporting governing bodies to enable all sports to return when it is safe to do so. Should the virus continue to be controlled, inter-club matches should be permitted to take place. sport scotland will con…

15 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that there is a lack of local authority special school places in Edinburgh; what discussions it has had with The City of Edinburgh Council on this, and what support it is providing to the council to tackle any shortages of places.

Answer · John Swinney: All children and young people should learn in the environment which best meets their needs, whether that be a mainstream or special school setting. It is for education authorities to determine the most appropriate provision for children and young people with…

15 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with outdoor fitness providers regarding (a) when they can restart all activities and (b) the guidance that will underpin such activities, and when it expects this guidance will be ready.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We have been working with sport scotland and the sporting sector throughout the pandemic. sport scotland has produced guidance for coaches, leaders, personal trainers, and instructors, which can be found on its website at: https://sportscotland.org.uk/covid…

15 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the safety of allowing outdoor fitness activities for adults in groups, provided appropriate health and safety measures are in place.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Decisions on what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown were guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. Proposals are technically assessed using the best available evidence and analysis of their potential b…

10 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether its COVID-19 daily testing statistics include the number of home test kits sent out or of tests completed and returned.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The number of home tests carried out was not reported via Scottish Government data until the 8 July. Up until this point the number of home tests was reported in data from the Department of Health and Social Care at the UK level. From the 8 July all testing c…

9 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether all school pupils should be tested for COVID-19.

Answer · John Swinney: Scotland already has an excellent programme of community surveillance, which allows us to monitor actively trends in the pandemic, both nationally and more locally. On 16 July I confirmed we will be undertaking specific surveillance in respect of schools and …

8 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25977 by Jeane Freeman on 22 November 2019, in light of the website referred to in the response no longer being updated, whether it will publish the data regarding persons convicted under the Emergency Worker(s) Act (Scotland) 2005 for 2018-19.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Data published on criminal proceedings in Scotland is available online at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/criminal-proceedings-scotland-2018-19/ ? Information on convictions under the Emergency workers act is available here. (please see Supporting Files t…

8 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to optimise uptake of the 2020 winter flu vaccinations, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The seasonal flu vaccination programme, will be critically important in terms of protecting the most vulnerable, and alleviating pressure on the NHS. This is more vital than ever in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. We are actively engaged with public hea…

8 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how pharmacies will be utilised in the delivery of vaccines going into the winter period.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government is actively engaged with public health partners in planning for the 2020-21 flu vaccination programme that will begin in October. As part of this, we are considering, with partners, how pharmacies could be further utilised in delivery …

8 Jul 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in the development of incineration facilities to deal with clinical waste disposal.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Tradebe Healthcare opened its clinical waste treatment site at Bellshill in December 2019 to support the national clinical waste contract. A small portion of clinical waste will be sent to England or Wales for high temperature treatment that is not available …