Mark Griffin

8 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) contractors and (b) suppliers it has engaged to support the development of the operator of last resort for the ScotRail franchise, and who those suppliers are.

Answer · Michael Matheson: To assist with the Operator of Last Resort contingency plans for both franchises, one contractor and three suppliers have been engaged. The three suppliers are MacRoberts, Ove Arup and Partners Limited and Bramble Hub who replaced Ernst and Young in 2020.  

8 Feb 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the holding answer to question S5W-34507 by Jeane Freeman on 26 January 2021, when it will provide a substantive answer, and for what reason it has not provided this to date.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: S5W-34507 was answered on 25 February 2021. We are experiencing a very high volume of correspondence on the vaccination programme.  

29 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has given to NHS boards in relation to administering COVID-19 vaccinations to (a) (i) short- and (ii) long-term hospital in-patients and (b) hospital in-patients who have multiple conditions and are considered to be within a high-risk group.

Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Chief Medical Officer, Dr Gregor Smith wrote a letter to all Health Boards on 5 February in which he advised all Health boards should seek to vaccinate those within eligible JCVI priority cohorts who are in hospital prior to discharge, where that cohort i…

29 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to monitor the (a) accessibility and (b) availability of GP appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not monitor the accessibility and availability of GP appointments as GP practices are responsible for their own patient appointment and consultation arrangements. GPs practices follow the advice in Health Protection Scotland's gu…

20 Jan 2021 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its Fair Work agenda can help it to take a collaborative and partnership approach to working with workers and trade unions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

11 Jan 2021 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will give retail workers priority access to the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Those who are entitled to a vaccine will be contacted by their Health Board letting them know where they will receive the vaccine and how to book their appointment. We are adhering to the priority list devised by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunis…

21 Dec 2020 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government's new clinical guidelines and definition will support people with long-COVID.

15 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when each of the groups listed on the webpage, gov.scot/groups/, last met.

Answer · Kate Forbes: Due to the scope and timeframe of the question, the information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as this data is not available from a single source.

9 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32952 by Jeane Freeman on 12 November 2020, whether it will request that Public Health Scotland publishes the occupation and sector data collected during interviews, broken down by Standard Industrial Classification.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Scottish Government officials continue to work closely with Public Health Scotland to develop the range of statistics that are published. However, Public Health Scotland is an independent statistics producer, so make the decision on which data they publish. P…

8 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what weighting it plans to place on the requirement for potential contractors for the social security advocacy service to have experience of (a) directly delivering an advocacy service and (b) delivering an advocacy service in Scotland.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: We are currently engaging with relevant stakeholders prior to the re-tendering process to ensure we consider and include the requirements they feel potential contractors should be able to demonstrate in order to be appointed to run the social security advocac…

8 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many advocacy providers have fulfilled requests to use, or referrals to, the interim social security advocacy service, and who these providers were.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: No providers have fulfilled requests to use, or referrals to, the interim advocacy social security service. The Coronavirus pandemic impacted on the rollout of disability benefits which led to the termination of the original tendering process for the compreh…

8 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have used the interim social security advocacy service, and how many requests to use, or referrals to, the service have been made.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Nobody has used the interim social security advocacy service as of yet, and we have received no requests or referrals for the service. The Coronavirus pandemic impacted on the rollout of disability benefits which led to the termination of the original tender…

2 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government. further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport on 28 April 2020 (Official Report, c.18), whether the Treasury provided an updated final consequential funding figure associated with the announcement of funding for hospice work and, if so, what this was and whether…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: On the 8 April the UK Government announced a support package of £750m to support front line community support charities during the COVID-19 outbreak. £360m of this fund was set aside to provide direct support to key organisations that deliver health and socia…

2 Dec 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government further to the answers to questions S5W-29524 and S5W-33108 by Jeane Freeman on 26 August and 20 November 2020 respectively, what further funding for hospices for loss of income during the subsequent financial quarters has been allocated, and when it will allocate the remaining funding.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: As always we are open to further discussions on support. On the 29 June, I wrote to Scottish Hospices to confirm that their funding requests related to loss of income during the first financial quarter of 2020 would be met in full. In total £10.1m was provid…

6 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £19 million coronavirus funding for frontline charities allocated to hospices has been disbursed, broken down by the allocation to each hospice.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-29524 on 26 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/parliamentarybusines…

2 Nov 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32563 by Jeane Freeman on 30 October 2020, what information the NHS collects regarding people's (a) employment status, (b) occupation and (c) place of work when they test positive for COVID-19; what format this information is recorded in, and whethe…

Answer · Jeane Freeman: When an individual tests positive for COVID-19, their Test and Protect interview gathers details on where the individual has been in the 7 days prior to the date of symptom onset, or test-date if the person was asymptomatic. Public Health Scotland have confir…

20 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much flu vaccine it has allocated to each NHS board as a proportion of the eligible cohort population, and whether it will confirm the total cohort.

Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Scottish Government has procured sufficient vaccine to vaccinate all those who have been invited to receive the seasonal flu vaccine, in line with our uptake planning assumptions that we will vaccinate 2.4 million people in total. This figure includes ove…

14 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it collects regarding the occupations of people who request COVID-19 tests.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not collect this information. The UK Government’s Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) holds occupation information where individuals provide it. This applies to individuals who take COVID tests through UK test centres or…

14 Oct 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it collects regarding people's (a) employment status, (b) occupation and (c) place of work when they test positive for COVID-19, and in what format this information is recorded.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government does not collect data regarding these aspects of positive cases. When an individual tests positive for COVID-19, the result is passed to NHS Test and Protect who conduct a thorough index case interview. Test and Protect data is managed…

30 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the intended impact is of the new household visiting ban and coronavirus restrictions on the fathers and partners, considered as essential and designated visitors, from visiting their partner and child in maternity and post-natal wards.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32204 on 23 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…

30 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the current guidance is for fathers and partners wishing to stay with the mother and their child in maternity wards after birth, and when it will next update the Coronavirus (COVID-19): hospital visiting guidance.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: The hospital visiting guidance was updated on the 13 July 2020 and allows for women to have one birth partner present throughout their entire labour, and an additional birth partner if they wish and if local arrangements allow. One birth partner and another s…

21 Sep 2020 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how its planned disability assistance benefits will support people experiencing the long-term health impacts of COVID-19.

21 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what protections it is putting in place to ensure that the Best Start Grant and Scottish Child Payment Invitation to Apply system is not targeted by scammers or phishing schemes.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Invitations to Apply for benefits take the form of letters from Social Security Scotland. These letters notify clients that they may be eligible for a benefit and ask them to apply through one of our existing secure application channels. Social Security Scotl…

17 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Office of the Public Guardian will accept an Access to Funds procedure application for adults with incapacity who are unable to access a matured Child Trust Fund.

Answer · Humza Yousaf: This question relates to operational matters that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court and Tribunals Service (SCTS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCTS who will reply in writing within 20 days.  

16 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the UK Government consultation on changes to the Human Medicine Regulations to support the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, and whether it will publish any representation it has made to the Department of Health and Social Care on this matter.

Answer · Jeane Freeman: Licensing of medicines, as set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, is reserved to the UK Government. It would be preferable if any medicine that was to be deployed for use was subject to full licensing. However, the Scottish Government makes decision…

15 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Advisory Group last met, and whether the published minutes for the group are up to date.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Advisory Group last met in December 2017. Minutes for this meeting and previous meetings of the Advisory Group can be accessed here: https://www.gov.scot/groups/industrial-injuries-disablement-benefit-advisory-grou…

15 Sep 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-28018 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 30 March 2020, when the consultation will begin.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Work is ongoing to re-plan the Social Security Programme as a result of the significant impacts of Covid 19. The Scottish Government will consider the timescales for a public consultation on Employment-Injury Assistance as part of that re-planning work.  

20 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will begin sending Scottish Child Payment Invitation to Apply letters, in light of applications opening in November 2020 and payments starting by the end of February 2021.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The launch of the Scottish Child Payment will be supported by a communications and marketing campaign outlining the early application approach. Once Scottish Child Payments start to be made from the end of February, Social Security Scotland will begin the nex…

20 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of payments starting by the end of February 2021, what its expenditure on the Scottish Child Payment will be in 2020-21, and how many children will be eligible.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) will publish an updated forecast of how many children they expect will be eligible and expenditure when the Scottish Child Payment Regulations are laid in parliament in September. The update will account for payments start…

19 Aug 2020 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-27535 by Shirley- Anne Sommerville on 27 February 2020, in light of the DWP being able to provide such information, for what reason it is unable provide a breakdown by Scottish parliamentary constituency and region of data regarding Carer’s Allowanc…

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Care’s Allowance statistics are available by Scottish parliamentary constituency and other geographies on DWP’s statxplore tool: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml We currently publish statistics for Carer’s Allowance Supplement at local…