Parliamentary questions
Neil Findlay
2,296 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported reduction in funding for drug and alcohol treatment services is having on the ability to deliver harm reduction services.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33374 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/parliamentarybusines…
19 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many patients have been deregistered by dental practices in each month since February 2020, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The information is not held centrally. The member is advised to contact Practitioner and Counter Fraud Services at National Services Scotland: https://nhsnss.org/how-nss-works/our-structure/practitioner-and-counter-fraud-services/ .
18 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the inquiry covering the rest of the UK, what its position is on using the powers that it has to hold a public inquiry into the activities of undercover police officers in Scotland, including the so-called spycops, who had reportedly been monitoring political and social just…
Answer · Humza Yousaf: The Scottish Government believed that a single inquiry across the UK would have been the best option for a comprehensive and coherent investigation into the activities of undercover police officers in Scotland. As the UK Government refused our request for thi…
16 Nov 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that staff and pupils are safe in schools.
10 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32753 by Joe FitzPatrick on 10 November 2020, whether it will answer the question asked regarding for what reason dental patients are reportedly unable to receive some treatments on the NHS due to COVID-19 restrictions but are able to get the same t…
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: From 1 November dentists were advised that the full range of treatments could be provided to NHS patients. Due to the on-going need to maintain physical distancing to protect practitioner, patient and public health this development does not signal a return to…
9 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many times Police Scotland has deployed officers to Sri Lanka since 2012 to deliver training, mentoring or capacity building.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: There have been 90 separate deployments of police officers or police staff to Sri Lanka to deliver training. Some of these individual deployments will be part of a continuous period of training delivered in Sri Lanka.
9 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland will continue to train Sri Lanka's police in sexual violence investigations, in light of the Human Rights Watch report of 20 October 2020, which alleges that Sri Lanka's police conducts "forced anal examinations in homosexuality prosecutions".
Answer · Humza Yousaf: Whether there are future deployments of police officers to Sri Lanka is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland. Scottish Ministers would consider requests for further deployments of officers to Sri Lanka, taking into consideration a range of issu…
9 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether any members of Sri Lanka's Special Task Force attended the Bronze Commander Public Order Training that Police Scotland provided in Sri Lanka in March 2018.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: This is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
9 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether a planned meeting between Police Scotland and Sri Lanka's Special Task Force Organizational Crimes & Narcotic Bureau went ahead on or around 28 February 2018, as part of the "negotiator training programme".
Answer · Humza Yousaf: This is a matter for the Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
31 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its response to the FOI request with reference 202000086349, on which date the First Minister first knew that hospital patients were being discharged to care homes after testing positive for COVID-19.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to question S5O-04709 answered in Parliament on 4 November 2020. The answer to this oral Parliamentary Questions can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=12916&i=116731
29 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will (a) monitor and (b) report on the prevalence of flu in 2020-21.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Flu season in the UK begins in December and reaches it peaks in January and February. Public Health Scotland publish weekly information on flu activity in the Seasonal Respiratory Report throughout the flu season (Oct to mid-May). The latest information is a…
29 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS staff who have contact with patients will be required to have the 2020-21 flu vaccination.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: All NHS employees are offered the seasonal flu vaccine for free. The Chief Medical Officer strongly recommends that all health and social care staff are vaccinated where appropriate to prevent transmission of the virus to patients and colleagues.
29 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the risk is to hospital patients of contracting the flu from unvaccinated staff.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Flu is transmitted through the respiratory route. Any infected person can, in theory, pass on the infection to others in close proximity if they are not protected themselves. An unvaccinated healthcare worker can, therefore, transmit flu to a non-immune patie…
29 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it carries out of the effectiveness of the annual flu vaccine, and what risks might apply to a healthy person who receives an injection.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Vaccination policy in Scotland, as with the rest of the UK, is based on recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) JCVI, an independent expert panel which provides im…
29 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the statistical risk is of a care home resident (a) contracting and (b) dying from COVID-19 as a result of someone who has tested positive for the virus being discharged into their care home, and how this compares with the equivalent risks from a person (i) having an alcoholic drink…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: As with many infectious agents, particularly viruses, it is clinically impossible to assess exact risk for each scenario people are faced with. As we learn more about this novel coronavirus we learn more about risk. We know that indoors is worse than outdoors…
27 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what independent evaluation has taken place regarding the effectiveness of the Test and Protect app.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Details of the evidence that informed the development of Protect Scotland can be found at https://protect.scot/transparency . We continue to monitor the effectiveness of the app, in conjunction with Public Health Scotland, with the app functioning as intend…
27 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have downloaded the Test and Protect app, also broken down by the number of weekly downloads.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-32852 on 13 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…
27 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people each week have been advised to self-isolate via the Test and Protect app because they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The following table provides the weekly figure for those people who have been advised to self-isolate by the Protect Scotland App. Please note that this does not include those advised by T&P staff to self-isolate as close contacts of index cases In addition …
27 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff members at Redmill Care Home, their family members and people they have come into contact with, have been contacted via the Protect Scotland app following the outbreak of COVID-19 at the home.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is not available. The app does not store personal data anywhere and is not made visible by the app to anyone, including the Scottish Government, not even NHS Scotland. Only completely anonymous data is stored in the app users mobile phone, an…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding has been allocated specifically to alcohol and drug services in each year since 2007-08.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We have invested around £895 million in services to tackle alcohol and drug use since 2008. The total financial resource is higher than Scottish Government funding and includes contributions from NHS and other statutory partners. Details of funding to NHS Bo…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which of the organisations represented on the Drug Deaths Taskforce have received support from the funding that has been allocated to it.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: 2020-21 funding from the Drug Deaths Taskforce was allocated through 3 methods:£3 million was allocated to Scotland’s Alcohol and Drug Partnerships;£5 million was allocated to the DDTF and its sub-groups for an Innovation and National Developments funding pro…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how public sector organisations can hold the providers and purchasers of alcohol and drug services to account for performance in relation to (a) governance arrangements, (b) management information and (c) outcomes in treatment service delivery.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: In Scotland the responsibility for the planning, designing and commissioning of alcohol and drug services is delegated to Integration Authorities. Integration Authorities issue directions to NHS Boards and Local Authorities as providers and purchasers of alco…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact any funding reductions to alcohol and drug services have had on the rate of drug-related deaths within the poorest and most marginalised communities.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: There is no research available which directly links funding for services as a causative factor in the rate of drug-related deaths. The reasons behind the rising number of drug-related deaths are complex and many-fold; the reasons being reflective of Scotland’…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how long it took to develop the Drug and Alcohol Intervention Service (DAISy) tool, and how it fully captures local need.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: On completion the Drug and Alcohol Intervention Service (DAISy) tool will have taken three years and six months to be developed The business case for the DAISy was approved by the Scottish Government and Information Services Division (now Public Health Scotla…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what actions taken by the Drug Deaths Taskforce it considers will have an immediate impact on reducing drug-related deaths during the two-year tenure of the group.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The Drug Deaths Taskforce (DDTF) published a report of its first years activity on 31 July (a copy can be accessed here - https://drugdeathstaskforce.scot/news-information/publications/reports/scottish-drug-deaths-taskforce-one-year-report/ ). This summaris…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the success or otherwise of people receiving opiate replacement therapy.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: There is a wide range of data and research that analyse the impact of opioid substitution treatment on individuals. Much of this information shows that OST is an important treatment with a strong evidence base. The use of OST as a treatment is in-line with t…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, on average, what proportion of people who access local alcohol and drug services leave in an unplanned manner and are documented as unplanned discharges.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Annual information on unplanned discharges from drug treatment is published by Public Health Scotland. The most recent publication is available here https://beta.isdscotland.org/media/3879/2020-03-03-sdmd-tables.xlsx . Equivalent information on unplanned d…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which organisations have been supported with the funding allocated to the Drug Deaths Taskforce, and for what specific purposes each of these organisations has received this support.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: To date the Drug Deaths Taskforce (DDTF) has allocated funding to a number of organisations, information on this can be found here - https://drugdeathstaskforce.scot/about-the-taskforce/funding/ . This includes £1 million which was allocated through a call…
26 Oct 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in how many areas of healthcare a person is considered to be part of an ageing cohort at age 35.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: The definition of an ageing cohort in relation to substance use, and in particular the identification of that ageing cohort starting at the age of 35, came from the report published by the Scottish Drugs Forum in June 2017 ( http://www.sdf.org.uk/wp-content/…
26 Oct 2020 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reports of at least 14 deaths at Redmill Care Home.