Parliamentary questions
Monica Lennon
3,484 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has been taking during the COVID-19 pandemic to encourage people who are concerned that they might have cancer to seek medical advice.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We have been clear that throughout this pandemic, the NHS is there for those who need it. Our NHS is Open campaign was launched 24 April and we have seen a steady increase in the number of people presenting to their GP practice with symptoms that could be sus…
22 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people with non-COVID-19-related conditions have taken part in clinical trials in each of the last 12 months.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Data on patients recruited from NHS Scotland in each of the last 12 months into non-COVID-19 Trials in Scotland are set out below. June 2019 1,678 July 2019 1,839 Aug 2019 1,725 Sept 2019 1,358 Oct 2019 1,647 Nov 2019 1,431 Dec 2019 991 Jan 2020 1,500…
22 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the possible long-term outcomes for people with cancer of delays and cancellations to their treatment because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government convened the National COVID19 Cancer Treatment Response Group (CTRG) on 18 th March to form national clinical consensus in Scotland on changes to cancer treatment in response to the new risks associated with COVID-19 ensuring those mos…
19 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) dentists and (b) dental staff will be included in its list of key workers.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Key workers are those in posts which ensure essential services can be delivered and cover tasks within the local community which support the vulnerable and aid community. We cannot designate whole workforces or entire groups of staff as key workers and there …
18 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that (a) treatment delays and (b) longer waiting times due to COVID-19 will have on excess death rates.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Urgent and emergency care has been maintained throughout this pandemic to ensure those with life threatening conditions were and continue to be seen as a matter of priority. Through the Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design: The Framework for NHS Scotland , Health…
18 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the two-metre social distancing advice will have on (a) capacity within NHS services and (b) waiting times.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Patient safety will be at the forefront of NHS Boards plans as they restart previously paused services, and a number of different steps to mitigate the impact that two-metre physical distance are being put in place. This includes extended working days includi…
18 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what PPE will be used in clinical settings where a two-metre social distance is not possible.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our national expert body, Health Protection Scotland (HPS), jointly with the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health Wales, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England published updated PPE guidance in relati…
18 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding which care homes have been issued with faulty COVID-19 testing kits that are reportedly at risk from snapping during the test; how many such kits have been issued, and how many injuries have been reported as a result of the fault.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government has the following information in relation to faulty testing kits: On 14 June, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) were made aware that one of the batches of Kingfisher (non-Randox) swabs in circulation did not meet NHS safety standar…
18 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many dental businesses do not qualify for financial support to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: All dental practices in Scotland are entitled to financial support in some form as part of the public response to the COVID-19 outbreak. NHS dental contractors qualify for the NHS financial support measures announced by the Chief Dental Officer on 30 March du…
18 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress it has made in securing antibody tests for COVID-19.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government continues to participate in the four nations approach to the procurement of tests and, subject to clinical recommendations and the availability/approval of an effective antibody test, can draw-down an allocation of the UK procured COVI…
18 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that care workers are twice as likely as NHS frontline staff to die from COVID-19, and what analysis it has carried out of the reasons for this situation.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Every death from COVID-19 is a tragedy and the Scottish Government offers our condolences to every family that has been impacted, not least those of our frontline health and care staff. We are working to fully understand the impact of COVID-19, taking into a…
16 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will reopen NHS pay negotiations, and what its response is to a recent Unison Scotland NHS staff survey, which found that (a) 87% of respondents thought the NHS should consider a further pay award this year, (b) 80% of respondents said they are tired or very tired, (c) 72% of res…
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I have asked all stakeholders, including NHS Unions and NHS Scotland employers, to work in partnership to examine options for arriving at pay settlements for both the immediate and longer term. Stakeholders will work together to agree a timetable for this. In…
15 Jun 2020 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an update on the Scottish Government's plans to restart NHS services, in light of reported concerns from patients experiencing delays to their treatment.
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what dates since 2016 the Minister for Public Health has met the Faculty for Public Health in Scotland, and what was discussed.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-29921 on 9 July 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/28…
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether discussions it has with the UK Government regarding (a) the potential establishment of Scotland-England and (b) changing international border controls in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Answer · Humza Yousaf: a) Whilst we do not currently have any plans to impose restrictions on visitors from England, or anywhere else in the UK we will continue to consider any measures that might be necessary to protect against the risk of imported cases. One of our biggest risks …
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what dates since 2016 the Minister for Public Health has met the Scottish Directors of Public Health, and what was discussed.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Information on Ministerial engagements is routinely published on the Scottish Government website and can be found at the following web addresses: January 2016-May 2016 https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20170401123936/http://www.gov.scot/About/Pe…
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its COVID-19 pandemic response is not modelled on a strategy of elimination.
Answer · John Swinney: Our objective has been to control and suppress the virus and we are making real and sustained progress. We published the Coronavirus (COVID-19): Scotland's Route Map through and out of the crisis on 21 May 2020, which sets out the criteria to be met for prog…
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it took in response to the publication of the Global Health Security Index 2019.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Global Health Security Index was published for the first time on 24 October 2019. This ranked the UK as a whole as second in the world in relation to preparedness for pandemics and other health security threats. We will consider all relevant lessons to in…
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many deaths have been referred to the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit in each month since January 2020, also broken down by what information it has regarding how many might require toxicological analysis.
Answer · Alison Di Rollo : Toxicological analysis is required in the case of fatalities where the cause of death is not immediately clear, and when that analysis is required by the pathologist for preparation of the final post mortem report. The University of Glasgow (GU) under contra…
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people in the shielding category are aged (a) under 5 and (b) between 5 and 15.
Answer · John Swinney: As at 22nd June 2020, there were 960 children aged under 5 and 2,974 aged between 5 and 15 identified as at a high clinical risk of COVID-19 and advised to shield. Public Health Scotland published a demographic breakdown of the shielding list as at 1 June 20…
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is available to help leisure centres prepare for social distancing in (a) swimming pools, (b) gymnasiums and (c) changing rooms.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: We are in discussions and preparing guidance with sport scotland, Community Leisure Scotland, the Scottish Leisure Networking Group, Local Authorities, Leisure Trusts, Hospitality Sector, Trade Unions, Scottish Governing Bodies of Sport and other partners in …
14 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to schools regarding shielding to help them support (a) pupils and (b) (i) teaching and (ii) other staff.
Answer · John Swinney: The latest guidance on the return to school for those shielding is provided within the re-opening of schools guide, which is available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-re-opening-schools-guide/ . This provides a range of guidance …
13 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many calls have been made each week to the COVID-19 helpline, 0800 028 2816, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) NHS board area.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Unlike the 111 service, NHS 24's 0800 Helpline doesn’t capture caller demographics and therefore the breakdown of information by Health Board/Local Authority area isn’t available. Please see detailed information below on the total number of calls to the Helpl…
13 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the COVID-19 crisis, what learning and school resources will be available for children and young school pupils during summer 2020.
Answer · John Swinney: All local authorities have put in place Hub provisions for young people who are vulnerable and/or children of key workers and these will remain open over the summer period. In addition, Education Scotland will publish, on 2 July, a summer edition of Scotland…
13 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many social care support packages have been (a) withdrawn and (b) reduced in each month since January 2018, and for what reason, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The exact information requested is not available centrally. Public Health Scotland collect social care information directly from Health and Social Care Partnerships; however, it is not possible to identify from this if social care packages have been withdrawn…
13 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether one-to-one tutoring will be made available to pupils who have experienced significant disadvantage because of the COVID-19 crisis.
Answer · John Swinney: This Government is committed to supporting the most disadvantaged children and young people. I stated in Parliament on 23 June that the Government would invest “a further £100 million over the next two years to help support the return to school and help child…
13 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional (a) teachers and (b) other staff will be required in (i) 2020-21 and (ii) 2021-22 because of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, broken down by local authority.
Answer · John Swinney: The recruitment and deployment of teachers is the responsibility of the local authorities who have the statutory duty for education expenditure. Local authorities are responsible for providing a complement of teachers and other staff which meets the needs of …
13 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential for some or all pupils to repeat a school year because of the COVID-19 crisis, and whether this course of action has been ruled out.
Answer · John Swinney: The COVID-19 Education Recovery Group, the group which is bringing together national and local government and key education and early learning and childcare stakeholders to provide advice on taking forward Scottish education in the light of COVID-19, has not …
13 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people with a learning disability have been tested for COVID-19, also broken down by how many tested positive.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We do not collect data relating to learning disabilities of people receiving testing. Consent would have to be provided by the individual to allow collection of this data.
13 Jun 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much financial support will be awarded to help schools in (a) South Lanarkshire, (b) North Lanarkshire and (c) the Falkirk area to comply with social distancing requirements.
Answer · John Swinney: Due to the efforts of people staying at home and remaining vigilant, we have recently seen Scotland make significant progress in suppressing Coronavirus. We therefore believe that, if we stay on track, we should now prepare for pupils to return to school full…