Parliamentary questions
Donald Cameron
1,854 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many staff will be required in future phases of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: This information is outlined in the published 'COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Plan 2021’. Coronavirus (COVID-19): vaccine deployment plan 2021 - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) Availability of vaccine supply is a key factor in determining the size of the vaccination …
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the new National Vaccination Management Tool will be ready for use.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government has established a new National Vaccination Management Tool, which went live on 8 October. The digital tool will assist us in monitoring data on the vaccination programme in Scotland. For Waves 2 and 3, we plan to establish Mass Vaccin…
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with individual NHS boards regarding the creation of tactical groups to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine programme at a local level.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The existing core of trained and experienced vaccinators from the flu programme will transition to the Covid vaccination programme during this month and next. We are also actively recruiting from NHS Scotland’s accelerated recruitment portal, and drawing from…
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding what role the UK Armed Forces will play in the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Scotland.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Armed Forces are supporting planning activity at a national and local level. They are helping to ensure that by the time sufficient vaccination supplies are in place, we have the facility to deliver around 400,000 doses per week by the end of February. T…
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether all waves of the COVID-19 vaccination programme will be completed by Spring 2021.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Our intention is to have offered first doses to everyone on the JCVI priority list by mid-April, supplies permitting. Beyond that - again assuming we receive adequate supply - we will aim to have offered first doses to the entire adult population by the end …
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what basis it will allocate vaccines to each NHS board.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I wrote on 5 February to all MSPs which included details of how COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed.
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many doses each week it is preparing to deliver at the peak of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: Scotland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to deliver at pace, which is down to the enormous efforts of our vaccination teams. Just over a third of those eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination in Scotland have now received their first dose – that is …
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many doses each week it is planning to deliver in the initial weeks of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: We aim, subject to vaccine supply, to have vaccinated all those on the JCVI prioritisation list in spring 2021. However, this is dependent on how much vaccine is delivered, additional vaccines becoming available and getting MHRA approval for supply. We hope t…
4 Dec 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to appoint a COVID-19 vaccine minister.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government do not have any plans to appoint a Covid-19 Vaccine Minister.
1 Dec 2020 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to improve the A83 at Rest and Be Thankful and A82 at Fort William.
30 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to prioritise end-of-life patients for a COVID-19 vaccine.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: The Scottish Government is continuing to engage with the JCVI on the issue of priority vaccines for terminally ill patients. Many end of life patients will already be included in cohorts 1-9, either through age or on the basis of their diagnosis. I have writ…
24 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many PET scanners NHS Scotland has, broken down by NHS board area, and whether they are all fully operational.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: There are currently five PET/CT scanners in Scotland (two in Glasgow, and one each in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee). As at November 2020 all PET CT scanners in Scotland are operational.
20 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists, (c) primary mental health workers and (d) psychological therapists it considers should be in post in NHS (i) Grampian, (ii) Highland, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland and (v) Eileanan Siar in order to meet current demand.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare. It is for each NHS Board to decide best how to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities to meet local healt…
20 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people were recorded as having died by suicide in each month between March and November 2020 in NHS (a) Grampian, (b) Highland, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Eileanan Siar.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The statistics requested covering March to November 2020 are not yet available and will not be published until June 2021. The most recent statistics were published in November 2020, by Public Health Scotland (PHS), based on information on deaths from suicide …
20 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many vacancies for (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists, (c) primary mental health workers and (d) psychological therapists in NHS (i) Grampian, (ii) Highland, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland and (v) Eileanan Siar have remained unfilled for six months or more.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: a) Vacancy data is only available for consultant-grade psychiatrists. The number of consultant psychiatry posts (WTE) vacant for six months or more within the requested NHS Boards, at September 2020, is as follows: Board WTE Grampian 1.0 Highland 7.0 O…
20 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people waited more than 12 weeks for a referred CAMHS appointment in each month between March and November 2020 in NHS (a) Grampian, (b) Highland, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Eileanan Siar.
Answer · Clare Haughey: The table shows how many children and young people waited less than and more than 12 weeks to start treatment in CAMH services in each month between March 2020 and September 2020. Data for October 2020 and November 2020 are not yet available. The Scottish Gov…
20 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists, (c) primary mental health workers and (d) psychological therapists it employs in NHS (i) Grampian,(ii) Highland, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland and (v) Eileanan Siar.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: a) The number of psychiatrists (WTE) employed by the requested NHS Boards, at September 2020, is set out as follows: Board WTE Grampian 89.9 Highland 54.7 Orkney 0.0 Shetland 1.3 Eileanan Siar 2.1 b) The number of psychologists (WTE) employed by …
20 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people waited more than 12 weeks for a referred psychiatric appointment in each month between March and November 2020 in NHS (a) Grampian, (b) Highland, (c) Orkney, (d) Shetland and (e) Eileanan Siar.
Answer · Clare Haughey: Data are not centrally held. Public Health Scotland collect waiting times data for Psychological Therapies and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
20 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many unfilled vacancies there are for (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists, (c) primary mental health workers and (d) psychological therapists in NHS (i) Grampian, (ii) Highland, (iii) Orkney, (iv) Shetland and (v) Eileanan Siar.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: a) Vacancy data is only available for consultant-grade psychiatrists. The number of consultant psychiatry vacancies (WTE) within the requested NHS Boards, at September 2020, is as follows Board WTE Grampian 4.0 Highland 8.0 Orkney 0.0 Shetland 1.0 …
19 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-23373 by Paul Wheelhouse on 14 June 2019, whether it can confirm the European Commission’s position on the introduction of RET on Pentland Firth services and, if so, whether it can provide further clarity on any progress relating to the introduction…
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Following the 31 December publication by the UK Government of its guidance on implementation and operation of subsidy rules, we are working through this to understand what it means for Scottish Government subsidies, including ferry fares, and will discuss thi…
19 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) shore and (b) seagoing staff are currently employed by David MacBrayne Limited and its subsidiaries, and how many of these reside on the islands served by CalMac Ferries.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The number of staff employed by David MacBrayne Limited and its subsidiaries are as follows Total Headcount Reside on the Islands # David MacBrayne HR (UK) Ltd 29 1 CalMac Ferries Ltd 296 * 19 * CalMac Ferries Ltd 247 ** 191 ** CalMa…
18 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of how any reductions to NHS boards’ budgets for programmes or measures that aim to reduce the harms associated with drug use will impact on its ambition to eliminate hepatitis C by 2024.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: In 2020-21 there have been no reductions to Scottish Government allocations to NHS Board Budgets specifically to support alcohol and drug services. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/alcohol-and-drug-partnerships-funding…
18 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to gather updated hepatitis C prevalence estimates in order to (a) inform targets for NHS boards for hepatitis C treatment and (b) measure progress towards hepatitis C elimination.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: Public Health Scotland (PHS) are responsible for gathering data on the prevalence of Hepatitis C infection in Scotland. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, PHS have advised that the gathering of data on the prevalence of the HCV infected population in Scotlan…
18 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of COVID-19 on access to (a) needle and syringe exchange programmes and (b) opioid substitution therapy.
Answer · Joe FitzPatrick: In order to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on people who use drugs, Scottish Government commissioned Public Health Scotland (PHS) to undertake surveillance on key indicators, including the use of needle exchange services and the provision of OST. Based on th…
17 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of news that the A83 Rest and Be Thankful will remain closed for longer than anticipated, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity will be convening an urgent meeting of the A83 Taskforce.
Answer · Michael Matheson: A virtual meeting with A83 stakeholders was held on 18 November. The meeting provided an opportunity to update stakeholders on the ongoing events on the Rest and Be Thankful hillside and provide them with an opportunity to raise concerns about the ongoing imp…
16 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what forward planning it is undertaking for the possibility that COVID-19 vaccination is required annually.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: We do not yet know whether the vaccines prevent transmission of the virus, nor how long the protection offered by the vaccines lasts and clinical studies on these matters are ongoing. This will inform the Scottish Government’s plans for COVID-19 vaccination f…
16 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what other public services will support NHS Scotland with the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the Member to my statements to Parliament, most recently on 13 January 2021, our deployment plan and my letters to MSPs on this matter. As I have made clear our plans will remain iterative as information on supply, further vaccine approvals and charac…
16 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how COVID-19 vaccines will be transported and delivered to immunisation centres.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33277 on 14 January 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/parliamentarybusines…
16 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether GPs will have responsibility for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33277 on 14 January 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/parliamentarybusines…
16 Nov 2020 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how far people will have to travel to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Answer · Jeane Freeman: I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33277 on 14 January 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/parliamentarybusines…