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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-34898

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many prescriptions have been given for (a) benzodiazepines, including clonazepam, (b) z-drugs, (c) antidepressants and (d) opioids in the most recent 12-month period for which figures are available, and how these figures compare with the 12-month period prior to that.

The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested. All information on prescribed and dispensed items are published and categorised by the British National Formulary chapter, in both monthly open data files and as part of the annual Dispenser Payments and Prescription Cost Analysis which was last released on 29 September 2020. Information on prescribing in the community is available on the Public Health Scotland website. This can be accessed at https://www.opendata.nhs.scot/dataset/prescriptions-in-the-community .

Question reference: S5W-33938

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the unpaid family care givers of vulnerable individuals, including cancer patients, will receive the COVID-19 vaccine and, if so, when.

It is essential that vaccination be given to the first priority groups as set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), and unpaid carers are included.

Adult unpaid carers aged under 65 and young carers aged 16 and 17 will be offered vaccination at the same time as adults with eligible at-risk health conditions (under JCVI priority group 6).
Unpaid carers aged 65 and over will be offered the vaccine earlier as they are included in JCVI priority groups 2-5.

We are using the Carer Act definition of unpaid carers which encapsulates JCVI description and goes wider.

Question reference: S5W-35069

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the funding announced in the Winter Plan for Social Protection will be made available to people in need of financial support.

The First Minister announced the Scottish Government's Winter Plan for Social Protection on 30 November 2020, comprising a £100 million package of measures to support people and communities over the winter period.

This additional funding has now been made available to local authorities and key third sector partners to deliver the enhanced support outlined within the package, helping many of the most disadvantaged people to cope with winter weather and the economic impact of COVID-19 and Brexit. This is on top of the increased support offered through the Scottish Welfare Fund, Discretionary Housing Payments and the new Self-Isolation Support Grant.

A breakdown of investment can be found on the Scottish Government website, using the following link;

Winter support fund for families and children - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

As set out in response to S5W-35173 on 12 February 2021, as part of this package of support, over 144,128 COVID Winter Hardship Payments, worth a total of £14.41 million, have been made for children and young people in receipt of Free School Meals on the basis of low income.

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/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-34877

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the planned 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to be administered each week will be (a) first and (b) second doses.

The public health Scotland provides an overview of first and second doses for each vaccines weekly. Please note that this data is dependent on the vaccine supply from the UK government.

See the link here: COVID-19 statistical report 17 February 2021 - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org)

The page 7 provides an information on the total number of vaccination by week, vaccine type and dose number.

Question reference: S5W-35242

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent to date on its #WeAreScotland campaign.

Question reference: S5W-34201

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on extending the COVID-19 vaccination priority group, “adults with Downs Syndrome”, to include adults with other severe and complex learning disabilities.

All of our decision making in the approach to responding to Covid-19 is guided by the latest scientific evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) , advice from Health Protection Scotland and our Interim Chief Medical Officer. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provides advice on immunisation to all UK Health Departments, including on the efficacy and safety of vaccines.

Those with severe learning difficulty are considered clinically vulnerable by the JVCI, and are part of cohort 6. This includes all those with severe and complexes learning difficulty and not only those with downs syndrome. The JCVIs full list of those who are considered clinically vulnerable includes,

•Chronic respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and severe asthma

• Chronic heart disease (and vascular disease)

• Chronic kidney disease 8

• Chronic liver disease

• Chronic neurological disease including epilepsy

• Down’s syndrome

• Severe and profound learning disability

• Diabetes

• Solid organ, bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients

• People with specific cancers

• Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment

• Asplenia and splenic dysfunction

• Morbid obesity

• Severe mental illness

Question reference: S5W-35121

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to meet with employers and trade unions within the whisky sector to agree an industrial strategy for whisky, in light of the ongoing tariffs in relation to Scottish Single Malt whisky.

Question reference: S5F-04834

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-35220

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 22 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being given to help people who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic pay their energy bills.

We recognise that due to Covid-19, there will be increased financial pressures on many households. Since the beginning of the pandemic the Scottish Government has made available support for households struggling with their energy bills through a variety of channels. We increased the budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund to meet additional demand arising as a consequence of Covid-19, as well as providing £15 million further funding for Local Authorities to be used flexibly to provide support to those facing financial insecurity, including support for fuel costs.

Most recently we have distributed £7 million via the Help with Fuel element of the Winter Support Programme. This includes £4 million for a Home Heating Support Fund administered by Advice Direct Scotland, £2 million to the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations for grants to Registered Social Landlords for practical initiatives to help tenants struggling to meet their fuel costs this winter and £445,000 for the Fuel Bank Foundation to help households on prepayment meters, or who rely on unregulated fuels like heating oil, who are at risk of self-disconnection.

Furthermore, Home Energy Scotland (HES) is funded by the Scottish Government to provide a range of energy related advice services and support to householders in Scotland. HES can make referrals for benefit checks, manage energy supplier switching, help with accessing the Warm Home Discount and other financial assistance, as well as providing advice on how to use energy in the home more efficiently. They can also assess eligibility for the Scottish Government’s energy efficiency schemes, which could help make long lasting improvements to home heating systems and insulation.

Question reference: S5W-35085

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the Mobile Close Contact Services Support Fund will be open for applications.