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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-31239

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether any of its special advisers have had a pay increase in the last three years outwith the normal annual pay increase applied to the Civil Service and, if so, (a) who and (b) by how much their pay increased.

Prior to 2020, Special advisers had not had access to pay progression within their pay range. In order to put Special Advisers pay arrangements on a consistent footing with other SG civil servants, a pay structure review and job evaluation exercise was undertaken for all Special Advisers. The job evaluation process began in 2018 with resultant pay increases implemented with effect from 1 October 2018. A further review of job evaluation outcomes was carried out in early 2020 and a supporting pay structure incorporating pay progression arrangements was introduced, with resultant pay increases implemented with effect from 1 October 2019. Job evaluation and pay progression are important elements in employment arrangements to support equality and fairness and to ensure equal pay for work deemed to be of equal value. It would not be appropriate to release the personal detail of individual salaries or salary changes. Details of the number of Special Advisers and pay band information is published annually.

Question reference: S5W-31293

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport on 19 August 2020 (Official Report, c. 10), how many (a) face-to-face and (b) virtual GP appointments have been conducted in each month since March 2020, broken down by NHS board; what action is being taken to restore the full face-to-face service, and by what date this will be in place.

Information on face-to-face appointments is not held centrally by the Scottish Government as GP practices are responsible for their own patient appointment and consultation arrangements.

Detailed information on Near Me consultations in GP practices by board by week can be found on SPICe, reference 61752. Not all virtual consultations use Near Me and there are also telephone consultations.

While the number of virtual appointments will have risen during the pandemic, GP practices could adopt virtual or other forms of remote working before the pandemic and there is no "full face-to-face service" as such to restore. GP practices are encouraged to retain any new ways of working developed during the pandemic which support access, quality, inclusivity, and continuity of patient care.

Question reference: S5W-31447

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will provide permanent local COVID-19 testing facilities in the Dumbarton constituency.

We deploy mobile test units to sites in agreement with local and regional resilience partnerships who work closely with local public health teams and local authorities to identify locations either where there is specific need for testing to manage outbreaks and clusters or to widen community access to testing.

In terms of access for Dumbarton residents we have a Mobile Test Unit in Port Glasgow, the regional test site in Glasgow Airport and a mobile unit which regularly visits Helensburgh. However, we continue to keep locations under review.

Question reference: S5W-31137

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-30898 by Jeane Freeman on 6 August 2020, whether the distance noted from Dumbarton to Port Glasgow is actually 16 miles by road and not 5.5 miles as indicated, which appears to be the distance measured in a straight line.

Question reference: S5W-30921

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not issued advice in response to reports that COVID-19 can infect through the eyes.

There is some evidence that Covid-19 may cause conjunctivitis. Although this appears to be rare, eye health care professionals have been made aware that this can occur. There may be an increased risk of direct transmission through touching the eyes or tears during examination, however there no specific precautions are required beyond routine infection prevention and control practices, such as PPE, washing hands and appropriate disinfection of surfaces and instruments.

Our current understanding remains that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through respiratory droplets (coughing or sneezing) directly into the mucous areas of individuals; or contact with contaminated surfaces which are then spread to the nose or mouth by touch.

Guidance for optometry and optometrists, including on the use of eye protection, is also included within the Primary Care Guidance https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/web-resources-container/covid-19-advice-for-dental-teams/

Our actions will continue to develop in response to what the scientific community learn about the virus.

Question reference: S5W-31274

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has ever waived legal privilege to release legal advice given to ministers regarding (a) past court proceedings against them, (b) policy or administrative matters and (c) the making of potential decisions.

By virtue of the right to legal professional privilege which attaches to all clients including Governments, the content of any legal advice received by the Scottish Government is confidential.

Successive Scottish and Westminster Governments have not disclosed the source or content of legal advice other than in the most exceptional circumstances.

The Scottish Ministers have authorised disclosure of legal advice in the particular circumstances of a very limited number of cases which each involved a judicial inquiry: the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, the (UK) Infected Blood Inquiry and the Trams Inquiry.

Question reference: S5W-31238

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 1 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of all of its current special advisers, broken down by (a) job title, (b) role and (c) salary scale.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-26805 on 19 December 2019. In addition Mairi McAllan, Special Adviser, Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, was employed with effect from 6 January 2020, initially to provide maternity cover. Stewart Maxwell is no longer a Special Adviser. We will shortly publish the annual list of special advisers.

The Special Adviser pay bands, and numbers within each band are:

Pay Band	Pay Range	Number of SpAds in each Band
1	£39,445 - £52,904	1
2	£52,905 - £66,317	7
3	£65,017 - £88,564	5
3 (premium)	£86,965 - £100,942	0
4	£86,965 - £104,462	1

Question reference: S5F-04344

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 31 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 September 2020

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that the Test and Protect system is functioning effectively.

Question reference: S5W-31300

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure continued uptake of school milk, in light of its reported plan to leave the UK Nursery Milk Scheme.

Question reference: S5W-31319

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance is being provided to schools on social distancing during transfers between classrooms in order to minimise the spread of COVID-19.

The published Guidance on preparing for the start of the new school term in August 2020 contains a section on minimising contact between individuals and groups (paragraphs 40 to 60). This section notes that within specific school settings, risk assessments should consider the ways in which busy corridors, entrances and exits could be avoided, with mitigations that could include one way and/or external circulation routes.

The guidance has been updated to note that face coverings should (unless exemptions apply) be worn by adults and young people in secondary schools when moving about the school in corridors and communal areas, where physical distancing is particularly difficult to maintain.