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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: S5O-04835

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided for hotels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-33492

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether patients who received two rounds of IVF treatment prior to the change in cycle recommendations, which were implemented on 1 April 2017, will be allowed to have a third cycle of treatment, in line with the service that is now being offered on the NHS.

The increase in NHS IVF provision which allows couples to have a maximum of three cycles of IVF treatment, is only applicable to patients referred from Primary and Secondary Care after 1 April 2017.

A third cycle is not available retrospectively to those patients that were already in the NHS system prior to this date, or those who have had NHS IVF treatment at any point in the past, anywhere in the UK.

Question reference: S5W-33405

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what time on 11 December 2020 non-essential shops and other closed businesses in areas subject to Level 4 COVID-19 restrictions will be permitted to reopen.

Question reference: S5W-33307

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a time limit for the level 4 restrictions to be in place for non-retail businesses to allow for effective planning.

Question reference: S5W-33306

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the grants awarded to non-essential retail businesses required to close under the level 4 restrictions will reflect the loss of income that might have been generated as a result of sales in the run up to Christmas.

Over £2.3 billion of business support has been made available so far to help businesses counter the impact of COVID-19. We will continue to do everything we can to support businesses in these unprecedented and challenging circumstances. This includes through the provision of grant funding through the Strategic Framework Business Support scheme, access to non-domestic rates relief and through UK Government supportive measures such as the Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Support. Non-essential retail business in Level 4 areas can continue to sell goods using on-line, click and collect and telephone ordering services.

Question reference: S5W-33305

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding what proportion of annual retail sales are received during the November to December shopping period.

Question reference: S5W-33304

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 26 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason non-essential retail is to close under the level 4 restrictions, in light of reports that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has assessed that the impact on transmission of the closure of non-essential retail was "low’" and has "very minimal impact on R values".

The Strategic Framework sets out a "whole system approach" to supressing the virus while seeking to minimise its broader harms. Level four measures are close to full lockdown to provide a short and sharp suppression of the virus. It is the overall package of measures, as opposed to any one measure individually, which has this effect. We know how difficult the measures are for businesses and have weighed up the transmission risk in different settings and activities as well as the impacts on broader health and well-being, society and the economy.

The evidence used to support decision making is available at https://data.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/detail.html . We will keep the protective measures in all levels under review to ensure that they remain necessary and proportionate to address the ongoing public health emergency.

We will continue to do everything we can to support businesses in these unprecedented and challenging circumstances, including through the provision of grant funding through the Strategic Framework Business Support scheme, access to non-domestic rates relief and through UK Government supportive measures such as the Job Retention Scheme and Self-Employment Support. More information can be found on the Find Business Support website. This website and local authority websites were updated on 13 November to allow eligible businesses to apply.

Question reference: S5O-04803

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to food banks.

Question reference: S5W-33110

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will progress with the devolution of VAT powers, and for how long it will leave the VAT assignation power with the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has agreed with HM Treasury to postpone the implementation of VAT assignment and commit to review it as part of the Fiscal Framework Review. Postponement is necessary in light of the extraordinary economic circumstances now facing Scotland and the UK, and responsible financial management requires that we delay the introduction of this new source of budgetary volatility.

This represents an opportunity for the Scottish Government to re-evaluate the VAT assignment model and consider whether other options, including full devolution of policy powers following EU Exit, could bring greater benefits to Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-33100

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 23 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-31664 by Joe FitzPatrick on 23 September 2020, whether a date has been agreed for the reopening of NHS pain clinic services to allow people to resume treatment.

On 24 September the Scottish Government published a Recovery Framework for Pain Management which set out clearly that pain management services should be considered essential in NHS Health Board remobilisation planning. The Scottish Government has consistently made clear that we will provide the necessary funding across health and care services to recognise the additional costs of responding to COVID-19 and to ensure that patient safety remains the top priority at all times. On 29 September the Scottish Government confirmed additional funding of £1.1 billion across NHS Boards and Social Care Partnerships to help them meet COVID-19 related costs and remobilisation of services.