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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.

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Question reference: S5W-30898

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to provide COVID-19 testing facilities in Dumbarton and Helensburgh; by what date these will be introduced, and what form they will take.

Mobile Testing Units have been made available in Helensburgh on 27 & 28 July and Port Glasgow ( 5.5 miles away from Dumbarton) – 27 July to 2 August. Alternatively, Home test kits are available through the UK Expanded Testing Programme and can be booked via the UK online digital portal, and are an option where people seeking a test are unable to attend a fixed drive-through centre or mobile testing unit.

Question reference: S5W-30802

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government who it appointed to the programme review board at Ferguson Marine to oversee the delivery of vessels 801 and 802, and whether any of those have commercial experience.

The membership of the Programme Review Board is set out in the minutes of the meetings contained within the Freedom of Information Release 202000035695 published on 15 June 2020 https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202000035695/

The board includes a range of expertise from the maritime sector including naval architecture, ferry procurement and operations. It also includes experience from procurement and project management of large scale public sector contracts generally and representation from the workforce at Ferguson Marine.

A number of these individuals have commercial experience.

Question reference: S5W-30804

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the minutes and papers of meetings of the programme review board at Ferguson Marine were published, and, if not, whether it will now do so.

Question reference: S5W-30805

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the turnaround director at Ferguson Marine, Tim Hair, remains in post.

Question reference: S5W-30803

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many times the programme review board at Ferguson Marine has met; who attended each meeting and what was discussed.

Question reference: S5W-30801

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason papers published on its website under FOI, which were given to the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, had to be removed; whether this was because further information required to be redacted, and what confidence people can have in the internal checking process in light of this.

The Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government has corresponded with the Convener of the Harassment Committee on this matter on 17 and 24 July 2020. That correspondence has been published by the Committee and is available at:

https://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/CurrentCommittees/111212.aspx

We have reviewed and will strengthen our processes around the scrutiny of further document releases for the Committee.

Question reference: S5W-30800

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether ministers were aware of the release of papers under FOI that were given to the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, and if so, which ministers were consulted and who approved the release.

Question reference: S5W-30748

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 4 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement by the UK Department for Health and Social Care on 16 July 2020 that it will invest £62 million in a programme to support people with learning disabilities and autism to get out of institutional care and into the community of their choice to live independently, whether it has any similar plans.

The Scottish Government has made it clear that people with learning disabilities and autism must be able to live independent in the community of their choosing. It is inappropriate for anyone with a learning disability and/or autism to remain in hospital when they are clinically appropriate to discharge.

In June 2020 the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport and the CoSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care established a short life working group to address the issue of long term delayed discharge for people with complex care needs as a result of their learning disability or complex and enduring mental health condition. The group is split into two work streams: one exploring options for future funding for this group of clients with very complex needs. The second work stream identifies and describes the processes required to avoid inappropriate admission to hospital, and supports the discharge from hospital of people with learning disabilities or enduring mental health difficulties, who are currently ready for discharge, but whose discharge is delayed.

The working group is due to report its findings in the autumn.

Question reference: S5W-30746

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 4 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the recommendation in its 2018 report, Coming Home: A Report on Out-of-Area Placements and Delayed Discharge for People with Learning Disabilities and Complex Needs, with respect to supporting people to move out of institutional settings and into the community of their choice.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities, their families and carers and continues to work closely with Dr Anne MacDonald on taking forward the recommendations of her Report Coming Home: A Report on Out-of-Area Placements and Delayed Discharge for People with Learning Disabilities and Complex Needs.

In June 2019 the Minister for Mental Health wrote to Health and Social Care Partnerships seeking progress reports on what actions they had taken on the recommendations of the Coming Home report. The responses indicated that a number of the HSCPs have made some progress in commissioning new services in order to meet the support needs of people with learning disabilities and complex needs. There have also been improvements in crisis and risk management.

In December 2019 a workshop for Commissioners and Providers from 13 Health and Social Care Partnerships was held in Edinburgh, to look for solutions for those with complex needs. Plans to roll out regional workshops have been postponed due to the Coronavirus.

In June 2020 the Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) Community of Practice was launched which was one of the recommendations of the Coming Home report. It was the first of a of a series of webinars happening throughout the year. Over 400 people attended the launch.

A Postgraduate Certificate in PBS is currently being delivered to a cohort of 20 students. These are Learning Disability nurses, Speech & Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, and Social Workers. In addition to the Postgraduate Certificate, work is also ongoing in developing a Masters-level qualification.

Question reference: S5W-30750

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 4 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the recommendations in its 2018 report, Coming Home: A Report on Out-of-Area Placements and Delayed Discharge for People with Learning Disabilities and Complex Needs, and, in particular, what action it has taken on the establishment of a short-life working group during summer 2020; how this group was constituted; how its membership was agreed, and what communication there has been with stakeholders regarding the group.

In June 2020 the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport and the CoSLA Spokesperson for Health and Social Care established a short life working group (SLWG) to address the issue of long term delayed discharge for people with complex care needs as a result of their learning disability or complex and enduring mental health condition. Due to the need for rapid advice, the role, remit and membership of the SLWG was jointly agreed between Scottish Government and CoSLA.

The group is split into two work streams one exploring options for future funding for this group of clients with very complex needs. Membership of this group is limited to finance and procurement experts.

The second work stream was asked to identify and describe the processes required to avoid inappropriate admission to hospital, and to support the discharge from hospital of people with learning disabilities or enduring mental health difficulties, who are currently ready for discharge, but whose discharge is delayed. Membership of this work stream is much wider and has evolved to include experts on the issues discussed. Membership currently includes; social care providers, hospital and community based clinicians, specialist nurses, the Scottish Commission for Learning Disabilities, Social Work Scotland, Housing Specialists, a carer, Health and Social Care Partnership commissioners.

For further information on the progress of the recommendations of the Coming Home report, I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-30746 on 4 August 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/28877.aspx