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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: S6W-08383

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 20 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions have taken place regarding its ministers' responsibility for (a) discharging untested patients to care homes and (b) the overruling of family power of attorney, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Decisions to discharge patients are not made by Ministers, they are made by health and social care professionals, alongside the patient and their family, or their legal representative where applicable.

As was the case before the pandemic, where someone is most appropriately cared for after discharge is based on a multi-disciplinary assessment of the individual’s needs and wishes. There are a range of factors that clinicians will consider as part of this assessment, including clinical readiness for discharge and the best setting for meeting the individual’s needs.

If an attorney is unhappy with the decision to discharge a patient they can raise a complaint against the person or organisation who has taken the decision, or apply for directions from the sheriff under section 3(3) of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.

Public Health Scotland undertook an analysis of discharges to care homes and found that care home size is very strongly related to outbreaks. That is, the risk of a care home outbreak increased progressively as the size of care home increased. Furthermore, there was no clear statistical evidence that hospital discharges were associated with care home outbreaks. The analysis was published on 21 April 2021 and can be found here: Discharges from NHSScotland hospitals to care homes - Between 1 March and 31 May 2020 (revised) - Discharges from NHSScotland hospitals to care homes - Publications - Public Health Scotland

Question reference: S6O-01138

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 May 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how its Super Sponsor scheme takes account of the preferences of Ukrainian refugees regarding settlement locations within Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-08376

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 18 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of what Historical Adoption Support Trauma Service is being developed.

As part of the £145,000 funding we announced earlier in March, we are in the process of commissioning research into support services in Scotland. The analysis and research will help us to understand what support is needed to help the people affected by historical adoption practices.

We have also introduced a working group to assist with the implementation of peer support groups where we are working with partners to scope and develop the support service.

Question reference: S6W-08381

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has provided to the Men’s Shed Movement in each year since the movement was established in 2013.

Following the launch of the Scottish Mens Sheds Association (SMSA) in November 2015, the Scottish Government has supported the men’s shed movement in Scotland, by providing £645,000 of funding to the SMSA and Age Scotland to date.

Our annual core funding support to the SMSA has enabled the movement to fully establish in Scotland and grow our Scottish men’s sheds from just 3 sheds in 2013 to 127 sheds which are open today, and a further 70 that are currently in development, serving 2,899 members, and 10,267 shedders across Scotland.

Scottish Government annual breakdown of support to the men’s sheds movement is as follows:

To SMSA:

2016/17 - £75,000
2017/18 - £75,000
2018/19 - £75,000
2019/20 - £75,000
2020/21 - £150,000 (higher figure included funds to support Covid response)
2021/22 - £45,000

To Age Scotland:

2017/18 - £50,000
2018/19 - £50,000
2019/20 - £50,000

Question reference: S6W-08382

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to help to expand the Men’s Shed Movement in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has supported the men’s sheds movement in Scotland since 2016 with sustained core funding provided to the national support organisation, the Scottish Mens Sheds Association (SMSA), which has enabled them to grow the men’s sheds movement here in Scotland year on year.

We are aware of their contribution to the preventative health agenda, tackling social isolation and loneliness, and their impact on our wider community empowerment ambitions, and that is why we continue to support the growth of men’s sheds.

Scottish Government is currently working with the SMSA and their Executive Officer Jason Schroeder, to agree the necessary support for this year that will help them continue to grow the movement here in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-08377

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 17 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government when the Physical Intervention Working Group last met, and when the group will submit its recommendations to ministers.

The Scottish Government is working with partners, including the Children and Young People’s Commissioner, on new human rights-based non-statutory guidance to minimise the use of restraint in schools.

The physical intervention working group began work on the new guidance in January 2020. Progress was affected by group members’ focus on the Covid-19 response. However, work resumed in June 2020 and positive progress has been made since then. The working group last met on 23 November 2021. Following that meeting, working group members reached agreement by correspondence that the draft guidance can be put to public consultation. The Scottish Government is currently preparing this consultation.

Details of the membership and notes of the meetings of the physical intervention working group are available on the Scottish Government’s website: Physical Intervention Working Group - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) .

Question reference: S6W-08204

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 16 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the kinship care allowance payment is in each local authority area.

Question reference: S6W-08408

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 May 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 16 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5W-34944 and S5W-35522 by Clare Haughey on 11 February and 8 March 2021 respectively, whether it will provide the same information for 2021-22.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information. Scottish Health Service Costs are published annually in arrears by Public Health Scotland.

The most recent cost book data available covers 2020-21 and was published on 22 February 2022. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services spend is not routinely published in the cost book publication but is available from Public Health Scotland on request through phs.costsinfo@phs.scot.

Data for 2021-22 is not currently available, but will be available on request after publication of the 2021-22 cost book, which is currently scheduled for November 2022.

Question reference: S6W-05925

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 13 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking as part of the Sexual Health and Blood Borne Viruses (SHBBV) services Recovery Plan to ensure that adequate numbers of staff are available for finding and treating new cases of hepatitis C, and collecting and analysing data on levels of blood borne virus infection.

Individual health boards are responsible for allocating staff, in recognition that they best understand local priorities and needs. The Scottish Government understands that many NHS staff have been unavoidably redeployed since 2020 to support the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, but that as the pandemic subsides, staff will begin to revert to their pre-Covid duties.

The Scottish Government welcomes this, but remains committed to working closely with Health boards to support recovery of sexual health and blood borne virus services, including those focused on Hepatitis C, through on-going engagement with the Scottish Health Protection Network and development of the next iteration of the sexual health and Blood Borne Viruses Framework.

Question reference: S6W-08199

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 April 2022
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 12 May 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many babies with disabilities have been born in Scotland to mothers who used sodium valproate during pregnancy in each year since 1999.