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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: S6W-00130

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 1 June 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the introduction of Gaelic medium education in Edinburgh will have on the (a) funding and (b) timing of the proposed New Liberton High School.

Question reference: S6W-00129

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2021
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 27 May 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering a high street voucher scheme, as is being implemented in Northern Ireland.

Question reference: S5W-35182

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 1 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much in total was allocated from its Budget in 2019-20 to non-governmental organisations, including those designated as charities.

Question reference: S5W-34349

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish its plan for the provision of second-dose COVID-19 vaccinations, and what the expected average time will be between the first and second doses.

Our planning assumption is predicated on ensuring everyone that receives the first dose will receive their second dose within 12 weeks from the first dose. Health boards are prepared and ready with vaccine supply for second doses.

Second doses started on the 29 December last week and will be a feature of the programme from now on.

On the basis of the forecast supply information we have received from the UK Vaccines Taskforce, we are therefore confident we have adequate supply to support delivery.

Question reference: S5W-34547

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to making police officers an immediate priority in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine.

To save lives, it is essential that vaccination be given to the first priority groups as set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), these being residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, people over the age of 80, and frontline health and social care workers.

Prioritisation by sector is not bring considered for the following reasons :

Criticality of service is not an indication for priority vaccination because clinical risk is the overriding concern. This is influenced most greatly by age, not occupation.
Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of any workers other than frontline health and social care workers. This is because we don’t know if the vaccine prevents spread, but it does reduce the harm to those most at risk should they catch the virus.
Individual police officers will be called forward for vaccination according to their position on the priority list, if they are eligible within the JCVI Cohorts regarding their age and/or underlying medical conditions (e.g. All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality).

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the independent expert advice from the JCVI.

Question reference: S5W-34816

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to allowing (a) GPs and (b) pharmacies to order COVID-19 vaccine supplies directly, bypassing NHS boards.

As supply is limited, the current model under which Health Boards direct where supply goes is the best approach to ensuring vaccine supply is targeted to locations in line with vaccination priorities

Vaccines are being delivered on a weekly delivery schedule. Every GP practice has a weekly order cut-off time and a weekly delivery day.
Boards have tried to target practices based on the local practice populations.
Our Chief Pharmaceutical Officer wrote on to all GPs on 22 January, explaining in more detail the mechanism of supply, ordering and delivery, with suggested solutions at local board level that can also assist them.
Also, we are in regular contact with boards to ensure GPs have the most up to date information on when supply is available and what our expectations are for them.

Question reference: S5O-05056

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives of teaching and education unions.

Question reference: S5W-35025

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 9 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what the average time has been since March 2020 to provide substantive responses to written parliamentary questions that have received holding responses.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government remains committed to answering all parliamentary questions as quickly as possible and within the deadlines agreed with the Parliament. The vast majority of questions continue to be answered on time. The Government produces quarterly statistics, available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, which show how many parliamentary questions were cleared after the substantive date and those still outstanding at the time of audit.

Question reference: S5W-33923

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 3 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the First Minister on 8 December 2020 (Official Report, c. 11), what the political rationale was behind the decision to keep Edinburgh under Level 3 of the COVID-19 restrictions; what discussions were held with public health officials regarding the most appropriate Level for the area and whether any of the officials recommended moving the city into Level 2, and whether it will publish the full public health data on which the final decision was based.

In order to have allowed limited gathering over Christmas, a deliberately cautious approach was taken for the review of levels allocations. Lowering prevalence of the virus prior to the festive period was considered key to avoiding the need for more restrictive measures in the new year and ensuring that any pressures on the NHS were minimised. These decisions were taken with the best available evidence and clinical advice at the time and, significantly, prior to the emergence of the new variant of Covid-19.

It was considered vital that the risk of gatherings of family and friends, particularly around the festive period, was carefully managed so that the relative progress which had been made at the time was not undermined.

On taking these decisions, consideration was given to the considerable risks around increased social activity over the festive period which are understood to be particularly acute in large urban areas. A move to level 2 in Edinburgh would have meant opening up significantly more services in Scotland’s second biggest city in the two weeks before Christmas. The frequent transport links and high concentrations of hospitality and retail venues means Edinburgh attracts large numbers of people, particularly at Christmas, thereby creating increased opportunities for transmission.

Question reference: S5W-34652

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 January 2021
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to reform the procedures for claiming Disabled Students Allowance.

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) are currently leading a project on behalf of the Scottish Government, reviewing the disability related student support element, encompassing both Further Education and Higher Education.

The project aims to deliver a suite of recommendations which will seek to improve the provision of support and increase parity across the sector. This will include improvements to the procedures for claiming the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) administered by SAAS.