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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: S5O-04399

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to roll out superfast broadband, and how this has been impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-28453

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued by local authorities to care homes and nursing homes on the provision of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Health Protection Scotland, jointly with the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health Wales, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland, Public Health England and NHS England published updated personal protective equipment (PPE) guidance for all health and social care settings including care homes and nursing homes in relation to COVID-19 on 2 April. The revised guidance is available at: www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/covid-19/ . The guidance outlines what type of PPE frontline health and social care workers should be wearing in different settings and scenarios. This guidance was widely communicated to health and social care bodies, including Scottish Care, Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCPS) and Health and Social Care Partnerships.

The Scottish Government also issued a joint statement with COSLA and Trade Unions on 9 April confirming that this four Nations guidance is the official and fully comprehensive guidance on the matter of the use of PPE in the context of COVID-19.

Health Protection Scotland guidance also refers to the use of PPE.

Question reference: S5W-28454

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what correspondence the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport has had with the relevant representatives of care homes and nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Scottish Government is in regular written and phone contact with Scottish Care, who are the representative body of most care home providers in Scotland, on a range of matters relating to Covid-19 and I regularly speak to their CEO, Dr Donald Macaskill. Matters that we continue to have regular dialogue with Scottish Care include: the response to Covid 19, infection and control and clinical matters, development of guidance, PPE, care home sustainability and workforce matters. Scottish Care and their members are actively involved in a range of national care home groups to support care homes at this time. This includes the Care Home Rapid Action Group and the Clinical and Professional Advisory Group for Care Homes.

Question reference: S5W-28452

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issued to local authorities on limiting the transmission of COVID-19 in care homes and nursing homes at the start of the pandemic.

Health Protection Scotland (HPS) publishes infection control guidance for all care homes including those run by Local Authorities which is updated regularly. It was most recently updated on 20 May. The HPS guidance is based on the National Infection Prevention and Control Manual and includes advice on how to prevent and manage the spread of all respiratory infections including COVID-19.

To supplement HPS guidance, the Scottish Government also issued clinical and practice guidance for care homes. This was first published on 13 March and updated on 26 March and 15 May. This guidance draws on the HPS guidance but provides more detailed information on some of the practical steps that are required to protect staff and residents. Both the HPS and the Scottish Government guidance is continually reviewed to take account of the emerging picture around COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-29396

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 May 2020
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what modelling it has carried out on the economic impact of easing lockdown in line with the phased approach that it set out in its document, Scotland's route map through and out of the crisis.

The route map takes an evidence-led and transparent approach to easing restrictions and sets out a phased approach towards the future. We will retain current restrictions while they remain justified, necessary and proportionate, and will not change them unless and until it is safe to do so. Our decisions are based on our assessment of the current evidence for Scotland and involve taking difficult decisions that seek to balance health, social and economic harms so as to minimise overall harm.

Our modelling shows that there is a risk that if restrictions are lifted too soon then a second surge in infection could lead to further harm to our economy, health and society.

The Chief Economist’s latest economic outlook is set out in the latest State of the Economy report, available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/state-economy-april-2020/ .

As well as the Monthly Economic Brief for May, available at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/monthly-economic-brief/ .

Question reference: S5F-04179

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 June 2020

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Government plans to offer self-isolating people under the NHS Test and Protect programme.

Question reference: S5W-28764

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding the decision to temporarily relax UK competition law to support the dairy industry during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-28765

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with (a) Dairy UK, (b) the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and (c) other rural stakeholders in Scotland regarding assisting the dairy industry during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5W-28767

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 14 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of current milk prices, and whether it will adjust relevant funding to respond to the needs of the industry.

Question reference: S5W-28768

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 7 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) foundation, (b) modern and (c) graduate apprenticeships are administered by Skills Development Scotland through (i) contracted learning providers and (ii) direct employer contracts in (A) tourism and (B) agriculture.

Skills Development Scotland contracts Modern Apprenticeships through occupational grouping rather than apprenticeship framework. The following table provides the breakdown for contracted learning providers and direct employer contracts in the Food and Drink occupational grouping (which contains the agriculture framework) and the Tourism and Hospitality occupational grouping.

	Food and Drink		Hospitality and Tourism
Year	Employer	Training Provider	Employer	Training Provider
2020-21	30	1345	218	2137

At present there are no specific frameworks in tourism and agriculture for either Foundation or Graduate Apprenticeships. Skills Development Scotland can advise of the process to developing new frameworks, and employers in those sectors are still able to access existing Foundation and Graduate Apprenticeships frameworks to support their business. Full information on these frameworks can be found at www.apprenticeships.scot