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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-05619

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what the justification is for its guidance setting out a COVID-19 14-day self-isolation period for care home residents, and whether there are plans to change this guidance to specify a shorter period, similar to changes to guidance on self-isolation for the wider public.

recognise how difficult self-isolation for 14 days has been for those who live in care homes and their loved ones. While self-isolation has been necessary for minimising the risk of Covid-19 transmission, I understand that restrictions on visiting during isolation periods can be distressing for and negatively affect the wellbeing of care home residents and their loved ones. This is why it is important that restrictions are not in place for any longer than necessary and Scottish Government Officials have worked with clinical experts to keep restrictions under close review throughout the pandemic.

Self-isolation periods for care home residents was, in January, reviewed by clinical experts. The result of this review was a recommendation that there could be a reduction of the self-isolation period for individuals identified as cases or contacts of a Covid-19 case, who live in adult care homes, from 14 days to 10 days. On 19 th January 2022 the Scottish Government communicated this updated guidance to care homes and confirmed that care homes should adopt this change in guidance with immediate effect.

I appreciate the isolation period still differs from the general public, which may be disappointing for individuals living in care homes. This change is in line with guidance issued by Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland and the UK IPC cell and reflects the ongoing risks facing vulnerable people living in a communal setting. To minimise the impact isolation periods can have on residents, they can choose a friend or family member to be a named visitor, to visit them during their self-isolation periods. Scottish Government Officials have worked with Public Health Scotland to normalise visiting by named visitors and emphasise that this is the default approach and care homes and health protection teams should support these visits, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

In addition to this, following a review by Public Health Scotland, people transferring from hospitals to care homes will no longer need to isolate, if they have had a negative PCR test in the previous 48 hours, so long as they have no symptoms of a respiratory virus and have had no prior exposure to COVID-19, over the previous 14 days.

Scottish Government Officials continue to work with Public Health Scotland and ARHAI to review all remaining restrictions including self-isolation periods for residents.

Question reference: S6W-06075

Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 24 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement (a) it and (b) its enterprise agencies have had with Rolls-Royce plc over a Scottish bid for the Heavy Pressure Vessel Factory that the company is proposing to develop as part of its UK Small Modular Reactor programme.

To the best of my knowledge neither Government nor Government enterprise agencies have engaged with Rolls Royce on this particular matter.

I would be delighted to meet with representatives from Rolls Royce to discuss this in more detail should they wish to do so.

To be clear, however, the Scottish Government’s position on traditional nuclear fission energy (which comprises small modular reactors) has not changed. We don’t support the building of any new nuclear power stations in Scotland and therefore it will not feature as part of our wider energy strategy review.

Question reference: S6W-06972

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2022
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by John Swinney on 24 February 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the COVID-19 legislation in place.

Regulations amending the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 were made today.

The Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Amendment (No. 5) Regulations 2022 (“the Amendment Regulations”) amend the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021 (“the Principal Regulations”) and will take effect on 28 February 2022.

The Amendment Regulations remove from the Principal Regulations the provisions in relation to the COVID-19 vaccine certification scheme. In particular, these Regulations:

remove the requirement for persons responsible for certain premises to operate a reasonable system for checking that persons on, or seeking to enter, their premises are fully vaccinated against coronavirus, have received appropriate test results, or are otherwise exempt from the requirement to demonstrate that they are fully vaccinated.
remove the requirement for certain premises to prepare a compliance plan describing how their systems will operate and other measures in place to prevent or minimise the spread of coronavirus.
remove the requirement to treat information as confidential, and;
remove supplemental provisions in relation to licensing for certain premises.

The Regulations have been published at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/id/ssi/2022/74

Question reference: S6O-00815

Asked by: Donald Cameron, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Historic Environment Scotland is considering criteria that could be used to identify sites that could be left to managed decline.

Question reference: S6O-00816

Asked by: Emma Roddick, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how it is tackling any issues related to high numbers of second homes in some parts of Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-00817

Asked by: Natalie Don-Innes, MSP for Renfrewshire North and West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with the UK Government on the devolution of drug legislation to the Scottish Parliament, particularly in relation to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

Question reference: S6O-00812

Asked by: Gordon MacDonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has in place to support World Book Day on 3 March 2022.

Question reference: S6O-00818

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the remediation, including removal and replacement, of unsafe cladding on residential buildings in Scotland, as part of its response to the Grenfell tragedy.

Question reference: S6O-00814

Asked by: Dean Lockhart, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent PricewaterhouseCoopers report showing that Scotland lost on average four shops a day in 2021.

Question reference: S6O-00813

Asked by: Mark Griffin, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 March 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many households are waiting for social housing in Central Scotland.