Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

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 ��˿�� 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-04613

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place in schools to reinforce the message that pupils need to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

Question reference: S5O-04601

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to businesses that have been impacted the most by COVID-19 restrictions.

Question reference: S5W-31511

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 9 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on its various COVID-19 health-related advertising campaigns across all media channels since 23 March 2020.

Question reference: S5W-31521

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 8 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-27864 by Kate Forbes on 19 March 2020, what the current total level of its borrowing is, and what this represents as a percentage of its borrowing capacity.

The current level of Scottish Government capital borrowing is £1.58 billion, 53% of the £3 billion capital borrowing capacity. The reduction in debt level reflects repayments of existing borrowing in August 2020.

The Scottish Government intends to drawdown a further £450 million in capital borrowing and £207 million resource borrowing before the end of the financial year, in line with the 2020-21 Scottish Budget.

Question reference: S5W-31339

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 4 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria will be in place for holiday clubs that plan to open during the October 2020 school holidays.

Holiday clubs may be delivered by either regulated childcare providers or by sports or activity providers.

If the club is providing regulated childcare, they will require to follow the guidance published for or services (depending on the age group).

If they are providing an activity which takes place outdoors they will be able to operate if they:

• are providing and can operate within the guidance from their regulated body of sport; or

• are providing a community learning and development service, such as youth work, and are able to operate within the ; or

• are providing organised outdoor play activity in line with the existing public health guidance for meeting outdoors (observing rules around number of households and maximum number of people)

If they are providing an organised indoor activity for children they should follow the .

Question reference: S5O-04529

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 27 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it had with assistive technology companies and others prior to the publication of its paper, Framework for Supporting People through Recovery and Rehabilitation during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic, and how these stakeholders will be involved with the National Advisory Board for Rehabilitation.

We have published the list of organisations who informed the consultation and this can be found in the Framework for supporting people through Recovery and Rehabilitation during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic, which is available to read on the Scottish Government’s website. The National Advisory Board for Rehabilitation is to be determined and will be chaired by the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer and supported by the new Allied Health Professions Adviser. The Advisory Board will be formed to provide expert advice to Scottish Government and support leadership in NHS Boards, Integration Authorities, Local Government, Independent and Third Sector. We will be considering the role that technologies will play in supporting rehabilitation and recovery and have already highlighted that we recognise that people affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) can benefit from providing care and support in different ways including online rehabilitation services.

Question reference: S5W-31217

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 25 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S5O-04462 and S5O-04463 by Kate Forbes on 13 August 2020 (Official Report, c. 5), whether it will provide a breakdown of all additional funding that it has received from the UK Government in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has allocated this.

The UK Government confirmed on 24 July that the Scottish Government will receive a minimum of £6.5 billion of Covid-19 Barnett consequentials in 2020-21. This represented an increase of £800m more than previous estimates which had been provided by Treasury based on spending commitments in England.

Even with this level of additional funding it is clear that Scottish Government is still facing considerable financial challenges in responding to the ongoing Heath and Economic impacts as result of the pandemic. Whilst the guarantee is welcome I remain frustrated that the proportionate and reasonable requests for additional fiscal flexibilities that I have been making and which Parliament has supported continue to be dismissed by the UK Government.

The allocation of the first £3.6 billion of consequentials were detailed in the Summer Budget Revision published by the Scottish Government in May. I will provide further details on additional allocations in the Autumn Budget Revision, which I aim to publish in September and in the Spring Budget Revision later in January.

Question reference: S5W-30791

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 17 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates outdoor holiday clubs for school-aged children will be able to resume activities.

There are two circumstances in which outdoor holiday clubs can be provided over the summer period. Firstly, if the provider is a service registered with the Care Inspectorate to provide childcare and is able to operate within the current guidance for or for . Secondly, if the provider is delivering for children and can operate in accordance with guidance produced by their Scottish Governing Body of Sport.

Question reference: S5W-30725

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 12 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it expects motor caravanner rallies to be able to resume meetings.

An organised event, such as a motor caravan rally, will be covered by the dates for reopening of the events sector. The First Minister published an update to the Routemap on 30 July, which proposed an indicative date of 24 August for live outdoor events and 14 September for live indoor events, subject to limited numbers, strict physical distancing measures and following the relevant guidance.

It is important to emphasise that these are not confirmed dates and may be changed if the epidemic deteriorates in Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-30810

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 11 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects professional providers of complementary, natural and alternative medicines to be permitted to reopen their practices.

Following a clinical assessment, personal retail services, including Complementary and Alternative Medicine services (CAMs) and massage therapy, were advised that they could resume services as of 22 July 2020, where the service is carried out in a therapist’s own premises (i.e. not a mobile therapist, who provides treatment in a patient’s home), and the has been updated to reflect this.

The Scottish Government are undertaking further clinical assessment of the risk of transmission of COVID-19 for mobile massage and CAM services, and are considering whether further guidance is required for these.