- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 February 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 11 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the number of people who have died from suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
Statistics which cover suicide figures in Scotland during the pandemic period from 2020 to 2021 are not yet available. National Records of Scotland expect to publish the 2020 figures in June 2021.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government when the implementation plan for the Respiratory Care Action Plan for Scotland will be published.
Answer
We are committed to continuous improvement in the diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people living with respiratory conditions which is why set out in our Programme for Government a Respiratory Action Plan to deliver these key priorities.
The final Respiratory Care Action Plan will be published later this year and following publication, an implementation plan will be developed with input from a National Advisory Board and key delivery partners. As we develop and finalise these plans we will have a clearer understanding of funding required to deliver the commitments and priorities set out in the Respiratory Care Action Plan.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the First Minister on 8 December 2020 (Official Report, c. 11), , whether it will provide further details and the scientific advice for its reasons to keep Edinburgh subject to Level 3 restrictions, and what its response is to reports of confusion among residents in Edinburgh regarding restrictions not being reduced to Level 2, in light of the city reportedly meeting the published criteria for this.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33923 on 3 February 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at .
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 4 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the First Minister referred to the imminence of Christmas as a factor only in relation to Edinburgh's COVID-19 restriction level during her statement on 8 December 2020 (Official Report, c. 11).
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-33923 on 3 February 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at .
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 3 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether betting shops were included in the list of businesses eligible for the retail, hospitality and leisure support grant that was available until 10 July 2020, and what the reasons were for its decision on this matter.
Answer
To qualify for the retail, hospitality and leisure grant a business had to be operating in the retail, hospitality or leisure sectors and the premises recorded in the valuation roll as being used for one of the qualifying purposes. An outline of the qualifying purposes was provided in the guidance for Local Authorities in . The grant scheme was designed to ensure most efficient use of limited resources and support as many businesses as possible. While betting shops were not listed as a qualifying purpose for the retail, hospitality and leisure grants, they were listed as eligible for the Small Business Grant Fund.
Our focus is on delivering the maximum support for businesses and the economy as possible and from 2 November the Strategic Framework Business Fund offers grants for businesses required to close by law, or specifically required to modify their operations by law.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 February 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to concerns regarding the closure of swimming pools under the latest COVID-19 restrictions from people who are only able to exercise through swimming, rather than walking, such as some people with arthritis.
Answer
We fully appreciate the impact the closure of swimming pools is having on people’s physical and mental health, especially those with long-term conditions such as arthritis. The Scottish Government, sport scotland, local authorities and sporting bodies are working together and accessing the latest evidence to produce guidance to allow people to access facilities when it is deemed safe to do so.
Decisions on what sectors and activities to re-open on our route out of lockdown are guided by the principles set out in our Framework for Decision Making. Proposals are technically assessed using the best available evidence and analysis of their potential benefits and harms to health, the economy, and broader society to minimise overall harm and ensure transmission of the virus continues to be suppressed. This assessment process includes oversight of the assessed health risks in different settings by the Chief Medical Officer and input from the other Chief Clinicians as appropriate.
We understand that people with painful conditions like arthritis may be facing additional difficulties in managing their condition during the pandemic. Many NHS Boards and third-sector organisations such as Versus Arthritis provide a range of tools and self-management resources to support people to keep active, which may be particularly helpful at this time.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 29 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether IVF treatment services can continue under the current COVID-19 restrictions and, if so, to what extent.
Answer
The 4 NHS IVF Centres in Scotland remain open and will be guided by the Scottish Government’s Winter 2020/21 plan for Fertility Services in Scotland.
All Centres continue to provide the full range of treatments at present and this will be reviewed regularly due to the evolving COVID-19 situation.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-32711 by Jeane Freeman on 9 November 2020, whether a timetable has been agreed for the publication of the report by the Junior Doctors' 48-hour Expert Working Group.
Answer
No timetable for publication has been agreed at present. The ongoing response to the Covid-19 pandemic is the focus of our activity, and we have agreed with BMA Scotland that the final report and its important recommendations will be released when it has been fully considered.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Kate Forbes on 25 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the latest COVID-19 restrictions, what new support it plans to provide to betting shops and the betting sector.
Answer
The Strategic Framework Business Fund provides grants of up to £3,000 every 4 weeks for businesses that are required by law to close or alter their operations in response to regulations introduced to control the spread of COVID-19. The financial support available to businesses through this fund is responsive to the needs of businesses based on the restrictions in place in their local authority area. Betting shops are required to close in Level 4 and are therefore eligible for support through this fund, and the recently announced one-off top-up grants of £6,000 or £9,000. Businesses have to claim the Strategic Business Fund through their Local Authority to be paid that top-up. This is in addition to the Non-Domestic Rates Relief that we extended to all rate-paying businesses across Scotland at the outset of the pandemic in March. Through our Local Authority Discretionary Fund, councils can target additional support to where they feel this is needed within the context of their local economy and business community and have the option to further support betting shops in their area.
Information on available support can be found on the Find Business Support website. The website is regularly updated with information on any new support packages or changes to existing ones.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 January 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 January 2021
To ask the Scottish Government which business support funds are available for wholesale bakeries that are dependent on the hospitality and tourism supply chains.
Answer
The £30 million discretionary funding has been provided to local authorities to provide additional support for businesses where they consider that necessary or justified.
The aim of this fund is to mitigate the short term financial challenges being experienced by businesses adversely impacted by restrictions and regulations introduced since October to control the spread of COVID-19. It enables individual local authorities to direct additional financial support to specific groups, sectors or businesses within their local business communities who are experiencing immediate financial challenges as a result of current restrictions and regulations, including supply chain businesses.
Local authorities can use this fund at their discretion, and will undertake their own assessment of need and develop application processes accordingly.