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: S5W-29570

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the incidence of young people misusing nitrous oxide is increasing; what action it is taking to educate them about the dangers of this, and how it plans to tackle the suppliers.

All illicit drug use is dangerous, and I would strongly urge all people, and particularly young people, to seriously consider the risks that are involved.

We are and will continue to work closely with a range of partners and stakeholders, including Police Scotland, to ensure we have an up to date overview of any arising challenges or concerns. I fully recognise the importance of ensuring we are aware of trends and patterns of use, and we are taking forward work with Public Health Scotland to use and develop our public health surveillance data to better understand drug trends. This will enable us to develop effective approaches to meeting the needs of different groups, including young people, who are at risk at the earliest possible stage.

Evidence tells us that the vast majority of children and young people in Scotland have not used drugs, with numbers generally decreasing since 2002. However we cannot be complacent and our alcohol and drug strategy is clear in its commitments to achieve an outcome which will ensure that fewer people develop problem drug use. In order to help achieve this, we have committed to revise and improve the programme of substance use education in schools to ensure it is good quality, impactful and in line with best practice.

Question reference: S5W-29631

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when churches will be allowed to reopen as part of the process of easing the COVID-19 lockdown.

We acknowledge the outstanding contribution of Scotland’s faith communities, including our Christian Communities, and recognise the difficulty in being unable to come together or attend places of worship during this challenging time. However, we know faith communities understand that these restrictions are vital to protect our NHS workers and carers, and to save lives.

On 21 May, the First Minister outlined Scotland's route map through and out of the COVID-19 crisis, which is available on the Scottish Government website. This takes an evidence-led approach to easing restrictions and sets out a phased approach towards reopening places of worship.

Current guidance remains to stay at home and only travel where it is essential to do so. For this reason, places of worship are currently only able to open for very limited purposes; for funerals, to broadcast an act of worship and to provide essential voluntary services. However, it is anticipated that restrictions around places of worship may begin to ease at phase 2 of the route map, at which time they may be able to open for individual prayer and at phase 3, when we anticipate they may be able to open to extended groups for services. Opening at each of these phases would be subject to physical distancing and hygiene safeguards.

We will continue to engage in discussion with our faith communities as we work towards developing guidance to assist them to reopen places of worship in line with the phases I have outlined, including how this can be done as safely as possible.

Question reference: S5W-29616

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many communications have been received by the NHS Scotland confidential alert line in each month since it was established.

Question reference: S5W-29735

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when a national clinical network will be in place to support development of the National Child Psychiatry Inpatient Unit and community services, linking with multiagency partners across Scotland.

There are no current plans to establish a National Child Psychiatry Clinical Network. I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-29736 on 18 June 2020 for information about plans for a Managed Clinical Network for LD Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, which will also include within its remit, support for under 12s using the National LD Child Psychiatry Inpatient Unit.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at .

Question reference: S5W-29734

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what provision is currently in place for children and young people with a learning disability who require inpatient psychiatric care.

NHS National Services Scotland has agreements in place with NHS England for cross border admissions to specialist Learning Disability Adolescent Psychiatric Units for those with severe and profound learning disabilities. These will remain in place until the new National Learning Disability Inpatient Unit is open. Children and young people with mild to moderate learning disabilities have access to the National Child Psychiatry Inpatient Unit and the Regional Child and Adolescent Inpatient Units.

Question reference: S5W-29733

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in adapting and up-skilling the National Child Psychiatry Inpatient Unit at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde so that children with all degrees of learning disability can access inpatient care.

Options appraisals have been completed by architects and capital planners, to consider what adaptations and physical environment changes are required. The National Child Psychiatry Inpatient Unit already admits children with intellectual disabilities and mental health disorders utilising its existing expertise and available capacity.

NHS National Services Scotland has indicated that the national pathway of the child element of the national Learning Disability service can open prior to the adolescent facility.

Question reference: S5W-29630

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many drug-related deaths there have been during the COVID-19 outbreak.

National Records Scotland (NRS) are responsible for publishing the Scottish drug death statistics on an annual basis. The last publication made by NRS was in July 2019.

We are currently awaiting details from them with regards to the date of publication for the 2019-2020 drug death statistics, which will include information on the number of recorded drug-related deaths during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Drug Death Taskforce (DDTF) and officials are in regular contact with Police Scotland around suspected drug deaths during this time.

Question reference: S5O-04437

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to minimise waiting times for delayed operations.

Question reference: S5W-29609

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the capacity is for carrying out tests at COVID-19 testing sites, as opposed to laboratory test processing capacity, broken down by (a) NHS Scotland (i) fixed and (ii) mobile testing sites and (b) UK Government (i) fixed and (ii) mobile testing sites.

We now have active maximum weekday NHS testing capacity for around 8,600 tests a day, and weekend capacity of around 6,900 tests a day, with capacity for testing in all 14 NHS Health Boards. The NHS testing capacity figure is supported by non-NHS labs including: University of Edinburgh, University of Aberdeen, and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. NHS Scotland’s testing capacity is not divided between fixed and mobile testing sites.

Data on testing capacity at each of the UK Government Testing Programme’s individual centres and mobile testing units is owned by the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care. The Scottish Government does not currently have permission to publish this data.

Question reference: S5W-29409

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 17 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many retired medics returning to support the NHS have been employed during the COVID-19 outbreak.

As at 5 June 2020, 19 medics who declared themselves as retired on an Expression of Interest form through the Accelerated recruitment Portal have subsequently been employed.

Retired medics who have been granted a temporary license to practise may seek employment either through a health board, the Accelerated Recruitment Portal, or both.

In addition to staff made available through the portal, local recruitment activity already begun in NHS Greater Glasgow has already led to 1,517 appointments and in NHS Lothian to 760 offers of employment.

Over 1500 staff have been made available to NHS Scotland Boards through the Accelerated Recruitment Portal so far, which has also supported the placement of over 4,600 nursing and midwifery students and over 560 medical graduates in boards to assist with our response.