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-33846

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 2 March 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether pharmacy support workers such as delivery drivers will be prioritised for a COVID-19 vaccination.

To save lives it is essential that vaccination be given to the first priority groups as set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), these being residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, people over the age of 80, and frontline health and social care workers.

Some key workers, such as Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians, are included in the top priority groups, and are already eligible for a vaccine. But Pharmacy drivers and Medical Home Care delivery drivers who deliver medication and equipment to patient homes are not included in the priority list.

Prioritisation by sector is not being considered for the following reasons:

Criticality of service is not an indication for priority vaccination because clinical risk is the overriding concern. This is influenced most greatly by age, not occupation.
Currently there is no sectoral prioritisation of any workers other than frontline health and social care workers. This is because we don’t know if the vaccine prevents spread, but it does reduce the harm to those most at risk should they catch the virus.
Individual workers will be called forward for vaccination according to their position on the priority list, if they are eligible within the JCVI Cohorts regarding their age and/or underlying medical conditions (e.g. All individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality).

Decisions to prioritise one population group over another are not taken lightly, nor are they straightforward. That is why our prioritisation decisions have been, and will continue to be, guided by the independent expert advice from the JCVI.

Question reference: S5W-34003

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether home care workers will receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as care home workers.

Question reference: S5W-33729

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 29 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many additional (a) NHS staff, (b) social care staff and (c) non-medical personnel it estimates will be required in order to successfully mass vaccinate the population against COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-34224

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will outline the parameters that were set for Scottish football’s governing bodies in relation to the use of the £30 million funding package announced on 10 December 2020.

Question reference: S5W-34223

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 14 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has been involved in, following its announcement on 10 December 2020, regarding how to allocate the £10 million of grant funding for Scottish football clubs outwith the Premiership.

Question reference: S5W-33734

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what recruitment plans it has in place to increase the number of people able to administer the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

As part of our work to support delivery of this national programme we have modelled vaccination workforce requirements and shared this information alongside a workforce modelling tool to assist Health Boards with local delivery.

Arrangements have been made to supplement the core vaccination workforce involved in delivering our seasonal flu programme with professionals from the fields of general practice, pharmacy, dentistry and optometry. A new National Protocol will also enhance the role that Health Care Support Workers can play. We have directed NHS Education for Scotland to refer all applicants remaining on the Health and Social Care Accelerated Recruitment Portal to territorial Health Boards for consideration and we have written to Regulatory bodies including the GMC and NMC regarding the deployment of those on emergency registers as we work to deliver the biggest vaccination programme ever seen in Scotland.

Further detail is set out in the Vaccine Development Plan published on the 13th of January 2021.

Question reference: S5W-34004

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 14 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether a carer who receives payment for caring for a relative will receive the £500 "thank you" bonus.

Question reference: S5W-34006

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 11 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 12 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has undertaken of the impact of COVID-19 on people with autism.

The Scottish Government continues to be committed to improving the lives of autistic people in Scotland. We recognise autistic people have faced and responded to a wider range of challenges than the general population. That’s why we have been working closely with autism and learning disability organisations to address emerging COVID-19 issues. In response to this the Scottish Government and COSLA are developing a joint plan for recovery and transformation which will detail our priorities coming out of the pandemic.

This draft has been put together in partnership with third sector stakeholders and takes into account research of the experiences of those with lived experience during COVID-19 restrictions undertaken by Inspiring Scotland. We are currently engaging with autistic people, people with learning disabilities, HSCPs and other stakeholders on what is important for them, building on previous strategy work.

The plan when published will have at its core the voice of people with lived experience and the promotion and protection of the human rights of autistic people and those with learning disabilities.

Question reference: S5W-34007

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 11 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 12 January 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what support is being given to people with autism to help with the changes to their routine caused by COVID-19.

The Scottish Government knows how difficult the Covid-19 Pandemic has been on autistic people, their families and carers. That’s why we have provided over £300,000 worth of funding to national Autism Organisations for the delivery of vital front line support including online social groups, a national advice line for autistic people, their families and carers and a coaching and counselling service.

Along with Autistic Led People’s Organisations and Autism Organisations we have provided around £250,000 worth of funding to provide a national post diagnostic support pilot for autistic people and their families, which will run till May 2021 and be independently evaluated to determine future delivery of a national service.

Winter funding of around £90,000 has just been awarded to autism and learning disability charities to address isolation over the winter months.

Question reference: S5F-04702

Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 11 January 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 January 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.