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-30822

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 6 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure that people diagnosed with blood cancer after 1 August 2020 will be added to the shielding list, and under what circumstances shielding would be re-introduced nationally or locally.

While we are moving towards a pause to the advice to shield for the people at the highest risk of severe illness should they contract COVID-19, we will continue to maintain the shielding list. Clinicians will continue to add people appropriately based on the current criteria.

In making any future assessments about re-introducing shielding nationally or locally, Scottish Ministers will continue to take an evidence-based approach. We continue to engage with the UK Government and other devolved administrations to ensure that we learn from emerging evidence and the measures taken in other parts of Europe and around the world.

As we have done for our approach to easing restrictions we will be transparent about any future decisions.

Question reference: S5W-30518

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the infection rate at which people might be asked to shield again, and, if so, whether the information would be provided at a regional or local level.

In making any future decisions Scottish ministers will be informed by evidence and advice. Our clinical leads advisory group continue to review prevalence and other data with the Chief Medical Officer who will continue to discuss with his counterparts in the other nations of the UK.

As we have done for our approach to easing restrictions we will be transparent about any future decisions and the basis on which we have reached them.

Question reference: S5W-30517

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it would commit to including more detailed guidance for blood cancers as shielding is lifted, so that people with blood cancer who are at lower risk of serious illness can be safely excluded from future shielding and that those at highest risk receive clear information and support to help guide their choices about how to avoid infection.

The development of condition specific guidance for each of the shielding categories is one of the tools which has been created to allow people to understand their individual risk and provide guidance which will support them to transition out of shielding.

On Thursday 9 July we published the first version of tailored guidance for each of the shielding groups. This tailored guidance follows a similar format to the guidance developed for the non-shielding at risk groups. The guidance provides information on:

•why their condition puts them at higher risk from Covid-19;

•where to find support, including sign posting to relevant third sector organisations; and

•the current shielding advice.

The guidance also has a number of FAQs which provides information on how to say safe in different situations. These cover the activities which users advised they were looking for most in the recent PHS survey:

•going out for exercise

•visiting friends and family

•attending healthcare appointments

•resuming treatment

•going to public spaces

Advice on returning to work and education is also being developed and will be published before the end of the month.

The guidance has been shared through our third sector and clinical networks.

The guidance will be regularly updated as our advice changes and user research gives us patient feedback and insights into usage. We will continue to work with our third sector and clinical networks to improve the usefulness of the guidance and ensure that it is accessible to those shielding.

Question reference: S5W-30519

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to ensuring that everyone who is newly diagnosed with blood cancer continues to be added to the shielding list after 31 July 2020.

Question reference: S5W-29956

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 15 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has sold, or allowed access to, COVID-19-related health data, including patients' personal medical information, to any third party and, if so, (a) what data, (b) to whom and (c) for what reason.

Question reference: S5W-30076

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to highlight the increased risks from stagnant water and Legionnaires' disease to businesses such as hotels and leisure centres that are currently closed due to COVID-19, and to inform the public of ways to minimise the risks of contracting the disease.

The Health and Safety Executive have published advice on the risk of Legionella in buildings which are closed or running with reduced occupancy during the COVID-19 crisis. This can be found on the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS) website at

Advice on mitigating the risks of legionella has not changed as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown period. The recent publication of advice is to serve as a reminder of the responsibilities of those in control of buildings which may have been out of use, to reduce the risk of a Legionnaire’s Disease outbreak.

Question reference: S5T-02267

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the review into the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Question reference: S5W-28901

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government who the members are of its COVID-19-related scientific advisory group; when the minutes of the group's meetings will be published, and whether special advisers attend its meetings in an official or informal basis.

Question reference: S5W-28758

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 May 2020

To ask Scottish Government how many people with blood cancer have had (a) CAR-T cell therapy and (b) a stem cell transplant in each of the last six months for which data is available, and what impact the COVID-19 outbreak has had on access to this.

Between 1 November 2019 and 30 April 2020, 15 adult patients who were thought by their local specialist to require further treatment for certain types of lymphoma were referred to and considered by the Scottish lymphoma CAR -T Multi-Disciplinary Team. 10 of these patients were considered to be suitable for treatment with one of the two currently licensed and SMC recommended CAR-T therapies. These patients were then referred for further assessment and treatment to either the Scottish adult CAR-T service in Glasgow or to a specialist centre in England. Referring and treating clinicians are considering the potential consequences of the pandemic and the risks of proceeding with treatment in the current climate versus the risk of either delaying or offering alternative treatments, with patients assessed on a case by case basis. Referrals to the adult centre in Glasgow and other providers in England have been accepted over the last 2 weeks.

The Scottish Cancer Registry has confirmed cancer registration data up to December 2018. CAR-T cell therapy is a treatment introduced after 2018. Therefore, Public Health Scotland do not have this registration information yet.

Table 1 shows information on the number of hospital admissions for patients who received a stem cell transplant and had a diagnosis of blood cancer in each of the last six months for which data are available.

Table 1:

Month	Number of patients
January 2019	23
February 2019	20
March 2019	17
April 2019	16
May 2019	27
June 2019	16

The information requested in section (b) of this question is not held centrally.

Question reference: S5W-28760

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether volunteers who have been recruited for the NHS and care sectors in response to the COVID-19 outbreak will be among those providing telephone support to the extremely vulnerable group of people being asked to shield at home.

In partnership with NHS Education for Scotland, the Scottish Government set up the Health and Social Care Covid-19 Accelerated Recruitment Portal at the end of March to enable those with relevant skills and experience to come forward and support health and social care services.

The Health and Social Care Portal is one of three strands of Covid-19 recruitment and volunteering encouraged by the ‘Scotland Cares’ campaign, hosted on the Ready Scotland website. As more than 76,000 applications have been received across all three strands, the campaign has been temporarily paused with effect from 30 April.

The returners and students who have registered with the Portal are being considered for paid positions within NHS Boards across Scotland and are unlikely to be among those providing telephone support to the extremely vulnerable group of people being asked to shield at home.

However the two other strands of “Scotland Cares” offer alternative options for individuals to offer a variety of health and care services in support of their communities throughout the Covid-19 pandemic:

- To help public services, individuals are directed towards the British Red Cross: Community Reserve Volunteer scheme;

- To help voluntary and community organisations, individuals are directed towards the Volunteer Scotland recruitment website.

The British Red Cross and Volunteer Scotland schemes connect to local authority and third sector activity in communities, creating a pool of volunteers for local organisations to draw upon and deploy as required. The roles already being undertaken by these volunteers include food-parcel distribution, shopping assistance, medicine delivery and making welfare calls.

All local authorities have established local helplines in order to identify and respond to the needs of shielded individuals in their area. Those who are advised to shield have been sent a letter setting out the support which is available to them, including details of local helplines.