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-04504

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 August 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 August 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the constitution secretary's comments to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee on 18 June, whether it has revisited planning for a second independence referendum.

Question reference: S5W-30539

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when grassroots and amateur football teams will be permitted to resume training.

The Scottish Government and sport scotland are committed to working with stakeholders, including the Scottish FA, to undertake the necessary planning and risk assessments so full contact football training can resume in a healthy and safe way and in line with current guidance and best practice.

Since 13 July 2020, children and young people have been able to play outdoor sport in an organised setting, where there is sport specific guidance in place from the relevant governing body. The Scottish FA has agreed guidance with sport scotland, including information on strict hygiene measures and the ability to contact trace participants as required by sport scotland’s overarching guidance.

Non-professional adult outdoor contact sport is expected to resume in Phase 3 of the route map, but not before 31 July 2020 at the earliest and only when it is safe to do so. We envisage guidance will be provided at that point to enable people to play safely.

Teams can undertake limited training providing they follow the restrictions in place for the general population. Following the First Minister’s statement on 9 July 2020, a group of up to 15 people from five different households can meet up outside to take part in physically distanced activity. This would mean that they can now meet up in small groups but should maintain two metres apart at all times.

The Scottish FA has also launched a 'Return to Football Hub' which provides resources for all its National Affiliated Associations’ leagues, clubs and facilities to use to return to football safely in accordance with the Scottish FA and Scottish Government regulations.

Question reference: S5W-30538

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 30 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on offering support for businesses that are trading in a shared space in which the premises remains under construction and has not been issued with a rateable value.

The Small Business Grants, including those for businesses occupying premises for which the landlord is the ratepayer, closed to new applications on 10 July. Whilst the eligibility criteria in such cases required the applicant to have a lease confirming that their landlord is the ratepayer, local authorities have discretion to award a grant where the occupied premises is not on the non-domestic rates valuation roll, provided they are satisfied of the validity of the application and that other eligibility criteria are met.

Question reference: S5W-30540

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 July 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 July 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the National Trust for Scotland regarding (a) preventing staff redundancies and (b) reopening its venues, and what progress has been made.

Question reference: S5W-29752

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 June 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what support regarding the COVID-19 outbreak has been or will be extended to businesses that occupy a unit in a shared space, and from what date.

Phase 3 of the scheme was introduced on 8 June and extended the £10,000 Small Business Grant to firms occupying shared office spaces, business incubators or shared industrial units and who lease the space from a registered, rate-paying landlord, providing they can evidence that they are required to contribute towards the charges associated with the non-domestic rates liability via the ratepayer and that they had at least one paid employee on the payroll (not including themselves) as at 17 March.

Question reference: S5O-04447

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, 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 is taking to ensure that emergency accommodation to tackle homelessness is provided throughout the duration of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Question reference: S5O-04422

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the economic impact of COVID-19 has been on businesses occupying shared premises.

Question reference: S5W-29441

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 2 June 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, what financial support is available to people who are long-term self-employed, and whether it plans to expand this.

The Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is the current system being used to support long-term self-employed people. This is a UK Government Scheme which is available to eligible self-employed individuals or members of trading partnerships who have submitted an Income Tax Self-Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19 and are still trading, or would be trading if it weren’t for Covid-19. Eligible applicants will receive a taxable grant which will be 80% of the average profits from the last three years, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for 3 months and is paid directly into bank accounts, in a single instalment.

I wrote to the Chancellor on 26 May urging him to ensure that just like the Job Retention Scheme, the SEISS was extended also. The Chancellor announced on 29 May that the SEISS would be extended to allow a second grant. Eligible self-employed individuals, or members of trading partnerships, will be able to claim a second taxable grant worth 70% of their average monthly trading profits. This will also be paid out in a single instalment covering three months' worth of profits, capped at £6,750 for the second period. The UK Government have advised that they will be publishing guidance on this second grant on 12 June.

The Scottish Government does not have the powers to create a system of this kind which is why it has been essential that we ensure the UK Government scheme works appropriately to meet the needs of self-employed people in Scotland. We were aware, from correspondence and stakeholders, that the imminent closure of the UK Scheme was the biggest issue facing self-employed people and is why we have encouraged the UK Government to extend the SEISS also.

Question reference: S5W-28893

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for families to receive payment from its recently-announced COVID-19-related death in service benefit for NHS staff, including for families of staff who were not covered by the existing schemes; when this benefit will be operational, and how quickly the money will be distributed.

The NHS Scotland Coronavirus Life Insurance Scheme 2020 is now operational. The application and timescales mirror the existing Scottish Public Pension Agency (SPPA) process for claiming a death in service benefit, and can be found on the SPPA website. Employers are familiar with this process and will be able to fully assist any applicants.

SPPA expects to deliver any payments in line with existing arrangements for the pension scheme. Short term survivor pensions will in most cases be administered by the employer immediately following the date of death, and lump sum payments will usually be made within 21 days of a completed application being received by SPPA.

This is a process which is tried and tested, is familiar to employers and will ensure equality across the NHS workforce.

Question reference: S5W-28894

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 May 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 26 May 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the timeline will be for the full resumption of (a) bone infusions, (b) radiotherapy and (c) other cancer treatments following the end of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Cancer treatment has not stopped in Scotland. Vital cancer treatments and emergency, maternity and urgent care will continue where clinically agreed. The majority of cancer treatments have continued throughout this pandemic. However, some patient’s treatment plans have changed to minimise their individual risk of COVID-19. Those that require changes will always be made on a clinical basis and should be made in discussion with the patient and clinical team. We very much understand the concerns of patients whose treatments have been postponed. Clinical guidance is being developed to ensure patients in most urgent need of treatment are seen as priority, and that all patients throughout Scotland have equity of access to treatment.

Alongside this is our current work to restart paused NHS services across primary, secondary and acute care, of which on broad indication is given in the "COVID-19 Framework for Decision Making – Scotland’s Route map through and out of the crisis document" published on 21 May. As we work with Boards, Royal Colleges, Unions and other partners we will be focussed on clinical advice and will set out our decisions for Phase 1 activity and the evidence and rationale on which these decisions are made.