Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-00950

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what analysis it has carried out of the cost to businesses of changes at short notice to COVID-19 restrictions and regulations.

In responding to the pandemic, The Scottish Government have been guided by the principles outlined in our Framework for Decision Making. Here we set out the direct and indirect harms of the pandemic, which we consider in our "four harms" approach: one of those being that protective measures have a damaging effect on our prosperity.

Decisions to allocate areas to Levels are finely balanced, taking into account a range of factors. These factors include the need to control the virus and minimise harms from Covid, in terms of morbidity and mortality, as well as the wider economic and social harms or the restrictions. In addition any decision has to ensure that restrictions are justified, necessary and proportionate, and in a way that ensures impacts on fundamental rights are understood and minimized.

The Scottish Government has engaged extensively with businesses and their representative organisations during the pandemic, and are in close and regular dialogue with business leaders on a range of priority issues. We have also provided additional financial support to businesses in areas which have remained subject to higher levels of restrictions and we have worked closely with councils to ensure businesses subject to restrictions for a longer period of time remain supported.

Question reference: S6W-00818

Asked by: Mercedes Villalba, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made with reviewing funding arrangements and specifically bursaries for student paramedics.

Question reference: S6W-01135

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-36212 by Michael Matheson on 23 March 2021, when the study will be published.

The study, to be undertaken independently, has been scoped to identify where Highlands and Islands Airports Limited’s operations can create more economic activity for island communities. This requires engagement and input from essential external stakeholders which has, to date, not been forthcoming. The study will be further progressed when essential stakeholders agree to engage with the process and will be published upon its completion.

Question reference: S6W-01136

Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 July 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last met representatives of the union, Prospect, in relation to ongoing industrial action by its members over plans by Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) to centralise air traffic control, and what plans it has to meet with representatives in the near future.

Question reference: S6W-00992

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, other than marital breakdown, what criteria are used under the New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) scheme to determine a significant change of circumstances.

The New Supply Shared Equity (NSSE) scheme aims to assist first time buyers and priority access groups to purchase a new build home from a local authority or housing association. There are no set criteria for determining a “significant change of circumstances”. Decisions on when to apply flexibility to the primary eligibility criteria are considered on a case by case basis, based on the evidence available and demand from the primary target groups.

The Affordable Housing Supply Programme: process and procedures guidance provides further information -

Question reference: S6W-00937

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Ash Denham on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason, unlike in England, it has included suppliers as part of the total number of people who can attend weddings that are taking place in areas at COVID-19 protection level 1 or 0.

On 22 June, the First Minister announced changes which will help benefit weddings. In particular, suppliers employed by the couple marrying or registering their civil partnership, such as a photographer, will no longer count towards the numerical caps. This change took effect from 25 June. As indicated by the First Minister, we anticipate that this change will now have a relatively minor impact on transmission.

Question reference: S6W-01112

Asked by: Neil Bibby, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of ferry disruption to and from Arran, and what the economic cost is to the island of such disruption.

Question reference: S6W-01059

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) children and (b) adults have been diagnosed with an eating disorder in each year since 2007, also broken down by NHS board area.

Information is not centrally held on numbers diagnosed with an eating disorder. However, Public Health Scotland (PHS) holds information on inpatients admitted with an eating disorders diagnosis.

The number of patients admitted to a mental health or general/acute specialty for an eating disorder is shown in the following table for the calendar years 2007 to 2020, broken down by year of admission, NHS Board of residence and age group (child: < 18; adult: 18+). Please note that complete figures for 2021 cannot yet be provided.

Number of child (1) patients (2) admitted to a general/acute or mental health specialty (3), either as an inpatient or day case, with an eating disorder (4); by age, year of admission and health board of residence, 2007 - 2020.

	Year of Admission
NHS Board	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Ayrshire and Arran	*	5	*	5	*	*	8	*	5	5	*	*	7	13
Borders	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	5	5	15	5	5
Dumfries and Galloway	*	*	*	*	-	*	*	8	6	*	*	6	*	*
Fife	*	*	6	*	6	5	*	*	*	*	6	10	9	9
Forth Valley	-	*	*	-	*	8	*	*	*	7	8	8	9	18
Grampian	7	*	9	7	11	16	7	12	10	9	14	9	10	14
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	16	7	7	8	9	10	17	25	13	13	16	14	17	32
Highland	5	11	5	*	*	14	9	14	17	6	7	*	8	17
Lanarkshire	*	6	*	6	7	8	12	7	*	10	11	12	19	17
Lothian	15	12	16	17	17	14	18	25	35	25	22	23	28	31
Orkney	*	*	-	-	*	*	*	*	*	-	-	-	*	-
Shetland	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	*	*	*	*	*	*	*
Tayside	*	7	11	9	8	10	12	12	9	12	6	11	7	22
Western Isles	-	-	-	-	-	-	*	*	*	-	*	*	*	-
Other 5	*	-	*	-	-	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	-	-
Total	60	62	69	61	72	94	98	119	109	102	108	122	125	183

Notes

* - Denotes values which have been suppressed to protect patient confidentiality.

1 - A child is defined as someone whose age on admission was less than 18.

2 - Patients will be counted multiple times if they have been admitted within the same board in different years, or different boards in the same year, or both.

3 - The numbers represented show those who have been admitted to hospital and do not include those diagnosed in other settings. Therefore, these figures are likely to be undercount of the total number of people diagnosed with an eating disorder.

4 - Patients identified are those with an ICD-10 code of F50 in any of 6 diagnostic fields. Further information can be found on the ICD-10 website: https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en.

5 - The "Other" category is a combination of the following health board categories: "Rest of UK (Outside Scotland)", "Outside the UK", "No Fixed Abode" and "Unknown residency".

Number of adult (1) patients (2) admitted to a general/acute or mental health specialty (3), either as an inpatient or day case, with an eating disorder (4); by age, year of admission and health board of residence, 2007 - 2020.

	Year of Admission
NHS Board	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Ayrshire and Arran	19	17	17	18	20	13	16	15	15	23	19	21	19	22
Borders	7	7	*	7	8	11	11	7	*	10	*	9	10	14
Dumfries and Galloway	7	9	9	11	13	6	10	14	13	17	17	15	12	13
Fife	22	15	21	10	14	14	17	18	17	17	26	21	21	21
Forth Valley	7	7	8	9	17	10	15	11	9	13	19	19	24	33
Grampian	36	30	35	27	31	36	33	47	41	32	40	41	37	38
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	47	53	51	45	37	61	58	67	67	63	67	65	80	63
Highland	17	11	24	23	36	21	26	34	27	24	34	41	41	37
Lanarkshire	24	17	17	20	26	34	26	23	27	41	34	47	39	36
Lothian	57	56	48	46	32	69	62	60	58	63	49	58	66	90
Orkney	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	*	-	*	-	*
Shetland	*	*	*	*	-	*	*	*	-	*	-	*	*	*
Tayside	17	15	15	23	22	29	22	26	19	21	23	21	16	17
Western Isles	-	-	*	*	-	*	*	-	-	*	*	*	*	*
Other 5	*	*	*	*	*	5	*	22	39	50	29	20	23	25
Total	264	241	261	249	261	313	307	348	345	379	368	387	391	414

Notes

* - Denotes values which have been suppressed to protect patient confidentiality.

1 - An adult is someone whose age on admission was 18 or older.

2 - Patients will be counted multiple times if they have been admitted within the same board in different years, or different boards in the same year, or both.

3 - The numbers represented show those who have been admitted to hospital and do not include those diagnosed in other settings. Therefore, these figures are likely to be undercount of the total number of people diagnosed with an eating disorder.

4 - Patients identified are those with an ICD-10 code of F50 in any of 6 diagnostic fields. Further information can be found on the ICD-10 website: .

5 - The "Other" category is a combination of the following health board categories: "Rest of UK (Outside Scotland)", "Outside the UK", "No Fixed Abode" and "Unknown residency".

Question reference: S6W-01062

Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions Ministers have had regarding the opening of Winchburgh railway station.

Question reference: S6W-01038

Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 June 2021
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 15 July 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to chartering the MV Arrow to enhance freight capacity on the Stornoway-Ullapool route.

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