- Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what action it plans to improve the booking system for COVID-19 vaccinations, and how it is addressing any reported issues or concerns that have arisen since the current system was implemented.
Answer
The Scottish Government aim is that is that the public should be able to access COVID- 19 vaccinations they require, at the time and in the format that they need it in. We are actively investigating more interactive appointing systems, while recognising that this will not work for everyone and will be need to be accompanied by other ways of securing appointments.
As a Government we always looking to improve service delivery, and building on the success of the unpaid carers and 18 to 29 years old self-registration service, lessons learned from the implementation of the National Vaccination Scheduling Systems, is that there is an opportunity to move to a more person- centred appointments services with benefits for individuals and communities, alike.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the use of electric scooters on streets is prohibited and, in light of reports suggesting that these vehicles might provide potential environmental benefits, what plans it has to review its position regarding their use.
Answer
Electric scooters (e-scooters) are effectively illegal to ride on streets and in other public places due to a number of pieces of UK-wide and Scottish legislation.
Last summer, the UK Government made some amendments to UK legislation to allow limited trials of rentable e-scooters to take place in local authority areas – aiming to gather evidence on effects of their use in a controlled environment. These amendments were made on a fast-track basis to facilitate rapid progression of trials in English local authorities. The UK Government did not factor-in time in planning the trials for the Scottish Parliament to consider and potentially implement the changes to Scottish law that would be required in order for trials to take place in Scottish local authority areas.
The UK Government has signalled its intention to publish proposals in 2022 for potential further legalisation of e-scooters beyond the current trials. Scottish legislation continues to apply in Scotland which makes use of e-scooters on roads or cycle paths illegal. The Scottish Government will continue to monitor trends as a matter of course in order to inform future policy.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it recognises dental care as part of preventative healthcare, and, if so, how it will ensure that cost is not a barrier to receiving adequate healthcare.
Answer
As part of this Government’s manifesto commitment, all NHS dental charges will be removed in the lifetime of this Parliament.
Currently, those in the most financial need receive their NHS dental treatment free of charge, whilst those on a low income may be entitled to help with health costs under the Low Income Scheme (LIS).
- Asked by: Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what guidance has been issued to (a) local authorities and (b) primary schools regarding children's transitions from early learning and childcare to primary school (i) generally and (ii) in relation to parents and carers attending their child's P1 induction days.
Answer
The Coronavirus (COVID-19): early learning and childcare (ELC) services was updated on 21 May to include a new section with guidance on . This guidance is aimed at ELC settings and local authorities. has also been issued to schools.The guidance states that where this minimises the number of adults visiting schools, children should be accompanied to transition visits by ELC staff rather than by parents. The guidance explains that this should also ensure that the visit is undertaken by someone who is familiar with and used to applying the COVID risk mitigations in education settings.
Schools will be able to explain what alternative provisions they have in place to engage with parents remotely to support their child’s transition to school.
The guidance also explains that schools should be able to proceed with enhanced in person transition visits to support children who need it most. This allows children with additional support needs to become familiar with the primary school before they attend in August, in line with responsibilities under the Additional Support for Learning Act. This may involve the attendance of parents but this will be decided on a case by case basis through dialogue between the ELC setting and the school and should be supported by a bespoke risk assessment.
- Asked by: Katy Clark, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd, (b) CalMac Ferries, (c) passenger groups and (d) trade unions regarding the chartering of additional vessels to operate on routes set out in the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services contract.
Answer
Transport Scotland have regular operational discussions with CMAL, CalMac and Serco which include consideration of existing and potential operational capacity. They also engage regularly with passenger groups and trade unions. We are actively exploring opportunities for chartering additional tonnage, including consideration of the suitability of MV Pentalina to increase resilience across the network. In addition, we have also confirmed new investment of £580 million in ports and vessels to support and improve Scotland’s ferry services over the next five years, as part of our wider infrastructure investment plan.
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly not provided additional funding for the outstanding 2020 Abellio ScotRail pay award, in light of it funding a performance and management fee for the company under its Emergency Measures Agreement.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00322 on 16 June 2021 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Richard Leonard, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Current Status:
Answered by Graeme Dey on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether Abellio ScotRail requires ministerial permission to enter pay talks with the recognised trade unions regarding the 2021 pay award for ScotRail staff and, if so, whether this permission has been (a) requested and (b) granted.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00322 on 16 June 2021. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is aware of any research regarding the benefits of using Ivermectin as a prophylactic measure in the treatment of COVID-19.
Answer
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware that Ivermectin, administered orally, is being studied for safety and efficacy in numerous clinical trials worldwide. This includes an exploratory study being conducted within the UK: . Potential new therapeutic approaches to COVID-19 are being tested through the UK-wide platform trials, including RECOVERY, PRINCIPLE and REMAP CAP. These trials are active in Scotland and the Scottish Government is closely monitoring the outcomes of these to ensure medicines with the greatest impact in treating COVID-19 are available for patients in Scotland.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many independently verified livestock predation incidents have been recorded by independent veterinary post-mortem testing in each of the last five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government and its agencies do not collate or hold information on independently verified livestock predation incidents.
However, as I stated in my answer to S6W-00189 on 11 June 2021, NatureScot has published a report on the predation of lambs by sea eagles which included some analysis of post-mortem results.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at /chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Siobhian Brown, MSP for Ayr, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 16 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider changing the current COVID-19 regulations regarding the docking of UK cruise ships to enable passengers to embark and disembark in areas in Level 2 or lower so that they have the same freedoms as people travelling between Scotland and England via plane, train or bus.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-00577 on 16 June 2021. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at