Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-33939

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what advice it is giving to cancer patients and other people with immunosuppressed conditions in relation to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

The clinical advice is that Individuals with immunosuppression may not make a full immune response to vaccination. As there is no evidence on response in immunosuppressed individuals there is also no evidence upon which to base advice on the optimal timing of delivery. Specialists may advise their patients based on their knowledge and understanding of their immune status and likely immune response to vaccination, but should also consider the risk from COVID-19 and the patient’s likelihood of exposure.

Furthermore, the small number of patients who are about to receive planned immunosuppressive therapy should be considered for vaccination prior to commencing therapy (ideally at least two weeks before), when their immune system is better able to make a response. Where possible, it would also be preferable for the 2-dose schedule to be completed prior to commencing immunosuppression. This would entail offering the second dose at the recommended minimum for that vaccine (three or four weeks from the first dose) to provide maximum benefit that may not be received if the second dose was given during the period of immunosuppression.

Any decision to defer immunosuppressive therapy or to delay possible benefit from vaccination until after therapy should not be taken without due consideration of the risks from COVID19 and from their underlying condition. Although the immune correlates of protection are currently unknown, post-vaccination testing may be considered. Until further information becomes available vaccinated patients with immunosuppression should continue to follow advice to reduce the chance of exposure.

All these policy decisions are made in light of clinical recommendations.

Question reference: S5W-33938

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 25 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government whether the unpaid family care givers of vulnerable individuals, including cancer patients, will receive the COVID-19 vaccine and, if so, when.

It is essential that vaccination be given to the first priority groups as set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), and unpaid carers are included.

Adult unpaid carers aged under 65 and young carers aged 16 and 17 will be offered vaccination at the same time as adults with eligible at-risk health conditions (under JCVI priority group 6).
Unpaid carers aged 65 and over will be offered the vaccine earlier as they are included in JCVI priority groups 2-5.

We are using the Carer Act definition of unpaid carers which encapsulates JCVI description and goes wider.

Question reference: S5W-35242

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent to date on its #WeAreScotland campaign.

Question reference: S5W-35069

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the funding announced in the Winter Plan for Social Protection will be made available to people in need of financial support.

The First Minister announced the Scottish Government's Winter Plan for Social Protection on 30 November 2020, comprising a £100 million package of measures to support people and communities over the winter period.

This additional funding has now been made available to local authorities and key third sector partners to deliver the enhanced support outlined within the package, helping many of the most disadvantaged people to cope with winter weather and the economic impact of COVID-19 and Brexit. This is on top of the increased support offered through the Scottish Welfare Fund, Discretionary Housing Payments and the new Self-Isolation Support Grant.

A breakdown of investment can be found on the Scottish Government website, using the following link;

Winter support fund for families and children - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

As set out in response to S5W-35173 on 12 February 2021, as part of this package of support, over 144,128 COVID Winter Hardship Payments, worth a total of £14.41 million, have been made for children and young people in receipt of Free School Meals on the basis of low income.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-34877

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 24 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the planned 400,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses to be administered each week will be (a) first and (b) second doses.

The public health Scotland provides an overview of first and second doses for each vaccines weekly. Please note that this data is dependent on the vaccine supply from the UK government.

See the link here: COVID-19 statistical report 17 February 2021 - Data & intelligence from PHS (isdscotland.org)

The page 7 provides an information on the total number of vaccination by week, vaccine type and dose number.

Question reference: S5W-35121

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to meet with employers and trade unions within the whisky sector to agree an industrial strategy for whisky, in light of the ongoing tariffs in relation to Scottish Single Malt whisky.

Question reference: S5W-34201

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 December 2020
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 23 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on extending the COVID-19 vaccination priority group, “adults with Downs Syndrome”, to include adults with other severe and complex learning disabilities.

All of our decision making in the approach to responding to Covid-19 is guided by the latest scientific evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) , advice from Health Protection Scotland and our Interim Chief Medical Officer. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) provides advice on immunisation to all UK Health Departments, including on the efficacy and safety of vaccines.

Those with severe learning difficulty are considered clinically vulnerable by the JVCI, and are part of cohort 6. This includes all those with severe and complexes learning difficulty and not only those with downs syndrome. The JCVIs full list of those who are considered clinically vulnerable includes,

•Chronic respiratory disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and severe asthma

• Chronic heart disease (and vascular disease)

• Chronic kidney disease 8

• Chronic liver disease

• Chronic neurological disease including epilepsy

• Down’s syndrome

• Severe and profound learning disability

• Diabetes

• Solid organ, bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients

• People with specific cancers

• Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment

• Asplenia and splenic dysfunction

• Morbid obesity

• Severe mental illness

Question reference: S5F-04834

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 February 2021
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 February 2021

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S5W-35122

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-34615 by Kate Forbes on 29 January 2021, whether it will provide a breakdown of Financial Transactions money allocated in the budget for 2021-22 by portfolio.

The breakdown of Financial Transactions allocated in the Scottish Budget 2021-22 by portfolio is available in table A.05 (page 146) of the Scottish Budget 2021-22 document published on 28 January 2021. The Scottish Budget 2021-22 is still subject to Parliamentary process.

The Budget document is available on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-budget-2021-22/

It should be noted that the figures for the deployment of Financial Transactions provided in answer S5W-34615 on 29 January 2021 were year-end figures showing actual disbursements whereas the Budget document is showing intended allocations which may be subject to in-year adjustments.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-35085

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 February 2021
Current Status: Answered by Kate Forbes on 22 February 2021

To ask the Scottish Government when the Mobile Close Contact Services Support Fund will be open for applications.

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