- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 July 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered introducing an equivalent provision in Scotland to paragraph 2.18 of the Department for Education's School Admissions Code, published in December 2014, regarding the allocation of school places for both the children of UK service personnel and crown servants.
Answer
The Scottish Government is wholehearted in its commitment to supporting our Armed Forces, veterans and their families in Scotland. We want Scotland to be the destination of choice for Service Leavers and their families and that includes Scotland being the best place in the world in which children and young people grow up and learn .
In relation to school admissions, in Scotland, local authorities have a legal responsibility to provide education in their area and publish arrangements for admission of pupils to schools they manage. Local authorities can also reserve places in schools in anticipation of children who may move into the area during the school year. Our expectation is that local authorities, especially those with a significant local military presence, make efforts to engage with local armed forces bases to monitor new demand for places and work with them to identify suitable school places. We have no plans to place additional requirements on local authorities in this regard.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 June 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 July 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether indoor, close contact music lessons can take place under COVID-19 restriction level (a) 0, (b) 1 and (c) 2 provided the household and person limits are not exceeded and if music tutors are permitted to make use of instruments in another person's home for teaching purposes.
Answer
Indoor music lessons for both children and adult pupils can take place under COVID-19 restriction levels 0-3 in households or other suitable premises with relevant mitigations including appropriate hygiene measures, physical distancing, use of face coverings where it does not interfere with playing and provided the household and person limits are not exceeded. Remote or online tuition is recommended as the lowest risk option at all levels.
There are no restrictions on which instruments can be used during tuition, but the sharing of instruments is not advised, particularly brass and woodwind instruments due to the increased risk of spreading the virus. The tutor should cover this in the required risk assessment.
Further information can be found at:
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 June 2021
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 23 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the announcement that the UK-Australia free trade agreement will remove tariffs of up to 5% on Scotch whisky.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 23 June 2021
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what the average (a) hourly, (b) weekly and (c) monthly pay is of COVID-19 vaccinators, based on professional background.
Answer
Hourly rates of pay for Agenda for Change Staff are published online . Bank staff participating in the programme who do not also hold contracts of employment with the host health board are paid at the grade and pay band as specified in their bank contract, relating to the role profile pursuant to which they have been deployed.
The Scottish Government has set sessional rates of £230 and £231 for independent contractors (GPs, dentists, optometrists and pharmacists) taking part in the COVID-19 vaccination programme. These rates, which cover a 3.5 hour session, reflect both the market conditions for hiring these professionals and the roles being filled in the programme.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 7 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to providing COVID-19 vaccinators with the same rate of remuneration, irrespective of professional background.
Answer
Our desire to protect as much of Scotland’s population as quickly as possible has necessitated the deployment of all available resources, and the rate of progress we have seen would not have been possible without the mobilisation at pace of a large, capable and diverse workforce. We have worked to ensure nobody is placed at detriment as a result of their participation in the programme as a vaccinator.
It is our expectation that reliance on the temporary measures currently in place will reduce as Health Boards continue with efforts to recruit a sustainable vaccinator workforce.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its assessment is of the role played by private agency workers in supporting health and social care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
The Scottish Government is deeply grateful for the role that all health and social care workers have played during the Covid-19 pandemic, whether employed directly or through agency contracts.
Our health and social care systems have experienced extraordinary levels of service demand during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although permanent recruitment is always the primary solution to NHS staffing needs, we have encouraged NHS Boards to make full use of NHS bank, agency and locum staff where necessary, to address immediate staffing needs during the emergency stages of the pandemic.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government how many professional private agency staff have supported the health and social care response to the COVID-19 pandemic, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold data on the number of private agency staff employed by NHS Boards. Data is published annually, in June, by NHS Education for Scotland on the total medical agency spend by NHS Scotland Boards; and the total WTE hours and cost for Nursing and Midwifery bank and agency staff. This data is not broken down by the number of individual staff members involved.
This information can be found in the ‘Medical and Dental’ and ‘Nursing and Midwifery’ dashboards, available through the following link:
https://turasdata.nes.nhs.scot/workforce-official-statistics/nhsscotland-workforce/publications/01-june-2021/
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will give further consideration to extending the £500 bonus for health and social care staff to all private agency workers who have supported the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
We are hugely grateful to the efforts of health and social care staff across Scotland who have risen to the challenge of responding to the pandemic. This thank you payment recognised the particular debt we all owe to NHS and social care staff who have been on the front line of this crisis, helping to save lives and to protect us all.
For people working for private employers such as an Agency, it would be for their employer to determine their remuneration and any additions to existing pay which may be appropriate for these staff.
Agency staff are free to apply for and take up a post in the NHS or Social Care if they wish to enjoy the same benefits as the NHS or Social Care workforce. There are many flexible options available including working via the NHS Staff Bank, part-time and term-time working, all of which allow individuals to balance work and other commitments.
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 June 2021
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the research led by Newcastle University and published in The Lancet into outcomes arising from Minimum Unit Pricing.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 10 June 2021
- Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2021
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 25 May 2021
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact on university students arriving back in the country from studying abroad being asked to pay £1,750 for a 10-day period in a quarantine hotel, and whether it will consider reimbursing their full costs.
Answer
The Scottish Government has been working with the university sector to explore what measures can be put in place for students returning to Scotland after an education exchange programme, who may be subject to managed isolation arrangements.
These students can apply for financial hardship support from the £22 million Higher Education Coronavirus Discretionary Fund and £3m Further Education Coronavirus Discretionary Fund. These funds were allocated to the universities and colleges in February. Institutions' assessments and awards are based on the individual circumstances involved. However, the eligible scenarios can include costs associated with travel to and from Scotland if their travel is essential and in line with current travel restrictions / exemptions, and they are in financial hardship and can demonstrate this through the institution's hardship assessment process.
