Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 02 March 2021
02 Mar 2021 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Covid-19
I will ask the justice secretary to write with the details of the monitoring that is in place. I do not say this flippantly, and I am happy to look into the detail but, although we should take no pleasure if a proportion of prisoners are back after being released, it might suggest that people are being monitored and that appropriate actions are being taken. We might not see that if nobody was bothering about what prisoners who had been released were doing. I will ask the justice secretary to write with more detail.
Some of what has been done throughout the pandemic has been inescapable—they have been actions that no Government would want to take. All Governments across the UK—and, I suspect, many around the world—have had to do similar things in relation to prisoners. As we face the new, more infectious variant, one risk that is materialising is institutional spread, which has manifested itself in recent prison outbreaks.
This is not easy and it is far from over in vulnerable institutional settings. Decisions that we had to take in the past might also require to be taken in the future as we try to get through this with transmission in situations of vulnerability as limited as it can be.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Ken Macintosh)
NPA
The next item of business is a statement by the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, on Covid-19. As always, the First Minister will take questions following her...
The First Minister (Nicola Sturgeon)
SNP
Last week, I updated Parliament on the Scottish Government’s strategic framework. When I update Parliament next week, I hope to be able to confirm some chang...
Ruth Davidson (Edinburgh Central) (Con)
Con
I thank the First Minister for advance notice of her statement. I also take this first parliamentary opportunity to welcome Anas Sarwar to his new role as La...
The First Minister
SNP
All the developments that I narrated earlier on and which have just been reiterated are very welcome. I do not want to overstate this, because I do not think...
Anas Sarwar (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
I thank Ruth Davidson for her very kind comments, and I look forward to welcoming in a matter of weeks the second Conservative leader—perhaps even the third ...
The First Minister
SNP
I, too, take the opportunity to welcome Anas Sarwar to his position. I do not want to brag and I would have to count, but I think that I am probably well abo...
Alison Johnstone (Lothian) (Green)
Green
I, too, welcome Anas Sarwar to his new role as Labour leader. The Scottish Greens have long called for action to be taken to make our schools safe and parti...
The First Minister
SNP
I will certainly look into the claim that there is a particular problem in Lothian. Directors of education have been asked to identify staff who fall into th...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I welcome the changes for newborn babies, for which we on the Liberal Democrat benches have been arguing for some time. Perhaps it was unwise for the First...
The First Minister
SNP
I will come on to the point about teachers directly in a second but, with the greatest respect, Willie Rennie’s overall characterisation is just not correct....
Ruth Maguire (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
SNP
I listened carefully to the First Minister’s response to Alison Johnstone, but I will still raise an issue that has been raised with me locally, because it i...
The First Minister
SNP
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Liam Kerr (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
No one doubts the strain that Covid-19 has put on services, including those in the Scottish Prison Service. Last summer, the Government decided to release se...
The First Minister
SNP
I will ask the justice secretary to write with the details of the monitoring that is in place. I do not say this flippantly, and I am happy to look into the ...
Bruce Crawford (Stirling) (SNP)
SNP
The First Minister knows that the tourism industry is a crucial part of my Stirling constituency’s economy and that a large part of the sector is made up of ...
The First Minister
SNP
Tourism is central to the Scottish economy, and I know that it is particularly central to constituencies such as Bruce Crawford’s. Although many small accomm...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
Public Health Scotland statistics show that teachers have a 47 per cent greater chance of getting Covid than the general population. We all want to get our c...
The First Minister
SNP
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Rona Mackay (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
SNP
Will the First Minister provide an update on the number of care home residents who have received their second dose of the vaccine? Is the supply of vaccines ...
The First Minister
SNP
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Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
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The First Minister
SNP
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John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
Many people want the schools to open as soon as possible, but some parents, pupils and teachers are nervous about the risks that might be in school. Can the ...
The First Minister
SNP
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Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
There are many reports that vaccinators who work the same shifts at vaccine centres have vastly different rates of pay. Nurses with years of experience in va...
The First Minister
SNP
The issue has been raised with me and it is something that I have asked to be considered. I cannot give a definitive answer right now, but I recognise the se...
Shona Robison (Dundee City East) (SNP)
SNP
I also welcome the clarification in the First Minister’s statement for parents of newborn babies. What discussions has the Scottish Government had with counc...
The First Minister
SNP
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Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
Last week, the Scottish Government made a welcome announcement that non-contact sports for 12 to 17-year-olds can resume on 15 March. Will the First Minister...
The First Minister
SNP
The answer that I want to give—and I think it is the correct answer—is yes, but I will double check that there are no caveats or restrictions. We want to be ...