Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 17 March 2021
17 Mar 2021 · S5 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Testing Strategy
I want to elaborate on the response that I gave to Mark Ruskell when he asked about the food sector. The aim of the testing programme in that area is to contribute to the reduction of coronavirus-related risk in high-risk settings and, in doing so, to enhance the resilience of critical food supply. That will help to reduce the risk of the significant impacts on businesses and their employees that can occur when there is an outbreak.
We are engaging directly with all companies that have expressed an interest in testing to help them to understand the guidance and the practical steps that they need to take to proceed, and to ensure that they are aware of the importance of supporting any employees who are required to self-isolate as a result of a positive test. As I said to Jackie Baillie, that includes making companies aware of the extensive package of measures that are available to support people who need practical and financial support to self-isolate. We recently expanded eligibility for that and, as I said in my statement, 60 companies have registered an interest. Their average employee number is around 200 people, and they are located across 26 different local authorities in Scotland.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Christine Grahame)
SNP
The next item of business is a statement by Mairi Gougeon, providing an update on Scotland’s testing strategy. The minister will take questions at the end of...
The Minister for Public Health and Sport (Mairi Gougeon)
SNP
Since the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport last updated Parliament, in November, we have made significant progress in rolling out our testing strategy ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
We have around 20 minutes for questions. I ask members who are present in the chamber and who wish to ask a question to press their request-to-speak button. ...
Donald Cameron (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
I thank the minister for the advance copy of her statement. This week, we passed the one-year point from when the United Kingdom first entered a nationwide l...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
I thank Donald Cameron for raising those questions. He asked about community testing and why we have not been able to roll that out sooner. We had the first ...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
I thank the minister for the advance copy of her statement. Scottish Labour has long called on the Government to take seriously the need for more testing, s...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
Jackie Baillie has raised a number of really important points. We want more people to take part in community testing. We want to roll it out throughout Scot...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
There are 12 minutes left, and 10 members want to ask questions. That tells members how short their questions should be. There must be single questions and s...
Clare Adamson (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
SNP
The virus has adapted, there are new variants of concern, and no doubt others will emerge in the coming weeks and months. How will the genomic sequencing sch...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
No—that is not a short question. Can we have an answer to the first bit, please, which I think was about genomic sequencing?
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
Our expert advisers on genomics have told us that there is no scientific rationale for mass testing to try to find cases in order to eliminate new variants o...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Thank you. Now, let us have short questions from now on. Mr Whittle, you will set an example. You will be followed by George Adam.
Brian Whittle (South Scotland) (Con)
Con
An outbreak at Kilmarnock prison involved almost 200 cases of Covid. Those included 40 staff, 18 of whom were asymptomatic. Why does the Scottish Government ...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
Our whole approach to testing and where it is carried out has been based on the best clinical advice. We take a risk-based approach to the testing that we ro...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
I will try to be quick and to set an example, Presiding Officer. From the minister’s statement, it appears that the updated testing strategy suggests that t...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
Right from the beginning, test and protect has been an absolutely critical part of our response to the pandemic. It will continue to be vital as we cautiousl...
Pauline McNeill (Glasgow) (Lab)
Lab
Will the Scottish Government support lateral flow testing as a way of allowing people to fly from our airports safely? If not, given the undercapacity in PCR...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
Again, our strategy sets out the rationale for the types of tests that we use and where we use them, whether they be PCR tests or tests that use lateral flow...
Stuart McMillan (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP)
SNP
Today’s news about the expansion of testing is certainly welcome. However, how will the data on testing be gathered and reported? How will it be used to info...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
Data on testing is absolutely vital and will continue to be reported in the usual ways. Daily data on confirmed results of PCR testing will be published on t...
Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Green
I welcome the extension of asymptomatic testing for early learning and childcare settings, but what has been announced today falls way short of a workplace t...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
As I outlined in my statement, there are particular reasons for our rolling out of testing to food production and distribution, which are to do with the type...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
We have heard several times this afternoon that we are using only a third of our daily testing capacity. Although I understand that the Government will not p...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
Alex Cole-Hamilton raises another important point, but that is not to say that we do not think that testing should not be done in those important areas. As I...
Emma Harper (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the expansion of testing to workers in food processing, as they have been critical during the pandemic. How will the minister ensure that we reach...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
I want to elaborate on the response that I gave to Mark Ruskell when he asked about the food sector. The aim of the testing programme in that area is to cont...
Edward Mountain (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
Testing patients who attend hospital, especially those who go to accident and emergency, will reduce the need for red and green routes. Is the minister confi...
Mairi Gougeon
SNP
I believe that the testing that we have put in place is robust. If the member wants to raise any particular concerns with me about that, I will be more than ...
David Torrance (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
SNP
I welcome the expansion of testing to all emergency service control room staff. Will it also be extended to all front-line emergency service workers?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
SNP
Did you get that, minister?