Carol Mochan

26 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with private healthcare companies in the last six months in relation to providing NHS elective surgery treatment.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to keeping our NHS true to its founding principles – publicly-owned, publicly-operated, and free at the point of need. Health Boards might arrange treatment for some patients outwith NHS Scotland, including the …

26 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the mapping of existing breakfast provision within primary and special schools will be completed as stated by spring 2024, and on what date it anticipates that it will publish the findings.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has been working with AssistFM and the Improvement Service to map breakfast provision across Scotland, the findings will be used internally to inform the policy development on national breakfast provision. The first phase of the mappin…

26 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS boards currently outsource services to the private provider, Healios, and which services are outsourced.

Answer · Maree Todd: Patient care and service delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers. NHS Boards are responsible for working with their partners to plan and provide health services which meet the needs of their populations. Use of the independent …

25 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that NHS Scotland offers career progression within the physiotherapy profession.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government works closely with NHS Education for Scotland who are the national body that are responsible for advanced practice across the Allied Health Professions (AHPs) including physiotherapy. The NHS Education for Scotland Multiprofessional …

24 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many requests for non-urgent patient transfers to NHS appointments that were made in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2022-23 were refused.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information that has been requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.  

24 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many requests were made for non-urgent patient transfers to NHS appointments in (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2022-23.

Answer · Neil Gray: The information that has been requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.  

24 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of NHS patient transport.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government recognises that Transport plays an important role in supporting patients’ health journeys and the Scottish Government has recently prepared a draft Transport to Health delivery plan which has commitments against transport and healthcar…

24 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of swimming lesson provision in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Schools in Scotland have the flexibility to decide on the content of their physical education lessons. The Scottish Government does not specifically evaluate the extent to which swimming lessons form a part of those decisions. We know that some local authori…

22 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will (a) commit to and (b) provide a timeline for a national rollout of the Suicide Bereavement Support Service, following the pilot, in light of the reportedly invaluable support that it provides to families that have experienced bereavement by suicide.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government and COSLA committed to the provision of suicide bereavement support across Scotland in their Creating Hope Together action plan ( 2022-25). The bereavement support service is a core element of our approach to ensuring everyone affect…

21 Feb 2024 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact that any mass delay of NHS capital projects would have on patient and staff safety.

19 Feb 2024 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the reported decision to delay the progress of all new NHS capital projects for up to two years, including the Ayr National Treatment Centre.

8 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the application process for the Young Persons (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, and what its response is to reports that many young people and their families find it a complicated process and therefore do not complete the application.

Answer · Jim Fairlie: The Scottish Government has listened to young people and their families about the application process and works closely with delivery partners and local councils to make improvements. In light of feedback received, the Improvement Service, which manages the …

8 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of youth work within schools, and what information it holds on this that is broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Community youth work remains an important pillar of local authority provision, including in schools. The Scottish Government utilises a Block Grant system, affording local authorities significant autonomy in allocating financial resources, including those des…

8 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of community youth work at local authority level, and what information it holds on how much funding is made available for youth work in each local authority area.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Community youth work remains an important pillar of local authority provision. The Scottish Government utilises a Block Grant system, affording local authorities significant autonomy in allocating financial resources, including those designated for youth work…

8 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in opening up the school estate to ensure that local groups can access this resource as a community space.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Although it is the statutory duty of local authorities to manage their school estate, the Scottish Government will convene a working group - including representatives from COSLA, community organisations and sports organisations - to explore how community acce…

8 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the community space that is available for hire to allow local community groups and clubs to run affordable sessions.

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government does not undertake assessments of available community spaces to local community groups and clubs. This is a matter for the relevant public authorities with responsibility for the land or buildings available in their authority area and …

7 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that NHS boards have been asked to "pause" the development of their National Treatment Centres, what action these boards will take to maintain a readiness to develop these centres when the Scottish Government publishes its revised infrastructure investment plan.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in the Scottish Government's Draft budget published on 19 December 2023, the capital funding position is extremely challenging due to the UK Government’s decision to cut our capital budget by nearly 10% a cumulative capital cut of £1.6bn. That has …

7 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS boards that have reportedly been asked to "pause" the development of their National Treatment Centres.

Answer · Neil Gray: As set out in the Scottish Governments Draft budget published on 19 December 2023, the capital funding position is extremely challenging due to the UK Government’s decision to cut our capital budget by nearly 10%, a cumulative capital cut of £1.6bn. That has …

7 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed health visiting services with NHS boards.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Scottish Government are in regular dialogue with NHS Boards and senior leaders on their community nursing services, including health visiting. Scottish Government policy officials are a member of the Health Visitor Leads Network which meets bi-monthly and inc…

7 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of access to the universal health visiting pathway, which consists of 11 home visits to all families, including eight within the first year of life, and three child health reviews between 13 months and four to five years.

Answer · Jenni Minto: All Scottish territorial Health Boards are committed to delivering the Universal Health Visiting Pathway (UHVP). The collection of UHVP coverage data across the 11 pathway visits is managed at a Health Board level. However, Official Statistics on the coverag…

7 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what cross-departmental work it has undertaken to consider the environmental impact of a ban on single-use vapes.

Answer · Lorna Slater: The Scottish Government has engaged in extensive cross-departmental and multi-agency work to consider the environmental impact of single-use vapes including working closely to with other nations across the UK. This work includes commissioning Zero Waste Scot…

7 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's announcement that it will ban single-use vapes, what preparations it is making to work with the UK Government to ensure that Scotland can implement a ban on single-use vapes as part of its reported commitment to a four-nation approach.

Answer · Lorna Slater: On 29 Jan 2024 I wrote to the Convener of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee to confirm the Scottish Government’s intention to progress legislation to prohibit the sale and supply of single-use vapes, with a view of a ban coming into force at the ea…

7 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the UK Government to discuss public health policy in Scotland, and what issues were discussed.

7 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Israeli military planes have used Glasgow Prestwick Airport during the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine, whether it received any prior notification that this would happen.

Answer · Mairi McAllan: To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Israeli military planes have used Glasgow Prestwick Airport during the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine, whether it received any prior notification that this would happen. Glasgow Prestwick Airp…

6 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the First Minister last met formally with the Women's Health Champion.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Women’s Health Champion, Professor Anna Glasier, has not met with the First Minister. The Champion meets with myself on a quarterly basis.  

6 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many actions it set out in its Women's Health Plan 2021-24, and what its position is on how many of those actions it has achieved to date.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Women's Health Plan: A Plan for 2021-24 sets out 66 actions to improve women’s health inequalities across the short-term (year one), medium-term (year one to three) and longer-term (year three and beyond). The Women’s Health Plan First and Second A…

6 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made towards the improvement of (a) abortion services in Scotland, in particular the provision of abortions after 20 weeks of gestation and (b) the training of abortion providers.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to improving access to abortion services, underpinned by aims outlined in the Women’s Health Plan. Progress has been made in particular by updating Scottish Abortion Care Providers guidance on early medical abortions in Sc…

6 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what resources have been allocated to its review of abortion law.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25368 on? 26 February 2024. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commi…

6 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the First Minister's commitment to decriminalise abortion in Scotland, what progress has been made towards that goal since March 2023.

Answer · Jenni Minto: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25368 on? 26 February 2024. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-commi…

6 Feb 2024 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what progress has been made towards fulfilling its Programme for Government 2023-24 commitment to undertake a review of abortion law to identify potential proposals for reforms.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The review on abortion law will begin once the Scottish Parliament has considered the Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Scotland) Bill. In the meantime, the Scottish Government is working towards convening an expert group, which the Women’s Health Champ…