Parliamentary questions
Carol Mochan
846 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) working, (b) reference, (c) policy sub, (d) network and (e) other groups have been established in relation to its delivery of Phase 2 of the Women’s Health Plan; what the full name of each group is, and to whom each group reports.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Phase Two of the Women’s Health Plan was published on 20 January 2026.Its implementation will be supported by a ‘Women’s Health Plan Ministerial Oversight Group’, chaired by myself. This Group will provide strategic oversight and gover…
6 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that NHS Dumfries and Galloway has issued an apology, what its response is to reports of physical and sexual abuse at the Ladyfield psychiatric unit for children.
Answer · Tom Arthur: The Scottish Government unequivocally condemns the abuse experienced by children and young people at the Ladyfield psychiatric unit for children. We offer our full and unreserved apology and recognise the courage of survivors in coming forward to share their …
6 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the ongoing work to map out existing mental health services as part of the Delivery Framework for Miscarriage Care in Scotland, and a timeline for its publication.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is continuing discussions internally and with NHS perinatal mental health professionals around how counselling and other psychological services (including those provided by third sector organisations) could be expanded and improved to …
5 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, regarding any price gaps between the purchase costs of gluten-free products and the NHS reimbursement rate for pharmacies, what steps it is taking to ensure that those with coeliac disease have sufficient access to prescriptions for gluten-free products.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is not aware of any negative price differentials between the purchase costs of gluten-free food products and the NHS reimbursement rate. The Scottish Drug Tariff contains information regarding the prescribing, dispensing and reimbursem…
5 Jan 2026 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the NHS reimbursement rate for pharmacies purchasing prescriptions for gluten-free products.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Drug Tariff contains information regarding the prescribing, dispensing and reimbursement of medicines and appliances. It lists the reimbursement prices paid by the NHS for approved prescribable items. Gluten-free food products are reimbursed in l…
22 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports of an epidural kit shortage.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The supply of medicines, including managing shortages, is a reserved matter and is the responsibility of the UK Government’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). The Scottish Government works closely with the UK Government on all related medicin…
10 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the information that adult patients receive regarding diabetes technology treatment options.
Answer · Jenni Minto: Responsibility for providing education and discussing treatment options lies with clinicians, who are expected to ensure that individuals receive clear, accurate information about all available diabetes technologies when considering their care. Decisions on p…
10 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to reduce adult patient waiting times for access to diabetes technology.
Answer · Jenni Minto: We are committed to ensuring that everyone living with diabetes can access clinically appropriate, safe, effective and person-centred care. We know that waiting times for access to diabetes technologies, such as Closed Loop Systems (CLS), remain a challenge, …
8 Dec 2025 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of NHS Ayrshire and Arran suspending routine hospital visits due to a sharp increase in flu cases, whether it will provide an update on the action that it is taking to support NHS boards in relation to increasing winter pressures.
5 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-42190 by Neil Gray on 5 December 2025, how many NHS 24 staff it calculated were needed for staffing levels to meet the required service standards for winter 2025-26, broken down by job role.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government does not hold this information
4 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to increase the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) specialist nursing workforce to meet the IBD standards, in light of the finding in Crohn's & Colitis UK's research that almost a third of services in Scotland are not meeting safe staffing levels.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland; however, the statutory responsibility for delivering or commissioning services sits with local authorities, NHS boards and integrated health and social care part…
3 Dec 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will take in its Budget to support high street retailers in the South Scotland region that are at risk of closing.
2 Dec 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent publication of the report by Carers Scotland, State of Caring, The cost of caring in Scotland 2025, which found that 62% of parent carers with a disabled child were cutting back on essentials such as heating and food to make ends meet, what action it is …
Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Social Security Scotland provides three benefits specifically for unpaid carers, including Carer’s Allowance Supplement which provides extra support only available in Scotland. Carer’s Allowance Supplement is worth £587 in 2025/26 with eligi…
26 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional (a) paramedics and (b) ambulance care assistants have been recruited to support the Scottish Ambulance Service in winter 2025-26, and where they will be based, broken down by (i) Scottish Ambulance Service (A) station and (B) region and (ii) NHS board area.
Answer · Neil Gray: While the Scottish Ambulance Service will recruit 290 members of staff in 2025, the Scottish Government does not hold the specific information you have asked for.
26 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to its paper, Surge and Winter Preparedness in Health and Social Care Services National Planning Priorities and Principles, which was published in November 2025, how national planning priorities and principles will address corridor care by NHS Scotland in winter 2025-26.
Answer · Neil Gray: The National Planning Priorities and Principles require local systems to maximise system capacity and capability by improving patient flow and access, reducing delayed discharges and long waits, and minimising unmet need. This includes strengthening urgent an…
26 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many additional staff have been recruited to NHS 24 for winter 2025-26, and how it determined (a) the number required and (b) their geographical placement.
Answer · Neil Gray: NHS 24 current staffing levels are at their highest to date, enabling the strongest level of treatment capacity on record. So far this year, NHS 24 has successfully recruited 71 Call Handlers and 51 Clinical Supervisors.Required workforce is based on detailed…
26 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement on 2025-26 Winter Preparedness by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on 13 November 2025, for what reason this statement was made at a later point in the year than the similar statement for 2024-25, which was delivered on 24 September 2024.
Answer · Neil Gray: The statement on 13 November covered both winter preparedness and the broader work we have been undertaking on national planning. The timing reflects the Scottish Government’s strategic shift toward embedding surge and winter planning as a core year-rou…
26 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date the planning cycle for the NHS Scotland 2025-26 winter preparedness plan began.
Answer · Neil Gray: A Lesson’s Learned report for winter 2024-25 was considered at the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Collaborative Response and Assurance Group meeting on 6 May 2025. This meeting agreed the approach for 2025-26 winter preparedness, marking th…
26 Nov 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action that it is taking to develop apprenticeship models for healthcare workers.
19 Nov 2025 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the financial sustainability of Ayrshire College.
17 Nov 2025 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to news that public satisfaction with the NHS has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to the Scottish Household Survey.
14 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve NHS boards' performance against the 62-day target for those diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Answer · Neil Gray: We recognise the challenges in meeting the 62-day target and are taking action to support NHS Boards to reduce waiting times. Scottish Government has directed £14.23 million of the additional £135.5 million planned care funding to NHS Boards in 20…
14 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the action it is taking to improve prevention of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Answer · Maree Todd: All women should be supported with compassion and with advice and services to promote lifestyle changes during their pregnancy to improve their own health and the health of their baby.As part of the new maternity pathway published earlier this year, midwives …
14 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-33389 and S6W-38959 by Neil Gray on 24 January 2025 and 1 July 2025 respectively, whether the business case for a new pre-hospital emergency critical care replacement service has been completed and submitted for consideration, and, if so, by what …
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government is awaiting the final business case from the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) for a new pre-hospital emergency critical care replacement service.The development of this business case has been a complex process and work is now nearing c…
12 Nov 2025 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated in its Budget for the improvement of road safety on the A77 trunk road.
6 Nov 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how the Scottish Health Information Integrity Strategy aims to ensure that public information about the risks of alcohol consumption is not influenced by the alcohol industry.
Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Health Information Integrity Strategy is focused on supporting Scotland’s health and social care system, to help people access the best quality health information and make the best choices for their own health. For evidence-based and accura…
31 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the (a) action that it has taken and (b) engagements that it has carried out in relation to improving road safety on the A77 ahead of winter.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We are committed to improving safety across our network. Since 2007, over £146 million has already been invested on the A77 to ensure its safe and efficient operation.Each year Transport Scotland, through its Operating Companies, undertakes a review of …
31 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms are in place to monitor any post-separation abuse of victims who have left a coercive and abusive relationship.
Answer · Siobhian Brown: Where individuals have left a coercive and abusive relationship, it is important that protections for their safety are available where needed. As such, there are a range of protective orders available to help ensure the safety of individuals.Where a partner o…
31 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness of the recommendation that everyone aged five and over in Scotland should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D, particularly during the winter months.
Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government supports and works closely with Food Standards Scotland, who have previously and will again repeat a winter campaign encouraging people to take a daily vitamin D supplement to maintain bone and muscle health.The campaign primarily focu…
31 Oct 2025 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted any recent analysis of the economic value of the A77.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The South West Scotland Transport Study (SWSTS) was undertaken as an advance study to feed in to the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) and published in March 2020. It considered the rationale for improvements to road, rail, public transport a…