Carol Mochan

29 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of NHS contraceptive education, and what importance it places on the provision of such education in (a) community and (b) NHS settings.

Answer · Jenni Minto: There has been no national formal assessment of contraceptive education however the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that people across Scotland have timely access to contraception, and to information which allows them to make informed decisions a…

29 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much NHS Scotland has spent on contraceptive education in (a) community settings and (b) NHS settings, such as maternity wards and clinics, in each of the past five years.

Answer · Jenni Minto: This information is not held centrally.  

29 Nov 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of future (a) trends and (b) challenges for young people at risk of problem alcohol use.

Answer · Elena Whitham: The Scottish Government (SG) is clear that tackling alcohol related harm remains a key public health priority, including in relation to children and young people. To assess trends on an ongoing basis a number of sources are considered, including this SG repo…

22 Nov 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Food Security Unit in relation to the monitoring of food system resilience.

20 Nov 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that stagnating workforce numbers, amongst other factors, are contributing to increased pressure on midwifery services.

15 Nov 2023 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it will make a decision on the Staff Cost Provision uprating for the financial year 2024-25.

Answer · Jackson Carlaw (on behalf of the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body): As part of the annual budget cycle, the SPCB considers the indexation for uprating of all provisions, including staff cost provision. The index to be applied is a matter for SPCB judgement rather than automatic application and will be confirmed when the SPCB …

25 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government by what stage of pregnancy it expects women to have had a face-to-face meeting with their named midwife.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The antenatal booking appointment is usually the first contact point between the primary or named midwife and pregnant women. We expect all women to have an initial assessment of their health, obstetric and social needs completed, and be offered appropriate s…

4 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to address the rise, reported by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), in the number of women travelling to England to access abortion services pre-20-weeks' gestation, in light of its commitment to provide NHS abortion services within Scotland and the…

Answer · Jenni Minto: All mainland Health Boards now offer abortions for all patients up to at least 20 weeks’ gestation in line with the recommendations in the 2022 Healthcare Improvement Scotland Sexual Health Standards. The abortion statistics for England and Wales show that f…

4 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether NHS boards in all parts of Scotland are now able to offer surgical abortions where requested by patients and clinicians during the (a) first and (b) second trimester.

Answer · Jenni Minto: During the first trimester, all mainland NHS Boards within Scotland are able to offer surgical abortions, although access to surgical abortion is limited in some Health Board areas. Currently no Health Board in Scotland is able to provide second trimester su…

4 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been on abortion care services, and what steps still need to be taken to meet the aspirations outlined in its Women's Health Plan.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted on all NHS services to an extent, including abortion services. The Scottish Government is committed to improving access to abortion services and the Women’s Health Plan includes a range of measures which aim to achieve this…

4 Oct 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the reported pressure on bed spaces in hospital wards across Scotland is impacting on NHS abortion care services.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The great majority of abortions in Scotland are early medical abortions, where one or both medications are taken at home. These patients do not require bed spaces. Only a small minority of abortion patients require inpatient treatment, mostly as a day patient…

25 Sep 2023 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent reports that treatment for ovarian cancer is a postcode lottery and has left some women with no option but to pay for private healthcare.

22 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made towards implementing article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is committed to its obligations under the Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. In line with the WHO Guidelines for implementation, the Scottish Government Tobacco Control Team is undertaking a number of meas…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the tendering process is fair for the self-directed support sector in cases where there is only one agent applying.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 (2013 Act) Statutory Guidance states that: “The Statutory Guidance accompanying the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 sets out guidance for effective commissioning and procurement pr…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its (a) process is and (b) criteria are for tendering for agents in the self-directed support sector, and how often this service is put out to tender.

Answer · Maree Todd: If a supported person chooses to use option one and receive a direct payment they may then also choose to employ a personal assistant. The Social Care (Self-Directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 Statutory Guidance states that, of the four SDS options, "Option…

20 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the process is for whistleblowing within self-directed support, in the event that there are concerns with the (a) employer and (b) agent.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013: statutory guidance states that if a supported person is dissatisfied with their care, their local authority should make the person aware that they can make use of the local authority's complaints pr…

19 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that the systems used for booking flu and COVID-19 vaccines are (a) fit for purpose and (b) usable for older people who potentially have health problems that make it difficult for them to wait for sustained periods on the phone or on a computer.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Since the start of the pandemic we have worked collaboratively with Public Health Scotland and National Services Scotland to continuously update and improve our NHS Inform information , the online booking portal and access to the National Vaccination Help…

19 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of individuals deemed "high risk" have yet to receive their (a) flu vaccine (b) COVID-19 booster in 2023.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Public reporting of the winter flu and COVID-19 vaccination programme launched on 21 September and can be accessed via PHS Vaccination Surveillance (shinyapps.io) . The only publicly currently available data is the total number of vaccinations administered…

13 Sep 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Fire Brigades Union to discuss the impact of any reduction in budget and services on communities, including in the South Scotland region.

11 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the fire at the Dunbar Landfill Site, including any impact that it has had on (a) air quality, (b) local people and (c) wildlife. 

Answer · Lorna Slater: East Lothian Council convened an Incident Response Group as the incident required a multi-agency, co-ordinated response. As part of the co-ordinated response, a sub-group consisting of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA’s) Airborne Hazard Emer…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that technical skills, such as woodwork and metalwork, remain an important part of the secondary school curriculum, in light of reports that new-build schools are in some cases not as practical for delivering such courses.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Technical skills development forms part of the Curriculum for Excellence Experiences and Outcomes in the Technologies. As such, the development of those skills should remain an important part of the school curriculum throughout the Broad General Education (BG…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support the incorporation of intergenerational working into the (a) primary and (b) secondary school curriculum, particularly in areas such as science and technology.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Intergenerational working has a role to play in both primary and secondary schools as part of volunteering and cross-community support for the curriculum, learning and teaching. It is right that schools and local authorities determine whether and in what way…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the reported financial challenges being experienced by local authorities, and in light of Birmingham City Council reportedly going "bankrupt", whether it plans to assess the financial stability of local authorities to ascertain whether there is any risk of such events being re…

Answer · Tom Arthur: The Accounts Commission and Audit Scotland are statutorily responsible for the scrutiny of local authority performance and financial management in Scotland. As part of the annual accounts audit process, Audit Scotland or its appointed auditors will assess an…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether, alongside UK Government fiscal policy, any reductions that it has made to local government funding on an annual basis are contributing to the reported challenges facing local authorities and the services that they provide for local communities.

Answer · Tom Arthur: Local government revenue funding is 2.6 per cent higher in real terms than it was in 2013-14 - as confirmed by the Accounts Commission. Local authorities also have a range of revenue raising powers that are not available to other public services, including ne…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how much of the Barnett consequential funding received as a result of the £63 million swimming pool support package announced by the UK Government has been spent on swimming provision in Scotland or passed to local authorities to maintain swimming pro…

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government places great importance on leisure facilities, particularly swimming pools and believes everyone should have access to these services locally. We are fully aware that local authorities are facing challenging financial circumstances, p…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what value it places on winter sports.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government attaches great importance to winter sports. Scotland’s fantastic outdoors is a huge draw for visitors and sporting enthusiasts, especially over the winter months. The snowsports sector is a key part of Scotland’s rural economy, worth …

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting communities to keep indoor sport facilities, such as ice rinks, available to use during the cost of living crisis.

Answer · Maree Todd: The Scottish Government places great importance on indoor sport facilities, such as ice rinks. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active. We are aware of the current …

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what changes it will make in the way it approaches agreeing a funding settlement for community pharmacies for 2024-25, following the situation for 2023-24 in which the initial offer was reportedly described by Community Pharmacy Scotland as undermining "years of mutually respectful negot…

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government have delivered the largest financial increase to date for community pharmacy funding, increasing both the remuneration Global Sum by 6% (£12.3 million) and an increase in the Guaranteed Minimum Income of 15.9% (£15.9 million). This del…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many training places it plans to provide in each of the next five years, in order to increase the number of pharmacists working in community pharmacy.

Answer · Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government is increasing the number of pharmacist pre-registration training places from 200 by an additional 120 places over 5 years from December 2019, to create the opportunity for more pharmacists to enter the profession. To date we have incre…

6 Sep 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting community pharmacies to fill vacancies, in order to ensure that services are delivered at optimal level.

Answer · Jenni Minto: Whilst responsibility for recruitment and retention of pharmacists and the wider team in community pharmacies is a matter for individual community pharmacy contractors, the Scottish Government has increased the number of pharmacist pre-registration training p…