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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 4 May 2021
  6. Current session: 13 May 2021 to 22 October 2025
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Displaying 1243 contributions

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Social Justice and Social Security Committee [Draft]

Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 9 October 2025

Carol Mochan

I want to talk about the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and the impact that the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales has had. Why did Wales feel the need to legislate for the definitions of sustainable development and wellbeing and then establish a commissioner? Was it the right decision to legislate in that way?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee [Draft]

Wellbeing and Sustainable Development (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 9 October 2025

Carol Mochan

Are there any lessons that we should learn from the way in which you legislated at the time?

Social Justice and Social Security Committee [Draft]

Subordinate Legislation

Meeting date: 9 October 2025

Carol Mochan

Good morning. The young carer grant is being extended to include 19-year-olds. The SCOSS report said that an alternative policy choice could have been to give full access to the carer support payment to 16-year-olds. Some stakeholders said that that was their preferred choice. Does the cabinet secretary have a response to that?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee [Draft]

ADHD and ASD Pathways and Support

Meeting date: 7 October 2025

Carol Mochan

Are there any barriers to the development and adoption of a standard adult neurodevelopment specification as recommended by NAIT? I would like to explore that.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee [Draft]

ADHD and ASD Pathways and Support

Meeting date: 7 October 2025

Carol Mochan

Those responses have answered most of my other questions. Just to be clear, are the witnesses saying that a single-condition assessment would not be the right approach for children or adults? I see that everyone is nodding. I thought that I had picked that up correctly.

I have a final, quick question. On the recommendation by NAIT to adopt a standard adult neurodevelopment specification, are there barriers to that or do people feel that that should and could go ahead?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee [Draft]

ADHD and ASD Pathways and Support

Meeting date: 7 October 2025

Carol Mochan

That is helpful. Thank you very much.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee [Draft]

ADHD and ASD Pathways and Support

Meeting date: 7 October 2025

Carol Mochan

Many of the written submissions that we received expressed concern about the level of variation across Scotland. What would be the possible advantages and disadvantages of developing and implementing national standards and pathways for neurodevelopmental assessment across Scotland? I will start with Glenn Carter.

Meeting of the Parliament

Health Service (Long-term Sustainability)

Meeting date: 7 October 2025

Carol Mochan

Like everyone else, I thank Brian Whittle for bringing this important debate to the chamber. As everyone has said, he has been a champion of this subject.

Our health, and the health of our friends and family, is the most important thing in all our lives, and public health must always be viewed as a priority in guaranteeing a prosperous and thriving Scotland. However, the truth is that Scotland has the lowest life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in the UK and the lowest life expectancy in Europe. That should drive us, as politicians, in how we talk about health and health spending, and it is why we must prioritise the preventative health approach.

Recent statistics reveal that healthy life expectancy in Scotland has fallen to a near 10-year low. We should all note that. It means that people in Scotland not only die prematurely compared with their counterparts in the rest of the UK but can expect to spend more time in poor health. I think that every member would agree that that is what many of our constituents and their families speak to us about. It is not just about having a long life; it is about having a healthy life.

We must recognise that improvements to public health are an investment in our future. Prevention must be viewed as an investment in our communities. As the motion says, health spending is the largest part of the Scottish budget, so it is important, and the Scottish Fiscal Commission expects it to increase significantly over the next 25 years. If we want to see that investment, then, as we all agree, we need to move to a more preventative approach to healthcare.

We also need to acknowledge our responsibility to ensure that there are cross-portfolio approaches, as others have mentioned. We recognise that poor health is not just about individual choice but about what access one has to housing, transport, space, healthy workspaces, secure work, family time and so much more.

We in Parliament and the Government have a responsibility to legislate in a way that tackles rising inequalities. The truth is that the gap in health is unacceptably high. We have a responsibility to close that gap with a robust approach to policies that tackle poverty and inequality. That is a preventative approach.

Those who are living in the least deprived areas spend more years living in better health than those in the most deprived areas—we hear that a lot in the chamber. East Ayrshire, which is in my South Scotland region and is where I live, has some of the lowest healthy life expectancy rates in Scotland, with the average male expected to live 55.8 years in good health and the average woman 55.4 years. NHS Ayrshire and Arran also has the joint lowest healthy life expectancy estimates of all Scottish health boards. It is important to me and my constituents that, in Parliament, we work towards a preventative system.

The health inequalities that exist in our deprived communities must be considered when determining the targeted interventions that are required to improve outcomes. We must also ensure that more targeted interventions happen. More resources and support need to be put into those communities.

I thank Brian Whittle and other members for having this positive discussion about how preventative healthcare can help our constituents. I reiterate that our health and wellbeing is the most important thing in all our lives. Living a long and healthy life is possible. It is possible for us to allow all our constituents to have a long and healthy life, but to do that, we need to take our responsibility as legislators seriously.

I hope that, in closing, the minister will address the measures that the Government is taking and will continue to take, because it is the responsibility of Government to provide sufficient direction and leadership to ensure that Scotland’s population live long and healthier lives.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

Give Blood 4 Good

Meeting date: 2 October 2025

Carol Mochan

I apologise that I am not in the chamber this evening, because the order of business was changed, but, like others, I so wanted to speak in this debate. I thank Fulton MacGregor for bringing this important debate to the chamber and I join him and others in commending the work of Give Blood 4 Good, which has done a great deal, as we have heard, to encourage young people to donate blood.

I, too, thank all those who continue to come forward and donate. Donations make sure that hospitals continue to have a good supply of blood. As we have heard, demand can be really unpredictable and blood has a very short shelf life, so there is no such thing as too many donors—blood is always in high demand.

We must never underestimate the impact that a single donation can make. As the motion states,

“each blood donation has the potential to save or improve up to three lives”.

That is why we must continue to champion and celebrate the work of organisations and charities such as Give Blood 4 Good, which help to raise awareness of the difference that one donation can make.

As we heard, Give Blood 4 Good was established when it became clear that there was a gap in young people’s awareness and education around giving blood. Many were not fully informed on the life-changing impact that blood donations can have, and Give Blood 4 Good sets out to change that. Through innovations, it has worked to improve young people’s education and understanding in order to encourage as many as possible to donate. Its young ambassador programme helps to break down the fears and misconceptions that are commonly associated with donating blood. It educates young people when they are still at school, allowing them to be well informed before they turn 17. That is key, because 17 is the age at which young people can make their first donation. Understanding the importance of blood donation before that is therefore essential.

I am pleased that the Parliament is recognising the work of Give Blood 4 Good and that, through this debate, we can continue to support its work. As members have highlighted, blood donations can be life changing and they are an easy way to help others. As Oliver Mundell said, we should put ourselves in that place as well, and as many members as possible who can donate blood should do so. Whether the blood is used to treat cancer patients or to save those who have lost blood through an accident, surgery or childbirth, donations have a real power to save lives.

When I was researching for this debate, it was heartwarming to read the personal stories of those who have received a blood donation. Many testimonies highlighted the impact of stranger’s generosity and kindness, and they came from both those who have received blood and their families.

In just one hour, we have the power to transform a life. I recognise how busy day-to-day life can be, but I hope that this debate allows us to pause, reflect, remember the difference that a donation can make, and consider speaking to others about the issue. Supporting public awareness is important, and I hope that the minister will speak to the on-going work that the Government is doing to support the charity and others and help with awareness.

I thank everybody who has contributed to the debate and, of course, all those in the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service who work tirelessly with our NHS to continue to make sure that we have a high-quality supply of blood, tissues and cells every day. I again thank Give Blood 4 Good for all the work that it does in Patrick Smith’s name.

Meeting of the Parliament [Draft]

International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Day 2025

Meeting date: 1 October 2025

Carol Mochan

I thank Rona Mackay for bringing the debate to the chamber once again and allowing Parliament to recognise fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. As she will know, I have participated in these debates because the issue is close to my heart, and I really appreciate her bringing it to the chamber.

It is important that we continue to highlight FASD’s impact on Scotland’s communities and raise awareness of the long-lasting impact that exposure to alcohol during pregnancy can have. As other members have highlighted, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder affects 4 per cent of Scotland’s population, which is a startling figure, given that—as others have said—it is preventable. The UK chief medical officer recommends that the safest approach for people who are pregnant or are planning a pregnancy is not to drink alcohol at all. That will keep the risk to the baby to a minimum.

Of course, it is important that people understand the risk of drinking during pregnancy, but a point that I would make, and which Rona Mackay made, too, is that we, as elected politicians, must take our responsibility in this regard seriously. We live in a Scotland that normalises alcohol; in fact, excessive alcohol culture is almost normal, up to the point where it becomes a problem. Therefore, we must, as Ms Mackay has said, understand this issue as a public health situation, and we must have more debates about population-wide measures to reduce alcohol-related harm.

Research indicates that individual women are often not aware of the advice not to drink alcohol during pregnancy, so clearly more can be done with regard to public health messages that can improve awareness, especially given that, as colleagues have said, 46 per cent of pregnancies in the UK are unplanned. I would hope that putting out that messaging early to young women could be useful.

The Government’s “Women’s Health Plan” commits to providing accessible information and advice on pre-pregnancy care, which is welcome. In the medium term, there is a plan to develop a framework for pre-pregnancy care to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of optimising health before pregnancy. That might be an area on which we could work with the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to ensure that we get accurate information and that we can talk about the use of alcohol in pregnancy.