- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 8 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made on the allocation of the £300 million that it committed to tackle NHS waiting lists, which was to be targeted to reduce waiting lists by an estimated 100,000 patients by 2026.
Answer
We remain committed to driving down waiting times. We have increased investment in frontline NHS boards by more than half a billion pounds in the draft Budget. We will continue to target resources to reduce waiting times, particularly for those waiting longest for treatment, through maximising productivity and additional resources.
We are working with Health Boards on detailed annual plans to demonstrate how waiting lists will be managed to see reductions, improved productivity and clear evidence on how this will help free additional capacity.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 8 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what impact it anticipates the announcements in its Budget will have on digital investment within health services.
Answer
The Scottish Government continues to protect investment in digital within health services, as shown in the published budget. Planning remains underway to fully assess the impact on planned activity for 2024-25 that takes into account the considerable financial challenges facing the Scottish Government in the forthcoming financial year, and we will publish our Delivery Plan for Digital Health & Care in April 2024. This will confirm delivery priorities for the year ahead using the investment available.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 8 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that NHS Scotland offers career progression within the physiotherapy profession.
Answer
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 Advanced Practice Toolkit aims to facilitate the professional development of advanced practitioners and provides easy to navigate links to useful information across four pillars of practice.
Although not profession specific, advancing practice and the promotion of AHP career pathways is a key focus of the AHP Education and Workforce Policy Review intended outcomes. The review’s work is being taken forward through an ongoing delivery plan that aims to adopt a comprehensive approach to fostering the growth and advancement of the AHP workforce.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 8 March 2024
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
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 affected by suicide is able to access high quality, compassionate, appropriate and timely support.
Since August 2021 we have funded bereavement support service pilots in NHS Ayrshire and Arran and NHS Highland. Over 2023-24 we have worked with partners to design and plan the roll-out of the service, drawing on the positive evaluation of the pilots. Expansion of the bereavement support service will begin from 2024-25, working closely with local partners. Further details will be confirmed as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 March 2024
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
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 Scotland to conduct research into the topic, published in June 2023; input to the four nations Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping consultation, which ran from Oct-Dec 2023; engagement across the four UK governments to draft Regulations, and expertise from multiple policy areas, external agencies, business and public bodies to conduct impact assessments and consider draft Regulations.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Submitting member has a registered interest.
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 March 2024
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
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 earliest opportunity. This builds upon the research commissioned by the Scottish Government into the environmental impact of single-use vapes that was published in June 2023.
As this is an area of devolved competence, decisions on whether to act in this area rest with the respective Governments in each part of the UK. The Scottish Government intends to bring forward regulations under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to enact a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland.
The UK Government has confirmed that it also intends to legislate for a ban in England, the Welsh Government has confirmed this intent in Wales. The Northern Ireland Executive has yet to confirm their intention to legislate on a ban due to the Assembly only recently being restored. Officials across the UK are working towards regulations that align as closely as possible, and including a proposed common coming into force date of 1 April 2025, as detailed in the draft Scottish regulations published on 23 February.
My officials also continue to engage with their counterparts within the Resources and Waste Common Framework group in line with the process agreed by all governments of the UK, published and placed before the UK Parliament in December 2021.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is offering to local authorities that report that they may have to reduce speech and language therapy provision.
Answer
The Scottish Government is providing record funding of over £14 billion to local authorities in 2024-25, including £600.6 million of additional revenue funding for day to day services.
Subject to the outcome of the UK Government Spring Budget, the Scottish Government has committed to pass on up to £62.7 million of additional funding directly to local government alongside any consequentials received for increased teacher pension employer contributions.
Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities and are entirely separate from the Scottish Government. As long as they act lawfully, it is up to each local authority how it manages its day-to-day business and decision making processes. Ultimately, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 March 2024
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
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 Airport operates on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government.
Operational decisions regarding the day-to-day running of the airport, are a matter for the management of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Scottish Government did not receive any prior notification.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 March 2024
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
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 the decision to undertake an assessment would be for them to consider. Under the Community Empowerment Act (2015), communities are, however, able to request a right to buy, lease, manage or use land and buildings belonging to local authorities, Scottish public bodies or Scottish Ministers. Scottish Government encourages relevant authorities to work with their communities to make sure they can access and make use of available spaces.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding an increased windfall tax on the excess profits of large oil and gas companies, in light of reports that the income from any such tax could be used to support households struggling with the cost of living crisis, including in Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2024
