Seòmar agus comataidhean

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 688 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S6W-11877

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-10776 by Kevin Stewart on 20 September 2022, on what date it will launch the formal public consultation period on the proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill.

Question reference: S6W-11873

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 15 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what planning and preparation is taking place to ensure that Scotland can adopt HPV self-sampling in the national cervical screening programme as soon as it is recommended by the UK National Screening Committee.

The Scottish Government is committed to exploring the implementation of HPV self-sampling, and acknowledges that it has the potential to increase uptake levels and reduce barriers to cervical screening.

The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) recognises the potential benefits of self-sampling but have concluded that there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend implementation. Studies are underway to gather further evidence, but it is not yet known when the NSC may make a positive recommendation. Additionally, it is unclear when the work to assess and validate a test for HPV self-sampling in the UK will complete.

As introducing a new screening test into the National Screening Programme is inherently complex, a working group has been convened to assess potential models and understand any required changes to the screening programme to support an initial roll-out. This work is being informed by the emerging evidence from UK and global research, including the study undertaken in Dumfries and Galloway which provided self-sampling test kits to women between 25 and 64 who had not taken up the offer of attending for cervical screening. The results of this study showed the potential benefits of self-sampling, but also underlined the need to carefully consider how any eventual roll-out is targeted.

Question reference: S6O-01529

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 November 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the social justice cabinet secretary has had with ministerial colleagues on any potential impact on levels of personal debt of the inclusion of individual consumers under the Moveable Transactions (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6O-01417

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to support the rural economy in areas impacted by long-term population decline.

Question reference: S6W-09954

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what investment it is making in public transport in (a) Patna and (b) other villages in Scotland to ensure that residents are able to travel to and from nearby towns and major cities at times convenient to them.

The Scottish Government is aware of the importance of rural bus services for villages across the country and are committed, in partnership with operators and local authorities, to looking at ways of ensuring that those living in or visiting Patna, as well as all other towns and villages across Scotland, are provided with effective and accessible public transport.

Since the end of January children and young people under the age of 22 in Scotland have been able to travel for free by bus. Around half of Scotland’s population are now eligible for free bus travel including those aged over 60, under 22 and eligible disabled persons. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 provides an enhanced suite of options for local transport authorities to improve bus services according to their local needs.

The Scottish Government’s Community Bus Fund will support local transport authorities to explore the options in the Act, and to improve public transport in their areas – £1 million is allocated in the 2022-23 Scottish Budget for development of the Community Bus Fund. The Scottish Government have provided up to £210 million in funding to support bus services during the pandemic and are providing £100 million in to support bus services this year including additional recovery funding.

Additionally, the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), which sets the priorities for transport spending over the next 20 years and has been developed in conjunction with stakeholders across the country, includes several recommendations which are relevant to rural areas and will have a positive impact on improving public transport connectivity to nearby towns and major cities. The draft report was published on 20 January this year for a three month consultation period. Feedback is now being considered and the final report is due later this year.

Question reference: S6W-09952

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether spectating at sporting events can be an important and significant part of some people's lives, and what it is doing to ensure that public transport services work to ensure that such events can be enjoyed by all.

Spectating at sporting events is important to the people of Scotland and brings benefits in terms of enjoyment, stress reduction, socialisation and camaraderie with community, friends and family. Public transport has a role to play in enabling fans to get to and from sporting events, especially families and young people. The extension of free bus travel to all children and young people under 22 makes public transport more affordable, helping to improve access to such events while enabling them to travel sustainably early in their lives.

In Scotland we take a modal corridor approach to strategic transport issues for the last two decades. The Scottish Strategic Transport Projects Review 2 (STPR2) makes recommendations on the strategic corridors and TS continues to work hard with local and national partners to provide such connectivity; and local authorities have a key role to play too.

Transport Scotland engages with transport operators on decision making for meeting spectator requirements. With the introduction of Scotrail’s Fit for the Future timetable from 20 July 2022, reliability of rail service to sporting events has improved as driver availability has improved. Transport Scotland will monitor public transport offerings for sporting events.

Question reference: S6W-09953

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 18 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported concerns by football fans in south Scotland that current public transport services do not run frequently enough to attend an evening football match and return home afterwards.

Question reference: S6W-10084

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve access to dentistry services in rural areas.

Question reference: S6W-10083

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will invest more in NHS dentistry in rural areas in order to ensure that every family has access to affordable and accessible dentistry care.

The Scottish Government is committed to continuing to invest in NHS dentistry in rural areas, which is why we have updated the Recruitment and Retention Allowance to reflect the particular challenges in attracting dentists to work in more remote areas.

Dentists, who meet all the requirements and are providing GDS in a Classification 1 area, will receive:

£25,000 paid over two years, at £12,500 per annum, for dentists in sub-part A of the first part of a dental list;
£12,500 paid over one year for dentists undertaking VT.

Dentists, who meet all the requirements and are providing GDS in a Classification 2 area, will receive:

£15,000 paid over two years, at £7,500 per annum, for dentists in sub-part A of the first part of a dental list;
£7,500 paid over one year for dentists undertaking VT.

Question reference: S6W-10085

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 August 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of households in the (a) Borders, (b) Dumfries and Galloway, (c) East Lothian, (d) East Ayrshire, (e) South Ayrshire, (f) South Lanarkshire and (g) Midlothian Council area are not registered with a dentist.

The percentage of the population registered with a NHS dentist in Scotland is broken down by NHS Board rather than council area and is published by Public Health Scotland (PHS). As of September 2021, the percentage of patients who are not registered with a NHS dentist is as follows:-

Ayrshire and Arran

15.3% of children
1% of adults

Borders

14.6% of children
15.7% of adults

Dumfries and Galloway

13.7% of children
8.5% of adults

Lanarkshire

13.2% of children
0% of adults

Lothian

16.1% of children
7.9% of adults