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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

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Question reference: S6O-01921

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on its ongoing targets to tackle child poverty of any reduction in local government funding.

Question reference: S6W-13684

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to deal with any disruption to transport in the South Scotland region caused by flooding.

Climate change will increase both the intensity and frequency of storms, flooding and high winds. The recent impact of flooding on our roads and railway is a reminder of the need to adapt our transport network to the effects of severe weather.

Action has been taken but Transport Scotland has identified the need for climate change mitigation and adaptation as a central plank in the National Transport Strategy which sets out the vison for the next decades.

Transport Scotland’s Road Operating Companies are required to undertake a series of activities aimed at improving journey time reliability by minimising the risk of unplanned disruption to the operation of the trunk road network. The Transport Scotland Manual for the Management of the Risk of Unplanned Network Disruption provides direction to Operating Companies on managing and mitigating the effects of disruptive events, such as those caused by weather events like flooding. The manual requires Operating Companies to develop and implement disruption risk processes which are informed by the formal recording of all previous events, as they occur. This includes severe weather related events such as high winds, flooding, snow and ice.

Question reference: S6O-01813

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 25 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that some women have been denied transvaginal ultrasounds on the basis of not yet being sexually active.

Question reference: S6W-13686

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support is available for (a) families and (b) businesses in the South Scotland region that are affected by floods.

The Scottish Government funds the Scottish Flood Forum (SFF) to provide help to businesses and families in the event of flooding. They can offer advice, information and support to help those flooded – from advice on managing insurance claims, drying out, finding a builder, to protecting property from flooding.

The Scottish Welfare Fund helps families and people in Scotland who are on low incomes through Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants. Crisis Grants are available to those hit by crisis such as a flood. Applications can be made through local authorities.

Question reference: S6W-13685

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 18 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to invest in more flood defences in the South Scotland region.

It is the responsibility of local authorities to develop and deliver flood protection schemes in Scotland. Since 2008, the Scottish Government has provided £42million/ yr through the general capital grant to support the delivery of flood risk management actions. The 2020 PfG also committed an additional £150 million over the course of this parliament.

Flood Risk Management Plans have been developed to reduce the devastating and costly impact of flooding in Scotland. The plans coordinate the efforts of all organisations that tackle flooding and concentrate the work to where the risk of flooding and benefits of investment are greatest. The 2015-2021 Plans included a number of flood protection schemes in the South Scotland region including in Hawick and Whitesands.

Flood Risk Management Plans for the period 2022-2028 were approved by Scottish Ministers in December 2021 and published by SEPA in January 2022. A COSLA/ Scottish Government Funding Working Group has been set up to discuss funding arrangements for flood risk management actions including those set out in the
‎ 2022-2028 plans. This group will put recommendations to the joint Scottish Government/COSLA officers’ Settlement Distribution Group. Ministers and Council Leaders’ will subsequently be provided with advice in 2023.

Question reference: S6T-01104

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to comments by Prostate Cancer UK regarding reported figures showing that men in Scotland are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer too late for it to be successfully treated than in any other part of the UK.

Question reference: S6W-13358

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what action it is taking to (a) protect the jobs of retail workers and (b) assist retail workers who have lost their jobs due to shop closures.

The UK currently faces a rapidly escalating cost crisis, an emergency on a similar scale to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is essential that the response from government at every level is commensurate, in scale and speed, to the nature and magnitude of the emergency.

We are using the powers we currently have and our finite resources to support businesses through the cost crisis, whilst also building a more resilient, sustainable, fair and prosperous economy. The Scottish Government will do everything in its power to help those affected by any forthcoming redundancies through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE).

The recently established Retail Industry Leadership Group (ILG) comprises senior business representatives, trades unions and industry groups. The ILG will deliver an increasingly sustainable retail sector, promote the delivery of all aspects of fair work across the sector and ensure those working in retail have the skills necessary to be successful.

Question reference: S6T-01077

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that, during freezing temperatures in December, ambulances were called out to 800 people with hypothermia.

Question reference: S6W-13066

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 9 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Supreme Court ruling on buffer zones surrounding abortion clinics in Northern Ireland, when it will introduce legislation to support the creation of similar zones in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01712

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prepare for any potential surge in avian flu cases over the winter.