- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government, in order to prepare for the forthcoming ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans, what plans it has to create more electric vehicle charging points in (a) general, (b) communities where drivers are least prepared for the change, (c) Ayrshire and (d) Dumfries and Galloway.
Answer
The Draft Vision for Scotland’s Public Electric Vehicle Charging Network published in January provides the guiding vision on how Scotland’s public electric vehicle charging network will continue to grow across Scotland in a fair and inclusive way.
The Scottish Government’s £60m Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund, that aims to leverage at least half of this funding from private sector sources over the next 4 years, will target investment in growing the public charging network across all of Scotland in areas where commercial investment on its own is unviable. This year, Scottish Government funding has already been provided or is being made available to all of Scotland’s local authorities to develop public electric vehicle charge point strategies and expansion plans including the Ayrshire Councils as well as Dumfries and Galloway.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether the Young Persons Allowance component of the Employability Fund will be continuing, and, if so, what criteria applicants must meet for this, and whether there are plans to change the criteria in the near future.
Answer
Through No One Left behind, we are delivering an all age approach to employability that is flexible and person centred. It promotes a strengthened partnership approach where the spheres of government work together with partners across the public, private and third sector to make informed, evidence based decisions on required support, flexing these to meet emerging labour market demands.
Phase 2 of No One Left Behind commenced in April 2022 with funding previously allocated to the Employability Fund and Community Jobs Scotland transferring from national to local governance.
Those participants aged 16-17 years old, and those aged 18 who are not in receipt of benefits, who are participating for between 10-30 hours per week will continue to be eligible to be paid a training allowance while undertaking training through No One Left Behind. There are no plans to change the criteria in the near future.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 5 May 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the standards set out in NHS service specifications for rare and complex diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, are adhered to, and to what extent these service specifications represent a statutory expectation of the minimum level of care that patients should expect to receive.
Answer
The National Services Division (NSD) of NHS National Services Scotland commission a number of highly specialised services in Scotland for patients who require investigation, treatment and ongoing follow up care for rare and complex conditions such as Cystic Fibrosis. Each designated service is subject to strict governance and performance reviews to ensure they maintain the highest possible standards of person-centred care across Scotland.
More information about specialist services is available on the NSD website: About specialist services | National Services Scotland (nhs.scot)
Where a formal review has been undertaken, a report of the review findings and recommendations is presented to both the National Patient, Professional and Public Reference Group (NPPPRG) and National Specialist Services Committee (NSSC) for scrutiny.
We have set out the wider policy within which NHS Scotland is expected to deliver services, and expect all NHS Boards to provide high quality care that is safe, effective and person-centred. Where there are specific issues that prevent them from doing so, robust processes are in place for NSD to provide support as required.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether any jobs related to the National Care Service are being recruited by Scotland Excel, and, if so, what these roles are.
Answer
There are no jobs related to the National Care Service which are being recruited by Scotland Excel at this time.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how Long COVID has been factored into its COVID-19 strategic review.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 27 April 2022
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 April 2022
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 21 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what plans it has to offer home fee status to Ukrainian refugees in Scotland, or those displaced following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 21 April 2022
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 8 April 2022
To ask the Scottish Government how many government contracts KPMG has withdrawn from bidding for since renewed scrutiny of its practices in January 2022, and what these contracts were.
Answer
KPMG have advised that there are 23 contracts across Scottish Government public bodies that they would have considered bidding for, were it not for them having stepped back from bidding for Scottish Government work. The combined value of these opportunities is estimated to be over £137,000,000, but KPMG are not conducting internal assessments of these opportunities and so may not have bid for them all, and would be unlikely to have won everything that they bid-for.
As tenders are ongoing it would not be appropriate to list the contracts at this stage as, were bidders to understand that a potential competitor was not participating, it could distort the competition, either reducing quality or increasing costs to the public purse. However, the tenders cover a range of service types, including research, analytical services, business-planning, and economic modelling.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 14 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what funding opportunities exist for people applying for Masters level courses in social work at Scottish universities to ensure that all fees can be met without placing financial burden on them.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to question S6W-06940 on 14 March 2022
The post graduate social work bursary scheme provides a contribution to the fees level set by the individual universities. This is to ensure that the funding available is able to support up to 300 students
There are other sources of funding that can be applied for. Full details of these can be found at www.saas.gov.uk and www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Funding-Support-Grants
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 14 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether people should be encouraged to pursue careers in social work, and how it will address reported concerns that too many challenges face people actively trying to gain more qualifications in the field.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the social work workforce. We greatly value their contribution to supporting the most vulnerable in society, particularly throughout the pandemic.
Over the last five years, £25 million funding has been invested to support the training of social workers, including via postgraduate bursaries and support for practice-based learning. The postgraduate social work bursary scheme provides a contribution to the fees level set by universities.
There are other sources of funding that can be applied for. Full details of these can be found at www.saas.gov.uk and www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Funding-Support-Grants
There are a range of social work degrees available from full-time undergraduate to in-work postgraduate courses. Social work courses are offered at nine universities across Scotland. More information can be found here: Studying social work at university - Scottish Social Services Council (sssc.uk.com)
As part of our ambition to increase access to the social work profession the Scottish Government is working with Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Social Services Council to explore the creation of a Graduate Apprenticeship in Social Work.
- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2022
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Current Status:
Answered by Clare Haughey on 14 March 2022
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to remove any financial obstacles that may be affecting people applying for Masters level courses in social work at Scottish universities.
Answer
The SSSC has been administering Postgraduate Bursaries on behalf of Scottish Government since 2004. Funding of £2,655m each year is provided to support up to 300 students undertake the postgraduate course in social work.
A review of the scheme was undertaken by SSSC in 2021 to widen access to eligible postgraduate students. In response to Covid -19 Scottish Government approved a Hardship Fund for postgraduate social work students in May 2020. The fund remains in place.
As part of the 2021 Manifesto Commitments, the Scottish Government committed to undertake a review into the funding provision for postgraduate students. The review will be led by SAAS and areas for exploration are in the early development stages and therefore I cannot confirm at this stage what courses will be considered as part of the review.
