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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 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 26 December 2024
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Displaying 1028 contributions

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Meeting of the Parliament

Disability Equality and Human Rights

Meeting date: 5 December 2023

Carol Mochan

I am really pleased that members are interested in the reform that the Labour Government in the UK will make. I hope that, when we are campaigning, they will come on board to ensure that we get a change of Government at Westminster.

Meeting of the Parliament

Disability Equality and Human Rights

Meeting date: 5 December 2023

Carol Mochan

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will do my best.

I am pleased to close the debate for Scottish Labour. As the minister set out at the beginning, the debate is about rights for all. It gives us an opportunity to raise the voices of disabled people, who, as we have heard, are often ignored, marginalised and stigmatised in our communities.

I really enjoyed the speeches made by Kate Forbes and Karen Adam. They showed how bringing subjects alive and giving examples of where people have felt the issues can help us to move forward. It helps us to understand the barriers and to push ourselves, and it forces us to think about how to embed the approach that we have been talking about.

However, I must make it clear, as Clare Haughey and Maggie Chapman did, that I cannot ignore the actions of the Tory Government at Westminster when we talk about rights. Its economic and social security vandalism has led to working families having to make impossible choices due to their finances being stretched. The Tory Government’s actions have led to disabled people feeling disproportionate impacts on their human rights. The consequences of the cost of living emergency are felt acutely by disabled people.

Meeting of the Parliament

Disability Equality and Human Rights

Meeting date: 5 December 2023

Carol Mochan

I will make progress, thank you.

In the statistics that are released by key stakeholders, we see that disabled people are being affected every day. Martin Whitfield and Alex Cole-Hamilton mentioned the issue that the Trussell Trust raised. As we have heard, three out of four Trussell Trust food bank users in Scotland come from households that contain a disabled person, and 51 per cent of people who live in poverty live in a household with at least one disabled member. Kevin Stewart rightly raised the situation with heating costs.

Those figures spell out the need to move towards a safety net. They are devastating and represent families and individuals across Scotland who are struggling badly.

Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 29 November 2023

Carol Mochan

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the food security unit in relation to the monitoring of food system resilience. (S6O-02800)

Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 29 November 2023

Carol Mochan

In my South Scotland region and beyond, food insecurity and hunger are becoming increasingly prominent issues that have no place in a modern Scotland. Although I welcome the establishment of a food security unit, it is my belief that a right to food should be enshrined in Scots law as independent legislation, because that is critical to ensuring food security. Why does the Scottish Government continue to reject calls from Labour members to introduce that important right?

Meeting of the Parliament

Portfolio Question Time

Meeting date: 29 November 2023

Carol Mochan

Gambling harms and addiction can destroy lives, families and communities. According to the 2021 Scottish health survey, in the least deprived 20 per cent of Scotland, 2 per cent of people had or were at risk of having gambling problems. In the most deprived 20 per cent of Scotland, the figure was 11 per cent of the people who were surveyed, which is more than five times higher. Does the Government have plans to introduce a public health-based approach to tackling gambling harms? Will such a plan have measurable objectives that will seek to eradicate the divisive health inequalities that exist?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas

Meeting date: 28 November 2023

Carol Mochan

Good morning, panel. It is great to have you here.

My first question is quite general. Do we have a tendency to develop healthcare policy in an urban-led way and, if so, why does that cause a problem in healthcare in more remote and rural areas?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas

Meeting date: 28 November 2023

Carol Mochan

Dr Makin has indicated that she wants to come in.

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas

Meeting date: 28 November 2023

Carol Mochan

That makes sense. Does anybody want to add to that?

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Healthcare in Remote and Rural Areas

Meeting date: 28 November 2023

Carol Mochan

Thank you.