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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: S6W-15513

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 16 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will (a) set out the (i) remit of and (ii) reporting mechanisms available to the newly-appointed Women’s Health Champion, and (b) provide the contact details for the role, to enable MSPs and other relevant bodies to arrange meetings with and ask questions of them.

The remit of the Women’s Health Champion is to drive change and share best practice and innovation in the improvement of health services and health outcomes for women. Professor Glasier will work with partners in the NHS and across the public and third sectors to drive forward the ambitions, aims and actions in the Women’s Health Plan. Professor Glasier’s particular priorities were set out in the recently published report on progress and include specialist menopause services, menstrual health with a focus on endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome, and heart health.

The Champion is a member of the Women's Health Plan Implementation Programme Board which has been established to oversee and drive the delivery of the Plan.

Professor Glasier is scheduled to attend the next Women’s Health Cross Party Group on 22 March 2023. In addition a number of introductory meetings with both individuals and organisations have already taken place, with more arranged for the coming weeks. Any requests should be directed to womenshealthchampion@gov.scot.

Question reference: S6O-02051

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

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to increasing the income threshold for free school meal eligibility for families not currently covered by any free school meal entitlement.

Question reference: S6W-15619

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 14 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether adequate road traffic impact assessments are conducted prior to the construction of large developments, such as housing developments, commencing.

The adopted National Planning Framework (NPF4) (2023) is clear that transport assessments (TAs) are required for development proposals that will generate a significant increase in the number of person trips. These should consider transport requirements in line with the sustainable travel and investment hierarchies, which includes road traffic. Transport Scotland’s Transport Assessment guidance sets the scope for these assessments, which are reviewed by the relevant roads authority as part of the planning decision making process.

Where a proposed development affects the Trunk Road Network, Transport Scotland is a statutory consultee in the planning process. Transport Scotland will only recommend consent of a development where there is sufficient information provided within the TA to demonstrate that the development will not have a significant impact on the trunk road network.

Question reference: S6W-14848

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the ability of residents in (a) Dumfries and Galloway and (b) the Scottish Borders to travel to major cities in the UK using public transport.

A detailed analysis of public transport accessibility for the residents of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders was undertaken as part of the South West Transport Study ( swsts-inital-appraisal-case-for-change-including-appendices.pdf (transport.gov.scot) and Borders Transport Corridors Study ( borders-transport-corridors-pre-appraisal-report.pdf ).

The assessment included consideration of public transport accessibility, both by bus and rail, to a range of key employment, health and education destinations within the region and also to major towns and cities in Scotland and the north of England. In both cases, the assessment used a number of metrics, including the outputs from a bespoke analysis tool using Geographic Information System software to assist with the task.

Further details of both these assessments can be found respectively in Sections 5.5 of the South West Scotland Transport Study report and Section 3.5.10 of the Borders Transport Corridors Study report.

The outcomes of this work were then taken forward in to the Second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2), which was published on 8 December 2022. The above projects were designed as advanced studies for each of these STPR2 regions and were, in fact, two of only three regions in Scotland to benefit from this advanced work. The outcomes were subsequently refined and updated to comprise the STPR2 Case for Change reports for each region, potential interventions were then subjected to more detailed assessment during the STPR2 appraisal process.

Question reference: S6W-14847

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will seek a commitment from bus companies to reinstate or establish routes from towns in (a) Dumfries and Galloway and (b) the Scottish Borders Council areas to improve connectivity between these areas and the rest of the UK.

Most bus services across Scotland operate in an open de-regulated market and have done so since the 1980s. Scottish Ministers do not have the power to intervene directly in the provision of local services. This is solely a matter for individual bus operators who use their own commercial judgement on service routes, frequencies, and vehicle types. However, where there is a social need for bus services which are not provided commercially, local authorities, such as Dumfries & Galloway or Scottish Borders Councils can subsidise these at their discretion.

The Scottish Government is committed, in partnership with operators and local authorities, to looking at ways of ensuring that everyone has accessible public transport regardless of where they live. We have established a taskforce with stakeholders from across the bus sector and local government to explore what practical solutions we can deliver to help improve bus services across the country.

Question reference: S6W-14701

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much the redevelopment of Troon railway station will cost; by what date the work will be completed, and whether it will retain a staffed ticket office.

Question reference: S6W-15312

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support NHS boards that have outsourced Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and other services to bring any such services back in-house.

Patient care and service delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers. NHS Boards are responsible for working with their partners to plan and provide health services which meet the needs of their populations. Use of the independent sector has been an option open to all Health Boards to help address short-term capacity issues and is an operational decision for them.

However, through Scottish Government investment, we continue to engage and support Boards to build their workforce and implement the National CAMHS Service Specification. The Scottish Government allocated around £40 million to improve CAMHS and Neurodevelopmental services for children and young people in 2021-22, and has invested £46 million in 2022-23 via the Mental Health Outcomes Framework to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services for all. The priorities for the funding this financial year have been to continue delivering improvements in CAMHS, psychological therapies, eating disorders and neurodevelopmental services for children and young people, as well as ongoing innovation and service reform.

As a result of our investment over recent years, CAMHS staffing has increased significantly. NHS Education for Scotland (NES) publishes quarterly statistics on the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) workforce. The publication on 6 December 2022 showed, as of September 2022, the CAMHS community staff Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) was 1259 compared to 900.3 WTE in March 2021, when significant investment in CAMHS was made. This represents a 39.8% increase.

Question reference: S6W-14849

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with bus companies regarding the incorporation of towns in (a) Dumfries and Galloway and (b) the Scottish Borders Council areas into routes from major Scottish cities to the rest of the UK.

As I highlighted in my answer of S6W-14847 on 6 March 2023, bus services operate in an open de-regulated market, decisions about the incorporation of towns on service routes to major cities is a matter solely for the bus companies and local authorities. However, given the importance of bus services in rural areas, I strongly encourage operators and local authorities to work together to ensure that connectivity is protected and maintained.

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

Question reference: S6W-15310

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the outsourcing of mental health services to private companies.

Question reference: S6W-15311

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS boards currently outsource services to the private provider, Healios, and which services are outsourced.