Chamber and committees

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.

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Question reference: S7O-00554

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 November 2026
Current Status: Due to be taken in the Chamber on 19 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what action it is taking to support MSP staff, in light of reported concerns regarding an increase in the number of AI-generated casework requests.

Question reference: S7W-04337

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the findings in the Scottish Human Rights Commission's October 2026 report, Economic, social and cultural rights in the South of Scotland, regarding access to healthcare, social care and support for people with learning disabilities in rural communities.

The Scottish Government will carefully and fully consider the SHRC’s report “Economic, social and cultural rights in the South of Scotland” and its recommendations, and respond to it in due course.

The Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework (SRF) and the Population Health Framework (PHF) – both published June 2025 – describe our collective medium and long-term approach to reform and renewal of health and social care in Scotland. They set out a coherent and ambitious vision to shift our thinking and action, both to address the immediate pressures we face and lay the groundwork for sustainable improvement and reform.

Question reference: S7W-04340

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has worked with COSLA to ensure a consistent approach across planning authorities to the treatment of hyperscale AI data centre applications during the period before national planning guidance is finalised.

The Scottish Government regularly works with COSLA on matters relating to planning, although there has been no such engagement explicitly in relation to planning applications for data centres. We do not anticipate any applications will be determined by planning authorities before our planning guidance on data centres is issued later this year. We recognise that data centres are an evolving sector. This is why the National Planning Hub has been working with planning authorities to share knowledge and understanding of the sector

Question reference: S7W-04339

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has issued any correspondence, directions, circulars or guidance to planning authorities regarding the Parliament's vote to pause decisions on hyperscale AI data centres, and whether it will publish any such correspondence or other communications.

Question reference: S7W-04306

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 16 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Hannah Mary Goodlad on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the potential expansion of community orchards and planting of community orchards and fruit trees within new and existing housing developments.

National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), adopted by the Scottish Ministers in February 2023, sets out national planning policy. NPF4 Policy 23 supports development which will have positive effects on health, including opportunities for community food growing. As part of the statutory development plan, - alongside Local Development Plans, - NPF4 directly influences planning decisions.

NPF4 was the product of an ambitious 3 year-long collaborative process, in which planning authorities were key partners. The NPF4 explanatory report sets out how Ministers responded to stakeholder views that food growing should have more prominence by adding specific references to food growing and allotments.

Question reference: S7W-04754

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2026
Current Status: Answered by Ivan McKee on 12 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on updating the mygov.scot app, to make it more accessible in line with the public service reform strategy.

The mygov.scot app was launched on 28 October 2026 and integrates with other digital components to provide a gateway for people to access public services.

The mobile app is available to be used by all Scottish public sector organisations, allowing them to deliver their services through a common platform, enabling consistency, improved user experience, and a cost efficiency through not having to procure, build and resource multiple mobile apps.

People who access the mygov.scot app will be able to access their Digital Mailbox, a service which will enable savings of at least £100 million a year, if 25% of correspondence from the Scottish Government, agencies and non-departmental public bodies is made digital.

The total budget for the three-year mygov.scot app programme is £12 million, of which £1.57million was spent in the financial year 2025-2026. Costs for this financial year will be provided at the end of the financial year.

Question reference: S7W-05005

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with NHS boards, dietitians and the British Dietetic Association regarding the future of Nutrition and Diet Resources UK (NDR-UK).

Question reference: S7W-05006

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any representations from NHS boards or professional bodies regarding continued support for Nutrition and Diet Resources UK (NDR-UK), and, if so, what its response has been.

Question reference: S7W-05004

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 25 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had regarding the future funding of Nutrition and Diet Resources UK (NDR-UK) beyond March 2027.

Question reference: S7W-04363

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 October 2026
Current Status: Answered by Stephen Gethins on 11 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the number of offshore oil and gas workers in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Aberdeenshire and (c) the rest of Scotland who had an Energy Skills Passport User Profile as at 1 October 2026.