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: S6W-38165

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to reduce the rate of accidental workplace deaths, in light of reports that Scotland has the highest rate in the UK.

Health and safety legislation applies to all employers across the UK without exception and is a reserved matter under the authority of the UK Parliament.

It is an employer’s duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their staff and where death or injuries at work occur, there are a range of reserved offences which can be used to hold employers to account, if they are found to be criminally liable.

The Health and Safety Executive states one factor that Scotland’s higher workplace death rate is in part due to more workers in high-risk industries.

The Scottish Government promotes workplace health and safety through its Fair Work policy and supports initiatives like Healthy Working Lives, a Public Health Scotland programme offering resources and training to improve workplace wellbeing.

Question reference: S6W-38504

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to encourage an increase in the uptake and provision of the number of specialty training places for radiology, in light of the figures from the Royal College of Radiologists recent workforce census showing that there is a 25% shortfall in the profession.

Clinical radiology specialty training programmes have been filled at 100% in Scotland from 2014 to 2024, with 230 resident doctors successfully completing the training in this period.

The Scottish Government continues to invest heavily in radiology training. We are currently funding around 190 specialty training places in clinical radiology, including 78 extra places which have been added since 2014, based on modelling and future workforce need.

Question reference: S6W-38259

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of data from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland showing that cardiovascular deaths among working-age adults rose by 18% from 2019 to 2023, whether it will match the BHF’s commitment to reducing premature deaths from cardiovascular disease by 25% by 2035.

The Scottish Government’s Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Factors programme aims to reduce avoidable CVD death by 20% in 20 years. The focus is on improving the identification and management of key risk factors which are; high blood pressure, high cholesterol, raised blood sugars, obesity and smoking.

A key principle of the programme is to extend cardiovascular disease prevention efforts to those we know are at highest risk and particularly underserved by existing models of care.

We have also established a new GP enhanced service from the 2025-26 Reform Fund to support 100,000 patients who are at risk of developing CVD.

Question reference: S6W-38164

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to Healthcare Improvement Scotland's Unannounced Inspection Report: Maternity Services Safe Delivery of Care Inspection - Ninewells Hospital, how it plans to support maternity units to ensure that women are receiving acceptable levels of care and are able to maintain dignity at all stages of their care journey.

The Safe Delivery of Care in acute settings maternity inspections were introduced to ensure that all service users in maternity services receive the highest standard of care, as well as to identify opportunities for learning for all NHS Boards. NHS Boards are expected to address the requirements identified by Healthcare Improvement Scotland during inspections as a priority and within the timescales set out in their Improvement Action Plan. We expect that all NHS Boards will consider the findings in these reports and my officials continue to work with maternity service leaders to ensure that the findings are communicated effectively and to identify any national level actions required to improve care.

We remain committed to continuous improvement in maternity services across Scotland. As part of this, we have commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland to develop a set of maternity standards designed to drive improvements in care at a local level, expected to publish in Spring 2026. In parallel, our Scottish Patient Safety Perinatal Improvement Programme continues to work with maternity services across Scotland to drive improvements in care for mothers and babies.

As part of our’ Best Start’ Programme we published the new Pathway of Maternity Care in February 2025. This Pathway illustrates compassionate, individualised, person-centred core maternity care that all women and their babies should receive.

Question reference: S6W-38260

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve outcomes from cardiovascular disease, in light of an analysis from British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland, which reportedly shows that Scotland has seen the first sustained rise in heart disease deaths in a generation.

The Scottish Government has launched the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Factors programme to improve CVD outcomes with an aim to ‘reduce avoidable CVD death by 20% in 20 years’. The focus is on improving the identification and management of key risk factors which are; high blood pressure, high cholesterol, raised blood sugars, obesity and smoking.

We have also established a new GP enhanced service from the 2025-26 Reform Fund to support 100,000 patients who are at risk of developing CVD.

Our Population Health Framework, soon to be published in partnership with COSLA, will support the creation of environments that positively supports health and wellbeing. It will focus on prevention and tackling the building blocks of health—including good early years and education, fair work and income, healthy places, equitable healthcare, and the broader social and economic drivers of ill health.

Question reference: S6W-38166

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure the support and safety of youth workers, in light of the reported rise in antisocial behaviour and violent crime among young people.

The Scottish Government highly values the support provided to young people by youth workers. Violence towards youth workers is unacceptable and all employees, including youth workers, have the right to be safe at work and to feel safe at work.

Through introduction of the Violence Prevention Framework, the Scottish Government continue to take action by funding activities for young people to prevent and reduce harm from violence.

The Scottish Government encourages anyone who experiences antisocial behaviour or violence at work to report the incident immediately to their employer and Police Scotland. Youth workers should be fully supported by their employers to understand their organisation’s policies regarding antisocial behaviour and the support available if situations escalate.

Question reference: S6W-38161

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 June 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 June 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recently reported research, which suggests that hundreds of lives could be saved every year with extra cancer scans for women with very dense breasts.

The Scottish Government, along with the other UK nations, relies on advice about screening programmes from the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC), an independent expert advisory group.

We welcome research on the further improvements that can be made to our screening programmes. The UK National Screening Committee is reviewing this evidence as it becomes available. Should a recommendation be made to introduce changes to the screening programme, the organisations that oversee screening will advise Scottish Ministers on how to take that recommendation forward.

Question reference: S6W-38735

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding welfare benefits assessments, how it plans to support those affected by premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which can often result in debilitating pain for two to three weeks in a month.

Question reference: S6W-38733

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that women and girls who experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are supported, in light of the reportedly unique and severe symptoms associated with this disorder.

Question reference: S6W-38732

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 14 July 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to improve the levels of recruitment and retention in social care, in light of reports that demand for services is increasing and that entry-level jobs in supermarkets can pay more than roles in social care.