Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-32040

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that the recently announced £150 million of investment for the former Hunterston coal terminal in North Ayrshire delivers economic growth for the local region around it.

The Scottish Government welcomes the significant investment being made in the redevelopment of Hunterston marine yard to create a renewables hub, which it is anticipated could support thousands of jobs for the local community.

Peel Ports suggest that the site will be capable of hosting critical infrastructure, manufacturing, and fabrication facilities for the deployment of offshore wind. These will have the potential to boost local, regional, and national economies, creating employment opportunities in the local area and supporting local businesses.

The Scottish Government’s investment of up to £500m over five years to anchor our offshore wind supply chain in Scotland, is expected to leverage additional private investment of £1.5 billion in the infrastructure and manufacturing facilities critical to growing the sector.

Officials will continue to work closely with Peel Ports on the company’s plans for investment to maximise the benefits for the local region.

Question reference: S6W-32201

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people living with HIV have a diagnosed mental health condition.

Question reference: S6W-32200

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many HIV clinics currently provide in-house psychological support services.

This information is not held centrally. NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships are the experts on their communities and are responsible for providing services that meet local needs. This may include providing services in-house or, where appropriate, through robust referral pathways to non-specialist services.

Following publication of the recent HIV Outcomes Beyond the Virus report, officials will work with the HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Implementation Group and the Scottish Health Protection Network’s HIV Clinical Leads Group to consider its recommendations and ensure that psychological support for adults living with HIV meets the high standards we would expect.

The Scottish Government is also providing NHS Education for Scotland with around £30 million in 2024-25 to deliver multidisciplinary education, training and workforce expansion for staff supporting adult and children’s mental health and psychological wellbeing.

Question reference: S6T-02253

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of nurses, in light of recent reports that the number of students accepted onto nursing courses remains below its targets.

Question reference: S6O-04149

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what levels of support are currently available to women experiencing domestic abuse.

Question reference: S6T-02241

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 December 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported review of more than 1,000 CT scans, in light of concerns regarding the quality of assessments made by a consultant radiologist.

Question reference: S6W-31648

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all HIV clinics have the resources and staffing necessary to implement the British HIV Association (BHIVA) standards for psychological support for adults living with HIV.

The Scottish Government’s HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan sets out our approach to ensuring that people living with HIV have equitable access to high quality care and treatment to support them to live well.

We are aware of the recent HIV Outcomes Beyond the Virus report and will be working with the HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Implementation Group and the Scottish Health Protection Network’s HIV Clinical Leads Group to consider its recommendations and ensure that psychological support for adults living with HIV meets the high standards we would expect.

The Scottish Government is also providing NHS Education for Scotland with around £30 million in 2024-25 to deliver multidisciplinary education, training and workforce expansion for staff supporting adult and children’s mental health and psychological wellbeing. In September 2023, the Scottish Government published the National Specification for Psychological Therapies and Interventions and the Core Standards for Mental Health. These set out the standards to which we expect psychological therapies and mental health services to be delivered, including appropriate staffing.

Question reference: S6W-31649

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to ensure that the funding planned as a result of the HIV Transmission Elimination Delivery Plan Implementation Short-Life Working Group (HIV-TEDI) Workforce Education and Community Engagement call for proposals for HIV education and training will include targeted training for mental health practitioners, and how the funding will be used to reduce stigmatising experiences and improve care and mental health outcomes for people living with HIV.

Question reference: S6W-31812

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 4 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the role of Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland has reportedly not been filled, and when it anticipates that it will be.

The Patient Safety Commissioner is a Parliamentary office-holder and is being recruited by the Scottish Parliament. They will be appointed by His Majesty on nomination of the Scottish Parliament.

As the Commissioner will be an independent public advocate for patients on issues of safety the Scottish Government does not have a role in the recruitment process. The Commissioner will champion the value of listening to patients and will hold organisations to account for their responsibility to take patients’ concerns seriously.

Question reference: S6W-31650

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 3 December 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how it will address any gaps in the integration of social determinants of health, such as housing and poverty, into mental health and HIV care pathways.

Early intervention and prevention are key priorities for the Scottish Government in taking forward our approaches to mental health and wellbeing, and HIV transmission elimination. We recognise that physical and mental health can be influenced by many factors, including home life, work, physical environment and housing, income, communities, relationships, difficult or traumatic life experiences and inequalities.

We are therefore working across government and with partners from a range of different sectors to better understand and address the social determinants of health. In relation to HIV, this specifically includes working with public sector and third sector partners to address barriers to prevention, testing and treatment and investing in interventions to ensure equitable access to high quality care that supports people to live well.

Chamber and committees