Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-25884

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS boards currently use the system, TrakCare; in which clinical services they use the system, and how many staff are employed to maintain the system.

TrakCare is used as the main patient management system by 13 Health Boards:

NHS Ayrshire and Arran;
NHS Borders;
NHS Fife;
NHS Forth Valley;
NHS Great Glasgow and Clyde;
NHS Grampian;
Golden Jubilee National Hospital;
NHS Highland;
NHS Lanarkshire;
NHS Lothian;
NHS Orkney;
NHS Shetland; and
NHS Tayside.

All 13 Health Boards use TrakCare for waiting lists, Outpatients and inpatients, clinical coding, national Scottish Morbidity Records and new ways returns. Various Boards also use TrakCare for Emergency Departments, maternity services, mental health, community services, radiology, and theatres.

In addition, the system supports order request functionality for the service departments to manage the provision of laboratory, X-ray and diagnostic services; and Allied Health Professionals, observations, and clinical data recoding in clinical forms to varying degrees.

The Scottish Government does not collate or hold information on how many staff the Health Boards employ to maintain TrakCare.

Question reference: S6W-25853

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 8 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with private healthcare companies in the last six months in relation to providing NHS elective surgery treatment.

The Scottish Government is absolutely committed to keeping our NHS true to its founding principles – publicly-owned, publicly-operated, and free at the point of need. Health Boards might arrange treatment for some patients outwith NHS Scotland, including the private sector in exceptional circumstances. It is for local NHS Health Boards to determine how they use the private sector and to agree any contractual arrangements.

Question reference: S6W-25439

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what cross-departmental work it has undertaken to consider the environmental impact of a ban on single-use vapes.

The Scottish Government has engaged in extensive cross-departmental and multi-agency work to consider the environmental impact of single-use vapes including working closely to with other nations across the UK.

This work includes commissioning Zero Waste Scotland to conduct research into the topic, published in June 2023; input to the four nations Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping consultation, which ran from Oct-Dec 2023; engagement across the four UK governments to draft Regulations, and expertise from multiple policy areas, external agencies, business and public bodies to conduct impact assessments and consider draft Regulations.

Question reference: S6W-25438

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Lorna Slater on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UK Government's announcement that it will ban single-use vapes, what preparations it is making to work with the UK Government to ensure that Scotland can implement a ban on single-use vapes as part of its reported commitment to a four-nation approach.

On 29 Jan 2024 I wrote to the Convener of the Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee to confirm the Scottish Government’s intention to progress legislation to prohibit the sale and supply of single-use vapes, with a view of a ban coming into force at the earliest opportunity. This builds upon the research commissioned by the Scottish Government into the environmental impact of single-use vapes that was published in June 2023.

As this is an area of devolved competence, decisions on whether to act in this area rest with the respective Governments in each part of the UK. The Scottish Government intends to bring forward regulations under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to enact a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes in Scotland.

The UK Government has confirmed that it also intends to legislate for a ban in England, the Welsh Government has confirmed this intent in Wales. The Northern Ireland Executive has yet to confirm their intention to legislate on a ban due to the Assembly only recently being restored. Officials across the UK are working towards regulations that align as closely as possible, and including a proposed common coming into force date of 1 April 2025, as detailed in the draft Scottish regulations published on 23 February.

My officials also continue to engage with their counterparts within the Resources and Waste Common Framework group in line with the process agreed by all governments of the UK, published and placed before the UK Parliament in December 2021.

Question reference: S6W-25878

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 5 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is offering to local authorities that report that they may have to reduce speech and language therapy provision.

The Scottish Government is providing record funding of over £14 billion to local authorities in 2024-25, including £600.6 million of additional revenue funding for day to day services.

Subject to the outcome of the UK Government Spring Budget, the Scottish Government has committed to pass on up to £62.7 million of additional funding directly to local government alongside any consequentials received for increased teacher pension employer contributions.

Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities and are entirely separate from the Scottish Government. As long as they act lawfully, it is up to each local authority how it manages its day-to-day business and decision making processes. Ultimately, it is for locally elected representatives to make local decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.

Question reference: S6W-25451

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of the community space that is available for hire to allow local community groups and clubs to run affordable sessions.

The Scottish Government does not undertake assessments of available community spaces to local community groups and clubs. This is a matter for the relevant public authorities with responsibility for the land or buildings available in their authority area and the decision to undertake an assessment would be for them to consider. Under the Community Empowerment Act (2015), communities are, however, able to request a right to buy, lease, manage or use land and buildings belonging to local authorities, Scottish public bodies or Scottish Ministers. Scottish Government encourages relevant authorities to work with their communities to make sure they can access and make use of available spaces.

Question reference: S6W-25435

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi McAllan on 4 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Israeli military planes have used Glasgow Prestwick Airport during the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine, whether it received any prior notification that this would happen.

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Israeli military planes have used Glasgow Prestwick Airport during the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine, whether it received any prior notification that this would happen. Glasgow Prestwick Airport operates on a commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government.

Operational decisions regarding the day-to-day running of the airport, are a matter for the management of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Scottish Government did not receive any prior notification.

Question reference: S6O-03155

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 March 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding an increased windfall tax on the excess profits of large oil and gas companies, in light of reports that the income from any such tax could be used to support households struggling with the cost of living crisis, including in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-25473

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jim Fairlie on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed the application process for the Young Persons (Under 22s) Free Bus Travel scheme, and what its response is to reports that many young people and their families find it a complicated process and therefore do not complete the application.

The Scottish Government has listened to young people and their families about the application process and works closely with delivery partners and local councils to make improvements.

In light of feedback received, the Improvement Service, which manages the online portal getyournec.scot , delivered a number of updates to the website in June 2022 to improve the application process whilst maintaining the integrity of the child safety and identity requirements. These improvements included broadening the range of accepted proof documents, providing additional guidance, and enhancing the functionality of the website by adding a save and return feature so that applications can be made in multiple sittings.

The Year 1 evaluation - Young Persons’ Free Bus Travel Scheme | Transport Scotland found that a majority (64%) of survey respondents that had signed up for the scheme indicated that the application process had been either very or fairly easy, and those who had signed up after improvements were made were more likely to find the process easy.

Furthermore, local councils provide a variety of options for applications to be made offline or via parentsportal.scot . Many also have dedicated staff on hand to help those who may need additional support through the application process.

Question reference: S6W-25440

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 27 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of access to the universal health visiting pathway, which consists of 11 home visits to all families, including eight within the first year of life, and three child health reviews between 13 months and four to five years.

All Scottish territorial Health Boards are committed to delivering the Universal Health Visiting Pathway (UHVP).

The collection of UHVP coverage data across the 11 pathway visits is managed at a Health Board level. However, Official Statistics on the coverage of 5 of those visits (first visit, 6-8 week visit and all 3 child health reviews) are published annually by Public Health Scotland (PHS) Child health pre-school review coverage 2021 to 2022 - Child health pre-school review coverage - Publications - Public Health Scotland .

Scottish Government policy officials also liaise regularly with Health Visiting leads through their national network and dedicated discussions with individual Boards.

Chamber and committees