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: S7W-04021

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it monitors the extent to which older people experience difficulties in accessing GP appointments due to the increased use of online booking systems, digital triage and remote consultations, and what measures are in place to ensure equitable access to GP services for those who are digitally excluded.

Question reference: S7W-04022

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 3 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether existing bus services have sufficient capacity to accommodate any increase in passenger numbers arising from the introduction of the £2 bus fare and what discussions it has had with bus operators regarding the provision of additional services on key routes to ensure residents can fully benefit.

Question reference: S7W-03621

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that an OpenAI agent infiltrated Australia's medicare system, and whether it will raise this as a matter of urgency with the UK Government.

The Scottish Government is aware an incident involving a public-facing health statistics service in Australia. It highlights why governments across the world must continue to take both the opportunities and risks of Artificial Intelligence (AI) seriously. The incident reinforces the need to consider AI agents as both a cyber threat and a governance challenge. It highlights the importance of monitoring automated access to public-facing services, ensuring robust controls around health data systems, and developing clear policies on the use, assurance and incident reporting of AI-enabled tools by suppliers and partners.

We continue to work closely with the UK Government, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and health sector partners to maintain robust cyber resilience arrangements and monitor emerging cyber threats, including those associated with advances in AI. We do not currently consider that this incident requires action beyond established operational engagement with UK Government partners.

The Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre (SC3), which includes an embedded NCSC presence, has been briefed on this incident and will continue to liaise closely with the NCSC as further information becomes available.

More broadly, the Scottish Government is actively considering both the opportunities and risks associated with AI. Our AI Policy Framework will provide a clear foundation for the responsible use of AI, and our commitment to develop an AI Hub will provide support to health and care organisations to adopt AI safely and effectively.

Question reference: S7W-03622

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review data protection arrangements across NHS boards, in light of reports that an OpenAI agent infiltrated Australia's medicare system.

The Scottish Government will continue to support NHS Boards in meeting their data protection and cyber security obligations through national guidance, assurance and oversight. Any relevant lessons identified from this incident will be considered and shared across NHS Scotland, and appropriate action taken where necessary to safeguard patient information and services.

NHS Scotland continues to strengthen cyber resilience through national assurance programmes, adoption of the NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework, and improvements to incident response, business continuity and supply chain security. Over the next year, health boards will continue to evaluate their maturity against the Cyber Assessment Framework with a focus on strengthening key security controls, maintaining cyber action plans, undertaking resilience and recovery testing and preparation for the forthcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.

Question reference: S7W-03679

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 September 2026
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 6 October 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its decision to no longer have a dedicated Minister for Women's Health, and in light of the Scottish Women's Convention's recently published report, Women's Priorities 2026/27, which highlights that health is one of the top priorities for women and that many women describe distressing lived experiences when trying to access appropriate care, how it will ensure that women's health is treated as a distinct, cross-cutting priority across policy areas and services so that concerns set out by women are acted on.

Women’s Health is a priority for the Scottish Government which is why we were the first county in the UK to publish a Women’s Health Plan, informed by the lived experiences of women and girls. Our ambition is for all women and girls in Scotland to enjoy the best possible health – throughout their lives. This is applicable across policies and services, as well as the Women’s Health Plan’s specific programme of work.

I have Ministerial responsibility for Women’s Health and am driving forward progress on the both Scottish Government’s Women’s Health Plan and wider work being undertaken to address inequalities in women's health.

Phase Two of the Women's Health Plan was published in January 2026 and an accompanying document, ‘The Health of Women and Girls: Beyond the Women’s Health Plan’ was published alongside in order to demonstrate the breadth of work underway across health policy to achieve our collective ambition.

Question reference: S7W-03968

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of trends in volunteering rates across the country over the last five years, including what variations there have been by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) socioeconomic background and (d) geographic area, and what action it is taking to encourage and support volunteering in communities where participation rates have declined.

Question reference: S7W-03970

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to raise awareness among older people, and their families and carers, of the risks of slips, trips and falls.

Question reference: S7W-03986

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carrried out of the specific health, social and economic challenges facing older men across the country and what action it is taking in response to the findings.

Question reference: S7W-03979

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to improve access to social security benefits and financial advice for older people experiencing digital exclusion or at risk of poverty, particularly those living in rural areas.

Question reference: S7W-03964

Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 October 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 2 November 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of trends in homelessness among 65-year-olds and over, and what action it is taking to prevent and reduce this.