Good morning. The first item of business is general question time.
Glasgow City Integration Joint Board (Reductions in Mental Health Support)
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to any people in Glasgow who are at risk of losing their mental health support due to the reported reductions announced by the integration joint board. (S6O-04592)
The Scottish Government and national health service boards continue to support spending in excess of £1.5 billion for mental health services in 2025-26. Specifically for mental health, boards were allocated £123.5 million in 2024-25 via the enhanced mental health outcomes framework, with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde receiving more than £27.5 million. That funding, which was provided in addition to core allocations to boards, is now being baselined, which will give local areas greater choice in how services are configured and organised in order to deliver better and more sustainable outcomes.
Decisions on the provision of mental health services are a local responsibility. Services should be planned by integration joint boards and delivered through a mixture of NHS, local authority and third sector organisations. The organisation, delivery and funding of mental health services will vary depending on local population needs and will be guided by clinical decision making.
Clearly, the numbers that were cited by the minister are not getting to where they need to be, as I have been contacted by constituents who are deeply worried by the decision by Glasgow’s health and social care partnership not to renew core funding for Flourish House, a mental health recovery community that has been based in the city’s Woodlands district since 1997. Flourish House works on a clubhouse model, giving members a restorative living environment and supporting those whose lives have been severely disrupted, because of their mental illness.
It is appalling that such a successful and well-established place of healing and therapy is now in danger of closure. That is not rational—it is a cost-driven exercise. The care of all who rely on Flourish House will be disrupted, due to the budgetary constraints that are faced by the integration joint boards. Will the minister join me in raising her concern about that cut to a vital service in Glasgow, and work with Flourish House and the health and social care partnership to find a long and lasting future for this well-established and well-regarded service?
My officials already meet representatives of the Glasgow IJB to understand the financial pressures that the partnership is facing, and it is my understanding that that IJB remains committed to protecting and delivering statutory services for the people of Glasgow.
It is vital that we all recognise the very difficult financial context that we collectively face. However, in recognition of those difficulties, funding from the Government has increased to both health and social care and our local government partners. I expect local decisions to be made in consultation with the communities in which they are based, in full awareness of the impact on them, and I expect them to take account of the potential impact on the other services that might be asked to step in.
I will certainly add the issue that Mr Sweeney has raised to the list of things that officials are discussing with that IJB.
NHS Borders (Hospital at Home Provision)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with NHS Borders about extending the hospital at home provision throughout the Borders. (S6O-04593)
As outlined in our operational improvement plan, we are committed to expanding hospital at home services across Scotland to at least 2,000 beds by December 2026, as part of the £200 million that has been allocated from the record £21.7 billion for health and social care this year. Officials are in regular contact with each of the territorial boards, including NHS Borders, in support of their local planning process, and the expansion of hospital at home services should build on the success of services that are already in place and which are delivering positive outcomes for patients and staff.
The cabinet secretary and I had a visit to see the successful hospital at home service in the Borders and the impact that it has had in freeing up hospital beds. As of May 2025, NHS Borders has created a virtual capacity of 20 beds. However, the availability of the service, which operates from the base at Borders general hospital near Melrose, is currently determined by its ability to travel safely and effectively to patients within the day. That means that those who wish to use the service in, for example, Tweeddale are excluded. Is there any way round that, for example, by using Hay Lodge hospital in Peebles as a local delivery centre?
As Christine Grahame has referenced, I had the great pleasure of visiting Borders general hospital with her last August. We met the hospital at home team, the chief executive and officials from Healthcare Improvement Scotland who have supported the development of the local hospital at home programme, and they described the expansion of the service, as Christine Grahame has set out, through an additional nurse practitioner. The service has been supporting a case load of 20 patients in recent weeks.
We are working with all health boards, including NHS Borders, to develop plans for the coming year and to continue to grow our hospital at home services. Our long-standing aim is to provide patients with the right care at the right time in a way that is as person centred as possible. I will absolutely take away Christine Grahame’s comments about her constituents in Tweeddale to see whether her suggestion regarding Hay Lodge hospital in Peebles could be a viable option, and I will write to Ms Grahame to confirm those conversations.
Lochgelly Fire Station (Resources)
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Lochgelly fire station could lose a fire engine and rope rescue unit. (S6O-04594)
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is carrying out a service delivery review to ensure that its fire stations, appliances and crews are in the right place at the right time to deal with the current and future risks in our communities. Following pre-consultation engagement last year, the SFRS developed a list of possible service changes, and it is currently undertaking staff and trade union engagement on those proposals in advance of undertaking a full public consultation in the summer. I encourage anyone with an interest to engage in that consultation. The SFRS board will then carefully consider the responses in advance of any final decisions being made.
Staff in Lochgelly have been told that they will lose an engine and possibly the rope unit, which is one of only four such units across Scotland. Already, in the past two weeks, 2,700 people have signed a local petition, such is the fear. Lochgelly community council has sent a clear message to the politicians that, instead of cutting things, now is the time to invest to ensure that Lochgelly fire station has the personnel, equipment and specialist units required to meet the growing challenges in the current climate. Removing the rope unit and fire engine would increase risk. Will the minister stop hiding behind operational matters and instead come to the Cowdenbeath area of Fife, meet the people and hear their fears?
I am always happy to go on visits to fire stations and listen to members of the SFRS. However, we have to be clear that the SFRS is undertaking staff and union engagement on the matter. The final list of possible changes will be subject to public consultation and it has not yet been finalised.
I am not hiding—it is just not appropriate for me to comment on individual options at this stage. The SFRS board and the chief officer are best placed to take decisions on how resources should be deployed, and it would be inappropriate for a minister to direct the SFRS on how it should deploy its resources. This is not a cuts exercise; it is about the SFRS carefully examining the risks that are present in our communities and configuring its resources in the best possible way to deal with those risks.
I listened carefully to what the minister has just said in response to Alex Rowley MSP, but I am sure that my constituents will nonetheless remain very concerned to note that she has not, in fact, ruled out those dangerous cuts to Lochgelly fire station, which is indeed one of only four rope rescue centres in Scotland, and that the cuts could lead to the very closure of Lochgelly fire station itself.
I hear that the minister is happy to visit fire stations. Will she commit to having her private office today set up a visit to Lochgelly fire station to meet local firefighters and hear their very significant concerns about the considerable risks that such cuts pose to their ability to keep us all safe?
The changes that the Fire and Rescue Service is consulting on have been very carefully considered using substantial evidence and analysis of risk.
As I have said, I am always open to visiting fire stations and hearing directly from those on the front line, and I will speak to my private office about organising a visit. As I set out in my original answer, there will be a full public consultation where everyone will have the opportunity to make their views known.
“Review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender”
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further detail on the approach it is taking to consider the recommendations set out in the independent report, “Review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender”, also known as the Sullivan review. (S6O-04595)
In 2021, the office of the chief statistician published guidance for public bodies in Scotland on the collection of sex and gender data, which recommended that statistics producers should collect data that best serves the needs of users in their specific context. That approach aligns with the 2024 guidance that was published by the Office for Statistics Regulation. The Sullivan review recommended that the Scottish Government should review its guidance in light of the recommendations contained in that review, and the Scottish Government has previously committed to reviewing its guidance by the end of 2026.
I will ask specifically about recommendations 2 and 23. Does the cabinet secretary agree with recommendation 2, which says:
“Data on sex should be collected by default in all research and data collection commissioned by government”?
She has already commented on recommendation 23, which includes the suggestion from the OSR that the Scottish Government’s 2021 guidance for public bodies on the data collection and publication of sex, gender identity and trans status should be reviewed. How might the Scottish Government support public bodies to confidently collect accurate and legally compliant data on both sex and gender identity?
In my previous answer, I mentioned the work that is continuing in the office of the chief statistician. I add that the Scottish Government is committed to reviewing its guidance, and that office is engaged with wider United Kingdom work on the topic. The Government statistical service harmonisation team is currently developing harmonised standards for collecting data on sex and gender identity. The office of the chief statistician is contributing to that work and will consider its output as part of its review of the chief statistician’s guidance.
As we have heard before, biological sex has been erased in data collection across our public institutions. However, this is not just about integrity of statistics—it is about safety. Recommendation 12 of the Sullivan review called for the national health service to stop allowing people to change their gender marker—especially children, as the review said that that poses a “serious safeguarding risk”. Shockingly, the Scottish National Party Government has already confirmed in writing that there are no plans to stop that practice. Will the cabinet secretary accept that the Government must now hit the brakes and commit to working with the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health to urgently implement that recommendation?
I recognise the work that was undertaken to produce the independent report—the Sullivan review. I have already pointed to the work of the office of the chief statistician and the wider UK work that is being undertaken. On particularly sensitive subjects such as this, I welcome the fact that, across the UK, statisticians are looking at the issue exceptionally seriously and are continuing with that work as we speak. It is important that we allow those statisticians to carry on with that sensitive work.
We are only halfway through the questions, and time is moving on, so I would be grateful for concise questions and responses.
School Examination Season Stress (Support for Parents, Carers and Pupils)
To ask the Scottish Government what support is available to parents, carers and pupils to help with stress during the exam season. (S6O-04596)
I recognise that the exam diet can be a stressful time for pupils, and I wish our young people across Scotland the very best of luck as they sit their exams, particularly those in Ms Adamson’s constituency of Motherwell and Wishaw.
Importantly, opportunities should be available throughout the school year for every young person to discuss any stress that they may be feeling as they prepare for examinations and to discuss the support to manage that best. Pupils with concerns about their exams should contact their school in the first instance. The Scottish Qualifications Authority has published the “Your Exams” booklet, which contains helpful information on how to prepare for exams and what to expect.
I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer—I, too, wish every pupil well and hope that they achieve their ambitions. Does she agree that there is no single path to success and that it is important to recognise the many routes that exist into careers and fulfilling ambitions, including modern apprenticeships, vocational courses and tremendous colleges, such as New College Lanarkshire in my constituency, which offer articulated routes into career choices?
I agree that, as the member said, there is no single path to success. It is important that we recognise and support the many and various routes into fulfilling careers, whether it is through modern apprenticeships, vocational training or further and higher education.
The Scottish Government continues to invest in those pathways, including through supporting colleges such as New College Lanarkshire in the member’s constituency and high-quality apprenticeship opportunities. In this financial year alone, we are investing £185 million to support foundation, modern and graduate apprenticeships.
Our commitment to providing breadth of choice in the senior school phase is reflected in the on-going growth in the numbers of school leavers who achieve one or more vocational or technical qualifications at Scottish credit and qualifications framework level 5 or better and in the fact that 35 per cent of 2023-24 school leavers gained a vocational or technical qualification at or above SCQF level 5.
The new pathways have a vital role in equipping learners with the skills that are needed in today’s workforce. They help to ensure that every learner, regardless of background, has a chance to succeed.
Accommodation (Standards)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure everyone living and working in Scotland lives in accommodation that meets an adequate standard. (S6O-04597)
All homes in Scotland must meet a tolerable standard and, when a home is rented, it must meet either the repairing standard for private rented properties or the social housing quality standard for social rented homes. In a previous discussion with Mr Leonard, we recognised that there is a gap in protection for some seasonal workers’ accommodation. Officials were tasked to carry out scoping work to better understand the full context and consider potential solutions that could be used. I am grateful to Mr Leonard for feeding into that scoping work, and I would be happy to meet him to discuss the work further.
It took agitation inside and outside the Parliament last year around the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Act 2024 before the Government committed to reviewing the regulation and oversight of tied accommodation for seasonal agricultural workers. Now that it has done so, when will the Government publish that review? What urgent and immediate action is the Government taking on the ground for the 2025 season, which is now under way, to ensure that seasonal workers’ accommodation in Scotland is safe and habitable?
Some standards are already in place for seasonal workers’ accommodation. Currently, accommodation is inspected by farms and industry through the audit system, which involves farms submitting extensive evidence online, as well as site visits from auditors that include the inspection of accommodation. Further engagement with the industry will be required in order to understand how it deals with the issues that have been raised with it and how we can improve the situation. I happy to pick up the issues with Mr Leonard when we meet again soon.
People with a Learning Disability (Health Passport Scheme)
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support and raise awareness of the health passport scheme for people with a learning disability. (S6O-04598)
There is currently no national health passport scheme in Scotland for people with learning disabilities. Some of the organisations that the Scottish Government funds have developed their own version of a passport—for example, PAMIS has pioneered its digital passport.
We are continuing work to progress the development of proposals for a learning disabilities, autism and neurodivergence bill. That includes the development of provisions on statutory strategies, guidance and mandatory training, which could be used to support the introduction of a passport scheme for people with learning disabilities.
I recently joined L’Arche Highland for a cup of tea as part of its power cuppas series, through which people with influence come to speak and listen to those with learning disabilities. Attendees told me that, when a health professional pays attention to their passport, the experience is great, but if they are rude about the passport or make a big deal about how much of a hassle it is, that makes a stressful situation worse. It was very important to the attendees that I raise the problem directly with the minister. What more can be done to raise awareness of existing schemes and make sure that people with learning disabilities, and their passports, are always treated with the respect that is deserved in health and social care settings?
We know that implementation and uptake are key barriers to the effectiveness of passports. In addition to the on-going work in relation to the LDAN bill, NHS Education for Scotland and organisations funded by the Scottish Government to support people with learning disabilities—such as PAMIS—can help health and social care professionals to develop knowledge and understanding and to support such implementation. I will ask my officials to pick the matter up with the relevant people.
That concludes general question time.
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First Minister’s Question Time