Seòmar agus comataidhean

Last week I sought urgent clarity from the DWP that people receiving our Adult Disability Payment will not be penalised and will continue to automatically receive the reserved benefits that they rely on. I have also sought assurances from the UK Government it will not seek to impose any resultant cuts to expenditure on the Scottish Government.

The Scottish Government will never accept the cruel welfare reforms being pursued by the UK government. These punitive proposals will only further stigmatise and impoverish disabled people and have been rightly called out by stakeholders as a “reckless assault on disabled people”.

In contrast, Scotland’s social security system is designed on the principles of dignity, fairness and respect. Those are the values of this government, of the people of Scotland, because disability payments are there for all of us whenever we should need them. The Scottish Government is committed to continuing to deliver Adult Disability Payment in a compassionate and caring way.

Scottish Enterprise has been working with partners and Bruntwood SciTech on proposals for the redevelopment of the Met Tower in Glasgow. Scottish Enterprise has advised that Bruntwood SciTech has recently confirmed that commercial property market conditions, including a fall in values and an increase in construction costs, have made the proposed redevelopment scheme commercially unviable. Discussions are ongoing to explore all options to secure investment in the city.

The Scottish Government recognise that people in rural areas can experience particular challenges in relation to their mental health and wellbeing.

We have a specific focus on rural communities within the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund. Across the first two years of the Fund, over 700 awards have been made to projects supporting people disadvantaged by geographical location (including rural areas).

We have also provided £50,000 per year to fund the National Rural Mental Health Forum managed by Change Mental Health. The Forum focuses on exchanging knowledge, experience and learning about mental health and wellbeing in rural areas, enabling it to better understand and support rural communities.

We are committed to supporting rural mental health services to develop their workforce and increase service provision. We also provide tailored support to those Boards with the longest waits to ensure that those who need care can receive it in a timely manner, including regularly engaging with remote and rural Boards, providing access to professional advice.

We are not yet in a position to advise on any future funding rounds for the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund or the Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme. We will be in touch with COSLA and local authorities when we have further information and will also update the website: Capital investment for regeneration - Regeneration - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The Scottish Government acknowledges this report and we recognise that people in rural areas can experience particular challenges in relation to their mental health and wellbeing.

We also recognise that CAMHS performance still varies across Health Boards, and we are committed to supporting rural mental health services to develop their workforce, increase service provision and will provide tailored support to those Boards with the longest waits to ensure that those who need care can receive it in a timely manner.

We continue to work closely with all Boards to support them to meet the standard that 90% of patients begin treatment for CAMHS within 18 weeks of referral. This includes regularly engaging with remote and rural Boards and providing them with access to professional advice.

Figures in the following table show the gross General Dental Services budget and respective spend for the previous four financial years.

• Information on 2023-24 spend is not available at this time and will be published as part of the overall Scottish Government consolidated accounts to be laid in Parliament later this year.

In introducing dental payment reform from 1 November, we have rightly sought to place greater focus on preventive treatment, including detailed clinical advice on the importance of self-care for good oral health.

During routine check-ups, and where a dentist deems it clinically appropriate, an individual may receive enhanced preventative advice as part of a treatment plan. This must include a physical demonstration of toothbrushing techniques and has been introduced to better support individuals in maintaining their own oral health between appointments. This activity attracts a claimable fee for dentists – to cover the costs of their time and any equipment used to teach patients – and therefore there is a related charge for those patients who are not eligible for free NHS dental care.

The Scottish Government is not responsible for authorising any company or organisation to drive under blue light conditions.

The Scottish Government remains committed to supporting and improving eating disorder services across Scotland and ensuring everyone receives the best possible care and support from our health services. It is essential that someone who is diagnosed with an eating disorder receives a thorough assessment and gets the right care and treatment for every aspect of their illness as soon as possible.

That is why in 2023-24, we directly allocated £55.5 million to Health Boards via the Mental Health Outcomes Framework. The Framework aims to enable continued improvements to mental health services, including eating disorder services, in line with the aims of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Mental health and wellbeing strategy - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and associated specifications and standards.

Whilst this Government sets the strategic policy direction for mental health workforce development within NHS Boards, the direct recruitment of staff and operational decisions about individual services are the responsibility of each NHS Board. Workforce and service planning is conducted by Health Boards according to the needs of their populations.

The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing smart integrated ticketing and has set out its intention to develop a new national integrated ticketing system for public transport in Scotland, across all modes of transport, to enable a system that can used for all elements of a journey.

To support delivery of this, the recently established National Smart Ticketing Advisory Board (NSTAB) which comprises operators, transport authorities, user groups and technical experts, is set to advise Ministers on the future of smart ticketing in Scotland, including on technological standards to enable smart integration between modes. The NSTAB is currently developing their work programme for the next 3 years.

FAIRTIQ has engaged with NSTAB and will present on their smart integrated ticketing solution at an upcoming board meeting. FAIRTIQ is one example of a ticketing platform provider, and it is expected that NSTAB will consider the full range of options available for Scotland and their respective implications on cost and infrastructure. Any resulting public procurement of a new ticketing system will be required to follow public sector procurement processes to ensure best value for money.

The Scottish Government, NSTAB and stakeholders will continue to work closely together on developing these options, in order to best determine the method of delivering a new national integrated ticketing system.