Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-13743

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Current Status: Initiated by the Scottish Government. Answered by Kevin Stewart on 11 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made by the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside’s Mental Health Services on ensuring that partners across Tayside are making improvements to the delivery of mental health services, and that progress has been made on responding to the findings and recommendations in the report, Trust and Respect, published in February 2020.

The Final Report from the Oversight Group has been published today on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/isbn/9781805254362

Overall, the report is positive. It highlights where progress has clearly been made but also states a number of areas where further work is required.

The Scottish Government will continue to support sustainable change and improvements in Tayside, to ensure the safe and effective delivery of mental health services. We will work with partners in Tayside to ensure a detailed improvement plan is in place, with clear milestones and deliverables which progress the key areas for action detailed within the Oversight Group’s Final Report.

We will measure progress against agreed key deliverables in this plan, working closely with NHS Tayside, Local Authorities, Integration Joint Boards, the Chief Officer for Mental Health and other Chief Officers in Tayside. These arrangements will inform whether NHS Tayside can be deescalated from Level 3 to Level 2 for Mental Health Services in the future.

The Scottish Government will provide additional support to colleagues across Tayside, including access to advice and support from Professional Advisors and Senior Officials in the Mental Health Directorate to support progress.

I would like to thank the Oversight Group for the meticulous approach to this work. I have particularly welcomed the wide engagement the Chair and Members have had with staff and people with experience of using mental health services across Tayside, which has been a critical aspect in the successful delivery of this very challenging, but extremely important, programme of work.

Question reference: S6W-12027

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Current Status: Answered by Elena Whitham on 16 November 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it is offering to the Fire Brigade's Union's DECON campaign to help firefighters protect themselves and others from harmful contaminants, in light of a reported study from the University of Central Lancashire stating that firefighters are four times more likely to get cancer than the average working person, due to toxic contaminants released during fires.

The safety and wellbeing of all fire and rescue officers is of upmost importance to the Scottish Government.

As the employer of firefighters in Scotland, the FBU DECON campaign is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. SFRS has been engaged with this research for a number of years and met with Professor Anna Stec of the University of Central Lancashire on 1 November to hear directly of the important research she is doing and to offer SFRS cooperation on that work.

SFRS have a Management of Contaminants Group which has already made significant changes in procedures, equipment and facilities to reduce firefighter contact with equipment which could contain contaminants harmful to health and this important work will continue.

Question reference: S6O-01457

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy.

Question reference: S6W-11255

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2022
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government which (a) children's and (b) adults' organisations in Dundee have received funding from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.

In the first year of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, 2021 to 2022, we funded 64 projects supporting adults living in Dundee.

These were:

Organisation	Name of project	Type of initiative	Primary target group
Kanzen Karate	Wellbeing through activity	Social isolation and loneliness	Refugees and people with no recourse to public funding (NRPF)
St Nininian's Community Cafe		Social isolation and loneliness	Socio-economic disadvantage
Brooksbank Centre and Services	Brooksbank Debt and Benefit Advice Service	Early intervention	Socio-economic disadvantage
Hope Counselling Dundee		Social isolation and loneliness	Wellbeing and prevention
Yusuf Youth Initiative		Social isolation and loneliness	Minority ethnic background
Bipolar Scotland		Social isolation and loneliness	People with diagnosed mental illness
Menzieshill Community Centre - Local Management Group		Social isolation and loneliness	Socio-economic disadvantage
Just Bee Productions		Social isolation and loneliness	Women
East Cragie Football Club		Social isolation and loneliness	Older people
Dundee City Pipe Band		Social isolation and loneliness	Socio-economic disadvantage
Bharatiya Ashram Ltd		Social isolation and loneliness	Minority ethnic background
Dundee and Angus ADHD support group		Social isolation and loneliness	Carers
Dundee Blind and Partially Sighted Society		Early intervention	Long term health condition/disability
Nurture Steps		Social isolation and loneliness	Carers
Funeral Link		Social isolation and loneliness	Bereavement or loss
Kirkton Community Centre LMG		Early intervention	Socio-economic disadvantage
Dundee Elim Church / Teen Challenge Dundee		Social isolation and loneliness	Severe/multiple disadvantage
Dundee Pensioner's Forum	Blether Café	Early intervention	Older people
The Reconnection Project		Social isolation and loneliness	Severe/multiple disadvantage
Lounge Front		Social isolation and loneliness	Women
Dundee Pride SCIO		Social isolation and loneliness	LGBTI
Dundee Elite Kickboxing		Social isolation and loneliness	Wellbeing and prevention
Dundee North West Community Sports Club		Social isolation and loneliness	Wellbeing and prevention
Lochee Community Shed		Social isolation and loneliness	Wellbeing and prevention
Dundee West Community Trust		Early intervention	Older people
Wellbeing Works		Social isolation and loneliness	People with diagnosed mental illness
Sporting Memories Foundation Scotland	Dundee Sporting Memories Club	Social isolation and loneliness	Older people
Other Ways to Care		Early intervention	Carers
Lochee Community Larder		Early intervention	Socio-economic disadvantage
Lochee Community Group		Social isolation and loneliness	Socio-economic disadvantage
Dundee United Sports Club		Social isolation and loneliness	Long term health condition/disability
Altogether Better	Community Dundee	Early intervention	Young adults
Creative Dundee		Early intervention	Wellbeing and prevention
Street Soccer Scotland		Early intervention	Wellbeing and prevention
Stand Easy		Early intervention	Psychological trauma
RockSolid Dundee		Early intervention	Wellbeing and prevention
Dundee Citizen's Advice Bureau		Early intervention	Socio-economic disadvantage
Art Angel	Osmosis	Social isolation and loneliness	People with diagnosed mental illness
Stobswell Forum SCIO	Advice Hub	Early intervention	Wellbeing and prevention
The Scottish Cycling Charitable Foundation		Social isolation and loneliness	People with diagnosed mental illness
CANDU (Dundee Cancer Support Network) SCIO		Social isolation and loneliness	Long term health condition/disability
YMCA Tayside	Journey to Freedom	Social isolation and loneliness	Severe/multiple disadvantage
The Speech Language Communication Company (SLCo)		Social isolation and loneliness	Long term health condition/disability
Shaper/Caper	Young Creatives/ Dance For Parkinson's/The Out Crowd	Early intervention	LGBTI
Just Bee Productions		Social isolation and loneliness	Women
Social Good Connect	Together	Social isolation and loneliness	Women
Mid-Lin Day Care Ltd		Social isolation and loneliness	Older people
Dundee United Community Trust	Football Therapy/ Still Game	Early intervention	Older people
Parent to Parent		Early intervention	Carers
Alternatives Counselling and Listening Rooms		Early intervention	Bereavement or loss
Deaf Links		Early intervention	Long term health condition/disability
Dundee and Angus ADHD support Group	Parent/ Carer IMACT Courses	Social isolation and loneliness	Carers
Hot Chocolate Trust	Little Lights	Early intervention	Wellbeing and prevention
Insight Counselling		Early intervention	People with diagnosed mental illness
Relationships Scotland FM Tayside and Fife		Social isolation and loneliness	Carers
Uppertunity CIC	Weekly Warriors/ The Upside	Early intervention	Long term health condition/disability
Wellbeing Works		Early intervention
Taymara		Social isolation and loneliness	Long term health condition/disability
Ardler Village Trust		Early intervention	Socio-economic disadvantage
Wellbeing Works		Early intervention	People with diagnosed mental illness
Work Place Chaplaincy Scotland		Social isolation and loneliness	Wellbeing and prevention
Kanzen Karate		Social isolation and loneliness	Socio-economic disadvantage
ScrapAntics CIC		Early intervention	Refugees and NRPF
Parish Nursing, The Steeple Church		Social isolation and loneliness	Refugees and NRPF

Through the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Framework, we are providing local authorities with £15m per annum to fund community-based mental health supports for children, young people, their families and carers.

Dundee City Council’s share of this money supports a number of services, including:

? Perth Autism Support (a highly structured mental health programme which provides help for parents and carers);

? Dundee Rep Drama therapy Service (a specialist psychotherapeutic approach that allows young people to act, mime, draw, and use puppets to make sense of their stories);

? Dundee Carers Centre (a service that raises awareness, identification and direct support for young carers between P4 and S1);

? Dundee Women’s Aid (funding a clinical psychologist to specialise in child and adolescent work in collaboration with CAMHS and educational psychology);

? Hot Chocolate Trust (a community-based service for young people who are resistant to engagement in other contexts to improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing);

? Parent To Parent (group and individual support using a ‘train the trainer’ model for parents of children with additional support needs);

? Relationships Scotland (which provides counselling, family mediation and child contact to targeted young people aged 5-24 and their families);

? Community Learning And Development (provides a mental health peer support service for young people through Positive Minds youth residential work);

? Tayside Council On Alcohol (a hub for children and young people living in kinship family arrangements as a result of problematic parental substance use);

? The Speech Language Communication Company (a blended approach for young people mainly with ADD/ASD/multiple barriers, supporting parents who can experience stress and become marginalized);

? LGBT Youth Scotland (youth groups for young people who identify or are beginning to explore identification as LGBT+);

? And the CAMHS Neurodevelopmental Portal (an interactive resource of evidence-based information, inclusive of support and guidance for parents and carers).

Question reference: S6O-01426

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 5 October 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reported prevalence of alcohol-related cancers in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-01384

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it has provided to Dundee as part of its Covid Recovery Strategy to support the city's recovery from the pandemic.

Question reference: S6W-10314

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Social Security Scotland jobs in Dundee (a) have been created and (b) are expected to be created in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24.

At June 2022 our latest published statistics show that Social Security Scotland had reached 3,061 employees with 1,050 these colleagues employed with Dundee as their office location.

By Autumn 2022 we expect Social Security Scotland to directly employ more than 3,500 people. We have made 2,000 offers of employment with new staff joining up until the end of 2022. We have 11 organised campaigns to launch with a Dundee specific location in 2022-23. We have/have not yet planned the specific Dundee campaigns for 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-10317

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by Ben Macpherson on 20 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how many Scottish Child Payment applications from families in Dundee have been (a) received and (b) processed since applications opened in November 2020; what the current take-up percentage is in Dundee; how many children have received the Scottish Child Payment in Dundee, and what the total value of Scottish Child Payments has been to families in Dundee.

According to the latest quarterly edition of the Scottish Child Payment statistical publication, between 9 November 2020 and 30 June 2022, the number of applications received for the Scottish Child Payment benefit from people living in the Dundee City Local Authority area is 5,990. In total, 5,500 applications had been processed as of 30 June 2022.

Scottish Government published an estimate on uptake in October 2021 as part of their benefit take-up strategy. The estimate of national take-up for the Scottish Child Payment benefit was 77%. This publication did not include geographical breakdowns.

As of 30 June 2022, it is estimated that 104,000 children were in receipt of Scottish Child Payment. Whilst this 104,000 figure is included in the latest Scottish Child Payment statistical publication, we do not currently produce equivalent information by Local Authority areas.

Between 15 February 2021 when the benefit officially launched and 30 June 2022, Social Security Scotland had issued £2.9 million of Scottish Child Payments to clients living in Dundee City Local Authority area.

Question reference: S6O-01347

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 August 2022
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the UK Government regarding the UK spending review and its impact on Scotland in relation to resources to take account of any proposed public sector pay uplifts and addressing the wider effects of inflation and the cost of living crisis.

I wrote to the former Chancellor of the Exchequer on 31 July to request that he consider providing appropriate funding for public sector pay, given that our current funding was set in last October’s UK Spending Review which was based on 3% pay uplifts. This followed a letter from the Finance Secretary and the Finance Ministers of the other devolved governments outlining their concerns, including on the cost crisis and public sector pay. This letter was sent on 15 July, following prior engagement on this when they met with the Chief Secretary in Cardiff in June. The Scottish Government is still awaiting a formal response to these letters. I raised these matters with the new Chancellor upon his appointment on 6 September and hope to receive a response from him shortly.

Question reference: S6O-01351

Asked by: Joe FitzPatrick, MSP for Dundee City West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2022
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 September 2022

To ask the Scottish Government how the proposed Criminal Justice Reform Bill in its Programme for Government will aim to improve the experiences of victims in the justice system.

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