Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-23353

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 14 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Rape Crisis Scotland campaign, Survivors Can’t Wait, which calls for emergency waiting list funding to be extended beyond March 2024 to save 28 jobs, and for long-term sustainable funding for Rape Crisis Centres across Scotland.

Rape Crisis Scotland and other frontline services are crucial, that is why we are investing record levels of funding to support them. This includes over £5 million for the Rape Crisis network through our annual £19 million Delivering Equally Safe fund. Rape Crisis Scotland and its centres will continue to receive Delivering Equally Safe funding until March 2025, along with other DES funded projects.

I am aware and acknowledge the concerns about waiting list funding ending in March 2024. Rape Crisis Scotland was awarded a one-off grant of £2,250,000 from COVID Emergency funding from October 2021 until September 2023 to them to respond to cutting waiting lists following the pandemic. A further £580,000 was provided in June 2023 to extend the funding to March 2024. In addition Rape Crisis Scotland was issued with a grant of £65,000 in June 2023 to enable RCS to consult on sustainability options including funding diversification and service models.

Ministers are currently considering budgets for next year during a particularly challenging financial time. The Scottish Government aims to ensure the funding provided works most effectively to improve outcomes for those using services. We are working with COSLA to develop a sustainable approach to funding for violence against women and girl services.

Question reference: S6O-02903

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will reconsider its reported plans to downgrade the Wishaw Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Question reference: S6W-23346

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether the topic of any Barnett consequential funding arising from the UK Government's policy of 75% rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure premises for 2023-24 has been discussed at the weekly meetings between the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and senior finance officials, and, if so, when it was (a) first and (b) last discussed.

The consequentials associated with 75% non-domestic rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure premises in England in 2023-24 were confirmed in the Autumn Statement on 17 November 2022.

All Barnett consequentials received as a result of the Autumn Statement are considered as a whole ahead of the Scottish Budget each year and are a vital part of Scottish Government’s funding position. Discussion of the funding position featured at all regular meetings between the Autumn Statement and the Scottish Budget 2023-24 which was announced on 15 December 2022. Similarly, discussions regarding the funding position for 2024-25 as a result of the Autumn Statement on 22 November 2023 continue ahead of the Scottish Budget which will be announced on 19 December 2023

Question reference: S6W-23352

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on compulsory redundancies being implemented by public bodies.

Question reference: S6W-23263

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 12 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent the closure of Turning Point 218 due to a lack of funding from Glasgow City Council, with the loss of eight residential beds for women with a criminal justice background and complex needs, including substance use, in light of reported concerns that this may result in lives being lost and skilled workers being made redundant during its declared public health emergency regarding substance-use-related deaths.

Decisions about the provision and commissioning of individual community justice services, including any re-tendering exercises, are a matter for local authorities based on local needs. The Scottish Government has continued to invest around £134 million in community justice services this year, including providing around £123 million to local authorities, and has not asked local authorities to reduce any specific funding within that.

We understand that Glasgow City Council are working closely with Turning Point Scotland to support those currently using the service. The Council has also provided reassurances that other relevant services and approaches are available to support people with similar needs following the anticipated closure of the service.

These include residential placements in addiction services, the trauma-informed Tomorrow’s Women Glasgow service and the use of women-only drug courts and problem-solving courts, and the Lilias Centre Community Custody Unit.

Question reference: S6W-23405

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental health and wellbeing: workforce action plan 2023-2025, whether it will provide an update on its work in funding training to increase knowledge, skills and awareness of suicide prevention.

Our suicide prevention strategy Creating Hope Together, and our new Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan - both of which are joint publications with COSLA - have a strong and consistent focus on training across our workforce and our communities to enable people to better understand and support people affected by suicide.

Our learning approach on suicide prevention is captured within outcome 2 of the action plan which is that ‘Our communities have a clear understanding of suicide, risk factors and its prevention – so that people and organisations are more able to respond in helpful and informed ways when they, or others, need support’. This includes structured learning as well as awareness raising activities, such as through the social movement and public campaigns.

On formal learning, the Scottish Government is funding the continued development of suicide prevention resources as well as funding delivery of learning in targeted settings, where the workforce supports groups with a higher risk of suicide. This includes health and social care, education, third sector working in local communities, and emergency services. The suicide prevention training programmes include trainer led safeTALK and ASIST as well as a suite of Ask Tell Respond self-led online and facilitated learning, and we are continuing to increase the capacity of trainers to deliver these resources across Scotland.

We are committed to ensuring our learning resources and approach achieves maximum impact in reducing suicide in Scotland. We are using the evidence from the ongoing review of learning we are carrying out with Public Health Scotland to inform future plans.

The priority we give to suicide prevention learning is demonstrated through our consistent funding over a number of years. In the current financial year (2023-24) we are providing funding of £414,000 to Public Health Scotland and our third sector partner, Scottish Action for Mental Health, to deliver Outcome 2 of the Creating Hope Together Action Plan.

Question reference: S6W-23404

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental health and wellbeing: workforce action plan 2023-2025, whether it will provide an update on the development of a resource toolkit for Mental Health Unscheduled Care Practitioners.

11 December 2023

Monica Lennon (Central Scotland) (Scottish Labour Party): To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental health and wellbeing: workforce action plan 2023-2025, whether it will provide an update on the development of a resource toolkit for Mental Health Unscheduled Care Practitioners.

S6W-23404

Maree Todd: The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan, makes a commitment to develop the Mental Health Unscheduled Care resource, in partnership with key stakeholders. This will look similar to the Resources for Mental Health and Wellbeing in Primary Care Services published on the Scottish Government website ( www.gov.scot ) on 27 July 2022.

The work to develop this resource will be taken forward with partners over the coming year.

Question reference: S6W-23401

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental health and wellbeing: workforce action plan 2023-2025, whether it will provide an update on its work with the Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists and COSLA to "develop a strategy to promote more widely the role that Educational Psychologists play in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people".

The Association of Scottish Principal Educational Psychologists (ASPEP), in collaboration with the Scottish Division of Educational Psychologists (SDEP), and partners, are in the process of convening a working group.

This group will focus on the development of a strategy to promote more widely the role that Educational Psychologists play, as part of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce, in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people across Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-23406

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental health and wellbeing: workforce action plan 2023-2025, whether it will provide an update on the establishment of a Coming Home Implementation National Support Panel.

The Scottish Government has carried out extensive work in collaboration with key organisations in the health and social care sector to scope the role and remit of a Coming Home National Support Panel that will provide genuine oversight and support to local areas in relation to the Coming Home agenda.

We are considering how the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill may provide opportunity to strengthen this work on the Coming Home programme, in particular the recommendation to establish a National Support Panel. A public consultation will launch by the end of 2023.

Question reference: S6W-23399

Asked by: Monica Lennon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Mental health and wellbeing: workforce action plan 2023-2025, what work it is doing to create a single source of data for the mental health and wellbeing workforce in Scotland.

In the recently published Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan, we committed to build on the work currently being undertaken as part of the Health and Social Care (HSC) Workforce Strategy to improve mental health and wellbeing workforce data, including on equalities.

Through our engagement on the Action Plan, we identified the need for improved comprehensive workforce data at national, regional, and service levels on the mental health and wellbeing workforce in order to enable planning of support and services. This includes addressing issues raised around access to workforce data, inconsistency, and accuracy of current workforce, as well as the need to better understand all roles within workforce.

We are continuing to support the timely reporting of workforce and trainee data for existing systems through our ongoing and constructive engagement with NHS Education for Scotland (NES), Health Improvement Scotland (HIS), Public Health Scotland (PHS), Health Boards and also with service leads directly on data improvement for existing systems.

This supports the future development and publication of Scotland’s first Mental Health and Wellbeing workforce technical document. As part of a phased approach, this will initially focus on the core workforce. We are now working with key partners to take this forward, with publication committed as a medium term timescale for delivery within the Workforce Action Plan.

Seòmar agus comataidhean