Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of all people with mental health problems, including those with Huntington disease, getting the right help, at the right time, and in the right place.

The core mental health standards set clear expectations for health boards to ensure referrals to community health teams and psychiatry are equitable, clear and prioritise those most in need. They also require services to reduce barriers to access, provide clear referral criteria, and ensure collaboration between staff and agencies to support individuals with complex conditions like Huntington’s disease.

Decisions on referrals may consider clinical appropriateness and service-specific criteria. Where referrals are declined from general psychiatry or community mental health teams a full explanation should be offered for this decision, and alternative pathways offered wherever possible and appropriate.

There are currently no plans to introduce a policy of cancelling student loans of newly qualified doctors if they commit to working in the NHS for a period of five years. Medical students fall within the same category as all other undergraduate students in relation to paying back loans.

The Scottish Government remains committed to delivering the changes that are required for people with Learning Disabilities as detailed in the Coming Home report and subsequent implementation report in 2022.

The Scottish Government has no functions in relation to the windfall tax. The oil and gas fiscal regime - including the Energy Profits Levy or "windfall tax" - are wholly reserved to the UK Government, as are decisions on how to spend the revenues raised.

As Scottish Government functions have increased and matured, the volume and complexity of outsourced legal work has also evolved. This work is procured and we are now utilising the third iteration of a framework providing Legal Services to the Scottish Government and the wider public sector. The current Legal Services Framework is divided into 6 Lots by subject matter:

The information requested is not held centrally by Scottish Government.

As Scottish Government functions have increased and matured, the volume and complexity of outsourced work has also evolved. This work is procured and we are now utilising the third iteration of a framework providing Legal Services to the Scottish Government and the wider public sector. The figures provided in the table set out how much the Scottish Government has spent through those frameworks and the breakdown of costs to each legal firm. We do not centrally gather information on the department spend as there is no business requirement to do. We have interpreted the question as legal costs incurred for outsourced legal work.

As with all decisions on the use of public funding the authorisation to meet costs would be cleared at the appropriate level within the organisation.

The Scottish Government has spent the following amount in relation to judicial reviews. We are unable to provide a breakdown by case name due to GDPR considerations. Some case names will be in the public domain because the judgments have been published with the full name. However, some cases have been name anonymised and others will not be in the public domain due to being disposed of without a judgment.

Accountable Officers are in place to ensure that public money is used efficiently and effectively in line with guidance published in the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM). The SPFM provides guidance on the proper handling and reporting of public funds.