Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-25368 on‎ 26 February 2024. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association was awarded funding from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults in 2021-22 and 2022-23 to support their Keeping Warm Project and mental health training.

The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults is distributed in all 32 regions of Scotland by Third Sector Interface (TSI) organisations who, working in collaboration with other local partners, are responsible for allocating the funding to local community initiatives which support mental health and wellbeing. This is based on local needs and in line with national criteria issued by Scottish Government.

The grant terms and conditions relating to this funding to Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association are determined by Highland Third Sector Interface

The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) as the sole public sector operator of prisons in Scotland has a strong track record in keeping prisons safe and secure with a focus on care and rehabilitation. They are well placed to deliver quality services at HMP Kilmarnock while benefitting from the skills and experience of the existing staff group there.

The Scottish Government is committed to improving access to abortion services, underpinned by aims outlined in the Women’s Health Plan. Progress has been made in particular by updating Scottish Abortion Care Providers guidance on early medical abortions in Scotland to take account of the recommendations of the March 2023 evaluation of early medical abortion at home .

One of the actions in the Women’s Health plan is working with NHS Boards to enable all women having later stage abortions to be treated in Scotland.

The Scottish Government commissioned National Services Scotland (NSS) to develop a specification to deliver abortions between 20-24 weeks gestation, for all indications, within Scotland. This options paper was discussed at the National Planning and Delivery Board.

To enable a decision on the most feasible way of delivering this, it was agreed that a short life working group should work with key groups of staff in Health Boards and bring back recommendations to the Planning and Delivery Board. Once proposals for a service model have been agreed by that Board any staff training requirements will be considered as part of that.

Running a time-limited pilot of judge-only rape trials was a recommendation of the cross-sector review led by Lady Dorrian, Scotland’s second most senior judge, on improving the justice system in the way it responds to serious sexual offending.

The pilot is part of a package of reforms in the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill that is currently being considered by the Criminal Justice Committee. The Committee has heard a range of views including from some of the most senior, qualified and respected legal voices in the country who have spoken in support of the pilot. Strong support for the pilot has also been voiced by victim support organisations and justice agencies, such as the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

I held a programme of meetings with the legal profession in 2023 to hear their views on the pilot first-hand, and to invite them to work with the Scottish Government as plans for the pilot develop. As I emphasised to the Committee on 7 February, the Scottish Government will work to build consensus as it progresses the pilot and will continue to listen to the voices of partners from across the justice system, as well as, importantly, victims.

The purpose of the pilot is to gather empirical evidence on the most effective way to respond to rape and attempted rape cases. This includes exploring whether changing the decision maker from juries to a judge improves complainers’ experiences (for example, by resulting in shorter, more focussed trials that could minimise re-traumatisation) and whether it removes barriers to victims accessing justice. Judges will be required to provide written reasons for verdicts in the pilot, which will increase transparency, safeguard the rights of accused people, and provide unparalleled insights into the issues, deliberations and challenges in these cases.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

Any death of an individual whilst in the care of the SPS is a tragedy, irrespective of the cause. Unfortunately, there have been 34 deaths in custody between month 2019 and month 2023 confirmed as drug related, either by postmortem or by a Medical Certificate Cause of Death. This is approximately 16% of deaths in custody. SPS do not record drug category or categories implicated in deaths.

All deaths in custody are subject to a Fatal Accident Enquiry, the findings of which are published on the Scottish Courts website.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is operationally independent of the Scottish Ministers.

The UK Government have established an independent inquiry into the Post Office Horizon IT system and the Scottish Ministers agreed with the UK Government that this inquiry should consider devolved matters relating to Scotland. The prosecution of sub-postmasters in Scotland by COPFS is being considered by the inquiry and COPFS have provided evidence to them.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

SPS have completed the first stage of a review of Talk To Me, our suicide prevention strategy which was gathering the evidence base. This has included a literature review, User Voice interviews, staff focus groups, an NHS survey and a workshop for families. The next step is to analyse this evidence and formulate recommendations.

Once this is complete, recommendations will be presented to the SPS lead National Suicide Prevention Management Group for consideration and ratification. This group includes a number of experts in the field such as third sector, NHS and Public Health Scotland.

The policy will be aligned with the Scottish Government Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan.

The Scottish Government continues to make significant investment in Scotland’s NHS while recognising the need to reform the way we deliver services to meet the changing needs of the people in Scotland. The Government has been clear in the Policy Prospectus and Programme for Government : reform is required. Scottish Ministers have outlined that given the growing demand our health service faces, the NHS requires major reform to ensure that we have a sustainable health service able to deliver the best possible care for patients.

The Scottish Government engages regularly with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to ensure progress on prison infrastructure projects. SPS works closely with contractors and external advisors to ensure value for money, benefits realisation and timely progress.

Until the main construction contract is signed, costs and time-scales are likely to fluctuate due to site identification, design changes, and market condition changes.