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NHS Lothian has made significant progress in the area of Mental Health since it was escalated to Stage 3 of the NHS Board performance escalation framework in July 2019.

The Scottish Government requested a formal recovery plan with clear milestones and has provided a package of tailored support to NHS Lothian to develop and implement it. The changes resulting from the plan, including changes to the Mental Health leadership team in NHS Lothian, has supported sustained improvement in performance.

The Scottish Government’s Director General of Health and Social Care, supported by the Health and Social Care Management Board, took the decision to de-escalate NHS Lothian from Stage 3 to Stage 2 of the NHS Board performance escalation framework for its improved provision of mental health services, care and support.

The Scottish Government will continue to monitor progress at Stage 2 and NHS Lothian will continue to be able to access advice and support from the Scottish Government Professional Advisors. This will ensure that the continuous improvement remains a priority.

You can find out more about the NHS Board performance escalation framework here: NHS healthcare standards: Board performance escalation framework - gov.scot ( www.gov.scot )

The Scottish Government provided funding to the STUC for research into collective bargaining coverage in Scotland. This research was published in a report for the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) by the Labour Research Group in July 2021. It included recommendations both for the Scottish Government and STUC on how more collective bargaining - and the "voice" at work it provides - can be encouraged.

We have provided £250,000 annually to the STUC for the last seven years through the Trade Union Fair Work and Modernisation Fund which has supported unions in embedding the Fair Work Framework in Scotland’s workplaces. This funding has enabled unions to work proactively, building upon ongoing efforts, to tackle precarious work, and organising for Fair Work in less unionised sectors. The Scottish Government engages regularly with STUC in relation to this Fund.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17602 on 12 May 2023. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at the questions and answers page on the Scottish Parliament website .

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-17222 on 4 May 2023. 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 .

The Deposit Return Scheme has already delivered hundreds of millions of pounds of investment across Scotland, and is creating over 500 new green jobs which includes those via third party operators. While some of these jobs may be filled already the majority will become operational as the scheme goes live on 1 March 2024 .

The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults is distributed through by Third Sector Interfaces (TSI) across all regions of Scotland, who deliver the Fund locally to grassroots community organisations, in partnership with others including Health and Social Care Partnerships, local councils and people with lived experience. This ensures that the Fund, is able to respond to local needs and circumstances, whilst adhering to national guidance. This will continue to be the case in 2023-24.

The share of the fund that each TSI receives is calculated by using the National Resource Allocation Formula (NRAC) to ensure a fair distribution of the fund.

Timing of local fund processes including award decisions will vary across regions, with each TSI led partnership agreeing their own process and timetable. Information on how to apply for this year’s funding will be accessible in due course on the TSI Scotland website . All TSIs will have distributed funding no later than 31 March 2024.

Section 3.5 of the Ministerial code sets out that when Parliament is meeting, Ministers should ensure that important announcements of Government policy are made, in the first instance, to the Parliament.

Funding is already available through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme to support local authorities, housing co-operatives and housing associations to buy existing housing stock where this meets a clear strategic purpose and can be clearly seen to support the achievement of the priorities and objectives set out in the relevant local authority’s Local Housing Strategy. This can include the purchase of housing stock that was previously owned by private landlords.

The Scottish Government has clear standards for the quality of care across our health and social care services and the safety, protection and wellbeing of residents and staff in our care home sector is a priority. We have for each of the last three years provided NHS Highland with funding of £864,800 per year to support their enhanced oversight and support of local care homes to encourage quality improvement and sustainability, and we recently confirmed further funding for 2023-24.

Ultimately the commissioning and provisioning of care home services for local communities to meet needs rests with NHS Highland and the Highland Council. The Scottish Government is in regular contact with NHS Highland, the Highland Council, and providers of social care to understand the challenges they are facing which include the impact of care home closures across the system.

The average response time (in days) for the Office of the Public Guardian to process (a) Electronic Power of Attorney Registration (EPOAR) submissions and (b) postal power of attorney requests in 2022-23 now that the financial year is complete is as follows (the table also indicates average figures for previous years):