Question reference: S4W-29483
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 25 January 2016
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Current status: Answered by John Swinney on 4 February 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it will receive in Barnett consequentials each year from the UK Government’s allocation of £75 million over the next five years to fund additional specialist perinatal mental health services; whether it will allocate the money toward such services in Scotland, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
At a Spending Review Barnett consequentials are determined on a departmental level as opposed to a programme level. It is therefore not possible to isolate the financial impact of individual UK Government spending decisions.
Last year we announced investment of £100 million to improve mental health services over the next five years. The Draft Budget 2016-17 provides an additional £50 million, resulting in a total package of £150 million. On 12 January 2016 the First Minister announced that £54.1 million – over one third – of that package will be invested over the next four years to improve access to psychological therapies for all ages, which will include women at risk of perinatal mental illness.
This is in addition to the overall funding that we already provide to NHS Scotland to meet the health care needs of the population, including for community and specialist mental health services such as the regional-based accommodation in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian for mothers experiencing a mental health problem to be admitted to hospital for treatment along with their child.