Official Report 673KB pdf
Good morning. The first item of business is general question time—our shortest question session of the week, colleagues.
Neurodevelopmental Assessments and Treatment
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the demand for neurodevelopmental assessments and treatment for children and adults, what its assessment is of the recommendations by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, such as its four-tiered service model for assessment and intervention. (S6O-05171)
The Scottish Government welcomes the report of the Royal College of Psychiatrists on meeting the needs of autistic people and people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Scotland. I agree with the royal college that the demand for neurodevelopmental assessment and support now exceeds what Scotland’s current mental health infrastructure can deliver and that a different response is needed. We are taking time to consider its report fully, including whether a stepped care model could be considered for neurodevelopmental assessment.
We are also driving forward our improvement work, including the establishment of our children and young people’s neurodevelopmental task force and our on-going work with the national autism implementation team, or NAIT.
As the minister will be aware from my correspondence and our discussion, the rising pressures and demands are acute and are having an impact on many individuals in my Falkirk East constituency.
The Scottish Government’s director of mental health wrote to all health boards to seek clarification of what assessment and support they have in place, because of the diversity across different areas and because the local protocols are different, too. Have there been any findings from that letter, and is the minister able to give us any further information in that respect?
I confirm that we have now received responses from all of the health boards, and we are considering the findings in more detail and what next steps should be taken. The information is not publicly available yet, so there are no findings to share at this time. However, I recognise the member’s long-standing interest in this issue on behalf of her constituents and I will ask the Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, Tom Arthur, to ensure that he shares the findings with her and with Parliament more broadly when they are available.
Parents and adults who are not parents in the Glasgow region have approached me because they are very worried about access to ADHD assessments for adults. They have been waiting a long time for a pathway to support, and some of them are struggling to continue with work and other responsibilities. What reassurance can the minister give that pathways will be available for people in the Glasgow region to access adult ADHD assessments?
I understand the member’s concern. Long waits for support are unacceptable, and I am committed to improving timely access to support, diagnosis and support for autistic people and people with ADHD.
In July, we announced the reopening of our £2.5 million multiyear autistic adult support fund. That fund supports third sector organisations that help autistic adults reach their full potential and supports them, their carers and their families to understand what neurodivergence means for them and to improve their wellbeing.
Rural Crime
To ask the Scottish Government what legislative action it plans taking in the remainder of this parliamentary session to protect farmers from the threat of rural crime. (S6O-05172)
Rural crime is a serious issue. It affects individuals, communities and businesses, and the Scottish Government fully supports efforts to tackle it.
The Scottish partnership against rural crime—or SPARC—which is chaired by Police Scotland, brings key justice and rural sector partners together to provide a robust, multi-agency approach to preventing rural crime and to support actions taken at the local level.
The member will be aware of the legislative programme for the rest of the term, and the short time we have left. There are no plans for rural crime legislation in what remains of this session.
Following a meeting in June, the minister agreed to write to the Home Office. The letter highlighted that the Scottish Government had missed an opportunity to introduce a legislative consent memorandum in June 2022 that would have allowed for further safeguards and deterrents to stop rural crime. Since the LCM was missed, rural crime has cost Scottish farmers and rural businesses nearly £5 million, and the letter states that my constituency of Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire is a rural crime hotspot.
Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency wanted regulations to be introduced last summer, so will the minister, despite her answer, introduce an expedited bill and work with me to tackle rural crime before the end of this session of Parliament?
I thank the member for her continued interest in equipment theft and the serious issues affecting rural businesses.
For clarity with regard to the LCM, the relevant legislation has not yet come into effect in England and Wales. As the member has alluded to, I wrote to the United Kingdom Government earlier this year regarding the process of its implementation, and it recently published a summary evidence response ahead of planned regulations being introduced. That is an important step towards the legislation being put into effect in England and Wales. I reiterate my willingness to work with the member on legislative options, but it will not be in this parliamentary session.
As Rachael Hamilton knows, my constituency is adjacent to hers. As a former lawyer, I have to say that I am not too hot on legislation—it is not always the answer.
I refer the minister to the recently published three-year policy by Police Scotland, in collaboration with SPARC, which focuses on such things as the prevention of agricultural machinery theft using technology. There are now 100 specially trained officers, so I hope that the minister will agree that action might be more effective than legislation.
There is some great work being done in that respect. The three-year strategy for SPARC was published in June, and for the first time, it has adopted the four Ps model of prevent, pursue, protect and prepare. The refreshed strategy includes a number of actions on how perpetrators will be brought to justice, how rural communities can safeguard against such crimes and how individuals can be diverted from being involved with them. Part of SPARC’s work also involves working with other forces in the UK to disrupt the activity of criminals who travel across our border.
Children (Scotland) Act 2020 (Implementation)
To ask the Scottish Government when the Children (Scotland) Act 2020 will be fully implemented. (S6O-05173)
Although some sections of the act have already been commenced, some areas of that wide-ranging act are outstanding. However, we remain committed to commencing them. I am providing updates to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee on implementation, and did so most recently on 26 September.
Two Scottish statutory instruments on the regulation of child contact services were approved by Parliament earlier this month and will be implemented on 1 April 2027. A further set of commencement regulations is planned relating to hearing the child’s views, additional factors for the court to consider and delay in contact and residence cases.
Parliament voted for the act with great hopes that it would centre children in child contact cases and address some real difficulties that we had heard about. I am still receiving casework in which children who have witnessed their father terrorising their mother, physically and emotionally, are being forced by courts to have contact with their father, despite restraining orders and so on being in place. Is the minister confident that, when the legislation is fully enacted, it will address that disaster, or do more actions need to be taken to ensure that the judiciary truly puts children’s wellbeing at the heart of decisions that it makes on contact?
Ensuring the child’s best interests is central in any contact case and was the key aim of the 2020 act. I believe that implementation will bring big improvements for children in the cases that Ms Maguire referred to—for example, enhancing how their views are heard and ensuring that child welfare reporters who are appointed to hear the child’s views are properly trained in understanding domestic abuse.
The regulation of child contact services will help to ensure that centres are safe, conflict-free places for children. We are also progressing wider work to improve how the civil and criminal courts interact, including how the civil courts get information on domestic abuse.
Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (North East Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support tenants and owner-occupiers affected by RAAC in the North East Scotland region. (S6O-05174)
It is a worrying time for those whose homes are affected by RAAC. I met residents in Aberdeen, Dundee, Angus and Clackmannanshire just yesterday to discuss the challenges that they face.
We are working with local authorities, who are responsible for finding local solutions. For example, I recently agreed to Aberdeen City Council’s request for flexibility in an existing housing infrastructure fund commitment to allow the council to provide additional support for residents from within its own budget.
I have repeatedly pressed the United Kingdom Government for a central dedicated RAAC remediation fund. It has failed to provide that thus far. In the meantime, I will continue to consider requests for flexibility in existing budgets.
Last month, Aberdeen City Council told Torry home owners that they would be offered the full value of their homes before RAAC was discovered, given the £10 million fund that the Scottish Government had made available. However, in the worst-affected city—Dundee—there is still no RAAC fund. Home owners in Dundee and Angus are wondering why they are still waiting for information and support. When will the cabinet secretary announce support for RAAC-affected home owners who face financial ruin in more ways than one in Dundee and Angus?
We have to be clear that the arrangements that have been reached with Aberdeen City Council were bespoke to Aberdeen. As I said in my initial answer, they were about offering flexibility in honouring an existing housing infrastructure fund that had not been drawn down. In fact, that was not doable, and we ended up by offering flexibility through the affordable homes supply programme, which allowed the council to create headroom elsewhere. That was a specific response to an Aberdeen-specific case.
However, as I said in my initial answer, I will consider requests for flexibility within existing budgets from any council with RAAC-affected residents.
RAAC-affected home owners in Aberdeen’s Torry who have already sold their homes under value fear paying tax on the compensation and losing benefits. That would pile yet more injustice on a nightmare that they have faced for years. Will the cabinet secretary instruct officials to help Aberdeen City Council prevent that from coming to pass?
Those are entirely matters for Aberdeen City Council to work through with the residents of Torry, and I encourage it to do so.
General Practitioner Appointments
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work it has been doing regarding people obtaining in-person GP appointments. (S6O-05175)
The latest published data—Public Health Scotland’s general practice in-hours activity visualisation—shows that, as of September, as many as 81 per cent of appointments with GPs and other clinicians in general practice were physical. That is not as high as the proportion before the pandemic, when approximately 87 per cent of appointments were physical, but we always expected the overall proportion of physical appointments to reduce as options for virtual appointments became more available.
In 2022, my predecessor, Humza Yousaf, wrote to GPs to advise them that the de-escalation of infection prevention control measures gave them much greater latitude to see patients in person. That, alongside our record funding increase for core GP services and walk-in clinics, should continue to improve access to one of the critical primary care front doors of our national health service.
In my constituency, access to general practice remains a concern, particularly in rural communities. The position varies between practices, but constituents contact me regularly about the matter. Does the cabinet secretary agree that investment must be matched by concerted targeted support for recruitment and retention to ensure sustainable care in all parts of Scotland, including Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley?
I absolutely agree with Elena Whitham. A core element of the record funding increase for general practice is contingent on increased employment of general practitioners and wider practice staff.
Alongside that, through our GP recruitment and retention 20-point action plan, we are taking substantive steps to support practices in rural areas. Our £10,000 golden hello scheme incentivises GPs to take up rural positions. The early-career GP fellowship programme is reaching new rural areas across seven health boards, thanks to our investment this year. Our Scottish graduate entry medical programme—ScotGEM—focuses on rural medicine and healthcare improvement. We also continue to fund the rediscover the joy of general practice project, which supports rural and island practices with short-term GP cover.
Shoplifting (Repeat Offenders)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the number of repeat shoplifting offenders, in light of reports that 10 individuals have accumulated over 1,500 charges in the last four years. (S6O-05176)
The Scottish Government recognises the harm that is caused by retail crime. Our budget for 2025-26 has made an additional £3 million available to tackle the issue as part of our record investment in policing. Police Scotland has used that funding to establish a retail crime task force, which aims to prevent such incidents and pursue those responsible. Police Scotland’s plan includes specific actions to target repeat offenders by using analytical data and intelligence to carry out proactive enforcement activities in areas that are most heavily impacted. Investment is also being used to develop diversionary programmes that are aimed at reducing reoffending.
Retailers Against Crime and other industry partners have made it clear that intelligence sharing is essential in identifying repeat and organised offenders. Given that Police Scotland’s retail crime task force has, in its first six months, supported the detection of more than 500 retail offences, will the minister commit to extending and increasing that funding beyond March 2026 to tackle prolific shoplifters?
Discussions are on-going with Police Scotland about its budgetary requirements, and I hope that Ms Dowey will appreciate that I will not be making any budgetary announcements during general question time today. However, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government has confirmed that the Scottish budget will be published on Tuesday 13 January 2026.
Gynaecology Waiting Times (NHS Fife)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address waiting times for gynaecological diagnostic procedures in NHS Fife. (S6O-05177)
This year, we have allocated an additional £135.5 million to health boards to tackle the longest waits. That includes an allocation of more than £1.1 million to NHS Fife for gynaecology to support extra full-day theatre lists and new full-day out-patient clinics.
I understand from NHS Fife that it is on track to have no patient waiting for more than 52 weeks by our 31 March 2026 target. Beyond that, we are working with the centre for sustainable delivery to ensure that all boards deliver a sustainable solution for the future.
I have been contacted by a constituent, a 23-year-old woman, who has been advised that she might face a wait of more than a year for keyhole surgery that is needed to diagnose the source of on-going severe pelvic pain. Over the past year, the constituent has experienced two miscarriages, recurring pelvic infections and severe pelvic pain that has significantly impacted her quality of life. I have raised the issue directly with NHS Fife, but I would be grateful if the minister would look at the details of the case, which I will pass to her. It is all very well to talk about 52 weeks, but, in the case of this constituent, that is not acceptable.
Alex Rowley is absolutely right that that length of wait is not sustainable and is not good for women’s health. That is why we have invested the funding. I am very happy to follow up with him afterwards.
Future Farming Investment Scheme (Ineligible Applications)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will commit to providing full details of why each of the 3,537—or 47 per cent of—applications to the future farming investment scheme were deemed ineligible, including whether ministers raised any concerns when presented with this figure. (S6O-05178)
As a matter of routine, the Scottish Government does not provide individual responses to explain why an individual agricultural grant application was unsuccessful. A breakdown of the broad categories of reasons for applications not being taken forward will be published shortly, and I will write to the member concerned to provide the information on the scoring criteria. Scottish ministers were made aware of the scoring criteria, the numbers of successful and unsuccessful applications and the overall value of support offered, but ministers do not routinely become involved in day-to-day scheme-management issues.
I am sorry, but that is just not good enough, minister. Surely, routinely, 50 per cent of applications are not deemed ineligible. Something has gone badly wrong here, and it looks as though the minister was asleep at the wheel and did not even ask any questions. Given the numbers involved and that many people are questioning why almost 50 per cent of applications were deemed ineligible, is there not a duty on the Government to tell each and every applicant why they were deemed ineligible and what went wrong, and to sort it out?
Always speak through the chair.
The scheme was co-designed with the industry—[Interruption.]
Let us hear the minister.
The scheme was co-designed with the industry, including NFU Scotland. It was designed to help eligible active farmers and crofters to improve the environmental performance of their businesses in relation to climate change and biodiversity benefits.
Applications were assessed through a standardised framework that cross-checked application data against the single application form and other system-held data to ensure consistency, transparency and audit defensibility. The scoring model looked for six core objectives: business efficiency, business sustainability, environmental protection, greenhouse gas reduction, climate adaptation and public good.
Please be brief, minister.
Priority group status, which Douglas Ross asked about, did not alone guarantee funding investment. Applicants also had to demonstrate strong alignment with the scheme objectives and the ability to deliver measurable outcomes.