Chamber and committees

Public bodies are autonomous bodies and each one has a clear framework which balances operational autonomy and accountability to the public. Any processes in relation to disputes with service users, including in relation to debt to that body, are between the service user and the body, with established dispute resolution processes in place. There are established rights of review and appeal in relation to Social Security Scotland and Council Tax liabilities.

Scottish Ministers have consistently encouraged public bodies to share good practice on debt assistance and collection and to show empathy and dignity when working with people struggling with debt.

Specifically in relation to Council tax, whilst this is a local tax and each council is financially and administratively accountable to their electorate, we recognise the desirability of the best practice in council tax collection being adopted by all local authorities. Ministers raised the issue of Council Tax Debt and Recovery, including highlighting the recommendations of the Improvement Service and Stepchange Scotland’s May 2022 report on Collaborative Council Tax Collection, with the COSLA President, Vice President and Resources Spokesperson at a recent meeting of the ‘Joint Working Group on Sourcing of Local Government Funding and Council Tax Reform’.

Investment underpinning Scottish Water’s Improving Urban Waters Routemap does not specifically target the issue of pharmaceutical pollution. However, in partnership with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Scottish Water is carrying out the Chemical Investigation Programme (CIP) Scotland which involves sampling for priority substances of emerging concern; pharmaceuticals are considered to be substances of emerging concern. The current phase of the programme involves a process optimisation trial at Wastewater Treatment Works that aims to help improve understanding of whether better treatment can be achieved at Scottish Water’s assets.

Scottish Water is also a member of the One Health Breakthrough Partnership (OHBP – www.ohbp.org ) which is funded by the Scottish Government and brings together key stakeholders across the water, environment, and healthcare sectors who are committed to addressing pharmaceutical pollution in the environment through source control. The partnership is looking to develop sustainable “up-stream” solutions to minimise pharmaceuticals entering wastewater and surface water, and reduce the environmental impact of our healthcare practices.

The Scottish Government cannot comment on live legal proceedings. As usual in relation to legal action, the Scottish Government has taken legal advice and considered the position in connection with the Section 35 Order. It is too early generally to determine any impact of possible changes the UK Government might be considering to the Equality Act.

Net mental health expenditure is published on the Public Health Scotland website Scottish health service costs under data files mental health expenditure Excel workbook . This information is available for financial years 2011-12 to 2021-22 for each NHS Board in Scotland, split by various types of expenditure including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), adult mental health services, and older adult mental health services. Please note that expenditure data is collected by broad specialties and therefore categories may include multiple ‘services’.

The Scottish Government is working with local government partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. All local authorities are considering the actions of the ASL Review, and will continue to consider the incorporation of actions within local improvement plans.

As our joint Scottish Government and COSLA Additional Support for Learning action plan notes, local commissioning has developed considerably since the Doran Review was published in 2012. This reflects the increased flexibility within schools and local authorities to develop tailored interventions through local delivery of our £750 million investment in the last parliamentary term and £1 billion in this parliamentary term to close the poverty related attainment gap. Local delivery of the Strategic Equity Fund and Pupil Equity Fund and greater alliance with the Third Sector are key features of local commissioning.

Progress in closing the poverty related attainment gap was reported in our five year impact report , published in 2021 and future progress will be reported in line with our Evaluation Strategy for the Attainment Scotland Fund 2022 – 2026 and the National Improvement Framework measures .

In addition, the Scottish Government is working with partners in ADES, COSLA and Education Scotland, to develop a national measurement framework which aims to support improved outcomes for children and young people with additional support needs.

Improved experiences of children and young people with additional support needs will continue to be considered as part of the action plan and progress can be followed through the published minutes of the Project Board.

Social Security Scotland undertakes a broad and continuous programme of analysis of all aspects of the delivery of benefits, focussed on the live running performance of the system, client experience and evaluation of delivery.

Research on Early Experiences of Child Disability Payment was published in September 2022 and Client Survey research on Child Disability Payment on 8 March 2023. The next publication of Client Survey research on Child Disability Payment is scheduled for early summer.

The evaluation strategy for the benefit is in place and the first output will be published later this year. Analysis will focus on the impact of policy changes to supporting information.

This work informs Social Security Scotland’s approach to continuous improvement and the agency has used it to plan the action currently underway to improve processing times.

Net mental health expenditure is published on the Public Health Scotland website Scottish health service costs under data files mental health expenditure Excel workbook . This information is available for financial years 2011-12 to 2021-22 for each NHS Board in Scotland, split by various types of expenditure including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), adult mental health services, and older adult mental health services. Please note that expenditure data is collected by broad specialties and therefore categories may include multiple ‘services’.

Social Security Scotland’s most recent statistics show that the majority of people who have applied for Child Disability Payment received a decision within four months, although processing times vary from a few weeks to over six months or more. A key part of the application process, and a key difference from the Department for Work and Pensions’ service, is that Social Security Scotland can gather supporting information on behalf of clients. Whilst this process takes time, it allows Social Security Scotland to make robust decisions.

Work is underway to speed up processing times. This includes liaising with organisations who most often provide supporting information. For example, an option for GPs to upload supporting information online was recently introduced. In addition, work continues with clients and stakeholders to ensure they understand the kind of information needed to make decisions and how to provide this at the earliest opportunity.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16755 on 2 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