Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6F-03447

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6F-03457

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reported concerns that the UK Labour administration has not affirmed the commitment, which was signed in March 2021 by the UK and Scottish governments under the Borderlands Growth deal, to allocate £5 million towards a feasibility study to extend the Borders railway to Carlisle.

Question reference: S6F-03439

Asked by: Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is, regarding any potential impact on its Fair Work agenda and the nighttime economy in Scotland, to the new UK legal framework that has come into force requiring employers to pass all tips, gratuities and service charges on to workers.

Question reference: S6F-03438

Asked by: Anas Sarwar, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6F-03437

Asked by: Russell Findlay, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 October 2024

Question to be taken in Chamber.

Question reference: S6W-30123

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-26430 by Maree Todd on 16 April 2024, whether it will provide a breakdown of the over £50 million that it has provided to local authorities since 2020 to "develop and deliver mental health and wellbeing supports and services".

Funding for Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services for children, young people and their families has been distributed to each local authority area as follows:

	2019-20 £	2020-21 £	2021-22 £	2022-23 £	2023-24 £	2024-25 £
Aberdeen City	62,500	144,000	576,000	585,000	577,000	571,000
Aberdeenshire	62,500	197,500	790,000	797,000	809,000	823,000
Angus	62,500	81,500	326,000	322,000	324,000	325,000
Argyll and Bute	62,500	61,250	245,000	246,000	247,000	247,000
City of Edinburgh	62,500	335,750	1,343,000	1,361,000	1,339,000	1,305,000
Clackmannanshire	62,500	34,750	139,000	135,000	136,000	138,000
Dumfries and Galloway	62,500	108,250	433,000	430,000	430,000	435,000
Dundee City	62,500	111,250	445,000	434,000	427,000	424,000
East Ayrshire	62,500	83,000	332,000	326,000	328,000	330,000
East Dunbartonshire	62,500	67,000	268,000	270,000	271,000	275,000
East Lothian	62,500	73,500	294,000	290,000	291,000	295,000
East Renfrewshire	62,500	65,250	261,000	268,000	271,000	277,000
Falkirk	62,500	104,750	419,000	419,000	419,000	424,000
Fife	62,500	261,750	1,047,000	1,040,000	1,036,000	1,036,000
Glasgow City	62,500	434,250	1,737,000	1,759,000	1,755,000	1,709,000
Highland	62,500	178,000	712,000	707,000	713,000	713,000
Inverclyde	62,500	50,500	202,000	192,000	191,000	192,000
Midlothian	62,500	62,000	248,000	249,000	254,000	261,000
Moray	62,500	68,750	275,000	274,000	276,000	278,000
Na h-Eileanan Siar	62,500	22,250	89,000	88,000	89,000	89,000
North Ayrshire	62,500	92,500	370,000	360,000	359,000	359,000
North Lanarkshire	62,500	234,500	938,000	935,000	940,000	943,000
Orkney Islands	62,500	17,500	70,000	71,000	71,000	71,000
Perth and Kinross	62,500	103,500	414,000	418,000	423,000	427,000
Renfrewshire	62,500	113,500	454,000	453,000	452,000	454,000
Scottish Borders	62,500	82,250	329,000	334,000	335,000	338,000
Shetland Islands	62,500	20,750	83,000	84,000	85,000	86,000
South Ayrshire	62,500	70,750	283,000	283,000	282,000	284,000
South Lanarkshire	62,500	210,250	841,000	835,000	840,000	849,000
Stirling	62,500	73,250	293,000	291,000	281,000	281,000
West Dunbartonshire	62,500	58,250	233,000	231,000	231,000	234,000
West Lothian	62,500	144,000	511,000	513,000	518,000	527,000
Total	2,000,000	3,750,000	15,000,000	15,000,000	15,000,000	15,0000
Total						£65,750,000

Question reference: S6W-30118

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what alternatives are offered to young people rejected from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).

Every child and young person should be able to access support for their mental health and wellbeing when and where they need it. Not all children and young people need specialist services like CAMHS, and many will find more suitable support in their local community.

Since 2020, we have provided local authorities with over £50 million to develop and deliver community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children, young people and their families, with a further £15 million being made available in 2024-25. The services are focused on prevention and early intervention and, where appropriate, offer an alternative to CAMHS by providing support in a community setting.

Supports and services are available in every local authority area, with more than 300 now in place across the country. This includes mentoring services, art-based therapies, digital services, whole-family supports, counselling services and supports involving sport or physical activity.

Local authorities have reported that over 58,000 people used the supports and services in the first half of 2023. We have also ensured access to counselling services in all secondary schools, and continue to give local authorities £16 million per year to fund this.

Question reference: S6W-30120

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many young people are currently using community-based mental health and wellbeing support and services, not including child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), in the Scottish Borders.

Information on how many children and young people have accessed community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services is provided retrospectively to the Scottish Government by local authorities. Reporting provided by Scottish Borders Council for the period 1 July 2023 to 31 March 2024 indicates that 3,967 children and young people used the community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services delivered by Scottish Borders Council through its share of the £15 million per annum funding provided to local authorities by the Scottish Government. Data is not collected on whether those accessing these supports and services are also accessing, or have accessed, CAMHS.

In addition, young people aged 16 and over residing in the Scottish Borders have benefitted from grassroots community-based projects supporting mental health and wellbeing provided through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults. However, the Scottish Government does not hold information on the number of young people using these projects or those accessing other community-based mental health support that may be available in the Scottish Borders but not provided through the Scottish Government funding streams referenced above.

Question reference: S6W-30145

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 7 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of local authority care homes to ensure that the proper care is available to women.

Although the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care policy in Scotland, the statutory responsibility for delivering and commissioning services at a local level lies with local authorities, NHS boards and integrated health and social care partnerships. Local authorities are distinct corporate bodies whose powers and duties are set out in statute and are separate from the Scottish Government. As long as they act lawfully, it is up to each authority to manage its day to day activities, including the planning of services, in accordance with these responsibilities.

Question reference: S6W-30144

Asked by: Pam Gosal, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 7 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what training it has provided to justice system staff regarding eradicating male violence against women and girls.

The Scottish Government are committed to the eradication of violence against women and girls (VAWG), and this is why we are implementing the Equally Safe Strategy.

However, the Scottish Government are not responsible for the training of justice system staff. As independent organisations, they are responsible for their own learning and development.

The Scottish Government often provides additional funding for training to support the implementation of new legislation and initiatives, for example, additional funding of £825k was provided to Police Scotland to support officers and staff respond to and investigate the new Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 offence.

Justice organisations are subscribed to the Equally Safe Strategy and are included in the membership of the Equally Safe Joint Strategic Board who are responsible for driving change in relation to the aims and priorities of the Equally Safe Strategy and its implementation. Our Equally Safe delivery plan, which was published in August 2024, contains a commitment to develop a streamlined approach to trauma-informed workplace practices that promote and enhance VAWG knowledge, skills, and expertise. Partners from the justice system will be engaged in the development of this approach.

The Vision for Justice in Scotland (2022) prioritises women and children and reiterates a commitment to make improvements to the justice system which benefit and empower women. The Justice Board, which represents many of the key national justice organisations, overseas the implementation of the delivery plan. The Vision ensures that Equally Safe is a key component in the route to a transformed justice system and commits to working across boundaries to improve outcomes for individuals to address causes of crime and reduce offending.