Question reference: S6W-23424
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 30 November 2023
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Current status: Answered by Maree Todd on 11 December 2023
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the £7.5 million funding from the Mental Health Transformation Fund, which is to be reprioritised as part of 2023-24 in-year budget changes, by the mental health programmes that were previously earmarked for spending from this budget line.
Answer
Financial planning for the significant challenges our public finances continue to face took place in advance of the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance's update on the 2023-24 in-year budget changes on 21 November.
The difficult decisions which have had to be made have allowed us to help balance the Scottish Government's budget while still progressing implementation of our mental health and wellbeing strategy from a revised direct budget of £260.3 million.
The in-year budget changes impacted on a number of planned new programmes which could not proceed as anticipated. Planned increased funding to existing programmes were also not able to be progressed.
Despite the savings made, we have continued to focus on delivery of our mental health and wellbeing strategy and recently published delivery plan, which includes commitments around mental health services and specific programmes of work around learning disability and autism, and cross-cutting trauma work.