Chamber and committees

There are currently no Scottish Development International staff in the Innovation and Investment Hub in Dublin. When our London Hub opens in 2017, the 8 people working for Scottish Development International and the 3 people working for Scottish Enterprise in London will transfer there.

The Hub in Brussels is supporting the development of a new approach to the way Scotland deploys its resources in Brussels. This builds on the existing partnership between staff in the Scottish Government EU office and the 9 people working for Scotland Europa in Scotland House in Brussels.

Scotland’s Economic Strategy (SES) is directed towards achieving the Scottish Government’s central Purpose of creating a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth. Progress is measured through the National Indicators and Purpose Targets contained in the National Performance Framework (NPF).

The NPF was updated in March with additional indicators added to reflect the strategic approach of the SES. These included new measures of natural capital, access to local greenspace, underemployment, gender pay differences and payment of the Living Wage. The methodology used to monitor progress towards the Productivity and Solidarity Targets was also updated, to allow for a better assessment of progress towards the productivity and inequality ambitions contained in the SES.

The Scottish Government refreshes the economic strategy periodically, in light of changing economic circumstances. The latest version of Scotland’s Economic Strategy was published in March 2015. There are currently no plans to review the published strategy. However, while not planning a further Economic Strategy review at this stage, the Government will continue to monitor the developing economic situation post EU referendum, to ensure Scotland’s economic strategy is aligned to Scotland’s economic needs.

It is responsibility of health boards and HSCPs to ensure appropriate mental health services are available for local populations. In a well-functioning mental health system, there will be a range of community, inpatient and crisis mental health services that support people with severe and enduring mental illness. Within the broad direction of change toward developing more services based in the community, we know that there are wide variations in pace of change, delivery and models of services.

A Scottish mental health crisis standards guidance document and associated toolkit were both published in 2008. http://www.gov.scot/resource/doc/924/0072211.pdf

A Scottish Crisis and Acute inpatient mental health network (SCAIN) has assisted Scottish Government in creation of a set of key performance indicators for crisis services as action to deliver commitment 23 of the Mental Health Strategy (2012-2015). http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0048/00482822.pdf. These are offered to Health Boards and HSCPs as a best practice means of measuring activity and outcome for these services.

All health board areas provide 24/7 mental health emergency services. Depending on geography and rurality this may be through on call mental health staff attending acute emergency departments, through any additional crisis services or through rural general practitioners.

The Scottish Government is continuing to work to ensure the rights of people with mental health problems are protected and promoted. The recent engagement paper ‘Mental Health in Scotland – a 10 year vision’ had a broad human rights focus. We are also working with stakeholders through the implementation of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 2015 to explore ways to promote rights-based practice.

Most people who use mental health services receive treatment without being subject to an order or certificate under the Mental Health (Scotland) (Care and Treatment) Act 2003. For some individuals however, compulsory treatment is used to provide the person with medical treatment to alleviate suffering and for the protection of both the person and others. Compulsory treatment is only allowed under mental health legislation in Scotland in very strict circumstances.

Firstly, certain criteria must be met before an order or certificate can be granted. For a 28 day short-term detention certificate (STDC), this includes that an approved medical practitioner considers it likely that the patient has a mental disorder (as defined by the 2003 Act) and that the patient’s decision making ability is significantly impaired by their disorder and without treatment the patient could be of significant risk to their own health, safety and welfare, or to the safety of others. The patient can appeal the granting of an STDC to the independent Mental Health Tribunal. A longer term order can only be granted by the Tribunal, and the application must have the support of two doctors who agree that the criteria for the order are met.

Secondly, treatment under the 2003 Act is governed by a range of safeguards. For certain treatments, including medication given for more than two months, a Designated Medical Practitioner, an experienced psychiatrist appointed by the Mental Welfare Commission, must agree to the treatment.

In addition to this, the 2003 Act is based in rights and principles and contains tools to support patients in expressing their will and preferences. The principles include that any function should be carried out for the maximum benefit of the patient, with the minimum necessary restriction on the freedom of the patient and having regard to the views of the patient and of any carer. Under the 2003 Act, any service user has the right to support from an independent advocate, the right to appoint a named person to represent their interests and the right to make an advance statement setting out how what treatment they would and would not like to receive when unwell.

The measures around advance statements, independent advocacy and named persons were all strengthened by the Mental Health (Scotland) 2015 Act, which amends the 2003 Act. The 2015 Act is currently being implemented and we are looking at ways to further promote rights-based practice under the 2003 Act, including through the statutory guidance in the Code of Practice.

The North Report of the Review of Drink and Drug Driving Law, published by the then UK Government in 2010, indicated that a drink limit of 50mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood would save lives. A range of studies are mentioned in the North Report and an analysis applied to England and Wales figures. Apportioning these figures to Scotland would suggest a range of between 3 and 17 fewer deaths per year would result following the introduction of a lower drink drive limit.

The Reported Road Casualties in Scotland 2015 report found that in 2015, the first full year in which the reduced limit has been in force, there was a reduction of 24 fewer fatal accidents (13% reduction), 98 fewer serious injury accidents (5% reduction) and 368 fewer slight injury accidents (4% reduction), when compared with the previous year. However, it is not possible to determine the extent to which this reduction has happened as a result of the reduced drink drive limit.

This report also includes an estimate of the number of casualty road traffic accidents involving an illegal level of blood/alcohol. As is explained in the report, these figures run one year behind, so the most recent report provides estimates of drink-drive related casualty accidents in 2014.

Figures for the first full year of the reduced limit will become available next year, though given the relatively small number of serious accidents in any given year, it will be more appropriate to assess the impact once an average figure over 3-4 years has been established.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable role that the local authority delivered Business Gateway service offers to support a wide range of businesses. The service offers a first point of contact for all publicly funded business support to pre-start, early stage and growth businesses regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, ability or type of business. Support includes a nationally consistent start-up and growth service with flexibility and discretion to meet local needs and opportunities.

Delivery of the Business Gateway (BG) service is the responsibility of local authorities and they are not required to report operational information on the delivery of Business Gateway to the Scottish Government.

We understand from the Business Gateway Management Unit based in COSLA that the provision of equal opportunity monitoring data, including gender data, is self-declared by BG clients and is provided on a voluntary basis. The percentage of records that hold gender disaggregated data sits at around 54%-60% per year. In 2014-2015, where gender had been recorded, the percentage of Business Gateway assisted start-ups which were women-led (defined as majority owner or equally owned by women) was over 38%.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise (SE) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). I have asked the Chief Executives of both SE and HIE to contact you with the information you have requested and my understanding is that this will be with you soon.

'Reported Road Casualties in Scotland 2015' reports that in 2015, the first full year in which the reduced limit has been in force, there were 168 fatalities and 1,596 people seriously injured in road accidents.

These figures are compiled from Police data which records whether or not a breath test was passed/failed/refused but not the blood alcohol level. Figures on how many occasions the driver was above the new but below the old limit are not available.

The Scottish Government has been clear in our approach to decommissioning and the opportunities that are available within our refreshed Oil and Gas Strategy and the recently published Programme for Government. Scottish Enterprise are developing a Decommissioning Action Plan, which will be complementary to the Oil and Gas Authority’s recently published Decommissioning Strategy. We are also carrying out further work to identify potential sites for investment with a view to increasing capacity for larger decommissioned units to come ashore at out ports and harbours.