Chamber and committees

Scottish ministers have no specificobligations to asylum seekers under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act2003. The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland has a duty to visit people with mental disorder includingthose who may be subject to the 2003 act. I understand the commission’s visit programmewill include asylum seekers. There are powers under the Mental Health (Care andTreatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 for the Mental Welfare Commission to carry out aninvestigation into the circumstances of the care and treatment received in any casereported to it where it appears to the commission that there may have been deficienciesof care.

Scottish Development International(SDI) is currently engaging with major Australian companies at executive level toexplore opportunities for investment in Scotland.

Recent successes include theappointment of John Stewart, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive, NationalAustralia Bank to Scottish Enterprise’s International Advisory Board (IAB). TheIAB provides international business advice and a market development perspectiveto Scotland’s economic development efforts. John Stewart has alsorecently become a globascot. The globalscot network harnesses the talents, creativityand commitment of many Scots and friends of Scotland who are active in internationalbusiness around the world. Australian financial services software company BravuraSolutions recently announced its intention to locate in Edinburgh creatingaround 57 jobs of which 50 are high-value jobs.

Scottish Enterprise andHighlands and Islands Enterprise undertake promotion events to encourage individualsto start-up in business. Details on the funding spent on this activity is an operationalissue for the Enterprise Networks.

Scottish Development International’s(SDI’s) focus is on areas that offer the best potential and we intend to targetthe larger companies in the life sciences, energy, financial and related servicesand micro and opto electronics sectors. We are currently working with a number ofsignificant Australian companies offering help and assistance with legal, propertyand intellectual property issues.

In general all patients in Scotland willhave access to mental health services under the 2003 act. The Scottish Executivehas no specific obligations towards asylum seekers under the 2003 act. The HomeOffice has an interest in relation to asylum seekers and other persons who are subjectto immigration control. There are protocols in place between the Home Office andlocal agencies in respect of treatment for mental disorder, including treatmentunder the 2003 act of detained asylum seekers.

The promotion of new businessstart-ups in Scotland is an operational matter for the Enterprise Networks.

Responsibility for assistingindividuals wishing to start a new business rests with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands andIslands Enterprise. In the Scottish Enterprise area, Business Gateway can provideaccess to information and advice, including on aspects relating to funding.

In the Highlands andIslands area, access to business support is through Highlands andIslands Enterprise’s network of nine Local Enterprise Companies (LECs).

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28516 on 4 October 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The Scottish Executive offersa range of support to migrant workers in Scotland. This includes workers’ information guides in Polishand English, which reflects the fact that over 65% of workers from the new accessionstates are Polish. The guide is available online, at www.szkocja.eu and www.scotlandistheplace.com or in hard copy,from various public, private and voluntary sector sources, including banks. It containsinformation about opening bank accounts as well as a range of other informationabout living and working in Scotland. We are currently looking at also producing this guidein other languages. We recognise that someindividuals have experienced difficulty in opening bank accounts and this is anissue which has been raised with the Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers (whichrepresents all four Scottish clearing banks) on a number of occasions, most recentlyin July of this year. Scottish banks all have policies on this issue and have openedmany thousands of bank accounts for migrant workers over recent years. Any individualexperiencing a problem should be encouraged to use the selected bank’s complaintsor enquiries process.

The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act2004 places a range of duties and obligations on local authorities in order to conservebiodiversity and protect SSSIs. It is the responsibility of local authorities toensure that they comply with the duties and obligations in the Nature Conservation(Scotland) Act 2004 in carrying out their functions.