Chamber and committees

Spending on mental health by NHS Scotland has increased under this Government, from £651.4 million in 2006-07 to £904.9 million in 2014-15 – an increase of 38.9%.

The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies – including NHS Boards and Local Authorities – to support implementation of policy. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, and decisions on local spending priorities, are the responsibility of relevant local agencies. This includes assessing the needs of local populations. It is therefore the responsibility of NHS Boards and local authorities to work with their partners and regularly review spending decisions to ensure they deliver fit for purpose services which respond to the needs of their local population, including those in rural communities.

The Scottish Government has made available £150m additional investment over five years to support improvement in, and transformation of mental health services, including in rural and remote areas and in farming communities. From this funding, we have announced:

A £54.1 million package of support over 5 years to improve access to mental health services.

£10 million over 2 years to support over 30 innovative tests of change in primary care mental health services, many of which focus on improving the physical health of people with severe and enduring mental illness; improving support available in rural areas and in areas of high social-deprivation. The third sector, including link workers will have a key role to play in this, signposting people to local community resources such as peer support, and helping them manage their own conditions.

A £15 million Mental Health Innovation Fund to support better access to CAMHS and to develop innovative approaches to delivering mental health services.

£1 million over 3 years to the Scottish Association of Mental Health to improve the physical health of those withmental health challenges.

£4.2 million over 4 years to test and develop the effectiveness of distress brief interventions to better support people in distress who turn to frontline services.

In the course of the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland explaining to the Scottish Government its proposed approach to the Fifth Reviews, Ministers expressed the view that they did not think there would be an appetite for an overall increase in councillor numbers across Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02867 on 30 September 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

When making recommendations for changes to the electoral arrangements for a local government area, the Commission must act in accordance with Section 13 and Schedule six of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Section 13 states that the Commission may make proposals for effecting changes that appear to the Commission desirable in the interests of effective and convenient local government, while Schedule 6 sets out rules to be observed by the Commission in considering electoral arrangements. Subject to those provisions, the choice of criteria to use in conducting such reviews is a matter for the Commission. The Commission has published a Guidance Booklet setting out its approach to the Fifth Reviews of Electoral Arrangements, which can be found on the Commission’s website at http://www.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk/includes/downloadfile.asp?file=/reviews/5th_electoral/01_resources/Guidance_booklet.pdf.

Schedule six to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 sets out rules to be observed by the Scottish Government or the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland in considering the electoral arrangements for election of councillors for local government areas. Within that context, in reaching decisions on the recommendations submitted by the Commission for each of Scotland's 32 local authority areas following the Commission's Fifth Reviews of local government electoral arrangements the Scottish Government considered the representations received by the Commission as well as those representations made directly to the Government.

The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland kept the Scottish Government informed of the Commission's progress in conducting its Fifth Reviews of local government electoral arrangements up to the Commission's submission to Ministers of its final recommendations. The Scottish Government did not have any discussions with the Commission specifically relating to councillor numbers for Argyll and Bute.

Correspondence between Ministers and the Chair of the Local Government Commission for Scotland regarding the Commission's Fifth Reviews of Electoral Arrangements have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 58220)

The Scottish Government is currently gathering evidence to monitor and assess the socioeconomic effect of marine protected area (MPA) management using the following methods:

(a) interviews representatives of various marine user groups;

(b) Marine Scotland compliance enforcement activities;

(c) analysis data on fish landings since introduction of MPA management measures; and

(d) case studies of selected coastal communities.

The Scottish Government will provide a first report at the end of 2016.

It is generally accepted that existing inshore fisheries legislation is somewhat outdated and emanates from legislating dating from 1967 and 1984. Discussions with key stakeholders will be required ahead of any formal work commencing, to help ascertain where improvements may be considered.

As set out in the Programme for Government on 6 September 2016, the Government intends to bring forward an Islands Bill in the first year of the new parliamentary session. One of the measures that will be included in that Bill for consideration will be a provision to give the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland greater flexibility to review local government electoral arrangements within island communities, which would enable the creation of one or two member wards covering islands.