Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-31044

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2024
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress each NHS board has made on developing and introducing a multi-agency assessment system for child and adolescent mental health services, as called for in recommendation six of the 2018 report, Rejected Referrals Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

As with all services for children and young people, CAMHS and the community mental health and wellbeing services work within the context of a multi- agency system and the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) model and principles. At the heart of the GIRFEC process is an assessment of need and creation of a single child’s plan. The meeting at which the joint (multi-agency and multi professional) plan is agreed is called The Child’s Plan meeting. Anyone involved with the child or young person can call a Child’s Plan meeting, and all relevant children’s services and others are involved.

Question reference: S6W-30826

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to The Brain Tumour Charity’s report, Understanding the barriers to diagnosis of brain tumours in Scotland, whether it is aware of any steps that have been taken to implement the report's recommendations on assessing the viability of a diagnostic/triage tool in remote and rural settings.

There are no diagnostic tools, such as blood tests, currently available in NHS Scotland to assess brain tumours in primary care.

However, the new Headache Referral pathway can be used as a triage tool across Scotland based on presentation at General Practice. The pathway lists red flag symptoms that indicate the need for urgent and/or emergency assessment to exclude a secondary cause, such as a brain tumour, and is suitable for use within remote and rural settings.

Further to this, the National Centre for Remote and Rural Health and Care (NCRRHC) was launched in October 2023. The Centre is working in an efficient, innovative way with health and social care providers that serve all of Scotland’s remote, rural and island populations, aiming to improve the capability and sustainability of primary and community care-based service delivery.

Question reference: S6W-30825

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 14 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what steps are being taken to improve (a) diagnosis and (b) outcomes for people with brain tumours.

Through our 10-year cancer strategy, the Scottish Government continues to have a focus on the less survivable cancers, including brain tumours, and improving their outcomes. We will assess the suitability of any new diagnostic tests specifically for brain tumours as the evidence develops.

The Scottish Government is taking various actions to help ensure the right patient is on the right pathway at the right time, and they receive an appropriate diagnosis as early as possible. These actions include:

A clinical review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer
Publication of a new Headache Referral pathway, which lists red flag symptoms that indicate the need for urgent and/or emergency assessment to exclude a secondary cause, such as a brain tumour
Publication of a Clinical Management Pathway for adult brain tumours, to ensure consistency, equity of treatment and care, and improve outcomes across Scotland.

Brain cancer is one of 11 priority testing pathways with Scottish Government funding provided to NHS National Services Division (NSD) in 2023 to commission enhanced genomic testing for patients with brain cancer in Scotland. NSD are working with the laboratory service on an implementation plan for this testing.

Question reference: S6F-03538

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 November 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that its spending on private consultants has almost doubled in the space of five years.

Question reference: S6O-03902

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 November 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding cross-border machinery theft in rural areas, including the Scottish Borders.

Question reference: S6W-30623

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many of its employees have been paid a salary of at least (a) £100,000, (b) £150,000 and (c) £200,000 in each financial year since 2000-01.

The pay framework for the Senior Civil Service (SCS) is reserved to the UK Government. The level of the basic pay increase to be applied to SCS staff each year is set by the UK Government in response to recommendations made by the Senior Salaries Review Body, and which the Scottish Government are required to comply with.

From 2017 onwards, the Scottish Government has published details of Senior Civil Servants who are paid a salary of over £100,000. The Cabinet Office have also published the salaries of ‘high earners’, which are those who are paid a salary of £150,000 and higher, since 2010.

Unfortunately, the Scottish Government does not hold any information on senior staff salaries prior to 2009-10, as this information was published by neither Scottish Government nor Cabinet Office. Between 2009-10 and 2012-13, only information on those earning £150k and over is available, based on information published by Cabinet Office. The Scottish Government now has a rigorous publication schedule in place to ensure that senior salaries are published each year.

Year	£100,000 to £149,999	£150,000 to £199,999	£200k upwards
2009-10	NA	3	0
2010-11	NA	1	0
2011-12	NA	1	0
2012-13	NA	1	0
2013-14	11*	1	0
2014-15	13*	1	0
2015-16	15*	1	0
2016-17	14	1	0
2017-18	13	1	0
2018-19	14	2	0
2019-20	31**	2	0
2020-21	38**	2	0
2021-22	38**	3	0
2022-23	52**	2	0
2023-24	76**	1	1

*Data marked with an asterisk is historic data that precedes published information, and has been retrieved for the purposes of this PQ. We do not maintain records of data older than what is already provided.

**The increase in the number of staff in receipt of a salary of £100,000 or more from 2019-20 onwards reflects the application of annual pay awards which are set by the UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-30622

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2024
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 29 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) permanent and (b) other staff, as defined in its consolidated accounts, it has had in each financial year from 2000-01 to 2023-24, also broken down by portfolio.

The accounts are published and available for download on the Scottish Government website for the financial years 2015-16 to 2023-24:

2023-24 (page 89) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2024/

2022-23 (page 109) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2023/

2021-22 (page 100) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2022/

2020-21 (page 95) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2021/

2019-20 (page 63) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-2019-2020/

2018-19 (page 55) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2019/

2017-18 (page 44) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2018/

2016-17 (page 41) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-year-ended-31-march-2017/

2015-16 (page 46) https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-government-consolidated-accounts-2015-16/

The accounts prior to 2015-16 are not published online, with information back to 2004-05 held within Scottish Government electronic records. Years prior to 2004-05 are not held.

Tables showing staff numbers by portfolio, in line with the published accounts, for the years 2004-05 to 2014-15 have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. Number 65408).

Question reference: S6O-03876

Asked by: Rachael Hamilton, MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 31 October 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on how many genders there are.

Question reference: S6W-30122

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 much funding has been provided to community-based mental health and wellbeing support and services in the Scottish Borders since 2020, broken down by (a) year and (b) project.

The Scottish Government has provided funding to community-based mental health and wellbeing support services for children, young people and their families in the Scottish Borders since 2020. This is broken down into:

2019-20	£62,500
2020-21	£82,250
2021-22	£329,000
2022-23	£334,000
2023-24	£335,000
2024-25	£338,000
Total	£1,480,750

A further breakdown of this funding by project is not available as this is a matter for Scottish Borders Council, and the Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.

In addition, residents of the Scottish Borders have also benefitted from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults which was established in 2021. The funding is for grassroot community-based projects supporting mental health and wellbeing and is distributed through the Third Sector Interface Network.

In the first three years of the Fund, Scottish Borders (Borders Community Action) have received more than £1,778,000.00 of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults to distribute to grass root projects. The breakdown of the annual grants can be found below:

Year 1 (2021-22)	£1,133,848.47*
Year 2 (2022-23)	£321,858.00
Year 3 (2023-24)	£322,909.32

*Scottish Borders received £318,924.96 plus a further £814,918.51 from the additional £6 million funding made available nationally, totalling £1,133,848.47

A list of the projects funded in Year 1 and 2 can be found on the Scottish Government website at:

Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund Projects awarded funding in Year 1 2021/2022 (www.gov.scot)

Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults - Projects awarded funding in Year 2 - 2022/2023 (www.gov.scot)

A list of funded projects in the Scottish Borders in Year 3 has not yet been published but can be found in the following table.

Organisation Name	Name of Project	Funding Awarded
Allanbank Arts, Social Enterprise	Berwickshire community arts and information project	£5,630.00
Borders Additional Needs Group	ASN Peer Hubs Parents	£26,774.00
Borders Disability Sport	Physical Activity Intervention for Adults with Disability	£45,413.00
Central Borders Citizens Advice Bureau	CAB Wellbeing Project	£10,668.00
Clubsport Borders	Headstrong - Evolution	£15,500.00
Duns Senior Citizens Club	Summer Trip to Eyemouth + Meal	£600.00
Gavinton Village Hall Association	Gavinton Village Hall Hearing Loop & Caster	£4,388.00
Greener Peebles	Greener Wellbeing	£25,520.00
Innerleithen, Traquair & Walkerburn Parish Church of Scotland	3 Communities Craft & Chat	£5,600.00
Interest Link Borders	New Learning Disabilities Groups 2024	£8,965.00
Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham Community Council	Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham Community Council	£2,709.00
LGBT Youth Scotland	LGBT Youth Scotland - Scottish Borders	£31,300.00
Nature Unlimited CIC	Thrive in Nature	£20,088.00
Nature Unlimited CIC	Connect in Nature	£8,998.00
Nomad Beat	Recollective	£4,955.00
Outside the Box Development Support Ltd	Borders Queer Chosen Families (working title)	£17,049.00
ParentSpace (SCIO)	Getting it Right for Every Parent	£9,996.00
Peebles Old Parish Church of Scotland	Grand Hands, Hearts & Minds	£7,200.00
PMH Borders	Funding for Counsellor	£14,560.00
Quarriers	Quarriers - Breaking Down Barriers	£36,429.00
Recovery Coaching Scotland CIC	Recovery Coaching - Self Coaching - Additional Support for Learning Group	£17,339.00

Question reference: S6W-30119

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 what community-based mental health and wellbeing support and services, not including child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), are available to young people in the Scottish Borders.

In 2024-25, the following community-based mental health and wellbeing supports and services are available to children and young people in the Scottish Borders Council area through its share of the £15 million per annum funding provided to local authorities by the Scottish Government:

Quarriers – Wellbeing Service

Togetherall

Kooth

Action for Children – BAME Support

Action for Children – Support for Young Carers

LGBT Youth Scotland

One Step Borders

Children 1st – Trauma Work

Seasons for Growth

Young people aged 16 and over can also access grassroots community-based projects to support their mental health and wellbeing provided through the Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults, which has distributed £51 million over three years through the Third Sector Interface Network. A list of the projects funded in the Scottish Borders in 2023-24 has not yet been published but can be found in the following table.

Allanbank Arts, Social Enterprise – Berwickshire Community Arts and Information Project

Borders Additional Needs Group – ASN Peer Hubs Parents

Borders Disability Sport – Physical Activity Intervention for Adults with Disability

Central Borders Citizens Advice Bureau – CAB Wellbeing Project

Clubsport Borders – Headstrong, Evolution

Duns Senior Citizens Club – Summer Trip to Eyemouth and Meal

Gavinton Village Hall Association – Hearing Loop and Caster

Greener Peebles – Greener Wellbeing

Innerleithen, Traquair & Walkerburn Parish Church of Scotland – 3 Communities Craft & Chat

Interest Link Borders – New Learning Disabilities Groups 2024

Leitholm, Eccles and Birgham Community Council

LGBT Youth Scotland – Scottish Borders

Nature Unlimited CIC – Thrive in Nature

Nature Unlimited CIC – Connect in Nature

Nomad Beat – Recollective

Outside the Box Development Support Ltd – Borders Queer Chosen Families (working title)

ParentSpace (SCIO) – Getting it Right for Every Parent

Peebles Old Parish Church of Scotland – Grand Hands, Hearts & Minds

PMH Borders – Funding for Counsellor

Quarriers – Breaking Down Barriers

Recovery Coaching Scotland CIC – Recovery Coaching, Self-Coaching, Additional Support for Learning Group

We do not hold information on 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.

Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are funded and delivered separately.

Chamber and committees