Chamber and committees

We are clear that the welfare of NHS staff is critically important, every Health Board is required to have policies in place and to comply with national Partnership Information Network (PIN) polices on managing health at work, which includes mental health and wellbeing. The Scottish Government continues to support boards to actively address the sickness absence challenge. We are reviewing the NHSScotland Managing Health at Work and Promoting Attendance policies, to address underlying issues and ensure that supporting mechanisms are in place for staff.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde has a Mental Health Strategy and Stress at Work Policy which provides a policy platform for supporting staff who experience both work and non-work related mental health issues.

These welcome statistics show a further improvement in the oral health of children. More than three quarters (77%) of Primary 7 children now have no obvious tooth decay, compared with 59% a decade ago an improvement has been seen across the whole population.

This demonstrates that our programmes such as Childsmile are making a significant difference. We are determined to reduce oral health inequalities amongst children which is why we have recently expanded the Childsmile programme to even more deprived communities this year.

We are clear that the welfare of NHS staff is critically important, every Health Board is required to have policies in place and to comply with national Partnership Information Network (PIN) polices on managing health at work, which includes mental health and wellbeing. The Scottish Government continues to support boards to actively address the sickness absence challenge. We are reviewing the NHSScotland Managing Health at Work and Promoting Attendance policies, to address underlying issues and ensure that supporting mechanisms are in place for staff.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde has a Mental Health Strategy and Stress at Work Policy which provides a policy platform for supporting staff who experience both work and non-work related mental health issues.

We intend for the Oral Health Improvement Plan to be published by the end of the year.

The Scottish Government is aware of Spain’s written constitution and legal framework and has taken it into consideration in calling for dialogue between the Spanish and Catalan governments to identify a way forward to resolve a complex situation, which complies with the rule of law but also respects democracy and allows the people of Catalonia to choose their own future.

The Scottish Government has on-going dialogue with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) on the provision of support and information to victims of crime.

The Scottish Government contributed to the development of COPFS Family Liaison Charter which sets out how staff of the COPFS will liaise with bereaved families, including the families of road death victims. The Charter includes specific commitments to keep bereaved families informed about whether or not a fatal accident inquiry will be held and to offer meetings with families to discuss in more detail, if the family wishes.

It is important, however, to highlight the Lord Advocate’s position as the independent public prosecutor and that he has responsibility for setting prosecution policy.

The Scottish Government regularly engages with the Justice Committee regarding developments in victims and witnesses policy and procedure.

In September 2016, we wrote to the Justice Committee Clerk to draw members’ attention to the publication of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Family Liaison Charter. In accordance with section 8 of the Inquiries into Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths etc. (Scotland) Act 2016, the Charter sets out how staff of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will liaise with bereaved families, including the families of road death victims. The charter includes specific commitments to keep bereaved families informed about whether or not a fatal accident inquiry will be held and to offer meetings with families to discuss in more detail, if the family wishes.

The Scottish Government remains of the view that releasing such documents to families might not always be appropriate given the potentially distressing nature of the content.

The COPFS Family Liaison Charter outlines the information that COPFS undertakes to provide to bereaved families, including the families of road traffic collision victims, and the timeframes within which this information will be provided to families. The Charter was published in September 2016 and applies to any death reported to COPFS on or after 1 September 2016. It also applies to deaths reported earlier that 1 September 2016 if the bereaved family specifically ask COPFS for the Charter to apply.

In relation to “investigative” documents specifically, where a matter is being investigated and criminal proceedings are in contemplation, such documents will not be released to next of kin while investigations are on-going and while a prosecution is on-going, as the documents may ultimately be used as evidence in a criminal prosecution.

Once the prosecution has been concluded, or a decision has been made that there will be no prosecution, as a matter of practice, next of kin can in general obtain a copy of the post mortem report and the Collision Investigation Report, if they wish.

Next of kin will also be offered a meeting with COPFS at the conclusion of criminal proceedings to explain the outcome and to discuss any issues arising.

The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps in this regard.

We implemented section 6 of the 2014 Act in January 2015. This provides victims and witnesses with a new right to request information about the criminal investigation or proceedings in which they are involved. We worked closely with Police Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service to ensure the necessary operational procedures would be in place to facilitate victims accessing this right. These organisations have produced an Access to Information Protocol, to guide victims in requesting such information.

On 22 February 2016, we published a Victims’ Code, which clearly and simply sets out the rights of victims in one place, including the right to request certain information.

Most recently, our Justice Vision and Priorities: Delivery Plan 2017-18 published on 11 July 2017, included an action for justice partners to work with the third sector to create access to a single point of contact to provide support for victims and witnesses. Work has commenced, with a workshop held on 22 September 2017, bringing together representatives from across the criminal justice agencies and third sector.

The Scottish Government has called for dialogue between the Spanish and Catalan governments to identify a way forward which complies with the rule of law but also respects democracy and allows the people of Catalonia to choose their own future.

The Scottish Government has repeatedly made clear that it values the contribution of Spanish citizens living, working and studying in Scotland. We believe the rights of EU citizens should always be protected. This is further demonstrated by our consistent calls for the rights of EU citizens and their families in Scotland to be protected during Brexit negotiations to ensure they can continue to make a strong contribution to our country.