- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will list each occasion that Scottish Enterprise met with Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park at which the Flamingo Land Lomond Banks planning application was discussed.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I have asked their Chief Executive, Adrian Gillespie, to contact you directly with a response.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on dementia services by each Integration Joint Board (IJB) in each financial year from 2020-21 to 2024-25, and what the notional budget is for 2025-26.
Answer
As it is integration authorities and locally elected representatives who are responsible for making decisions on how best to deliver services to local communities, the Scottish Government would not be appropriately placed to provide an accurate figure on spend specific to dementia services by each Integration Joint Board (IJB) since 2020-21.
The 2025-26 budget for Health and Social Care provides record funding of £21.7 billion and whilst service delivery remains the responsibility of receiving partnerships, the Scottish Government has continued its investment of £3.5 million per annum, to be used to enhance access to dementia Post-Diagnostic Support services. This funding is allocated in accordance with the standard NRAC formula and thereafter each IJB will receive delegated funds from the relevant Health Board.
Commissioned by the Scottish Government, the 2025-26 independent evaluation of dementia Post-Diagnostic Support will work closely with Health and Social Care Partnerships and those with lived experience to evidence the value and impact of Post-Diagnostic Support to date, helping to inform future policy, service planning and practice.
This is one of a number of strands of work being undertaken to improve the dementia experience, and people’s access to appropriate services and supports. As part of the first 2-Year Delivery Plan for the Dementia Strategy for Scotland, we have aimed to:
Increase access to support following a diagnosis. That includes investment of £4.35m this year to increase direct support to dementia community groups and settings across Scotland, and to continue efforts to increase the number of people who benefit from our commitment to 12 months’ Post-Diagnostic Support.
Build the understanding and evidence we need to make the changes necessary to improve people’s dementia experience. That includes working with research, academia and national partners to build a comprehensive understanding of who is providing them care and support (and the skills and education they need), enhancing the data we have on how many people are living with a diagnosis and accessing support, and commissioning evaluations on future service delivery.
Challenge people’s preconceptions of dementia. That includes a national Rethink Dementia campaign that saw over 73% of those engaged commit to continue to be there for those in their lives receiving a diagnosis, and how this can help them stay well for longer, and taking forward efforts to understand how we can promote the link between healthier lifestyles and reducing your dementia risk.
- Asked by: Ash Regan, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Alba Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the UN defining any formal marriage or informal union between a child under the age of 18 and an adult, or another child, as child marriage, whether it is considering increasing the minimum age for marriages and civil partnerships in Scotland to 18, and, if so, what work it has already carried out on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to consulting on whether we should legislate to raise the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership to 18 from 16. We will also consult on whether to legislate to extend the existing forced marriage or forced civil partnership offence so that any conduct with the intention of causing a person under 18 to marry or enter a civil partnership would be a criminal offence, including where there is no evidence of coercion.
The consultation will also seek views on other aspects of family and succession law, as set out in the answer to question S6W-23651 on 7 December 2023.
We anticipate the consultation will be published later this year.
The consultation will be accompanied by a range of relevant draft impact assessments, including draft Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments and draft Equality Impact Assessments.
As part of our considerations on the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership, we have engaged with a wide range of organisations and interested individuals in order to gather views and evidence. I refer the member to the answers to S6W-16048 on 5 April 2023 and S6W-19070 on 29 June 2023 for further information on who we have met with.
We will consider the consultation responses as we reach decisions on our next steps on the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership.
All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Siobhian Brown on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019, including whether it is aware of any data setting out (a) the views of children and families on the impact of the Act, (b) the views of professionals with responsibility for child protection on the impact of the Act, (c) whether the Act has led to an increase in referrals of families to social work or other family support services, and (d) whether the Act has led to an increase in parental prosecutions for assault.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not yet carried out an assessment of the impact of the Children (Equal Protection from Assault) Scotland Act 2019.
The Implementation Group for the Act continues to meet on a yearly basis. Minutes of these meetings are at: Children (Equal Protection From Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019 implementation group - gov.scot.
We are not aware of any data on the views of children and families on the impact of the Act itself. However, the Policy Memorandum for the Bill which became the 2019 Act summarised information on the incidence of physical punishment and on children and young people’s views of physical punishment. Please see Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill Policy Memorandum (paragraphs 46 to 51).
On the views of professionals, the Scottish Government is aware of a recent open letter by a range of health bodies calling for the removal of the “reasonable punishment” defence in England: Thirteen leading public health organisations call on Government to outlaw physical punishment | RCPCH.
The Scottish Government does not have data on changes in relation to the number of referrals to social work or other family support services. The Child Protection Statistics for Scotland only started including data on inter-agency referral discussions (IRDs) from 2023-24: Children’s Social Work Statistics: Child Protection 2023-24 - gov.scot In any event, the reasons for IRDs taking place are varied.
Data on the number of people convicted for common assault as a main charge is available at criminal-proceedings-scotland-2022-23-main-tables.xlsx (see table 4b). If there are multiple charges proven against an accused in a single proceeding, the main charge is the crime or offence receiving the most severe penalty. The data is not split to show whether the person being prosecuted is a parent: this information is not held in the Criminal Proceedings data. The figures for 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 are likely to reflect the impact of the pandemic and should not be considered indicative of longer-term trends.
Information on crimes recorded by the Police is available at Recorded+Crime+-+2024-25+-+Bulletin+tables.xlsx (see table A1 for information on common assault). Again, this does not show information on whether a person recorded as committing a crime is a parent.
- Asked by: Stephen Kerr, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many older people are currently on waiting lists for a social care assessment.
Answer
Information on the number of individuals awaiting a social care assessment is published monthly by Public Health Scotland (PHS) and is available at: Dashboard - People requiring a social care assessment and care at home services.
Public Health Scotland does not collect demographic details such as age, as the data is aggregated and cannot be broken down by individual characteristics.
- Asked by: Sharon Dowey, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is regarding the new Police Scotland Interim Guidance - Searching of transgender persons and searching by transgender police officers and police staff, including that transgender detainees can ask for a separate area search, meaning that one half of their body will be searched by one biological sex officer and the other half of their body will be searched by a different biological sex officer.
Answer
The Scottish Government accepts the recent Supreme Court judgment on the definition of sex in the Equality Act 2010 and expects all public bodies, including Police Scotland, to comply fully with their legal duties. The Scottish Government is aware of Police Scotland’s interim guidance, which broadly follows the interim guidance issued by the National Police Chief’s Council. While operational decisions rest with the Chief Constable, all search practices must be lawful, respectful, and uphold the dignity of individuals.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-38220 by Maree Todd on 17 June 2025, what analysis it has carried out of whether missing data may reflect a failure to fulfil the legal obligations set out in section 298 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, and, in the event that these legal obligations are not being fulfilled, what action the Scottish Government plans to take to address this.
Answer
Section 298 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 sets out a legal obligation on Police Scotland to notify the Mental Welfare Commission of instances when a relevant person is removed to a place of safety under section 297 of this Act. The Commission is working with Police Scotland to improve compliance in this area.
- Asked by: Ariane Burgess, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Gillian Martin on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in relation to reports of land being sold at auctions as investment or lifestyle plots, despite being situated on crofting, arable or protected land, such as the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Achnabobane.
Answer
Owners and occupiers of land within an SSSI must apply to NatureScot for consent to carry out certain operations. When a planning application is submitted in relation to a development that may affect an SSSI, the planning authority must consult NatureScot and take its advice into account. Should any proposed future use of land require planning permission, that would be a matter for the planning authority to consider under relevant planning legislation and policy.
We are continuing to progress a Nature Conservation Order to prevent further damage to the Parallel Roads of Lochaber Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as per the answer to question S6W-37759 on 30 May 2025.
- Asked by: Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to draw on already-qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, who are not currently practising, to reduce any long waiting times for psychological therapies.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of timely access to psychological therapies and continues to work with NHS Boards to reduce waiting times. We are taking forward targeted actions to expand the mental health workforce by making better use of qualified counsellors and psychotherapists who are currently not in practice. In collaboration with key partners, we are developing practical measures to support these professionals to return to the workforce. This includes exploring flexible employment opportunities, providing access to professional supervision, and ensuring alignment with the needs of mental health services. These efforts are part of our wider investment in workforce development and contribute directly to the implementation of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Workforce Action Plan. Workforce planning and service delivery are led locally, aligned with national frameworks and informed by local need.
The Scottish Government has provided substantial investment since the pandemic to help clear backlogs and to implement the Specification, leading to a 31.7% growth in the psychological therapies' workforce since March 2021.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 June 2025
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom Arthur on 4 July 2025
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S6W-38221 and S6W-38222 by Marie Todd on 17 June 2025, whether its answer means that fewer than five people under 18 have been subject to a place of safety order in each of the last five years, and, if this is not the case, in which of the last five years there were more than five people under 18 who were made subject to a place of safety order.
Answer
The Mental Welfare Commission publish an annual monitoring report on the use of the Mental Health Act which breaks down the percentage of individuals subject to a place of safety order by age. The publication does not provide the number of people subject to a place of safety order by age.
The requested information is not held by the Scottish Government. As it is a matter for the Mental Welfare Commission, you may wish to contact them directly at: [email protected].
