Recruitment and training of registered mental health professionals is a matter for employers such as NHS boards and Local Authorities. These bodies make informed decisions about recruiting counsellors and psychotherapists or training new mental health practitioners, according to the needs of local service providers and working with relevant professional bodies. The Scottish Government expects employers to apply standards and frameworks which are appropriate to the specialism being recruited for.

In September 2023, we published Mental Health Core Standards, initially applying to adult secondary mental health services. These outline national expectations to boards regarding staffing levels and appropriate skills.

The WFWF budget has not been adjusted for inflation. Rather, we are taking funding decisions based on evidence and engagement with our partners about need, and our collective understanding about how to support transformational change. We have continued to prioritise the £50m funding for Whole Family Wellbeing to maintain the programme of activity which has been established across Children’s Services Planning Partnerships. This maintains our multi-year commitment of £32m to transform holistic family support services in communities.

We recognise that further support is required to sustain positive change beyond the lifetime of this funding. We continue to evaluate and listen to our partners to understand the realities of delivering our shared ambitions and intended outcomes for children, young people and families in practice.

The topic of Scottish independence was not discussed.

I confirmed with David McAllister the current position on holding another independence referendum following the supreme court ruling on the subject.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-29084 on 26 August 2024. 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.

The topic of Scottish independence was not discussed.

The topic of Scottish independence was not discussed.

The next Social Housing Net Zero Heat Quarterly Report will be published in October and will update on the fund’s progress over Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 of this financial year.

Alasdair Allan: Currently, there is no date set for the next funding checkpoint of the Social Housing Net Zero Heat Fund. When a date has been set it will be communicated to stakeholders through the fund website and stakeholder channels.

Jenni Minto: The Scottish Government recognises certain groups of patients for whom the use of dental amalgam has been specifically contra-indicated in the European Union’s 2018 Minimata Convention on Mercury. As a result, resin composite fillings are available for the restoration of molar teeth in patients under 15 years of age, pregnant or breast-feeding women and those who have specific medical conditions that contraindicate the use of dental amalgam.

For all other patient groups, where there are no contra-indications, dental amalgam remains the first line treatment material for fillings in molar teeth. As the primary focus of NHS General Dental Services in Scotland is to provide care to maintain the oral health of patients, it is essential that the service is able to provide an evidence-based package of care which meets clinical requirements while also providing value for money, and the continued use of dental amalgam remains an essential element to meeting these goals.