Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government published prison population health needs assessments for mental health and for substance use ( Prison population health needs: synthesis report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) and Prison population health needs: synthesis report - gov.scot (www.gov.scot) . These reports aim to provide stakeholders, including the SPS, with a better understanding of the health needs of the prison population and help align services to support people whilst in prison, along with their transition into and out of prison custody.

The SPS is currently working in partnership with mental health experts to co-produce a revised mental health strategy for those in custody.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-12811 on 12 December 2022. 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

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to Direct Debit membership prices, are best answered by Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.

While the Scottish Government awarded the £600 million R100 contracts to BT plc, the delivery timetable was determined by the successful bidder as part of the procurement process. Openreach, as the R100 contract delivery partner, is delivering the contract build in phases that have been designed to maximise efficiency and support wider network configuration.

Decisions about specific programmes or interventions for those who have committed offences are generally taken at a local level under the model of community justice introduced in 2017. Local authorities have significant autonomy to direct justice social work funding to deliver statutory justice services and meet local priorities aimed at reducing reoffending. Services are also commissioned through local partnerships such as Health and Social Care Partnerships, and priorities will be informed by local Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plans.

The funding of Turning Point Scotland’s 218 service pre-dates the implementation of the current community justice model, so central funding has been protected as part of the legacy arrangements for the last 5 years. The creation of any new services, however, would primarily be a matter for local areas to consider.

We currently invest over £119 million of ring fenced funding in community justice services, which includes community sentences and other interventions. The bulk of this funding – around £108 million – is distributed to local authorities for the delivery of justice social work services. The remaining £11 million is directed towards third sector organisations for the delivery of community justice related services. From the main funding, £1.5 million is specifically for bail services for women which is distributed across 32 local authorities.

An additional £50 million per annum over this Parliament is also allocated to support the National Mission to reduce drug deaths and harms. Of this an additional £20 million per year goes to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and the further £30 million supports grassroots initiatives, implementation of Medication Assisted Treatment Standards, and work with nationally funding organisations.

The Scottish Government supports the growth of commercial shipbuilding in Scotland and has welcomed the UK Government’s intention to introduce a Home Shipbuilding Credit Guarantee Scheme (HSCGS) as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh.

We look forward to the launch of the HSCGS and once the final details are known we will work with the industry to establish how best to utilise the scheme and maximise its potential to support the growth of commercial shipbuilding in Scotland.

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to the status of sites managed by Historic Environment Scotland and previously by Historic Scotland, are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.

Questions regarding day-to-day operational matters of Historic Environment Scotland, including information relating to Freedom of Information requests made to Historic Environment Scotland are best answered directly by Historic Environment Scotland.

I have asked Historic Environment Scotland to respond directly to the member with a full reply to his question in writing.

Our Delivering Equally Safe fund is providing £19m per year to support third sector organisations and public bodies to contribute to the objectives, priorities and outcomes of our Equally Safe Strategy. We recently published the first six-month report which outlines the impact that DES funded organisations are making. The report noted that almost 20,000 survivors were provided with emotional and practical support by DES funded projects and 22,500 people engaged in education and awareness raising sessions in its first six months. We have undertaken a range of activities to increase awareness of the work under Equally Safe highlighting through social media, mainstream news, radio and TV channels.

Further information on our 6-month reports and further reports which demonstrate specific themes that link to the Equally Safe strategy can be found at @DESFund and @ScotFairer Twitter handles.

Throughout 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, we have been utilising social and mainstream media outlets to add our voices to public messaging of key partners and stakeholders. Additionally, through parliamentary debates and our National Summit on violence against women and girls we are making our message clear: violence against women and girls has a devastating impact on individuals and society, and this is an issue for every day of the year not just these 16 days. We will continue to build on the momentum of 16 days and raise awareness of our Equally Safe strategy into 2023.

We also know the power of public awareness campaigns and have previously delivered successful public campaigns on specific issues, such as our campaign for coercive and controlling behaviour, and we will continue to consider opportunities to develop any necessary further campaigns.