Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-19017

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 26 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the mental health needs of people with kidney disease, and what steps is it taking to meet any such needs.

Mental health remains an absolute priority for the Scottish Government, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone who needs support can get access to services that are appropriate to their needs. Through this approach we recognise that long-term conditions, such as kidney disease, can impact a person’s mental wellbeing. We encourage anyone struggling with their mental health and wellbeing to approach their clinical support team in the first instance, who can advise on appropriate support avenues. Information can also be found on the NHS Inform website and other online mental health and wellbeing support services.

We will shortly publish a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The Strategy will set out a long-term vision, and a set of outcomes, for the mental health and wellbeing of the population. We will subsequently publish a Delivery Plan to set out the work we will do over the coming years to make progress towards those outcomes, and set out how we will measure that progress.

This will include consideration on how the Strategy will set ambitions and actions to support people living with long term conditions. One of our key outcomes for the Strategy is to ensure people with mental health conditions, including those with co-existing health conditions, experience improved quality and length of life, free from stigma and discrimination

In order to achieve this, we will work with partners to develop actions that will see improved provision of services and support to people with long-term physical health conditions for their mental health and wellbeing.

In addition to this, the National Education Scotland and Scottish Government developed The Matrix: A Guide for Delivering Evidence-based Psychological Therapies in Scotland to support NHS Boards in planning the range, volume and quality of psychological therapies required to meet Scottish Government commitments. The Matrix is due to be refreshed in 2023 but already includes a section specifically on chronic kidney disease.

Question reference: S6W-19206

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 23 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what support it plans to put in place in light of a recent joint report by the University of Bristol and Cystic Fibrosis Trust, which found that the additional cost of living for people with cystic fibrosis is over £6,500 a year.

The Scottish Government recognises the pressure on household budgets which is why we have allocated almost £3bn to support policies which tackle poverty and to protect people as far as possible during the ongoing cost of living crisis. Ministers have committed to publishing an Immediate Priorities Plan to combat the effects the crisis continues to have on disabled people’s lives. A short life working group has been established to ascertain and agree the contents of the Immediate Priorities Plan with a view of publication this summer. The Scottish Government also supports the calls for a social tariff mechanism that would provide a much needed safety net for vulnerable consumers.

Question reference: S6W-17842

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will allow West Lothian IJB to retain some of its £10 million of COVID reserves, in light of reports that some social care services in West Lothian could be privatised due to a budget gap.

Most Integration Joint Board (IJB) reserves are earmarked for specific purposes, including the response to COVID-19, and cannot be used to fund other spending commitments. In 2022-23, surplus COVID-19 reserves were redistributed to meet COVID-19 costs across health and social care, whilst ensuring that IJBs continued to have sufficient funding to cover their COVID-19 costs.

Ultimately, it is for IJBs, including locally-elected representatives, to make informed decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.

Question reference: S6W-18739

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether it has received any Barnett consequential funding in relation to the UK Government's allocation of £63 million to leisure centres with swimming pools in England.

The financial package announced by the UK Government to support swimming pools in England has resulted in consequentials being added to the overall Scottish block.

The Scottish Government places great importance on swimming pools. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

We will continue to work with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and local government partners to consider what additional support can be provided to swimming pools and the wider sport and leisure sector in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02365

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the 2023-24 Budget on the ability of local authorities to keep sport and leisure facilities open to the public.

Question reference: S6W-18423

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 7 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with the UK Government regarding the introduction of new clauses 24 and 25 to the UK Illegal Migration Bill, which could reportedly lead to age assessments and mandatory medical assessments of any children being detained in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is clear that scientific age assessments have no place in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s Age assessment: practice guidance strongly advises against use of such techniques on child welfare grounds and their ability to accurately ascertain age.

Scottish Government Officials are engaging with the Home Office on their proposals to scientifically age assess unaccompanied asylum seeking children. In October 2022, Scottish Ministers wrote to the UK Government expressing serious concerns over the UK Government’s plans to introduce medical age assessments under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

The Scottish Government is clear that the UK Government’s cruel and inhumane Illegal Migration Bill should be scrapped immediately. The Scottish Parliament rejected the Bill during a debate on 25 April. In the debate, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice raised serious concerns about the ethical implications of subjecting children to scientific age assessments.

We continue to monitor the Bill closely as it is considered by the House of Lords.

Question reference: S6W-18225

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 2 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when community groups, which were previously funded by CashBack for Communities, will be informed if any cashback funding will be made available to local communities or youth groups between 2023 and 2026.

The CashBack for Communities fund is a unique programme that reinvests money recovered from the proceeds of crime to support young people across Scotland.

The 29 organisations that successfully applied for Phase 6 funding were notified about the award in March 2023. Four community groups that previously received indirect funding in Phase 5 were successful in applying for direct funding in Phase 6.

Other previously funded community and youth groups have been informed about the availability of continued funding through Phase 6. This information was circulated in March 2023 by the partners that previously supported groups in Phase 5.

Details of all the Phase 6 CashBack partners were announced on 13 March 2023 and are available on the CashBack for Communities website:

https://cashbackforcommunities.org/

Question reference: S6O-02344

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 June 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to fund traditional skills-based apprenticeships that lead to professional qualifications.

Question reference: S6W-18103

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any research or risk assessment informed its recent decision to withdraw the extended face mask and face covering measures across health and social care settings.

The Scottish Government has a robust process in place for creating, updating and removing COVID-19 guidance.

In April 2023, the Scottish Government commissioned Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI) Scotland to review the current evidence and provide an update on the epidemiology of COVID-19 in Scotland. This information supported Scottish Government to evaluate whether it was proportionate to maintain the face mask/ face covering guidance, to make changes to the guidance or to withdraw the guidance at this time. ARHAI’s review recognised that Scotland continues to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and recommended that the Scottish Government withdraw the extended face mask and face covering measures across health and social care settings.

This recommendation was supported by Scottish Government Professional Clinical Advisors in Infection, Prevention and Control (IPC).

The Scottish Government also has a Professional Advisory Group of experts from across the health and social care sectors who were asked to give their expert opinion on the recommendation to withdraw the guidance and were supportive of this change.

The Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Medical Officer, National Clinical Director and other Health and Social Care Directors were content with the advice based on the ARHAI Scotland review, the expert opinion of IPC and health and social care advisors, and consideration of the current pandemic context.

ARHAI Scotland, the Professional Advisory Group for health and social care, and clinical directors are all in agreement that it is appropriate to withdraw the extended use of face mask and face covering guidance. This withdrawal means reverting to pre-pandemic infection prevention and control guidance, which is current and long-standing, and outlines the appropriate personal protective equipment to wear in the instance of any respiratory infection.

Question reference: S6W-18056

Asked by: Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 30 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions it is having with the UK Government regarding tackling human trafficking in Scotland, in light of reports that human rights organisations have claimed that the Illegal Migration Bill will increase the likelihood of human trafficking.

The Scottish Government is clear that the UK Government’s cruel and inhumane Illegal Migration Bill should be scrapped immediately. The Bill will cause significant harm to victims of human trafficking. It will facilitate even greater control by perpetrators as a consequence of its provisions which restrict access to vital support and assistance and will likely deter victims from reporting their situation for fear of removal.

The Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture wrote to the UK Minister of State for Immigration on 9 March setting out our position and this was followed by a further letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice on 25 April.

The Scottish Parliament rejected the UK Bill during a debate on 25 April. We set out our intent to lodge a legislative consent memorandum on two clauses within the Bill which alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers. We will recommend that Parliament withhold legislative consent to these provisions. We continue to monitor the Bill closely as it is considered by the House of Lords.

Tell us your views

Seòmar agus comataidhean