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Will the police be able to implement that, or is there a cost implication?

You said in your opening statement that all organisations are supportive of bringing in trauma-informed practices. Those organisations have highlighted all the issues that we have highlighted, so would the money not be better spent on fixing the things that we already know are wrong? The money is going to have to come from somewhere.

Earlier, you said that the role will provide a statutory mechanism for the voices and experiences of victims to be heard. You also said that it would give them an independent voice and champion and that it would monitor compliance. However, there are already many groups and organisations out there that could perform that same function. Rape Crisis Scotland, Victim Support and Scottish Women’s Aid have all expressed concern that funding for the commissioner should not take funding from the front-line services that they provide. In the Finance and Public Administration Committee concern was also expressed that

“it is becoming regarded as a casual thing to suggest and implement the establishment of another commissioner, despite it being an expensive extension of our public sector.”—[Official Report, Finance and Public Administration Committee, 10 January 2023; c 20.]

We all know that finances are finite. We will have to find the money from somewhere. Where is the money coming from? Can you guarantee that it will not be taken from existing front-line services?

I would ask you more on that issue but there will be questions later on funding, so we will come back to that.

Thank you for that—there are lots of points to consider.

Good morning. I want to ask a bit more about the current demand for mental health services. Where is that demand being felt the most among service providers, and how is unmet need being measured?

That is great—thank you. I ask Jo Anderson to come in.

What impact are the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis having on demand for mental health services, and how does that affect service delivery?

To go back to your previous comments, you mentioned confusing pathways and GPs being the main gateway, and in your response there you mentioned asking once and getting help fast. Do we have a robust enough system so that people know which pathways they can follow?

There is various funding available for groups. Once a group gets funding to help with mental health, are GPs made aware of it? Are GPs made aware of all the help that is funded by the Scottish Government so that they can offer those pathways?

Meriem Timizar is the co-ordinator for the International Women’s Group. If a doctor was struggling to get a translator for somebody from an ethnic minority, would they know to go to that group for help?

That will obviously have an impact on this year’s budget, so should that cost analysis not have been done already?