- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 18 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider including Glasgow Street Aid in its Resilience Room emergency and crisis response work.
Answer
Individual voluntary sector organisations are not routinely involved in Scottish Government Resilience Room meetings.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Neil Gray on 18 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider visiting the Glasgow Street Aid project to see its work providing care on the streets of the city centre.
Answer
There are no plans for a visit at this point time. The Scottish Government remains grateful to Glasgow Street Aid and other voluntary organisations who provide care and support across Scotland.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 17 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that Scotland's Railway engages with Tracey Investments Ltd and London & Scottish Property Investment Management Ltd on the potential to transform and integrate Charing Cross railway station in Glasgow as part of the proposed redevelopment of the adjacent Venlaw Building and Elmbank Gardens, as well as Tay House at 300 Bath Street.
Answer
The Scottish Government is aware that Network Rail has arrangements in place to assist other organisations to invest in appropriate developments around the railway estate. These arrangements are intended to facilitate beneficial third-party investment in the railway, and we continue to support the use of these by Scotland’s Railway.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Emma Roddick on 16 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to local authorities to ensure that adequate and accessible mental health support is available to asylum seekers in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government funds a range of action that supports mental health and wellbeing which is available to anyone living in Scotland, regardless of their residence status.
The Home Office is responsible for the provision of asylum accommodation and support, including the use of contingency hotels. People seeking asylum living in Scotland are entitled to access healthcare, including referral to mental health services.
Through our actions in our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and Delivery Plan and Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan, we will continue to tackle the underlying causes of mental health inequalities and how we can better support groups most at risk of poor mental health, including asylum seekers and refugees.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Emma Roddick on 16 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to recent reports that five asylum seekers living in hotels in Scotland have attempted suicide.
Answer
The Home Office is responsible for the provision of asylum accommodation and support, including the use of contingency hotels. The Scottish Government has consistently made clear to UK Government that hotels are not appropriate accommodation and we continue to be concerned about the effect prolonged stays in hotels have on people’s wellbeing.
People seeking asylum living in Scotland are entitled to access healthcare, including referral to mental health services. The Scottish Government funds a range of action that supports mental health and wellbeing which is available to anyone living in Scotland, regardless of their residence status.
Every suicide is a tragedy with a far-reaching impact on family, friends and the wider community. In implementing the Scottish Government and CoSLA’s suicide prevention strategy, Creating Hope Together, and its first 3-year Action Plan, we are working hard to tackle the inequalities that can lead to suicide and are prioritising communities and groups—including asylum seekers and refugees—with a heightened risk of suicide.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 16 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many people in each local authority area received support through services funded through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund in 2023, and what assessment it has made of the number of children, young people and family members in total that were supported.
Answer
According to reports provided by local authorities, the number of children, young people and family members accessing the funded Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services in each local authority area in the first half of 2023 was as follows (reports for the second half of 2023 are not due to be provided before May 2024):
Aberdeen City | 435 |
Aberdeenshire | 763 |
Angus | 208 |
Argyll and Bute | 5590 |
City of Edinburgh | 1036 |
Clackmannanshire | 536 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 821 |
Dundee City | 438 |
East Ayrshire | 1245 |
East Dunbartonshire | 262 |
East Lothian | 964 |
East Renfrewshire | 208 |
Falkirk | 1106 |
Fife | 7910 |
Glasgow City | 2649 |
Highland | 12,466 |
Inverclyde | 251 |
Midlothian | 233 |
Moray | 209 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 326 |
North Ayrshire | 3986 |
North Lanarkshire | 1683 |
Orkney Islands | 20 |
Perth and Kinross | 1288 |
Renfrewshire | 246 |
Scottish Borders | 5742 |
Shetland Islands | 183 |
South Ayrshire | 3191 |
South Lanarkshire | 2199 |
Stirling | 788 |
West Dunbartonshire | 418 |
West Lothian | 881 |
Total | 58,281 |
The services are focused on prevention and early intervention, and include supports for positive mental health and wellbeing as well as emotional distress. Local authorities determine which supports and services to implement on the basis of local need and in line with the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Framework.
Making sure that our children and young people can get the help they need for their mental health and wellbeing, when and where they need it, is a priority for the Scottish Government. It is reassuring that, in the first six months of last year alone, tens of thousands of children, young people and their family members were able to access support in their local communities through our £15 million per annum funding of these services.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 16 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider closing the M74 Junction 1 Kingston Interchange, in light of its reported duplication with the M8 Junction 21 at Seaward Street, and dispose of the large amount of land that its slip road to Paisley Road West takes up for residential/mixed-use development.
Answer
There is currently no reason for Transport Scotland officials to consider the closure of the M74 Junction 1 Kingston Interchange, which is likely to have significant adverse impacts on the wider local road network given the volume of traffic on the M74 and M8. A clear rationale for changes to the strategic transport network, such as this, need to emerge from a robust business case in line with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance and Transport Scotland's Guidance on the Development of Business Cases . If this change was for planning or land use change purposes, I would expect this to be initiated by Glasgow City Council.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Christine Grahame (on behalf of the SPCB) on 16 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider commissioning a Scottish Parliament wall shield plaque featuring the badge element of the Scottish Parliament's Corporate Identity and the official Scottish Parliament tartan, which could be available for MSPs to purchase as a presentational or gift item for sports matches, official visits and other such occasions.
Answer
We
have asked staff to include the idea in the next survey of products available
via our shop as a potential MSP only product branded with the Scottish
Parliament identity. Whilst the Member will be aware that MSPs are unable to
claim the cost of such gifts or awards under the Members’ Expenses Scheme as it
does not form part of their parliamentary duties, there is scope for MSPs to
personally choose to present and pay for such items. Initial research indicates
plaques are likely to be expensive hence we will research demand and supply
during next year’s survey.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Maree Todd on 16 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how many services for children, young people and their families in each local authority area have received funding from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.
Answer
According to plans submitted by local authorities, the number of Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services for children, young people and their families to have received funding in each local authority area is as follows:
| 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
Aberdeen City | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Aberdeenshire | 8 | 8 | 13 |
Angus | 4 | 6 | 7 |
Argyll and Bute | 6 | 7 | 6 |
City of Edinburgh | 24 | 29 | 29 |
Clackmannanshire | 6 | 7 | 5 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Dundee City | 14 | 11 | 10 |
East Ayrshire | 9 | 3 | 7 |
East Dunbartonshire | 5 | 12 | 7 |
East Lothian | 6 | 2 | 1 |
East Renfrewshire | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Falkirk | 3 | 9 | 7 |
Fife | 19 | 12 | 8 |
Glasgow City | 10 | 13 | 14 |
Highland | 9 | 14 | 62 |
Inverclyde | 2 | 6 | 7 |
Midlothian | 12 | 6 | 3 |
Moray | 4 | 1 | 3 |
Na h-Eileanan Siar | 3 | 4 | 6 |
North Ayrshire | 14 | 8 | 8 |
North Lanarkshire | 9 | 11 | 10 |
Orkney Islands | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Perth and Kinross | 4 | 13 | 21 |
Renfrewshire | 11 | 8 | 6 |
Scottish Borders | 5 | 10 | 15 |
Shetland Islands | 3 | 3 | 2 |
South Ayrshire | 6 | 16 | 15 |
South Lanarkshire | 9 | 12 | 12 |
Stirling | 8 | 17 | 7 |
West Dunbartonshire | 3 | 5 | 2 |
West Lothian | 8 | 6 | 5 |
Total | 235 | 273 | 311 |
As local authorities decide which supports and services to implement on the basis of locally-identified need in line with the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports and Services Framework, some areas have used the funding to establish one larger hub-based service while others have commissioned a range of smaller supports.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenni Minto on 15 April 2024
To ask the Scottish Government how much the fluoride varnish aspect of the Childsmile programme has cost in each of the last five financial years.
Answer
Funding provided to NHS Boards for the delivery of Childsmile covers the full programme, and we do not separate the cost of certain aspects of the programme, such as the fluoride varnish element.
My answer to the Member’s separate question (reference S6W-26265 on 15 April 2024) sets out how much the Scottish Government has spent on the Childsmile programme in the last five years.
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 .