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The Scottish Government intends to launch a public consultation on the Bill in the second half of 2023. We will confirm the exact dates of the consultation in due course.

The consultation will provide an opportunity for people across Scotland to express their views on policy options that could be included in the draft Bill, as well as on whether the Bill should establish a Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Commissioner.

A decision on the timing of the Bill’s introduction to Parliament will be taken by Cabinet in the context of setting the content of future legislative programmes.

We are taking all the action we can to help students overcome the issues they face through the cost of living crisis, including food insecurity.

No one should have to compromise on food or other essentials. We are supporting students directly by providing £16.8m in hardship funding for the current academic year to support Higher Education students experiencing financial hardship, in addition to tuition fees and a range of living cost support.

We have also provided £135m in student support for Further Education students attending college in the current academic year. Colleges can use these funds flexibly to meet demand across Further Education student bursaries, childcare and hardship funding.

The Scottish Government recently provided an additional £2.4 million funding for groups that can get vital support to people quickly – and with an emphasis on cash grants so that people can access food with dignity and choice.

We encourage anyone who is struggling financially to get advice through their local authority, a local advice service, or Social Security Scotland as well as visiting our cost of living website - www.gov.scot/news/accessing-help-for-cost-of-living

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of the semiconductor sector in a global context. We are privileged in Scotland to have a number of strong semiconductor companies, several of which I have had the pleasure to visit recently. I have also recently written to the BEIS Committee highlighting the strengths and capabilities of our semiconductor sector, in response to its recent semiconductor inquiry report.

Once the UK Semiconductor Strategy is published, we will assess how well it suits the needs of Scotland’s semiconductor industry. I would note that we have an extensive support infrastructure in place in Scotland to support innovation and flexibility in manufacturers. This includes the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS), backed by £75 million of Scottish Government investment. Its headquarters will open later this year. Our upcoming Innovation Strategy will also support the development of innovative sectors to meet global economic challenges.

We do not currently routinely require formal mental health and wellbeing impact assessments. However, we expect that careful consideration of any effects on mental health is a feature of the formulation of all new Government policy; and link across directorates to facilitate this.

The Mental Health Foundation has responded to the public consultation on the forthcoming Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy with a recommendation that all Government departments should consider how their policies impact mental health. We are carefully considering all consultation responses as we develop the new Strategy, due to be published in Spring 2023. The Strategy will be evidence-based, informed by lived experience, and underpinned by equality and human rights.

As part of a person-centred assessment, Mental Health professionals (e.g. mental health nurses, psychiatrists and psychologists) working in the NHS are skilled in discussing a wide range of factors that may impact a person’s mental health and wellbeing. This could include financial wellbeing where they will signpost to appropriate help or liaise with local services and/or local authority colleagues.

More specific training on financial wellbeing/inclusion takes place locally, as part of local initiatives and/or promoted through partnership approaches. This is a matter for local partnerships/health boards and as such this information is not held centrally.

We know that poverty is a key driver of poor mental health, and that those already struggling with poor mental health and money worries are likely to be amongst the hardest hit.

It is vital, therefore, that people can access the right practical advice and support to help them cope with the cost of living crisis and that this is accessible to everyone who needs it, in a range of formats.

Officials routinely engage with individual NHS Boards, providing a platform for Boards to openly discuss any particular pressures they are seeing with government. These meetings include discussion around the impact the cost of living is having on systems, referral rates and severity of presentations. This helps inform government policy around this issue, and is routinely escalated to Ministers. We also provide Boards with access to professional advice to manage any impacts the cost of living crisis has on services.

We have invested £36 million over 2021-22 and 2022-23 through our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults which seeks to address the mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic and the cost crisis. The Fund aims to build and develop capacity within community organisations and grass roots groups to support the mental health and wellbeing of individuals and has a particular focus on supporting at-risk groups including people facing socio-economic disadvantage. A range of community projects have been funded in 2021-22 which provide financial support and advice which can help provide a response to the cost crisis affecting communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government has also launched a dedicated Cost of Living portal, signposting to helpful information across a range of subjects including energy and bills; debt and money; children and families; and health and wellbeing. Cost of living crisis - Cost of Living Support Scotland (campaign.gov.scot) .

We recognise the need for a whole-government approach if we are to drive forward progress in reducing health inequalities.

The government is already involved in proactive, cross-portfolio discussions on what a ‘whole of government’ preventative approach might look like. Our Care and Wellbeing Portfolio is the principle strategic reform vehicle in Health and Social Care, which is being designed to promote a ‘health in all policies’ approach. The portfolio will shape and strengthen cross-government collaboration on key and critical issues that contribute to the goal of reducing health inequalities. As part of this, we have begun working with other programmes across the government including those relating to Child Poverty, the Promise, Economic Transformation, Climate Change and Net Zero.

The Scottish Government commissioned independent research into the steel sector in Scotland: this included consideration of the scope for Electric Arc Furnaces in Scotland. This report is available to read online and can be found here .

There will be opportunities through the ScotWind programme, which promises to be transformational in delivering wider economic supply chain benefits to help power Scotland’s green recovery in communities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise have also discussed the potential for an Electric Arc Furnace with Liberty Steel Dalzell. The Group continue to have Green Steel practices at the heart of their strategy to help ensure an economically and environmentally sustainable future for the business and industry.

Electric Arc Furnaces are large-scale ambitions that need large-scale solutions and will require significant private sector investment. We are encouraging any company interested in developing an Electric Arc Furnace to seek advice and support from their local Enterprise Agency.

The SPCB is pleased to be able to confirm that it is a member of Capital Credit Union. SPCB staff and staff employed by MSPs are reminded that they can make regular monthly deposits into their savings account directly through payroll and a link to the Capital Credit Union website is provided to all staff on the SPCB’s payslips platform.

The SPCB is committed to supporting staff with the cost of living and as part of a range of measures to support staff it is actively working with Capital Credit Union and Work and Save Scotland to develop a range of resources designed to promote the benefits of credit union membership.  Further details will be shared with SPCB staff and MSP staff in due course.