- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown by (a) service and (b) NHS board of mental health spending in each financial year from 2016-17 to 2021-22, and, if it is the case that such data is not held, whether it will commit to improving data collation to enable the publication of such data by the end of the current parliamentary session.
Answer
Net mental health expenditure is published on the Public Health Scotland website Scottish health service costs under data files mental health expenditure Excel workbook. This information is available for financial years 2011-12 to 2021-22 for each NHS Board in Scotland, split by various types of expenditure including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), adult mental health services, and older adult mental health services. Please note that expenditure data is collected by broad specialties and therefore categories may include multiple ‘services’.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 14 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) measures and (b) tracks expenditure from its mental health budget.
Answer
The Scottish Government’s mental health budget is delegated to the Directorate for Mental Health within DG Health and Social Care. The Directorate manages the budget in line with the scheme of delegation as set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM).
In line with the SPFM, the Directorate monitor the propriety, regularity and accuracy of financial transactions to ensure they are effective and efficient on a monthly basis via the DG Health and Social Care budget monitoring process. Progress is assessed on a regular basis and there is regular engagement with stakeholders in receipt of funding.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding was allocated to the National Wellbeing Hub in the financial year (a) 2020-21 and (b) 2021-22.
Answer
The funding allocated to the National Wellbeing Hub was £141,759 in financial year 2020-21 and £203,362 in financial year 2021-22.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS boards to identify and deliver sustainable new uses for historic NHS-owned properties that are currently on the Buildings at Risk Register.
Answer
We are fully supportive of the need to properly maintain and invest in our existing estate. This is why we are committed to doubling our annual funding for maintenance over the capital spending review period. This means that we will invest around £1 billion in enhancing or refurbishing existing health facilities, and updating and modernising medical equipment that is essential for delivering high quality medical services. However, it is for NHS Boards locally, to determine how that resource will be invested and it is for them to decide how they will manage property on the Buildings at Risk Register.
The Scottish Government delivers support for the historic environment through sponsorship of Historic Environment Scotland. This support allows Historic Environment Scotland to publish advice and guidance on its website which enables the owners of traditional and historic properties in Scotland to make informed choices about the options available to them.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government how many post-foundation specialty training post vacancies for junior doctors in NHS Scotland have not been filled in each year since 2018.
Answer
The following table sets out how many training places were advertised per year from 2018-2022, the number of posts which filled successfully, the fill rate (%) and the number of unfilled posts.
| Advertised | Filled | Fill Rate | Unfilled |
2018 | 1,125 | 958 | 85% | 167 |
2019 | 1,096 | 1,015 | 93% | 81 |
2020 | 1,062 | 1,015 | 96% | 47 |
2021 | 1,088 | 1,020 | 94% | 68 |
2022 | 1,155 | 1,073 | 93% | 82 |
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to upgrade the technology available in schools to support children and young people with dyslexia and visual stress.
Answer
We want all children and young people, including those with dyslexia, to receive the support they need to reach their full potential. The Additional Support for Learning Act places duties on education authorities to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. We are committed to supporting teachers and school staff to meet these needs.
We have provided a range of free professional learning opportunities for teachers aimed at supporting practitioners to further develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in supporting learners with dyslexia, and reduce barriers to learning. This includes the Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit and identification pathway, launched in 2017, and the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice online professional learning modules, which enable staff to gain professional recognition in this area.
We are committed to ensuring that every child has access to a device by the end of this Parliament, in 2026. We are working with COSLA and local authorities to plan and deliver this programme, ensuring it meets the needs of all learners.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Ivan McKee on 7 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-14985 by Ivan McKee on 21 February 2023, what (a) action it is taking and (b) (i) research and (ii) industrial capacity currently exists in Scotland, to take advantage of any industrial opportunity presented by flexible and transparent electronics fabricated using two-dimensional semiconductors.
Answer
Scotland is home to several vibrant, growing and dynamic technology sectors, and the Scottish Government recognises their importance to our current and future economy. Our 10-year National Strategy for Economic Transformation seeks to strengthen Scotland’s position in new market opportunities, and specifically cites enabling technologies, like photonics and quantum, that have close links to the semiconductor industry. Our Technology Sector Export Plan will also develop the export capacity and capability of our enabling technologies sectors.
Scotland has considerable photonics expertise, being home to approximately 60 companies, and the only Fraunhofer Research Centre in the UK - the Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics. In December 2021, I announced £6.5m of funding to support the next phase of its applied photonics research and innovation activities. The development of our quantum sector is supported through institutions such as the University of Glasgow’s Quantum Technology Hub, while Technology Scotland have also established a Quantum Special Interest Group. The Group is currently drafting a paper, due to be published this year, setting out quantum technology ambitions for Scotland over the next decade.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15004 by Richard Lochhead on 23 February 2023, whether it will work with Glasgow City Council, the Glasgow City Region Cabinet and COSLA, to determine the feasibility of raising capital for the proposed Levelling Up Fund projects through the issuing of sub-sovereign bonds.
Answer
I appreciate the disappointment the Glasgow City Region will be experiencing following the UK Government’s decision not to support their bids for Levelling Up funding.
Any borrowing by local authorities, whether it’s through the public works loans board or through the issuance of bonds, is for local authorities to determine affordability themselves, subject to the conditions of their prudential borrowing regime.
However, any decisions to permit local authorities to issue bonds would require Ministerial consent. Ambitious investment strategies have led to financial insolvency in certain English local authorities and therefore this would require very careful consideration. My officials would be happy to discuss proposals with Glasgow City Council.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Kevin Stewart on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with its counterparts in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland regarding a UK-wide strategy to address levels of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders in the UK population.
Answer
There are currently no plans to develop a UK-wide Strategy on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). However, Scottish Government officials have made contact with Wales and Northern Ireland, and have met with counterparts in England regarding FASD policy We are also linking into international work and evidence in relation to FASD. We will continue to engage, and share learning and approaches.
The Scottish Government has funded Adoption UK (Scotland) to establish an FASD Hub in Scotland with the aim of providing support, training and advice to families, carers and professionals supporting children affected by FASD. This is the first of its kind within the UK. We also support a research, evidence and training base - the FAAST team at Edinburgh University.
- Asked by: Paul Sweeney, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2023
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Current Status:
Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 March 2023
To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it is having with (a) Scottish-based shipbuilding firms and (b) Shetland Islands Council to help ensure that the procurement exercise for a new roll-on, roll-off ferry for Fair Isle is responded to and won by a Scottish shipyard, in light of the UK Government's £27 million funding award for the project through its Levelling Up Fund.
Answer
The Scottish Government recognise the challenge for local authorities that have responsibility for ferries and welcomes all extra funding for Scotland. However, it is unacceptable for the UK Government to decide how money is spent in areas of devolved responsibility.
The Scottish Government actively engages with the shipbuilding industry, through individual companies and our enterprise and skills agencies. Transport Scotland has no role in the procurement of local authority ferries.