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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-25511

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment in its 2017-18 Programme for Government to recruit more than 80 additional counsellors in further and higher education over the next four years, whether it will confirm how many have been recruited to date.

The Scottish Government is investing around £20 million, to provide more than eighty additional counsellors in Further and Higher Education over the next four years, starting this academic year (2019-20).

This is the first year of delivering our Programme for Government commitment which will see colleges and universities recruit and make arrangements for enhanced counsellor provision across Scotland. We will work closely with the Scottish Funding Council to monitor the delivery of this commitment on a quarterly basis throughout the academic year.

Question reference: S5W-25510

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what the size is of the first tranche of new school counsellors that is referred to in its 2019-20 Programme for Government.

We have been working in partnership with local authorities to ensure delivery of the school counsellors commitment and have agreed a distribution model for funding to local authorities and a set of aims and principles to implement the service in this academic year. As part of the partnership with local authorities, each authority is empowered to determine how it will deliver the commitment to best suit the children and young people in its area, including the recruitment of counsellors. The Programme for Government commitment will be met in full by September 2020.

Question reference: S5W-25508

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25091 by Jeane Freeman on 18 September 2019, how many of the additional 268 mental health worker recruits are community link workers.

For the development of Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy, Community Link Workers were discounted for inclusion in this funding stream. This is because we also committed to delivering 250 Community Link Workers over the life of this Parliament.

As part of the Reporting Framework for Action 15 therefore, Community Link Workers are currently not listed as being recruited for through this commitment.

The member is aware however that in respect of delivering 250 Community Link Workers, good progress is being made in this regard and as of September 2019, there are 112 of them now in post.

Question reference: S5W-25509

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its commitment in its 2016-17 Programme for Government to recruit up to 250 community link workers to work in GP surgeries by the end of the parliamentary session, whether it will confirm how many have been recruited to date, also broken down by the number recruited by health and social care partnerships.

As at September 2019, we know there are 112 Community Link Workers now in post. Based on current returns we assess that we remain on track to meet the 250 commitment by 2021-22.

The current breakdown of numbers are:

Health Board	Health and Social Care Partnership	Community Link Worker #
Ayrshire & Arran	North Ayrshire	6
Ayrshire & Arran	East Ayrshire	3
Ayrshire & Arran	South Ayrshire	4
Grampian	Aberdeen City	19
Grampian	Moray	8
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	Glasgow City	17
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	Inverclyde	7
Greater Glasgow & Clyde	Renfrewshire	15
Lothian	East Lothian	3
Lothian	Edinburgh City	16
Lothian	Midlothian	10
Orkney	Orkney Islands	2
Shetland	Shetland	2

Question reference: S5W-25507

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the differences between how the issue is addressed in its 2019-20 Programme for Government from that in 2018-19, whether it remains its commitment to have an additional 250 school nurses either in training or in place by 2022.

Question reference: S5W-25513

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5M-23922 by Clare Haughey on 2 July 2019, in light of the minister's comment that "planning around the workforce is evolving and can change for a variety of reasons", whether it its target to recruit 800 additional mental health workers by the end of the session remains in place.

As of 1 July 2019, 268 additional mental health workers have already been recruited under this commitment.

Through the quarterly reporting framework agreed with Integration Authorities, we continue to gather information about local planning to ensure over 800 additional mental health workers are in place by 2022.

The next quarterly update will be available in November 2019. This information will also be published on the Scottish Government website via the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/mental-health-workers-quarterly-performance-reports/

Question reference: S5W-25512

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what qualifications are required to become a (a) community link worker, (b) school counsellor and (c) school nurse.

While there are no specific qualifications required, Community Links Workers must have the appropriate skills to help patients to navigate and engage with wider community services, therefore helping to improve patient health and well-being, tackling health inequalities and reducing pressure on general practice. Community Link Workers will have experience of working with communities and third sector organisations.

School counsellors funded through the 2018 Programme for Government commitment require training and qualification to a national professional standard, such as British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA).

Qualified School Nurses are educated at MSc degree level with an academic award of Post Graduate Diploma and on successful completion are eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse – School Nurse.

Question reference: S5W-25055

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 August 2019
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government when section 29 of the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019 will come into effect.

The Scottish Government is planning for commencement of the reforms to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 under Part 2 of the Management of Offenders (Scotland) Act 2019, ("the 2019 Act").

In order for implementation of the reforms to reduce the disclosure periods under Part 2 of the 2019 Act, which includes section 29, the content of certificates issued by Disclosure Scotland will need to change to reflect the new disclosure periods. Scottish Government justice officials are working closely with Disclosure Scotland on implementation planning and a commencement date will be announced in due course.

Question reference: S5O-03607

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the new agricultural tenancy legislation is having on the number of farm tenancies.

Question reference: S5W-25091

Asked by: Annie Wells, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2019
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 18 September 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-20711 by Clare Haughey on 8 January 2019, whether it will provide an update regarding how many of the 800 additional mental health workers that it committed to recruiting in its mental health strategy have been appointed to date.

Based on the information received from the Integration Authorities in respect of the third quarterly update on Action 15, 268 additional mental health workers have been recruited as of 1 July 2019.

The settings these workers are based in are as follows: A&E (51), Custody Suites (3.50), GP Settings (99), prisons (12) and Other Settings, (102.50).

The fourth quarterly update will be available in November 2019. This information will also be published on the Scottish Government website via the following link: https://www.gov.scot/publications/mental-health-workers-quarterly-performance-reports/ .