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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S6W-14184

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 31 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that 1,300 charities are facing closure within the next 12 months due to the cost of living crisis, and whether it will provide details of any support it plans to offer such charities.

The Scottish Government values the important role of Scotland’s third sector in working across communities to tackle tough social issues at source.

We recognise the impact of rising operating costs across society, including on charities and voluntary organisations in the third sector. We continue to invest widely in the third sector and have committed to increasing multiyear funding wherever possible.

Under Fairer Funding principles, multiyear arrangements for third sector organisations are preferred where appropriate, and we are committed to multiyear grants being the default position. This will allow us to work in partnership to design and deliver the kind of transformation our communities need to be fit for the future, whilst ensuring public services are sustainable.

We know from the longitudinal survey we support through the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations that 92% of those surveyed are confident that they will still be operating in 12 months’ time.

Question reference: S6F-01775

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 February 2023

To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet.

Question reference: S6W-13936

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many psychiatrists undertook specialist training to work with children and young people in (a) 2013 and (b) 2017.

Question reference: S6W-13935

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many psychiatrists are currently in specialist training to work with children and young people.

Question reference: S6W-13939

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many inpatient beds there are for children and adolescents with mental health problems, broken down by hospital.

There are currently 54 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) inpatient beds across Scotland for children and adolescents.

Forty eight of these beds are commissioned on a regional basis. These are split across:

NHS Tayside at Dudhope Young People’s Inpatient Unit - 12 beds;
NHS Lothian at Melville Young People’s Mental Health Unit - 12 beds;
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde at Skye House Adolescent Inpatient Unit - 24 beds.

These units admit children and young people from Health Boards in that region, with the flexibility to admit from other regions if the unit closest to a child or young person is full.

Additionally, the National Child Psychiatry Inpatient Unit in the Glasgow Royal Hospital for Children has 6 beds for children under 12 years and admits children from across Scotland, based on clinical need.

Question reference: S6W-13882

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2023
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 30 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-13242 by Humza Yousaf on 11 January 2022, whether it has any plans to produce the cost information related to delayed discharge for the NHS again in the future.

Question reference: S6W-13940

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 27 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what immediate action it is taking to provide additional provision, including more inpatient beds, for children and young people who require support for a mental health issue.

In February 2020, Scottish Government published the National Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Service Specification which outlines provisions young people and their families can expect from the NHS.

Following recommendations made in Mental Welfare Commission reports, Scottish Government commissioned a national review of existing provision for young people under 18 years who had needs and risks that required intensive psychiatric care. This review published its findings in June 2021 and recommended purpose-built regional units adjacent to existing inpatient services.

As a follow-up, Scottish Government is supporting the development of three regional Intensive Psychiatric Care Units (IPCUs) to be hosted within NHS Lothian, Tayside and Greater Glasgow and Clyde. The provision of intensive psychiatric care beds will expand the inpatient estate and also ease pressures on existing adolescent inpatient services, as these will ensure young people are accessing the appropriate care and treatment when required.

Scottish Government has also commissioned Foxgrove, the new CAMHS National Secure Adolescent Inpatient Service for Scotland (NSAIS) which is currently under construction. The Unit will be on the Ayrshire Central Hospital campus in Irvine, North Ayrshire and will provide secure mental health care for young people from across Scotland.

Similarly, Scottish Government is in the process of commissioning a CAMHS national inpatient service for children and young people with learning disabilities.

This work sits alongside our investment in prevention and early intervention support for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing. For example, local authorities report that over 38,000 children, young people and parents/carers benefitted from our £15 million per annum investment in community supports and services in the first six months of 2022 alone; and young people now have access to a school counsellor in every secondary school in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-13937

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the current number of mental health counsellors in Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-13938

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many took part in a Scotland's Mental Health First Aid course in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) so far in 2023.

The following table sets out the number of people who participated in Scotland's Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) course, from 2021 to January 2023.

	2021	2022	2023 (up to 13-1-2023)
Number of courses	15	409	9
Number of Attendees	149	4,270	115

Due to COVID-19 restrictions by the licence holders, there were lower numbers of individuals who registered for the first half of 2021. Face to face courses commenced in November 2021.

SMHFA is one of a number of mental health programmes and resources available to employers to raise awareness and facilitate support for mental health and wellbeing.

Question reference: S6W-13766

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 24 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it will lay the remaining regulations to allow for section 50 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019, prohibiting pavement parking, to be commenced.

Transport Scotland is continuing to consult with Local Authorities and others to develop both the secondary legislation required to allow them to enforce the National pavement parking prohibition as well as the Parking Standards Guidance which will underpin the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019.

The first of the associated regulations, which sets out the Exemption Order Procedures which local authorities must follow, was passed by the Scottish Parliament on 16 November and came into force on 9 December 2022.

My officials continue to work on the other secondary legislation which is required during the course of this year. These further regulations will ensure Local Authorities have all of the necessary tools to enforce the pavement parking prohibitions from late 2023 onwards.