Chamber and committees

The concerns that were outlined in the English report point towards Scottish building standards potentially needing a wider review. Do you accept that, given that it is likely to happen in England with the Building Safety Act 2022?

Good morning to you, minister, and your officials—or I should say good afternoon. We are all a bit behind—it has been a long meeting.

How many buildings in Scotland have had combustible cladding removed or remediated since the Grenfell tragedy of 2017?

I grew up in rural Perthshire, and without looking back at my childhood through rose-tinted glasses, I note that both our local nurse and policeman had tied accommodation. Those houses have been sold, and, obviously, there has been a restructuring of how we deliver those services. Do you have a relationship with other public services, such as the national health service, that would enable you to develop different models for key workers, especially in rural and remote communities? Could you share the risk and develop different funding models with the wider public service?

I heard what the cabinet secretary had to say, and the minister has repeated it today, but I would point out that a lot of progress has been made in Wales on things on which we have not really seen work begin—and I am thinking specifically of the Welsh Government’s proposals for buying out owners. There just seems to be an issue with progress in Scotland compared with that in Wales, even though the same devolved powers are available.

Finally, would the Scottish Government consider underwriting professional indemnity insurance for surveyors and fire safety assessors?

Good morning. I thank the witnesses for joining us. I will continue the line of questioning on access to services. How has the delivery of your services changed between the start of the pandemic and now? Were you able to continue face-to-face meetings with clients? Perhaps Sarah-Jayne Dunn can answer first.

You touched on this in your responses, but what have you learned during the pandemic about new models? When I visited the citizens advice bureau in Leith, we talked about how partnerships are being developed with banks to look at early intervention to help support people. What have you learned that you have carried on doing? You said that access to support is different, such as through a phone line service. Is there anything else that we may need to know about early intervention schemes specifically?

To link into that point, we heard in the earlier evidence session about the ask around training and advice referrals in mental health services. Do current mental health and suicide prevention strategies adequately consider the role that financial difficulties can play, and how would you like to see that change?

I will start with Rebecca Stacey, because I can see her on the screen.

I will ask a few questions about debt and suicide. In relation to the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute’s research in 2018, what reassessment has taken place of the scale of the problem of suicide and debt? I will bring in Rebecca Stacey first, then anyone else can comment if they want to.

My question is about access to help and support, and early intervention. From the witnesses’ experiences, what scope is there to identify people earlier and provide them with a referral? That might not necessarily be in a mental health context; it might relate to other organisations that might be in contact with individuals who are financially vulnerable.