Chamber and committees

The total revenue funding provided by the Scottish Government to North Ayrshire Council as part of the annual local government finance settlement, in real terms, is set out in the following table.

It should be noted that the basis of local government funding changed with effect from 1 April 2008. The total revenue funding figures for 2008-09 onwards include previously ring-fenced funding which was outwith the annual local government finance settlement. It should also be noted that the funding for Police and Fire transferred out of the local government finance settlement with effect from 1 April 2013. As a result of these two changes the period between 1999-00 and 2007-08 is not directly comparable with the period between 2008-09 and 2012-13. Similarly the period between 2008-09 and 2012-13 is not directly comparable with the subsequent period from 2013-14 onwards.

The real terms figures were calculated using the October 2021 HM Treasury GDP deflators.

(a) Mental Health Workers

The main Mental Health professional groups that the Scottish Government holds data for are Psychiatrists, Mental Health Nurses and Psychologists, including other psychological clinical staff and therapists. The Scottish Government also holds workforce figures for CAMHS, which are multidisciplinary teams that include, in addition to the professions mentioned above, AHPs, counsellors and social workers.

(a).1 Consultant Psychiatrists

A breakdown of the number of Consultant Psychiatrists recruited in each NHS Board for each of the last five years can be found on the NES Medical and Dental Turas Dashboard at the following link: Medical and Dental | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

(a).2 Mental Health Nurses

A breakdown of the number of Mental Health Nurses recruited in each NHS Board for each of the last five years can be found on the NES Nursing and Midwifery Turas Dashboard at the following link: Nursing and Midwifery | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

(a).3 Psychology Services Workforce

A breakdown of the staff recruited to the Psychology Services in each NHS Board for each of the last five years can be found on the NES Psychology Turas Dashboard at the following link: Psychology | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

(a).4 CAMHS Workforce

A breakdown of the staff recruited to CAMHS in each NHS Board for each of the last five years can be found on the NES CAMHS Turas Dashboard at the following link: CAMHS | Turas Data Intelligence (nhs.scot)

(a).5 Action 15

In addition to the data listed above, the Scottish Government also collects and publishes figures for mental health workers recruited under Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy, representing our commitment to recruit an additional 800 mental health workers between 2018-19 and 2021-22, to key settings such as A&E departments, GP practices, police station custody suites and prisons.

The latest recruitment figures as at 1 July 2021 can be accessed at Mental health workers: quarterly performance reports - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Since 2018/19, almost £68 million has been allocated to Integration Authorities (IAs) based on the NHSScotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula. While the Scottish Government provides funding for recruitment under Action 15, workforce and service planning is conducted by IAs according to the needs of their populations.

Since 2018/19 654.3 WTE posts have been recruited, representing nearly 82% of the overall target of 800 WTE. As at 1 July 2021, the recruitment rate per IA ranges between 54% and 101%, with some IAs having exceeded their allocation in advance of the March 2022 deadline.

(b) Community Link Workers

The Scottish Government only holds data on additional Community Link Workers (CLWs) recruited as part of the 2016 manifesto commitment to recruit at least 250 CLWs by the end of 2021-22. Any data prior to the 2016 manifesto, or of similar held specialist posts employed outwith this programme, would be held by Health and Social Care Partnerships.

Since March 2018, 218 headcount (HC) posts have been recruited, representing nearly 87% of the target of 250 CLWs in post. There has been some scaling back on previous projected workforce numbers due to Covid related reasons of limited opportunities to provide support remotely; staff being redeployed elsewhere; contractual delays, but figures remain on track to recover by March 2022.

The Scottish Government published information on the number of CLWs employed by NHSScotland broken down by region on 12 October 2021 in response to a Freedom of Information Request submitted to the Scottish Government on 1 September 2021 (reference FOI/202100235471). The information can be accessed at: Information regarding community link workers: FOI release - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

The installation of electric vehicle charge points is supported through a number of funding schemes. Funding supports a number of charging activities: charging by households at home, by business (public and private sector) to support fleet decarbonisation and public charging by EV owners. The date of installation for all supported infrastructure is not routinely collated. The following tables set out details of domestic and workplace charging infrastructure and information on chargepoints commissioned onto the ChargePlace Scotland network.

The ChargePlace Scotland table sets out figures for new chargers installed and commissioned onto the network, this includes charging units that are publicly available and those for public sector and business use. Up to 2014 these figures have been recorded in August of each year, from 2014 this has been recorded as total installs commissioned within each financial year. Over this period some chargers may have been upgraded, replaced or decommissioned meaning the total number of chargepoints currently available will be less than the total commissioned since 2012.

We do not hold information that details the number of private sector charge points installed on other networks from 2012, online platforms such as ZapMap do provide details of publicly available electric vehicle charge points across Scotland, including those on the ChargePlace Scotland and other networks.

Domestic and business use electric vehicle chargers (not on ChargePlace Scotland)

The £15 million of funding announced on 15 October 2021 for a Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults is a new fund. The Fund is part of the £120 million Recovery and Renewal Fund announced in February to ensure the delivery of the commitments set out in the Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan in response to mental health needs arising from the pandemic.

This funding is separate from the £15 million currently allocated to local authorities for the provision of mental health and wellbeing services for 5-24 year olds.

The £15 million Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund aims to support adult community-based initiatives across Scotland which promote good mental health and wellbeing and early intervention for those in distress and tackle the impact of social isolation, loneliness and the mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic. Grass roots community groups and organisations will be able to benefit from the funds to deliver activities and programmes to people to re-connect and revitalise communities building on examples of good practice which have emerged throughout the pandemic.

In addition we have provided local authorities with an additional £15 million this year to fund over 200 new and enhanced mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children and young people.

The £15 million of funding announced on 15 October 2021 for a Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults is a new fund. The Fund is part of the £120 million Recovery and Renewal Fund announced in February to ensure the delivery of the commitments set out in the Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan in response to mental health needs arising from the pandemic. This funding is separate from the commitment to double funding for community mental wellbeing services for children and young people.

The £15 million Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund aims to support adult community-based initiatives across Scotland which promote good mental health and wellbeing and early intervention for those in distress and tackle the impact of social isolation, loneliness and the mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic. Grass roots community groups and organisations will be able to benefit from the funds to deliver activities and programmes to people to re-connect and revitalise communities building on examples of good practice which have emerged throughout the pandemic.

This year we have provided local authorities with an additional £15 Million to fund over 200 new and enhanced mental health and wellbeing supports and services for children and young people. The Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party shared policy programme commits to doubling the budget for community based mental wellbeing services for children and young people to £30 million per annum. Ministers are currently considering options to take this forward and will be informed by the work of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Joint Delivery Board.

The Scottish Government continues to encourage all businesses, including hospitality businesses, to encourage their customers to use the Check-In Scotland and Test and Protect systems. This activity includes engagement with businesses and sector organisations by officials and Ministers, the ongoing revision of supporting guidance and communications campaigns on the importance of the Test and Protect system in reducing transmission of Covid-19. The Scottish Government is thankful to the large majority of hospitality businesses who are using the Check-In Scotland scheme and to the very large numbers of people who are regularly ‘checking in.’

The Scottish Government remains committed to improving the educational experiences of young people with complex additional support needs.

Students with disabilities or additional support needs can access a variety of support to assist their access to Further Education and Higher Education. The Additional Support Needs for Learners Allowance in Further Education and the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) in Higher Education, provide financial assistance which can be used to facilitate support which is individual to the student’s needs.

Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) are currently leading a project on behalf of the Scottish Government, reviewing the disability related student support element, encompassing both Further Education and Higher Education.

The project aims to deliver a suite of recommendations which will seek to improve the provision of support and increase parity across the sector. This will include improvements to the Higher Education Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) administered by SAAS and the Additional Support Needs for Learners Allowance which is available to students in Further Education.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Outcome Agreement Guidance for 2021-22 sets out that SFC expect institutions to comply with their legal duties including setting and delivering equality outcomes.

We will keep the scope of our certification scheme under review to ensure it remains necessary, proportionate, and targeted in order to continue helping to drive vaccination rates up as high as possible; and providing an additional layer of protection over the winter months as we seek to achieve the difficult task of keeping COVID under control while keeping our economy fully open.

Our decisions are taken, and reviewed on the latest data and clinical evidence. Our review process includes consideration of the impact assessments, such as the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment .

Our certification scheme is limited to activities that are a higher risk and is an alternative to the potential closure of higher risk venues. We have made clear that certification will never be a requirement for access to public services.

Police Scotland have advised there are currently over 250 body worn cameras in use within North East Division. In addition, Police Scotland also equipped all armed police officers across Scotland who were deployed at COP26. A consultation on a wider roll-out of body worn cameras to all front line operational officers and staff closed in September and work is ongoing to consider a national introduction.

For 2021-22, the Scottish Government increased the policing budget by £75.5m to over £1.3bn and provided one off funding of £0.5m in 2021-22 to the SPA, to support the use of body-worn cameras. The allocation of resources is a matter for the SPA and the Chief Constable.

Funding for the policing budget for 2022-23 will be set out at the Scottish budget on 9 December.

The Scottish Government is working intensively to develop and agree a plan to deliver the scheme that the Scottish Government, the industry and stakeholders can have confidence in. As my statement set out once a timeline is agreed, clear milestones for delivery by Circularity Scotland will be published. However it must be noted that consistent with other producer responsibility schemes, the responsibility for practical implementation of DRS resides with individual retailers and producers, not the Scottish Government.