Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is acutely aware of the suffering of those who were infected with Hepatitis C or HIV, or both, as a result of NHS treatment in the 1970s and 1980s. Consequently, the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme (SIBSS), which was established in 2017, was set up to provide support and assistance for those people infected as a result of NHS treatment, as well as for their immediate family members.

The Scottish Government made extensive efforts in 2016 and 2017 to raise awareness of SIBSS through media campaigns and by distributing posters to GP surgeries and hospitals in an attempt to reach those who would be eligible for payments under SIBSS. However if, despite these efforts, a person has not previously claimed from SIBSS because they were not aware of their entitlement, that person could still make an application to SIBBS and, if successful, would receive any lump sum and regular support payments to which they are entitled. This includes widows, widowers and partners, with entitlement to such payments having effect from the date they apply to join the scheme.

Such infected persons, or their bereaved partners, would also be eligible, upon a successful application to SIBSS, to receive the interim compensation payments of £100,000 as recommended by the first interim report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, which was published in July 2022. These payments were made to all existing SIBSS members in Scotland in October 2022. The second interim report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, which was published in April 2023, sets out recommendations for further interim payments and for a wider framework for compensation. This second interim report is currently being considered, in consultation with all the Devolved Administrations, by the UK Government.

In common with the practice in all of the other UK infected blood support schemes regular support payments, which are designed to assist with the costs of day to day living, are only generally backdated to the date of application to SIBSS. However, the Scottish Government did publish an amendment to the SIBSS scheme document in April 2023 which allows for backdating of regular support payments for infected persons transferring late from the Skipton Fund, which was one of the previous UK support schemes, in cases where that infected person was not contacted by the Skipton Fund for the purpose of requesting their consent to have their details transferred to SIBSS. Further information is available on the Scottish Government website.

Mental health remains an absolute priority for the Scottish Government, and we are committed to ensuring that everyone who needs support can get access to services that are appropriate to their needs. Through this approach we recognise that long-term conditions, such as kidney disease, can impact a person’s mental wellbeing. We encourage anyone struggling with their mental health and wellbeing to approach their clinical support team in the first instance, who can advise on appropriate support avenues. Information can also be found on the NHS Inform website and other online mental health and wellbeing support services.

We will shortly publish a new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The Strategy will set out a long-term vision, and a set of outcomes, for the mental health and wellbeing of the population. We will subsequently publish a Delivery Plan to set out the work we will do over the coming years to make progress towards those outcomes, and set out how we will measure that progress.

This will include consideration on how the Strategy will set ambitions and actions to support people living with long term conditions. One of our key outcomes for the Strategy is to ensure people with mental health conditions, including those with co-existing health conditions, experience improved quality and length of life, free from stigma and discrimination

In order to achieve this, we will work with partners to develop actions that will see improved provision of services and support to people with long-term physical health conditions for their mental health and wellbeing.

In addition to this, the National Education Scotland and Scottish Government developed The Matrix: A Guide for Delivering Evidence-based Psychological Therapies in Scotland to support NHS Boards in planning the range, volume and quality of psychological therapies required to meet Scottish Government commitments. The Matrix is due to be refreshed in 2023 but already includes a section specifically on chronic kidney disease.

The Scottish Government recognises the pressure on household budgets which is why we have allocated almost £3bn to support policies which tackle poverty and to protect people as far as possible during the ongoing cost of living crisis. Ministers have committed to publishing an Immediate Priorities Plan to combat the effects the crisis continues to have on disabled people’s lives. A short life working group has been established to ascertain and agree the contents of the Immediate Priorities Plan with a view of publication this summer. The Scottish Government also supports the calls for a social tariff mechanism that would provide a much needed safety net for vulnerable consumers.

Most Integration Joint Board (IJB) reserves are earmarked for specific purposes, including the response to COVID-19, and cannot be used to fund other spending commitments. In 2022-23, surplus COVID-19 reserves were redistributed to meet COVID-19 costs across health and social care, whilst ensuring that IJBs continued to have sufficient funding to cover their COVID-19 costs.

Ultimately, it is for IJBs, including locally-elected representatives, to make informed decisions on how best to deliver services to their local communities.

The financial package announced by the UK Government to support swimming pools in England has resulted in consequentials being added to the overall Scottish block.

The Scottish Government places great importance on swimming pools. They are crucial to the wellbeing of all our country and most importantly, for our children and young people to be healthy and active.

We will continue to work with sportscotland, Scottish Swimming and local government partners to consider what additional support can be provided to swimming pools and the wider sport and leisure sector in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is clear that scientific age assessments have no place in Scotland. The Scottish Government’s Age assessment: practice guidance strongly advises against use of such techniques on child welfare grounds and their ability to accurately ascertain age.

Scottish Government Officials are engaging with the Home Office on their proposals to scientifically age assess unaccompanied asylum seeking children. In October 2022, Scottish Ministers wrote to the UK Government expressing serious concerns over the UK Government’s plans to introduce medical age assessments under the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

The Scottish Government is clear that the UK Government’s cruel and inhumane Illegal Migration Bill should be scrapped immediately. The Scottish Parliament rejected the Bill during a debate on 25 April. In the debate, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice raised serious concerns about the ethical implications of subjecting children to scientific age assessments.

We continue to monitor the Bill closely as it is considered by the House of Lords.

The CashBack for Communities fund is a unique programme that reinvests money recovered from the proceeds of crime to support young people across Scotland.

The 29 organisations that successfully applied for Phase 6 funding were notified about the award in March 2023. Four community groups that previously received indirect funding in Phase 5 were successful in applying for direct funding in Phase 6.

Other previously funded community and youth groups have been informed about the availability of continued funding through Phase 6. This information was circulated in March 2023 by the partners that previously supported groups in Phase 5.

Details of all the Phase 6 CashBack partners were announced on 13 March 2023 and are available on the CashBack for Communities website:

https://cashbackforcommunities.org/

The Scottish Government has a robust process in place for creating, updating and removing COVID-19 guidance.