Chamber and committees

Following close working with COSLA and partnerships to estimate the total national investment needed, £30 million was identified in order to support the delivery of this policy. This was part of an additional £160 million funding package which has been made available to support social care and integration, and school counselling services.

The level of need for social care support varies between local areas depending on population and other local factors. This is the first year of the extension of Free Personal Care to under 65s, and we are working closely with partnerships and COSLA to monitor the costs. This will inform future funding allocations.

The following table shows budget expenditure for option one in Scotland since 2014-15.

Data for 2014-15 to 2016-17 has been obtained from the Social Care Survey conducted by the Scottish Government. From 2017-18, responsibility for collecting social care data was transferred to ISD Scotland.

The previous Social Care Survey conducted by the Scottish Government only collected expenditure data on gross costs. Following the transfer of responsibility for collecting social care data to ISD Scotland, local authorities were able to return either or both gross or net expenditure. In order to be comparable to previous years, an estimation has calculated for those areas returning only net expenditure in 2017-18.

Budget expenditure for option one - Scotland

The Scottish Government has reviewed the operation of self-directed support via the scrutiny from the Audit Scotland (in 2014 and 2017 progress report); the Care Inspectorate (thematic review 2019) and as a regular part of implementation support for the 10 year strategy.

The Scottish Parliament’s Post Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee also undertook post-legislative scrutiny on the Act in 2017.

The Self-directed Support Implementation Plan 2019-2021 and the larger programme of adult social care reform are designed to address the recommendations of these reviews. Detail of these can be found at these websites: https://www.gov.scot/publications/self-directed-support-strategy-2010-2020-implementation-plan-2019-21/ and https://www.gov.scot/publications/social-care-support-investment-scotlands-people-society-economy-programme-framework-partnership-programme-support-local-reform-adult-social-care/ .

The specific information requested is not held centrally. Information held nationally on delayed discharges does not include diagnosis information and it is therefore not possible to identify people with learning disabilities who have experienced a delayed discharge.

Data on medicines used in mental health, including antidepressants, is published annually by Information Services Division in their Prescribing Statistics - Medicines used in Mental Health publication. The next report will be published on 8 th October 2019, and will be available at: https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Prescribing-and-Medicines/Publications/

The following table shows the estimated number of long stay care home residents with a learning disability, aged 18 years and older, in Scotland as at 31 March 2017, the latest time period for which data are available.

Estimated Number of Long Stay Residents with a Learning Disability, 31 March 2017

The following table shows the number of privately run adult care homes supporting one or more long stay adult resident(s) with learning disabilities, as reported via the annual care home census, as at 31 March 2017, the latest year for which data are available.

Number of Private Care Homes for Adults with one or more Long Stay Adult Resident(s) with Learning Disabilities, 31 March 2017:

The purpose of the Workplace Equality Fund, launched in 2018 is not as a job creation scheme but is to support employers to engage in initiatives to reduce workplace inequalities and address long standing barriers particular groups face in entering and progressing in the labour market. Activity has included for example, people with learning disabilities testing online recruitment systems of private businesses, employers embracing a family friendly working approach and business practices informed by volunteers who have experienced mental ill health. 

The focus of the fund therefore was to support system change rather than to create jobs.

The 22 projects approved under the fund benefitted individuals with the protected characteristics of age, sex, ethnicity and disability. For example, 23 individuals benefitted from internships including 5 minority ethnic women and 20 women workers who were supported to improve their leadership skills to support their progression.

Housing Statistics for Scotland details the total number and the cost of housing adaptations delivered by each local authority. Information on Scottish Government-funded housing adaptations carried out by Registered Social Landlords is provided to SPICe, as we committed to providing an annual update of information about Scottish Government-funded housing adaptations as part of our responses to PQs S4W-28622 on 9 December 2015 and S5W-01638 on 16 August 2016.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Scottish Government believe that a fairer Scotland can only be realised when we secure equal rights for everyone: tackling inequality is one of the Scottish Government's three priorities. We are supporting the many ways people celebrate, express and enjoy national sporting events across Scotland.

The Equality Act 2010 protects the rights for disabled people, which includes having access to venues. Information on this can be found on the Equality and Human Rights Commission Scotland website. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/advice-and-guidance . Organisations applying for EventScotland support are required to include information about accessibility for disabled people at the event on the application form.

In relation to the Scottish Open, accessibility is a priority of the European Tour who abide by their robust Accessibility Policy with a tailored approach for each event. For example the inaugural European Disabled Golf Championship were held at the Scottish Open in July 2019.