Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government funds the Energy Saving Trust (EST) annually to provide a range of advice and support on domestic energy efficiency. This includes the Home Energy Scotland advice service.

Our funding to Home Energy Scotland:

Provides free and impartial advice on energy efficiency measures to all householders in Scotland including advice on schemes they may be eligible for;

Can provide tailored advice for an individual’s own home;

Can assist householders through the complaints process of government energy efficiency schemes;

Offers every caller a free benefits check to ensure householders are receiving all the help and support they are entitled to; and

Provides a community liaison service to join up with other service providers to reach the most vulnerable people in the community.

The following table details Scottish Government funding to EST since 2008-09 which is the year the advice centre network was established.

The costs in the table above include:

Funding for the core energy efficiency advice service;

Delivering the customer journey;

Management element of the Scottish Government's fuel poverty programme;

In-depth renewables advice;

Sustainable transport advice; and

The cost of EST central service associated with the running of the advice network.

The Scottish Government funds the Energy Saving Trust annually to provide a range of advice and support on domestic energy efficiency. This includes the Home Energy Scotland advice service. Part of this funding is targeted at providing in-depth support to private landlords to make their homes more energy efficient.

The following table details the percentage of private sector landlords (PSLs) who have taken up this service since 2008-09.

The advice network was established in April 2008.

Based on the total number of Scottish PSLs who are individuals (does not include PSLs who are companies or charities) taken from the Scottish Government Review of the Private Rented Sector (2009).

The Scottish Government welcomes this report and the contribution it makes to our ambition to tackle poverty and inequality and to create a fairer, more prosperous Scotland. We will carefully consider the recommendations and will respond formally to the report before the end of March 2016.

The report recognises that the Scottish Government has already introduced a range of anti-poverty actions. Across Scotland we have allocated over half a billion pounds since 2009 on a raft of measures to help the most vulnerable people in our society heat their homes affordably. Of our £119 million budget allocation for 2015-16 around 80% will be targeted via grants at the poorest households in Scotland to make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat and has helped to mitigate the rise in fuel poverty. The remaining 20% is allocated to advice and support for all consumers and loans to help those able to pay to improve energy efficiency of their homes. We are satisfied that the majority of our HEEPS programme, which was welcomed in the report, is aimed at those who are subject to the poverty premium. We have recently launched our HEEPS: Warmer Homes Scotland scheme which is worth at least £16 million per year for up to seven years, and is available to vulnerable private sector households (tenants or owner-occupiers) in receipt of certain benefits.

Next year we are making available more than £103 million to tackle fuel poverty and climate change, which is a significant commitment in light of ongoing spending pressures and UK Government cuts. This money will be used to help install energy efficiency measures, including solid wall insulation, in 14,000 homes and will build on the 900,000 energy efficiency measures delivered since 2008.

We have set up a new short term strategic working group to work alongside the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum and the Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force to build on our efforts to date and drive forward the policy to eradicate fuel poverty. The two time limited groups will publish reports later in 2016, setting out recommendations for how a new strategy can be developed to fully utilise the new powers and funding coming to Scotland as part of the Scotland Bill. The strategic working group will also consider a range of issues such as whether we are ensuring those who need help most get it. They will also consider the current definition of fuel poverty and suggest whether improvements or further research is required.

The Scottish Government has also supported the setting up of Our Power which is a new fully licensed independent energy supply company, the first in the UK operating as a community benefit society. It is founded by 35 member organisations including some of Scotland’s largest housing associations, and local authorities. The company will supply gas and electricity at a lower cost to the tenants and communities of its member organisations. It expects to save its members up to ten per cent on their household utility bills compared to standard commercial tariffs. In the future, Our Power hopes to develop renewable energy projects as part of its business for the benefit of local communities. This initiative directly helps those who are subject to the poverty premium.

We have also recently launched a new partnership for impartial advice on energy supplier switching delivered by the social enterprise Citrus Energy. This pilot is likely to target those Home Energy Scotland clients who require intensive help and support to explore the option of switching.

The Scottish Government welcomes the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority energy markets investigation and has expressed concerns about how some Scottish consumers, including pre-pay meter customers, are not well-served by the energy markets. We continue to follow this investigation closely and to press the UK Government for a timely, effective and equitable resolution for Scottish consumers.

The Scottish Government funds the Energy Saving Trust (EST) annually to provide a range of advice and support on domestic energy efficiency. This includes the Home Energy Scotland advice service (HES). Part of this funding is targeted at providing in-depth support to private landlords to make their homes more energy efficient.

The following table details the estimated savings made by private sector landlords from measures installed following support by the specialist private sector landlord advice service since 2008.

Financial benefits include fuel bill savings and Feed-in Tariff/Renewable Heat Incentive payments.

The following table shows the estimated savings made from measures installed by private landlords who have accessed financial support via loans and grants administered by EST. These landlords may not have utilised the HES advice and support provision.

Information on NHS expenditure and percentage of expenditure for mental health services that has been spent on child and adolescent mental health services in the hospital and community sectors in each year since 2007 is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Child and adolescent mental health expenditure¹ and mental health expenditure² Scotland 2007-15³

Child and adolescent mental health expenditure as recorded in the Costs Book (Report R04LSX and SFR 8.3). Data has been restricted to the hospital sector and community sector only (excluding resource transfer). Figures shown in ‘cash terms’ (not adjusting for inflation).

1. Mental health expenditure as recorded in the Costs Book (Report R340). Data has been restricted to the hospital sector and community sector to give a more accurate comparison against child and adolescent mental health expenditure. Figures shown in ‘cash terms’ (not adjusting for inflation).

2. Financial year refers to the period of time beginning in April and ending in March (e.g. financial year 2011-12 begins on 1 April 2011 and ends 31 March 2012).

Ref: IR2016-00160

Source: Scottish Health Service Costs, Report R340, R04LSX and SFR8.3, Information Services Division Scotland

(i) Information on the expenditure and percentage of expenditure that has been spent on child and adolescent mental health services of the overall NHS expenditure for the year 2014 to 2015 by NHS board is shown in Table 1.

(ii) This information is not held centrally.

Table 1: Total NHS expenditure¹ and child and adolescent expenditure², Scotland 2014-15³

1. Total NHS expenditure as recorded in the Costs Book (Report R300). Figures shown in ‘cash terms’ (not adjusting for inflation).

2. Child and adolescent mental health expenditure as recorded in the Costs Book (Report R04LSX, SFR 8.3). Data has been restricted to the hospital sector and community sector only (excluding resource transfer). Figures shown in ‘cash terms’ (not adjusting for inflation).

3. Financial year refers to the period of time beginning in April and ending in March (e.g. financial year 2014-15 begins on 1 April 2014 and ends 31 March 2015).

Ref: IR2016-00161

Source: Scottish Health Service Costs, Report R300, R04LSX and SFR 8.3, Information Services Division Scotland

In August 2015, the Scottish Social Services Council published its annual Mental Health Officer workforce statistics. The information below, from table 9 in the report, sets out the number of admissions to the Mental Health Officer Award programme as well as the number of trainees who completed their courses. The report is available at the following link:

http://data.sssc.uk.com/images/MHO/Mental%20Health%20Officers%20Report%202014.pdf.

Note: Years refer to academic years – for example, 2009-10 = September 2009 to August 2010.

We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever, with record numbers of consultants. Under this government, consultant numbers across Scotland have increased by 1,464.9 whole time equivalent (WTE), or 40.3 per cent, to 5,101.4 WTE.

The consultant vacancy rate since 2007-08 has reduced from 6.9 per cent as at September 2007 to 6.4 per cent as at September 2015. Any fluctuation in consultant vacancies is linked to our efforts to increase capacity by recruiting even more staff.

Information on vacancies covered by locums is not held centrally.

Information on the number of consultant vacancies, broken down by NHSScotland board, is shown in table 1. Information on consultant vacancies as a percentage of establishment, broken down by NHSScotland board, is shown in table 2.

Table 1: Whole time equivalent of consultant vacancies as at 30 September each year

Source: Scottish Workforce Information Standard System (SWISS), Information Services Division (M) 36.

Note:

1. The symbol “-” signifies where a figure is nil.

In March 2014 the definition of a vacancy changed to: a vacancy is a post which has been cleared for advert after being through the redeployment process (internal or external advert) and remains a vacancy until an individual starts in the post. Prior to this, a vacancy stopped being classified as such at the point when the post was offered to someone and accepted. The impact of this change is a significant increase in the number of reported vacancies.

Table 2: Consultant vacancies as a percentage of establishment as at 30 September each year

Source: Scottish Workforce Information Standard System (SWISS), Information Services Division (M) 36.

Notes:

1. Establishment is calculated as number of staff in post plus total vacancies.

2. The symbol “-” signifies where a figure is nil.

We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever, with record numbers of consultants. Under this government, consultant numbers across Scotland have increased by 1,464.9 whole time equivalent (WTE), or 40.3 per cent, to 5,101.4 WTE.

The consultant vacancy rate under this government has reduced from 7 per cent as at September 2006 to 6.4 per cent as at September 2015. Any fluctuation in consultant vacancies is linked to our efforts to increase capacity by recruiting even more staff.

The number of consultant posts vacant for three months or more is not held centrally.

The latest available information on the number of consultant posts vacant for six months or more shown in table 1.

Table 1: Consultant posts vacant for six months or more as at 30 September 2015

Source: Scottish Workforce Information Standard System (SWISS), Information Services Division (M) 36.

Notes:

1. A vacancy is a post which has been cleared for advert after being through the redeployment process (internal or external advert) and remains a vacancy until an individual starts in the post.

2. Establishment is calculated as number of staff in post plus total vacancies.

3. The symbol “-” signifies where a figure is nil.

Information on vacancies covered by locums is not held centrally.

Emergency detention under the 2003 Act is only permissible where it is necessary as a matter of urgency because of a significant risk to the health, safety or welfare of the patient or the safety of others. Medical practitioners are required to seek agreement from a mental health officer unless it is impractical for them to do so, for example where there is immediate, serious or life-threatening danger to the patient and/or others around the patient.

The Scottish Government is concerned by low levels of involvement by mental health officers in some areas. Consent by mental health officers is an important safeguard and it is essential that local authorities ensure they have the appropriate levels of staff in place to meet statutory duties.

As detailed in the answer by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport to question S4T-01282 on 19 January 2015, the Mental Welfare Commission has been asked to undertake analysis of the reasons why the medical practitioner has reported it was impractical for them to consult a mental health officer. Separately, the Scottish Government’s Chief Social Work Adviser has been asked to investigate issues about the shortfall in mental health officers in local authorities with Chief Social Work Officers and I expect him to report back by the end of April 2016.

All answers to topical parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website; the Official Report can be viewed at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=10317&i=94911