Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S5W-33077

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 18 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether the annual £15 million of funding announced on 2 September 2020 to provide new and enhanced community mental health and wellbeing services is separate and in addition to the £11.25 million of funding for services to respond to the pandemic.

On November 2nd , the Cabinet Secretary for Health announced £11.25 million of additional funding for local authorities to provide community mental health and wellbeing services for 5-24 year olds, their families and carers impacted by the pandemic

This funding is in addition, and separate from the funding for the delivery of new and enhanced community mental health and wellbeing services for 5-24 year olds, their families and carers.

The majority of these services are expected to be in place for the last three months of 2020-21, and as a result we have allocated £3.75 million in this year’s budget specifically to fund them. A further £15 million is expected to be available in 2021-22 assuming services are fully in place.

Question reference: S5O-04755

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the full provisions of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 will be implemented.

Question reference: S5W-32634

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 10 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the total spend has been on (a) adult psychological therapies' services and (b) CAMHS in each of the last five financial years, also broken down by NHS board.

Public Health Scotland do not hold psychological therapies spend. The CAMHS spend is provided in the following table. The figures shown cover expenditure that Boards have identified as relating to Mental Health services delivered in hospitals or in the community, and that are aimed specifically at children and adolescents. Note that, within the Cost Book, some Boards may not distinguish all expenditure relating specifically to this age group meaning some elements of expenditure are likely to omitted. Therefore, year on year trends should be regarded with caution.

	Child and Adolescent mental health expenditure (£000)
	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19
Scotland	49,935	55,675	56,580	64,570	67,248
NHS Ayrshire & Arran	3,357	3,788	3,565	3,957	3,734
NHS Borders	807	712	550	994	1,066
NHS Fife*	500*	178*	245*	2,917	3,212
NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde	14,790	17,453	18,954	18,131	17,676
NHS Highland*	122*	369*	85*	2,620	2,942
NHS Lanarkshire	4,435	4,757	5,854	5,939	6,121
NHS Grampian*	2,412*	4,857*	3,040*	3,789*	5,837
NHS Orkney	44	84	26	79	44
NHS Lothian	11,846	11,734	12,479	13,761	13,643
NHS Tayside	7,690	7,262	6,660	7,166	7,184
NHS Forth Valley	2,267	2,688	2,901	3,053	3,320
NHS Western Isles	396	274	293	270	425
NHS Dumfries & Galloway	1,054	1,252	1,609	1,580	1,734
NHS Shetland	214	269	317	314	309

*Community Mental Health Teams – Child and adolescent data not provided.

Question reference: S5W-32632

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 10 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) community and (b) primary care services are available to patients on waiting lists for adult psychological therapy services.

Patients on the waiting list have continued access to all NHS services including primary care services while they are waiting for psychological therapy. Patients waiting for Psychological Therapies may also already be receiving support from different parts of the mental health system such as care from community services.

The Scottish Government issued Health Boards and HSCPs with a set of Principles to manage mental health services during the pandemic. This document highlighted that new referrals and patients on the waiting list should be contacted by telephone, secure video link or letter to discuss their situation and offered information, advice and signposting to self-help and digital service options.

Question reference: S5W-32633

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 19 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 10 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what the maximum number of talking therapy sessions are that are available to adult psychological therapies' patients in each NHS board.

Question reference: S5F-04565

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 09 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 November 2020

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to support children’s mental health throughout the pandemic and subsequent restrictions.

Question reference: S5O-04746

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 12 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what financial support is available for tourism businesses.

Question reference: S5W-32603

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 3 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what specialist services are available to prisoners who are diagnosed as having bipolar disorder.

The responsibility for healthcare services in prisons sits with the NHS. Frontline prison officers and NHS staff work hard every day to support people in custody, who often have the most complex health and mental health needs.

Mental health assessment, support and treatment is carried out in prisons by a range of different professionals and covers the full range of mental health care needs. However, the Scottish Government does not hold information about the specific services available to prisoners.

Question reference: S5W-32602

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 3 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it costs to treat a person with lithium.

The annual cost to treat a person with lithium is estimated to be £32 person in the latest year of full available data (2018-19). However, due to the complex nature of mental health disorders and treatment thereof, it is not possible to fully and accurately answer the question as posed. It is not possible to determine the average period for which a patient received lithium. Patients with long term conditions can be treated for longer than the period Public Health Scotland can provide patient level data for. Costs of treatment can vary depending on different formulations of medicines used, and the formulations patients are prescribed and the costs of these can change over time.

Question reference: S5W-32604

Asked by: Mary Fee, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 October 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 3 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many emergency detentions in prison have involved people with bipolar disorder in each year since 2015.