Chamber and committees

The annual report on the Mental Health Strategy’s actions will be published in Summer 2018, after parliamentary recess.

The review of personal and social education (PSE) commenced in July 2017 and will be completed by the end of 2018.

We take child and adolescent mental health very seriously. We know that prevention and early intervention make a big difference in reducing the risk of developing mental health problems. Since 2014, Education Scotland has been delivering Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid Training for Children and Young People to secondary school staff across 18 local authorities.

In 2017-18 this training was delivered to 67 secondary schools across Scotland and Education Scotland will continue to offer the training to schools, to complement the range of mental health strategies that are already in place within schools and local authorities.

In addition, the PSE review is currently underway and includes consideration of counselling services available for children and young people in schools. The review will be completed by the end of 2018.

Prior to the commencement of the PSE Review, an engagement session was held in conjunction with Education Scotland and COSLA, to help shape the scope of the PSE review. There was wide representation from local authorities at this session. This ensured that local authority colleagues had an opportunity to help develop the scope of the review. As a result, the review will take into account the experiences of the delivery of personal and social education in 55 schools including primary, secondary, special and early learning and child care centres across Scotland.

Prior to finalising the outcomes of the review, COSLA, Local Authorities, third sector organisations and children and young people will have an opportunity to hear about the main findings and identify gaps and inform further refinement of the recommendations.

Further information on the scope of the review is available on the Scottish Government website at https://beta.gov.scot/publications/schools-personal-and-social-education-review/ .

I confirmed to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 16 May that I was disappointed that Network Rail’s anticipated final costs for the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP) have risen to that level. However, the delivery of EGIP remains affordable within the available funding within this railway regulatory Control Period, unlike projects managed by the UK Government in the rest of GB which are so over budget that many enhancement and renewal projects have had to be cancelled or postponed.

I committed to writing to the Committee once Network Rail has written to me formally confirming the Final Costs for EGIP.

We published the Behaviour in Scottish Schools Research 2016 in December 2017. This is based on the views of head teachers, teachers and support staff at both primary and secondary schools across Scotland. The research found that the majority of pupils are well behaved and a credit to their school.

We want all our children and young people to behave in a respectful manner towards their peers and staff and no teacher should have to suffer abuse.

We are working closely with key stakeholders and the Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviours in Schools, and will present an agreed plan of action to ensure continued improvements in behaviour can be realised.

The Scottish Strategy for Autism provides a framework for Integration Authorities (IAs), who are responsible for the strategic planning and decision making for all functions delegated to them, including autism services. The Scottish Government expects IAs to commission social care services which meet the needs of the autistic person for whom they are being commissioned. Social care service providers should ensure autistic people are met with recognition and understanding, and properly supported by trained staff.

The Scottish Government does not commission autism services. Integration Authorities are responsible for the strategic planning and decision making for all functions delegated to them, including autism services for autistic people in line with their statutory responsibilities under the Public Bodies (Joint Working)(Scotland) Act 2014.

The intention to provide a 42 minute journey on the Edinburgh to Glasgow via Falkirk High route has always been aligned with the December 2018 timetable change date. Alex Hynes, ScotRail Alliance Managing Director, confirmed at his appearance at the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee on 9 May 2018 he expects a fastest journey time of 42 minutes to be achieved from December 2018. The Scottish Government welcomes his commitment to explore options to improve upon this in future years.

The ScotRail Alliance has already delivered journey time improvements with some electric services on the route achieving 44 minutes since the December 2017 timetable change.

This is a matter for Integration Authorities (IAs) and varies across Scotland. In some areas support is provided in-house, while in others it is provided by the national autism charities and local third sector organisations.

We recognise the importance of pre-and post-diagnostic autism support, and that is why the Scottish Government has committed to working with partners to develop a national autism resource. This resource will pull together information on all the national and local resources available to autistic people and their families.