Chamber and committees

The Scottish Strategy for Autism sets out a framework which seeks the removal of barriers to diagnosis across Scotland; however, diagnosis is a matter for Integration Authorities (IAs). Access to diagnosis varies across IAs, and in some there is no diagnostic provision for adults without a learning disability or a mental health condition. The Scottish Government is willing to work with IA to address these inequalities in access.

In 2016, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network published SIGN 145, Assessment, diagnosis and interventions for autism spectrum disorder . The Scottish Government would expect IAs to follow these guidelines.

The Service Quality Incentive Regime (SQUIRE) is working as per design and continues to incentivise ScotRail to manage the improvement in performance of the services and facilities it is contracted to provide.

Due to the level of performance, Scottish Government requested action plans designed specifically to address the root causes of the poor performance. ScotRail delivered the action plans as per request but additionally instigated two organisational wide reviews, focussing on resourcing and recruitment and on managing pro-active and re-active maintenance.

It is envisaged that when the actions identified from the reviews are fully implemented they will have a significant positive impact on SQUIRE performance. Some of the actions have already been introduced and the early indications of improvement are encouraging.

The one stop shop model was initially funded by the Scottish Government from the Scottish Strategy for Autism as a pilot to ensure autistic people received the support they needed following an autism assessment. There was an expectation that the six one stop shops would be embedded in local strategic delivery plans and become sustainable in each locality by the end of government funding. The remaining four One Stop Shops provide essential early intervention pre and post diagnostic support to autistic adults, children and their families and the services are valued however, the Scottish Government cannot continue to provide funding for local services.

Integration Authorities (IA) are responsible for the strategic planning and decision making for all services delegated to them, including services for autistic people, in line with their statutory obligations and Scottish Government policy. This means they are responsible for the delivery of local services and for the implementation of local autism strategies and action plans.

Racism is completely unacceptable and we are committed to tackling it.

Racist incidents and racist hate crime have shown a downwards trend in Scotland in recent times, with racially motivated homicides being rare (in 2016-17, there were two victims of homicide that were reported to have had a racial motivation, representing 3 per cent of all victims in the latest year). The total number of homicides has fallen by 47% in the past ten years with racially motivated homicides accounting for just 1.1% of the overall figure.

One incident is too many though and we are resolved to do everything that it takes to ensure that Scotland is a place where there is zero tolerance of prejudice or bigotry in any form. That’s why our Race Equality Action Plan: A Fairer Scotland for All was published in December and includes over 120 actions which we will take over the lifetime of this Parliament to tackle racism and to improve the lives of minority ethnic communities in Scotland. This includes work to tackle hate crime and prejudice, and build greater community cohesion.

Creating diverse workforces and inclusive workplaces that harness the talents of everyone is crucial to support continuous improvement in Scotland’s public services.

Public authorities are subject to a comprehensive set of equality requirements, as set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (as amended). Those requirements include action to improve the delivery of policies and services as well as increasing the diversity of their workforce. Each public authority produces reports on progress with delivery at regular intervals and those reports are regulated by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

As part of the Scottish Government’s own equality outcomes as a public sector employer it has committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce to be reflective of Scottish society by 2025.

The Scottish Government, through our Race Equality Action Plan published in December 2017, has committed to a number of actions we will take over this Parliamentary session to drive positive change for minority ethnic communities in Scotland. These include engaging with a wide range of public sector employers in a discussion about what positive actions we can take to improve employment and progression for minority ethnic communities; and publishing a public appointments action plan detailing specific actions on research and positive action steps, in partnership with the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland, race equality and other relevant intermediary organisations.

The Scottish Government is committed to increasing awareness and understanding of autism for staff working in health and social care, education and criminal justice.

a) Through the Scottish Strategy for Autism , the Scottish Government has committed funding to support work with the Supporting Offenders with Learning Disabilities (SOLD) Network, the National Autistic Society and relevant partners to set out priorities and required actions to ensure autism is understood across the justice system.

All police officers receive regular training, an element of which is designed to raise awareness of autism. Through our autism strategy, Police Scotland is working with justice partners and third sector organisations to develop further training materials and to consider measures such as autism alert cards.

b) We want all children and young people to get the support that they need to reach their full learning potential. To support those working with pupils with autism in schools, the Scottish Government has funded the Autism Toolbox. This provides information to support the identification, support and planning of learning for pupils with autism.

c) There are a number of key workforce groups who play their role in supporting autistic children and adults, including community psychiatric nurses. Strategy funding supported the development of the NHS Education Scotland Autism Training Framework and the delivery of a training plan to improve autism skills across key groups and to build capacity in the NHS workforce. The Scottish Government is committed to continue to fund the dissemination of education across the health and social care workforce.

This data is not centrally held by the Scottish Government.

The Mental Welfare Commission publishes an annual report showing the number of young people under the age of 18 who were admitted to non-specialist mental health beds https://www.mwcscot.org.uk/media/387820/young_person_monitoring_report_2016-17.pdf . This includes where children and young people have been admitted to a non-mental health paediatric ward for mental health reasons, but the report does not cover physical health admissions. In 2016-17 (the latest year for which data is published) the number had decreased compared to previous years.

I announced on 16 March 2018 that, following discussion with key stakeholders, a decision had been taken to take forward a greatly enhanced development at the North Hanover Street car park site at Queen Street station. At an investment cost of £80m this will deliver extensive retail, food and beverage opportunities which will generate a greater rental income. In addition a development deck will be delivered upon which further private sector investment can be taken forward.

The full announcement can be located using the following link:

https://www.transport.gov.scot/news/alternative-plans-at-queen-street-station-made-public/

A Steering Group involving key stakeholders has been formed and will take forward the development of the alternative proposal.

The outputs of these discussions will determine the nature of any change required to the initial steelwork already erected.

In the Race Equality Action Plan we committed to provide a progress report to Parliament in early 2021, setting out achievements and early thinking about the focus for the next Action Plan, which will cover the period 2021-2026. In line with the Independent Race Equality Advisor’s recommendations for enhancing policy co-ordination around race equality, we will also establish a Programme Board including senior officials from across the Scottish Government to drive implementation of the Action Plan. The minutes of the Programme Board will be published online to provide transparency and regular public reporting on progress, building up to the 2021 report.

In addition we will hold an annual Race Equality Summit to be attended by key organisations and individuals, which will provide a further important opportunity to discuss progress on the actions.