Meeting of the Parliament 12 January 2022
I am grateful for the opportunity to open the debate on behalf of Scottish Labour. As a party, we have been at the forefront of arguing for a better settlement for people who are in need of mental health support. With the pandemic further stretching the resources of our NHS, there is no better time than now to discuss that crucial issue.
I welcome the fact that mental health is receiving more attention and that it appears that we are beginning to turn a corner in recognising its vital importance to the wellbeing of the country. However, I make it clear that recognition on its own will not push the needle forward. Doing that will require considered and targeted investment over a long period of time, including significant investment in staffing levels. We must match the increased funding in other parts of the United Kingdom.
I will be honest. We need a minister and a Government that place the needs of others before the need to spend time in this chamber patting themselves on the back. Our staff and those who need the service deserve better; they deserve better than the self-congratulatory Government motion that is before us.
Scotland’s mental health provision is well below that which taxpayers deserve, and that puts undue pressure on staff who are working day and night to provide a world-class service. I think that it is fair to say that, for the most part, the Scottish Government’s record on the issue has been dismal, that the general public recognise that and that their perception is that mental health is treated as a second-class consideration.