Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 17 December 2025
17 Dec 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Portfolio Question Time
Neurodevelopmental Conditions (Provision)
Health and Social Care
The Scottish Government welcomes the report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists on future provision for neurodevelopmental support in Scotland. I agree that demand for neurodevelopmental assessment and support now far exceeds what Scotland’s mental health infrastructure can deliver and that a different response is needed.
The Scottish Government is committed to driving forward improvements to address that complex issue. To support us in that work, the royal college is a member of our children and young people’s neurodevelopmental task force, and it participated in the cross-party summit on neurodevelopmental support that I hosted on 15 December.
In the same item of business
5. Paul McLennan (East Lothian) (SNP)
SNP
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland on its proposal, “The future of provision for ...
The Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing (Tom Arthur)
SNP
The Scottish Government welcomes the report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists on future provision for neurodevelopmental support in Scotland. I agree tha...
Paul McLennan
SNP
The summit brought together people from clinical services, education, the Government, academia and policy. What key points were raised at the summit? How wil...
Tom Arthur
SNP
At Scotland’s first summit on neurodevelopmental support—held, as I said, on 15 December—the focus was on improving our shared understanding of the complexit...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
In Scotland, 30 per cent of adults live in areas where they are unable to get a neurodevelopmental assessment. It is not that demand is outstripping supply; ...
Tom Arthur
SNP
I assure Mr Rennie that I treat the matter with the utmost urgency. I was grateful to his colleague Alex Cole-Hamilton for participating in the summit on Mon...