Meeting of the Parliament 01 April 2025
As many of the people with whom we have engaged on the LDAN bill are well aware, we are continuing to make progress on the bill. As I have said, we will publish draft proposals before the end of this term of Parliament. We are working on those together. We will hold a series of meetings to discuss them, which we will schedule over the next few months. [Interruption.] I need to make progress, as multiple issues were raised during the debate, and I am keen to respond to them. That said, I am happy to offer to meet the member who sought to intervene at a later date, should his questions not be responded to.
As the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills recently set out to Parliament, she will engage with the Auditor General on Audit Scotland’s ASN report.
For children and young people, our national neurodevelopmental specification aims to ensure that children and families can access support and services that meet their needs. That support will often be community or school based. As I have already stated, receipt of support should not be dependent on a formal diagnosis, and I would expect NHS health boards, children’s services and other partners to work together to implement the specification and to provide the support that is required by children and families, which might include assessment, diagnosis or other interventions.
Over the past five years, we have invested £65 million in community-based mental health support and services for children and young people and their families, including support for neurodivergent children and young people. We continue to provide £16 million a year to local authorities to provide access to school counselling services for all school pupils aged 10 and above.
As for adults, we are aware that there has been a significant increase in the number of neurodivergent people seeking a diagnosis and requiring support. Although that creates challenges for a range of services, we recognise just how important it can be to a person’s wellbeing to receive such a diagnosis and support. Long waits for support are not acceptable. I assure members that the Scottish Government is working closely with local health and social care—[Interruption.] I am sorry—there are several points that I want to respond to, and I have only a couple of minutes left.
We are working with local health and social care bodies to improve access to services and support for neurodivergent people. Last year, we allocated £123 million to health boards to improve the quality and delivery of mental health and psychological services, including neurodevelopmental services for adults and for children and young people.