§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made about the number of mentally ill citizens who are currently homeless in(a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland as a whole; and if he will make a statement. [28095]
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThis information is not held centrally.
In 1993 the Chief Medical Officer wrote to health boards asking them to assess the health needs of homeless people within their resident populations and to develop strategies to meet the identified need. Their progress in doing so will be monitored through the annual NHS accountability review process.
Homelessness is also a national priority issue for housing authorities and for Scottish Homes. An aim of the Chief Medical Officer's initiative was to establish inter-agency arrangements to ensure homeless people who have health problems, including mental health problems, are referred for help to appropriate health agencies. However, homeless mentally ill people cannot be compelled to accept assistance unless their condition justifies compulsory detention under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984.