 Gail d colours, I start withви shops. OK. That's all right. OK, that's all alright. All right. Mr MacDonald to open the debate. Mr MacDonald, do you have seven minutes please? Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I begin by expressing my gratitude to members across the chamber who supported my motion and enabled us to have this important debate today. The Healthy Start Healthy Scotland campaign was launched at the cross-party group on mental health in this Parliament, which I co-convened alongside Mary Scanlon and Malcolm Chisholm. At that meeting, I said that I would seek the opportunity to debate the issue in the chamber, so here we are, never let it be said that I am not a man of my word. The campaign is aimed at improving awareness among professionals and the public regarding maternal mental illness. It is also aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding mental health problems for mothers and increasing professional confidence in detecting and treating it. To that end, the Royal College of Psychiatry in Scotland aims to hold public events with professionals, politicians and the media in order to drive that forward. It is also aiming to have practitioners working with mothers and children being aware of the issues related to maternal mental health problems and to work holistically to address them. It will be seeking to establish an inter-faculty group, links to other royal colleges and hosting a round table bringing together parents and children's representatives, voluntary agencies, statutory early years agencies and professional organisations to ensure that best practice can be shared across Scotland. One in five women will develop a mental illness during pregnancy or in the first postnatal year, but beyond that, seven in 10 women will either hide or underplay the severity of their illness. One in two women who experience depression in the perinatal period will go undiagnosed, so while one in five will develop, only one in two will be diagnosed. While postpartum depression is the most commonly used term, maternal mental health problems can also include anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorders and postpartum psychosis. It is important to note that we often talk about the baby blues, but they are considered separate from postpartum depression. The baby blues are a feeling that affects around 70 per cent of new mothers, a feeling of despondency that occurs after the birth of a baby, and often the two terms are conflated, which I think sometimes can be unhelpful. We know that inequality is correlated with poor maternal mental health, and while postnatal depression can occur for any mother regardless of income, we know from the Scottish Government's own figures that 6 per cent of the highest-income mothers were found to have poor mental health compared to 24 per cent of the lowest-income mothers. The Scottish Government's growing up in Scotland reports have shown that children whose mothers were emotionally well during their first four years developed better socially, emotionally and behaviourally than those whose mothers had brief mental health problems. As well as that being an issue for the mother, there is also an impact on the children that has to be born in mind when we are looking at those issues. Around 5 per cent of children aged 5 to 10 are thought to display problems that merit mental health diagnosis. That I think is something that is of concern to all of us, but it is something for which treatment is available both for the mothers and also for the children. What we need to ensure is that firstly, we ensure that people are coming forward for diagnosis, and then once they have achieved diagnosis, the treatment, the most appropriate treatment, is available. There is work being done across Scotland in terms of not just treatment but also working with families. I want to highlight a project being undertaken in Aberdeen, which I think merits being brought to the chamber. I think that one of the duties upon us as MSPs is to highlight positive examples from our own areas. Four projects have come together to form a family support network, the family learning, Aberlawer community child minding and home start Aberdeen. That integrated working strategy has reduced duplication of services but also ensures that the third sector is working closely with NHS midwives and health visitors to ensure appropriate referrals and support can be targeted. Home start has supported a total of 115 families since 1 April this year. They work closely with health visiting teams. 80 per cent of their referrals come from health visitors. They provide support from peers who are mostly parents themselves who are matched with an individual family that they then visit on a weekly basis. Over 80 per cent of their referrals in Aberdeen arise as a result of or have a mental health issue involved, and over 90 per cent are related to isolation. Isolation has an impact on mental health and on the child who does not have the opportunity to socialise with their peer group. The Aberlawer service supports parents who are affected by substance abuse issues and parents with learning disabilities. Referals are made through social work. The Scottish Child Minding Association provides community child minding service, and in Aberdeen that allows parents to access up to 72 hours of free child minding to support them, which I think is an invaluable service for many families. The family learning team can provide one-to-one in-the-home support for parents with children aged 0 to 3 or provide support programmes in small groups for parents with children aged 3 to 8. There is fantastic work being done out there. One of the things that led me to bring this debate to the chamber today was that I wanted to reflect my own experience. Following the birth of our second child, my wife went through a period of post-natal depression, and I saw first-hand the effect that that has not just on the individual themselves but on the family unit as well. One of the difficulties that was caused, which I referenced through the home start example, was that difficulty of isolation. My wife became very isolated. She lost the confidence to be able to go out and interact with other family groups and, therefore, to get my daughter into situations where she would be meeting other small children. Two things helped in that. One was a local coffee morning in my area, which my wife attended on a regular basis and which enabled her to interact with others outside of the home environment. When my son was in education and when I was down here in Parliament, my wife found it difficult to get out of the house. The other was a local toddlers group, which we were able to take my daughter along to, which enabled her to develop social interactions and also to meet with peer groups as well. That is why I was really taken by the remarks by Sam H recently in the press around the benefits and the possibilities of social prescribing, which I think is something that would be particularly relevant to issues around maternal mental health issues, where isolation and an inability to socialise and a feeling that they cannot reach out perhaps to other mothers for fear of stigmatisation can often grip people who find themselves affected by maternal mental health issues. I think that there is good work out there. There are good examples to be drawn from. It is a question now of making sure that the dots are joined together and also that we in this chamber do all that we can to support our constituents who are affected by these issues and make sure that they get the support that they deserve. I now call on Jenny Marr to be followed by David Torrance. Presiding Officer, I would like to congratulate Mark McDonald for securing this important debate, bringing focus on this important area of mental health but also sharing so eloquently his own personal experience, which is never easy to do. Presiding Officer, every expert, every report, every piece of advice that we are given about tackling child poverty and other social injustices tell us that we should be investing in the early years. What the Healthy Start, Healthy Scotland report has done is remind us of the importance of the early months, the early weeks and the early days. We know much more today than we did in the past about postpartum depression and anxiety and the challenges that women face in that first year as a mother, often feeling quite alone. Despite that, it is clear that we still face a significant challenge in ensuring that women have the support and care that they need. The symptoms are noticed and there is an awareness of those issues. It is estimated that one in two women who experience depression and pregnancy and in the postnatal period will go undetected and untreated, but we are only now discovering the full impact that mental health problems in this crucial time have on the children. The relationship between the mother and baby and those early bonds are vital to the optimal development of the child's brain and can shape social emotional cognitive and language development. Because of the nature of those problems, it can be all too common to miss the signs and not get the care in place to help both mother and baby. Providing that awareness and support of maternal health is vital to giving all children the best start in life. We welcome the significant report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the broad support it has received across Parliament. It is a modest set of proposals that could make a big difference to the lives of many women, many children and many families. I am sure that there is broad consensus across the chamber for the actions that are suggested in the report. I look forward to hearing more contributions in the debate and also from Government benches on what can be done, and we are ready to work with them to achieve those shared goals. I now call on David Torrance to be followed by Mary Scanlon. I would also like to congratulate Mark McDonald on bringing this motion to Parliament today. Let me start by commending the Royal College of Psychiatrists for its effort to raise the issue of mental health among new and expectant mothers through its Healthy Start, Healthy Scotland campaign. Mental health is a complex but I believe that these issues can be mitigated with a proper awareness and advocacy that college seeks to foster. I would like to focus in particular on the problems surrounding both the diagnosis and the treatment of mental health issues affecting new mothers. Starting with the diagnosis of these issues, the Royal College of Psychiatrists reports that one in two women who experience depression and pregnancy or postnatal period will go undetected and untreated. The NHS reports that postnatal depression is one of the most common mental health issues affecting new mothers. Symptoms include an inability to sleep, irritation, tearfulness and fearful of feeling as a mother. However, as one of the main challenges surrounding postnatal depression, it is that these symptoms are not always noticeable to a observer or even to a mother herself. Women affected by illness can often perceive these symptoms to be a product of exhaustion and stress. Because they do not connect with the symptoms to postnatal depression, some women do not seek help. As a result, issues for new mothers persist much longer than necessary. According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, some women also fear the judgment of others. They are worried about the stigma surrounding mental health, as well as being deemed unfit mothers. That is why raising awareness of pre- and postnatal mental health is so essential. We can show mothers that help is available to reduce social stigmas. Those problems around diagnosis connect to my second point, the treatment of mental health for mothers. I am proud to say that there are several organisations in my constituency that address the issue and support new mothers. Volunteers from Home Start Cercody provide weekly support to any family in need, including mothers suffering from postnatal mental illness. Our local branch of carers trust provides further counselling and support. The Five Gingerbread provides not only support after the birth of a child, but also provides counselling during pregnancy to try to prevent mental health issues once a child is born. Those services are invaluable to those who use them. I was concerned, however, to learn that primary support groups for postnatal mental illness have a larger presence in England than in Scotland. For example, the Pandas Foundation, which runs support groups for mothers coping with postnatal mental illness, sponsors 31 groups in England and only five in Scotland. This fact makes it clear to me that there is a greater need for awareness, advocacy and action on the issue in Scotland. I have no doubt about the dedication of the staff and volunteers of these organisations in Scotland and that, in the work we do, they will continue to highlight the important issue and seek to develop their services even further. However, I feel that it is essential that community support be aligned with medical treatment. Mental health requires professional care and treatment that can only be given by a physician. In fact, the RCP reports that 25 per cent of mothers who suffer from postnatal mental illness and do not seek help, do not recover by the time their child is one year old. This places a great deal of strain on the relationship between the mother and the child and can ultimately affect the child's development. Early intervention and treatment facilitate recovery for the mother and a healthy start to the life of a child. Additionally, it is crucial to involve physicians, mothers and family members in the treatment. In talking about the importance of early intervention, I would like to draw to attention one of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' action items regarding its Healthy Start, Healthy Scotland campaign. However, it is a desire to establish links with other Royal Colleges in the UK. By co-operating with organisations such as the Royal College of Obstructions and the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, the RCP can better ensure that new mothers and infants will receive the care that they need. I believe that this is a move that will increase cohesion in antenatal and postnatal healthcare and benefit the mothers and children. I fully support the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Healthy Start, Healthy Scotland campaign and its attention to mental health needs new and unexpected mothers can face. I am pleased to see that our organisation is taking steps to provide essential care to help mothers, their families and their new babies. In conclusion, there is a clear message that we should extend to all mothers. Postnatal illness is easily preventable and treatable, only by achieving greater awareness for mental health we can create a brighter, healthier future for Scotland. Mary Scanlon is followed by Bob Dorris. I would also like to thank Mark McDonald for securing this debate on improving the mental health of mothers and babies. Mark gave a commitment, as he said at the cross-party group on mental health, to raise the issue in a member's debate, and I say well done. For my part, I committed to submitting parliamentary questions. I very much regret to say that the responses to my questions were disappointing and a bit dismissive. I can only hope that we get a more favourable response to this cross-party debate today and something more positive. I also commend the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland for their initiative, and I am stating that much needs to be done to help support mothers and babies in improving maternal early years mental health as a clinical and a mental health priority. The cost of not treating infant mental health is £8 billion in the royal college paper, so any investment in diagnosis and support has to be money well spent. There is probably not much that is new in the briefing paper and research in terms of knowledge, but what is needed is the will to put the measures in place, get the health professionals and others to work together and ensure that mental health at this critical time in a child's development becomes a priority that it has not been in the past. We can all understand that it is very understandable that depressed mothers find it difficult to give their babies the security that they need. There is also increasing evidence that social relationships in early life have a crucial influence on the infant brain, as Jenny Marra alluded to, and the relationships between infants' attachment and their brain anatomy and biochemistry is now very well established, with brain development dependent on strong early bonds with the infant's main caregiver most often the mother, and the relationships an infant makes in early life forms the bedrock of their future development. We are currently facing legislation on attainment in schools, however, after the debate, we do not really need to wait until a child gets to school. Intervention at the antinatal and postnatal stages with the appropriate support for mother and child could bring so many benefits. We have all heard of some children who are 12 months behind in terms of their development when they start school, making it very difficult for them to catch up. We know that it is in the first year of life that the interaction with the primary caregiver shapes the infant's social, emotional, cognitive and language development, but untreated mental health does not just have a financial cost. The longer-term effects on the child's cognitive and emotional development can hugely affect their educational attainment, their life chances and their opportunities. It is therefore surely preferable and effective to prioritise early work with infants and their mothers than even attempt to reverse harm at a later stage. As Mark McDonald said, the royal college paper also states that one in two women who experience depression in pregnancy or the postnatal period will go undetected and untreated, and for those where depression is detected, in so many cases they are not offered the option of being accompanied by their babies if they require inpatient care. That is quite unacceptable. They are supposed to have a right to be accompanied by their babies, but it is also unacceptable, as the royal college paper states, that very few mental health services in Scotland specifically address the needs of infants and focus on the mother-infant relationship. I just wanted to say that I lost a very dear friend who struggled to cope with postnatal depression and left two very young boys. That was difficult for her. She was a professional woman, worked in the NHS, had a staff of 20 or more staff, and she found it very difficult to admit because she was so good at her profession that she could have a vulnerability and she actually felt weak and she felt something of a failure. The royal college campaign to improve awareness is very welcome in this campaign, but the main thing is that it is not just the royal college of psychiatrists, it is the links with the other royal colleges in Scotland, such as the obstetricians and gynaecologists, the general practitioners, the midwives as well as the pediatrics and child health. It is bringing them all together that is needed to better detect mental health and detachment in order to look forward to the future. All I can say is that there is not a good record of public agencies working together for seamless assessment and care, but this one can be made to happen, it does not cost a lot of money, it simply brings people together and makes mother and baby mental health the priority that it should be. I congratulate Mark McDonald for securing this important debate this afternoon. I am proud to join the Parliament in welcoming the royal college of psychiatrists healthy start healthy Scotland campaign. I am deputy chair of the health and sport committee, and it is something that the health and sport committee, the health of mothers, has focused on. Maybe we should focus on it more often, but there are aspects that we have looked at, whether it is the benefits of the family nurse partnership, whether it is their inquiry into unplanned teenage pregnancy and the mental health impact that mothers can have in relation to that, or whether it is looking at the early years collaborative and some groundbreaking work that local authority and the Scottish Government are doing together. There are a lot of things happening, but it is particularly poignant for my self-taking partner this afternoon's debate because I will be a father for the first time in February next year and my wife is due to give birth. The idea of maternal mental health is something that I hope will flourish and be positive for myself and my family, but, as Mary Scanlon points out, you can never take anything in this life for granted. None of us, whether it is mothers or others, should neglect our own mental health through a particular importance to myself in speaking this afternoon's debate. This campaign is an important initiative to raise awareness of mental health problems that so many expectant and current mothers face each year. I was going to put a number of statistics on the official report today, but I think that those stats have been pretty well aired this afternoon. Needless to say, unfortunately, not every pregnancy will be a positive experience in the emotional, physical and psychological stress of carrying your unborn child, as well as the financial costs of pregnancy. Raising that child can wreak havoc and emotional wellbeing of pregnant and postnatal women can be a significant impact in relation to that. The Centre for Maternal and Child Inquiries has established that mental illness is one of the leading causes of maternal death in the UK. That is why such a campaign is crucial in raising awareness and worth prioritising. By encouraging and providing resources for early intervention, we can not only reduce rates of mental illness in mothers, but we can also save lives. I want to mention one of my local organisations, which clearly does fantastic work across the country, because I want to talk about Homestat and the work that it provides to support for women and families and children under the age of five through practical and emotional support. Volunteer visits encourage families to widen their support network and help them to the advantage of resources and opportunities that the community provides. It is a non-judgmental service, a non-statutory service, and it is about building relationships. That is what sits at the heart of what Homestat Glasgow North does, which is the branch of Homestat that I know the best. I was proud and privileged to speak at their AGM just a few weeks ago. The work that they do to help mothers across the north of Glasgow, across Maryhill, Springburn, Royston and beyond is, quite frankly, exceptional. There are a variety of organisations that do uniquely fantastic work. Rosemont childcare, I recently visited a parent and toddlers group there, and some dads were there, which I am pleased to say as well in relation to the relationship building. Also, anishtiff in the positive postal park, where there are burnardos and stepping stones for the futures, and other agencies get together to prioritise families in that area. There are a couple of things that I want to put on the record, Presiding Officer, in the short time that I have left. I would not forgive myself if I did not talk about the mental health of those who lose their unborn child through miscarriage and the psychological and mental health impact that can have on families. I think that we should put that on record during this debate as well. There are also inequalities, not just economic, but inequalities that before certain women, if you have a strong support network, it does not mean that you will have strong maternal mental health, but it gives you a fighting chance to do better than some that do not have that community resilience, and we should bear that in mind as well. I think that the final thing that I would like to say is that next year, befittingly, is the international year of the dad. I did not actually know that until a few weeks ago when I attended the home start at Glasgow North's AGM. Surely in the morning in this chamber we have got a significant role to play ourselves in making sure that maternal mental health flourishes, because there is no rulebook to be a mum, to be a dad. There are no rights and wrongs, but we learn from our mistakes. We have that support network if we are lucky, and for some of us, our mental health will be impacted. That does not make you a bad parent. That makes you vulnerable in the need of support, and I think that this afternoon's debate, led by Mark McDonald, so ably draws attention to that fact. I am delighted to share my experiences with the chamber this afternoon. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I too, of course, congratulate Mark McDonald for bringing this debate to the chamber and the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, of course, for their Healthy Start, Healthy Scotland campaign. I think that she would also congratulate in advance Bob Doris and his very much better half in their forthcoming parenthood. I have raised the issue of lack of parity for mental and physical health in Scotland on a number of occasions. During the Scottish Government debate back in January, I pointed out the lack of parity in law. Ten months later, we still do not have legislative provisions that place mental and physical health on an equal footing. Ten months later, I have not stopped raising the issue and, of course, I will take this chance again today. I think that our discussion tonight on mental health of pregnant and postnatal women points to the increasing importance of guarantee to good mental health for all. The Healthy Start, Healthy Scotland campaign makes provision for the earliest possible preventative measures for mothers and their infants. From the report, I quote the early time after childbirth is a period of greater risk for severe mental illness than in any other time in a woman's life. That can translate into, unfortunately, damaged brain development of the infant, whose relationship with its mother of course is absolutely vital at this early stage. With one in five women developing mental illness during pregnancy or in the first postnatal year and one in four people in the overall population developing a mental illness at some point in their life, it is clear that we need to address this problem head-on untreated. We can have the most ultimate of tragic consequences, as I said, and of course many here, like Mary Scanlon, also know cases of. However, the good news is that effective treatments are available, so I would like to urge the Scottish Government to make these preventative measures available to all. I noted that the UK Government, back in its 2015 budget, announced £75 million over five years for perinatal mental health in London. Of course, I would like to see this replicated in Scotland. In a freedom of information request that I submitted to the health boards, the responses should arise in need for psychological support for new mothers. One board saw its cases nearly triple and, quoting the board, said the apparent rise in cases reflects the creation of the specialist perinatal midwife position in that year, which increased mental health awareness in the service, which we welcome. That is a successful example of awareness and trust of the services for new mothers, which could, of course, be followed elsewhere. The report marks a necessary station that, when adopted, will have a positive two-fold effect in my belief. The first is good mental health for all from the early start in life, and secondly, a gradual reduction in health inequalities that are compounded by poor mental health. Mental health is not the starting and ending point in reducing inequalities. It is, however, a major component that disproportionately affects people in the most deprived areas. It is five times more likely to have below-average mental health than those in the least deprived areas. Through deprivation, people will want to lead normal lives, work and have families. We need to ensure that every member in the family is able to have access to the right therapies at the right time. Mark McDonald's motion correctly identifies the importance of working holistically with practitioners across medical specialisations, breaking down the singular concern of mental health for mothers and infants, of course, should be the guiding principle of those actions. The Healthy Start, Healthy Scotland campaign is making the call for the right time to be early on for the infants and their mothers. Of course, I want to end by renewing my call for parity in law between mental and physical health. It is the next step that Scotland must take if we are to meaningfully provide mental health treatments for mothers and their babies. Thank you very much. Jamie Hepburn to close this debate on behalf of the Government. Seven minutes all thereby to the minister. Thank you very much. I join with others in thanking Mark McDonald for bringing forward the subject for the debate. I echo Jenny Marra's comments about his bringing his family's personal experience to the debate. I can also similarly say to Mary Scanlon, who spoke of the experience of her friend. It was also very difficult for her to do understandably, but I want to thank her for doing so. I also join with others. Bob Doris has gone public. I make public my own previously privately expressed congratulations to both Bob Doris and, undoubtedly, his much better half Jarrett, as they prepare for parenthood. I also welcome the Royal College of Psychiatrists healthy Scotland campaign, expressed my support for the campaign's aims. This member's business debate continues the attention that the Parliament has had on mental health. I am proud that we have had that focus. Including pernatal mental illness is one of the top public health challenges in Europe, with an estimated third of the population being affected by mental health disorders every year. It is rightly a topic that occupies us. We need to be as comfortable talking about mental ill health as we do talking about physical ill health. Having a focus on debate and discussion in this part is an important part of that process. In the Government, we agree that good pernatal mental health is a vitally important issue. Dave Torrance spoke about how mental illness can affect new mothers. Of course, there is a common idea that when a woman gives birth, it is the happiest time of her life. We know that, for many others, it can be a very extremely difficult time. Mary Scanlon mentioned that there have been a couple of written questions lodged of late. She did not expressly say that I had answered them. I presume that I was the minister who answered them. If she has felt that they have been unhelpful and dismissive, that is certainly not my intention. Never mind my intention, with any answer, I would give to a question. It is certainly not in this area that there is broad consensus. Let me offer to Mary Scanlon and any member if they have any particular concerns that they want to discuss with me anytime that they need to only ask. My overriding expectation is that individuals should be treated accordingly to their clinically assessed needs with care and support and put in place which responds quickly and appropriately to those needs. In Scotland, we ensure that GPs, midwives, health visitors and obstetricians have pernatal mental health education as part of their undergraduate training. NHS education for Scotland will soon be launching a national resource and online module in relation to pernatal mental health, which will have open access for staff in any sector. That is, of course, in addition to any local education that will be offered, our national mental health strategy and clinical guidelines for health professional support, mothers experiencing mental health problems and ensuring that NHS delivers safe and effective care to those who need it. There is, of course, an issue. To Mr McDonnell clearly set out the nature of the challenge around those not being identified, my expectation is that NHS boards should provide safe, effective care and services that support and respond to the needs of the individual for women at high risk of pernatal mental illness. That includes developing a detailed plan for their late pregnancy and early postnatal psychiatric management. That plan should be agreed with the mother to being shared with maternity services to the community at Merwifery team GP, health visitor and mental health services, so that we have that cross-cutting approach. Members spoke about the importance of the connection between mothers and children. Mary Scanlon touched on that area, as, of course, under the point of law that there is a duty in health boards to provide such services and accommodation as necessary to allow women with postnatal depression to be admitted to hospital accompanied by their child under one-year-old. We have extended that right under the 2015 act to mothers with any mental disorder. If there is any suggestion, as was suggested by Mary Scanlon, that this is a duty not being complied with and that can be provided with that information, not necessarily in this debate, but if Mary Scanlon wants to, I can assure you that I will take that very seriously indeed, of course. Mary Scanlon. Sorry, I have given the paper to your official report, but it was raised in the royal college paper that although it was a right, there were not always the facilities for mothers to take their children in, so it came from the royal college paper. Yes, indeed, and I am happy to reflect on that and if there is more we need to do in that regard, I am happy to commit to looking at that matter. As our population's general health has been steadily improving in Scotland, we know that health inequalities have been growing. There was a point picked up by Mark McDonald, Bob Dillars and Jim Hume. We know that poor mental health is more common in some segments of the population and others in social and economic deprived groups. In particular, social inequalities in mental health are enduring and persistent. The causes of poor mental health are varied, but we know that there is a statistical correlation along the lines of socioeconomic circumstances. We have to address the underlying social determinants of health and see that they have an impact on mental health. We have to take action and support meaningful, secure employment, good-quality housing in neighbourhoods and high-quality education and childcare. Of course, we need to do more than that. We need to have indeed, yes. I am grateful to the point that the minister raises. He will also be aware from the speech that I made that isolation is both a factor in the development of poor mental health and a compounding factor following that happening. In terms of the Samhitch social prescribing that I spoke of, which can often help to tackle some of that isolation by directing individuals towards social opportunities, does the minister support that? Is he looking at ways that that can perhaps be taken forward? I was hoping to talk about that later, but let me take that up now, because I see that I am running out of time. I very much support the whole concept of social prescribing. Earlier, I spoke of the need for a partnership approach between health professionals, but the partnership approach that we need to see in ensuring a more positive sense of mental wellbeing across Scotland requires a partnership approach, not just between the national health service and other elements of social care, but involving the third and independent sector, who are very innovative and are able to create positive examples of community support. We have announced that there will be an additional £100 million for mental health services over the next five years. An element of that is for primary care, that is not necessarily in general practice per se, although I have been very clear that some of that has to be directed to those very organisations. I have mentioned that I think that it can play a positive role, and social prescribing will be part of that. Indeed, both Mr MacDonald and Bob Doris spoke of the positive example of home-start initiatives in their respective areas. I am always very keen to hear about that in this type of debate, and to try and spread good practice. I will conclude, because I seem quite a bit over time. My commitment is that we have to move to being a society with reduced stigmatisation around issues of mental health and, one, with a stronger sense of mental wellbeing collectively. We know that getting it right early matters in that regard has to mean support for good perinatal mental health. Mr MacDonald and other members, and indeed the wider public, can be assured of my commitment to working to that end. Thank you all for taking part in this important debate. I now close this meeting of Parliament.