Contents
- Scottish Parliament Thursday 16 January 2003
- International Situation
- Business Motion
- Question Time
- First Minister's Question Time
- Dog Fouling (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
- Parliamentary Bureau Motions
- International Situation
- Decision Time
- Housing (Private Rented Sector)
Question Time
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Sports Facilities (Winter Use)
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is providing for the development of sports facilities that are usable over the winter months. (S1O-6231)
Local authorities are responsible for providing leisure and recreational facilities, which they do according to the priorities that they have identified. The Executive, through sportscotland, can and does provide financial support for local authorities. Since 1995, the national lottery sports fund has committed more than £60 million to improving existing indoor facilities or building new ones. The physical education in sport programme, which was launched last year, will contribute further to that, with school-based community facilities.
I welcome the progress that is being made, but does the minister agree that a lack of indoor and all-weather facilities throughout Scotland is likely to hinder the achievement of sport 21's priorities of social inclusion, increased participation and the promotion of excellence? In that context, will he comment on the velodrome at Meadowbank, where a successful sport in all the terms that I have mentioned is badly affected by closures due to bad weather?
The physical education in sport programme is specifically targeted at social inclusion partnership areas. Facilities such as the one that I launched in Haghill in Glasgow last week are designed to meet the need for exactly the sort of provision to which the member refers. From memory, I think that the sport 21 report identified the need for an indoor velodrome as a priority and that a feasibility study was carried out. We are currently seeking partnership funding to take the project forward, as the cost and lack of flexibility of a velodrome make it difficult to fund out of existing resources.
Is the minister aware of the situation that will face curlers in my constituency and elsewhere in the north-east following the closure of the only curling rink in the region? Will he, perhaps with sportscotland, examine in more detail the options that were presented by the Aberdeen curling project group, which would like to build a purpose-built facility to serve the whole north-east?
I suppose that I should not miss the opportunity to congratulate yet again Rhona Martin and Jackie Lockhart and their teams. I suspect that Scotland has never before been the world and Olympic champions at the same time in any sport. That feat is worthy of tremendous credit.
There has been a considerable spin-off from that success in the form of increased interest in curling and the "curling's cool" programme, which is aimed at primary school children, has been very successful. The closure of a rink in Aberdeenshire should be viewed with concern and if there is a way in which I can assist, perhaps through discussions with sportscotland, in ensuring that the Aberdeen area continues to be provided with curling facilities, I would certainly want to do so.
Cabinet Sub-committee on Sustainable Scotland
To ask the Scottish Executive when the next meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on sustainable Scotland—otherwise known as CSCSS—will be held and what will be discussed. (S1O-6237)
I was unaware that the sub-committee was so commonly regarded.
The Cabinet sub-committee on sustainable Scotland met yesterday and discussed a range of issues of relevance to sustainable development in Scotland. No further meetings of the sub-committee have been arranged.
I hope that the Cabinet sub-committee is more than aware of the report of the Scottish Parliament Health and Community Care Committee on its inquiry into genetically modified crops, which states:
"we believe that allowing GM crop trials to continue does contravene the precautionary principle, even as that principle is interpreted by the Scottish Executive."
Will, or did, the Cabinet sub-committee agree to suspend the GM crop trials, as recommended by the Health and Community Care Committee? Given the significance of the committee's recommendations, will the matter continue to be discussed at the Cabinet sub-committee's next meeting, if indeed no decision has yet been reached?
There are a number of separate points. The recommendations and the full burden of the Health and Community Care Committee's report are a matter of considerable significance for me in my capacity as Minister for Environment and Rural Development. The department for which I am responsible and colleagues in the health department are required to study the report with considerable care and we will respond to it. That is the appropriate mechanism.
The Health and Community Care Committee's report was not before the sub-committee. A good reason for that might be that no one had had the time to study the report before the sub-committee met. Robin Harper referred to the sub-committee's next meeting. Given the time scales of the sub-committee's meetings, it will be for a future Administration to determine the timing and agendas for future meetings.
On the basis of advice from his advisory body—the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment—the minister has consistently defended his refusal to suspend GM crop trials. As the Health and Community Care Committee's report has called into question ACRE's advice, how can the minister continue to have confidence in ACRE? Is not it time for the minister to consider taking evidence on GM crops from other scientific sources?
As John Scott properly points out, the Health and Community Care Committee has questioned ACRE's procedures and methodology. As I told Robin Harper, the correct response is for me to take that report seriously. ACRE is entitled at least to an opportunity to consider the committee's conclusions and to respond. All of us will be interested in that response. Allowing ACRE the opportunity to respond to the accusation that has been levelled against its methodology would be the proper procedure.
Sustainable Development
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to expand education in sustainable development. (S1O-6249)
Opportunities for education in sustainable development are available throughout the school curriculum. The Executive is discussing with the sustainable secondary schools partnership proposals to establish an advisory group to provide support and advice on that important part of the curriculum.
Is the minister aware of the progress that is being made on promoting sustainable development in our primary and secondary schools, most notably in the eco-schools initiative, which has been adopted in my constituency? Is she also aware of the need to develop undergraduate courses so that, instead of having stand-alone courses, we develop the curriculum in subjects such as accountancy and engineering to enable graduates in those subjects to make informed decisions in their future careers?
I am well aware of the eco-schools programme, which was an item on the agenda of yesterday's meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on sustainable Scotland—the sub-committee was pleased to hear an update about the programme. I am also aware of the work that is being done with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and funding from the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland to establish the Scottish universities network for sustainability. That will deal with some of issues that Ken Macintosh identified in relation to how the institutions consider sustainable development as organisations and in relation to teaching and courses.
Borders Railways Forum
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or is currently having, with the Borders railways forum. (S1O-6230)
None. However, we are in regular contact with the Waverley Railway Partnership, which leads on the Scottish Borders railway project.
I know of that. Does the minister care to agree with recent media comments and with his predecessor, Sarah Boyack? Sarah Boyack said in a debate in June 2000 on the reinstatement of the Borders railway line:
"I accept without reservation that improving the transport links between the Borders and the rest of the country is a prerequisite to the area's economic regeneration".—[Official Report, 1 June 2000; Vol 6, c 1218.]
Given that the forum proposes only four stops in Midlothian and one stop in the Borders with another for turnaround, will the minister confirm that he will ensure that the Borders railway line remains just that and does not end—as rumours would have it—at Gorebridge?
The Borders railway line remains one of the developments that we would like, as we made clear in our transport delivery report. We also made clear what the process should be. The Waverley Railway Partnership leads the project and will bring to us the proposal for a link to the Borders. In December, I met Councillor John Scott from Scottish Borders Council, which takes the lead in the partnership. He was still working on the project and I expect the partnership to produce proposals.
Is the minister aware of the urgency of taking action to ensure that constituents such as mine in Midlothian—60 per cent of whom travel to Edinburgh by car—have access to rail travel, which would reduce congestion hugely in and around Edinburgh and particularly at Sheriffhall roundabout?
That is absolutely right and it is why the link is mentioned in the TDR, as well as links further south into the Borders, which also have potential benefits. As I said, the partnership is taking that forward. The next key stage is to introduce the private bill in Parliament, which I expect to happen within the next month or two. In recent months, I have provided an extra £250,000 to accelerate that process. It has been my purpose to move things on as quickly as possible.
The minister will be aware that it is inevitable that the delivery of the Borders railway will require substantial funding from the Executive and Strategic Rail Authority sources. Does he accept that it is unrealistic for him to say that it is simply up to the bill's promoters to fund the project? Will he give a commitment in principle, protecting the Executive's detailed negotiating position, to a substantial injection of public funding?
I do not accept that that is the position that we have outlined. My predecessor Sarah Boyack challenged the partnership to maximise investment in the project from private sources. A key aspect of the proposals that the partnership is working up to bring to us is the shortfall or the gap that would require to be filled by public funding. I have tried to accelerate the process and I continue to work to do that.
Does the minister agree that, in any value-for-money calculations relating to the establishment or re-establishment of a rail service, social inclusion, the environmental impact and issues of economic development must be important considerations in the decision making, quite apart from finance for the railway itself?
Yes. The Scottish transport appraisal guidance, which we are working hard to develop, takes account of those factors as well as the more obvious value-for-money factors. Only yesterday in the debate on the Transport and the Environment Committee's report, a number of colleagues expressed the view that the STAG process is excellent and is developing well. That appraisal process would be applied to potential new railway lines in Scotland, including the Borders line.
Quality-of-life Issues
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in tackling issues that affect the quality of people's lives such as litter and abandoned cars. (S1O-6254)
As part of the local government settlement, my colleague Andy Kerr allocated £180 million in quality-of-life funding for local authorities over the next three years, in addition to the £95 million allocated this year to improve the local environment and to encourage children and young people to make healthy lifestyle choices.
Those themes allow scope for a wide range of initiatives to respond to local needs and priorities, including litter and abandoned vehicles. Specifically on litter, however, we commissioned a review of legislation, whose recommendations are currently being considered. New regulations to help local authorities to deal more quickly with the nuisance of abandoned cars came into effect on 15 January. In addition, we have allocated £20 million from 2004 for community wardens, whose role will include tackling environmental issues such as litter and abandoned cars.
Is the minister aware of the innovative scheme in Middlefield in my constituency of Aberdeen North, which the Minister for Social Justice visited this week? The scheme involves community wardens who help to clean up the streets by speeding up the removal of abandoned cars and it has worked effectively in helping to reduce crime and in fostering better relations between the community and the police. Will the minister consider whether that model could be usefully extended elsewhere?
I am aware of the Minister for Social Justice's visit and observation of the implementation of the community-warden scheme. I confirm that we will be considering the scheme's applicability throughout Scotland. We have to acknowledge that a one-size-fits-all approach is not necessarily the answer, but it is clear that there are lessons to be learned from the impressive way in which the scheme is progressing.
Does the minister agree that the increased costs of vehicle disposal, as a result of the end-of-life vehicles directive, make the problem of abandoned vehicles worse? A recent European report said that we can expect half a million more such vehicles between now and the end of 2007 as a result of the UK Government's choice not to fund a collection and disposal scheme. What measures is the minister considering to improve the treatment and recycling of vehicles to ensure that more are not abandoned and that we do not face a mountain similar to the one that, shamefully, exists for fridges?
In light of the regulations that came into force yesterday, which are part and parcel of wider developments, I can say that the response from local authorities has been to welcome the much-improved procedures for dealing with abandoned vehicles.
On dealing with abandoned vehicles more generally and the impact of the end-of-life vehicles directive, the handling of larger elements of waste is obviously an integral part of the discussions about arrangements for waste strategies. Local authorities must be required to build up their capacity to deal with such waste. I am confident that we are sufficiently involved in proper discussions with local authorities on that issue and that that will prevent the problems that arose with fridges.
The problem is serious and complicated, because the responsibility rests with the owner, albeit that it eventually falls back to the local authority. A substantial number of persons who abandon vehicles have also avoided registering the vehicle, which complicates matters further.
National Health Service (Hospital-acquired Infections)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in tackling hospital-acquired infections in the NHS. (S1O-6225)
We have set out new standards on infection control and cleaning services, which make clear what is expected of hospitals. We expect assessments of progress shortly. I have also established a task force to ensure that the issue continues to be given high priority by the NHS.
The minister will be aware that there have been a number of cases in Lothian and that the number of hospital patients catching methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus has gone up, according to figures released on 8 January. Research shows that anything up to a million bed days are blocked by patients with hospital-acquired infection. I note that the Executive has made several moves on the issue.
Ask your question, please.
Does the minister agree that, in its strategy, the Executive should allow decisions to be made at ward level by nationally recognised infection-control teams that are made up of microbiologists and specially trained infection-control nurses, whose only remit is infection control and educating patients and staff about ward hygiene?
We already have an absolute commitment to developing infection-control teams in hospitals. The whole team involved in the provision of support services in a hospital is critical. That is why I am delighted to have a constituent from Parkhead hospital in the gallery—Bill Kidd, who recently won one of the Daily Record health awards. He is part of the contribution that will make a difference throughout health services in Scotland.
Our whole strategy is about finding a clear way of bringing together effective cleaning, good hygiene, infection-control procedures and prudent use of antibiotics. As a result, we have proposed that champions in local health provision should be developed to ensure that we address any growing trends in hospital-acquired infection.
Given the continued increase in hospital-acquired infections with a cost to the NHS of £186 million a year and the increased diversion of resources from health care to negligence claims, will the minister tell the Parliament whether the increase in resources for the payment of such claims is a result of cases involving hospital-acquired infections? Would it not be better to invest that money in infection control?
We have made it quite clear that we take infection control seriously. I ask Mary Scanlon to tell me how we would be able to address the concerns that she has raised with a 20 per cent reduction in the health budget.
We must develop a strategy that pulls teams together to ensure that we do not have to find ways of paying out compensation. Any money lost to the health service impacts on the provision and quality of service across the board. The Executive is utterly committed to addressing those concerns. That is why we have established the action team, which will meet at the end of the month to identify ways of developing those issues over the next few years.
Health Promotion
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are necessary to promote a healthier Scotland. (S1O-6248)
In order really to make Scotland a healthier nation, we must go beyond simply treating the consequences and devote more effort to preventing ill health. As a result, a comprehensive approach across all Executive departments is essential. We will shortly publish our proposals to build on steps that have already been taken, such as the national healthy living campaign that the First Minister inaugurated last week.
Will the minister tell me how the Executive plans to ensure that communities are fully informed about the local facilities available to them? We will only ever improve the health of the people of Scotland if we make it easy and convenient to access those health services.
It is absolutely essential that we get the message across to the people who need to hear it. That requires a range of measures, including national measures such as the telephone helpline that was set up under the healthy living campaign, which will provide advice and information to people about how to balance their diets and use foods appropriately, and local measures. Janis Hughes will be aware of the Cambuslang health and food project in her constituency, which identifies and addresses local food poverty and related health issues. It is important that local initiatives are supported, which is what the Executive is doing, because they are best placed to take on board the problems that are faced by local people.
Does the minister agree that a key part of promoting a healthier Scotland is to address the personnel shortages in the health service? To that end, can she tell me how many nurses, doctors and consultants the Scottish Executive has agreed to second to the armed forces in the event of an armed attack on Iraq?
The current situation is that the voluntary service units that will make up the medical corps have been identified from a service south of the border. At the moment, the effect in Scotland will be minimal. However, as was said in this morning's debate on the international situation, each and every one of us would accept that, should war become a fact, we will want to support our men and women who are put into that situation. I hope that Alex Neil does not suggest otherwise.
Will the Executive ensure that the promotion of a healthier Scotland includes the building of a new state-of-the-art hospital at Larbert in the grounds of the Royal Scottish national hospital? The site already belongs to the national health service and it is readily accessible to more than 90 per cent of the population of Forth valley.
I think that we had that question last week as well.
The member will be aware that the issue is still under consideration. Although I recognise his desire to represent his constituents, we have to have a comprehensive review, and the views of the people in Forth valley must be considered.
School Leavers
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reverse the overall increase in the percentage of school leavers from publicly funded schools who, since 1998-99, have not entered training, employment or full-time higher or further education. (S1O-6215)
The Executive is taking action on a number of fronts, including an investment of £15 million between 2001 and 2004 in inclusiveness projects that will help hardest-to-reach 16 to 24-year-olds. Those projects—13 in total—are managed by Careers Scotland, whose target is a 25 per cent reduction in the number of young people who are not in training, employment or full-time education by the end of March 2004.
The minister is not responsible for education so he might not be aware that that was a key social justice and education target in his party's previous manifesto. Given that the figure has now risen and is worse than when the Tories left power, what new initiatives are being taken to close the opportunity gap?
I am well aware of the social justice target that was referred to. One of the great strengths of the Executive is that social justice cuts across all our responsibilities. The target referred to has been discussed among colleagues and, indeed, between Cathy Jamieson and myself in the past days. To address that important issue, we must look to the newest initiatives in our lifelong learning strategy, which is in preparation and is soon to be published. I continue to work closely with the Minister for Education and Young People to ensure that there are new initiatives to do that.
Surely the minister's response indicates that the Executive is perhaps doing too little too late. In this unhappy situation, does not the problem rest with the education system's failure to recognise that some youngsters, aged perhaps 13 or 14, are not sitting happily in the school environment? Surely more adventurous means should be adopted to give them alternative opportunities, by letting them access other learning source providers such as colleges or a business forum.
The provision of a wider choice of opportunities in school for young people around the age of 13 or 14, to ensure that we reduce the number of those who are lost to the system and become disaffected with school, is one of the matters that Cathy Jamieson has spoken about in recent weeks. I warn anyone who considers that group of young people to be a single cohort, and who thinks that there is a single solution, to take the issue much more seriously. There is a wide range of reasons, some of which are less difficult to resolve than others.
Included in that group is the cohort of young people who take time out after school or who take a gap year. However, the total also includes a ridiculously disproportionate number of looked-after children, who might be served well in their younger years but who, in the transition to adulthood, are not served well. We will be focusing on those transitions, and there will be a range of them, because there is a range of reasons behind the statistics.
Does the minister agree that our world-class success in securing participation in higher education for young people should not mask what still needs to be done? In particular, does he agree that we need better data on the groups that make up that cohort, including the hardest-to-reach young people? Does he further agree that there is an important role for Careers Scotland and Future Skills Scotland, as well as for educators, in supporting those young people?
Further to my response to Annabel Goldie, I agree that we need more and better information. The group is made up of individuals, some of whom have complex reasons for not accessing the opportunities that exist. We must ensure that there is support to help them over those barriers. We must also recognise that, although we have increased and improved participation rates in further and higher education, there is still much to do on the widening access agenda to ensure that those opportunities are available to all our young people, if that is the appropriate path for them to follow.
Bus Travel Scheme
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the free off-peak local bus travel scheme to provide a single scheme enabling older people to travel free throughout Scotland. (S1O-6242)
The Executive is supporting free local off-peak bus travel through existing local schemes in order to meet the vast majority of the everyday travel needs of Scotland's elderly and disabled people. Our current priorities are to monitor the implementation and impact of free local off-peak bus travel and to extend the benefits to men aged over 60 and under 65 by April this year.
Free off-peak bus travel has been generally well received in my constituency, but there are problems when people's journeys take them beyond the boundaries of the travel area. Reports have reached me that people have been asked to pay a quarter of the full fare or to get off the bus before the boundary and get back on and buy another ticket. Will the minister consider a national scheme that overcomes those problems and addresses the inequality that stems from differences in the size of travel areas?
Monitoring of the enhancements that we have introduced will allow us to ensure that the schemes are working well and to identify problems of the kind that Cathy Peattie has described. I am aware of those concerns, which have been raised in the chamber before. I agree that free local off-peak bus travel has been widely welcomed, and it is certainly here to stay. The feedback that we receive will allow us both to address problems and to consider ways in which such schemes can be further developed in the future.
My good friend Phil Gallie—who, if my memory serves me correctly, becomes an old age pensioner next year—advises me that about 1 million people in Scotland could qualify under the scheme. Some of those people are very wealthy; in Kenneth Macintosh's Eastwood constituency, we see the golden oldies pouring out. Many of them could buy and sell the bus companies, and they are getting free travel. If the proposition were to go ahead throughout Scotland, would not it be better to give free bus travel to all age groups and to finish at that?
I can say only that that is a Conservative spending commitment that we would struggle to match.
I welcome the progress that has been made, but does the minister recognise that there is inherent unfairness? In central Scotland, those in the Strathclyde Passenger Transport area can travel on a large number of routes, whereas those who live in Falkirk are quite restricted. We must move rapidly towards a fairer scheme and build on the good progress that has been made.
As I said to Cathy Peattie, we are aware of the issues that have been raised about cross-boundary travel. As a consequence of our awareness of those issues, they have been raised with local authorities and operators at the concessionary fares working group, in which my officials also participate. The operators have undertaken to make clear to all their staff the rules and procedures that apply to cross-boundary journeys and I understand that the issue will be discussed again at the working group's next meeting so that any further anomalies that need to be resolved can be identified.
In view of the extension of the scheme to males who are aged 60 to 64, what additional financial resources will be provided to local authorities to ensure that operators can deliver it?
Some £10 million.
Land Reform (Scotland) Bill
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is addressing any concerns regarding landowner liability under access provisions in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill. (S1O-6232)
Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill sets out rights of responsible access. Section 5(2) provides that part 1 of the bill and its operation will not affect the duty of care owed by an occupier to any person present on the land. As a result, the liability of landowners under the Occupiers' Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 will not increase as a result of the legislation.
I thank the minister for his reassurance.
Owners have raised with me another concern about the bill. The owners of the Isle of Eriska Hotel in my constituency are concerned about whether or not the grounds of the hotel are exempt from access rights. Such concerns are shared by many hotel owners in Scotland. Will the minister say whether curtilage, which is mentioned in the bill, covers the grounds of hotels such as the Isle of Eriska Hotel and whether such grounds will therefore be excluded from the new access rights that are being created?
I am not familiar with the details of the ground plans of the Isle of Eriska Hotel. It would be appropriate for me to write to the member to respond in detail to his question.
Notwithstanding the minister's clear statement that he considers that there will be no increase in liability, is he aware that lawyers have different views on the issue? Surely it would be sensible to put the matter beyond doubt by clearly stating in the bill that access is taken at the access taker's risk.
The difficulty with that proposition is that it would mean that the landowner's current duty of care in respect of the Occupiers' Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 would be extinguished and so the public would be put in a far worse position than they are in currently. I do not think that the proposition is at all sensible.
Notwithstanding the assurances that landowners should be given—and that Ross Finnie has given—to address their concerns, does the minister agree that good landowners have nothing to fear from the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill? Does he agree that the bill, which will give a statutory right of access to the countryside, is a crucial piece of civil legislation that will be supported by the Parliament next week, and that there is much public support for it?
Yes.
Employment Tribunals (Legal Aid)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns with regard to the level of take-up of legal aid in respect of employment tribunals. (S1O-6217)
I believe that the extension of legal aid in January 2001 to designated categories of proceedings before an employment tribunal was a significant improvement in access to justice.
Yes, but does the minister recall telling the Justice and Home Affairs Committee that he anticipated that the level of uptake would be about 300 cases a year at a cost of £600 a case? The approval rate appears to be running at between 500 and 600 approvals a year, at a rate of almost £1,000 per approval. Does he have any concerns about the effect of that on the already hard-pressed legal aid budget?
No, I do not have any such concerns. From April to October 2002, the Scottish Legal Aid Board paid out just under £240,000 to solicitors and counsel in 247 cases. To put that in perspective, that is less than one fifth of 1 per cent of the total spend on legal aid. Indeed, there were more than 8,500 applications to employment tribunals during 2001-02. The board granted assistance by way of representation in about 400 cases but, of course, it will not be known until the accounts come in how many cases went to a hearing and how many were settled. When the chamber supported the measures back in 2001, I think that it took the view that when a person's right with regard to their employment is at stake and the case is complex, they should get access to justice. I believe that Parliament was right to make that assistance available.
Question 12 has been withdrawn.
European Year of People with Disabilities
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to promote the European year of people with disabilities. (S1O-6233)
We very much welcome the European year of disabled people—EYDP—and the opportunity that it provides for us to raise awareness of disability and of the contribution that disabled people make at all levels in Scottish society. The EYDP will be launched in Scotland on 23 January and we will announce our plans then.
I thank the minister for his answer. I take a big interest in the money side of the EYDP. What level of funding is coming to Scotland through the EYDP grant scheme? On the rural dimension, how will the Scottish Executive ensure that disabled people in rural communities will benefit? That matter is close to my heart.
We are delighted that 22 projects in Scotland will receive funding through the EYDP grant scheme, which is being funded by the European Commission and the United Kingdom Government. The projects will receive about £300,000, which is 13 per cent of total UK funding. On the rural dimension, a steering group has been established to co-ordinate EYDP activities in Scotland. The group has discussed the need to ensure that all parts of Scotland, including rural areas, are catered for. The networks and memberships of each organisation and of the organisations with which they are in contact are very wide. I hope that they will reach every part of Scotland.
Given that the UK Government has decided to support the European year of disabled people with the theme of rights and participation, what action is the Executive taking to ensure that all the departments that come under its remit are able to conform to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which come into force next year?
Work is on-going within the Scottish Executive to consider compliance with the requirements of the legislation to which Gil Paterson refers. The detailed progress of implementation will be kept under continuous review and we will report on that in due course.
Questions 14 and 15 have been withdrawn.
A92 (Arbroath to Dundee Dualling)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Angus Council to discuss the A92 Arbroath to Dundee dualling project and what issues were raised. (S1O-6218)
Executive officials have met Angus Council on several occasions to discuss the project. The most recent meeting, on 13 January, covered procurement and funding issues.
Will the minister elaborate? According to Angus Council, responsibility for the matter lies with him, and the unprecedented delays and escalating costs that are associated with the project are entirely the responsibility of the Scottish Executive. How does he react to that?
I dispute that. The details of the project are the responsibility of the local authorities. Clearly, it is their responsibility to carry the matter forward. It would not be appropriate to discuss the details of the project in the middle of a procurement process. We will continue to work with the local authorities to assist them in completing their undertaking.
Will the minister confirm that the cities review allocation of £9.3 million to Dundee City Council is specifically designed to include infrastructure and transport projects? Will he encourage the council to use some of the money to upgrade the section of the A92 that is within its boundaries? That would be of mutual benefit to both Dundee and Angus.
I certainly encourage Dundee City Council, Angus Council and other local authorities in the area to talk to each other and to work together to identify the appropriate priorities and to carry forward those that bring maximum benefit to the transport infrastructure and which are to the wider economic benefit of Dundee and its surrounding areas.
Does the minister not agree that, far from the cities review trying to encourage Dundee to spend money to help out Angus Council, it would have been far better if the cities review had tackled the boundaries issue and given Dundee back its rightful inheritance, which is Monifieth and Invergowrie? That would have given Dundee an adequate tax base to enable it to provide the services that the city and the region require.
That is a little bit wide of the question, but the minister can respond.
What the cities review has done is to recognise the key role played by Dundee, as by Scotland's other cities, in the surrounding region. It is precisely on transport infrastructure and other such matters that Dundee City Council and its local neighbours can work together. Consultation on transport and other priorities between Dundee City Council and its neighbours is what we want to happen in encouraging a voluntary approach to developing transport infrastructure on a regional basis.
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