Questions to the First Minister will be answered by the Deputy First Minister.
Engagements
I begin by wishing the First Minister a full and speedy recovery and welcoming the Deputy First Minister, who is taking his place.
I now have very different engagements from those that I had planned first thing this morning. As Wendy Alexander said, the First Minister has been laid low with a bug. He has cancelled his public engagements for the rest of the day, but he will chair, by phone from Bute house, the Cabinet sub-committee on the on-going fuel situation. The First Minister expects to be back in business tomorrow. I am sure that we all want to wish him well. Later today, other ministers and I will have a range of meetings to take forward the Government's programme for Scotland.
That is heartening news all round, on the First Minister's health and—in relation to Grangemouth—on the fact that when the Government wants the union to work, it does work.
I say to Wendy Alexander that it is getting a bit predictable—another week, another baseless, inaccurate scare story from Wendy Alexander. No wonder her personal approval ratings are plummeting—minus 39 per cent and falling. I say to the Parliament and to the country that not only has this SNP Government in its first year in office made considerable progress towards meeting all its election commitments, but it intends to continue to meet all those commitments.
That is the SNP for you—a PhD in poll ratings and dunces on education. We know that the SNP is good at making promises; the problem is the delivery. Just look at the five promises that the SNP made last year. There is no dedicated money for class sizes, no extra money for additional support needs, no cash for nursery teachers and not a single SNP school brick has been laid.
I have been thinking about Wendy Alexander's approach to First Minister's questions. The fundamental weakness in her approach is that the basis of all her questions is untrue.
Order.
Now—one year after the historic election of Scotland's first SNP Government—more people than a year ago say that they would vote SNP, whereas the poll ratings of Wendy Alexander and Labour are plummeting.
Order.
Wendy Alexander asked about school building. Since the Government's election, seven projects, which encompass 45 schools, have been signed off and completed. [Interruption.]
Order.
Aberdeen City Council and Falkirk Council are working on 12 new and two refurbished schools under the non-profit model, which provides much better value for money than the private finance initiative model that the previous Administration pursued. In this parliamentary session, we will have 250 new or refurbished schools. All in all, the Government has a good record on education. If I can coin a phrase, that can only get better still.
As we have come to expect, the opening line is always about the SNP's poll ratings and never about what is happening in Scotland. The SNP is more interested in its poll ratings than in what is happening in Scotland's schools. We know that the First Minister does not answer the question, but I had hoped that the Deputy First Minister could do better on the day when Scottish schoolchildren must provide exam answers. I asked about five promises, but the only answer that we heard was the claim that school projects that were started under Labour were in some sense a step forward by a party that has commissioned not one single school in a year.
Oh yes. The problem is not that Wendy Alexander is not receiving answers to her questions, but that she does not think about her questions before asking them. When she receives the answer at the first time of asking, she really should ask a different question. She got the answers about new schools, more teachers and class sizes coming down. The Government will continue to deliver on education, as on all other matters, for the people of Scotland.
Order.
While Labour moans, girns and offers nothing positive for Scotland's future, the poll ratings show that the people of Scotland approve of what the Government is doing. That is why we will continue to do it and why we will continue to win in the poll ratings while those of Wendy Alexander continue to go through the floor.
The Deputy First Minister said nothing about why support for independence is at an all-time low. She claims that she is answering the questions; in a moment, she will have the chance to decide whether she will deliver her pre-prepared script or listen to the real concerns of real parents. I am talking about parents such as Fiona Wilkie, who fears that her daughter, who attends Gleniffer high school, will not be able to study the subjects that she needs to study to do medicine because only two advanced higher options will be offered next year instead of five. I am talking about parents such as Lydia Jack, who is the chair of Renfrew high parents council—Renfrew high school is a stone's throw from the Deputy First Minister's constituency. Lydia has complained about cuts to moneys for tackling indiscipline, supporting homework and improving results; she says that such cuts
Wendy Alexander, reading from a pre-prepared script, said that I was reading from a pre-prepared script. My, oh my.
Order.
Wendy Alexander has again been exposed. She has come to the chamber and done nothing but try to scaremonger. She has no facts to back up what she is saying. It is a good job that she has asked her final question, because otherwise she would have been well advised to deploy the no-further-questions approach.
Secretary of State for Scotland (Meetings)
I, too, am sorry to learn of the First Minister's indisposition. Personally, I blame the opinion polls. There are sometimes aspects indigestible; of course, there are sometimes aspects more palatable, which are welcome. However, I hope that he makes a speedy recovery.
The First Minister has no plans to meet the Secretary of State for Scotland at present.
This morning, we were greeted by disturbing headlines about the alarming toll of underage youngsters with alcohol problems. We know that the underlying causes of such problems are complex and diverse and that many of the solutions will take a generation or more to succeed, but there are things that we can and must do now.
I, the First Minister and the Government share Annabel Goldie's deep concern about the picture reported in the papers today. She is right to bring such a serious question to the chamber and absolutely right to say that there are no overnight solutions; we are dealing with a long-term challenge. It is important that we all come together to face up to that challenge and give it the serious attention that it deserves.
The Deputy First Minister might not be aware that for many years my parents ran a licensed grocer's. Yes, I am a grocer's daughter. I can tell the chamber that my parents knew one thing—just one breach of the law and they could lose their licence. Ten days ago, the Scottish Conservatives revealed that one in seven premises sold alcohol to underage youngsters during test purchasing. Unbelievably, there were premises that failed that test a second time.
No, I do not, is the short answer. In my answer to Annabel Goldie's first question, I hope that I gave her a real sense that we take the issue seriously. Alcohol misuse should not divide parties in the chamber; we should come together on the issue. I give the member an assurance that if any party represented in this chamber has ideas or suggestions to make, the Government will listen very carefully to them.
Cabinet (Meetings)
I also wish the First Minister a speedy recovery.
The next meeting of the Cabinet will discuss issues of importance to the people of Scotland.
The First Minister gave a BBC interview last week. He was asked why the Government had dropped its promise to write off student debt. In reply, the First Minister said:
Everything that the First Minister says is true. I thank Nicol Stephen for giving me an opportunity to reiterate the great progress that the Government has already made in improving the lot of students in Scotland. Thanks to the action of this Government with—I say this with all due grace—the assistance of the Liberal Democrats, we have abolished tuition fees in Scotland, restored the principle of free education and saved graduates in Scotland more than £2,000. I hope that everyone in the chamber, even those parties who did not support it, will welcome that action. We will consult on further proposals to reduce and tackle student debt. It is outrageous that, under the previous Labour-Liberal Administration, levels of student debt in this country soared. That is why this Government sees it as a priority to reverse that trend and improve conditions for students in our country.
The First Minister was very clear last week that he had published a consultation and that it was available to read. However, we made a request for the document under the freedom of information legislation and we got the following back from the Government:
The only person that I have seen fabricating anything on the BBC during the past few days was Nicol Stephen fabricating a story about fuel chaos the length and breadth of the country. Perhaps he should take the opportunity today to apologise for that misinformation and to congratulate the people of Scotland on their responsible behaviour.
Order.
I am the last person to criticise that since, as Jack McConnell will testify, I used to do it quite a lot myself.
I will allow a couple of supplementary questions but questions and answers must be brief.
The Deputy First Minister might be aware of my constituent, Donna McLeish, who is currently a prisoner at Cornton Vale and is seven months pregnant. Does the Deputy First Minister share my concern that my constituent was shackled to a Reliance officer while attending Stirling royal infirmary for in-patient and out-patient appointments? Will the Deputy First Minister outline her Administration's position on the handcuffing of pregnant prisoners? What action is she taking to address the matter with Reliance, the Scottish Prison Service and health boards?
I share Johann Lamont's concern. The Government's position is very clear. We consider the handcuffing of pregnant women in hospital to be absolutely unacceptable and I hope that everyone in the chamber agrees with that.
What will the Government do to address serious concerns in my constituency about the future of the Harris tweed industry, following this week's announcement that Kenneth Mackenzie Ltd's mill in Stornoway intends to lay off half its workers, with the threat of consequent additional loss of work for weavers?
I thank Alasdair Allan for his question. I appreciate the anxiety that is caused by the situation in his constituency. Highlands and Islands Enterprise will be closely involved with the company and the community, and the workers will be supported in the normal way by the Government. I am sure that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth will be happy to meet Alasdair Allan to discuss the matter in more detail.
Free Personal Care
To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government will take to implement the recommendations of the Sutherland review of free personal care. (S3F-739)
We have made clear our continuing commitment to the policy of free personal care. We will take the actions necessary to address existing concerns about the policy, to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable older people and to prepare for the challenges of our ageing population. We have welcomed Lord Sutherland's report—which we commissioned—which provides helpful commentary and recommendations on those matters.
Does the Deputy First Minister recall the Health Committee's care inquiry in 2006, the recommendations of which have mostly been echoed by the recent Sutherland review? Does she agree that the previous Executive missed a huge opportunity to tackle some of the problems that were already being experienced at that time?
In response to Roseanna Cunningham's last point, I hope that all members will now agree that the decision to withdraw the attendance allowance funding was plainly and simply wrong and should be rectified. I look forward to progressing that argument with the support of all those who share our view.
In recommendation 10 of the "Independent Review of Free Personal and Nursing Care in Scotland", Lord Sutherland states:
I think that Jamie Stone has been taking lessons from Wendy Alexander on scaremongering. Local authorities are not making cuts. Local authorities have a higher share of central Government funding now than they did under the previous Administration. That is the reality.
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government will take to resolve the funding situation at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to ensure that Scotland's reputation for arts and culture remains of international standing. (S3F-726)
I recognise the important contribution that the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama makes to Scotland's international reputation for arts and culture. However, as the member knows, any decisions on the funding of individual institutions and the mechanisms used to allocate funding are the responsibilities of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council. Direct interference by ministers is prohibited by legislation. Surely even George Foulkes would not encourage us to break the law.
Presiding Officer, I welcome students from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama who are in the public gallery.
If Pauline McNeill had listened to my initial answer, she would be aware of the legislative framework within which the Government is operating. Incidentally, that framework was put in place and supported by the Labour Party when it was in government; of course, Pauline McNeill forgot to mention that.
Order, Mr McAveety. That concludes question time. I apologise to Mr Purvis, whose question we did not reach.
Meeting suspended until 14:15.
On resuming—
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