Contents
- Scottish Parliament Thursday 1 November 2007
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Question Time
- First Minister's Question Time
- Question Time
- Child Protection
- Environment and Culture
- Decision Time
- Crown Estate (Taxation on Harbour Developments)
Question Time
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Scottish Ambulance Service
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing last met the Scottish Ambulance Service. (S3O-1030)
I met the chair and chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service in August when I chaired that board's annual review.
An answer to a parliamentary question concluded that
"an accident and emergency ambulance should be double crewed, with at least one crew member being a paramedic unless in exceptional circumstances, such as short notice sick absence".—[Official Report, Written Answers, 27 July 2007; S3W-2125.]
That is not the case in many parts of the Highlands, where single-crewed ambulances respond to 999 calls. Last night on the Isle of Skye, all ambulances were single manned.
Will the cabinet secretary have further talks with the Scottish Ambulance Service about its approach to single-manned ambulances in the Highlands, to ensure that ambulance crews are supported and valued and that no patient lives are put at risk?
I confirm that the policy is that an accident and emergency ambulance should be double crewed, with at least one crew member being a qualified paramedic, unless in exceptional circumstances—such as short-notice sick absence—the cover cannot be secured. It is also policy that, when a single-crewed ambulance is sent out to respond to a category A call, a double-crewed ambulance is dispatched as soon as possible thereafter.
As the matter was raised last week during question time, I am aware that specific challenges in some parts of rural Scotland, for example around on-call working out of hours, sometimes make it difficult to provide double-crewed ambulances. That is why the Scottish Ambulance Service is working hard to reduce reliance on on-call working—indeed, it has reduced it already by 20 per cent. However, I remain extremely aware of the issues, and I will continue to discuss them with the Scottish Ambulance Service. A new chief executive is due to take up post next Monday, and I will continue to discuss that and other issues with the service to ensure that it provides a service that is safe for the public.
The cabinet secretary is aware of the representations that she has received from me, the leader of Orkney Islands Council and others in my constituency that there remain serious concerns in Orkney, particularly among those who live in the outer isles, about the lack of a locally based air ambulance.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that the departure of Adrian Lucas, the former chief executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, offers an opportunity for a rethink of its approach in Orkney? Will she ask the new chief executive, Kevin Doran, to undertake such a review as a matter of urgency and to meet local stakeholders as part of the process? If the Scottish Ambulance Service is persuaded to look again at a locally based solution to emergency provision, will she guarantee the necessary support for such a solution from the Scottish Government?
I am well aware of the controversy and local feeling in Orkney on the issue, but I am also well aware of the work that the Scottish Ambulance Service has done with local people and stakeholders to secure a safe and sustainable service for the Orkneys. As I said, the new chief executive takes up post next Monday; I will suggest to him that he meet the member to discuss that and other issues that are relevant to his constituents, so that he can assure them that we take issues of safety seriously.
Is the minister satisfied that the Scottish Ambulance Service's budget is adequate to provide fully staffed ambulance services in remote and rural areas such as the north-west Highlands and Islands? Overtime working and single-crewed ambulances are chronic conditions at Lairg and many other stations.
This financial year, the allocation for the Scottish Ambulance Service was £179.2 million. Obviously, next year's and subsequent years' allocations will be set out following the publication of our spending plans in the budget. It is, of course, for the Scottish Ambulance Service to decide how to allocate that money to its six operating divisions across the country in a way that delivers the best service for patients and best value for money.
As Rob Gibson is aware, the challenges that the Scottish Ambulance Service and other parts of the health service face in delivering services in rural and remote communities are not just about money; complex issues of staff recruitment and retention are involved. I assure him that we will continue to work with the Scottish Ambulance Service and other boards to ensure that the quality of service that people in rural areas receive is as high as that which is available to people in other parts of the country. That is an extremely important principle.
Argyll and Bute Council (Social Work Services)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following the recent publication of the Social Work Inspection Agency report into Argyll and Bute Council. (S3O-1032)
The Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison, and I have written jointly in clear terms to the chief executive of Argyll and Bute Council to express our concerns about the findings in the Social Work Inspection Agency report that was published last week. We will meet the chief executive early next week to discuss what actions the council will take to ensure that the report's findings are taken forward quickly.
I thank the minister warmly for that response. As he is aware, the report contains 24 substantial recommendations that point to weak leadership, unmet need and underfunding of older people's services by the council. The spin that is coming from Argyll and Bute Council attempts to suggest that the report is positive and that things happened just in a time of change. Does the minister regard that as a sufficient response to a report that I consider to be, frankly, dire? Will he intervene to ensure that there is absolutely no doubt in the minds of those at Argyll and Bute Council about the challenge that it needs to meet?
I certainly agree with the member's interpretation. I understand that one argument that council officials advanced to explain their difficulties with free personal care was that they were being required to divert funds from free personal care to children's services, yet the report found weaknesses in children's services, especially services for looked-after children. I am very concerned about those matters. I can promise a robust exchange with the council next week.
Secondary Teachers (South-west Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage secondary teachers to apply for vacancies in areas where there is a teacher shortage. (S3O-999)
The Scottish Government carries out an annual teacher workforce planning exercise to maintain a broad balance, at national level, between supply and demand. However, the filling of vacant teaching posts is a matter for individual authorities.
Is the minister aware of the problem in the south-west of Scotland—particularly in the west of Dumfries and Galloway—where there are difficulties in filling vacancies not just at ordinary teacher level but for promoted posts? In Stranraer, learning support teachers, behaviour support teachers and headteachers are regularly required to take on a class workload. Can the Government do anything to assist in the situation, which I point out extends to other professions, too? Ironically, once people actually take a job in Dumfries and Galloway, because of its manifest attractions they often never leave.
I can help in so far as the additional funding of £1.5 million for the Crichton campus, which the member will recall was announced by the Scottish Government on 20 August, includes support for the expansion of initial teacher education in the south-west to meet current and future local needs. Some 80 new undergraduate places for ITE are to be funded and phased in over the next three years. I accept that that will not alleviate the immediate problem that the member highlights, but it will help in the long term. Along with local MSPs, I urge Dumfries and Galloway Council and other local agencies to promote the area as a great place to live. More teachers and health professionals need to be encouraged to enjoy the delights of Dumfries and Galloway, which the member and I both know about.
Class Sizes
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will deliver maximum class sizes of 18 for primary 1 to primary 3 by 2011. (S3O-1036)
We are fully committed to reducing class sizes in primary 1 to primary 3 to a maximum of 18. However, it would be counterproductive to increase teacher numbers without maintaining quality. We are discussing with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and others the scale and pace of change that, without extensive disruption to class configurations, will allow teacher quality to be maintained while driving down class sizes. Advice from educationists is that such a year-on-year staged process will be the most effective.
I thank the minister for that astonishing reply. It confirms that, as with the SNP's broken pledge on 1,000 extra police officers, its commitment on maximum class sizes of 18 for P1 to P3 is a promise that it has no intention of keeping.
In yesterday's debate on early years policy, the cabinet secretary would not deny that the SNP's class size reduction plan could result in more pupils being taught in classes of up to 36 pupils. In a written answer that Hugh Henry received from Adam Ingram this morning, the SNP Government has again failed to deny that. The answer states that the issue will be discussed with local authorities. If the cabinet secretary will not answer the question on bigger classes, will she at least confirm that the policy will not result in more Scottish children being taught in portakabins sited in playgrounds?
The only astonishing point is that parents, teachers and pupils support class size reductions but the Labour Party does not. We are committed to class size reductions, as specified in our manifesto, and we are in negotiations with COSLA on the matter. As a minister, Rhona Brankin had an unfortunate experience while negotiating on fishing issues; I suggest that it is helpful that she is not the one who is currently negotiating with COSLA.
My nine-year-old son is currently in a primary class of 60 children and has been so since he first went to school, under a Liberal-Labour Executive. That works well because, although the number of pupils per teacher is limited to 33, the two teachers in the class split the children into two equal groups, based on ability, for each subject.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that having two teachers in a class of 33 would be less expensive, less disruptive and easier to expedite than having a limit of 18 children per classroom for primaries 1 to 3, would permit greater individual focus on the educational and associated needs of each child while providing increased flexibility for group working, would be welcomed by the teaching profession as it would allow significantly greater preparation time by staff and the permanent deployment of more teachers following their probationary year, and would ensure that parents could send their children to their preferred school without worrying that class size limitations might reduce capacity in the school of their choice?
I think that the question was about whether the Government will be flexible in its response to councils. The answer is yes. We know that different parts of the country have different experiences; some areas are experiencing falling school rolls, while in others the rolls are increasing. Our job is to deliver on our manifesto commitments but to do so responsibly and with common sense in responding to the individual needs of councils, some of which have made similar representations to those that the member has just made.
I welcome the minister's commitment on flexibility, which she did not give in yesterday's debate. What does she propose to do with the children in schools in which it is physically impossible to build on the site to accommodate a decrease in class sizes, even though class sizes are above the maximum limit?
We have always said that we will deal with the matter flexibly and with common sense. We must reflect on the fact that some older schools are not open plan, whereas some modern schools—including many in Lanarkshire—are open plan but may present other issues and challenges. Our job, and duty, is to be responsible in doing that. I recognise the challenges that are involved. That is why the Government has invested £40 million to help to support the capital requirements that, in future years, will deliver our manifesto commitment of driving down class sizes to 18 in P1 to P3.
How much more difficult will the class size target become if councils such as the Liberal Democrat-SNP City of Edinburgh Council decide to close down primary schools?
I cannot comment on proposals to do with the City of Edinburgh Council that I understand have not been published. The member should not believe everything that he reads in the Edinburgh Evening News. All local authorities face challenges. As Lothians MSPs, Gavin Brown and I know about the changing demography of the area. West Lothian and Midlothian have very full schools, but school rolls are falling in Edinburgh, perhaps because of housing challenges. That situation has been addressed by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, which means that we can tackle some of the issues that are involved in housing problems and falling school rolls in places such as the city of Edinburgh.
Trident
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details of the working group that is to be set up to examine issues surrounding the replacement for Trident being based in Scotland. (S3O-1020)
As announced at the summit on 22 October, the working group will, among other things, help to advise the Scottish Government on how we can most effectively support international peace and reconciliation work in the context of our devolved responsibilities. The group will also examine the economic impact of any decision to remove nuclear weapons from HM Naval Base Clyde, including the impact of reallocating the current and future resources that are spent on Trident to other areas of public expenditure. I will confirm its remit and membership as soon as possible. I expect the group to meet for the first time early in the new year.
I thank the Government for hosting the summit at Òran Mór in Glasgow, which allowed many views—diverse and otherwise—to be expressed, including my own. The summit was a huge success. As a matter of interest, who was invited to the meeting to discuss the serious issue of weapons of mass destruction on the Clyde?
The trade unions, churches, wider civic Scotland, and the local authorities were invited to the event. We also invited all the political parties that are represented in the Scottish Parliament. In addition, the United Kingdom Government was invited. I am delighted to say that a senior official from the Ministry of Defence attended and contributed to the summit, in addition to the MOD submitting papers. All that added up to an historic and successful event.
Prior to the election, a leader of one of the Scottish parties said that they
"will not keep quiet on these issues. Labour should not be allowed to duck responsibility. Labour should stand up and be held accountable—not hide in silence."
Members might think that that came from Alex Salmond, the First Minister, but it came from Nicol Stephen, the Liberal leader. It is clear that, on that particular day, the Liberals were the ones who were in hiding. [Interruption.]
Order.
Coalfield Communities
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will make available to former coalfield communities. (S3O-1050)
The Scottish Government is preparing its future investment plans as part of the strategic spending review. When we announce our plans, I expect local authorities and their community planning partners to work closely with former coalfield communities to improve local prospects for sustained employment and to promote broader regeneration.
The minister is aware of the problems that are faced by residents in many of the former coalfield villages in my constituency, where derelict buildings have become a blight on the landscape. At best, there is confusion and, at worst, there is disagreement between the Government and the local authority on the legal powers and resources to act on the problem. Will he agree to have a conversation with the cabinet secretary with responsibility for planning and, subsequently, to meet me and representatives of East Ayrshire Council to take action as part of that wider regeneration programme?
I am not aware of the detail of the projects to which the member referred. If she writes to me with the detail, I will be more than happy to look at the matter, and to meet her and others to try to resolve any problems that she may find in her constituency.
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