Plenary, 02 Feb 2006

Meeting date: Thursday, February 2, 2006

Official Report 688KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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General Questions

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Central Heating Programme

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the definition of "existing central heating system" within the context of the non-eligibility criteria for the central heating programme. (S2O-8856)

The definition in question is contained in the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2001 (SSI 2001/267). We are considering those regulations in their entirety as we develop our new central heating programmes, and we will carefully consider the wording of the definition in that context.

Does the imminent end of the current phase of the central heating programme afford an opportunity to introduce greater operational discretion, so that, for example, the existence of an old-fashioned storage heater in the hallway of a house will not lead to people being ineligible to benefit from the scheme?

Yes. We recognise the programme's significance and success, and we have spent more than £200 million on fuel poverty measures in the period in question. However, inflexibilities and technicalities in the programme that could not have been predicted have been thrown up, often through constituents contacting members, and it has been recognised that the aim of lifting people out of fuel poverty has not been met in certain circumstances as a consequence. I assure the member that in developing and reviewing the process, I am particularly mindful of the small issues that can make a difference to individual constituents and that I will take on board any comments that members have on such issues as we progress.

In that spirit, I remind the minister that 5,000 households with children in Scotland live in fuel poverty and have no central heating. Central heating could be installed in those households at an estimated cost of £1.6 million. In reviewing the regulations, will she take that into account and consider lifting those vulnerable children out of the difficult circumstances in which they live?

We are still considering how to take the programme forward. We have already indicated that we intend to extend it to cover over-60s who are on pension credit. Of course, we must be mindful of the target of lifting people out of fuel poverty and the costs of any measures that we want to develop, but we recognise the points that have been made, which have also been forcibly made elsewhere. Those points and suggestions about who should be included in the programme will be taken into account as we move towards taking final decisions.

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Planning Inquiries (Community Engagement)

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures and resources it can provide to enable local authorities, communities and individuals to promote effective representations at formal public inquiries into major planning applications, such as for the Beauly to Denny power lines. (S2O-8859)

Pre-inquiry meetings are invariably held well in advance of major public local inquiries, and all groups and individuals who have made representations would be invited to those meetings, at which the procedures would be explained and questions would be answered. General guidance on public inquiries is also available on the inquiry reporters unit website or by requesting assistance from the unit's staff. Any announcement about whether a public local inquiry will be held into the Beauly to Denny power line proposal is a matter for the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Nicol Stephen, because the application would be made under the Electricity Act 1989.

I thank the minister for that clarification. However, she will be aware of the massive legal fees that are involved when local groups make representations to a public inquiry and the pressures on the budgets of local authorities—particularly on those of small councils, such as Stirling Council in my area, which must set aside nearly £500,000 for putting its case. Will the Executive consider reviewing the procedures for public inquiries in order to reduce the legal bills that fall on local groups and council tax payers?

The member will be aware that there is currently no specific funding for local authorities to cover the costs of managing applications. However, an opportunity has been afforded to us by the radical proposals in the Planning etc (Scotland) Bill to consider such matters, to address the issue of resources and the experiences of different groups and to carry out an honest appraisal of the costs and how they can be managed. As we move forward to considering the hierarchy of approaches to proposals, we recognise that we must consider whether fees are commensurate with the work that is involved. We are very keen to be in close dialogue with local authorities and others about how those processes are managed.

Will the upgrading of transmission lines, such as the Beauly to Denny line, be considered under the national planning framework in future to ensure local and parliamentary consideration and scrutiny?

As the member is aware, I already said that the proposals will be developed under the Electricity Act 1989 and dealt with by the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. That is the current situation. If there is a proposal to change it, that will be explored as the bill progresses through Parliament.

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Education (Public-private Partnerships)

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the next round of PPP funding for education. (S2O-8912)

The Scottish Executive is currently supporting schools public-private partnership projects with a capital value of £2.5 billion, which carries a long-term commitment for the duration of the contracts. Further financial support for school building projects is a matter for the next spending review.

When the next spending review comes round, will the minister bear it in mind that the more lead-in time that local authorities can be given to make their decisions, the more efficient their spending will be?

I entirely accept Andrew Arbuckle's point. However, the PPP project is a long-term one and we need to be able to spread the contracts—the building work and so forth—over time. The detail, as he rightly says, is a matter for local councils, which are responsible for presenting to us their priorities in that regard. Clearly, priorities have to fit in with spending announcements.

We are dealing with the second tranche of proposals at the moment and they are at various stages of development. There will be progressive implementation throughout Scotland of the current and future spend on those projects.

How many hundreds of millions of pounds have been paid out as excess profits to private financiers as a result of the PPP contracts? Before any future spending commitments are made, will the minister consider adopting the Scottish National Party's proposal for a not-for-profit contract so that we can build more new schools and put smaller class sizes for pupils before excess private profits for financiers?

The SNP appears to live in a different world from the rest of us. The reality is that record levels of funding have gone into the school building project through PPP, the schools fund and prudential borrowing. The details of the matter have been debated many times in the chamber. The question whether there are excess profits is another matter into which I do not propose to go today.

It is the Scottish Executive's view that there is substantial advantage to be had from the additional spend that we receive as PPP funding, which has allowed us to do a series of things that did not happen in the education field under previous regimes. That is the essential point as we see school buildings going up all over Scotland.

Does the minister agree that it is important that local authorities work with PPP providers to ensure that adequate green space is made available in new school campus developments to make absolutely certain that children have access to sufficient informal play and exercise areas?

I very much agree. The Scottish Executive gives local authorities guidance in that regard, but I stress that it is up to local authorities to make their own decisions in such matters and to be accountable to their electors for the decisions that they make and the priorities that they set. However, the Scottish Executive supports the importance of green spaces and play facilities.

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Pre-school Education

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that qualified nursery teachers make a valuable contribution to pre-school education. (S2O-8874)

The short answer is yes. The Executive has issued guidance on the involvement of teachers in pre-school education that recognises the distinctive contribution that they can make alongside other early years staff.

The minister will be aware of research undertaken in England and Wales—the effective provision of pre-school education study—that demonstrated that not only did input from nursery staff with graduate-level qualifications improve children's attainment in their later years, but the effect was particularly marked when a staff member was trained in teaching. Does he therefore share my concern that some local authorities, including Dumfries and Galloway Council, have been considering removing teachers from nursery classes as part of the current savings exercise, albeit that councillors have now rejected the most extreme options placed before them by officials?

The study referred to makes an important contribution to our thinking about the policies on early years. However, I make it clear that when the Executive changed rules in the schools code to allow local authorities more flexibility in deciding whether to deploy teachers in a nursery setting our intention was not to remove teachers from that setting but to provide genuine flexibility, such as allowing a teacher to cover a group of centres in rural areas, rather than work in a single centre.

I hope that I made it clear in evidence to the Education Committee yesterday that we recognise the distinctive dimension that teachers can bring. However, other qualified staff also lend important dimensions to the teaching of young people in the early years setting.

I thank the minister for his truthful answers and hope that Glasgow City Council was also listening to them. He will know about that council's proposals to remove all qualified teachers from nursery schools. By his own admission, it is excellent to have qualified teachers in nursery schools. The curriculum for excellence and the three-to-18 curriculum stress that there should be smooth transitions between educational stages.

Bearing in mind the minister's answers today and his evidence to the Education Committee, will he meet Glasgow City Council and tell it of our concerns, the concerns of the Education Committee and his concerns about the removal of qualified teachers from nursery schools, which is being done to save around £370,000? The proposals are budgetary and are nothing to do with children's welfare.

I have great respect for Glasgow City Council. It is a progressive education authority that has a range of new ideas about how to develop education in Glasgow, for which it has my support.

The decisions that it might or might not arrive at are very much a matter for Glasgow City Council, but the Executive's policy is clear: although we leave it to local authorities to make such decisions, we recognise that teachers have a particular contribution to make in the early years setting.

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Fair Trade

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide further support to help to develop fair trade in Scotland. (S2O-8866)

The Scottish Executive is committed to supporting fair trade and has taken a number of steps to support fair trade products. The parliamentary cross-party group on fair trade, which I chair, recently met to discuss appropriate steps for how best to achieve our agenda, and will continue to receive full support from the Executive.

I thank the minister for the welcome lead that the Executive has shown on fair trade matters. Is she aware of the many areas in Scotland, including East Renfrewshire, that are currently pursuing fair trade status? Will she engage with the fair trade community to explore what further help might be available to those areas—for example, to improve the marketing of fair trade products and the procurement process so that supplies can be delivered more easily to public authorities? In particular, will she consider issuing guidance to public authorities that makes it clear that fair trade sits comfortably alongside the best-value regime in securing the most cost-effective use of public resources?

The group that I chair is currently looking at a range of options, one of which is how we achieve fair trade status for Scotland as a country. We will work very closely with the Fairtrade Foundation to develop that work.

We are sure that one of the criteria that we will be expected to meet is that of achieving a critical mass of local authorities, community, church and faith groups and schools to sign up to the fair trade agenda and achieve fair trade status. The work in East Renfrewshire is helpful in that regard.

Guidance is already available to local authorities and other public sector agencies on the use of fair trade products through the procurement process. By coincidence, at this week's meeting of the cross-party group on fair trade, we discussed the possibility of looking at that guidance again to see whether it can be strengthened. We are also considering the possibility of holding a seminar for public sector agencies, perhaps in the autumn, to develop that agenda further.

Given that a number of us from the Parliament will visit Malawi next week as part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association visit, and that we will meet Malawian fair trade sugar and coffee producers, what message should we send and which questions should we put to the Malawians about the prospects of the Scottish public sector buying their products and supporting economic development in that country?

Obviously, the Executive is working with the Malawian Government on our co-operation agreement. We intend to take forward that agenda as expeditiously as we can. I would be very grateful if the delegation of which Mark Ruskell is a member could bring us back some information on the projects that he mentioned. If there is a way in which the Executive can assist any of those projects on the ground or in connection with marketing here, for example, we are more than happy to look at the possibilities and to give any assistance that we can.

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Cruise Ship Ports (Greenock)

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will help to promote Greenock as a port of call and embarkation for cruise ships. (S2O-8868)

Several locations in Scotland, including Greenock, market themselves as cruise liner destinations. VisitScotland has embarked on a research project into the economic impact of cruise tourism. Various ways of marketing the varied attractions of Scotland to potential visitors from cruise ships that call at Scottish ports will be assessed in light of the findings of that study.

From her visits to Inverclyde, the minister will be aware of the importance of Greenock Ocean Terminal to the local economy in my constituency. The 22 cruise ships that will call at Greenock this year will bring 30,000 passengers, plus crew, into the area. I hope that they will spend some time and money in the area as well as in other parts of Scotland.

Although the port operator, Clydeport plc, and others continue their efforts to promote Greenock Ocean Terminal, we would be grateful for Executive assistance in one small respect. Will the minister look into the possibility of proper signage being erected, similar to that which exists on the approaching trunk roads for the ferry terminals? That would help to put Greenock Ocean Terminal on the map for visitors and locals.

I met many of the people who are involved in the project during my recent visit to Inverclyde with Duncan McNeil. I put on record my thanks to the volunteers who are making the experience of those who embark and disembark at Greenock as pleasurable an experience as it is possible to have. The volunteers are also doing a good job in taking people from the cruise liners around the attractions of Greenock and Inverclyde.

I point out to Mr McNeil that the matter of signage is primarily for the local authority. I agree that the Greenock Ocean Terminal should be adequately signposted and I draw his attention to the "Scottish Road and Motorway Tourist Signposting Policy and Guidance: A Consultation Paper", which the Executive issued at the end of last year. I understand that the consultation period closed last week, but I am sure that any further thoughts that he may have on the matter could be fed into the process and that my colleague Tavish Scott would be interested to hear them.

Question 7 is withdrawn.

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Corporate Killing

To ask the Scottish Executive for its response to the view that was expressed by David Watt, head of the Institute of Directors, as reported in the Daily Record, that corporate killing laws were a "witch hunt" against bosses and that most industrial accidents were due to human error at a lower level and more likely to be caused by "alcohol than by individuals acting in a corrupt or homicidal manner". (S2O-8854)

The corporate homicide expert group was established to review the law on corporate liability for culpable homicide. Its membership was drawn from a wide range of interest groups, including representatives from the business sector. If organisations take appropriate steps to protect their workers and the public, they have nothing to fear from any reform of the law in this area.

I am sure that the minister appreciates the distress that the comments have caused, particularly to the relatives of the Findlay family who died in an explosion in my constituency. The relatives are campaigning for a change in the law on corporate liability for culpable homicide.

The minister is presently considering the views of the expert group. Given the complexity of the issue and the need for mature debate on the subject, how does the Executive intend to move forward on the matter? We need to ensure that such misinformed and ill-judged comments can be put to bed once and for all.

I recognise the work that Karen Gillon has done on the issue in representing her constituents and in serving as a member of the expert group. The Executive is considering the recommendations of the expert group. We are also looking at what is happening at United Kingdom level. We will report to the Parliament on the matter in due course.

Following the lodging of Karen Gillon's question, the Institute of Directors has been in touch with me and has provided a further statement. I will ensure that the information that it contains is conveyed to her, as appropriate.