SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Health Records (Gypsy Travellers)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on the Equal Opportunities Committee's recommendations on hand-held health records for Gypsy Travellers. (S2O-6936)
Developing services that are accessible and fair for all is a fundamental priority for the national health service in Scotland. The national resource centre for ethnic minority health, in partnership with the Gypsy Traveller community and the NHS, has developed a hand-held patient record of personal health, which we plan to launch later this month. Awareness-raising interagency training seminars, which will involve members of the Gypsy Traveller community, will also be available to NHS staff to support use of the records.
That is a welcome answer. Dr Rafik Gardee from the national resource centre for ethnic minority health told the committee:
Question, please.
—the resource centre will do that training in association with Gypsy Travellers.
I agree with that. It is important that everyone who is involved should be happy with the environment in which the records are rolled out. The awareness-raising training event for NHS and local authority staff was designed with representatives from the Gypsy Traveller community to be delivered by the community. It will also be necessary to promote understanding and partnership between local NHS and community care services and the Gypsy Traveller community. I will ensure that my officials liaise with officials from other Executive departments to ensure that we all adopt the same approach.
Blood Screening
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcomes were of its recent meetings with HIV organisations to discuss its consultation on compulsory blood screening. (S2O-6952)
Executive officials have taken part in discussions organised by HIV Scotland and Positive Voice as part of our consultation on blood testing—not blood screening—in specific circumstances following criminal incidents. Because of interest in the topic, the closing date for contributions to the consultation has been extended to Monday 6 June. We will consider the way forward in the light of all responses to the consultation.
Does the minister accept that the Executive should have worked with those organisations on development of the proposals, rather than merely treating them as consultees? Does she accept that many of the arguments that were heard during those discussions place a serious question mark over the purpose of the proposals?
I put on record for the interest of all members that the purpose of the proposals that are out for consultation is to seek to give better protection to victims of crime, particularly sexual crimes including rape, in which the victims believe that they might have been infected with HIV or other blood-borne disease. We also seek to protect police officers; that is the result of a petition that was lodged by the Scottish Police Federation. I accept that there are several difficult dilemmas around the subject, so it is important that we consult all relevant organisations. I hope that Mr Harvie will acknowledge that there has been constructive engagement with those organisations.
Clydesdale Bank (Closures)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support businesses, communities and vulnerable individuals affected by the recent decision of the Clydesdale Bank to close branches. (S2O-6972)
I fully understand the concerns arising from the recent announcement by the Clydesdale Bank regarding branch closures. Following that announcement, I had an early meeting with David Thorburn, the chief operating officer of the Clydesdale Bank, to discuss the implications for customers, employees, and the bank's future operations in Scotland. I understand from Mr Thorburn that the bank is working closely with trade unions to ensure that the process is properly managed. I am also aware that the bank has entered into an agreement with the Post Office whereby transactional banking services will be available to all Clydesdale Bank customers through the Post Office network.
The minister will recall his visit to my constituency during the Easter recess and the subsequent agreement on work that is to be undertaken to assist Ayrshire's recovery. Does he agree that the actions of the Clydesdale Bank in giving notice to close three branches and leave only one branch in my constituency do nothing to promote Ayrshire? Will he take action to speed up assistance for Ayrshire so that companies such as the Clydesdale Bank will take on board their social responsibilities before seeking hard profit, for example their £2 billion in the last financial year?
I certainly recall the meeting that I had with Margaret Jamieson, Cathy Jamieson and other parliamentary representatives from Ayrshire. I assure Margaret Jamieson that I want to progress several of the positive ideas that came out of that meeting.
Will the minister refuse the response that he received from Mr Thorburn of the Clydesdale Bank, which is an attack on socially excluded communities? Will he also write to all the major banking organisations to remind them of their social responsibility to provide services to a cross-section of communities, which depend on such services to prevent loan sharks from continuing with their activities?
I accept that the banks have a social responsibility. Paul Martin and other members will be aware that we have a financial inclusion action plan; Johann Lamont will announce more details about that in the coming weeks. That plan will insist on regular contact with the banks and it will consider a number of ways in which the banks can respond to groups in society with which they have not interacted until now. That plan is a very important part of the strategy that we are rolling out to bridge opportunity gaps.
Waste Water Services
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that waste water services are not adversely affected by new housing developments. (S2O-6969)
Where Scottish Water believes that the waste water infrastructure is inadequate to support a proposed new development, it will advise the local planning authority accordingly. We will require Scottish Water to publish an annual report on the strategic capacity of its water and waste water networks as of 1 April 2006.
Given the amount of waste water flooding that has been experienced by some of my constituents and those of many of my colleagues, will the minister assure me that the responsibility for providing any remedial action that is deemed necessary by Scottish Water at the planning stage for new housing developments should be borne by developers?
A local authority may already impose planning conditions in approving a development that would require the developer to address constraints of the kind that Janis Hughes is concerned about. The developer would normally do that in partnership with the local council and Scottish Water. As of the next investment period, developers will be required to meet all the local network costs, subject to the usual arrangements for discounting for Scottish Water's future income. There will be a new alignment similar to that which applies in England and Wales; developers will automatically be involved in paying for necessary infrastructure improvements.
As the minister knows, some systems are already running over capacity for historic reasons, which means that there will be a split between costs for upgrading and those for expansion. Has agreement been reached between ministers, Scottish Water and the developers as to how those costs will be split?
In my statement to Parliament I made it clear that the new investment programme will require that the strategic network costs be met by Scottish Water and that local network costs be met by developers. That will be subject to a reasonable cost contribution from Scottish Water to reflect its income from that new infrastructure during the first 12 years of its life.
Fife Council's draft structure plan specifies an overallocation of housing requirements in order to drive the regional economy. That is causing a lot of concern in communities such as Tayport, whose population is due to increase by 25 per cent, which will put water and sewerage services under strain. What priority for investment does the Executive attach to those overallocations of housing requirements under the quality and standards III programme?
We expect Scottish Water to work with local authorities and others under the quality and standards III programme to identify realistically what projects are likely to come on stream first and to address those needs first.
A75 (Improvements)
To ask the Scottish Executive what the specific programmed dates are for the start of construction of the six improvement schemes on the A75 between Stranraer and Dumfries. (S2O-6924)
Subject to satisfactory completion of statutory procedures, I expect construction of the six schemes to start in the 2006-07 financial year.
Similar questions have been asked by me and my colleagues for several years. Since I asked the same question in 2002, all that has happened is that all the schemes have slipped, in some cases by two to three years and now by three to four years. Will the minister accept that including schemes in a programme that slips continually is no answer to the transport problems of the south-west?
Detailed proposals have been published for three of the schemes and the objections have been discussed with the people who made them. I hope that those three schemes can proceed without a public local inquiry. We are in a strong position to proceed with them.
I share the minister's optimism about the possibility of a Dunragit bypass. However, is the minister aware that the continued delay of the schemes, to which Alasdair Morgan referred, simply exacerbates the problem of convoys of traffic speeding through villages such as Springholm and Crocketford on the A75? Residents are increasingly in danger whenever they need to cross the road. Does the minister agree that those villages also fully deserve a bypass? In the meantime, will the minister consider temporary installation of speed cameras to reduce persistent law breaking—which is what it is—once and for all?
I am well aware of the importance of the schemes. The six schemes will involve total investment of about £30 million. They have been delayed and I share members' concern about that. As always, there are explanations to do with objections, to do with the details of the schemes and to do with the information that comes back after detailed site investigations.
Health Services
To ask the Scottish Executive, following publication of the report from Professor David Kerr, how it will ensure that health services are delivered as locally as possible. (S2O-6958)
The Executive's initial response to Professor Kerr's report was set out in Parliament on 25 May. I welcome the broad thrust of Professor Kerr's proposals and will bring forward a detailed implementation plan in September.
The minister will, of course, be aware that Professor Kerr's report helpfully states that any
Professor Kerr has given us in Scotland the opportunity to lead the way in consideration of what services are to be provided and where, and of what services require, or do not require, to be aggregated into a specialist centre. The evidence is that we will be able to lead the world on those issues.
I am sure that the minister will agree that local services need local health care teams. Will he tell me what plans he has to recruit and train the workforce and to inform it about changes to local services?
Yes indeed. Professor Kerr tells us that we must manage chronic conditions more effectively, that we must deal with elderly and vulnerable people more effectively and that we must reduce admissions to accident and emergency wards, and especially in the acute sector. Our workforce planning now, as in the past, reflects the direction of travel that Professor Kerr wants. We are training more allied health professionals—dieticians, physiotherapists and other clinical staff—in our communities. We will revise and develop our training plans in order to support the efforts that are being made.
Rail Services (Fife)
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on First ScotRail's increased journey times for its timetable in Fife and the impact that that may have on passengers' willingness to travel by train. (S2O-6959)
Passengers want a robust timetable and services that they can rely on. I have been assured that the additional two minutes that are being added to the Fife circle route reflect increased passenger loading times that are the result of increased passenger numbers and the level of congestion on the network. Wherever possible, however, I would like to see improvements in journey times.
I thank the minister for that response; it appears to be passengers' fault that the trains are not able to run on time.
I agree that redevelopment of Waverley station is vital. This week, a crucial meeting drew together all the project partners to consider the future of that project and its timetabling. The first phase of the redevelopment of Waverley is proceeding, but there are other measures that can be taken to improve the Fife circle services. As Scott Barrie knows, the introduction of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line will help with freight movements across the Forth rail bridge; 15 per cent of the problems on the Fife circle are caused by freight movements.
Before First Minister's questions, members will wish to welcome Halldór Blöndal, who is the President of the Icelandic Parliament, and a cross-party delegation of MPs. [Applause.]
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