Plenary,

Meeting date: Thursday, May 3, 2001

Official Report 668KB pdf

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First Minister's Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Cabinet (Meetings)

To ask the First Minister what issues were discussed at the last meeting of the Scottish Executive's Cabinet. (S1F-1048)

The Cabinet last met on 1 May and discussed issues of importance to the people of Scotland.

Can the First Minister explain why, in the four years of this Labour Government, the number of home-grown businesses created in Scotland has plummeted by 30 per cent?

When Labour came to power on 1 May 1997, we recognised that the creation of small businesses in Scotland would be a major priority. Under the Conservatives, there had been a reduction in the creation of small businesses. We have remained committed to the creation of small businesses and, as the figure is still lower than we would like, we will continue to give it a high priority in the next few years. We have made a commitment to create 100,000 small businesses over the decade.

I am sorry, but the First Minister does not appear to have listened to the question. Why has the business birth rate plummeted by 30 per cent since Labour came to power? The Conservatives had a dreadful record on small business creation, but under the Labour Government the number has gone through the floor.

It is widely acknowledged that the creation of a vibrant small business sector is the pathway to a country's long-term economic security. Why is the Labour record of failure worse than the Tory record of failure?

As usual, John Swinney is selective in his use of economic statistics. I repeat: the creation of small businesses remains a priority for this Administration. After four years, we have the highest employment figures for 40 years, the lowest unemployment figures for 26 years, record cuts in youth unemployment, record cuts in long-term unemployment and growth in the first quarter of 2001 of over 2 per cent. We are witnessing a conspicuous economic success story, which has been brought about by Labour at Westminster and has been continued by Labour and the Liberal Democrats working in Scotland.

I am not sure that the First Minister should boast about the lowest levels of unemployment in 26 years when, in his constituency, male unemployment is at 12 per cent this month.

Is not the fact that Scotland has had a 30 per cent decline in new business start-up under the Labour Government to do with the fact that we have the highest business tax in the UK, the highest fuel tax in Europe and interest rates that render our businesses uncompetitive? It is time the First Minister had some ambition for the Scottish economy and got for the Scottish Parliament the powers to deliver the right economic conditions for Scotland.

The weakness of Mr Swinney's argument is shown by how speedily he moves from one argument to talk about fuel tax and a myriad of other excuses for his party's position.

Let me make absolutely clear the problem that the SNP faces in terms of a poverty of ambition. Surfing the net earlier this week, I found on the YouGov website a declaration by John Swinney that Scotland does not have a clear sense of what the SNP believes in. That is a statement by the leader of the SNP. What are the people of Scotland to think? Against that, we can juxtapose Nicola Sturgeon's comment in the Sunday Herald:

"We are going to turn the tide on the ‘still no policies' jibe, throw it back on the Labour Party and ram it firmly down their throats."

I ask John Swinney whether the case is that the SNP has a mass of policies or that there are still no policies.

As nationalism would inevitably lead to far greater burdens on businesses in Scotland, and as businesses in Scotland must have been tallying up all the costs of all the promises that have been made by nationalist spokespeople in recent months and years, has the First Minister had any representations from the business sector suggesting that businesses would be helped if Scotland were independent?

I am sure that the business community views with horror the prospect of narrow nationalism on the part of the SNP, leading to separation. It is also important that today, as we approach the second anniversary of the establishment of this Parliament, we again put into sharp focus the fact that the SNP continues to talk Scotland down, while we—both in the Parliament and in the Executive—continue to work for Scotland. Whether on the McCrone report, on the Sutherland report or on the record number of police officers, we are succeeding. It is high time the SNP started to support Scotland rather than talk the nation down at every opportunity.

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Prime Minister (Meetings)

To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Prime Minister and what issues he plans to raise. (S1F-1032)

I speak to the Prime Minister regularly. We have no immediate plans to meet.

When the First Minister meets him, the Prime Minister will no doubt share and voice the concern of everyone in Scotland that the Scottish Executive's record on health seems to be getting worse by the day. Given today's revelation that 14,000 operations were cancelled last year—an increase of almost 40 per cent—will the First Minister apologise to the patients concerned for the anxiety and distress caused to them?

I did not hear many apologies emanating from the Conservatives after 18 years of the previous Government's policies on the health service. Again we have an Opposition party that wants to be rather selective. Of course we want to ensure that cancellations of planned hospital admissions are reduced. Hospital services, the health boards and the Minister for Health and Community Care are working hard to achieve that.

As we are approaching two years of success in this Parliament, let us talk about the 100,000 more operations; let us talk about the 567 more bypass operations, the 861 more angioplasties and the 287 more hip replacements. Those are the success stories, not just for the Parliament, but for all individuals who have been admitted to hospital, who are getting better care and, in many instances, a speedier service.

I think that the First Minister is once again being rather economical with the facts at his disposal. He has demonstrated again that his Administration fails to take responsibility for any of its own failings. It is a rather bitter irony that the more ministers we have, the less accountable they become.

The facts speak for themselves. On top of the rising number of cancelled operations to which I have alluded, there are 2,000 more people on the waiting list than four years ago. The number of patients who are waiting more than 18 weeks for national health service treatment has risen by 70 per cent. Morale among general practitioners is at an all-time low. Labour has been running the NHS in Scotland for four years now. Perhaps the First Minister could explain why it is in such a mess.

It has a lot of resonance when I hear such words as "mess" emanating from a Tory Opposition. And on the health service, too. Can you believe it? Let us consider the fact that expenditure on the national health service in Scotland is growing from £5.9 billion to £6.7 billion. The best performance in the United Kingdom for median waiting times for in-patient and day cases is in NHS hospitals in Scotland: more than half of patients are treated immediately, without ever joining a waiting list. Of those who wait, almost half are treated within one month and more than 80 per cent are treated within three months.

Yes, let us have criticism, but let us not have selective criticism. There is a whole story to be told, and this Administration—Liberal Democrat and Labour—remains committed to improving the national health service over the next two years and beyond, after victory in 2003.

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Licensing

To ask the First Minister what consideration has been given by the Scottish Executive to 24-hour licensing of public houses and clubs. (S1F-1036)

Current licensing boards already have the power to consider applications from licensed premises to remain open for 24 hours. We have recently announced a review of all aspects of liquor licensing law and practice in Scotland. The review will make particular reference to the implications for public health and public order.

I am sure that the First Minister will note my interest in the matter as I represent the city centre of Glasgow, which has more than 460 licensed premises in a half-mile radius—the largest number outside London—and that he is aware of the impact that that has on front-line services such as the police and the NHS.

Does the First Minister share my view that the issue is not simply one of whether we should license premises for 24 hours and that we should also focus on marketing strategies that encourage heavy drinking, including happy hours and promotions such as "All you can drink for £10," which are offered in Glasgow and can be linked directly to negative behaviour?

Further, will the First Minister assure me that the review will consider laying duties on licensed premises and on the licence holder to be responsible in their approach?

I agree entirely with Pauline McNeill's sentiments. That is why the remit of the committee is important. The remit is to review all aspects of liquor licensing law and practice in Scotland, with particular reference to the implications for public health and public order, which covers the national health service and the police service. The review will look at the correlation between excessive drinking and behaviour, often after hours, and the violent crime that we still see in and around our towns and cities throughout Scotland. The committee will meet and have a wide remit, but this issue is not just about extending the hours for those who want to consume alcohol; it is about looking at every aspect of public health and public order. That is what the Parliament and the people of Scotland want.

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Cancer Services (Funding)

To ask the First Minister why national lottery money is being used to fund cancer treatment and care services. (S1F-1033)

We have already pledged record levels of expenditure on health. Core Government spending is £5.9 billion this year and will rise to £6.7 billion in 2003-04. New opportunities funding is additional to that, as the new opportunities funding published criteria make clear.

Given Scotland's appalling health record, I think everybody agrees that extra investment in cancer services is always welcome, but does the First Minister agree that services such as cancer screening and diagnosis are core health services and should be funded from general taxation, which we all pay, rather than depend on individuals purchasing lottery tickets? Does he agree that the fact that lottery money is required for those services is proof that the Government is failing to fund such services properly?

I totally disagree with Nicola Sturgeon's last point. I have outlined the record levels of public investment in the national health service. I agree that any lottery funding should be complementary. It is important to recognise that health boards are using that money to complement health care in a vital area. I do not think that there is anyone in the chamber who has not had someone close to them—in their family or in their community—who has suffered from cancer.

It is right to say on this sensitive question that we have extended breast screening to women aged up to 70; we have provided £13 million to replace radiotherapy equipment; we have given £16 million for imaging services to ensure faster and better diagnosis; we have funded six more cancer consultant places in Scottish hospitals; and we have £38 million in the pipeline to rebuild the Beatson cancer centre in Glasgow. Firm investment and complementary finance from the lottery can go forward together, but the core investment will continue to come from the Executive.

Will the First Minister congratulate Dumfries and Galloway Health Board on its successful application for £1.5 million of lottery funding towards a new oncology unit at Dumfries and Galloway royal infirmary? Does he agree that the patients in Dumfries and Galloway who will benefit from that service will not be unhappy that the money they spend on lottery tickets will be put to that purpose?

I would not like this to become a political issue. Common sense should be applied. There is significant core funding from the Minister for Health and Community Care, and that will rise steadily. On the other hand, some excellent projects in every part of Scotland are being funded and delivered courtesy of the NOF. We should welcome that. We should always come back to the point that the health service is too valuable to be left to anything other than core funding from the taxpayer through the Executive in Edinburgh and the Government in Westminster. We are committed to that and I am sure that the Parliament is too.

The cancer treatment to which the minister referred and initiatives on waiting times and lists are the declared priorities of the Executive. Is the First Minister aware that the delegation of managing those priorities is the responsibility of medical secretaries within the national health service and that medical secretaries' salaries are now a maximum of £12,800 and represent some of the lowest wages in the whole national service? Will he declare his support for the Unison campaign on behalf of the medical secretaries to have an immediate upgrading of the salaries of those essential health care workers, or will he preside over a continuation of poverty pay in the health service?

We recognise the issue to which Tommy Sheridan refers, which, I believe, has been the subject of continuing discussions within the NHS in Scotland and with health boards.

All I can say is that we want people who contribute to the health service to feel that they are both valued and getting decent pay for a decent day's work. I hope that those criteria will guide the discussions that are continuing to take place.

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Factory Closure (Kintyre)

To ask the First Minister in what ways the Scottish Executive has offered to assist Campbeltown and Kintyre following the closure of the Jaeger factory. (S1F-1029)

Alasdair Morrison today met GMB union representatives and the Kintyre initiative working group to discuss the impact of the Jaeger closure and how the Executive can help with the broader issues that face the Kintyre economy. The top priority is to create new employment opportunities. The Executive and Argyll and the Islands Enterprise are already in discussion with companies on a number of promising possibilities. The Kintyre peninsula is eligible for investment support at the maximum permitted rate and we shall continue to promote the area as vigorously as possible as an attractive location for new investment.

I thank the First Minister for that answer.

Will the First Minister confirm that the Executive is treating the workers' plight at Jaeger in Campbeltown as seriously as it is treating the crisis that faces the Motorola workers in Bathgate? The effects of the Jaeger closure on Campbeltown are just as severe as the effects of the Motorola closure on Bathgate.

Will the First Minister reassure the workers at Jaeger that ministers—both Liberal Democrat and Labour—are doing all in their power to secure new jobs for them? Will he confirm whether the Vestas project, in which ministers and I have been involved over the past 18 months, is close to a conclusion?

The response to George Lyon's first question is that Wendy Alexander confirmed earlier that no matter where redundancies take place and no matter what their scale, every part of Scotland will be given priority as far as the rapid response service is concerned. That commitment, which I make and which Wendy Alexander made earlier, will be honoured.

In response to George Lyon's second question, it is important that I stress that Liberal Democrat and Labour ministers will continue to work hard for the peninsula to ensure that we are able to attract new jobs.

In response to George Lyon's third question, there are exciting prospects ahead for the peninsula on a variety of fronts, including the project that he mentioned. The discussions have not been concluded and it would be premature for me, or for anyone else, to say more than that. The area has an unemployment rate of 7.3 per cent, which is not good enough—we want to make it better. Suffice to say that Wendy Alexander, her department and the Executive are making an enormous effort and that every effort will be made to provide new jobs.

I express my disappointment with the vagueness of the First Minister's commitment. We need more than warm words and I ask him to give us a few more specifics.

The First Minister has said that he understands that the latest loss of 161 jobs is a hammer blow and that the Kintyre peninsula will be a priority, as it has been for Argyll and the Islands Enterprise for the past couple of years. This is a time for fresh thinking, and I will press him on two matters. First, will he redouble his efforts to ensure that the Campbeltown-Ballycastle ferry service is restored and marketed properly? Secondly, will he take up the challenge of completing the A83 to full trunk road status? That would reconnect Campbeltown to the rest of Scotland and provide a much-needed boost to the area's economy.

I am disappointed that Duncan Hamilton does not appreciate the fact that we are giving the Kintyre economy massive priority. Anyone who listened to what I said about the exciting prospects that lie ahead could read between the lines. [Members: "What are they?"] Members may shout from a sedentary position, but in the real world in which we live with our Liberal Democrat colleagues, we must move forward sensibly, rather than use these occasions to say things that we might not want to say at the time.

Everyone knows that the Vestas project is active and live, and I suggest that we wait until the discussions are complete—[Interruption.] I hear members shouting about Ballycastle. Again, discussions are proceeding about that development. If the restoration of the service proceeds, it is clear that marketing will be required.

The rapid response service is in place, the Vestas project is being discussed, the Ballycastle issue is being discussed and we are trying to attract investment to the area with investment support at the maximum permitted rate. That shows urgency and commitment.

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Schools (Teaching Standards)

To ask the First Minister whether new action is being taken to raise the standards of teaching in Scotland's schools. (S1F-1045)

The historic pay and conditions deal that was negotiated earlier this year—and agreed with the overwhelming support of the teaching profession—has paved the way for standards to continue to rise. Most significantly, at its heart is our recognition of the critical role played by the teaching profession. The deal rewards high standards of skill and expects high standards of achievement. It offers for the first time a practical opportunity for every teacher to develop their professional skills continuously throughout their teaching careers through the universal obligation of continuing professional development.

Will the First Minister acknowledge that it is important that we modernise a system that has been in place since 1916 and that placed teachers in the same framework as people in the local government sector? Will the First Minister acknowledge that fairness is the key to a new system of discipline in the teaching profession? Will he indicate that there will be minimum standards against which pupils and parents will be able to judge whether teachers meet the criteria that are set for them?

I am pleased to confirm the points that have been made by the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs on other occasions. We want a new national system that is transparent, fair and equitable but capable of meeting local needs—that is crucial. We want a system that supports teachers to do the best job they can and, of course, we want an improved role for the professional body for teachers. Disciplinary procedures, continuous professional development and review of initial teacher education are included in a positive package to ensure that the respect that teachers should have is gained. Over the next two or three years, I am sure that we will see the benefits in the classroom.