Rural Affairs and the Environment
National Spring Clean Campaign
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the keep Scotland beautiful national spring clean campaign. (S3O-10427)
The Scottish Government funds Keep Scotland Beautiful as part of the zero waste Scotland programme to help to raise awareness of and, of course, participation in the excellent national spring clean campaign. The 2010 campaign has been by far the most successful yet. More than 83,000 volunteers took part in just over 1,400 clean-up events throughout Scotland in April. Our zero waste Scotland programme also funds Keep Scotland Beautiful to support local authorities and others in tackling litter on an on-going basis.
A few weeks ago, I helped out with a clean-up on Leith Links as part of the national spring clean. Volunteers and passers-by expressed their anger and frustration with the small minority of people who continue to litter in their own communities, including on those fine links. What action is the Government taking to tackle littering, which continues to be a blight on our streets and our open spaces?
Shirley-Anne Somerville highlights the sad fact that there are still many people in our society who drop litter, which is, of course, damaging to Scotland’s image and our environment. I am delighted to hear that she took part in the spring clean, and hope that other members had the opportunity to do so as well.
A number of options are available to local authorities to tackle littering. They can provide infrastructure and they can make use of legislation to issue fines. Some local authorities in Scotland issue fines to people who have been caught littering, but others do not. I urge all local authorities to use the legislative tools that are available to them to tackle litter in their communities.
Deer Management
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure best practice in deer management. (S3O-10413)
The Deer Commission for Scotland works with land managers and stalkers to produce extensive guidance on best practice, and it holds demonstration events throughout Scotland. In addition, the prospective wildlife and natural environment bill will include provisions relating to collaborative deer management. I hope to set out proposals for that bill in the next few days.
Can the minister assure me that recognition is given to stalkers in the central belt who deal with peri-urban deer, and that their views and requirements will be fully heard and taken into account in any future policies and training programmes?
I confirm that the Government has carefully considered the issue of peri-urban deer, as deer seem to be appearing in built-up areas more frequently. That brings different challenges and problems from those that are faced with the normal way of managing deer. The issue is in our minds, and it has been in our minds when we have considered proposals for the wildlife and natural environment bill. The number of such deer is expected to increase, and I assure the member that the issue is and will continue to be at the forefront of our minds, as we expect the problem to get worse.
The minister is aware of the importance of red deer herds to the rural economies of many areas of the Highlands and Islands, such as the Helmsdale strath in Sutherland. Will she ensure that Scottish Government policy acknowledges the value and importance of red deer and gives our wild red deer herds the status that they deserve as an important part of Scotland’s natural heritage rather than the status of vermin? Agencies have sometimes treated them as vermin in recent years.
I hope that the member is not accusing the Government of treating the red deer herds as vermin. I have constantly asserted the importance to the rural economy of red deer, and it is worth reminding all members of that importance. Of course, deer are not farmed in the way that beasts are normally farmed, so significant problems sometimes arise that must be managed. However, most agencies and most people who are involved in Scotland’s rural economy understand only too well how important red deer are to the future of Scotland.
Given the concern about the paths that deer use and the issues that that can cause, will the minister update the Parliament on the outcome of the investigation into the leaking of correspondence between her and the Home Office on paths in Balmoral? I suggest that she is owed an apology from some individuals in the Parliament and that the voters in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituency deserve to know the full truth—
Ms McKelvie, that has nothing to do with deer management. We move to question 3.
Household Waste Collection
To ask the Scottish Executive what its environmental policy is on the weekly collection of household waste. (S3O-10390)
Any decision to implement fortnightly collections for residual household waste is a matter for individual local authorities, having had regard to local needs and circumstances. However, the Scottish Government recognises that the introduction of fortnightly collections for residual household waste can, when introduced in conjunction with a high-quality recycling service, significantly improve recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste that households produce in the first place.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that Aberdeen City Council plans to scrap weekly bin collections once the general election is safely out of the way tomorrow. What guidance has he issued to councils on the link between recycling and reduced collections of household waste? What percentage of organic waste must be separated from the general household waste stream before a local authority can scrap weekly bin collections?
Councils have plenty of opportunities to learn from the experience of other local authorities that have adopted fortnightly collections. For instance, 19 of Scotland’s local authorities already have fortnightly collections and Scotland’s top 12 performing councils on recycling have adopted fortnightly collections. That speaks volumes about the link between the decision to adopt fortnightly collections and the recycling performance of the local authorities that do that. Plenty of information is available for local authorities through the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and directly from the Scottish Government. However, each local authority is able to implement its own policy in that regard.
Bog Myrtle Plants (Funding)
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative means of funding are available to subsidise nurseries to grow bog myrtle plants or fund growers to purchase plants, given that funding towards the purchasing of such plants is not eligible under the rural priorities scheme. (S3O-10356)
As the member says, European Union rules are, unfortunately, clear on the issue—they prevent support towards the purchase cost and maintenance of such crops. However, for farmers and growers who are considering diversifying into new crops such as bog myrtle, the rural priorities scheme can provide support of up to 50 per cent—or 60 per cent for young farmers—of the costs that are associated with the provision or upgrading of buildings, new machinery or equipment and, of course, information technology. We will continue to look for other ways in which we can assist the sector. I welcome the decision last year by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to award almost £0.5 million of public funding to support Essentially Scottish Botanicals, which remains at the forefront in developing the potential of bog myrtle in Scotland.
As the minister knows, there remains a huge economic opportunity for the exploitation of bog myrtle. The route to commercialisation of the crop lies with subsidising plant costs to promote economies of scale. Will the Scottish Government consider treating the commercialisation of the plant as a pilot to explore the vast opportunities and the potential of the industry?
We are paying close attention to the success of the company that is involved in the field, which is an exciting one. I agree with the member about the potential, but we should not lose sight of the substantial public funding of £0.5 million over three years from Highlands and Islands Enterprise for that company. We must not leave the impression that no public support is being provided for companies to take up such commercial opportunities. I understand that current supplies of bog myrtle to the company are adequate, so it is not as though there is evidence of a requirement for further incentives to promote more growing of the crop. Of course, we will continue to monitor the situation closely, because we agree that bog myrtle has huge potential for the Scottish economy.
Why does an industry that produces a product that is claimed successfully to mitigate the ravishes of ageing—and so should be widely in demand—need public sector support in these difficult financial times? Does the cabinet secretary share my confidence in the robustness of the private sector, which is so obviously not shared by the questioner?
I am not sure that that has anything to do with bog myrtle. I will allow the cabinet secretary to respond briefly, but I am not happy with the question.
Ian McKee has just made the best-possible advert for the use of bog myrtle in Scotland. No doubt sales will rocket and it will become an even more commercially attractive enterprise.
Waste Management
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on meeting its targets on waste management. (S3O-10392)
Since devolution in 1999, local authorities have made excellent progress. Recycling performance has improved from 5 per cent to just under 36 per cent for the rolling year to September 2009. Local authorities continue to make progress towards the 2010 target of 40 per cent recycling and composting and I have every expectation that local authorities will maintain that momentum.
In addition, Scottish local authorities have continued to make progress in contributing to meeting Scotland’s share of the UK landfill directive target, which is to divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill. In 2008, Scotland’s landfill total was 1.79 million tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste against a target of 1.8 million tonnes. That suggests that the 2013 target has been met already.
Has the cabinet secretary heard the expressions of concern that have been brought to my attention by companies that seek to be involved in the management of waste at local authority level? They are continually being refused planning permission to operate in the waste management field. Although it is always a good idea to wash one’s hands after handling waste, surely it is not a good idea for the Scottish Government to wash its hands of ensuring that local authorities work with those companies and deal with the planning permission problems, so that waste is processed throughout Scotland and some local authority areas do not become dumping grounds when other local authorities refuse to accept the facilities in their area.
I do not think that the member is suggesting that the Scottish Government should take away planning powers from local authorities. Of course, local authorities will have their reasons for the decisions on the applications that are lodged for waste management facilities. However, I agree with the member that Scotland has to face up to its responsibilities for managing its waste. That might require some difficult decisions in the years ahead.
The chamber will be interested to know that we are due to publish our zero waste plan for Scotland in the next few weeks. The Parliament will have one final opportunity to influence the plan next week in our parliamentary debate. I hope that Michael McMahon and others will take part in that debate and have their views heard. I assure all members that the views of the waste management industry have been taken into account in our zero waste plan and that local authorities are at the heart of how we will develop it.
In advance of next week’s debate, does the minister agree that we need a joined-up approach, both between local authority areas so that we manage down the amount of waste that is created in Scotland, and between the domestic and non-domestic sectors so that they work together to reduce the amount of waste arisings in Scotland, rather than treating both waste arisings separately, particularly given the huge amount of non-domestic waste that is produced in Scotland every year?
Sarah Boyack might be pleased to hear me say that I could not agree more with her point. She will recall that, like her, I have made the point many times in the chamber that, for a long time, we have picked the low-lying fruit of household recycling, which has been immensely valuable in getting the public on board for the recycling task that we face as a nation. Of course, the majority of waste is produced by the commercial and industrial sectors, so joining up the domestic with the non-domestic sources of waste is certainly the way forward. I hope that I give comfort to the chamber by saying that that has been taken on board in the zero waste plan and we look forward to hearing members’ views in next week’s debate.
Environmental Protection Legislation (Review)
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding a review of environmental protection legislation. (S3O-10434)
We have regular discussions with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on improving the effectiveness of environmental protection legislation and reducing regulatory burdens on businesses while continuing to protect the environment and human health.
Is the minister aware that, according to SEPA’s enforcement report for 2008-09, the average fine that Scottish courts imposed in environmental cases that SEPA referred for prosecution reduced from £6,538 in 2006-07 to only £2,511 in 2008-09? The equivalent figures in England were £6,326 and £7,193. In other words, last year, an offender in England would have suffered three times the fine that was imposed on an offender in Scotland for activities such as discharging sewage into burns, allowing diesel oil to pollute a loch and illegal burning of nasty wastes. Does the minister see why people demand a review of the effectiveness of the legislation? Is she concerned that, in the words of a national newspaper, Scotland risks being the UK’s “polluter haven”
because of the discrepancy between fine levels in Scotland and England?
I assure Robert Brown that the Government and SEPA have serious concerns about the developing trend that suggests that offences are not being taken as seriously as they should be. He might be slightly mollified when he understands that proposals are being discussed for addressing the situation. They include adopting civil sanction powers and encouraging more significant penalties when cases reach the courts. We are discussing options with solicitors on both those points. The discussions are not concluded, but I very much assure Robert Brown that it is precisely because of what has happened that we are having the discussions.
Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to planning and flood risk as a consequence of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. (S3O-10375)
The consolidated Scottish planning policy, which was published in February 2010, sets out the Scottish Government’s planning policies on flooding and refers to elements of the 2009 act that are relevant to the planning system.
Does the minister recall that, at stage 3 of consideration of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Bill, the Scottish Parliament agreed to amendment 13 but disagreed to amendment 14? Does she further recall saying that she would need
“to go away and have a look at”—[Official Report, 13 May 2009; c 17394.]
the fact that, although a flood risk assessment will have to be prepared, no one will have to consider it? When considering that, will she be mindful of the shocking intention of the developer Eadie Cairns to build on one of the least suitable pieces of land in Scotland, at St David’s bay
, which has a serious risk of flooding? To support that assertion, I shall send her pictures that were taken following the dreadful storms at Easter.
I look forward to receiving details from Helen Eadie about the concern that she has raised. We must accept that the 2009 act is still being brought into force, so some of what she has discussed has not commenced yet. However, I reassure her that we are discussing in detail flood risk assessments and the requirements on them in the 2009 act. I hope that the results of that will satisfy her. If not, I am sure that she will be in touch with me.
The minister will know that the Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research conference took place at Our Dynamic Earth in February. Its promotional material suggested that policy makers and decision makers from local authorities should attend. What powers does the minister possess to require councils to participate in such events, particularly from a planning perspective? Not all Scotland’s local authorities attended the conference and one absentee was Inverclyde Council, which has yet again proved its inadequacy in tackling the flooding problems in Inverclyde.
I assure Stuart McMillan that Inverclyde Council was represented at a Government-sponsored event, which was separate from the conference to which he referred. Sadly, I am unable to instruct local authorities to attend conferences. Nevertheless, Inverclyde Council has begun to engage directly with officials on flooding issues. I hope that the pressure that Stuart McMillan has continued to bring to bear on the council, of which I am well aware, is beginning to bear fruit.
Justice and Law Officers
Drugs (Prisons)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the incidence of drug taking in prisons. (S3O-10443)
The Scottish Prison Service is committed to reducing the harm that is caused by substance misuse. Security measures are in place to reduce the supply of illegal drugs into prisons. Treatment and care of and support for prisoners who are recovering from drug use is provided through services that are broadly equivalent to those that are available in the community.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that, in the recent report on Perth prison by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland, HM chief inspector of prisons for Scotland said that
“89% of prisoners tested positive for illegal substances on admission ... On liberation this is 28%.”
I am sure that the cabinet secretary agrees that the figures are unacceptably high.
Does the cabinet secretary also agree that it is unacceptable that many people have to wait more than a year for drug treatment and assessment, including for community-based treatment, and that 30 per cent of people have to wait more than 26 weeks for rehabilitation in residential establishments? Does he agree that some of the 89 per cent of prisoners who tested positive for illegal substances would not be in prison had they received community-based treatment? Would that not be a better way forward?
Yes. We all accept that we have to try to do more, and do it better. Clearly, problems at Perth prison were flagged up, but we should remember that the report from HM chief inspector of prisons was, overall, quite supportive of the prison. I have spoken to him about it and visited the prison. We also have to remember the nature of the people whom the Prison Service deals with. According to recent drug testing statistics, 71 per cent of prisoners who were tested on reception had illegal drugs in their system. By way of comparison, on liberation, the figure was down to 29 per cent. Clearly, the figure is still far too high, but significant progress is being made. The Prison Service deals with very difficult and, at times, dangerous individuals.
Kirkcaldy Business Improvement District
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the Kirkcaldy business improvement district’s aims of creating a safe and welcoming town centre and reducing crime through collaboration with local police and joint initiatives such as pubwatch, radio link and child safe. (S3O-10386)
We are fully supportive of business improvement districts because they enable businesses to work together and have the potential to boost the local economy in these challenging times. We are providing more than £770,000 of funding to the Scottish Business Crime Centre, which is fully involved with the business improvement district’s aim of making Kirkcaldy safe and welcoming by reducing antisocial behaviour and retail crime. The SBCC is providing advice and support in Kirkcaldy to help with the implementation of a whole series of excellent initiatives, including retail radio link, best bar none, safer parking areas, taxi marshals and the safer areas scheme. The SBCC provides such advice throughout Scotland, keeping very many towns safe.
I hear what the minister said about the £770,000, but will the Government sustain that funding to ensure that collaboration continues? Does he agree that town centres are crucial to the social and economic wellbeing of our communities? Will he continue to fund town centre regeneration?
As I mentioned, we have provided £770,000 to the SBCC. Funding to deal with antisocial behaviour comes in part from local authorities. I pay tribute to the community safety partnership in Fife, which I have visited. As the member knows, I have visited Kirkcaldy to see the very good work that goes on in her constituency and which she rightly supports. I am keen to work with all partners to ensure that the necessary funding is continued, which—with the support of more than 500 local businesses—will allow all those successful initiatives in Kirkcaldy to continue, thereby further driving down crime and antisocial behaviour and making Kirkcaldy the safe and welcoming place that we know it to be.
Knife Crime
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on tackling knife crime. (S3O-10412)
Crime in Scotland is at its lowest level since 1980, with violent crime at its lowest level since 1986. Since 2007, we have seen offensive weapons crimes drop by 11 per cent and average sentences go up by 145 days. The average sentence for knife carrying is now more than eight and a half months. That means that Scotland is safer than it has been for a generation. However, we recognise that we cannot be complacent. That is why we are putting record numbers of police officers on the streets, providing record investment in the national violence reduction unit and supporting innovative initiatives such as no knives, better lives and the community initiative to reduce violence, which is a project for Glasgow gangs that tackles the causes and consequences of knife crime.
I draw the cabinet secretary’s attention to another statistic. Glasgow, for which I am a member of Parliament, is part of the Strathclyde Police area. In the past two years, there has been a fall in the number of incidents in which a knife has been used as an offensive weapon in the area. Had the number of offences remained at the level at which it stood in the final year of the previous Labour-Lib Dem Executive, there would have been 1,530 more knife crimes, but it has fallen; in the first two years of this Government, there were 1,530 fewer knife crimes.
Will the cabinet secretary stand firm on the good work that is being done in relation to the proceeds of crime, the violence reduction unit and additional police officers? Will he ensure that the message is clear—I hope, on a cross-party basis—that dangerous criminals will go to jail for more than six months and that those who are not a danger to society will get tough, hard community payback sentences? Let us take the party politics out of such an important issue.
Absolutely. I am happy to record the thanks of the Government—and, I presume, the whole chamber—to the chief constable of Strathclyde Police, Stephen House, and every one of his officers for their actions. They have made tremendous progress. The Government is delighted to have ensured that there is a record number of police officers in Strathclyde, as elsewhere. It is important that we record and remember that homicide is at its lowest level in 10 years in the city of Glasgow and at its lowest level in 20 years in the city of Edinburgh. The Government intends to ensure that we have tough laws and that those are enforced. Equally, we intend to divert those who would otherwise fall into mischief and crime. That is why we must continue to tackle not just crime but the causes of crime.
The cabinet secretary may talk tough, but in reality the policies that he follows are soft touch. Is it not the case that, under his plans to scrap six-month sentences, two thirds of knife criminals would go free? Against the backdrop of such shocking knife crime statistics, is it not time for the cabinet secretary to think again?
The statistics are quite clear: fewer people are carrying, more police are out there, and those people who are carrying are facing severe consequences from our courts. That is down to the hard work and effort of individual officers, from the newest constable to the chief constable, and to the tough action that sheriffs and other members of the judiciary are taking, fully supported by the Government.
Racially Aggravated Crime
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle racially aggravated crime. (S3O-10436)
The Scottish Government is working towards a Scotland that embraces diversity and is a place where people of all backgrounds, irrespective of their race, faith, belief and place of birth, feel respected and have a sense of belonging. We support work that helps to tackle and prevent racism in all its guises through investing in Scottish police forces to put more police officers on our streets and in our communities. We are also providing more than £9 million of funding between 2008 and 2011 to organisations that aim to tackle racist attitudes and improve the lives of minority ethnic communities in Scotland, including refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers and Gypsies/Travellers.
Scottish Government statistics that were released last week show that, in Dumfries and Galloway and in Grampian, there has been an increase in the number of racist incidents. In Dumfries and Galloway last year, the number of such incidents rose by about 50 per cent, from 64 to 96. There was an increase of a similar percentage in the total number of racist crimes. What extra steps will the minister take to ensure that those worrying statistics are addressed in Dumfries and Galloway and other rural areas such as Grampian?
I agree that the figures that the member cites are worrying, although I point out that the figure for 2006-07 was higher still than the figure for last year to which he alluded. Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary says that the rise is in keeping with its expectations, following increased proactivity in the area. The police force’s work to widen accessibility and confidence includes improved third-party reporting and close working with multicultural associations. We have assisted with funding of local citizens advice bureaux.
I make the serious point that the statistics do not record every racist incident that takes place in Scotland, because not all incidents are reported to the police. An increase in police proactivity in this area is bound to lead to more prosecutions.
I am delighted to share with members the glad news that we have delivered on our promise of 1,000 extra police officers on the streets in Scotland. As at 31 December 2009, there were 17,273 police officers in Scotland, who take seriously their duty to tackle racially motivated crime.
Will the minister accept my congratulations on the fact that he succumbed to pressure from the Conservatives to ensure that policing resources were in place?
Does the minister agree that he would be more likely to reassure Mr Hume and the rest of us in the Parliament, who are genuinely worried about the incidence of race-related crime, if he did not follow his Government’s stupid, futile and downright irresponsible policy on the inhibition of six-month jail sentences? Accordingly, will he accept that the Justice Committee, in its infinite wisdom, was quite correct to change that measure in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill?
Bill Aitken started well, but he tailed off rather badly.
The incidence of racist crime is a very serious matter. The Scottish picture is slightly different, in that the number of incidents has decreased for the second year in a row—modestly, but significantly.
The Crown Office takes an extremely serious attitude to all crimes involving prejudice. These are extremely serious matters, which I am sure command a cross-party consensus in the Parliament.
Knife Crime (Grampian)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle knife crime in Grampian. (S3O-10368)
The Scottish Government is working with the police-led violence reduction unit to tackle violence throughout Scotland. Reducing violence is a force priority for Grampian Police, which undertakes a range of activities specifically to tackle knife crime. The work of Grampian Police, alongside that of local community safety partners, has contributed to a 9 per cent reduction in violent crime, a 2.5 per cent reduction in handling offensive weapons and a 21 per cent increase in convictions for possession of offensive weapons in the force area since 2006-07.
Grampian Police is actively involved in the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland’s continuing anti-violence campaign, which is organised by the violence reduction unit. The force has recently been deploying Scottish Government-funded Ferroguard metal detectors throughout the Grampian area, including as part of operation oak, which promotes safety in Aberdeen city centre. Grampian Police also works in partnership with schools to educate young people about the dangers and consequences of knife carrying.
Grampian Police does a great job, but last year Aberdeen was second only to Glasgow for knife murders, of which there was an increase. What dialogue has the cabinet secretary had with the force on further action to tackle knife crime locally? Given that thousands of Scots support the moves for mandatory minimum sentences to help tackle knife crime, to which the Justice Committee agreed during its stage 2 consideration of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill, is it really the cabinet secretary’s intention to delete those provisions during stage 3 consideration of the bill?
I have regular dialogue with each and every chief constable—I met Chief Constable McKerracher not that long ago. It came as a surprise to me to find out that my predecessors had not done so. I am delighted to have that dialogue, as well as meeting representatives of ACPOS.
I was also delighted to appear at a meeting in Glasgow last week at which I was joined on the platform by Allan Burnett, former assistant chief constable with Fife Constabulary and head of counter-terrorism in Scotland. I was delighted that, the day after he resigned, following many successful and hard-working years’ service as a police officer, he chose to join the Scottish National Party. That shows the commitment that many officers have, and the reciprocation of the support that we have given, with many senior officers now supporting the Government. I assure Mr Baker that Mr Burnett is not alone—there are more to come in support for the Government.
Lothian and Borders Police (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice last met representatives of Lothian and Borders Police. (S3O-10371)
I met Chief Constable David Strang on 12 April at the latest meeting of the Scottish policing board, where a number of issues of importance to policing in Scotland were discussed. I will be meeting him for a private discussion, as I mentioned to Mr Baker, later this month.
When the cabinet secretary had his meeting, did he discuss the prospect of voluntary redundancy being offered to members of Lothian and Borders Police’s 1,400-strong civilian staff, who support front-line officers? Many of them work in the force’s communications centre at Bilston Glen in my constituency. Is the situation not a direct consequence of cuts to the Lothian and Borders Police budget imposed by the Scottish National Party Government? As cutting civilian staff means that police officers will have to come off the beat to do the jobs of the civilian staff, surely the SNP pledge on police numbers is now exposed as utterly meaningless.
There are no cuts to the police budget. Ms Brankin should know that. Equally, any operational decisions involving Bilston—I have visited the control centre there—are matters for the chief constable, for which he will be held to account by the police board convener. Indeed, I will meet the police board conveners shortly.
I reiterate that Lothian and Borders Police does excellent work. That is why we have the lowest homicide rate in the city of Edinburgh—indeed, in the whole of Lothian and Borders—for 20 years. We also have the lowest recorded crime rate in Scotland for a generation.
Public Safety (Financial Constraints)
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of any financial constraints expected to be inflicted up on it by the next United Kingdom Government, what action it is taking to make sure that Scotland’s streets remain safe. (S3O-10425)
Police funding in Scotland is at a record level. In 2010-11, we are increasing the police grant by 3.1 per cent, although we face the imposition on Scotland by the United Kingdom Government of a £400 million cut in planned expenditure. In addition, we are meeting the full costs of the recruitment, training and salaries of 1,000 extra officers.
The Scottish Government will fight for Scotland’s interests in any future UK budget settlement and will continue to work to ensure that the resources allocated to us are used in the best interests of the people of Scotland, which includes keeping our streets safe.
What changes, if any, at the senior levels in Scotland’s police forces will occur or are planned in light of the next UK Government—of whichever colour—slashing Scotland’s budget? What guarantees will the minister provide that the numbers of front-line police officers, including the welcome 1,000 extra police officers that the Scottish National Party Government has introduced, will be maintained?
We have no plans to make changes at senior levels across Scottish forces. Our commitment to front-line policing is absolutely clear and our record speaks for itself. The most recent figures show that there are 17,273 police officers in Scotland, which is 1,039 more than there were at March 2007. We are working closely with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, chief constables and police board conveners to ensure that our forces work as efficiently as possible so that front-line police numbers can be maintained.
Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (Referrals)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Community Safety monitors how many people have been referred for methadone and detox-based rehabilitation by the alcohol and drug partnerships and have sought such treatment. (S3O-10357)
The number of new drug treatment interventions that services offer, including substitute prescribing and residential rehabilitation, is currently monitored using the drug treatment waiting times information framework. To reduce waiting times and ensure that people can access treatment when they need it, we have introduced a national health improvement, efficiency, access and treatment target. Under that target, by March 2013, 90 per cent of people who need help with their drugs problem will wait no longer than three weeks for treatment. We are also introducing a new data collection system, which will be in place by April 2011 and will allow us to track the treatment of individuals moving towards recovery.
It is accepted that a drug-free life is preferable to one on long-term substitutes such as methadone, and the addicts who have achieved that to whom I have spoken say that they could not have done so without a prolonged spell of residential detox-based rehabilitation, such as that provided at the Alexander Clinic in my region. Therefore, does the minister agree that his figures should be used to inform the required level of such provision? When can we expect an adequate level of residential rehab provision for those who need and want it?
I appreciate Nanette Milne’s interest in the topic. The drugs strategy, “The Road to Recovery: A New Approach to Tackling Scotland’s Drug Problem”, to which all parties in the Parliament agreed, recognises that there are many different routes to the road to recovery, depending on the needs of each individual.
We recognise that residential rehabilitation is one of those routes and that it works for some people. Equally, many other types of treatment and support work for other people. I am very pleased to be visiting, on a ministerial engagement on Monday, Castle Craig hospital, which is one of the establishments that provide important residential support. I look forward to visiting Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire ADPs in June to learn more about their record in Nanette Milne’s area, which includes the stupendous effort of reducing from 500 the number of people waiting for assessment in 2008 to three in the most recent quarter. Many congratulations are due to everyone who has worked to achieve that stupendous improvement in performance.
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