SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
St Margaret of Scotland Hospice
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing considers that the proposal by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for continuing care beds to be withdrawn from St Margaret of Scotland Hospice, Clydebank, with effect from April 2009, is in the best interests of patients or their relatives. (S3O-3645)
Scotland's health care challenges require a shift in the balance of care towards community-based services. For some people with particularly complex needs, that means ensuring the availability of the most appropriate services in the right setting with the best support. That is also important for families and carers. Organisations that provide services to the national health service need to do so in line with NHS strategic priorities.
In my part of the west of Scotland, it is well understood by those whose friends or relatives have needed continuing care that the best available care is in St Margaret's. Currently, geriatricians dealing with patients from Dunbartonshire and west Glasgow refer their patients with the most complex needs to St Margaret's, because they, too, are aware that that is where the best quality of care is available.
It is important to put on record a number of facts in relation to St Margaret's. First, Des McNulty is right to say that St Margaret's provides a valued service. I visited the hospice recently and was impressed by what I saw there.
The meter is running on the resolution of this issue. If public support is any measure, the cabinet secretary does not want to find herself downwind of the whirlwind that will follow if successful mediation is not brought to bear on the situation, which involves seemingly entrenched positions on both sides, particularly on the part of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Whatever the cabinet secretary's reservations, I suggest that her direct intervention seems to be necessary.
I have made it clear to the NHS board that it must engage in constructive dialogue with the board of St Margaret's, and I have encouraged the board of St Margaret's to do likewise. I do not believe that any member of this Parliament would seriously ask me to intervene to instruct an NHS board to commission services that it does not need to provide for its population. I have encouraged—and will continue to do so—the NHS board to find an alternative solution, with the board of St Margaret's, to allow St Margaret's to continue to provide high-quality services. That is the right way in which to proceed. I hope that next week's discussions will be constructive and will allow a solution to be found that is in the interests of the NHS board, the board of St Margaret's and, most important of all, the local population.
Health Services (Role of Private Sector)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the private sector has any role to play in the delivery of health services. (S3O-3659)
I have made it clear that the Scottish Government will invest in the national health service in Scotland to ensure that patients get rapid access to high-quality care. We have no intention of investing in or expanding the private health care sector, but—as I have said repeatedly in the past—NHS boards are free to make use of independent sector hospitals if it helps them to address short-term capacity issues and to ensure that NHS patients are treated quickly.
In asking a question of that nature, I seek serious clarity from the cabinet secretary. The press release regarding her address to a conference in London in June 2007 made it clear that the Scottish Government was signalling an end to future partnerships between the NHS and the private sector. However, in response to the announcement of the collaboration between NHS Lothian and the Royal Bank of Scotland, the cabinet secretary was quoted as saying:
I am a great admirer of Ross Finnie's attention to detail and the fact that he is a stickler for clarity. Other members in the chamber could learn a lot from his approach to such matters. For that reason, I am sure that if he goes back and reads all my previous pronouncements on the matter, he will find that they are absolutely crystal clear.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that donations from the private sector to the NHS, such as the one that was mentioned in the previous question, should be encouraged—indeed, not only encouraged but regulated in such a way that they benefit the common good?
Ian McKee will recall the answer that I gave to Margo MacDonald in the chamber last week, in which I said that it was right that we examine the ground rules for such donations to ensure transparency and public confidence.
I thank the cabinet secretary for her clarification of the Scottish National Party policy on health services, which differs very little from that of the previous Government. Will she clarify that position in relation to John Swinney's statement to the chamber last week, in which he set out a clear role for the public and private sectors in our public services? I presume that that includes health.
I am glad that the penny is dropping for even the hard of understanding in the chamber. Even Andy Kerr now understands SNP policy, which is to safeguard the public nature of our national health service rather than to preside over the creeping privatisation for which he was renowned.
Explain it, then.
Order.
I am sure that he will be delighted to join me in welcoming the fact that, after years and years of private finance initiative hospitals that were sanctioned by the Government of which he was a part, one of the early acts of this Government was to announce the redevelopment of the Southern general. That hospital will be funded entirely within the public sector. I am sure that even Andy Kerr, who is not known for his grace, will manage to welcome that.
Probationary Teachers (Employment)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to secure employment for probationary teachers coming to the end of their induction year. (S3O-3641)
Local authorities are responsible for the employment of teachers. We have provided a record funding settlement of £34.9 billion over the spending review period. Under the terms of the concordat, we have agreed specific arrangements and sufficient funds for local authorities to maintain teacher numbers at the 2007 level against a backdrop of falling school rolls. Those arrangements will provide increasing opportunities for probationer teachers to find employment. In addition, approximately 6,000 teachers are expected to leave teaching this year, mostly for retirement reasons. That is almost 400 more than the number who left last year, which therefore creates vacancies for new teachers.
I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer, which was more a description of the current state of affairs than an answer to the question about what action she is taking. Is she aware of the hundreds of letters that are coming into constituency offices from the 3,500 teachers who are reaching the end of their induction year and face with apprehension the prospect of not finding a job?
There are 300 more jobs in teaching under this Government compared with the number that the previous Government provided. The General Teaching Council for Scotland's employment survey shows that 92.7 per cent of last year's probationers are in teaching employment.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing must have been referring to her education colleague when she said that some members could learn from Ross Finnie's eye for detail. I ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning to be crystal clear on one point with regard to the working group's remit. Will the working group consider the teacher profile that is needed to implement the SNP Government's promise on class sizes, or will it fudge the issue, as the Government has done since it came to office?
I reiterate that the Government has provided specific arrangements and funding to maintain teacher numbers at the 2007 level. Providing resources to maintain teacher numbers at 53,000 is a very positive step. The teacher employment working group will examine the implementation and the interface with local authority workforce planning systems to ensure that they are compatible. It will consider the implications of new policy drivers such as the Government's desire to drive down class sizes at early primary level, and whether the system of allocating probationer teachers needs to be adjusted to take account of developments over the past year, using new demographic data. I am pleased that the GTC will also be a member of the teacher employment working group.
Answer the question.
Mr Rumbles, I ask you not to come into the chamber and straight away start making sedentary comments. Thank you.
National Health Service (Energy Charges)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has been made of the impact that increasing energy charges are having on the NHS. (S3O-3603)
Increases in energy costs have had and are having a severe impact on NHS Scotland, and we continue to monitor the situation very closely. Of course, that is just one of the reasons why the Government will continue to press for a share of Scotland's oil revenue to enable us to better deal with the impact of such increases across the Scottish economy.
The cabinet secretary will acknowledge the impact that increasing energy charges are also having on individual patients who have complex health problems and are supported at home. As it stands, health boards can provide financial support to meet energy costs only when a patient uses an oxygen concentrator. Does the cabinet secretary consider that when patients require the support of important life-sustaining equipment such as a ventilator, as is the case with one of my constituents, health boards should have the flexibility to provide them with financial support to meet the energy costs that are associated with running that important equipment?
Michael Matheson raises an important point. I repeat that the impact on the NHS of rising energy costs is a serious matter, which we must treat seriously. Although Alistair Darling's coffers are being filled from the revenues from the North Sea, we in Scotland do not, at the moment, have the benefit of that additional revenue in dealing with the points that Michael Matheson raises. Given the seriousness of his point on the impact on individual patients, I undertake to look into the matter and return to the member on it.
Scots Language (Audit)
To ask the Scottish Government when the audit of the Scots language will be complete. (S3O-3605)
It is anticipated that the audit of the Scots language will be complete by the end of October this year.
As the minister is aware, the committee of experts of the European charter for regional or minority languages made it clear in March last year that the lack of any audit of the Scots language and speakers was a major concern and that it has inhibited the development of a comprehensive language policy. Does the minister agree with the committee's finding that the downgrading of Scots by the previous Administration has inhibited the growth and use of the language? Will the audit that she has ordered establish a baseline for the foundations that are needed to build a proper respect for the Scots language throughout Scotland?
I am aware of the views of the committee of experts. I hope that those on this side of the chamber are also aware of them and that they share my concerns on the matter. This Government of Scotland has given a firm commitment to raise the profile and encourage the use of Scots in a variety of settings in public life. The audit that we are undertaking is the first of its kind; no such audit has been done by any Administration in Scotland. It will provide the necessary baseline data to assist the Government in formulating a cohesive policy for Scots, particularly with a view to ensuring that our European charter obligations for Scots—and, of course, our manifesto commitments on the matter—are fulfilled.
Does the minister recognise that, under the previous Administration, the vitally important and internationally recognised work of Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd received £115,000 per annum? Does she further recognise that, by the end of this financial year, that work will have received precisely nothing? Will she address that problem?
As I have said on previous occasions in the chamber, when our audit of Scots is complete, we will discuss the future of all Scots, whether language or culture, with the Scottish Arts Council, which has agreed to have those discussions. I reconfirm our commitment to Scots. I also reconfirm that the committee of experts spoke about the lack of a clearly defined language strategy for Scots and said that that has led to difficulties and the erosion of the language. This Government in Scotland is committed to the promotion of the Scots language.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to assist people who suffer from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. (S3O-3653)
The Scottish Government wants to ensure that people in Scotland with Duchenne or any form of muscular dystrophy get access to services of the highest quality and achieve survival rates that are comparable with the best in other countries.
I acknowledge the work that has been undertaken thus far. Is the minister aware of Action Duchenne's visit to the Parliament today, which I am hosting? The visit aims to highlight the benefits that improved support and services can contribute to the life expectancy and quality of life of people with DMD.
I am aware of the Action Duchenne visit, and I will come along to the meeting to talk to some of the people involved.
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