Ebola
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how the national health service is dealing with Ebola. (S4T-00884)
The First Minister will make a statement on the matter shortly. I am sure that all members will be holding Pauline Cafferkey and her family in their thoughts at this difficult time and will wish to join me in thanking all the health professionals who have been involved in her care.
We echo those sentiments, and Kezia Dugdale will respond to the First Minister later.
The Secretary of State for Health for England and Wales has procured an additional 75,000 personal protective equipment Ebola suits for the safety of its workers. How many PPE Ebola suits and isolation beds do we have in Scotland?
We are in close contact with all national health service boards to ensure that their stocks of PPE are available and accessible. We also have a national stockpile on which boards can draw as a reserve and we will continue to ensure that health boards have access to PPE in preparedness for dealing with Ebola safely. We will maintain our national stockpile.
On the availability of support for any cases in Scotland, we have established three regional units for the management of possible or confirmed Ebola cases: in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. There are 14 negative pressure rooms and more than 50 isolation rooms across those units.
Pauline Cafferkey was transferred to the Royal Free hospital because it provides a high-level isolation unit and is regarded as being the best facility in the whole of the United Kingdom, with a high level of expertise in treating patients who have this type of disease. We should be assured that within Scotland, as is the case at the Brownlee centre, we have the facility to care for such patients, but it was quite right that Pauline Cafferkey was transferred to the Royal Free hospital for her on-going care.
Glasgow Bin Lorry Crash (Update)
I am sure that we all wish to offer our deepest sympathies to all those involved in this terrible tragedy and thank the emergency services for all that they have done.
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on events following the bin lorry crash in George Square on 22 December 2014. (S4T-00885)
First, I offer my condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the six people who lost their lives: Jacqueline Morton, Stephenie Tait, Gillian Ewing, Erin McQuade, Lorraine Sweeney and Jack Sweeney. Although nothing can provide comfort in such tragic circumstances, I advise members that a full police investigation under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service began immediately after the incident occurred. Interim reports to the Crown Office were received on 24 and 28 December. Police Scotland is due to submit a formal report on the emerging findings of the investigation to the Crown Office by the end of January. The Crown Office must wait for all of the necessary inquiries to be completed before it can come to a final decision. I have been advised that the Crown will consider that report and, by the end of February, provide further details about the timescale for any further investigations that may be required.
I thank all of those who helped in response to this terrible incident. The response of the emergency services was exemplary. National health service staff have provided the injured with the best care and attention possible. St Andrew’s First Aid volunteers and members of the public administered first aid, and local cafes and restaurants provided food and drink to those who were caught up in this terrible incident. We have, yet again, seen the incredible spirit of the people of Glasgow. The city and, indeed, the whole of Scotland have pulled together to support those who have been most affected by this incident.
I echo what the cabinet secretary said about the emergency services and others—not just in Glasgow but throughout Scotland—who came forward to help.
I welcome the fact that, as the cabinet secretary said, the initial report will be produced shortly. Will the report be made public and will a fatal accident inquiry follow?
I acknowledge the member’s particular interest in this matter, given that it affects her constituency. The initial report by the police to the procurator fiscal will not be in the public domain as it requires to be considered confidentially by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
The decision on whether there should be a fatal accident inquiry is a matter solely for the Lord Advocate. It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment.
I reassure Sandra White and other members that special staff from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will keep the families advised on progress in the investigation and will provide them with support at every stage of the investigation as it moves forward.
I appreciate the cabinet secretary’s response and the fact that the families will be kept fully up to date on what is happening.
If a fatal accident inquiry were granted, what action would the Scottish Government take to ensure that it was undertaken as expediently as possible?
As I mentioned, the decision on whether to hold a fatal accident inquiry is a matter solely for the Lord Advocate. It would also be for the procurator fiscal to apply to the sheriff to hold an FAI when investigations are complete.
The Scottish Government does not have a role to play in setting down the timeframe for any fatal accident inquiry. I am sure that the member and others in the chamber will recognise that it is essential that a proper and thorough investigation is carried out so that the bereaved families find out what happened. It would be counterproductive to introduce an artificial deadline that could mean that the investigation does not reach a satisfactory conclusion in establishing the facts of the incident.
However, I assure the member that the families will be kept informed of the matter and that the Crown Office will continue to provide them with the support and assistance that they require.
Cemfjord Sinking
To ask the Scottish Government what involvement it will have in the investigation into the sinking of the cargo vessel, Cemfjord, in the Pentland Firth. (S4T-00880)
As the Parliament will be aware, the upturned Cemfjord was discovered on Saturday afternoon by the MV Hrossey ferry en route to Aberdeen. Unfortunately, despite an extensive search on land and at sea, the eight crewmen from the vessel have not been found. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has indicated that the search will not be resumed unless new information comes to light.
I extend our appreciation to the crews of the aircraft, lifeboats and naval vessels that undertook the initial search and rescue, in addition to the MV Hrossey and her passengers and crew, who were first on the scene, and also the Northern Lighthouse Board vessel Pharos. I note also the efforts of the volunteer coastguard teams that were involved in the search operation.
The vessel has now been located lying on the sea bed in the eastern approaches to the Pentland Firth.
The investigation into the sinking of the Cemfjord is a matter for the marine accident investigation branch, which we understand is undertaking its initial assessments at this stage. Serco NorthLink, the operator of the ferry, is co-operating fully with the MAIB in the early stages of the investigation.
Our thoughts at this time remain with the families of the missing crew.
I think that all members will want to send their condolences to the families of the seven Poles and one Filipino who appear to have lost their lives in this awful tragedy.
As the cabinet secretary said, we should acknowledge and thank everyone who was involved in the search operation over the weekend, including the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the coastguard and, of course, the crew of the NorthLink ferry, the Hrossey, who first spotted the capsized vessel and avoided a potentially nasty collision.
The MAIB has begun its investigations. It is early days, as the cabinet secretary acknowledged, but does the cabinet secretary accept that many people in my constituency and elsewhere are asking why it took so long to establish that a ship of the size of the Cemfjord, entering a busy stretch of water such as the Pentland Firth, had run into serious difficulties? Does he agree that the initial delay and apparent lack of an emergency position-indicating radio beacon—EPIRB—signal inevitably hampered the search and rescue efforts? Does he think that it might be time to look at enhancing the vessel traffic system that covers the important and busy waters of the Pentland Firth?
Given some of the issues that Liam McArthur rightly raised, the Scottish Government is in close contact with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to discuss the progress of the investigation and the issues that will be taken into account. I am sure that all members want to ensure that any lessons that can be learned are learned. However, until we know the outcome of the investigation we will not be in a position to comment on the circumstances surrounding the tragic loss of the vessel.
I realise that the cabinet secretary is constrained in what he can say, given that the MAIB investigation is under way. Does he agree that in due course every reasonable effort should be made to retrieve the bodies of those who appear to have perished on board the Cemfjord? If he does, will he make appropriate representation, through the vessel’s owners, to that effect?
I thank Liam McArthur for raising that important point. That is one of the issues that we are discussing with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. I understand that the discussions that will take place between the owner of the vessel, the insurers and the various agencies that are involved will include such issues; we await the outcome of those deliberations.
Does the cabinet secretary share my concern about claims that the emergency towing vessel, the tug Herakles, took two and a half hours to respond to the sinking of the Cemfjord? Will he join me in calling on United Kingdom ministers to investigate the claims?
We all recognise the important role that emergency towing vessels play in Scottish waters. Mike MacKenzie raised an issue that we have asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to clarify. I remind Mike MacKenzie and members that many rescue services were deployed very quickly to take part in the search and rescue operation. However, if there are questions to be asked, it is important that we ask them and get satisfactory answers.
City Link Ltd
To ask the Scottish Government what contact it has had with the administrators of City Link Ltd. (S4T-00883)
I spoke with the administrators, Ernst & Young, at the earliest possible opportunity, to offer support from the Scottish Government for the business and for employees who might face redundancy. I spoke with the administrators again yesterday, and they advised that there is no future for the business as a going concern. I reaffirmed our offer of support for affected employees, through our partnership action for continuing employment initiative. I met representatives of the RMT union this morning to discuss how best we might support the affected employees, and I have asked the administrators—verbally and in writing—to assist us in contacting the affected employees directly to provide a programme of tailored support. As soon as is practical, PACE will hold four or five events in the areas where the company operated depots.
I have also written to Jo Swinson MP, minister in the United Kingdom Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, to seek her support in progressing claims for workforce redundancy payments as speedily as possible, through the Edinburgh office of the Insolvency Service.
I thank the minister for that positive reply. What is the Government’s consideration of the timing of the announcement? Did it have to happen at Christmas, which seems very unfortunate for the workers?
There is probably no good time for a worker to learn that he or she has been made redundant. However, having dealt with a very large number of cases over the past few years, I find this case particularly shocking as the news broke on Christmas eve, which we all very much regret. That is why it is extremely important that the administrators obtemper the undertaking that they said in a press release they would fulfil, namely that employees affected by redundancy would be offered appropriate advice and support on making claims for redundancy and notice pay.
This morning, I was advised by the RMT representatives—Gordon Martin, Mick Hogg and Mick Ward—that no practical advice or support was provided individually to any of the workers, which of course means that forms are likely to have been filled in incorrectly in some cases. That, in turn, will lead to delays. Therefore, I am grateful that Mr Mason has raised the issue, not only for his constituents but for all the City Link staff in Scotland—nearly 200 of them—so that they receive the support that they were promised from the administrators and, indeed, the former managers of City Link.
I thank the minister for that answer. Does he have a view on why this company has been unsuccessful when other companies in what is quite a competitive market have been more successful? There have been suggestions that the company was badly run for quite a long time.
That is certainly the suggestion that was conveyed clearly to me by the RMT, which mentioned several layers of management. It is not for me to form a judgment—that would not particularly help those who have lost their jobs—but, as the minister for business, I am determined to ensure that our PACE task force provides support, which is very often of a productive and constructive nature and has resulted in more than two thirds of workers who have been made redundant finding other jobs within six months. This morning, I discussed for about 90 minutes with Mick, Mick and Gordon the appropriate arrangements that PACE will make. Margaret Sutor and Calum MacLean attended the meeting as well.
Events will be held in four or five areas in Scotland in the third or fourth week of January, we hope. Intimation will be given to as many of the workers concerned as practically possible. However, again, unless we know the names and addresses of those in the workforce and who were self-employed—there were several people who drove vans for which they paid—it will be difficult for us to ensure that each of those individuals is able to attend the events that are being convened for them. That, too, is why I re-emphasise our need for support from Ernst & Young to ensure that the job is done properly and without further delay.
The situation with City Link has had a knock-on effect on some small to medium-sized businesses, including a recruitment business in my region that is owed a considerable amount of money by City Link. What action can the Scottish Government take to ensure that such businesses are supported at this time?
If Siobhan McMahon wants to write to me about any individual case, I will be very happy to look at it as carefully as I can. Plainly, if credit has been extended to a company such as City Link that goes into liquidation, all too often the reality is that the small company is left in the lurch and the debt must be written off. Sadly, that is the reality of the situation. That raises questions about what exactly occurred in the last few months of operation of City Link. Those are matters that the RMT believes should be investigated, and I have urged it to raise specific concerns with the administrator. It is of course the duty of the administrator, inter alia, to carry out such investigations as may be appropriate into the circumstances that led to so many people—whether they be employees, contractors or small businesses—being left in the lurch on Christmas eve.
I understand that in some areas such as London, City Link workers have been offered jobs by other delivery firms, which will be picking up business as a result of City Link’s demise. What contact has the Scottish Government had with firms in Scotland to encourage them to do likewise?
I am very sorry—I am not sure that I caught all of Mr Pentland’s question. I undertake to look at it after the debate and to speak to the member if he wishes me to do so. We are making efforts, with the jobcentre, to ensure that at each of the events that I have described there is an appropriate presence of those who may be in a position to offer alternative work or jobs to drivers who find themselves on the dole as a result of the City Link decision.
Previous
Business MotionNext
Ebola