Scottish Borders Council (Garden Waste Collection)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Scottish Borders Council about the council’s proposals to withdraw the garden waste collection service. (S4O-02887)
The decision to withdraw that service is a matter for the Scottish Borders Council. Therefore, there have been no formal discussions between the council and the Scottish Government prior to any decision being made. Furthermore, there is no statutory duty on councils to provide a household garden waste collection service, although that is a service that many households across Scotland benefit from.
The percentage of household waste recycled by Scottish Borders Council decreased by more than 3 per cent in 2012. That shows that progress has not just slowed but is in fact going backwards. Moreover, the council has conceded that the proposal will reduce its recycling rate even further. Taken with a total lack of public consultation accompanying the move, does that not make a mockery of the Scottish Government’s zero waste plan?
I understand that in recent years there have been technical changes to how Scottish Borders Council’s recycling figures were calculated, but other plans are in place that will see the council increase its recycling rates. I understand that there are plans to roll out food waste collections to more than 20,000 households in the Borders—that is a statutory obligation. I am confident that Scottish Borders Council and other councils across Scotland will increase their recycling rates, which will be good for the environment and local communities.
Does the cabinet secretary share my sympathy for authorities such as Scottish Borders Council in this continuing recession, particularly given that the situation is compounded by their efforts to ameliorate the Tories’ bedroom tax? Will he confirm that there may be an opportunity for community councils in my constituency to access the climate challenge fund so that they can set up local recycling projects for green waste? If so, may I arrange to meet his officials to pursue the matter?
I agree that it is bit rich of Conservative members not to recognise the difficult decisions that local government must take in response to the Westminster cuts that have been imposed on Scotland.
However, with regard to the garden waste collection service in the Borders, if help can be made available to social enterprises or small businesses so that they can take advantage of any gap that is there to be plugged, I will ensure that my officials advise the council and meet Christine Grahame in the first instance to see how those thoughts can be taken forward.
Chief Constable (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice last met the chief constable and what was discussed. (S4O-02888)
I last met Sir Stephen House on Tuesday 14 January, and I will next meet him on Monday coming. Policing in Scotland is performing excellently, crime is at a 39-year low, violent crime is down by almost half since 2006-07, homicides are at their lowest since records began, the risk of being a victim of crime is falling and confidence in the police is high and rising.
Will the cabinet secretary play a part in deciding Police Scotland’s corporate business strategy and its financial savings plan for 2013 to 2016 due in March this year, or will he continue his hands-off approach to the chief constable’s demolition of Police Scotland?
The member raises two issues. First, I will meet Sir Stephen House and Vic Emery to discuss various matters, including the financial challenges that the police face. Those are challenges that are faced in every other walk of public and private life in Scotland, given the Westminster cuts that are coming in.
It is right and appropriate, given the legislation that Parliament passed for a single police service, that Police Scotland is held to account by the Scottish Police Authority. We must also bear it in mind that we should not have routine political interference by a Cabinet Secretary for Justice in a public service that is meant to be kept non-political.
I will discuss matters with Sir Stephen House and Vic Emery, but if John Pentland has concerns, it is important that he approach the Police Authority. However, given what I have said, it appears to me that Scotland’s police service is outstanding. That is how it was and that is how it remains. Indeed, as the records and statistics continue to show, the service is improving.
I call question 3 and the late Liam McArthur.
Electricity Grid Reinforcement (Orkney)
It is just-in-time delivery, Presiding Officer.
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with SSE regarding options for reinforcing the electricity grid in Orkney. (S4O-02889)
Reinforcing the electricity grid in Orkney and its subsea links to the mainland is a top priority for the Scottish Government. We engage regularly with SSE on the issue directly and through wider forums, including the intergovernmental Scottish islands renewables project.
The Scottish Government remains committed to finding a solution for Orkney and works with all parties to find solutions that can enable the islands to realise their great renewables potential. On 24 February, I will chair an islands electricity grid summit in Stornoway, which SSE and others—including representatives of the United Kingdom Government—will attend.
I thank the minister not only for his answer but for the commitment that he has shown to the issue over a number of months. He will be aware that a grid steering group was established to consider the issues, including those around the need to reinforce the grid locally. Unfortunately, the announcement in November last year, which in effect closed off those options, led to a drop in confidence and real concern about the future of a number of projects, including a number of community-owned projects in Orkney.
Is the minister prepared to meet SSE to discuss how the options for reinforcing the local grid in Orkney might be progressed from this point?
Yes, I will be happy to raise those issues with SSE. I will also shortly meet Councillor James Stockan who, as Liam McArthur knows, chaired the Orkney grid constraints working group. The group’s report was submitted in December last year and we will study it carefully.
Members across the chamber will want to ensure that the islands achieve their potential in renewables. I am keen to work closely with Liam McArthur, who has worked hard on these matters.
Will the minister confirm whether the Scottish Government has plans for how to attract more students into the engineering sector? The lack of skills has been highlighted as a major concern for the development of smart grids, a development that would benefit Orkney greatly.
Minister, I think that that is a bit wide of the mark but, if you want to make an attempt, feel free.
I will have a bash, Presiding Officer.
Jamie McGrigor makes a fair point that, for renewables projects in the islands to achieve success and for us to achieve our potential across the spectrum of massive opportunities throughout Scotland in renewable energy and oil and gas, we need to encourage and, indeed, inspire young people to pursue careers in engineering. The private sector, universities and the Scottish Government are doing a huge amount of work to achieve precisely that, and I am happy to discuss those matters further with Mr McGrigor.
Exports
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to boost Scottish exports. (S4O-02890)
Scottish exports have performed well in recent years, despite difficult global trading conditions. The recent global connections survey showed that Scottish international exports, excluding oil and gas, were worth £26 billion in 2012, an increase of £1.4 billion on 2011. Exports of food and drink were worth £4.7 billion of that.
We know that exporters face a difficult global environment and we are supporting more businesses to develop the skills to go international. Through Scottish Development International, we provide a range of support to businesses, including smart exporter events and services that have benefited more than 4,100 Scottish company delegates since 2010.
The outstanding international global currency levels export figure for Scotland of £26 billion for 2012 that was declared last week, taken with the projections from the Scottish national accounts project for exports to the rest of the UK and for total imports, give Scotland an onshore trade deficit of £6.3 billion. However, when North Sea international exports are added, there is a trade surplus of £7.5 billion.
The Office for National Statistics says that the United Kingdom trade deficit is £33.6 billion. Will the cabinet secretary confirm that the balance of risk in a currency union, or even a monetary union, with the rest of the UK does not lie with Scotland?
The statistics that Mr Brodie raises highlight the significant contribution that Scottish trade would make to a currency zone. As an illustration of Scotland’s economic strength, they demonstrate the strong platform of internationalisation that the Government has supported in the Scottish economy. We are determined to continue that in the years to come.
Police Scotland (Meetings)
I last met representatives of Police Scotland in Inverness on 30 January, to discuss how communities in the Highlands are benefiting from the single service. As I said earlier, not only is policing in Scotland performing excellently but, in stark contrast to England and Wales, we are protecting police numbers and have more than 1,000 more police officers than we had in 2007.
The decision that was taken this week by the City of Edinburgh Council to suspend its licensing regime for saunas has involved work with partner agencies to ensure the safety of those who work in saunas and a number of court actions against the council. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it would have been far better for the decision to have been taken in good time, and in discussion with all those who are affected? Does he accept that the decision represents an example of the single police force imposing a Strathclyde approach to policing and totally ignoring local policing priorities?
I do not accept that at all. I was recently at a meeting with Councillor Gavin Barrie and other councillors who sit on the relevant board in the council. They had, quite rightly, been in discussions with Police Scotland and the local commander, Mark Williams. I fully understand the decision that was taken by the City of Edinburgh Council, and think that it is appropriate. Equally, Police Scotland will continue to enforce the law and, as has always been the case with the police approach to prostitution, put at the heart of the issue the protection of those who are vulnerable. That has always been the situation, in Strathclyde, in Lothian and Borders and in Police Scotland.
Canal Network (Glasgow Anniesland)
To ask the Scottish Government what economic growth opportunities the canal network in Glasgow Anniesland offers local communities. (S4O-02892)
Scottish Canals has identified a number of locations along the Forth and Clyde canal where investment can create economic opportunities for the wider canal network. Creating destinations in Bowling to the west and Port Dundas in the city centre will help to stimulate a critical mass of activity whose benefits are expected to be felt along the entire length of the canal, from Anniesland and Maryhill to Clydebank and beyond.
Can the minister expand on the plans to work with the Scottish Waterways Trust and any other partner organisations to develop the recreational and commercial opportunities that could produce job opportunities on the Forth and Clyde canal, as it passes through Glasgow Anniesland at considerable length?
Scottish Canals regularly works with the Scottish Waterways Trust, which is a charitable organisation that is related to Scottish Canals. A great deal of work is undertaken in light of the trust’s views.
As I have said previously, the work that has created all the regeneration activity, including, most recently, the Glasgow paddle sports centre, has been done with partners such as Glasgow City Council and Diageo. That is leading to a situation in which fresh life is being breathed into this underexploited asset—our canals—and into the communities that are adjacent to them.
As the minister indicated, the Forth and Clyde canal plays a significant part in the economic regeneration of my constituency of Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn. I am grateful to the Minister for Local Government and Planning for agreeing that the projects in my area should be included in the national planning framework 3. That is a major boost.
Does the minister agree that the opportunities that are available along the Forth and Clyde canal, including the redevelopment of the Diageo site, will be a major economic factor in the area for at least the next 10 years, and that the project is well worth the commitment and ambition of the partners involved?
I would not disagree with that. That is why, when we have had recent consequential money, or any opportunity at all to fund shovel-ready projects, Scottish canals have been at the forefront of our consideration. That has been the case in Glasgow—I mentioned the paddle sports centre at Pinkston—and on the canal itself. We have encouraged people to live on the canal, which has not happened for many years. Work has been done on canals across Scotland, including in the Forth valley and the north of Scotland.
We are talking about real opportunities. We will continue to support the opportunities that arise in Glasgow, working with Diageo, as Patricia Ferguson mentioned, and we will also consider how we can help the wider regeneration of the area.
Access to Justice (South Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to safeguard access to justice in communities in South Scotland. (S4O-02893)
The Legal Services (Scotland) Act 2010 gave the Scottish Legal Aid Board the new function of monitoring the availability and accessibility of legal services, with reference to relevant factors that relate to urban and rural areas. Ministers will be guided by the board on access to justice in communities in South Scotland, but the judicially led and independent Scottish Court Service—not the Scottish Government—is responsible for Scotland’s courts.
As part of its long-term vision for the court estate, the Scottish Court Service has outlined to the Justice Committee that it intends to consider integrated justice centres in four areas. The first feasibility study is under way in the Borders. The SCS and Scottish Borders Council are jointly undertaking the study with other justice partners.
I met members of the feasibility study group yesterday. As the cabinet secretary said, it is looking into the future of court services in the Borders. Those people confirmed that closing the Duns and Peebles courts presents major problems of access to justice for witnesses and victims of crime in the Borders. Will the cabinet secretary concede that the Scottish ministers have in effect created a situation in which access to justice will be fundamentally impaired precisely by the move to close the Duns and Peebles courts? Does he agree that the future of the Selkirk and Jedburgh courts hangs in the balance because of that?
I welcome the continuing discussion between the Scottish Court Service and Scottish Borders Council. They appear to be seeking to reach the best possible and most workable solution for the Borders that will take into account demographic, topographic and a variety of other changes as they take place. No proposals have been put to us beyond what has been discussed with the Justice Committee. Such matters remain with the Scottish Court Service. I encourage Jim Hume to continue the dialogue with the council and the Court Service.
Unemployment
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making in tackling unemployment. (S4O-02894)
The economic recovery gained momentum in 2013 and Scotland has had 18 months of continuous growth. Alongside that, improvements have occurred in the labour market. The number in employment rose by 90,000 in the year to September-November 2013. At 72.7 per cent, Scotland’s employment rate for the same period remains above the United Kingdom rate of 72.1 per cent.
I acknowledge the encouraging figures in the latest employment statistics, but does the cabinet secretary agree that, with an independent Scotland, we would have control to implement measures that could further strengthen youth employment, such as the European Union’s youth guarantee?
The European youth guarantee is a particularly beneficial measure to support and enable young people to fulfil their economic potential. The Minister for Youth Employment, Angela Constance, has pursued it vigorously in various ways and directly with the United Kingdom Government. It would have been much more helpful to young people in Scotland if the UK Government had given the European youth guarantee a positive response. I assure Clare Adamson that the Government of an independent Scotland would have the flexibility and the opportunity to give the European youth guarantee renewed support and impetus and to improve the employment prospects of young people in our country.
Foster Families
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the number of foster families. (S4O-02895)
We should show great appreciation for all our foster carers. The Scottish Government has provided more than £1 million to the Fostering Network, partly to enable it to raise awareness of fostering through its annual campaign. Many local authorities run campaigns, which have been successful in reducing the shortage in the number of fostering households. The gap was 1,700 in 2011 and is now 850.
No one can be complacent. Last year, the Scottish Government ran a fostering recruitment and retention seminar in support of foster care fortnight and established a forum to share experiences. We also recently announced our response to the foster care review.
Briefly, Mr Torrance.
According to the Fostering Network, at least 850 foster families are needed in Scotland. Fife Council has a target of approving 60 new foster care placements by September 2015. What additional support measures is the Government considering to ensure that every child is provided with a suitable family?
Briefly, Mr Russell.
I indicated that the shortage is reducing, but more can be done. The funding that we provide to the Fostering Network helps to support local recruitment, as the foster care review will. I would be happy to ensure that David Torrance meets Aileen Campbell, the relevant minister, to discuss further what can be done in his area.