Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Question Time
“Managing early departures from the Scottish public sector”
1. To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what action it is taking in light of the findings of Audit Scotland’s report, “Managing early departures from the Scottish public sector”. (S4O-02227)
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body exemplified the principles of good practice that the Audit Scotland report identifies when it ran its early severance and retirement scheme in 2010-11. The scheme achieved a reduction of 37 posts and fully paid for itself within two years, with on-going reductions in the staff pay budget. The results were fully disclosed in the SPCB’s 2010-11 annual accounts.
I thank Mary Scanlon for her full answer, in which she noted that 37 posts have disappeared from the corporate body’s make-up. Were confidentiality agreements signed as part of those settlements?
I cannot be precise about the exact settlements in 2010-11, but I can tell John Wilson that the corporate body has used compromise agreements. They are a useful means of protecting the organisation from legal challenges relating to departures, but are used only in exceptional circumstances.
External Security Facility (Delivery)
2. To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the external security facility will be delivered on time and on budget. (S4O-02230)
I can confirm that the project is on track to be delivered on time and within budget. The decision to proceed with the project was not taken lightly, and was based on the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body’s corporate and legal responsibilities to ensure the safety of more than 400,000 visitors annually and up to 1,000 daily pass-holders, who include staff, members of the Scottish Parliament, the media and contractors.
I express my delight that, contrary to the establishment of the main part of the building, the new facility will be established on time and on budget. Will Liam McArthur confirm that the project will be completed and that the building will be back to its full and normal usage in time for the festival of politics in late August this year?
I certainly understand that Alex Johnstone bears the scars of that early experience, but I hope that he draws some reassurance from the fact that the security facility is scheduled to become operational by August this year.
The project as a whole, including the closure of the existing entrance, is due to be finished by the end of the summer, but the building will be operational in time for the festival of politics.
People with a Sensory Impairment (Participation)
3. To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what steps it has taken to ensure that people with a sensory impairment can take a full and active part when visiting the Parliament or attending external events. (S4O-02226)
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has undertaken a number of steps to ensure that all visitors can take part fully and actively in any meeting or external event of the Parliament. For example, induction loops and infrared systems are available in the chamber and in committee rooms, and we have television screens throughout the building to enable the viewing of business.
Additional provision has been put in place to reflect the needs of people with sensory impairments. For example, we have information leaflets for witnesses and other visitors in a range of formats, including audio and British Sign Language, and we have a contract for BSL and other communication support to enable us to access provision such as note-takers, palantypists and BSL interpreters as and when it is requested.
The corporate body is probably aware that, in some cases, those with sensory impairments and those who are profoundly deaf and rely on BSL cannot take a full part in visiting the Parliament. In particular, our television screens do not have appropriate text or BSL to enable those visitors to witness what is going on. Will the corporate body consider looking at other means, or at improving the facilities for our BSL users in the future?
I am aware through officials of the particular instance of a recent parliamentary committee visit to Stornoway, when members of the public were able to drop in to meet committee members before the formal meeting but we were unaware of the needs of some members of the public.
When bookings are made for the Parliament, we always ask whether any level of support is required. When we reviewed our provision for BSL and other forms of communication support, it was decided to provide an interpreter automatically when there is a debate or meeting in relation to deaf issues. However, anyone can request a BSL interpreter or any other form of communication support for any meeting of the Parliament. We will look to meet any request, provided that sufficient notice is given.
Parliamentary Cat
4. To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will consider procuring a resident cat as a humane mouse deterrent. (S4O-02228)
Members: Miaow!
No. The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has no plans to procure a resident cat.
Members: Shame!
We do, however, have a specialist pest control contractor who visits the building regularly.
I am dispirited by that response, given that we already have an established practice of setting nature on unwanted residents in the form of the hawk versus the pigeons, and given that my question was prompted by the experience of a member of the corporate body, who shall remain nameless. Is the corporate body really satisfied that the mice are under control, given the increasing sightings as they flaunt themselves in public in broad daylight? If there are more rodent rompings, will the corporate body reconsider and provide some homeless felines with meaningful employment?
May I say to the member that she is not half as dispirited as the poor wee mice were, with the panic in their breasties as they saw Mistresses Scanlon and Grahame advancing upon them in Queensberry house? We have considered the suggestion of having a Parliament cat, but lots of issues arise, such as the issue of the security doors and the issue of cruelty, in fact, to a resident cat, which would not be able to get out and about the building. In addition, members have said to us that they have an allergy to cats.
We are satisfied that the pest control measures that we can undertake are sufficient to stop the infestation of mice that Mrs Grahame is obviously terribly concerned about.
My colleague Christine Grahame is to be congratulated on her question, which has set the cat among the pigeons.
Pest control is a serious issue and not to address it would be a mousetake and could even have catastrophic consequences for the health and safety of those who work in the building. Perhaps we could investigate the issue of a security collar for the cat, which might overcome some of the problems that Linda Fabiani identified.
We do not have problems in ensuring that we are in control of any potential mouse sightings in the Parliament, and therefore the answer to Mr Eadie is naw.
Thank you—edifying.
Parliament Building (Wooden Spars)
5. To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what work is being carried out on the wooden spars—or shutters, if you want to call them that—on the Parliament building, at what cost and in what timescale. (S4O-02225)
No work is currently being done on the timber louvres; the word is louvres, rather than shutters, Mr Lyle—I am afraid that I gave the member the wrong advice earlier.
Maintenance work is planned to take place during the summer recess. That will include the removal and maintenance of the timber louvres on the MSP and Canongate buildings at a cost of approximately £25,000, and in situ recoating of what we call the bamboo poles, but which are actually oak veneer, at the public entrance canopy at a cost of approximately £2,000. External timber maintenance is an on-going requirement that is budgeted for in the long-term maintenance plan. The timber of course is part of the palette of materials used in the overall Parliament complex.
I thank Linda Fabiani for telling me that they are louvres.
If someone stands in committee room 2 and looks towards the windows in committee room 6, they can see that the outside spars or shutters—or louvres—are in a bad state of repair and are weather beaten. I suggest that the member goes up and takes a look. The windows also require attention. What steps will be taken to ensure that the louvres are fixed?
I am tempted to ask Monsieur Allard to intervene and tell us the correct pronunciation of louvre.
Richard Lyle makes a serious point. I feel very strongly that we have an absolutely wonderful parliamentary complex. Visitors and construction professionals often comment about the quality of the finishes and the palette that we have used. There must be on-going maintenance with a zero tolerance policy towards defects so that we do not let things look shabby.
I am a wee bit concerned about what Mr Lyle has said about the shabbiness of some of the louvres and windows. I will take a look, and I will ensure that the Parliament’s very professional maintenance and procurement teams have a look, too, and that they consider what can be done in our on-going and cyclical maintenance to ensure that we never allow our parliamentary complex to look in any way less than its best.
Energy Use (Reductions)
6. To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what reductions in energy usage have been achieved across the campus over the last three years. (S4O-02231)
It seems to be me again, Presiding Officer.
We are pleased that we have reduced the total energy used in the building by 12 per cent over the past three years. We have done that by reducing electricity consumption by 15 per cent and gas by 7 per cent, which has delivered savings of around £200,000 a year. We have reduced the Parliament’s carbon footprint by 19 per cent over the same period.
I very much welcome the progress that has been made over the past three years by the corporate body. Is there room to make further progress? If so, what additional steps might be taken to improve matters further?
The process is on-going. We all have a responsibility to meet the Government’s target: members of the Parliament have agreed that that is right; the Parliament, as an institution, has agreed that, too.
We have plans for further action. We have an ambitious target to reduce carbon emissions by 42 per cent by 2020 compared to 2005-06 levels. In fact, the corporate body approved at yesterday’s meeting a carbon management plan to ensure that we achieve that target, which we are on course to meet. We will do that by reducing electricity consumption by 40 per cent and gas by 14 per cent.
Of course, it is important that, as technology develops, we invest in new equipment that delivers energy savings when there is a good business case to do so. We had an interesting discussion yesterday about LED lighting in that regard. We will be improving control of equipment in the building and making the heating and ventilation more responsive to requirements.
Queensberry House Lounge
7. To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the average number of customers using the Queensberry house lounge is on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays before 4 pm. (S4O-02229)
Although I am in there a lot, I do not make a point of sitting at the door and taking notes of the numbers using the lounge.
We do not record the number of customers who use the Queensberry house lounge on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays before 4 pm. We record the number of transactions that take place, but that does not tell us the number of people who use the lounge because a single transaction often involves multiple individuals. Members—as I and a lot of my colleagues do—and their guests can use the Queensberry house lounge as a meeting area without purchasing any refreshments.
I thank Linda Fabiani for that answer, but I am disappointed that she is not counting the customers as they arrive and leave. My conversations with the staff in the lounge suggest that on some days only four or five transactions take place before 4 pm. Does the corporate body accept that figure? Will it consider lifting the restrictions on who can access the lounge before 4 pm?
If our staff tell us that that is the situation, of course we accept it. However, I repeat that there are members who use the lounge as a private meeting place without making any purchases. I have seen members buy coffee at the coffee bar outside and wander into the Queensberry house space.
The corporate body felt that it was very important that members of this Parliament have somewhere they can take people to have a meeting that is private. We felt that the best way of achieving that to the benefit of all was to say that before 4 o’clock the lounge would be for members and invited guests only, in order that there could be a degree of confidentiality for meetings with constituents who come to visit us at the Parliament. The corporate body has not reconsidered that, because we feel that it is a very important principle.