General Questions
Paddle Sports
I congratulate all our Scottish Olympians and Paralympians on their performances in the London Olympics and the Paralympics, which are still taking place, including our two canoe Olympic medallists, Tim Baillie and David Florence.
I have been working with Glasgow Watersports on its ambitious £2.2 million project for a community paddle sports facility at Pinkston. The project will boost local regeneration, provide a major community paddle sports facility for youngsters from some of our most deprived communities and serve the elite youth paddlers who currently have to travel to England for suitable white-water training facilities. I request that the sports minister visit the proposed development and meet me, Glasgow Watersports and others to discuss how we can progress the project. If its vital £300,000 grant application to sportscotland is successful, that will bring the funds raised to more than £1 million and, more important, provide potential leverage for other grant awards and allow the first part of the project to commence.
Minister, could you answer that speech, please?
I am aware of the proposed development at Pinkston, in Glasgow. I understand that an application has been received by sportscotland from Glasgow Watersports. I am a little disappointed that the member has asked for the sports minister to attend rather than me. However, I am more than happy to give a commitment on behalf of my colleague, Shona Robison, that she will be happy to meet the member and other relevant parties to discuss the proposal and, if possible, to visit the site.
I urge the minister to take a close interest in the project. I spent a considerable amount of time—and went into considerable detail—on having the same sort of facility installed in Leith docks because of shyness on the part of the funders. The Government can and should help Glasgow because the people there are further down the road on planning than we were.
I am not aware of the proposal for Leith although I am aware of the proposal for Pinkston, in Glasgow. As I said, an application has been made to sportscotland for assistance with funding for that project. If the sports minister can help to facilitate discussions between Bob Doris and the other relevant interested parties, I have no doubt that Shona Robison will do all that she can to assist that dialogue and that she will visit the site where the facility could be based.
Scottish Development International (Links with Turkey)
Scottish Development International has long appreciated the importance of Turkey as a market for Scottish companies. It will continue to work to strengthen trade links with Turkey in sectors where we can add value to both countries. SDI has been pursuing discussions with Turkey’s main oil and gas pipeline contractor and operator, BOTAS, on the possibility of a joint Scottish-Turkish workshop for pipeline-related industries, to be held in Scotland. SDI also plans to lead another energy-focused trade delegation to Turkey in 2013.
I thank the minister for that encouraging reply. I am aware that an SDI mission visited Turkey at the end of June. Turkey is regarded as a European equivalent of the BRIC countries virtually on our doorstep, and foreign investment in Istanbul increased by 110 per cent last year. What can the minister do to ensure that opportunities for Scottish firms, particularly in the energy sector, are properly followed up including through liaison with UK Trade & Industry officials in Turkey?
Angus MacDonald is absolutely right to highlight the opportunities that exist in Turkey for Scottish companies. I am delighted to say that one of SDI’s leading officials, Hadi Fawzy—whom I have had the pleasure of meeting—has led delegations to Turkey every year and is doing so once again. I wish to ensure that that engagement deepens as the Turkish economy continues to grow and I will encourage SDI to work closely with UKTI and other relevant bodies to ensure that we maximise the opportunities for Scottish companies that wish to engage with that rapidly growing market.
Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and Historic Scotland (Merger)
Good progress has been made since I commissioned the development of a business case for merger in July. The work is being taken forward under the joint leadership of the two chief executives. When I met RCAHMS commissioners recently they were supportive of the process and I have committed to keeping them involved in it.
I am sure that the cabinet secretary is aware that I am not completely convinced that the proposed merger is the right option for either organisation. Given that funding for Historic Scotland is set to fall by 30 per cent over the budget period, will she assure me that a merger is not simply an expedient measure to save money and that any merger will be carried out with the interests of both organisations and their work to the fore? How will she ensure that there will be no redundancies at either organisation as a result?
I made that last point quite clear in my correspondence with RCAHMS. Indeed, when I wrote to Patricia Ferguson on 4 July, I was adamant that we needed to provide certainty of employment for RCAHMS staff and that the policy of no compulsory redundancies, which is a positive policy of the Government, would extend to RCAHMS and Historic Scotland staff.
Naloxone Programme (Benefits)
We know from the Scottish drug-related deaths database, which published reports in 2011 and 2012, that around 80 per cent of drug-related deaths registered in Scotland are opiate related; that half of those who die have been in prison before; that the majority of fatal overdoses are witnessed or have others present at them; and that there is ambulance attendance at the majority of fatal overdoses but the patient has already died. That makes a compelling case for a national programme to ensure that those who use opiates, their families and their communities are made aware of, and trained to use, naloxone to save a life.
I understand that naloxone is available in nasal spray form. Will the Scottish Government take the opportunity of that development to ensure that all relevant agencies are actively participating in the programme and that all front-line services, such as the police, are trained and equipped to use naloxone?
John Finnie will be aware that, at the moment, naloxone is administered by intramuscular injection, but I am conscious that Highland NHS Board has agreed with local partners to pilot intranasal naloxone. It is one of the first health boards in Scotland to have developed a take-home naloxone programme, which is why it wants to further develop the programme. However, we are still in the very early stages of the national naloxone programme, so perhaps now is not the right time for all health boards to trial it. We look forward to information from Highland NHS Board, which has agreed to keep the national naloxone advisory group up to speed on the progress of the pilot and evaluate its effectiveness over time.
Sadly, the minister will be aware of the increasing number of deaths from drug addiction and, of course, of the high figures in Inverclyde, which we discussed last year. She will also understand that there is a maturing population of drug addicts who live alone and in isolation. How will the naloxone programme help those people who are using on their own?
We have to be honest and say that naloxone is not a magic wand that will be available to every person. The group of people that Duncan McNeil described is indeed one of the hardest groups to access for any form of treatment. A significant number of people in the addicted population have now been using for between 20 and 30 years and are exhibiting many difficulties across the health spectrum. Whether a programme such as naloxone would be useful for people in those circumstances would be a reasonable debate. Naloxone is an important tool in our armoury, but there are big issues concerning the group of people that Duncan McNeil spoke about, and we are well aware that there are people we are currently not reaching. Part of what we are trying to do is establish mechanisms to get to those individuals.
Infrastructure Projects (Delays) (North-east Economy)
The Scottish Government recognises the importance of sustained capital investment and we are using all the levers at our disposal to maximise infrastructure investment and support economic growth throughout Scotland. We therefore remain absolutely committed to getting the likes of the A90 Aberdeen western peripheral route project up and running as soon as possible, subject to the current legal challenge, given that it is estimated that the project will generate additional income in the north-east of more than £6.33 billion. We have also repeatedly called on Westminster for a capital spending boost in the interests of jobs and recovery in Scotland. We have provided Westminster with a list of shovel-ready projects that we could take forward if we were given additional funding and we will continue to press for that.
I am sure that the minister shares my disappointment that the Union Terrace gardens project was narrowly rejected by Aberdeen City Council. North-east residents are equally disappointed by the delay in delivering the Aberdeen western peripheral route. What further financial impact does the Scottish Government believe the on-going delay to the AWPR is having, both to the cost of the project and to the north-east economy?
The benefits that are currently being avoided include the construction boost that would come from the employment of people in the project, the onwards multiplier effect and economic boost for the area and, as I mentioned, £6.33 billion of additional income. That is part of the cost of the delay. The member is right to point out that we have a democratic and legal process to follow for the AWPR, which the Government cannot avoid.
The Balmedie to Tipperty dualling is in the minister’s hands and he could take that forward now. The growing costs of congestion are an unfair burden on local businesses, and I ask again that he build it forthwith. The delay is also having a seriously adverse effect on my constituents, who have compulsory purchase orders hanging over them. Will the minister explain why properties are being purchased on the south side of Aberdeen for the AWPR route but not on the north side for the Balmedie to Tipperty route?
I am happy to repeat the answer that I have given Alison McInnes a number of times, which is that the Balmedie to Tipperty project will make most sense and be most economically viable if it is undertaken at the same time as the AWPR project. We have been told that by independent assessments that have been carried out to make sure that we do things in the most cost-efficient way possible. I would have thought that somebody from the Liberal Democrats, who are anxious to cut our budgets, would be keen that we do things in the most cost-efficient way. I will be happy to write to Alison McInnes once again to outline that and the reason for the compulsory purchase orders that are taking place.
International Culture Summit 2012 (Benefits)
The Edinburgh international culture summit was attended by 33 delegations from around the globe and by more than 20 Government ministers. It showcased the best of Scottish culture, positioned Scotland as a leader in international cultural debate and enhanced our reputation as a highly creative nation. It delivered a model that could be replicated, and Edinburgh provides a fitting backdrop for future meetings of culture leaders from nations around the world. The summit also provided an opportunity for discussion of future international partnerships.
Certainly, people were brought together under the theme of culture as international dialogue from as far afield as Nigeria, New Zealand, Japan and Brazil. As one who attended the conference, I was moved by the hard-hitting contributions from those in poverty and those from theatres of conflict, such as Haris Pašovic, who talked about the efforts to bring theatre and film to Sarajevo during its siege. Given the success of the culture summit and the fact that it showcased Scotland as a vibrant centre for international cultural exchange, are there any plans to hold another summit in the future?
We are very interested in holding the summit again and have had requests to do so. It is likely that we will hold it in Edinburgh again, most likely in 2014.
Question 7, from Humza Yousaf, has been withdrawn.
Hospital Patients’ Accommodation (Consultation)
As part of the work of the steering group that was established in 2006 to consider single-room provision, a number of consultations were undertaken, including a public attitude survey and a nursing staff report based on a survey of senior nurses and midwives from all national health service boards. A further opportunity was provided to all nurse directors to comment and contribute to the process in 2007. The outcome of the consultations was confirmed by the chief medical officer for Scotland in 2010 and it was stated that there would be a presumption in favour of 100 per cent single-room in-patient provision in new-build hospital accommodation unless there was a clinical reason not to have that. However, any exceptions would require to be approved by the Scottish Government as part of the normal business case approval process.
Is the minister aware of two surveys that were carried out by a senior clinician in Dumfries and Galloway royal infirmary that concluded that 60 per cent of patients in four-bedded wards and, perhaps more interesting, 40 per cent of patients currently in single rooms would prefer to stay in four-bedded wards if they were readmitted to hospital? Given that only patchy evidence seems to exist on the effectiveness of reducing hospital-acquired infections by having single-room-only hospitals, never mind the cost of building them, would it not be wise to listen a little more closely to the views of those who are most affected by the decision on such hospitals, namely the patients themselves?
As I said in my previous answer, a considerable level of consideration was given to patients’ views, including those who had experienced treatment in a single-bedded unit. It is worth noting, though, that single-bed provision also assists in addressing issues such as infection control and reducing length of stay and the occurrence of medical errors. In addition, patient satisfaction levels are greater among those who have experienced care in a single-bedded unit. However, the business case for the redevelopment of Dumfries and Galloway royal infirmary has still to be submitted to the Scottish Government and it is for Dumfries and Galloway NHS Board to make the case for how it sees the provision of beds in the refurbished establishment.
Given that the presumption to which the minister referred is in practical terms considered a requirement, what more will he do to ensure that the process provides some flexibility where there is a demonstrable clinical and patient benefit in that regard? Further, does he agree that single rooms require more nurses?
The present arrangements allow for flexibility where the clinical case can be made.
Before we come to First Minister’s questions, members will wish to join me in welcoming to the gallery the High Commissioner of Zambia, His Excellency Bizwayo Nkunika. [Applause.]