Balfour Hospital (Orkney)
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of the number of beds needed in the proposed new Balfour hospital in Orkney. (S4O-05224)
It is the role of national health service boards—in this case, NHS Orkney—to develop and implement clinical strategies for the provision of healthcare to their populations and to assess the requirements for the facilities that support those strategies. That includes the bed numbers that are required for the replacement Balfour hospital.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of concerns that I have raised directly and which have been raised by my constituent Dr Ian Cunningham regarding bed capacity at the new hospital in Orkney. The outline business case quoted a potential requirement of 56 beds against the planned provision of 47 in-patient and two assessment beds, but calculations that Dr Cunningham carried out on the basis of the figures available from ISD Scotland and obtained under freedom of information suggest that, at the very least, the new hospital may be as many as 12 beds short.
Will the cabinet secretary therefore agree to look again at the assumptions that NHS Orkney is making to justify the planned bed numbers? Although reducing the average length of stays, providing more care at home, greater use of technology and an increased emphasis on preventative care are all very welcome, does she accept that being overambitious or, indeed, unrealistic in the assumptions that are made, or determining bed numbers principally on the basis of cost is not in the interests of either patients or staff in my constituency?
It is important that we get the bed numbers and the configuration of the services in general right. I understand, for example, that the plans for the new hospital are being looked at to include 49 beds, but the proposed layout will allow more effective use of those beds, as the current layout limits the usage due to the inability to separate men and women in the existing hospital, for example. In essence, the new hospital’s layout will allow for better management of bed capacity.
That will be complemented by an increase in day case chairs from 13 to 42, and NHS Orkney plans to make significant changes to clinical practice prior to the opening of the new hospital that will reduce average stays and admissions and increase the proportion of elective surgery that is performed as day cases in line with the direction of travel in the rest of Scotland.
It is clear that the full business case for the project will be brought forward later in the year. There will be a requirement to demonstrate that the new hospital will be appropriate to meet the needs of the population before it receives approval from the Scottish Government. I will continue to liaise with NHS Orkney, as the local member would expect me to do, and we will have oversight to ensure that the new hospital, which I am sure everyone will welcome, meets the needs of the local population.
Human Papillomavirus Vaccination (Boys)
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to give boys the HPV vaccination. (S4O-05225)
The Scottish Government is advised on all immunisation matters by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. At its meeting on 7 October 2015, the JCVI highlighted the importance of the on-going modelling work that is being undertaken by Public Health England and the University of Warwick to aid its considerations of extending human papillomavirus vaccinations to adolescent boys. As that is a complex piece of work, the JCVI may not be in a position to provide its final advice until 2017. The Scottish Government will, of course, carefully consider any future JCVI recommendation about HPV vaccinations for adolescent boys.
I understand that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is doing that work at the moment, and I am glad that the Scottish Government will take cognisance of that in 2017.
I am sure that the minister is aware that gay men under the age of 45 in Wales are currently offered the vaccination, but there is evidence that it should also be offered at a much earlier age.
Throat cancer diagnoses are due to overtake those of cervical cancer by 2020, according to the Throat Cancer Foundation, so I am glad that the minister has the issue on her radar and that she will be listening to the JCVI’s advice.
I am not sure that there was a question there.
I am not sure either. I was waiting for one.
I remind Jenny Marra that HPV vaccination of girls was introduced to protect against cervical cancer. The uptake rates are very high, and of course we get herd immunity.
There is a case to give the vaccine to MSM—men who have sex with men—under 45 who attend genitourinary medicine and HIV clinics. The Scottish Government is considering the JCVI’s recommendation and we are working with Health Protection Scotland and NHS Scotland to identify potential routes for the delivery of any programme to vaccinate MSM in a cost-effective way.
Infrastructure Projects (Highlands and Islands)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities in the Highlands and Islands and Transport Scotland regarding proposed infrastructure projects. (S4O-05226)
Transport Scotland officials routinely meet Highlands and Islands local authorities. Those meetings are arranged as required, in addition to a twice yearly meeting with Highland Council to discuss major road schemes and strategic transport planning matters. The most recent of those meetings was held on 9 December.
From Shetland to Argyll and from Lewis to Moray, harbours, piers, slipways, roads and bridges need to be repaired and replaced, so many people were surprised that a Transport Scotland priority is the A9-A96 so-called link road, for which Transport Scotland believes it has made a case. The proposed expenditure of around £65 million would mean a 1 mile stretch of road going through an area that has been identified in a local plan as a park. It has been dubbed locally as “the mad mile”—
Can we get a question?
Yes. Will the cabinet secretary review that personally and meet me to discuss better use of that money?
John Finnie will be unsurprised that I do not share his view, and I do not think that local people share it either. The A9-A96 link is a key part of the infrastructure proposals for Inverness. Its design has been influenced by current and future demand for housing, employment and aspirations for what is Scotland’s rapidly growing Highland capital. The proposed scheme is part of Highland Council’s infrastructure aspirations to support the continued expansion of Inverness over 10 years. Without the new link road, there would be a significant impact on the future effectiveness of the trunk road and local roads in the immediate vicinity, so we will continue to invest in the project, to ensure that it is completed for the benefit of the future aspirations and current needs of people in and around Inverness.
Forth Road Bridge
Taking into account Tuesday’s topical question, to ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the condition of the Forth road bridge. (S4O-05227)
The Forth road bridge opened to vehicles except heavy goods vehicles from 23 December, after the completion of temporary repairs. New state-of-the-art monitoring equipment has been installed on the bridge, in the form of electronic strain gauges and tilt meters. They are continually monitored, and since traffic has been reintroduced to the structure they remain within acceptable parameters.
A permanent repair to allow HGVs across the Forth road bridge will commence in the coming days and, subject to favourable weather conditions and no further defects being identified, the bridge will reopen to HGVs in mid-February.
In 2012, the Forth road bridge capital budget got chopped in half. In next year’s budget, the capital maintenance budget suddenly has an 80 per cent increase. Bearing that in mind, was it a mistake to chop that budget in half for four years?
As ministers have said repeatedly, the fault that occurred was not predicted. The works that are being undertaken are fulfilling our obligations around the bridge. They will continue and will allow all traffic over the bridge, as the Scottish Government has stated.
Rural Roads (Safety Upgrade Criteria)
To ask the Scottish Government what criteria need to be met before Transport Scotland undertakes safety upgrades where rural roads intersect with trunk and other major roads. (S4O-05228)
Criteria are in place to assess the safety performance of the trunk road network annually. Transport Scotland screens all locations on the trunk road network where three or more personal injury accidents have occurred in the preceding three years or where a section of road has had an accident rate that is 1.25 times above the national average for that road type over the same three years. Further investigations are then carried out and, where appropriate, mitigation measures are prioritised and installed.
Cree Valley community council in my constituency is increasingly concerned about the safety of the road junction where the A712 meets the A75 trunk road just outside Newton Stewart. As the minister will be aware, the A75 carries a huge percentage of heavy goods vehicles, and the A712 carries a large number of timber lorries. Local opinion is that the junction constitutes a major accident waiting to happen, but all approaches to Transport Scotland are met with a response that says in effect that no fatal accident history means no action. Does the minister agree that it is time that Transport Scotland gave more weight to local opinion in such circumstances, especially when it is endorsed by elected representatives from all parties and at all levels?
Mr Fergusson asked me about the criteria, which I gave, but we always look at specific local circumstances to see whether any other interventions can be made. It is right to target resources to where they can make the biggest difference, and road safety is a serious issue. I am happy to look at individual circumstances in order to understand them more fully. If the member writes to me, I will look at the circumstances that he spoke about.
Unpaid Carers (Glasgow)
To ask the Scottish Government how it supports unpaid carers in Glasgow. (S4O-05229)
The Government recognises and values the vital contribution that unpaid carers and young carers make to the lives of those they care for in communities across Scotland, including in Glasgow. That is why we introduced the Carers (Scotland) Bill, which has now passed stage 2 of the parliamentary process. The bill is an important part of our programme of health and social care reform, which will extend the rights of all adult carers and young carers across Scotland and ensure that carers are supported in their caring roles. Other Scottish Government initiatives such as the voluntary sector short breaks fund, the young carers festival and the carer positive employer scheme all benefit carers across Scotland.
Scottish Government carer information strategy funding to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is more than £1.09 million in 2015-16. That investment is contributing to a wide range of support to carers in Glasgow, including training for carers, young carers projects, and information and advice services to carers in acute hospital settings.
Glasgow City Council is tendering out service provision at six carers centres across the city. The centres offer vital support, such as information and advice, income maximisation services and access to respite care. Given the council’s poor track record on matters such as adult day care centres for people with learning disabilities and personalisation, will the minister enter into constructive dialogue with the council to ensure that the city is well prepared for the enhanced carer support that councils will be required to deliver following the passage of the Scottish Government’s Carers (Scotland) Bill?
I am aware that Glasgow City Council has undertaken the process to which Mr Doris refers. He will appreciate that the council took that decision and the Scottish Government is not directly involved in it. I am of course aware of the good work that carers centres do. I visited south-east Glasgow carers centre last March on the day when we launched the Carers (Scotland) Bill and I saw at first hand the good work that it is doing locally.
One change that we made to the bill at stage 2 that is directly relevant to carers centres makes it explicitly clear that, where advice services exist, the local authority does not need to recreate them. In advance of the bill coming into force, I assure Mr Doris that the Scottish Government will maintain a constructive dialogue with local authorities, including Glasgow City Council.
Hub South-east Scotland Programme
To ask the Scottish Government what the value is of projects under construction or development in the Edinburgh area under the hub south-east Scotland programme. (S4O-05230)
Currently, 15 projects with a total value of £192.6 million are under construction or development in the Edinburgh area under the hub south-east Scotland programme.
The recent announcement of £330 million of capital projects across Scotland includes £25 million for the Lothian national health service bundle. Will the cabinet secretary confirm that Firrhill partnership centre is part of that bundle? Will he outline the timescale for constructing that long-awaited new medical facility?
Among the projects that I mentioned previously are Cramond primary school and Fox Covert primary school, both of which I attended. It is nice to see them being extended.
I acknowledge the member’s support for the project that he mentioned and I recognise the work that he has done on that. I confirm that Firrhill partnership centre is part of NHS Lothian’s partnership bundle and that construction is expected to start in 2016. Until financial close is reached, I cannot confirm when the facility will be completed, but the construction period is estimated to be around 18 months.
Information and Communication Technology Budget
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has overspent on its estimated information and communications technology budget in the last five years. (S4O-05231)
The ICT budget for the core Scottish Government has not been overspent in the past five years.
Well, the budget has been well overspent in the past three months. In 2012, the Auditor General recommended the creation of the post of chief information officer to develop, support and improve cost-effective ICT services. Why did it take so long to develop that post, and why are so many hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money still being wasted on ICT contracts, including £450,000 a month for NHS 24? [Interruption.]
It is good to see that the better together alliance is alive and kicking on the Labour benches. [Interruption.]
Order.
Mary Scanlon will understand that many of the ICT reforms that we have to undertake are complex projects. For example, with regard to the common agricultural policy system, the European Union applied substantial changes to the policy after the Scottish Government put forward the original business case in 2012.
A reasonable-minded assessment of the fact that there are major policy and structural changes in such systems will lead to the conclusion that we must adapt our ICT systems to cope with the challenge, principally—as Mary Scanlon will understand—because of the importance of guaranteeing compliance with EU schemes in the expenditure of public money, which is of great significance to the Scottish Government and the European Union. I understand and appreciate Mary Scanlon’s interest in such issues, but I assure her that they are subject to clear and sustained investigation and management by the Scottish Government at ministerial and official level to ensure that we use public money effectively to deliver for the citizens of Scotland.
North Lanarkshire Council (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the council leader and chief executive of North Lanarkshire Council. (S4O-05232)
Ministers and officials regularly meet the leaders and chief executives of all Scottish local authorities, including North Lanarkshire Council, to discuss a wide range of issues as part of our commitment to working in partnership with local government to improve outcomes for the people of Scotland.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of Tata Steel’s redundancy decisions at its Dalzell and Clydebridge plants and of the indications from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs that it will reduce staff at its Cumbernauld tax office, along with the comments in the press by North Lanarkshire Council about potential redundancies over the next year as a result of local government budget settlements. Will he commit to establishing a round-table meeting with elected members who represent the area, along with the local authority and other agencies, to identify how we can mitigate the economic impact of the levels of redundancies that are expected in the North Lanarkshire area?
We are heavily involved in addressing the issue of Tata’s potential closure. My colleague Fergus Ewing has been leading the way, through the working party, to ensure that we do everything that we possibly can to find a buyer. He recently announced a subsidy of £195,000 to ensure that the plants remain open until we find a buyer.
On the wider issues, we will always be happy to work with all the stakeholders in North Lanarkshire and every part of Scotland where there are threats to jobs and the possibility of redundancies, to ensure that everything is done to protect such jobs and, if that is not possible, to find alternative employment for those who are affected by redundancy.
Question 10, in the name of Nanette Milne, has not been lodged. The member has provided an explanation.