SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Social Work and Social Care (Careers)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote social work and social care as career options. (S1O-5848)
The national recruitment and awareness campaign was launched on 22 October. The campaign aims to raise the profile and to highlight the value of social care and social work, and to start to address issues of staff recruitment and retention.
Clydebank College in my constituency has three very successful programmes that provide training for people who wish to work in social care. It has three equally successful programmes for people who wish to work in child care. The proportion of males involved in all those programmes is less than 10 per cent—in an area of very high male unemployment. What is the Executive doing to ensure that there is a better gender balance among those who are trained to work in social care and child care?
I welcome the work that Clydebank College and other colleges are doing to increase the opportunities that are available to all people who want to work in social care and child care. The member may be interested to know that last week, at the Men in Childcare conference, I made it clear that when additional funding was announced—particularly funding related to early-years work—I would write to local authorities and child care partnerships to ensure that we seek to create opportunities for men to work in jobs that might traditionally have been seen as jobs for women.
I refer the minister to the report into the social work breakdown in Scottish Borders that resulted in failure to prevent extensive sexual abuse of a lady with learning difficulties who is known as Miss X. Is the minister aware that some workers in Scottish Borders Council had 100 cases on their books? One worker was responsible for 120 cases. That has led Scottish Borders Council to advertise to recruit nine social workers. How confident is the minister that, given the current deficit of social workers, those places can be filled urgently?
I thank the member for indicating over the airwaves of the BBC at lunch time that she intended to ask a question along the lines of the one that she has just asked. I am concerned to ensure that, where cases are unallocated, we get people into posts to take them on. We must ensure that we recruit enough social workers and enough people who are interested in social work for the training courses that are available. This year we increased the amount of money that is available for bursaries. Although there has been an overall increase in the number of qualified social workers, that has not kept pace with demand. I take the issue very seriously, and we will continue to address it.
Given that, as the minister has just indicated, the demand for social workers far outstrips supply, surely we should not concentrate on recruiting only men. People must be appointed on merit. Anyone with the right talents and skills should be welcome.
The people who enter social work should want to do such work. That is important for building relationships between social workers and particularly vulnerable people. However, most of those who become involved in social work and social care have been women. Unfortunately, in some instances, younger people are not being attracted to fill posts. Our campaign is to recruit people of all ages and backgrounds, and to ensure that we recruit enough people to do the very valuable jobs that need to be done.
Question 2 has been withdrawn.
School Pupils (Health and Safety)
To ask the Scottish Executive what health and safety standards for pupils are applicable in schools. (S1O-5831)
In addition to any other duty that is owed under statute or common law, an education authority must take reasonable care to ensure the safety of pupils under its charge.
Does the minister agree that it is not acceptable for our children to be educated in schools or fed in dining rooms where fungus is growing in the roof? If so, what action is he likely to take in North Lanarkshire? Greenhill Primary School in Coatbridge faces exactly the problem that I have described.
First, I want to be clear that I do not regard that as acceptable. I do not think that any member in the chamber would find it acceptable. In relation to the school estate throughout Scotland, we recognise that there is a need in some cases to take urgent action. We have significant proposals to improve the school estate. We are about to embark on the most significant investment of more than £1 billion through the schools public-private partnership programme, which was announced earlier this year. North Lanarkshire's share of that will be new capital investment of £150 million for the first time. None of that would be possible with the SNP's position on PPP spending.
The minister will be aware of my extensive correspondence with him on the oversight of children on school activity trips and my concerns about the relationship between the Health and Safety Executive, the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority and local authorities. Will the minister tell us what steps will be taken to ensure that Scotland keeps pace with the innovations that are being delivered for adventurous activities in the rest of the country?
We will keep in close contact with what is happening in that area in England and Wales. We want to learn lessons from the good work that is taking place there. I am prepared to consider the outcome of the work and, if necessary, take appropriate action in Scotland.
Central Heating Installation Programme
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to monitor the progress of Eaga in delivering its remit in relation to the central heating installation programme. (S1O-5820)
The Scottish Executive currently monitors all aspects of Eaga's performance in delivering the contract for the central heating programme. We monitor how Eaga applies the rules of the scheme, how it maintains quality control and deals with complaints and how it meets the targets set for it. That ensures that the programme continues to provide the best possible service to Scotland's most vulnerable households.
I am grateful to the minister for that answer, but I understand that local partnership managers say that the average waiting time for the installation of central heating under the programme is around six months. Does the minister agree that it is totally unacceptable that an applicant from the Stranraer area, who recently contacted me, has had to wait for central heating since 11 September 2001, when he made his application? Does he agree that many applicants are unable or unwilling to pursue their applications vigorously in the way that the applicant whom I mentioned has had to do and that the Executive's monitoring processes should be reviewed forthwith?
The member's constituent had to wait during 18 years of a Tory Government that never got anything done. Since this Government came to power, a number of things have happened that are helping the very constituents about whom the member spoke, not least the central heating programme. We should celebrate the success rather than concentrate on some of the inevitable problems that come with a scheme of such significance.
Does the minister welcome the fact that Eaga has put in place a parliamentary officer who will be able to deal with complaints on behalf of constituents, rather than having them wait a month or more for a question to be selected here that would not help them?
Eaga has considered a number of measures to help to improve the system. We should emphasise the fact that it met its target. It installed 3,559 central heating systems in the year 2001-02 and is on target to install 5,000 systems this year. We are happy with its performance. We will consider problems as they arise, but let us celebrate what we have achieved.
Surely this is not a case of one or the other. We are quite happy to celebrate what has been achieved, but the fact is that many people are dissatisfied. The central heating programme is the biggest single item in many members' postbags. On many days, I write more letters to Eaga than I write to the local council. That is saying something, so will Mr Henry keep pursuing the matter with Eaga?
I must put the issue in its proper context. Like other members, I have received queries from constituents, asking why things are taking so long and whether the process can be speeded up. Equally, as a constituency MSP and as a minister, I have received a huge number of responses in which people have said just how pleased they are to have had their lives transformed since the introduction of the scheme. It is important to maintain a degree of perspective. We will try to tackle the problems that arise but, by God, I would rather have problems than not have such a scheme at all.
Air Travel
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is promoting the responsible growth of air travel in and to Scotland. (S1O-5851)
The Scottish Executive has on-going discussions with its agencies—the enterprise networks and VisitScotland—about the promotion of air links serving all parts of Scotland. We are committed to ensuring that the rising demand for air travel brings maximum economic benefits, at minimal environmental cost, to all Scottish airports and the communities that they serve.
I encourage the minister to continue to work with those agencies to enhance the links between Scotland and major European cities. Does the minister accept that improved journey times for intercity rail travel might represent the most sustainable way of improving Scotland's transport links within the United Kingdom?
It is clear that a combination of the two modes of travel is necessary. The greatest symbol of such a combination is our commitment to improve the rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. New routes are also important, because direct air routes make it less necessary for many passengers to travel from Scotland to London, which offers an environmental advantage.
I welcome responsible growth in capacity at Edinburgh airport, but to achieve responsible growth in air travel we must include the option of quality public transport links to reduce congestion. Will the minister tell members when the preferred option for the Edinburgh airport rail link will be announced?
As Margaret Smith is probably aware, we are considering a shortlist of four possible routes for the Glasgow and Edinburgh airport links. We still hope that preferred routes for those links will emerge from that process before the end of the year.
I want to ask what the minister is doing to promote low-cost flights between Scotland and Europe in two specific cases. In the follow-up to the Scotland in Sweden event, what is he doing to establish a direct air link between Stockholm and Scotland? Will he examine the funding structure of Inverness airport, which acted as a barrier to achieving an agreement with Ryanair on establishing low-cost services into Inverness?
The member has asked two questions in one. To some extent, I answered the first question in my initial answer. I am well aware of the interest that has been stimulated in a direct link to Sweden. As Mr Neil probably knows, there is a direct link between Scotland and Sweden, but it does not operate all year round. That is one of the routes that we continue to discuss with the enterprise networks and VisitScotland. Scotland in Sweden was an enormous success and many people felt that, if progress could be made, an air link between Scotland and Sweden would be a good outcome.
Free Concessionary Travel Scheme
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring mechanism is in place to assess the effective implementation of the free concessionary travel scheme for elderly and disabled people. (S1O-5812)
The Executive works jointly with other partners through the concessionary fares working group to oversee implementation of free local off-peak bus travel through local schemes.
I thank the minister for his answer. The minister will be aware that there has been a general welcome for the free concessionary travel scheme, which is financed by the Executive to the tune of £70 million. It is a popular innovation.
I am aware of the specific case that the member mentioned. I have no doubt that the working group that is considering the implementation of the scheme will take such issues into account. However, it is for SPT, as the agency administering the scheme, to set the rules for the scheme. It is for SPT to work with the bus operators to ensure that the bus operators are fully aware of the rules of the scheme and how they should be applied.
That is not an isolated incident. Is the minister aware that since the advent of the scheme there has been a whole new practice of shoving grannies aff the buses in favour of paying customers? What will the minister do to stop that kind of discrimination?
I am aware that Citylink and other operators give priority to passengers who pre-book. That would be the same whether we were talking about long-distance coaches, air travel or other forms of travel. The incidents to which Mr Ingram refers are cases of that kind.
Does the minister agree that the concessionary fare scheme will allow elderly people to travel free to Prestwick airport to join the new scheduled flights to Malaga, Nice, Rome and Palma that were announced today?
The minister will gather that Mr Gallie was not called during the previous question.
I gathered that, and I am glad that Phil Gallie has taken the opportunity to support our approach to integrated transport.
Is the minister aware that some bus operators are refusing to provide free bus travel to some of my elderly constituents who want to take up their entitlement? What can be done to ensure that bus operators comply with the conditions and terms of the scheme?
Again, as I said in my answer to Bill Butler's initial question, I recommend that Karen Whitefield takes up that matter with Strathclyde Passenger Transport because it is the administrator of the scheme. It is my understanding that all operators in the area should be signed up to the rules of the scheme. Those rules cover journeys of the kind that she has described and so it is for SPT to ensure that the bus operators are aware of how they should interpret the rules.
Question 7 has been withdrawn.
Official Veterinary Surgeon Services (Highlands)
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current position is with the award of contracts for official veterinary surgeon services in the Highlands. (S1O-5842)
The Meat Hygiene Service is undertaking a retendering exercise for official veterinary surgeons throughout Great Britain. The aim is to ensure the highest levels of food safety and to deliver the service at a competitive price while maintaining quality.
I thank the minister for her response. Will the minister raise the issue with her colleagues in London and seek to delay the award of the new meat inspection contract until a proper best-value review has been carried out, which I believe will support local vets retaining the contract? Will the minister also ensure that the new contract will provide the same level of meat inspection service as is currently provided to abattoirs throughout the Highlands and Islands?
The member will appreciate that it will be difficult to renegotiate contracts that were awarded only on 18 October, but it is possible for local vets to seek locum work for the OVSS and to seek new contracts, which may become available in future. As I have said, the intention behind the tendering process was to ensure that the highest possible quality of food safety was achieved. A determination of the ability of each contractor to achieve that was part of the tendering process. We can assure John Farquhar Munro that the highest quality will continue to be delivered.
We are led to believe that the occurrence of tuberculosis in cattle is on the increase in several areas of Britain. With the continued rundown in the numbers of state vets, will the Scottish Executive make certain that there are enough vets to deal with the increased testing that may be required due to the rapid advance of the disease?
As far as I am aware, there is no increase in outbreaks in Scotland. However, we will continue to afford a service that monitors the situation. Surveillance is part of the system that the state veterinary service offers to ensure that diseases such as tuberculosis are contained, and eradicated where possible.
Dead Horses (Disposal)
To ask the Scottish Executive what support and guidance it now provides in relation to the disposal of dead horses. (S1O-5814)
I am unable to give the member any assistance as to how one might dispose of Conservative party leaders—[Interruption.] If anyone is flogging a dead horse it is certainly not the members on this side of the chamber.
As the minister and his coalition partners know very well, the Conservative party will never die. [Laughter.] Alas—[Interruption.]
Order. Could we get back to the dead horses, please? [Laughter.]
We already are.
Alas, horses do die. Is the minister aware that with the introduction of the ban on burial, which comes into force in April, the closure of the Dumfriesshire hunt and the lack of rendering facilities, it will not be possible to dispose of a horse carcase within Dumfries and Galloway? Will he undertake to include horses in any uplift scheme that is introduced for cattle and sheep carcases, and will he undertake to consult equine interests on how that might be implemented?
There are two issues. The member is already aware that the number of horses that were sent to the hunts was a very small percentage, so that does not materially affect the situation.
Is the minister aware that at last week's meeting of the cross-party group on animal welfare, a number of representations were received from owners of horses? They expressed considerable concern, as has David Mundell, about the disposal of carcases. I also got the impression that the operation of the regulations south of the border may vary from that north of the border. It would be worth while for the minister to contact the secretary of the cross-party group on animal welfare, because considerable information was imparted at the meeting on that subject.
If the member wishes to impart that information to me, I will be happy to deal with it.
Maggie's Centres
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the establishment of Maggie's Centres and, if so, what assistance it will provide to see more centres established. (S1O-5811)
Our cancer strategy acknowledges the importance of providing holistic care, which includes information and support for people who have cancer. Each Maggie's Centre is created in partnership with the national health service but operates as a separate organisation with charitable status. The Executive provides a grant of £15,000 a year towards the administrative costs of developing Maggie's Centres.
Does the minister agree that it is important to explain to the public the role and function of a Maggie's Centre, which is to provide patients who have undergone cancer treatment with care, practical advice and support in an informal, relaxed and friendly situation, where there is more time to spend with a patient than there is in a busy cancer hospital? Will he support the establishment of Maggie's Centres throughout Scotland, wherever they are unavailable? Will he support the campaign to establish a centre at Raigmore hospital in Inverness?
I pay tribute to the work of Maggie's Centres. I was pleased to visit the Maggie's Centre at the Western general hospital in Edinburgh two weeks ago. Providing information and support is an important part of an holistic approach to cancer care.
I am sure that the minister wishes to join me in congratulating the readers of Glasgow's Evening Times, who have raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to create a Maggie's Centre in Glasgow.
I join Dorothy-Grace Elder in paying tribute to Glasgow's Evening Times and its readers for their superb efforts to raise funds for the Maggie's Centre in Glasgow.
Persistent Young Offenders <br />(Children's Hearings)
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are being made to fast-track procedures for children's hearings to deal with persistent young offenders. (S1O-5835)
Three areas—Dundee, Ayrshire and East Lothian and the Borders—have been selected to pilot fast-track procedures. I have established a multidisciplinary implementation group of interests from those three areas to finalise the practical arrangements for introduction. The group first met yesterday.
I am delighted that East Lothian will be one of the pilot areas. Will the initiative address the concerns of people such as the pensioner who attended my surgery this week, who was in despair that the police could not deal with children who repeatedly break his windows? Most important, will the initiative ensure that such youngsters and their families are dealt with urgently and effectively, to make communities safer and to prevent juvenile offenders from developing into adult criminals?
As I have said many times, I recognise the problems that persistent young offenders cause in local communities. The fast-track procedures will address the problems that John Home Robertson described. They will get young people who offend into the system quickly to ensure that appropriate action is taken and that they are placed on programmes that will tackle their offending behaviour.
Would not it make sense to send persistent young offenders who are under 16 to youth courts and to leave children's hearings to deal with the at-risk children who need those hearings' help and support?
The member is aware that we have established a feasibility group, which covers Lanarkshire, to examine youth courts for some young offenders. Progress is being made on that as we speak.
Will the minister ensure that adequate provision is made in communities by councils or voluntary organisations for community sentencing and the other sentences that children's panels impose on children? There needs to be real back-up so that it makes no difference where the person is dealt with. Will we get that back-up?
I agree with the member on that point and that is why we put additional funding into the system. We have provided support for the voluntary sector, to prevent young people from getting into trouble in the first place and to boost the number of places that are available in intensive community supervision projects and to deal with very persistent young offenders.
Question 12 has been withdrawn.
NHS Acute Services
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the reorganisation of national health service acute services. (S1O-5827)
Planning for acute NHS services is primarily a matter for NHS boards, working with all their partners, to satisfy the guidance on consultation. I am pleased to see progress in consulting on and implementing acute service strategies in many parts of Scotland, as that is essential if Scottish patients are to get the modern services they need and deserve.
Will the Executive ensure that reorganisation is based on objective criteria? If such criteria are applied in the Forth valley, the location of the proposed new general hospital must be the Royal Scottish national hospital site at Larbert. That site is owned by the national health service, is within easy reach of the vast majority of the population and has excellent connections by rail and road.
The member will accept that it would be wrong to prejudge the outcome of full public consultation. However, I reassure the chamber that the principal objectives are to ensure that an objective assessment of all the issues, including location and clinical considerations, is undertaken. Those objectives will be used in making the final decisions on acute services not only in the Forth valley but throughout Scotland.
Does the minister acknowledge that the reorganisation of acute services in Glasgow has raised very serious concerns about access to services? That is particularly the case for my constituents in Rutherglen and Cambuslang. Will he give a commitment that the Executive will introduce firm proposals for improved transport provision to accommodate those who will have great difficulty in accessing acute services?
The member has raised issues that are of public concern not only in the acute service reconfiguration in Glasgow but throughout Scotland. The fundamental issue is for health boards to work in partnership with other agencies to identify future transport provision. Where there are deficiencies in that provision, we should work with the boards and other agencies to identify effective ways to deliver an outcome that will reassure the public that access will be considered in any final decision that is made about acute in-patient hospitals.
Question 14 has been withdrawn.
Farming
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the future of farming given the impending enlargement of the European Union. (S1O-5826)
The Executive's position on the future of agriculture was set out in the document entitled "A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture", which was prepared with the prospect of enlargement in mind. The key objectives within that strategy are the creation of a prosperous and sustainable farming industry, better integration of farming with the wider rural community and an improved approach to co-ordinated agricultural and environmental policies. Enlargement simply underlines the need for Scotland to work towards these goals.
Does the minister share the frustration of the Prime Minister that Europe has failed to address the problems with the common agricultural policy? Will not that failure make matters worse for farming in Scotland? Given the frustration that the minister must feel about the common fisheries policy and its effects on Scottish fishing, does he take some solace from the fact that at least the United Kingdom can control its own economy?
Gosh, that was quite a convoluted way of getting to the point. Presiding Officer, did Mr Gallie miss another chance to ask a question earlier?
No.
I just thought that I would check.
I will return to Mr Gallie's original question, which was on farming. Given that the emphasis of the CAP has shifted away from production subsidies towards land management and that we are now facing the implementation of the water framework directive, will the Executive be up front in informing agriculture about its position in relation to the directive and use whatever tools there are in modulation and organic farming to incorporate the two issues positively for the sector?
We have been perfectly up front with the agricultural sector. For example, it was one of the many sectors that were consulted about the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Bill. The need for the CAP to be integrated with the environment and to encompass a wider range of activities is also crucial to proposals to decouple in relation to those services. That issue forms part of the negotiations on CAP reform, in which we are actively engaged. However, as the questions from Mr Gallie and Mr Harper partly imply, those negotiations are not making great progress, for reasons that are in the public domain.
Methadone (Prescriptions)
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are currently being prescribed methadone on a regular basis. (S1O-5810)
As my response to S1W-28522 indicated, the information and statistics division in Scotland, which is examining prescription data to identify the numbers of people who are being prescribed methadone, aimed to have the information available by the end of October. Unfortunately, the very large number of prescriptions and the time-consuming methodology required to obtain the number of individual patients have delayed completion of the work. I understand that the exercise will be completed by the end of this month, and I will write to the member with the relevant information as soon as possible.
Given that methadone is more addictive than heroin, is the minister concerned about the rising number of people who are on the methadone programme, the discretionary amount that is being prescribed and the fact that the programme is increasingly a containment rather than a harm reduction one? Furthermore, will he take this opportunity to put forward his views on using heroin instead of methadone for harm reduction purposes?
I do not think that I have the time to go into all the detail that Mary Scanlon has asked for. However, I will say that substitute prescribing is vital to the programme of stabilising addicts and moving them on. Indeed, we produced a report last year that focused on exactly that issue. Clearly, we need an integrated programme that does not consist simply of prescribing a substitute opiate in the form of methadone—which, by the way, is as addictive as heroin but no more so. We must also apply all the other methods of rehabilitation to allow individuals to move off methadone and back into a normal life.
Based on the evidence from Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, three years ago in the Parliament I argued that the Executive should introduce an NHS heroin prescription programme to stabilise the lives of addicts and to cut crime across the country. The minister opposed it then. Has he changed his mind?
The Executive and the department that covers drug misuse are open to any evidence that is acquired from anywhere in the world about treating addicts and getting them off drugs. The indications from the Swiss programme are that it is successful and effective in reducing the level of acquisitive crime by addicts. The Dutch programme has not yet fully reported, we have not yet got the long-term follow-up on the Swiss programme, and the German programme is in the early stages of development. I will not close my mind to any evidence from anywhere that will help us to ensure that people get off drugs, but at present, neither the Executive nor the United Kingdom Government is minded to introduce direct prescribing of heroin.
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