SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Lothian and Borders Police (Recruitment)
To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers were recruited by Lothian and Borders police in 2006. (S2O-12267)
In 2006, 104 officers were recruited by the force.
Will the minister comment on a problem that the Scottish Police Federation in Edinburgh has raised with me? I refer to gapping, which involves officers being recruited and included in the figures for a year, but being on deferred or delayed entry. Such officers may not come in for several months—sometimes more than six months. Clearly, that practice would make the figures false. Can the minister advise us whether the officers to whom she referred have started their training course and are serving officers, or whether they are still gaps?
I will double check with Lothian and Borders police the situation of the 104 officers I identified and I will write to Mr MacAskill if it turns out that further information is required. As Mr MacAskill knows, the important issue is that we face a retirement bulge within the next couple of years. For that reason, police forces have been given additional resources to enable them to recruit the necessary officers in advance, to get them through the appropriate training at the Scottish Police College and to get them into forces. Lothian and Borders police also has a significant number of additional support staff.
Water Quality (Western Isles)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the value of Scottish Water's investment in water quality in the Western Isles will be eroded if leakage in the pipe network is not addressed at the same time. (S2O-12261)
There would be little point in making such investment if it was not accompanied by initiatives to tackle maintenance-related issues such as leakage. That is why Scottish Water has been given a series of challenging targets for leakage reduction during the first four years of its current investment programme. It is required to close 50 per cent of the gap between current performance and the economic level of leakage by 2010, with interim targets of a 16 per cent reduction in this financial year and a 25 per cent reduction by 2007-08.
I acknowledge what the minister has said, but does she agree that pipe network leakage of around 50 per cent throughout Scotland is a massive waste of expensively treated water, and that the problem will be adequately rectified only by releasing Scottish Water from the financial limitations of the current funding process and replacing it with a not-for-profit mutual model?
I could not disagree more. Vast investment of more than £2 billion is being made. The key point is that Scottish Water must tackle the level of leakage and reduce it progressively year on year. The Water Industry Commission is keen to ensure that that happens. It is important that Scottish Water has a clear understanding of the quality of its assets throughout the network. If it reduces significantly the amount of leakage in one area without having a consistent programme in other areas, the network may pop elsewhere. A coherent programme is needed. Scottish Water has been set challenging targets that have been agreed with the WIC. I am confident that the resource allocation from the WIC that has been agreed with Scottish Water will enable it to meet those targets.
Can the minister enlighten us on whether the cost accounting method of regulatory capital value that Scottish Water uses has led to a choice of far more expensive water supply systems in the Western Isles than, for example, boreholes and local pipes? Will she listen to the people of Lismore and Scoraig, who have been chosen for far more expensive systems than are necessary? Will she try to stop that squandering of scarce public money by opting for simpler solutions?
If the member had attended Tuesday's meeting of the Finance Committee, he would have been able to participate for the best part of an hour in a detailed discussion of such issues, including the one that he raises. I made the point to Jim Mather that we cannot take a simplistic view of what is appropriate.
Scottish Produce (Processing and Marketing)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to support the processing and marketing of Scottish produce. (S2O-12309)
Since 2001, the Scottish Executive has awarded in excess of £60 million to Scottish food processing projects and it is presently developing new arrangements to support the processing and marketing of Scottish produce up to 2013.
Does the minister agree that it is important to support and promote Scotland's food and drink producers, particularly primary producers, during the next few years of transition in the agriculture industry? Will he join me in commending the taste of Grampian initiative, whose eighth annual event will be held on 2 June at the Thainstone centre? The event, which will attract more than 100 food, drink and associated exhibitors who will show the vast range of produce that is grown, made or produced on the doorstep in the north-east, is hosted and supported by the ANM Group Ltd, Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian food forum, Scottish Enterprise, the Press and Journal and McLeish Brothers Ltd. Will the minister commend their co-operation in promoting and running an increasingly effective and successful event?
I greatly welcome the industry's recognition of the importance not only of promoting itself but of improving the links between primary producers and final consumers. I also commend the taste of Grampian initiative and the promotion that it involves.
The minister is aware of concerns about the seafood from Young's of Annan being exported to Thailand for processing and then re-imported. Will the minister's officials undertake to look at that seafood when it returns from its long journey to Thailand and back, to ensure that there is no danger of its being mistaken for Scottish produce?
I do not know whether the member recalls this—I know Stewart Stevenson will—but, curiously enough, a year or two ago, there were proposals in the white fish sector to ship a container-load of white fish to the far east, where incredibly low prices were being charged for filleting, and to bring it back to Scotland. However, that produce was being sold to the retail market, and retailers would not accept any claims about its traceability. Although I do not want to speculate about where Young's produce might be sold, traceability will certainly be a key issue.
Edinburgh City Bypass
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reduce congestion on the Edinburgh city bypass. (S2O-12282)
In the next few weeks I expect to receive the final report into possible short and long-term improvements on the A720 Edinburgh city bypass at Sheriffhall roundabout. Agreed short-term improvements such as signal adjustment and localised improvements at the junction will be taken forward straight away and the study's longer-term findings will feed into the current strategic transport projects review.
The minister was certainly right to use the phrase "long-term". However inconvenient the fact might be for Liberal Democrat candidates in Fife and elsewhere, will the minister confirm that, for four long years, transport in Scotland has been the inescapable responsibility of Liberal Democrat transport ministers? In view of the conspicuous failure to do anything about the daily gridlocks at Sheriffhall and along the rest of the city bypass, which are now aggravated by the mayhem on Milton Road, will the minister redeem himself at this very late stage by proposing something quicker than long-term solutions? He might, for example, give us a firm assurance that there will be grade separation at Sheriffhall. Otherwise, a Liberal apology—a rare thing, indeed—might be in order.
Perhaps that is Mr Home Robertson's idea of being pleasant and encouraging me to give him a better answer. He obviously did not listen to my previous reply. Moreover, the last time I looked, there were Labour ministers in the Cabinet, and they and Liberal Democrat ministers collectively agree on the strategic projects that should be taken forward. If Mr Home Robertson has a problem with that, he should take the matter up with the Labour Party.
I almost hesitate to intrude on this little argument, but I am glad that the minister mentioned Sheriffhall, which is the key pinch-point for travellers from the Borders. In addition to the impact of the measures the minister has mentioned, what impact does he think the Dalkeith bypass and the Waverley line will have on reducing congestion at that point? Surely, despite those initiatives, traffic flows through Sheriffhall are, if anything, likely to increase rather than decrease.
Mr Brownlee makes a reasonable point about how traffic flows—
A-ha!
Calm yourself, Mr Swinney.
Harbours (Severe Weather Events)
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the cost of increased severe weather events for small harbours such as Wick. (S2O-12248)
Ports and harbours around Scotland make their own and continuing assessment of the effect of severe weather on infrastructure and shipping. Wick Harbour Authority has been in contact with the Executive about the recent significant storm damage, and we await further information from it with regard to possible funding under the fishing harbour assistance scheme.
I am sure that the minister shares the concern that I and the harbour trust have expressed that the cash for strengthening the south river pier, which protects the Lower Pulteneytown area, must be made available quickly because of the serious potential for flooding and inundation following the severe weather event in late February. As another such event could happen soon, will the minister ensure the speedy approval of schemes to use the reported £17 million underspend in coastal and flooding schemes in the current financial year?
The local member, Jamie Stone, has already raised this matter with me, and I have undertaken to look closely at any potential for responding quickly to such matters in Wick harbour. I know from my experience in harbours that tackling these matters quickly is of the utmost importance. We will look closely at any application to find out how we can most efficiently use resources. That said, I hope that Mr Gibson understands that the grant schemes have particular constraints.
The increase in the incidence of severe weather events mentioned by Mr Gibson, increased pressures on the Scottish fishing industry and the hoped-for growth in maritime tourism in the north of Scotland mean that more vessels are likely to find themselves on the seas in bad weather. Will the minister ensure that the matter is given priority? Will he join me in congratulating the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on its excellent life-saving work? The bad weather is placing more burdens on the institution, which in 2006 rescued more than 1,000 people from danger at sea.
I absolutely agree with Mr McGrigor's point about the RNLI and I am sure that he shares my view that it plays an essential role in many of our coastal communities. Indeed, I have a strong connection with the Lerwick and Aith branches in my constituency and very much respect their work. Just last weekend, I attended a retirement do for a former RNLI skipper in my home town of Bressay.
Births (St John's Hospital, Livingston)
To ask the Scottish Executive how many births there have been at St John's hospital, Livingston, in the last five years. (S2O-12296)
There have been more than 2,000 births at St John's hospital in each of the past five years. The number of births has increased from 2,372 in 2001 to 2,761 in 2005, which is a 16 per cent gain over the five years.
I am sure that the minister recognises that the increasing number of births at St John's hospital reflects not only the work of that excellent local hospital, but the fact that there is a young and growing population in West Lothian and in the parts of Edinburgh that are served by that hospital. Will he assure me that the maternity services that are provided at St John's hospital will continue to be an integral part of national health service maternity services in the Lothians and that St John's hospital will have the appropriate number of consultant staff to maintain its services?
Absolutely. Mr Muldoon will be well aware of the recent appointments of obstetricians and paediatricians, which indicate the continuing important role that St John's will play in providing maternity and child services in Lothian. He may also be aware of the consultation on medical catchment areas in West Lothian and the west of Edinburgh that recently got under way, which has reflected the continuing importance that St John's is likely to have for an even wider population in the years to come.
I declare an interest. I am the mother of one of the many children who have been born at St John's hospital.
Absolutely. As I said in reply to Mr Muldoon's question, St John's will continue to play a key role in that field. I hope that Fiona Hyslop will join Bristow Muldoon and ministers in reassuring people in West Lothian and the west of Edinburgh about that. The hospital has an important future in providing those services and a range of other consultant-led services, which will continue to bring benefits to what Bristow Muldoon rightly described as a young and growing population in that part of Scotland.
On international women's day, and on the subject of births, will the minister say what the Executive is doing to address the serious and debilitating condition of post-natal depression? What support and services exist for women who are affected by that condition? Given that there has been no epidemiological research on post-natal depression since the first significant Edinburgh study in 1982, are there any plans to carry out such research?
The original question was about St John's hospital, but the minister might want to take it from there.
I am happy to deal with the questions in that context.
Dentists (Training Places)
To ask the Scottish Executive why the number of training places for new dentists will be reduced to 150 in 2007-08 from 151 in 2006-07. (S2O-12308)
The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council automatically adjusts student recruitment figures on the basis of drop-out rates over the previous three years. We expect the number of people who complete the dental degree course to continue to rise. Discussions with the funding council on student recruitment in the next academic year are still continuing.
Twenty years ago, Scotland produced 159 dental graduates. The Executive expects 134 students to complete their studies next year. Therefore, the plan is to produce 25 fewer dental graduates.
I am pleased to assure Mike Rumbles that although I am sure the figures he quoted are correct, they reflect the consequences of the Conservative Government's decision to close the dental school in Edinburgh some 10 or 11 years ago. That is why there has been a reduction in the number of people qualifying from our dental schools. I am delighted to reassure him that the number is now increasing and that we expect it to continue to increase. On current plans, in 2009, 2010 and 2011, we expect once again to be producing more than 150 dental graduates a year.