Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, December 8, 2011

Official Report 1068KB pdf

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First Minister’s Question Time

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Engagements

1. To ask the Deputy First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the day. (S4F-00329)

Later today, I will take part in the second of today’s meetings of the ministerial resilience committee.

As members are aware, all parts of Scotland are experiencing heavy winds, with the central belt and southern Scotland facing particularly severe weather conditions. Schools in the local authority areas that are subject to the Scottish Government advice that was issued last night either have been closed to pupils all day or are closing now. Schools will, of course, have contingency arrangements in place for any children who are not able to be picked up. There are already significant travel restrictions in place across Scotland and the Tay, Forth and Erskine bridges are now closed. Just over an hour ago, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland issued the following advice:

“Travel on the roads should be avoided across the central belt from 12 noon in the west of the country and from 2 pm in the east through to 7 pm tonight.”

Four police forces—Central, Strathclyde, Lothian and Borders and Dumfries and Galloway—have now issued level 4 warnings in line with that advice.

I urge all members of the public to take extreme care today and to heed the advice that is given by the police and travel authorities.

I am pleased to acknowledge that the Scottish Government seems to be on top of today’s weather crisis, which frees me up to ask about the on-going crisis in our public sector.

This week, the Scottish Government’s own figures showed that police numbers have fallen in seven out of the eight police forces in Scotland. That is on top of 700 job cuts in police civilian staff. Everyone knows that those jobs will be filled by uniformed officers who are taken off the streets. Will the Deputy First Minister back an independent audit to find out how many uniformed police officers are filling the gaps left by the cuts?

I thought that Iain Gray might have found it within himself to mention the fact that the Scottish Government’s pledge to maintain 1,000 additional police officers in Scotland’s communities is being delivered. The reason why I thought that Iain Gray might mention that is that it has comprehensively proved him and his colleagues wrong. I remind the Parliament that it was those on the Labour side of the chamber who predicted that it would take 13 years to deliver that pledge. It just goes to show that we should not listen to much that Labour has to say.

In terms of ensuring that those additional resources can be directed to the front line, the Government, led by the justice secretary, is taking forward an ambitious programme of police reform. The Government is delivering for the communities of Scotland, and that is reflected in the fact that crime levels across Scotland are at a 35-year low.

The pledge was 1,000 additional police officers on our streets. Those police officers are being withdrawn to the back offices. As for those crime figures, they will not stay long if those police officers are spending their time in the back offices.

What about our schools, where the situation is even worse? The SNP Government has now cut almost 4,000 teachers out of Scottish schools—700 in the last year alone. Only one new teacher in five can get a full-time, permanent job. Class sizes are up, truancy is up, and applications to universities are down. Two years ago, Fiona Hyslop was sacked for less. Is Michael Russell just going to be allowed to let our schools decline?

We always know that Iain Gray is in trouble when his first subject does not last beyond the first question. He has changed the subject, so he clearly accepts what I said in response to his question about police numbers and I am glad of that.

I will turn, therefore, to teacher numbers and education. The agreement between the Scottish Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and teaching unions was that teacher numbers should not fall below 51,131 in September’s census. In fact, the number of teachers in that census was 51,286, which is higher than the level that was set in the agreement. Of course, teacher numbers reflect the size of our school rolls.

Iain Gray might have wanted to reflect the fact that primary 1 class sizes are at a record low and are down from an average of 23.1 in 2006. The number of primary 1 pupils who are in classes of more than 25 has reduced by 90 per cent in the space of a year. Primary 1 to 3 class sizes are down from the position that we inherited from the previous Administration and average class sizes in primary schools are down from the level that we inherited from the previous Administration.

Teacher employment, which is an extremely serious matter, is improving. Sixty-six per cent of post-probationers are in employment, which is up from 58 per cent last year.

There is more work to do but, thanks to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning’s efforts, things are moving in the right direction.

We always know that the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister are in trouble when they start complaining that they have not been asked the question that they wanted to be asked. My subject is public sector workers who deliver to the people of Scotland services on which they and their families depend. Those workers include police officers and teachers. I saw that the Scottish Government issued a press release yesterday that was devoted entirely to primary 1 and which ignored the fact that our schools involve 13 stages, because primary 1 was the only year in which the Government could find a number to spin to make it look as if things were improving.

It is not just the police and teachers whom Scottish people depend on, is it? It is not the Cabinet Secretary for Justice or even the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning who is the worst offender on job cuts—the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy is still out in front on her own. Since 2009, 4,500 national health service staff have been cut. In the past year alone, she has cut 1,569 nurses and midwives from our NHS. Does she really expect us to believe that that has no impact on patient care?

For clarity, I remind Iain Gray that—contrary to what he suggested—I talked in my previous answer about primaries 1 to 3. The figures that were issued yesterday showed an average primary class size of 22.5, which is down from 23.6 when that lot were in power, so average primary class sizes are down as well.

I turn—[Interruption.]

We will hear from the Deputy First Minister, if members do not mind.

I turn to the national health service, which is extremely close to my heart and, I am sure, to the hearts of everybody in the Parliament. I am extremely proud of the work that our national health service does. Waiting times and hospital infection rates are at a record low, which is down to our NHS staff’s efforts. I thank our NHS staff, who will be working hard to ensure that the NHS copes on a difficult day.

I will quote back to Iain Gray a few statistics on nurse numbers. There are more qualified nurses in Scotland today than there were in 2006. More nurses and midwives are in the NHS today than in nine out of the 10 years for which Labour was in government. Scotland has 5,000 more nurses and midwives today than when Iain Gray was the deputy health minister.

If Nicola Sturgeon is so proud—[Interruption.]

We will hear from the member, if members do not mind.

If Nicola Sturgeon is so proud of NHS staff, why have 40 per cent of them been told not to complain and told to keep their mouths shut about the cuts that are happening in the NHS?

As for our record, in every year that we were in power, the number of nurses and other staff in the NHS increased. Under the SNP, those numbers are going down.

No amount of spin can hide the reality of the SNP’s record. Teachers are on the scrap heap, police are in the back office and nurses are on the plane to jobs abroad. This Government has cut more public sector jobs than George Osborne has done. Twenty-five years ago, I was a teacher under Margaret Thatcher, but we never saw cuts such as those that have been imposed by Mr Russell as education secretary. This is a very simple question. If SNP members are the social democrats that they claim to be, why are they cutting the public sector faster and deeper than the Tories are doing?

What a load of utter nonsense! Let me tell Iain Gray about my commitment, and this Government’s commitment, to the health service. We are protecting the health budget—a commitment that he refused to give during the election. Of course, he will want to deny that now. There is one part of the UK where Labour is in government: Wales. The health service budget there has been cut by 8.1 per cent in real terms. That is what Labour does when it is responsible for the national health service. I will take no lessons from Labour. This Government will stand up for our public sector workers and for the public sector. That is why we won such an overwhelming victory in May.

It is not just those of us on this side of the chamber who are saying that. It is people such as Tom Harris, who said:

“Labour barely said anything relevant or interesting to the Scottish electorate in the previous four years. We didn’t look like an alternative Government.”

Today, the people of Scotland will conclude that nothing has changed.

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Prime Minister (Meetings)

2. To ask the Deputy First Minister when the First Minister will next meet the Prime Minister. (S4F-00321)

There are no imminent plans to meet the Prime Minister.

We learned this morning from an Audit Scotland report that the price to Scotland of meeting the 2020 carbon targets will be £11 billion, which is £5,000 for every household in Scotland. However, we have also heard, in expert evidence given this week to the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee, that the SNP’s obsessive, dogmatic, one-track rush to a renewables-only energy policy will add another £4 billion to the nation’s bills. Can the Deputy First Minister tell me how that will be funded? Will it be through higher taxes, higher bills or more SNP cuts?

I know that Ruth Davidson is still relatively new to her job. This is the first public opportunity that I have had to welcome her to her post, which I do warmly, and to cross swords with her in the chamber.

Renewables are one of the big success stories in Scotland right now. Everyone in Scotland should be getting behind that drive. It is good for our environment and it has huge benefits and potential for the economy of our country. Today’s Audit Scotland report is extremely promising and positive, because it acknowledges that we are two thirds of the way towards our 2020 targets. So let us celebrate good news when we get it and get behind the drive to do even better.

I thank the Deputy Presiding Officer for her warm welcome to the chamber—

Members: Deputy First Minister!

I am sorry—I meant the Deputy First Minister. People across Scotland are asking themselves whether the extra £4 billion is a price worth paying. Scotland currently benefits from renewables incentives being spread among the 60 million people of the United Kingdom, but the SNP wants to place that £4 billion burden squarely on the shoulders of 2 million Scottish households. Every Scottish household can now understand the true cost of the SNP’s independent energy policy. It has been shot to pieces, and Scotland is getting a glimpse of the inconvenient truth: the cost of independence. Does that not prove—[Interruption.] I am glad to hear such braying from the SNP back benchers. I thought that non-essential staff had been sent home. Does that not prove that, when it comes to energy—as with so many other things—Scotland is better off in Britain?

To be charitable, I congratulate Ruth Davidson on the first joke that she has cracked so far at First Minister’s question time. It has only taken four weeks.

In all seriousness, people throughout Scotland are excited by the potential of the renewables revolution. They are excited by the jobs that are already being created, and the many, many more jobs that will be created. They know that electricity is one of our great export advantages and benefits.

As I said the last time that I stood in for the First Minister—who is in China right now—the rest of the UK could not meet its renewables obligations without the contribution from what we are doing here in Scotland. I appeal to Ruth Davidson to resist the temptation to be negative for the sake of it and to get behind the Scottish Government in what is a growth area for this country.

Can the Deputy First Minister give an update on the worrying norovirus outbreak at Monklands hospital? It is affecting numerous patients and staff and has resulted in the closure of a number of medical wards. Will she instigate an inquiry into the cause of the outbreak, the way in which it is being dealt with and the issue of cleanliness at the hospital?

I thank Elaine Smith for asking that question. Monklands hospital, which was badly affected by norovirus in recent days, is now getting back to normal after the outbreak. I want to put on record my thanks to all the staff and patients who have co-operated in that effort.

I saw the comments that Elaine Smith made at the weekend expressing concerns about the cleanliness of Monklands hospital. I say in all sincerity that if any member is visiting any hospital in this country and has any concerns about cleanliness, they should pick up the phone to me immediately and let me know of those concerns.

I hope that all members—even those on the Opposition side of the chamber—know that I take cleanliness in our hospitals extremely seriously. That is why I set up the healthcare environment inspectorate, which goes in to hospitals on an announced and unannounced basis to ensure that their cleanliness standards are up to scratch. Of course, we can see that rates of infection in our hospitals are at record lows.

Members will be aware that norovirus spreads very rapidly. It is usually acquired in the community and is very difficult to control and contain in hospitals, but all hospital staff—infection control staff and others—have an absolute duty to ensure that they do everything possible to control those winter outbreaks. They have my absolute support in doing so.

The Deputy First Minister will be aware of the on-going saga of the Ministry of Defence refusing to take responsibility for the clean-up of radiation at Dalgety bay. What steps can the Scottish Government take to secure action on the part of the MOD in accordance with the polluter pays principle?

It is entirely unacceptable that that situation has arisen as a result of inaction from the Ministry of Defence. SEPA has made it clear that the MOD is responsible for the radioactive material that is present at Dalgety bay. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, Richard Lochhead, has twice written to the Secretary of State for Defence, urging the MOD to take immediate action. No reply has yet been received, and it is vital that the MOD responds without any further delay with a credible plan for how it will act to address the situation.

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Offshore Wind Turbines (Manufacturing Base)

3. To ask the First Minister what the impact would be of Gamesa locating its manufacturing base for offshore wind turbines outside Scotland. (S4F-00325)

First, it is important to recognise that, largely due to the efforts of the First Minister, Gamesa has already made a substantial commitment to Scotland. In September the company officially opened its £12.5 million research and development centre in Glasgow, creating 180 new jobs.

Secondly, the Scottish Government, along with Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International, is still working closely with Gamesa to bring its proposed wind turbine manufacturing facility to Leith, which would result in a substantial investment and the creation of jobs by yet another major inward investor in Scotland.

My colleague Shona Robison and I would like as many renewables jobs in Dundee as possible, although we must acknowledge that Dundee port will never be able to accommodate all the companies that have shown an interest in locating there. Can the Deputy First Minister offer an assurance that the Government is still committed to ensuring that Dundee is a key location for the development of renewables and that the Government is taking action to attract renewables companies and jobs to our city?

I absolutely understand the concern that the member raises. He has campaigned vigorously for jobs to be brought to his constituency. The national renewables infrastructure plan identified Dundee as one of the top ports for renewables manufacture, and that absolutely remains the case. We are confident that Dundee has a leading role to play in advanced manufacturing of the major high-value components of offshore wind farms, and we expect a positive announcement in that regard to be made in early course.

I am grateful for the Deputy First Minister’s assurance that the issue is a Government priority. Can she assure me that the Government is putting in place appropriate support to secure renewables investment for Dundee, given that I wrote to the First Minister on 3 November to ask what support the Scottish Government would give to Gamesa and have not received a response?

I say clearly to Jenny Marra that I hope that, on an issue that is so important to the city of Dundee, we can have cross-party unity and get behind the potential of that great city. The Scottish Government will ensure all appropriate support for Dundee to fulfil that potential. We have invested and are investing in Dundee in a range of ways, in recognition of the importance of the great city of Dundee. Of course, the people of Dundee spoke up about that in May, when they re-elected Joe FitzPatrick and Shona Robison with overwhelming majorities.

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China (Trade Links)

4. To ask the Deputy First Minister how Scotland’s trade links with China will be improved as a result of the First Minister’s visit. (S4F-00328) [Interruption.]

I am not sure what Opposition members find amusing about the First Minister’s visit to China, as it is important to Scotland’s economic interests.

The First Minister is undertaking his third official visit to China, which is aimed at building much closer economic and cultural links with that country. The First Minister’s meeting with His Excellency Vice Premier Li earlier this week followed on from the vice premier’s successful visit to Edinburgh in January and was extremely constructive, with a focus on trade and investment opportunities in Scotland.

The Scottish Government, working with the Chinese authorities and the UK Government, has achieved the opening up of key Scottish products to China. Direct exports of Scottish salmon to China increased from zero in January this year to 2,600 tonnes in August, which is worth more than £15 million to the Scottish economy. We have also witnessed a rise in whisky exports to China of 30 per cent in the first half of 2011 compared to the first half of 2010. Those are just two areas in which Scotland is benefiting from engaging with the emerging Chinese market. The Government will continue to develop and maximise further opportunities.

What impact will the arrival of the giant pandas have on Edinburgh zoo’s visitor numbers and what effect will they have on tourism in and the economy of western Edinburgh?

Edinburgh zoo is the second-most popular paid visitor attraction in Scotland. [Interruption.]

Order. There is too much noise in the chamber.

Labour members are showing the kind of behaviour that led to their being comprehensively defeated in the election in May. These are important issues for Scotland.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland estimates that the giant pandas will generate an extra 150,000 visitors to the zoo in the 12 months following their arrival, which will generate about £2 million a year in additional income for Edinburgh zoo. It is anticipated that the increased revenue and sponsorship will help to fund the project.

I was delighted to be a member of the welcoming party on Sunday for Tian Tian and Yang Guang, which were gifted to Scotland by China and described by China’s Premier Wen as a symbol of friendship. I am sure that all members will welcome the fact that both pandas are settling in very well to their new home at Edinburgh zoo.

Scotland got Sunshine and Sweetie, while China got the First Minister. Who does the Deputy First Minister think got the better deal?

I will leave it to other people to decide whether it was a good trade, but I am very much looking forward to the First Minister’s return to hear about his success in China. I am sure that all members are looking forward to seeing him back here next Thursday.

In inquiries that have been undertaken by committees of the Parliament into trade missions to China, the importance of raising the issue of human rights with the Chinese Government and its officials has always been paramount. In light of the fact that the First Minister, on this occasion, raised the issue of human rights in China with the Chinese Government, will the Deputy First Minister comment on the response that the First Minister received?

The First Minister will report back on his visit to China in full on his return. That is the appropriate way in which to do these things.

Patricia Ferguson is right to say that the Scottish Government is committed to engaging with the Chinese Government on the issue of human rights as part of our overall strategic engagement. Respect for human rights is critical to China’s long-term prosperity and social stability; therefore, engaging on human rights is in both countries’ interests. The First Minister met Alan Miller before he went to China and discussed the approach that he would take, which included great reference to Adam Smith in the speeches that he made. He also gave a well-received speech on climate justice, which was welcomed by many, including Mary Robinson, who was very positive about it on Twitter. I hope that the entire chamber not only welcomes, but supports the First Minister’s efforts in China in all respects.

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Royal College of Nursing (Survey)

5. To ask the Deputy First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on the Royal College of Nursing survey that shows that 37 per cent of nurses have been discouraged from reporting, or told not to report, their concerns about issues such as patient safety and staffing levels at their workplace. (S4F-00334)

I make it absolutely clear that I will not tolerate a situation in which national health service staff are told not to report patient safety concerns. A new partnership information network policy that deals specifically with whistleblowing has been developed and was published on Tuesday. I am confident that the world-leading patient safety programme is changing the culture of patient safety and creating an environment in which staff share information without fear of reprisal and integrate patient safety into their daily work. That is as it should be, and my responsibility—one that I take very seriously—is to ensure that that is how it is.

I welcome the new PIN guidelines. Will the Deputy First Minister give us a date for their implementation? Will she require all concerns that are raised to be registered and reported to the health board and the area partnership along with subsequent action? The nurses report, in their latest survey, that 48 per cent of respondents indicated that no action was taken when issues were raised. With the more frequent discouragement and 80 per cent of nurses now saying that they fear victimisation or an effect on their career if they whistleblow, does the Deputy First Minister agree that the time has come to set up a confidential national whistleblowing helpline for all NHS staff?

I have said to Richard Simpson previously in the chamber—I am happy to repeat it today—that I will listen to all suggestions about how we can reassure staff that they are able to raise issues of concern. As Richard Simpson is aware, all members of staff have statutory protection when they want to raise issues of concern, under the terms of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, and the “Implementing & Reviewing Whistleblowing Arrangements in NHSScotland Pin Policy” incorporates those rights.

I do not for a second want to play down the RCN survey—I take its findings very seriously. However, I point out that it used a fairly small sample of 345 RCN members in Scotland. The 2010 NHS Scotland staff survey asked staff whether they believed that it was safe to speak up and challenge the way in which things were done if they had concerns. That used a much bigger sample of nurses, and the number of nurses saying that they did not feel confident was much lower. Nevertheless, I take such matters very seriously.

Publicly today, I send out a strong message to all those who work in the NHS that patient safety is paramount. It is their responsibility and my responsibility, and anyone who has concerns should feel free to raise them.

That was an interesting exchange between the questioner and the Deputy First Minister. Will the proposed charter be extended to local government, particularly Glasgow City Council, where people are certainly not encouraged to report—and are terrified to report—any incidents?

That is wide of the question.

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Infrastructure Projects (Roads)

6. To ask the First Minister what percentage of the £60 billion that the Scottish Government has allocated for infrastructure projects over the next 15 years will be spent on roads. (S4F-00331)

This Administration has a proven track record in prioritising road investment and improvement. Looking ahead, a significant proportion of future infrastructure investment will go into further improving our roads network. We will complete the M8, M73 and M74 improvements; we will build the Aberdeen western peripheral route; we will dual the A9 to Inverness; and we will ensure that the connections of all our cities are dualled roads by 2030 at the latest.

As the infrastructure plan makes clear, spending details will be finalised in successive spending review periods, in light of further information about project costs and timings.

When he opened the new Stena Line port in Cairnryan recently, the First Minister made bold statements about recommencing the Dunragit bypass on the A75—which his Government cancelled last year—and he announced that Maybole on the A77 would also be bypassed.

This week’s announcement—which, I am afraid, contains little joy on roads infrastructure for the south-west of Scotland—suggests that nothing will happen on the Maybole bypass project until 2017 at the earliest. In light of that, can the Deputy First Minister now confirm a start date for the recommencement of the Dunragit bypass? In the structure plan, will she also commit to bypassing the villages of Springholm and Crocketford on the A75, which, along with Dunragit, currently have the dubious distinction of being the only communities without a bypass along the entire length of the trans-European network system between the south of Spain and the ferry ports at Cairnryan?

The member is correct to recall that the First Minister visited Cairnryan for the opening of the new £200 million Stena Line port on 25 November. When he did so, he announced the imminent progress on vital sections of the A75 at Dunragit and the A77 at Maybole. I am pleased to report that momentum is building on those projects. The next phases announced by the First Minister have been scheduled to begin in spring 2012. This is real investment in the south-west and it builds on other significant investments by this Government—such as the completion of the dual carriageway from Cairntop to Barlae, and the A77 between Park End and Bennane.

I remind the member—and I am sure that he would be the first to graciously concede the point—that our ambitious programme of infrastructure investment is taking place against the backdrop of substantial capital cuts being imposed on the Scottish Government by the UK Government that includes the party to which the member belongs.

12:32 Meeting suspended.

14:15 On resuming—