SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
School Curriculum (History)
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the place of history in the school curriculum. (S2O-8937)
I am clear that history is a subject that has a huge contribution to make to the purposes of education. As such, it will continue to play an important part in the school curriculum.
I welcome the minister's firm support for history, which I assume is for the teaching of history as a discrete subject in secondaries 1 and 2. The minister will be aware that concerns remain. Will he comment on a report in today's press that the head teachers of Lochend community high school and Govan high school in Glasgow have decided to phase out the subject for first and second-year pupils as of the next academic year? Given the age profile in history departments throughout Scotland and the number of history graduates who are undertaking teacher training, is the minister confident that history has a future?
History certainly has a future. I am not going to make it a thing of the past, as somebody once suggested I was thinking of doing.
I call Murray Tosh.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer—sorry, I mean Presiding Officer. [Laughter.] I was repeating the refrain that I am so used to hearing from other members.
I am happy to investigate that matter. In the workforce planning process, which is now much more sophisticated than it was in the past, we take account of peaks and troughs in the current and future age profile and try to secure the right number of teachers for certain points in time. We do not want to have an oversupply or undersupply in particular subjects, because we do not want unemployed teachers or teacher shortages. That is why there can be fluctuations in the yearly intakes. However, I am happy to look into the matter that the member raises.
I share the concerns that were raised in the previous questions. Does the minister agree that a central part of a civilised society is that people understand their history and where their country fits in, which in our case, means fitting into British, European and world history? Fundamentally, people have to know the basic facts about their country's history because otherwise they are not civilised. Will the minister ensure that that happens here?
I agree completely with Donald Gorrie. One of the few comments that I made to my officials at the outset of the curriculum review was that young people must have a sense of how we got here. They need to understand the origins of our society and how it has developed, but they also need to understand the many lessons that history teaches through consideration of major and other world events. It is hugely important that young people know where they are, how they got here and how our society developed and that they learn the lessons of history, if we are to avoid making mistakes in the future.
Play Opportunities
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the importance of play opportunities for improving child mental health and tackling obesity and antisocial behaviour in young people. (S2O-8952)
Play is an integral part of childhood and helps children to develop skills in forming relationships, negotiation and dealing with conflict, all of which are important in emotional and social development. Research evidence suggests that children who have good emotional skills from an early age are likely to have lower rates of obesity, mental illness, teenage pregnancy and substance misuse in later life.
Is the minister aware of a 2004 report from University College London that found that free play was second only to physical education in burning off calories in children? Is he also aware of the 2001 report from the British Medical Journal that warned of an "obesity epidemic" among children? That report said:
Yes. Play is extremely important and the Scottish ministers and the Executive recognise its importance in a number of areas. Of course, the issue is not just to do with play; it is also to do with matters such as physical exercise, the opportunity for games, good dietary habits and our hungry for success programme. Play is not viewed in isolation. We must think about the availability of places in which to play and about what happens in schools, particularly in nursery schools and primary 1, and we must encourage PE and games opportunities in schools.
I am pleased that the minister recognises the importance of play, but is he aware of the growing call from communities, particularly in deprived parts of Glasgow, for derelict land to be turned into play and recreation areas for their children? Does he agree that that call from local communities and people is commendable? Will he agree to meet local groups and perhaps help them to turn the derelict pieces of land into areas in which their kids can play and get physical exercise?
I touched on the importance of having and developing places in which to play and of retaining greenfield sites and open spaces. However, by and large, those are matters for local authorities. Although I am happy to talk further to Sandra White about the issue that she has raised, I think that, at that level of enterprise, it is a matter for the local authority rather than the Scottish Executive to be engaged with. However, the Executive strongly supports encouraging play and providing play opportunities in every way possible.
Social Housing (Edinburgh)
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place at a ministerial or official level with representatives of the City of Edinburgh Council in respect of an alternative strategy for social housing in light of the no vote in the housing stock transfer ballot of tenants in December 2005. (S2O-8929)
I had a formal meeting with the executive member for community safety and housing on 22 December and a number of informal discussions thereafter. Officials from the Scottish Executive and Communities Scotland have also been in on-going dialogue with their counterparts in the council and have had two formal meetings: one in January and one earlier this week.
I know that the minister is as disappointed as I am at the outcome of the ballot, which is a significant blow to hopes for the regeneration of housing in the Sighthill area of my constituency. I am sure that he will agree that there is a pressing need to develop a plan B. I understand that a partial stock transfer of houses in particular estates is under consideration. Given that a total debt write-off by the Treasury was a feature of the original proposal for a total stock transfer, would there be a partial and proportionate debt write-off if there were a number of partial stock transfers?
Certainly, I am extremely disappointed, as I have made clear on many occasions. Clearly, it is up to the City of Edinburgh Council in the first instance to look at the options that are before it. David McLetchie raises one possible scenario. Since 2004, local authorities on the community ownership programme wanting to undertake partial transfer have been able to get the equivalent debt write-off for the section of their housing stock that they transfer, so that is certainly one of the scenarios that Edinburgh may well be considering.
Question 4 was not lodged.
Fuel Poverty
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle fuel poverty among low-income households with dependent children. (S2O-8964)
The Executive is committed to eradicating fuel poverty as far as is reasonably practicable by 2016. We have already installed more than 63,000 central heating systems and insulated more than 220,000 homes, including those of a significant number of households with children. Our warm deal programme is targeted at low-income families in receipt of certain welfare benefits. In addition, we are working to eradicate child poverty by 2020 and have a number of initiatives to help families with children to find routes out of poverty, such as our child care strategy, sure start Scotland and our working for families programme.
Does the minister agree that there is a lack of detailed and reliable data to allow for the monitoring of the effect of fuel poverty on children? Can she assure me that more extensive and reliable data will be gathered on fuel-poor households with children to ensure that fuel poverty programmes reach such families in the future?
Yes. It is important that what we do is based on robust data and that we ensure that when we decide how to invest money in the best way to help families who are in fuel poverty, we do so with a proper understanding of the issues. The data can come in a number of ways through research and so on, but I recognise particularly the role of organisations that work with low-income families and the important dialogue that we have with that part of the voluntary sector, which helps to shape our actions.
I remind the minister of the 5,000 children who live in fuel-poor households with no central heating. Is the Executive considering including those households in the central heating programme that is currently under review at a cost, I understand, of £1.9 million?
As I have indicated, we are reviewing our central heating programme, which of course is far beyond what is available in other parts of the United Kingdom. It is important that we develop that programme, particularly in relation to fuel poverty. It is clear that what we need to do for children who live in fuel poverty is to support their families out of poverty. That is why our child care strategy, sure start Scotland and our working for families programme are also important. It is important that we recognise the hard work that has been done and the significant investment that has been made. Given that the Scottish National Party's offer to the children of Scotland is independence and not taxing the oil companies, I am sure that those children will recognise the key role of the Executive in supporting them.
Schools (Devolved Management and Budgets)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage greater devolution of budgets and management to schools. (S2O-9003)
We have issued revised guidance to local authorities on devolved school management. Everything that can reasonably be devolved to head teachers should be, and certainly up to 90 per cent of relevant budgets, in line with our partnership agreement commitments.
Does the minister agree that standards in our schools will be driven up only by having motivated pupils, which requires motivated teachers, which in turn requires motivated head teachers? Does he consider that head teachers in Fife will be motivated by having only 52 per cent of the education budget devolved directly to their schools? Will they be motivated by the 1.5 per cent cut in their books and equipment budget, which the Labour council has proposed?
Local decisions are matters for local councils, which will stand accountable for them. The administration in Fife has delivered a very good quality of education over many years and I am sure that that will continue into the future. Head teachers have very much welcomed what we have said about devolved school management. The circular that we issued only a couple of weeks ago, which pushed forward the whole business of devolved school management, was warmly welcomed by head teachers, who had been consulted on it beforehand.
Can the minister explain how anyone is to believe the Government's education targets? The Executive is now stating that it wants to move from an 80 per cent devolved school management target to a target of 90 per cent, despite the fact that, in huge swathes of Scotland—including Fife, as we have just heard—it is failing even to meet the initial target of 80 per cent?
We are clear about our intentions, and we know that we can do more to liberate head teachers in what they do. We want the role of local authorities to adapt and change so that they become much more supportive in facilitating head teachers' decisions. The circular that we recently issued will drive that aim forward. We will achieve the 90 per cent devolution target that is being sought. Many local authorities have moved dramatically on this issue in recent years. We expect them to move further and I will ensure that that happens.
The minister has mentioned the views of head teachers, so will he agree with the view that was expressed by Bill McGregor of the Headteachers Association of Scotland in Scotland on Sunday on 29 January? Bill McGregor said:
I am pleased to say that Bill McGregor has very much welcomed the increases that we announced we are seeking in the extent of devolved school management, which we will secure. School budgets totalling £2.6 billion are already devolved. We have made it clear that we want head teachers to have three-year budgets, so that they can plan effectively how to use that 90 per cent devolved management. We will do everything that we can to encourage that and push it forward.
Ayr Hospital
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board in respect of the board's proposal to close the specialist accident and emergency unit at Ayr hospital. (S2O-8926)
There have been a number of discussions between the Executive and NHS Ayrshire and Arran about the process for progressing the board's proposals under the review of services project. I understand from NHS Ayrshire and Arran that consultation on the emergency and unplanned care phase concluded on 2 December and that the board received a report on the consultation process at its meeting of 25 January. I am told that the board will reach a decision on the proposals at its meeting of 19 April. The proposals will then be submitted to me for my consideration.
The minister will be aware of the local government by-election in Maybole last week, in which the Labour vote melted away. The key issue in that by-election was the threat posed to accident and emergency facilities at Ayr hospital. Would the Executive care to address the concerns of the people of South Ayrshire on the issue?
When David Kerr's report was discussed in the chamber, it was widely accepted that its conclusions were the right ones for the next 10 to 15 years of the national health service. When it comes to a local proposal to develop five community casualty units in response to community needs, in line with the Kerr report and following consultation with the community, I would rather leave it until the conclusion of the consultation before reaching any views on the matter.
The minister will be aware of the level of opposition to the proposed changes to accident and emergency services in Ayrshire, with 55,000 signatories to the petitions on the matter and a protest march planned for 25 February. How does he propose to reconcile that huge opposition to the proposed changes with the principles of the Kerr report, which emphasised the importance of noting views that were expressed in a consultation process, when the consultation did not offer the public the possibility of keeping open both accident and emergency units in Ayrshire?
That will be a factor in the decision that I make when the reports reach me after being discussed by the local board. The Executive very much wants care to be localised and wants to ensure that patients have access to the right clinicians with the right skills as locally as possible. We must deliver that in our modern health care service.
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