SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Kerb Crawling
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to legislate against kerb crawling. (S2O-7043)
The Executive remains fully committed to criminalising the offence or nuisance that is caused by kerb crawling. We are currently considering the report of the expert group on street prostitution in the light of consultation responses, and we hope to indicate the way forward shortly.
The minister will know that certain areas in Glasgow are plagued by the activities of these individuals and that the lives of the people who live and work in those neighbourhoods are severely affected. He says that the Executive is fully committed to criminalising the offence. When can we expect legislative action to deliver on the partnership commitment to deal with men who engage in this activity?
We are fully aware of the problems that are caused in many communities by such activity, which is why we gave the commitment to tackle kerb crawling. We find the recommendations of the working group useful in that, for the first time, there is discussion of criminalising the activities of men and not concentrating solely on punishing women in relation to prostitution. We know that, in certain areas, many of these men are causing problems certainly to the women who are working as prostitutes but also to local residents. They inflict fear and alarm on women who walk in those areas minding their own business, and it is right that we should start to focus on their responsibility. The working group has recommended that men who are kerb crawling should be criminalised.
Is the minister aware that, in the past, when kerb crawling has become a problem in Glasgow, the perpetrators to whom he has referred have sometimes been charged under the common-law offence of breach of the peace? Might that not be an expedient interim measure for coping with what is undoubtedly a growing problem in certain residential areas?
It is still open to the police to charge someone with breach of the peace if the conditions of that offence are met. I am sure that the police will act appropriately in any such circumstances. However, it is right to consider whether there are wider aspects of the problem that do not meet the specific criteria for breach of the peace. We would want to consider whether nuisance, fear and alarm or offence were caused and whether, by widening the criteria, we could effectively put a stop to such activity.
Roads (Isle of Mull)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the concerns of people on the Isle of Mull regarding Argyll and Bute Council's proposals to impose maximum plated weight restrictions on the island's roads. (S2O-7008)
The Scottish Executive is aware of those concerns and understands that the council's proposals are at an early stage.
The minister will be aware that the Scottish Executive has powers to authorise signs that do not conform to the regulations, where that is justified for traffic management and safety reasons. Will he guarantee that, if Argyll and Bute Council were to ask the Scottish Executive to use those powers, he would look seriously at granting such a request?
Of course we would. There has been considerable concern about the matter and I am told that more than 300 local residents have written to the Executive roads department about it. Draft traffic regulation orders have yet to be published by Argyll and Bute, but it is correct that if a roads authority wishes to impose weight restrictions that do not conform to the regulations, they would be able to seek the authorisation of Scottish ministers for that. We would treat any such application on its merits.
Does the minister not agree that the real problem is the state of the roads on Mull? That is why the weight restrictions are being imposed. The roads are single track and Argyll and Bute Council does not have enough money in its roads budget to make proper repairs. Considering that a great deal of money was spent to remove the tolls from the Skye bridge, does the minister not agree that the island of Mull has as much right as the island of Skye has to an infrastructure that is fit for the modern age?
I agree that investment in our local roads network is important and that is why we are giving additional funding to local authorities to improve the condition of local roads. Some £60 million in additional grant-aided expenditure will go to local authorities for roads purposes.
Is the minister aware that Mull is one of the jewels in Scotland's tourism crown and that Duart Castle on Mull is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Scotland, but there has recently been a drastic cut in the number of buses going to the castle because of the condition of the roads? What will the Scottish Executive do to improve the roads on Mull so that the tourist buses and essential lorries that bring goods to local residents get to the places to which they intend to go?
There are no current restrictions and I encourage the tourists who wish to visit Mull to continue to do so in ever-growing numbers. The challenge for us is to maintain and improve the roads on Mull in the future. That is why the funding that we provide to the local council and, ultimately, the decisions made by the local council about how it distributes its roads funding throughout the council area are very important.
Rates Exemptions (New Businesses)
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to give business rate exemptions to all new businesses in their first two years. (S2O-7012)
Business rates for new businesses will vary from property to property. The information that would be needed to provide a reliable estimate of the cost of giving them exemptions is not held centrally. The Executive is of course engaging with business organisations in a number of ways to build Scotland's competitiveness.
Does the minister agree that that assistance is probably the most important new initiative that could be taken to improve the survival rates of businesses in their first two years, which is when they are most vulnerable?
Scottish ministers, including the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning and the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, are in constant discussions with a range of business organisations to discuss many ideas that are proposed. I recognise fully that at election times there are many new ideas and it is important that they are always well thought out.
Now that both of the aspirants for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats in the Scottish Parliament are committed to reducing business tax, will the minister tell us when we can expect an announcement of the Executive's position on business tax and the subsequent reductions before the 2007 elections?
These are all very excitable issues that will be dealt with properly and appropriately by Government in due course.
We seem to have a growing consensus in the chamber that Scottish businesses are suffering from a competitive disadvantage from the high levels of business rates. Is it not about time that the Executive started listening to the business community and indeed to leadership candidates in the Liberal Democrats and took action on the matter?
I fear that Mr Fraser gave away the game there—it appears that a leadership contest is also pending in other parties. Mr Fraser needs to recognise that the employment rate in this country is above that of the United Kingdom and is at its highest since records began. Only Denmark from the European Union 25 nations has a greater proportion of its people in work. Youth unemployment in Scotland is down by 57 per cent since January 1999 and long-term unemployment is down by 70 per cent since January 1999. There has been significant progress across a range of measures that relate to our competitive position. These matters are under constant review and are always being developed by ministers.
Question 4 has been withdrawn.
Olympic Games
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the bid by St Andrews Links Trust for St Andrews to be the Olympic golf venue if London is successful in its attempt to host the 2012 Olympic games and golf is included as an event at these games. (S2O-7013)
Yes. The home of golf would be an ideal venue for what would be the first ever Olympic golf tournament held in the United Kingdom.
I thank the minister for her support. Does she agree that a successful bid to host the Olympics in the UK can only be good news for Scottish sport? Does she join me in condemning Scottish National Party politicians such as Alex Neil who seek to undermine the London bid with short-sighted attacks on how the games might be funded? Does she further agree that politicians who purport to speak for St Andrews would serve the community better if they backed the Olympic golf bid rather than damaging the reputation of St Andrews by seeking cheap publicity by blowing out of all proportion the row over Jack Nicklaus?
It is obviously up to individual members how they conduct themselves and on which issues they decide to major. However, it is certainly wrong to underestimate the potential benefits to sport, business and the health of our communities of a successful Olympic bid. Given that golf tourism is worth some £300 million per annum to the Scottish economy, any action that damages our reputation as a friendly, welcoming golf destination is of course unhelpful.
Volunteering
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage more people to volunteer for projects in their communities. (S2O-7007)
We are encouraging more people to volunteer, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, through the Scottish Executive volunteering strategy. We are dismantling barriers to volunteering, such as lack of awareness of volunteering and how to get involved. We are improving the experience that volunteers have by developing the skills of volunteer managers to recruit and support volunteers. We are encouraging more young people to volunteer through project Scotland and millennium volunteers. To those ends, the Scottish Executive funds the national network of volunteer centres, Volunteer Development Scotland, project Scotland and a number of specialised projects.
That is encouraging. Will the minister consider re-examining the working conditions and rules of public servants—whether in the civil service, local government or the health service—to make it easier for them to volunteer? That would set a good example.
I suspect that it goes far beyond my remit to encourage Donald Gorrie in the notion of my power over the civil service. However, volunteering is a very positive issue for the Parliament and the Executive. We recognise that it is one of the strengths of our communities and we fund it significantly. Last week was volunteers week, during which I, like many others, visited a number of initiatives that reflected on the goodness in our local communities, where people contribute so much. Anything that creates a barrier should be dismantled. I am more than happy to address anything that weakens the capacity of people to support others in their local community through volunteer activity.
During the voluntary sector debate on 19 May, the Minister for Communities said:
It is clear that there is a partnership between the SCVO, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Executive to address funding issues. If the SCVO believes that its position has been misrepresented, it might have been helpful for it to direct its comments either to the Minister for Communities or to me, especially because we are working in partnership on funding matters. I do not believe that there is a division. I believe that there is a genuine commitment among the three partners to ensure that the voluntary sector is appropriately funded, that it is sustainable and that it is able to do what it does best, which is work within local communities to support those who are most in need.
Young People
To ask the Scottish Executive what its latest estimate is of the number of 16 to 19-year-olds who are not in education, training or employment. (S2O-7034)
Based on the "Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey 2003/04", the Scottish Executive estimates that 35,000 young people aged 16 to 19 are not in education, employment or training.
I point out that that represents 13 per cent of all 16 to 19-year-olds in Scotland and that that is higher than the figure in 1999, when the Executive came to power. When will the minister do something about the problem and get those young people into education, training or employment?
I know that the member has some prowess in the field of economic development, but he obviously has very little in the field of statistics. As he knows, we have virtually eliminated youth unemployment. Worklessness is a different matter altogether. For a substantial proportion of that estimated number of young people, no intervention is either necessary or desirable. For another sizeable number—probably 7,000 to 10,000—employment or training in the conventional sense is not an option, because they are sick, disabled or looking after family or home. We have to develop completely different approaches to reduce that number, which is why in the autumn we will produce an employability framework that will set out our strategy for giving opportunities to that group of people.
Does the minister recognise that the downturn in the manufacturing industry and low business growth rates limit the opportunity of young people in my constituency of Greenock and Inverclyde to gain access to the successful modern apprenticeships scheme? Will he give an assurance that he will look into that matter, with a view to improving the situation?
There are pockets of economic inopportunity throughout Scotland that desire specific measures, which the employability framework will target. We must ensure that the economic and employment opportunities that are now available in many parts of Scotland are extended to those parts of Scotland, such as Greenock and Inverclyde and my constituency in North Ayrshire, where there is a lack of economic or employment opportunity for young people who are actively seeking employment.
Scottish Science Advisory Committee
To ask the Scottish Executive what confidence it has in the chair of the Scottish Science Advisory Committee. (S2O-6993)
I assure Mr Gallie that ministers have full confidence in Professor Wilson Sibbett.
I am delighted to hear that, but in that case why is the Executive not listening to the recommendations of its scientific adviser, particularly on renewable energy? The scientific adviser points out that the Executive's targets on renewable energy are totally unrealistic and that there is a great need for nuclear energy developments to proceed now and not later. Why will the Executive not listen to its adviser, in whom it has confidence?
I can answer that simply. We have neither sought nor received formal advice from Professor Sibbett on energy issues. He was appointed as an independent adviser to the Executive on science; his remit extends to advice on Scotland's science strategy, but not on particular science issues. Of course, the point of having an independent adviser is that there is a degree of independence. However, we are exercising our independence, too. I strongly advise Mr Gallie that I have every confidence that the 40 per cent target for 2020 that we have set for renewable energy is achievable and that it could well be exceeded.
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