SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Environment and Rural Development
Question 1 has not been lodged.
Flooding (Tayside)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to help prevent future flooding damage to homes and businesses in Tayside. (S2O-6999)
We are providing grant support to councils at the increased rate of 80 per cent of eligible costs of approved flood prevention schemes in Tayside and throughout Scotland, and we are working with a range of stakeholders to improve awareness of and preparedness for future flood risk, particularly in the light of climate change.
The minister might be aware that residents at Dalguise on the River Tay suffered severe flood damage in January. As a result of damage to the flood banks, there is a likelihood of further flood damage in the future. What steps will the Executive take to support Perth and Kinross Council if it decides to promote a flood prevention scheme in that area?
I am certainly aware of the matter, as Mr Fraser wrote to me about it earlier this year. The position is simple. Councils have discretion to take action on flood protection in any circumstances in any place. The grant support for flood prevention schemes, to which I referred, does not cover agricultural land. However, a scheme on agricultural land that is designed to protect non-agricultural properties will potentially attract grant support, on the basis of the assessment of costs. In any case, the local authority has discretion to take any measures that it wishes to take to deal with flooding.
Green Space (Urban Areas)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote green space areas in urban landscapes. (S2O-7032)
We are supporting a range of actions to promote green space and environmental improvements in urban areas. They include the community regeneration fund and the associated regeneration outcome agreements for disadvantaged neighbourhoods; the woods in and around towns initiative, which is led by the Forestry Commission Scotland; and the greenspace for communities initiative, which is core funded by Scottish Natural Heritage and draws support from local partners for the work of the local greenspace trusts. In addition, planning policy seeks to protect and promote open space in urban areas.
Is the minister aware of Falkirk Council's innovative proposal to transform a massive section of land between Falkirk and Grangemouth into a new commercial, recreational and environmental growth area? A key part of that proposal is the development of a large eco-park. Does the minister agree that a key part of promoting such sustainable developments is recognition of the interplay between their environmental, social and economic benefits? Will he join me in congratulating Falkirk Council on pursuing the development? How will the Executive ensure that other councils promote such developments?
We certainly want local authorities and others to come forward with projects and programmes that recognise the balance between environmental, social and economic initiatives. The measures to which I referred in my initial answer—such as the regeneration outcome agreements, which are particularly pertinent to urban areas—encourage environmental investment as part of social and economic regeneration.
Pesticide Use
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it intends to issue on the use of pesticides, in light of the findings of the Geoparkinson study. (S2O-7025)
The Executive has no plans to issue any specific guidance. The independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides has not specifically considered the Geoparkinson study, but last November it considered a report by its medical and toxicology panel on the possible links between pesticides and Parkinson's disease. At its meeting, the committee concluded that although the review indicated a correlation between recalled pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease, it did not point to a particular toxic mechanism or a hazard from a specific compound or group of compounds.
I thank the minister for his considered response. Does he support the view of David Coggon, who is the chairman of the British Government's Advisory Committee on Pesticides, that such research should track individual pesticide usage, given that the Geoparkinson study that has just been produced said that high-exposure users such as farmers are 43 per cent more likely to develop Parkinson's disease? Campaigners such as Alex Horne of Armadale who have pursued the issue for many years would like not only more research, but guidance and advice to farmers and gardeners about exposure to pesticides and the potential dangers.
I am happy to take that on board. I hope that Fiona Hyslop will understand that the difficulty with the initial response was that although it found a correlation with recalled pesticide exposure, it did not get the link. That makes it difficult for us to issue guidance. Immediately that we have the research findings, if they point to a clearer link, such as that which the member suggests, we will not hesitate to issue guidance as required.
Climate Change
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take following the publication of the "Report on the Inquiry into Climate Change" by the Environment and Rural Development Committee. (S2O-7042)
We are considering carefully the recommendations that are made in that excellent report by the committee under Sarah Boyack's equally excellent chairmanship. We will set out the action that we plan to take when we respond formally, in line with parliamentary procedure.
I welcome that unusually positive response, which will be logged for the future. What plans does the minister have to promote action on climate change by the business community and to make that community see carbon reduction as an opportunity rather than a threat? Does he have thoughts about how Scotland might gear itself up to take advantage of any deals that may be struck on climate change at the G8 summit? I am thinking in particular of opportunities for Scottish businesses, such as those in the renewables industry.
I see that positive responses do not always generate a positive reaction, but never mind—I will persist in a positive vein.
I will continue on this jolly theme. The First Minister said today that he would consider an Executive statement on climate change before the G8 summit. When will the Minister for Environment and Rural Development consider that and when might he make a statement?
I think that the First Minister undertook to make the statement, so it would be inappropriate for me to tell him when to make it. I listened with care to his response; he said that he would consider the matter. I am sure that that was said in good faith.
Scotland is making excellent progress towards its 40 per cent renewable energy target, but the Department of Trade and Industry has admitted that it will not meet its 10 per cent target. Will the minister ensure that the review of renewables obligations will provide real support to the invaluable marine energy sector? What action has the Executive taken to evaluate the potential of specific renewables obligation certificate support for marine output, as recommended in the report by the forum for renewable energy development in Scotland's marine energy group?
My colleague the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning is engaged in the DTI's review of renewables obligation certificates. Much practical and academic evidence has been produced that shows that, as things are currently structured, adequate support may not be being given to developing technologies and that there may be a case for extending that support to ensure that ample support and incentives are given to developing technologies beyond the current situation. Currently, wind power has an advantage as a result of the maturity of its technology, but the Scottish Executive is clear that we wish to have a basket of available technologies to meet our renewable energy target.
Sewage Sludge
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward a specific sustainable strategy for the treatment and disposal of sewage sludge. (S2O-7026)
The Scottish Executive's policy is to establish arrangements that ensure that sewage sludge is treated or disposed of without threat to the environment or to human health under the relevant waste management regulations.
Does the minister acknowledge the justifiable public concern that sewage sludge that is being disposed of in land in Scotland is neither treated to kill off pathogens nor tested to determine heavy metal levels? Does he acknowledge that current practices are financially driven, with Scottish Water seeking to avoid landfill tax and contractors seeking to maximise the tonnage that they can dispose of without regard to environmental benefits?
I do not accept that interesting summary, although I appreciate that the member has a real interest in the matter and I acknowledge that he has pursued it diligently. However, the taking of sewage to landfill and taking it for agricultural use are controlled by a range of regulations. I do not accept that people can use such methods without due regard to the licensing authorities or to the regulations. I accept that the member, like other members, has produced instances in which those regulations have been obviated and action has had to be taken, but I do not accept that sludge is taken to land without there being a clear regulatory process.
As we speak, raw sewage sludge is being spread over land at Beoch and at Newcastleton. I assume that we all find that to be absolutely unacceptable. Will the minister undertake to ensure that the practice of spreading raw sewage sludge on to land does not continue, whether or not it is allowed? Will he undertake to ensure that the practice ceases?
It is all very well for the member to take the position that we should do nothing with sewage, but I am not sure whether that position is entirely practical or practicable. All I am saying—and as I said to Adam Ingram—is that whether people take sewage for agricultural purposes or to land, there is a clear regulatory framework that they must abide by. It is not about a simple ministerial direction. If the member wanted a change in the law, the matter would have to be considered, but it is not a question of my intervening in an existing regulatory procedure simply to direct an end to the practice. The landfill, incineration of waste and other regulations, including the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994, all exist to ensure that we protect human health and the environment.
I am grateful to the minister for his comments. Does he accept that, for the many of us who represent constituencies that have new sewage treatment works, safe disposal of the waste product is a matter of great concern? In his discussions with the relevant bodies, will he undertake to ensure that we do not leave ourselves with no option for the disposal of sewage sludge? Will he ensure that whatever option is agreed to is safe, poses no danger to health, does not pollute the atmosphere and represents the most environmentally sound disposal method that is available?
I assure the member that my department and my colleague Lewis Macdonald are in discussion with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and that SEPA, in turn, is in discussion with operators who might be able to provide a sewage disposal service, to ensure that operators understand the regulatory framework and the opportunities that their becoming engaged in the process would bring for their businesses. I give the member comfort by assuring her that I share her view that it would be much to our benefit in Scotland if we had access to a wider range of sewage disposal methods. I cannot simply turn that on, but Lewis Macdonald and I and our officials are engaged with commercial operators, to encourage them to understand the opportunities, what is involved and the regulations, to try to overcome their fears that their investment might not be recovered, because we certainly wish there to be a wider range of sewage disposal facilities.
Aquaculture
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in improving the international competitiveness of Scottish aquaculture. (S2O-6996)
I expect to receive shortly a comprehensive report from the regulatory review team, which has been looking at ways of making the regulatory regime more fit for purpose without compromising environmental or consumer concerns. The international comparative cost study, which we are part funding, will reach its conclusions soon and allow us to make further progress in increasing the competitiveness of Scottish aquaculture.
How will the Scottish Executive ensure that the anti-dumping measures that have been proposed to create a fairer market in fish farming will provide not only a level playing field for indigenous Scottish companies, which is vital, but a context in which multinational companies that are located in Scotland can continue to thrive?
I am aware of the views of multinational companies that are located in Scotland and I will meet such companies in the next few days to discuss issues to do with competitiveness. It is clear that free trade must also be fair trade and the measures that are being pursued through the European Union are intended to protect small companies in the marketplace from unfair trading practice in the EU. The measures will also ensure stable prices and stability in the marketplace, which will benefit all the producers who operate in Scotland, whether they are multinational or Scottish-owned companies.
Would the industry's competitiveness be assisted if Britain, or indeed Scotland, were a member of the euro zone?
On our position in relation to the European markets, the key issue is that we already have a premium for Scottish products, as a result of our good reputation for the environmental quality of our water, for example. Our priorities in carrying that forward are to ensure that the European market remains fair and, of course, to ensure that we maintain our excellent reputation for high environmental standards, which assists in the marketing of Scottish produce.
Health and Community Care
Consultants (St John's Hospital, Livingston)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by Lothian NHS Board in recruiting additional consultants to support the obstetrics and gynaecology department at St John's hospital in Livingston. (S2O-7066)
I understand that consultant interviews were held on 26 May and that two excellent candidates were appointed to support the obstetrics and gynaecology service at St John's hospital in Livingston. I understand that it is anticipated that the new consultants will take up post in the autumn.
I thank the minister for her very positive answer. Does she agree that, given that West Lothian and western Edinburgh have relatively young and growing populations, it is excellent news that NHS Lothian is showing a commitment to the maternity and gynaecology services at St John's and that the appointment of those consultants will ensure a long and stable future for those services?
Over the past five years the number of births at St John's has risen steadily: the figure is now approximately 2,800 per annum. That mirrors the significant rise in population in the area. The appointment of the two consultants mirrors the similar investment made last year in neonatal and paediatric services at St John's hospital. That sends a clear signal of the importance attached to St John's hospital by NHS Lothian. That commitment is mirrored by Scottish ministers.
The minister may be aware that one of those statistics is me, as I gave birth at St John's last year.
I am always delighted to hear about high-quality services. I am happy to do that.
Question 2 is from Ms Alexander, but she is not in the chamber.
Arbuthnott Formula
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on the review of the Arbuthnott formula for allocating funding to NHS boards. (S2O-7040)
The NHS Scotland resource allocation committee was set up earlier this year to improve and refine the Arbuthnott formula. The members have been appointed for a fixed term until 31 March 2007. The committee has already met on several occasions, but I do not anticipate that it will report its recommendations to me until late 2006 or early 2007.
It will come as no surprise to the minister to hear that many of us want the Arbuthnott formula revised to take proper account of deprivation. Will the minister acknowledge that there is a well established link between poverty and ill health? Will he also acknowledge that for many communities in the west of Scotland there needs to be additional recognition of the cost of poverty to the NHS and that sooner rather than later that should be reflected in the funding provided for health boards?
I agree with Jackie Baillie's substantive point. However, the Executive has focused across all portfolios on the recognition that health and poverty are linked. That is why we work across ministerial boundaries to ensure that we take a cross-cutting approach that addresses issues such as transport, employment, mental well-being, community confidence, and investment in education and health. I think that that is the solution to health care and health improvement issues here in Scotland.
In the light of the review of the Arbuthnott formula, I draw the minister's attention to the fact that NHS funding in the Western Isles, where there are 11 inhabited islands, is £691 per person per year more than NHS funding in Argyll, where there are 25 islands. I understand that in the early days Arbuthnott funding took account of road miles but not sea miles. Will that be reconsidered in the review?
The member is correct about the calculation: it was based on road miles per 1,000 population, if I remember correctly. That point has been made to me on a number of occasions by a number of members. Such matters are exactly what the committee will meet to address. Of course, there will be difficult decisions for us all because the allocation of resources—based upon different priorities—means a change in how we spend the money. Such decisions should reflect Jackie Baillie's point about deprivation and also remote and rural issues. Let us hear from the committee that has been established to review the formula. I will report back to Parliament in due course.
Type 1 Diabetes
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the challenges of managing type 1 diabetes and, in particular, the difficulties faced by young people in trying to control the disease. (S2O-7055)
The Executive is well aware of the challenges facing the 23,000 people with type 1 diabetes in Scotland. The 2002 Scottish diabetes framework led to significant improvements, especially in managed clinical networks, clinical management systems and eye screening. We are reviewing the framework. The consultation process highlighted the particular problems facing people with type 1 diabetes, which will be addressed in the refreshed framework.
Examples of good practice for young people, such as the sweet talk project based at Ninewells hospital in my constituency, which involves texting patients as young as eight with daily reminders to take insulin, to test their blood sugar levels and to eat and exercise sensibly, are to be commended. However, there is no consistent approach throughout Scotland for young people who are transferring from children's to adult services. Those moves happen when they are around 13 or 14 years old, which is a very vulnerable time for young diabetics. Does the Scottish Executive have any plans to address the problem?
Kate Maclean raises an important issue that has been raised in Dundee. Her point underlines the importance of providing effective, accessible and sympathetic services to young people with diabetes and illustrates the value of our decision to deliver the comprehensive programme to detect and treat diabetic retinopathy. As part of the review of services, we will consider the issue that the member raises. Diabetes services in Dundee are a shining light for services in other parts of Scotland and I hope to visit them in the near future.
Kate Maclean is right to highlight the inconsistency of treatment across Scotland, which other members have noted. She is also right to talk about the problem of children moving from children's diabetes services to adult services. Like me, many members will have encountered that problem in their constituencies.
The member wrote to me recently on the issue. Insulin pumps are an effective treatment option for some people with type 1 diabetes. They are not a cure or an easy option, but they are valuable for some people. The eligibility criteria for the treatment are set out in National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance. We expect NHS boards to implement that guidance, and recently they were reminded of their obligation to do so. We will follow up that reminder to ensure that appropriate arrangements are put in place.
The October 2004 report, "To make myself understood", by Diabetes UK Scotland found that one in four patients believed that care had got worse since the introduction of the 2002 diabetes framework. What action has been taken since then to raise the level of care?
We are reviewing the framework and there has been a consultation. We need to ensure that we are providing the very highest level of care. If there are particular problems, I would be happy to address them in writing. We are sure that we have a good service in Scotland for people with diabetes. In fact, we believe that we are leading the way in the UK.
Kerr Report (Implementation)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when implementing the recommendations of the Kerr report and, in particular, the recommendation that training arrangements should be developed to ensure a steady supply of remote and rural practitioners, it will consider the methodologies presented to the Finance Committee by Professor Michael Barber on 17 May 2005. (S2O-7031)
With due respect to the member, in my statement to Parliament on 25 May I indicated that I welcomed the findings of the Kerr report. We are considering the report in greater detail and will bring forward an implementation plan in due course.
I welcome the aspiration that is contained in the minister's answer, but I wish to press him on one issue. Will project management of the Kerr report recommendations include all the features of Professor Barber's methodology—tight milestones and trajectories, monthly reports, stocktakes, priority reviews and delivery reports—to ensure that full value is delivered in a timely and appropriate way?
I am always interested in learning from all parts of the world, including down south. In Scotland we have comprehensive sets of indicative data on the performance of our health service, but we always seek to improve them.
Dental Services (Isle of Lewis)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the provision of dental services on the Isle of Lewis. (S2O-7065)
I welcome the efforts of Western Isles NHS Board. The board is implementing a range of measures to address the levels of access to NHS dental services. An example is the purchase of the Bayhead dental practice, which will be transferred to the board on 1 July. From July, the practice will have five dentists providing services. An advice line was set up on Monday to provide advice on how to access NHS dentistry for both routine and emergency services.
I thank the minister for that encouraging update. When we faced the challenge of diminishing dental provision in Lewis, Andy Kerr, Rhona Brankin and Tom McCabe in his previous capacity, all personally sanctioned the purchase of the practice in Bayhead in Stornoway. We all appreciated that flexibility and flair.
Mr Morrison, you are getting your Ds mixed up. We are talking about dental services, not dialysis.
Indeed—I am talking about innovation, Presiding Officer. I urge the minister to liaise with the board in the same sensible way as the Executive liaised on dental services.
If we are talking about creativity and innovation on the part of Western Isles NHS Board, I will say that we would be delighted if the board were able to provide that innovative service in future.
Question 7 has been withdrawn.
Kerr Report (Mid Scotland and Fife)
To ask the Scottish Executive how the proposals in the Kerr report will improve services for patients in Mid Scotland and Fife. (S2O-7005)
As I said, I welcomed the publication of the Kerr report in my statement to Parliament on 25 May. We intend to bring forward an implementation plan in due course.
Many people have rightly welcomed the Kerr report. I particularly welcome the policy of keeping services as local as possible. The minister has said that implementation will happen "in due course". However, I am being asked about the definition of "in due course". Is there a timetable for "in due course"?
On 25 May, I said that we had to lay out the path towards the NHS's information technology structure. In the near future, I intend to issue documents relating to the tendering process for that service. I have already met Highland NHS Board to discuss the implications of Kerr, and next Monday I will meet with board chairs, also to discuss the implications of Kerr.
From the point of view of Mid Scotland and Fife in particular, I am glad that the minister will be meeting the board chairs. That will be very useful. I wonder whether he could reflect on what the Kerr report says about accident and emergency services. I think that it says, roughly, that they should be built around existing units. I spoke to the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care this morning about the proposal to move the accident and emergency unit from Dunfermline to Kirkcaldy over the long term. Will the minister discuss that with the board chair from Fife when he meets board members and will he ask them whether they will consider reviewing that option?
That is the very reason why we should not pick and mix from the Kerr report. If Mr Crawford reads the Kerr report he will find that it says that we should allow facilities such as diagnostic and treatment centres to deliver planned elective care in such a way that our existing diagnostic and treatment centres have a 2 per cent cancellation rate on operations. That way, they can focus simply on planned elective care, uninterrupted by A and E trauma. That allows the work on waiting times and waiting lists, in which we all have a great interest, to be done.
National Health Service Boards (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive how often the Minister for Health and Community Care meets individual NHS boards. (S2O-7002)
I meet NHS board chairs and board members on a regular basis. For example, on Tuesday 7 June, I met the board of NHS Highland to discuss Professor David Kerr's report. This summer, I shall be holding annual reviews, in public, with each of the 15 NHS boards and with most of the special health boards.
The minister may care to meet Lothian NHS Board, for the News of the World has revealed documentary evidence of the chairman and officials of Lothian NHS Board giving preferential treatment to Labour MPs, MSPs and councillors, including the blind copying of e-mail correspondence between the board and a Conservative councillor who was legitimately raising his ward constituents' concerns. Does the minister agree that that is shameful behaviour and will he use his powers to hold that health board to account?
It is down to NHS Lothian to respond to the specifics of the matter that the member raises and I am sure that it will respond in detail with its take on the reports in the News of the World. In general—not referring specifically to NHS Lothian—I expect politicians to engage with the communities that they represent in a way that allows them effectively to hold boards to account. That is what I also see from my reading about the situation at NHS Lothian. I believe, however, that it is down to NHS Lothian to respond to the specific points about political patronage.
School Nurses
To ask the Scottish Executive how many school nurses there are; whether it considers that there are sufficient numbers of such nurses; whether it has a target for the number that there should be, and what its policy is in this regard. (S2O-7020)
The Scottish Executive remains committed to building the capacity of the NHS workforce in Scotland. Although there is no specific target associated with school nurses, the latest figures show that, at September 2004, there were 423 headcount qualified school nurses working in NHS Scotland.
I am sure that the minister and the Parliament would wish to acknowledge the excellent role that school nurses play and the wide range of services that they now operate. Is the minister aware that, in England, the Labour Government is committed to there being one school nurse for every secondary school catchment area? Will the Executive match that commitment?
I am delighted to acknowledge the excellent work that school nurses do and the importance of their role. That is why "A Scottish framework for nursing in schools", which was published in March 2003 and which sets out the future direction for school nursing in Scotland, recognises the vital role that nurses play in supporting vulnerable children and young people. It provides a clear description of the nursing service that should be delivered to children and young people in Scottish schools.
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