General Questions
Forensic Services (Edinburgh)
The Scottish Police Services Authority delivers forensic science services to all eight police forces and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service on a national basis. The SPSA is committed to creating an improved and responsive national service and has been carrying out extensive engagement with stakeholders over the past 18 months as part of its forensic modernisation programme. I anticipate that the SPSA will submit proposals for the Scottish Government’s consideration later this month. We will carefully consider its proposals before reaching a decision.
I visited the Edinburgh forensic facility in my constituency and heard the serious concerns of staff members that if either consultation option 3 or 4 is taken forward it will result in significant damage to the forensic science that is provided in Lothian and Borders. Several police boards, including Lothian and Borders police board, unanimously support option 2 for the same reason. I am extremely concerned that the outcome of the consultation puts the high standard of forensic service in Lothian and Borders at serious risk. In the light of those concerns, will the minister guarantee that the high standard of forensic service in Edinburgh will be maintained by not accepting options 3 or 4?
The member will accept that it would be entirely inappropriate for me to prejudge what has still to go before the board of the SPSA and, ultimately, to come to me. What he can be assured of is that I recognise the commitment made by everybody in the forensic science service wherever they are located, the extremely high standards that they have, and the intention of everybody to ensure that we maintain the excellent service that we have in Scotland.
The cabinet secretary told me last month that there is a strong case for considering change at this time. Does Mr MacAskill recognise that the modernisation of the forensic services that are provided from the existing sites, including Aberdeen and Edinburgh, is a positive proposal for change, or does he share the view of some of his SNP back-bench colleagues that only closures will do?
I have not made any decision. It would be entirely inappropriate for me to do that. I have had the opportunity to see service centres throughout the country. Equally, I have had the opportunity to open the new centre in Dundee and I recognise the significant improvement that goes with the quality of the equipment that comes through new science. However, as I said, I have made no decision and I recognise the skills and talents that exist in the service wherever in Scotland it is currently located.
I say to the cabinet secretary that, when I met Tom Nelson, the head of forensic services for the SPSA, although he said that the consultation was open, he argued strongly in favour of option 4. Will the cabinet secretary bear that in mind when he considers the recommendations from Tom Nelson and the SPSA?
I say to Lord Foulkes that, actually, I intend to go in with an open mind. As I said, I am not prejudging the decision. I await the report that will be signed off and sent to me from the SPSA. I will consider it on its merits, together with representations that may come from elsewhere.
Public Processions (Glasgow)
It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to submit a response to the consultation, which is about the local operation of legislation relating to public processions. Under the current legislation, which was amended by the previous Administration in 2006, responsibility for the regulation of marches and parades in Scotland rests with local authorities. It is for them, in consultation with the local chief constable and other local interests, to agree how to operate the legislation locally, to decide whether events should go ahead, and to decide whether any restrictions should be placed on them.
I thank the minister for his understandably cautious response. However, he will be aware that the most recent statistics show that, in 2009-10, Glasgow hosted 500 parades, many of which were feeder or return parades, which is more than double the number held in Edinburgh, without the additional funding that is awarded to Edinburgh via the £3.5 million capital city supplement. Given the demands that that volume of parades places on already hugely stretched police budgets and the disruption that such a large number of public processions causes communities, does the minister agree that Glasgow City Council is providing clear leadership on the issue and is correct to consider ways of reducing the number of parades that are held in Glasgow?
I am aware of the close interest that Bill Butler and other members have taken in public processions. He is correct to say that the police costs for managing parades are significant—they amounted to an estimated £1.7 million in Strathclyde in the past financial year. It is therefore legitimate for local authorities and the police to encourage march organisers to consider the strain on resources that large-scale or contentious events present, particularly in the current economic climate, and to take account of that in the planning process. I take up Bill Butler’s invitation to encourage all relevant bodies to work together nationally with parading organisations to develop an approach that will lessen the impact of parades on communities throughout Scotland.
Dyslexia and Additional Support Needs (Professional Development)
Scotland has a comprehensive framework to assess and support young people with additional support needs, including dyslexia. Under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, education authorities have a duty to identify and keep under review the additional support needs of all pupils for whose education they are responsible. That act will be reinforced by the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009.
I thank the minister for his comprehensive answer. Will he outline what incentives and support are available to encourage teachers to obtain a further qualification to ensure that they have the proper training in special needs and dyslexia? It is clear that that would help to ensure that the necessary expertise was available in schools. For example, could the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s professional recognition qualification count towards chartered teacher status?
I will reflect on Margaret Mitchell’s latter point and get back to her.
Ambulance Cover (Rural Communities)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the Scottish Ambulance Service continues to provide safe, efficient and effective services to patients across Scotland, including those who live in rural communities. We are clear that where a patient lives should not affect the quality of service that they receive, which is why the health care quality strategy contains the key action of implementing the strategic options framework for the emergency response in remote and rural areas.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of the campaign to restore out-of-hours ambulance cover in Braemar and upper Deeside in north-east Scotland and of the possibility that a model will be put in place there that could be used in other remote and rural communities. So far, that restoration has not been achieved. Concern is growing in the Braemar area that the Scottish Ambulance Service wants to downgrade the Ballater provision to a technician and care assistant. The nearest paramedic would be stationed in an upgraded Aboyne station, which would leave us with no paramedic west of Aboyne. Will the cabinet secretary agree to meet me and other north-east representatives urgently to discuss those concerns?
I am happy to meet Nanette Milne. To reassure her and her constituents, I say that there is no intention to downgrade the service in the way that she described. It is important that the Ambulance Service continues to work to provide appropriate cover in remote and rural areas, as it does throughout the country. I am more than happy to discuss any local concerns that she has.
I welcome Nanette Milne to the campaign for ambulance provision in my constituency. I am heartened that the cabinet secretary says that the concerns are being somewhat overhyped. Does she agree that it is important to maintain our level of ambulance cover in Aboyne and upper Deeside in my constituency?
I am sure that Mike Rumbles is aware of the situation. Following long-term absence, two members of ambulance staff have returned to duty at Ballater station, and two vacant urgent-tier posts have been filled. It is important that local consultation continues on how to ensure the appropriate level of ambulance cover, but I stress for the purposes of today’s exchange that there are no plans to downgrade the current service at Ballater station.
Science Strategy
We are making excellent progress with the wide-ranging and cross-Government commitments that are set out in “Science for Scotland”. Our research is cited by researchers around the world more often than that of any other country, in comparison with our gross domestic product.
Does the cabinet secretary recognise the value of organisations such as the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre in East Kilbride, which undertakes groundbreaking scientific research and work in its field of operation? Does he agree that such organisations should be well supported and encouraged to disseminate their knowledge and experience as part of the Government’s science strategy?
I am familiar with the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre’s work. Indeed, the member and I visited the centre this week, so I have recent knowledge of it.
Fitness Campaigns (Budget Reductions)
The Scottish Government has several physical activity and sport initiatives. Our two main campaigns—active nation and take life on—advocate a number of forms of activity and they are developing as planned. However, we are acutely aware of the need to use existing resources as effectively as possible. That is why we have focused on delivering a model of community sports hubs, which will use resources across different sectors better. I am also exploring further options to establish better co-ordination of funding across sectors to avoid duplication and better address gaps in provision.
Is the minister considering using high schools as community sports hubs? In Edinburgh, the closure of quite a number of sports facilities has been signalled. Let us not dance around the issue—there might be an obstacle to using high schools. I would like the minister to comment on whether the private finance initiative contract might put high schools beyond the reach of clubs. I also urge on her the need to support clubs. Facilities are one thing, but we must have the club structure if we do not have the original plan that we hoped to have.
I acknowledge Margo MacDonald’s long-standing interest in and knowledge of these matters. I had the pleasure of launching this round of community sports hubs at Calderglen high school, which is a model of a high school acting as such a hub. Margo MacDonald is right. I am aware that the City of Edinburgh Council is examining how it can use its high schools as community sports hubs, to ensure both that provision is as local as possible and that access is improved.
Does the minister agree that encouraging greater participation in sporting activity should remain high on the Government’s agenda, given the undoubted benefit that sport provides in tackling Scotland’s poor public health record? That is especially important in ex-industrial areas such as mine. Will she recognise this week’s Coatbridge success story and join me in congratulating the new World Boxing Organization super-featherweight world champion, Ricky Burns?
I have great pleasure in joining Elaine Smith in doing that. I agree with her that sport and physical activity are high on the agenda and are an important part of our campaign to improve the health of the nation. We have backed that up with action, through investment in community sports hubs, which are a way of not just bringing clubs together but looking at how we can make better use of the facilities that we have and add value and improvements to those facilities. I am happy to agree with Elaine Smith today.
Food Waste
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has indicated that in 2008 an estimated 549,000 tonnes of food waste was generated by the retail sector, including our supermarkets, and a further 314,376 tonnes of food waste came from food manufacturers, which constitute a significant part of the supply chain.
I understand that European Union legislation prohibits the feeding of domestic and catering waste to livestock, but that does not apply to supermarket waste food. It is likely that supermarkets send a substantial amount of waste food to landfill or, admittedly, for anaerobic digestion, which is better. However, it is more economical and probably more environmentally friendly to feed that waste to livestock. Would the Scottish Government consider encouraging and facilitating the diversion of supermarket waste to livestock feed? That could be environmentally positive and could benefit economically both farmers and supermarkets.
The member highlights an on-going debate on how to use food waste. Quality Meat Scotland, on behalf of the red meat sector, has in place a moratorium on the spreading of compost from food waste on fields that may be used for feeding livestock. At the moment, a lot of discussion is under way between Zero Waste Scotland, the public body that is responsible for zero-waste policy, and Quality Meat Scotland, the body that is responsible for promoting red meat produce. We hope that that will reach a good conclusion in the near future. I would be happy to send a note to the member outlining the nature of the discussions that are taking place.
Proposed Private Sector Housing Bill
As the First Minister announced yesterday, we will introduce the private rented housing bill this autumn. The bill will help to develop further the private rented sector in Scotland, while taking measures to target rogue landlords and unscrupulous agents who act on their behalf. The bill will make improvements to the systems of landlord registration and houses in multiple occupation licensing and give local authorities greater powers to tackle overcrowding.
We all expected—and most of us will welcome—some of the immediate measures to deal with rogue landlords. However, the review of the private rented sector in 2009 raised a much bigger and more fundamental set of questions about reform and gave the impression that regulation of the sector is confusing and a bit piecemeal. Does the minister agree with that assessment? What place will the reform programme have? Will the bill deflect from it, or are a range of other measures proposed to deal with the wider questions that the review raised?
I had a very successful meeting yesterday with the private rented sector strategy group, which I have asked to prepare a comprehensive strategy for the development of the private rented sector, including considering whether any additional regulatory measures are required. On the basis of that strategy, when it comes forward, we will propose an action plan, which we will implement when we return to government next May.
Previous
Independent Budget Review