SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is envisaged that it will be the practice of the Scottish parliamentary commissioner for administration to supply to complainants all written details of evidence gathered during his investigations. (S1O-2752)
We will consider fully the outcome of the current consultation exercise before deciding whether any change in current practice is justified.
The first Scottish Government's consultation document "Modernising the complaints system: consultation on public sector ombudsmen in Scotland", which covers all public sector ombudsmen including the Scottish parliamentary commissioner for administration, contains a commitment to a modern complaints system for the Scottish public sector which will be open, efficient, accountable, responsible to public need and which has the trust of the Scottish people. I have been contacted by several constituents who, after making complaints to a public sector ombudsmen and being informed that no evidence of maladministration was found, would have appreciated the opportunity to see for themselves on what evidence decisions were based. That lack of openness frequently results in people losing faith in the process. As a result, would not it be good practice for our watchdogs to be fully open and transparent in their rulings, including providing the evidence on which they base their decisions, so that people have faith in the whole system and the good government of Scotland?
It will be very important to strike a balance between guarantees to individuals—who will then feel able to provide information to ombudsmen on the basis of which ombudsmen can investigate a complaint fully—and freedom of information. We will weigh up that matter when we examine the results of the consultation. The consultation process has specifically sought the experience of previous complainants to ombudsmen; that exercise will be particularly relevant to Mr Rumbles's point if responses show that the feeling that he mentions proves to be consistent. If Mr Rumbles will write to me with details of the particular cases that he mentioned, I will be happy to take them into account.
Housing (Scotland) Bill
To ask the Scottish Executive how its housing bill will meet the needs of homeless people and others in the most housing need. (S1O-2769)
Meeting the needs of homeless people is central to the Housing (Scotland) Bill and the Executive's housing policy. The bill incorporates all the recommendations made by the homelessness task force, which will strengthen the rights of homeless people and place new duties on local authorities and registered social landlords.
Will the minister confirm that the measures contained in the Housing (Scotland) Bill contribute to the achievement of the Executive's target that no one need sleep rough by 2003?
The bill's provisions will ensure that every person who is assessed as homeless will have new rights to a minimum package of support that includes advice and assistance and, in particular, access to temporary accommodation. That particular provision will provide accommodation for people who are not currently considered to be in priority need and who end up sleeping rough on Scotland's streets. The bill's provisions will help prevent that from occurring in future.
After four years of Labour government, during which homelessness in Scotland has reached record figures, can the minister give one good reason why we should have any confidence that the proposals will be better than the action that has been taken to date?
As I am sure the member knows, homelessness peaked during the period of the previous Conservative Administration. It will take time to tackle homelessness now, but the real prize is to prevent it from occurring in the future.
Given that the bill as introduced proposes that local authorities retain statutory duties to homeless persons and that, through the stock transfer agenda, they are likely to have a diminishing landlord role and will therefore rely more on other social landlords to house the homeless, will the minister indicate what constitutes a good reason for such landlords to refuse a council's request to provide a tenancy as outlined in section 4 of part 1 of the bill?
The homelessness task force is especially keen to ensure that the homelessness functions of local authorities will increasingly be delivered in partnership with registered social landlords. We have therefore introduced new arrangements to ensure such effective co-operation. It would be inappropriate, for example, to place a family of five in sheltered accommodation that was reserved for pensioners, where there is insufficient space. In such a case, it would be entirely reasonable for a registered social landlord to decline the offer of a placement.
Residential Nursing Care
To ask the Scottish Executive—if Executive is the right word, and not Government—what steps are being taken to ensure that local authorities have sufficient funding to provide nursing home places immediately for all those assessed as being in need of long-term care following Lord Hardie's judgment in the case of MacGregor v South Lanarkshire Council. (S1O-2758)
I cannot refer specifically to matters that are the subject of legal proceedings. The Executive has already taken action to increase the quality and availability of appropriate care and will continue to do so.
Before I call any supplementaries on this question, I advise members that, because the matter is sub judice, no reference should be made to the substance of the case.
I thank the minister for his answer although, as usual, it was terribly vague. We hear once more the sound of dragging feet. I remind the minister that, while he ducks and dives, more than 2,000 people are languishing on waiting lists with their assessed needs unmet. Will the minister ensure that local authorities have sufficient funding to carry out their statutory duties under section 12 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, or will he continue to duck and dive and pass the buck while allowing this miserable situation to continue?
The first answer is always general. I could cite many details, if the Presiding Officer allowed me to, which have been cited in recent parliamentary debates.
How will the minister hold councils to account for their spending on care for the elderly, given that the Sutherland commission found that £750 million that was given to councils in England and Wales for care of the elderly was not spent on the elderly, and that Sir Stewart Sutherland confirmed, in evidence to the Health and Community Care Committee, that £75 million had possibly been lost in Scotland?
I have highlighted the issue of GAE spending on the elderly. The considerable new resources that we announced on 5 October—up to £100 million for care of the elderly—will be allocated under a new system. A number of outputs for that money will be agreed between the Scottish Executive and local authorities and we will ensure that the money is spent on the many services for the elderly that Susan Deacon outlined on 5 October.
As a result of the excellent work that has been undertaken by the information services division of the common services agency, in producing the statistics on delayed discharges, at least we have the facts. Can the minister assure me that the waiting times for those individuals who are, unfortunately, delayed discharges will be restricted? Does the Executive intend to introduce targets as part of the system of allocation of funds to local authorities, to ensure that no one will have to wait longer than a year?
It is clear that the assault on delayed discharge is right at the top of the list of the Executive's priorities for health and community care. As Richard Simpson indicated, those who wait the longest must be dealt with as a matter of the greatest urgency. The Executive is utterly committed to that, in terms of the announcement that was made on 5 October and future policy developments.
Number Plates
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding the proposed new regulations on number plates which would outlaw the Saltire being displayed. (S1O-2759)
None.
Government by cop-out, as usual.
No—there is more.
If Labour ministers will not speak up for the Scottish people on this issue, the Scottish people certainly will.
Order. I think we have got the question now.
Mr Welsh's question demarcates the difference between the nationalists and the rest of the Parliament. As Mr Welsh discovered when he asked a similar question in Westminster, the European regulations stipulate that the distinguishing sign must be that of the member state. Under international treaties, for us the sign is "GB" for vehicles that are registered in Great Britain. That does not rule out people being able to use "SCO" or Saltire stickers and will allow Scottish motorists still to display on their vehicles the signs that they wish to display. I think that we all agree on that point.
Will Scottish drivers or indeed, Scottish ministers, be allowed to have L-plates with the Saltire on them? Are regulations on this matter not best left to the Scottish Government?
If Mr Canavan so wishes, I will be happy to write to him about L-plates and whether national symbols should be displayed on them.
Crown Estate
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Crown Estate. (S1O-2737)
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Crown Estate on a range of issues.
I thank the minister for his answer.
The administration of the Crown Estate is a reserved matter. While I am personally sympathetic to the point made by George Lyon, the matter is part of the Scotland Act 1998 and part of Scotland's constitutional settlement.
Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the construction of the new Edinburgh royal infirmary. (S1O-2741)
I am pleased to advise that the new royal infirmary of Edinburgh is on schedule for completion in the spring of 2003 and that the project remains within budget.
The minister may be aware that I nagged a succession of health ministers for quite a long time about the need for a new teaching hospital to replace the historic royal infirmary building. I welcome the fact that a Labour minister is delivering our new teaching hospital in accordance with the promises that were set out in the partnership's programme for government.
My experience of speaking to people in the Lothians and throughout Scotland is that they are far more interested in devolution delivering improvements in their public services than they are in silly constitutional skirmishes.
I promise that I will not get into a "silly constitutional skirmish"—I am sure that the minister will recognise the real thing when she meets it. I am concerned about the practical application of the policy in regard to the new hospital, which is being built not with Scottish resources, but with private resources for private profit, as everybody in the chamber is well aware. I would like to know about the proposed size of the increased car parking facilities. Will the car park be free—which would leave the people in housing that is close to the hospital undisturbed and which would be fair for people who are visiting relatives in hospital—or will Consort Healthcare use the car park to make an even bigger profit from the so-called cutting edge of medicine in Scotland?
I indicated the significance of the development. While I think that it is right and proper that local members should ask—probably at a local level—questions of detail about how the project is managed, it is important that we do not lose sight of the big picture. The development is part of Scotland's biggest-ever hospital building programme. Issues such as car parking are a matter to be resolved at a local level. I am pleased that there has been effective co-operation between the NHS and the local authorities to ensure that progress takes place on those issues.
Contaminated Land
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent assessment it has made of the amount of contaminated land in (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh. (S1O-2736)
None. Under the terms of the new statutory regime for identification and remediation of contaminated land, which came into force on 14 July 2000, it is the responsibility of each local authority to identify contaminated land within its area.
Does the minister accept that contaminated and vacant land—which represents about 9 per cent of Glasgow—is not only a problem, but a major economic opportunity for areas such as Glasgow and Lanarkshire? Does he also accept that targets for reclamation should be adopted—as recommended by the Scottish Office-sponsored Pieda study in 1997—and that that would require an additional injection of public funding? Finally, does the minister agree that the economic revival of Glasgow's west end, for example, would be greatly helped by industrial development projects on sites such as the former Provan gasworks?
The Executive has shown by its actions its commitment to ensuring that land that has been contaminated is made safe and is returned to productive economic use. Over the five years from 1999 to 2004, £24.4 million is being allocated to local authorities for contaminated land inspection, identification and recording. Once the local authorities have prepared their inspection strategies, which should be by October 2001, we hope to have sufficient data to set targets for returning contaminated land to productive economic use.
Will the minister comment on the use of brownfield sites for house building, particularly social housing? Can he say anything about the cleaning up of contaminated land in our major cities, particularly Glasgow and Dundee, so that more people will be encouraged to come back to live in those cities and contribute to their economic regeneration?
The restoration of brownfield sites for either human habitation or productive industrial use is a priority of the Executive. We believe that the additional resources that we are giving to local authorities over that five-year period will enable them to make good use of that money to use brownfield sites either for human habitation or for a productive economic purpose.
Acute Services Review (Glasgow)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the increased funding made available to Greater Glasgow Health Board has been allocated to help to implement the acute hospital services review. (S1O-2730)
It is for Greater Glasgow Health Board to determine how to utilise this increased funding in accordance with national priorities and local needs.
Is the minister aware that residents of East Renfrewshire and the south-east of Glasgow are concerned that any new hospital that is established as a result of the review should be both centrally located and accessible to all? Will the minister consider sympathetically the capital funding requirements of any such proposals?
I am aware of the sensitivities and concerns in many parts of the country, as important changes take place in the national health service. I am particularly aware of some of the issues that I know Ken Macintosh has raised previously and which he has discussed with me. As we proceed with the modernisation of the NHS, it is important that those issues are properly addressed and that the local populations are properly consulted. In that way, we can ensure that the substantial additional investment that is going into the NHS next year—including a 7.7 per cent increase in funding for Greater Glasgow Health Board alone—is invested in the modern services that people need.
As the minister is aware, Greater Glasgow Health Board and South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust are promoting only one site—that of the Southern general hospital—on which to build the much-needed south Glasgow hospital, despite public pressure to consider other locations, to which Ken Macintosh alluded. Does the minister agree that it is important to ensure that a full multi-option appraisal is carried out, covering the other potential sites at Cowglen and the Victoria infirmary? Will she use her powers of persuasion to ensure that some of the funding that is allocated to the acute services review is allocated for that purpose?
As the member knows, I have taken a close interest in the issue and in the general developments that are taking place in Glasgow. I stress that, if we believe in effective local consultation and discussion and in the need to enhance local accountability for the NHS, as much of that discussion as possible should take place at a local level. In our Scottish health plan, which was published in December, we set out clearly our determination to ensure universally high national standards in Scotland, which would deliver at a local level, in consultation with local populations. For now, the issues remain to be discussed at a local level. However I will, of course, monitor carefully how things develop in order to ensure that the people of Glasgow get the services that they need, now and in the future.
Question 9 is withdrawn.
Policing (North Lanarkshire)
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has further to develop policing provision in North Lanarkshire. (S1O-2761)
Policing provision in North Lanarkshire is an operational matter for the chief constable of Strathclyde police who, in consultation with his joint police board, will allocate resources according to priorities and demands in the Strathclyde police area.
Does the minister recognise that, not only in North Lanarkshire but in communities throughout Scotland, the fear of crime and disorder is on the rise? Does he agree with his federal leader, Charles Kennedy, who pointed out yesterday in the House of Commons that there are fewer police officers on the streets now than in 1997, when the Tories left office and Labour came to power? Is that fact contributing—in North Lanarkshire and throughout Scotland—to the fear of crime?
I am sure that Mr Kennedy, in exercising his federal responsibilities, was dealing with the situation in England. As far as the situation in Scotland is concerned, I can reassure not only Mr Wilson, but the whole Parliament, that the increase in funding for the police next year will be £44.6 million—6 per cent higher than this year's allocation—and that in May last year, when I announced an £8.9 million increase for police recruitment, the number of police officers was 14,699, whereas the latest figures show an increase to 14,870. That number is expected to rise further as the forces take advantage of the additional resources that this Executive is making available to them.
Like me, does the minister wonder whether Mr Wilson's interest in policing in England has anything to do with his concern about the possible troublemaking of members of the Scottish National Party at forthcoming Scotland football matches? Will he confirm whether the record £258 million of extra funding for the police in Scotland that is being delivered by this Executive will be sufficient to keep any such troublemakers under control?
Fortunately, among my many responsibilities, I have none for SNP football supporters. I can, however, confirm to Mr McMahon that considerable additional resources are being made available. That is no cause for complacency—rather it is an indication of this Executive's commitment to trying to secure a Scotland in which people not only are safer, but feel safer.
Will the minister and his colleagues help to ensure that there is enough funding for proper and constructive activities, especially for young people? That would avoid their getting into trouble with the police in the first instance. In many areas, such facilities and activities are sadly lacking.
I agree with the thrust of Mr Gorrie's question. Indeed, during a debate in Parliament last year, I announced that the Executive had made resources available for several pilot studies in different parts of the country to find ways of improving recreational facilities for young people as a means of diversion from criminal and other less socially acceptable behaviour.
Central Heating Initiative (Aberdeen)
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners in the city of Aberdeen are expected to benefit from the implementation of the central heating initiative. (S1O-2745)
Figures for individual local authority areas are not currently available, but the Scottish Executive has given a firm commitment that every householder aged 60 years or more who wants central heating will have it under the terms of the central heating initiative.
If the minister cannot give us figures, can she tell us the time scale for delivering the Government's commitment to installing central heating in pensioner households and confirm whether it is dependent on the ballot on stock transfer? If so, why on earth is that the case?
The scheme starts in April. It is a five-year scheme, which will run until March 2006. It is a £350 million initiative to install central heating and insulation in 141,000 homes, which has been warmly welcomed.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. On question 10, you seemed to take no account of balance in the chamber.
Order.
You invited the nationalists, the Liberals and the Labour party to ask questions but failed to ask the Conservatives.
Order. You cannot challenge the selection of speakers. I was careful to take questions from members with a constituency interest in the question. As far as I know, your constituency is not a part of North Lanarkshire.
Further to that point of order—
No. Order.
Further to that point of order—
There is no further point of order. Sit down, Mr Gallie. We will move on. I call Elaine Thomson.
Further to that point of order, my constituency is affected by the question—it is part of the Strathclyde police area.
Order. Mr Gallie, if you do that again, I will ask you to leave the chamber. You had a fair crack of the whip.
Will the minister confirm that the central heating initiative is not only for council tenants, but for private owners and tenants? Does she agree that energy efficiency measures are just as important as central heating, and that they are possibly more important in terms of cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits?
I will be happy to visit the project in question and, if it is helpful, I will be happy to take questions from Phil Gallie.
Primary School Teachers
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of primary school teachers. (S1O-2763)
The outcome of the McCrone negotiations will help to determine the number of primary teachers that will be required in years to come. As I announced on 8 December, we are currently involved in work to launch a recruitment campaign in preparation for follow-up work that may arise from the negotiations.
I thank the minister for that answer. Given the speculation that the McCrone negotiations may lead to a reduction in class contact hours for primary teachers of as much as 10 per cent, can he guarantee that new teachers will be trained and recruited in sufficient numbers to ensure that there is no reduction in teacher contact hours for primary school pupils?
Yes, I can. One of the reasons why the package that we hope to agree within the next few days will take time to phase in is that we need to recruit those new teachers. It will not be possible in the first year to do that, because many of the new teachers will still have to be trained. We will set a target on that. If agreement is secured, there will be a significant number of new primary teachers in Scotland. That will boost primary school education and the system as a whole.
Does the minister agree that, whatever happens in the McCrone negotiations, there is already a developing crisis in the availability of supply primary teachers in almost every part of Scotland—a situation that will be exacerbated by winter illness? Are there any actions that the minister plans to take urgently to try to ensure that Scottish children do not suffer over the next few months because of the severe shortage of supply primary teachers?
We need to be careful about using words such as "crisis" when there is no crisis. However, difficulties are being experienced by some local authorities and the responsibility for solving the immediate problem lies with them. The long-term solutions, not only to the improvement in the work load and the quality of education in primary schools, but to the supply of teachers on an occasional basis, will be included in the agreement that we hope to secure in the next few days. There is a need for change in the longer term in supply cover in Scotland, as well as in permanent staffing.
Tourism (Highlands)
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote tourism in the Highlands. (S1O-2757)
The new strategy for Scottish tourism, which we published last February, contains many new actions designed to grow tourism throughout Scotland. The industry will also benefit from changes to the structure and linkages of the Scottish Tourist Board arising from the recent independent review of that body.
I thank the minister for that answer. Although one part of the Highlands has had a recent fillip in terms of tourism, does the minister agree with those at the sharp end—the tourism industry and the providers—that increased cohesion and co-ordination in the efforts made by the Scottish Executive and the STB would not only spread the load but lead to more imaginative thinking and a more broad-front approach to going out and grabbing tourists for the Highlands?
Uncharacteristically, Mr Stone has understated the benefit of the fillip of Madonna's wedding in the Highlands. A report is currently being compiled and I understand that the immediate impact to the economy of the Dornoch area was in the region of £2.5 million. Early figures show that around £200,000-worth of accommodation was booked in the area. The question on greater cohesion raises an important point, which the STB is addressing through its work with the area tourist boards on recommendations that will be put to ministers at the end of February.
The position of tourist operators is particularly drastic in the Highlands and Islands and, although the reorganisation of the STB may help the industry in two years' time, it is unlikely to help it next year. Will the Executive ring-fence the £2 million that Highlands and Islands Enterprise used to have for niche marketing the Highlands and Islands as a special destination, to try to help the situation in 2001?
I am happy to advise Mr McGrigor that we have already given additional assistance to the Highlands and Islands, which will benefit from additional funding for niche marketing this financial year. Marketing campaigns are promoting the Highlands as a walking destination and as an area for green tourism. We are also looking at plans for genealogical tourism, which will greatly benefit the Highlands and Islands.
I am sure that the minister will agree that one of the keys to promoting the Highlands and Islands is to give tourists the option of using Caledonian MacBrayne and the island-hopping tickets. Given the Government's determination to press ahead with the tendering process on CalMac's routes, will the minister guarantee that those island-hopping tickets will be continued if another contractor takes over some of the routes, which would then be lost to CalMac?
Once again we hear nationalist scaremongering. There is no intention to privatise Caledonian MacBrayne, which, as the Executive has repeatedly stated, will remain in the public sector.
Some parts of the Highlands have done particularly badly in the tourist season this year. I have had representations from the tourist industry in Lochaber, which has suffered a lot this summer. The industry feels that not enough money is spent on marketing tourism in the Highlands. As tourism accounts for a proportionately larger share of the economy in the Highlands than it does elsewhere, is the minister prepared to make increased funding available for tourism promotion in the Highlands?
I am happy to refer Ms Macmillan to the answer that I gave to Mr McGrigor. We are concentrating resources on areas in the Highlands that are not benefiting from the great advances that are being made in tourism. It is important to recognise that there are many areas in the Highlands that are doing very well. Recently, I visited Ardnamurchan, where an hotelier told me that his turnover was up by a large percentage. I also visited the island of Westray in the constituency of the Deputy First Minister, where I met an hotelier who told me that his turnover was up by 25 per cent. It is important that we consider the positive elements as well as dealing with the problems that must be addressed.
NHS (Glasgow)
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received concerning the reorganisation of the health service in Glasgow. (S1O-2760)
The Executive has received approximately 690 letters about the review of acute services in Glasgow. We have of course copied the letters to Greater Glasgow Health Board as part of the response to the board's public consultation on the review.
The minister says that she has copied the letters to Greater Glasgow Health Board, but I wonder whether she has replied to each letter individually and how long that took her. If the minister has received 690 responses, she will realise that people in the north and west of the city are very concerned about the closure of the Western infirmary, which would leave that end of the city without an accident and emergency department. What are the minister's concerns on the high cost of private finance initiatives, which many believe will lead to the further decline of the national health service, not only in Glasgow, but throughout Scotland?
As I said in response to earlier questions on the subject, points of detail about local service reviews are important, but they should be considered through the proper process at a local level. The big picture—which is what the Executive is interested in—shows that record investment is going into the NHS, which will lever in the kind of change that must take place to ensure that the people of Glasgow have the services that they need and deserve. Our health plan for Scotland set out the extent of our ambition and vision for the health service in Scotland. I wish that the SNP would start demonstrating a wee bit of ambition and vision for our country, as we have done.
Is the minister aware of the considerable concerns of Glasgow citizens, particularly those in the west and south sides of the city, who see the health board's consultation process as a complete sham? What process will she put in place in order to allay those concerns?
I do not think that the consultation that has been carried out in the Glasgow area can, by any measure, be described as a sham. I believe that there is always room for improvement in consultation processes. Since devolution, a great deal of attention has been paid to ensuring that the methods used by public bodies—national and local—to take on board the public's views are more imaginative than they have been previously.
I can assure the minister that the consultation process is a fake and that the people of Glasgow are extremely angry. The health board has merely presented its plans for what it will do to the public—and the public do not like it. I draw the minister's attention to the desire of the people of Glasgow to retain local hospitals. They do not want the creation of a monstrously large hospital at the Southern general. They most certainly desire the retention of the Royal hospital for sick children and the Queen Mother's maternity hospital on their site at Yorkhill.
With the greatest respect, none of us as individual politicians can say so simply that we know for sure the public's views. It is for the health board to ensure that it reaches out, gets as good a picture of the public's views as possible and takes them on board in relation to service changes. Striking the right balance between local provision and specialist facilities is one of the key issues that the NHS across Scotland, and particularly in Glasgow, must address. It is important that people have access to the quality of services that they need and deserve. Sometimes that requires greater specialisation.
Previous
Business Motion