Plenary,

Meeting date: Thursday, May 11, 2006

Official Report 713KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Finance and Public Services and Communities

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Electoral Administration Bill

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on what new duties the United Kingdom Electoral Administration Bill will place on electoral registration officers and to what extent the cost of performing these duties will be funded by the Executive. (S2O-9736)

I know that the member takes a keen interest in the matter.

As previously advised, the bill will introduce a duty on local authorities to take all necessary steps to register eligible electors. Funding to meet new duties will be provided through the local government finance settlement. It is not possible to provide further details, because the UK bill has not yet gone through all the parliamentary stages at Westminster.

I thank the minister for that clearer answer than the four written answers I have had since January. My point is that the Executive should avoid doing what it is frequently accused of doing, often with justification—imposing yet another burden on local authorities. There is no doubt that although the Electoral Administration Bill will impose significant extra duties on local authorities, specific funding will not be made available to carry them out.

It is always better to talk than to write letters, so I will provide further clarification. I assure the member that the Executive will provide sufficient resources to meet all the additional costs of implementing the measures in the Electoral Administration Bill. As I said in my initial answer, until the bill has received royal assent it will not be possible to provide the final costs associated with introducing its measures.

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Free Personal Care (Local Authority Budgets)

To ask the Scottish Executive what the overall impact on local authority budgets, council tax levels and local services will be of implementing free personal care. (S2O-9761)

We have provided substantial additional funding to councils to meet the costs of free personal care, but the impact on council budgets will depend on the spending decisions that each council takes, which will reflect local needs and priorities.

Does the minister agree that the figures of £145 for personal care and £65 for nursing care, which were introduced back in 2002, no longer cover the real costs that councils pay for those services? Wales now offers £107.63 for nursing care and Northern Ireland provides £100, but in Scotland the council tax payer is bearing the brunt of the cost of a policy that the Executive heralds as a flagship. When will the Executive put its money where its mouth is?

It is hard to see how the council tax payer is bearing the brunt of the policy when 80 per cent of local government revenue comes from the Executive and only 20 per cent comes from council tax revenue. Considerable sums are being invested in free personal care. The figure will rise from £153 million in 2005-06 to £162 million in 2006-07, and it will go up again to £169 million in the final year of the spending review period.

It is important to remember two points. First, we are still in the middle of a spending review period. When another spending review comes along, all spending decisions will be reviewed. Secondly, it is important to remember that councils were always funded to pay for the provision of personal care services to people who could not afford them. The sums that will be provided in the three years that I mentioned are on top of the revenue stream that has always been made available to councils to pay for the provision of such services to over-65s.

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Planning Applications (Edinburgh Gazette)

To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits it believes are delivered by requiring all local authorities to advertise planning applications in the Edinburgh Gazette. (S2O-9812)

The current view is that the Edinburgh Gazette provides a single, well-understood system of notification of relevant planning applications that is freely available. We will consider carefully the recommendations that the Communities Committee made on that and other matters in its report on the Planning etc (Scotland) Bill.

I do not know whether the minister has ever looked at the Edinburgh Gazette, but I took the opportunity to do so before coming to the chamber. Although it includes information about applications for additional dish antenna and the replacement of louvres, which hardly makes riveting reading, it does not necessarily provide people with information about the planning system.

Does the minister agree that local authorities would improve their websites by providing a range of valuable planning information? That could benefit local authorities by lowering administration costs, and it could ensure greater transparency and accountability in the planning system. Will the minister ensure that the Executive supports the goal of improving e-planning? That would do far more to ensure that people are involved in the planning system than does advertising in the Edinburgh Gazette.

We strongly support the development of e-planning. We are determined to have a modern communications system that is consistent with our objective in the Planning etc (Scotland) Bill to meaningfully involve far more people in planning than have been involved in the past.

How we communicate with the public is vital. Local authorities will be required to disseminate information more widely than they have had to do. In that context, we will have to consider whether the Edinburgh Gazette has a continuing role to play. However, it is true that other communication methods will come to the fore.

Question 4 has been withdrawn.

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HM Treasury Budget 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to allocate the Barnett consequentials of HM Treasury's budget 2006. (S2O-9772)

As the member will be aware, the Scottish Executive received £38 million for 2006-07 and £48 million for 2007-08 as a result of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget 2006 statement. Final decisions on the allocation of those resources will be taken in due course.

When the minister considers the allocations, will he pay special regard to the burdens that local authorities face?

As I have said many times before, I will consider the case for some additional resources for local government in 2007-08. However, it is only right that I sound a note of caution. As I have noted, our resources for 2007-08 are already committed, and following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's recent decision to postpone the next spending review until 2007, there is now no prospect that the Scottish block will be increased before then. Our room for manoeuvre is therefore limited.

Is the minister as staggered as I am by Andrew Arbuckle's question—which suggested that local authorities should be given more money—as he voted against such a proposal when it was put before Parliament only a few weeks ago?

Mr Swinney will know that Mr Arbuckle was talking about the coming financial year, not this year. That is how I understood the question.

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Private Landlords (Registration)

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from local authorities and private landlords regarding difficulties associated with the Executive's scheme for the registration of private landlords. (S2O-9735)

We received representations during March that more time to register was needed. In response, we postponed the registration deadline to 30 April.

We have also received representations from some landlords that they have experienced difficulties in using the online registration system. We have taken action to correct all reported errors, and to date more than 47,000 landlords have their details on the system. The system is functioning well and applicants should have confidence in using it.

Last week, the minister suggested that 45,000 landlords had registered. There has therefore been a slight increase, which I welcome. However, I have been involved with one agency that has attempted to register with 12 local authorities. Only one—Renfrewshire Council—has been able to accept the registration, although all have acknowledged that the problem is not the fault of the agency. Can the minister assure me that genuine agencies and landlords who have attempted to register but who have so far failed to do so will not be penalised?

We have already acknowledged that there have been challenges in the system. We are grateful to local authorities and we acknowledge the pressure on them. Resources have gone towards making the system work as effectively as possible.

We expect local authorities to be reasonable. I am absolutely confident—I note how Mr Gallie phrased his question—that good private landlords have nothing to fear. They want to be part of the solution to the problem caused by some private landlords in local communities; they do not want to be part of the problem. Landlords can be part of the solution, alongside local authorities, by highlighting where there are challenges and difficulties and by encouraging people to register and by reinforcing the importance of registration. That will secure a better reputation for the sector. Our communities will be the better for it.

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Planning etc (Scotland) Bill

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals are contained in the Planning etc (Scotland) Bill to protect local small businesses. (S2O-9794)

The bill will make the planning system fit for purpose by introducing a clearer sense of priority and by allowing different types of application to be addressed in different ways. That more balanced approach will enable planning authorities to improve their performance across the full range of applications, including those that affect small businesses.

Does the minister agree that town centres support many small businesses and are the life-blood of communities such as the one that I represent? What support will be given to initiatives such as Kirkcaldy renaissance, in my constituency, in which key stakeholders are working in partnership to develop a master plan for Kirkcaldy's High Street and promenade? Will the bill promote the development of vibrant, sustainable high streets?

I acknowledge the importance of town centres. We must be alert to the fact that town centres across Scotland have different needs and face different challenges. We have a planning policy for town centres in national planning policy guideline 8, on retailing, which we are currently refreshing. We have made a commitment to support town centres.

With a development-plan-led system we allow people to prepare and think ahead about how they want their community to look. The approach ensures that local people and agencies are engaged in the planning system at an early stage.

I do not know about the partnership that Marilyn Livingstone described, but I am more than happy to talk to her about it, so that I can learn from local initiatives. I reassure her that small businesses will benefit as much as other groups from the more streamlined planning system and the increased, earlier engagement that the bill envisages.

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Budget Review Group Report

To ask the Scottish Executive when the independent budget review group, which was established last autumn, will publish its report. (S2O-9745)

The group expects to submit its report before the summer recess. I will publish the report in due course thereafter.

The timescale reflects a delay, given what was originally proposed, but I hope that the minister agrees that it is better that the report be thorough than rushed.

Given that detailed work will inevitably go into preparing the report, when the minister publishes it, will he also publish the working papers and back-up information that the review group considered before coming to its conclusion?

We will publish what we think is relevant. Many papers might constitute advice to ministers and therefore will not be subject to normal publication rules. We intend to use the information that is garnered from the group as part of our platform for the next spending review. The group's report will be an important part of work towards the spending review and we hope that it will be useful. However, we will not necessarily agree with every word of the report, and members might not either.

Will the report that is published at the end of the process represent the view of the independent budget review group or will ministers guide or reshape the report's contents? Will the report be subject—heaven forfend—to political interference? Will it represent the review group's view, even though ministers will have a say in its contents?

It will be an independent report.

Question 9 was not lodged.

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Public Sector Homes (Penicuik and Borders)

To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes for rent in the public sector were built in Penicuik and the Scottish Borders in 2005. (S2O-9770)

In the financial year 2005-06, 87 homes for social rent were either built or under construction in the Scottish Borders. Although no social rented homes were built or under construction in Penicuik in 2005-06, 95 such homes were built or under construction in adjacent settlements across Midlothian.

I recently announced an expanded affordable housing investment programme for 2006-07, which will result in a 35 per cent funding increase for those local authority areas compared with the allocations that I announced this time last year.

My constituents will be grateful for the large increase in investment. Is the minister aware that the average house price in my constituency is £158,000, according to the Bank of Scotland, which means that buying a house is well beyond the reach of many of my constituents? Is he also aware that one of the main inhibitors to growth in building affordable houses for rent is the increase in land prices? Will he give more consideration to land banking in Penicuik by social landlords and Midlothian Council to offset land price inflation to some extent, which would allow more affordable homes to be built?

We are keen to encourage the development of land banking. The pilot scheme in Highland has been very successful in respect of the cost of houses. We are also developing homestake initiatives throughout Scotland, which the First Minister mentioned during First Minister's question time. There is a homestake development in the Borders. Land is a big challenge in many parts of Scotland, but new planning advice note 74 will help the Borders and other areas that face shortages, as 25 per cent of private developments will require to consist of affordable housing. Therefore, a raft of policies will complement the significant extra resources to which I referred in my initial answer, on which I will elaborate.

The allocated investment in affordable housing in the Borders in 2005-06 was £4.8 million, which was 61 per cent more than in the previous financial year. In the current year, the allocated investment in affordable housing will be £6.577 million, which equates to a nearly 37 per cent increase in investment. Therefore, the Borders is doing well in respect of the money that it receives. Apart from the money for Midlothian to which I referred, Midlothian is preparing a council house new-build programme that is planned to provide 1,000 houses in the period to 2010.

In an earlier question I referred to private landlords. Is Scottish Borders Council having difficulty registering private landlords? What proportion of the estimated 62,000 private landlords in Scotland reside in the Borders? What part will they play in providing housing to Jeremy Purvis's constituents?

I am not aware of particular difficulties with the information technology system in the Borders, but I will write to the member if I am wrong to think that there is none. The member would not seriously expect me to carry in my head the precise number of private landlords in the Borders.

We value the role of the private rented sector in providing housing opportunities and believe, for the reasons that Johann Lamont gave, that its role will be enhanced by the registration system.

I am aware of the Executive's policy on and the importance that it attaches to making available affordable houses for rent and low-cost home ownership, and I am aware of the investment in that respect. However, the minister might be aware of evidence on homelessness that was recently given to the Communities Committee, that if we are to meet the targets that have rightly been set, we must provide many more houses for rent and low-cost ownership. Will the minister assure me that he will make that a high priority in his bid in the next spending review, so that a worthy Executive policy can be delivered?

I am aware of the supply issues that relate to homelessness, although I am sure that Cathie Craigie agrees that other issues must also be addressed, including preventing homelessness.

We are on an upward supply trajectory. Some 6,400 units were provided last year, which met our target. On the current spending review, my announcement on Monday took the figure for this financial year up to 7,100 units, which will increase to 8,000 units next year. We are doing detailed work, taking into account our homelessness obligations, on assessing housing needs as part of our preparations for discussions on the next spending period. Cathie Craigie can be assured that I shall continue to be a champion for housing.

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Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport

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Social Care Workers (Recruitment)

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to continue programmes to increase the recruitment of social care workers. (S2O-9776)

Yes. This year will see the continuation of the care in Scotland recruitment and awareness campaign for the social services sector as a whole. Implementation of the recommendations in "Changing Lives: Report of the 21st Century Social Work Review", the supporting front-line staff framework and the national strategy for the development of the social service workforce will also support the aim of making the social services sector a more attractive sector in which to work.

The minister will be aware of a series of adverts that are being run by NHS Scotland. What liaison arrangements does his department have in place to ensure that social care job opportunities are available to people who respond to the national health service campaign? Social care is clearly allied to the health professions.

Euan Robson makes a good point. My understanding is that there are liaison arrangements for passing on suitable applications. We are all well aware of the restricted catchment from which recruits of various kinds come to the workforces of the NHS and the social care sector alike. The care in Scotland campaign will target press and radio coverage, both national and local, throughout 2006-07 and will have stands at the Scottish Social Services Council's recruitment fairs across the country. It will also provide support for employer-led workshops to assist employers' efforts to make more effective use of their recruitment budgets. A range of work is being undertaken across the board. I will write to Euan Robson with the detail of the linkages that he has asked about.

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VisitScotland (Registration)

To ask the Scottish Executive what incentives are in place for small tourist establishments to register their businesses with VisitScotland. (S2O-9750)

VisitScotland seeks to build strong business relationships with every tourism establishment across Scotland. It offers a number of business opportunity packages for businesses to purchase, ranging from local and national marketing opportunities to quality assurance schemes and product development.

As I said to the minister yesterday, my question was prompted by a constituent logging on to the VisitScotland website to find out how many camping sites there were between Ullapool and Durness and finding that there was only one. When he got up there, he found many excellent sites and wondered why none of those sites, nor the bed and breakfasts, wanted to register with VisitScotland. The businesses said that the costs were far too high and that they depended on their visitors from abroad and from Scotland telling others how good they were. VisitScotland has a 10-year contract—which is quite a long contract—and is four years into it. How does the Executive monitor visitscotland.com to check whether it is delivering value for money to small businesses?

Visitscotland.com—that is the element of our tourism network that we are talking about—has placed some 340,000 bookings, the majority of which have been with small accommodation providers. More than £45 million of business has gone in that direction, and the feedback that we have received indicates that some operators are getting more than half their business through that website.

At first sight, the fact that large providers pay the same as smaller providers might seem off-putting; however, businesses might be reassured to know that the amount of space that is allocated to providers on the website is the same, regardless of the size of the business. In addition, the annual cost of registering with visitscotland.com is £30. I do not think that that should be off-putting to many of our tourism businesses.

Does the minister accept that the take-up of visitscotland.com among small accommodation providers is much less than we would like it to be if the website is to provide a fair representation of the accommodation and other facilities that are available in Scotland?

As I explained, the cost of registering with visitscotland.com is relatively small. I hope that that will encourage small businesses in particular to use the facility. As I said to Dr Turner, the majority of the bookings that come through visitscotland.com go to smaller providers.

Having said that, visitscotland.com is not resting on its laurels. It is about to launch a new system that will allow new and small accommodation providers themselves to update their room accessibility, their allocations and their room rates electronically.

At the end of this year visitscotland.com will also launch a web-in-a-box idea that will give smaller operators their own website, which will be powered by visitscotland.com's booking engine. I hope that that will allow potential customers to make their bookings directly with the accommodation provider, which will encourage many more of our small operators to register with visitscotland.com.

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Angling

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides to angling. (S2O-9802)

The Executive and several public bodies responsible to it contribute in various ways to the development of angling in Scotland. Sportscotland provides financial and other support for the three recognised governing bodies and for the development of facilities.

Does the minister recognise the value of getting young people involved in angling? It not only gets them into the fresh air and keeps them out of trouble, but teaches them patience, discipline and other vital skills. To keep youngsters interested throughout the winter months, are angling clubs able to secure some modest funding from the minister's department or from other departments to purchase, for example, fly-tying equipment so that they can run classes during the closed season?

It is always good to find new and innovative ways of keeping young people occupied, particularly during the winter evenings.

The Scottish Anglers National Association, the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers and the Scottish Federation for Coarse Angling receive some development money from sportscotland. In addition, since the inception of lottery funding, sportscotland has awarded almost £530,000 to the facilities programme for angling, £200,000 of which was for the construction of the national game angling academy at Loch Leven. I hope that once all those initiatives are established, they might be able to encourage clubs to do what the member suggests.

There are also opportunities for clubs to apply individually for funding from the awards for all scheme, which is a very useful tool, and from sportscotland directly. If the member would find it helpful, I would be happy to provide him with website links for those particular organisations.

As a Highlands and Islands MSP, I welcome any support that the Executive can give to game or coarse angling in Scotland, and to tourism angling, which is so important to the rural economy and to my region.

At the moment, there is speculation among Scottish angling bodies that the Scottish Executive is considering introducing a new rod licence for anglers in Scotland as part of the forthcoming aquaculture and fisheries bill. Can the minister confirm or deny that, or can she shed some light on the origins of the rumours of a new fishing-pole tax on anglers?

I might not be able to shed any light on the origin of the rumours but I might point to my colleague Mr McGrigor for their continuation. I am certainly not aware of any such proposal. Having said that, I respectfully suggest to the member that that might be a question to which Mr Finnie or Ms Brankin would be able to respond more readily. I will certainly check out the situation and make sure that the member receives some more information.

I hope that those who have concerns have responded to the consultation on the proposed aquaculture and fisheries bill. At the moment, we are analysing 436 written responses to the consultation, which closed on 3 March. Our response will be published in the near future.

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Proposed School Meals and Snacks (Scotland) Bill

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of how many children's charities, anti-poverty groups and health organisations support the proposed school meals and snacks (Scotland) bill. (S2O-9756)

Yes.

I thank the minister for his brief response.

Children 1st, Children in Scotland, the Scottish Youth Parliament, Shelter families projects, Oxfam, One Plus, NCH Scotland, Save the Children, the Poverty Alliance, the Child Poverty Action Group, Perth citizens advice bureau, West Glasgow Against Poverty, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Greater Glasgow, NHS Lanarkshire, East Lothian community health partnership—

Can we have a question, Mr Sheridan?

Is the minister aware that those are just some of the 121 separate organisations that are now calling on the Executive to stop means testing kids for school meals and to start introducing free and healthy meals for all children as part of an anti-poverty and pro-health campaign? Will he stop arrogantly ignoring the will of those organisations, which represent the majority of Scotland?

Far from ignoring children's charities, I have met representatives of a number of them to discuss the issues. It would be wrong of Tommy Sheridan to represent them as totally opposed to the Executive's plans because, almost without exception, they support our plans. They commend our free fruit programme, our breakfast schemes and our work on nutritional standards. However, there are a range of views among those organisations on the issue of entitlement. Some want us to target what we do better, some want us to target more people and some would go for universal provision, such as Tommy Sheridan has described. Our recent consultation paper raises the possibility of there being some extended entitlement and asks for people's views about that. I look forward to receiving the views of the charities in that regard.

In Tommy Sheridan's rather bizarre world of economics, there seems to be a limitless supply of money. His proposals would cost more than £200 million, most of which would go to the best off in our society rather than to the worst off. He wants to give free meals to the children of everyone in this room, after having offered us all free prescriptions a few months ago. He wants to give free meals to the sons and daughters of showbiz personalities, top lawyers and judges and fat cat businessmen. I find that a strange form of socialism. No doubt the international society of socialists is meeting as we speak in order to expel Tommy Sheridan for proposing the redistribution of wealth to the wealthy.

Questions 5 and 6 have been withdrawn.

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Recreation and Tourism (Forests)

To ask the Scottish Executive what recreational and tourism opportunities are being encouraged in Scotland's forests. (S2O-9784)

Our forests are an important part of the Scottish countryside, which appeals to many of our visitors. To build on that appeal, a wide range of recreation and tourism opportunities are encouraged in forests, including walking, cycling, picnic sites, camping, wildlife viewing and water sports. Art, sculpture, music and theatre are additional attractions for visitors.

Obviously, a lot more is going on in our forests than just taking care of trees, which is a good thing.

The minister will be aware of the tremendous work that is undertaken in my constituency by a group of volunteers in the Carron valley forest, who work with Forestry Commission staff to provide an excellent mountain bike trail. Unfortunately, the minister was unable to come to the launch of the trail, but I look forward to receiving her written response to the event.

Will the minister ensure that positive partnership working exists at every level of the Forestry Commission? That is important with regard to not only local authorities but voluntary groups that are willing to get involved. The Carron valley mountain bike trail is in an excellent location in central Scotland and is well placed to exploit the beauty of that area and encourage tourism. It would be an ideal location—

Is there a question, Ms Craigie?

It would be an ideal location, should Glasgow be successful in its bid for the 2014 Commonwealth games, which I am sure it will be. If mountain biking is in—

I am sorry, but there must be a question.

Will the minister promote the Carron valley as a venue?

I, too, was disappointed that I was unable to attend the launch of the trail. I look forward to meeting the volunteers and the agencies that are part of the partnership that made that biking experience possible. I hope to visit the Carron valley mountain bike track during the summer recess. Such partnerships are important.

Although most of us would accept that a certain amount of rough and tumble will be involved in mountain biking, there have been a number of serious accidents recently on Forestry Commission land. It is correct that the Forestry Commission, local authorities, volunteers and others working at those sites should be conscious of the risks and give all due consideration to them when promoting the sites.

I am delighted that the Carron valley mountain bike route is now on the Forestry Commission website and I am sure that it will prove to be a great attraction to people from around the country and abroad. It is something else that we can add to our portfolio of places where people can mountain bike, all of which have contributed towards Scotland being accorded global superstar status by the International Mountain Bicycling Association.

What role will the minister's officials play—alongside Ms Brankin's officials—in the development of the Forestry Commission's national mountain biking strategy? In particular, will they ensure that the strategy focuses on the need for larger-scale facilities in the central belt as well as in the Highlands and Islands? Those facilities are needed if we are to deliver the benefits that the minister and Cathie Craigie mentioned.

It is important that we consider forestry in an even wider context than Mr Ruskell suggests. This is not just about mountain biking; it is about the promotion of tourism in forestry areas, on which we have been working with the Forestry Commission. We have many conversations with the commission, across portfolios, about such initiatives. Our focus is not just on those in the Highlands but on those in the central belt and the Borders. The events at Glentress in the Borders are particularly good and are becoming very successful. The area will continue to grow and, as Mrs Craigie rightly identified, it will grow best through partnership.

Does the minister accept that opening up walkways, as in the successful case of the Clyde Calders initiative, not only greatly assists the environment but encourages tourism?

It is important that we consider the environmental impact of activities that we promote in forest areas. That is one of the things that we are concerned to do, but the environmental impact can be balanced successfully with access. There has been a great deal of progress in that area in recent years.

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VisitScotland (Highlands and Islands)

To ask the Scottish Executive how VisitScotland ensures that it is providing a good service for the Highlands and Islands. (S2O-9771)

We and VisitScotland recognise the crucial importance of tourism to the economy of the Highlands and Islands. VisitScotland engages closely with stakeholders in the north to ensure that it provides a good service to visitors and tourism businesses in the Highlands and Islands, and it promotes the area strongly in its marketing.

Has the minister's department consulted local authorities and asked them whether they think that they get a good deal in exchange for their funding contribution? The feeling on the ground in many parts of the Highlands is that there is a great deal of room for improvement. I ask the minister to pursue the issue so that local authorities throughout Scotland get the maximum benefit for their contribution to VisitScotland.

I point out to Mr Munro that the local authorities—for example, in the Highlands—are not the only contributors to the funding of VisitScotland. We in the Scottish Executive, on behalf of Scotland, also contribute a great deal to its funding streams. I am conscious that there is a need to make sure that we all get value for our money.

On the specific issue of Highlands and Islands tourism and the promotion of the Highlands and Islands, it is fair to point out that the year of Highland culture was a major focus during tartan week this year. It was much in evidence to anyone who visited the VisitScotland village at Grand Central station or saw any of the marketing material. Also, the three adverts in the senses marketing campaign, which focus on spring, autumn and winter, heavily feature the Highland scenery. In addition—I have a fairly long list, so I could go on for some time about the matter—one of VisitScotland's city freedom campaigns is specific to Inverness and the surrounding area. The Highlands also feature strongly in the autumn gold campaign, which promotes wildlife, walking, golf and activity holidays throughout Scotland.

If Mr Munro thinks that there are issues that need to be addressed, he should raise them directly with Philip Riddle, the chief executive of VisitScotland, who will be in the Highlands next month, and the chair, Peter Lederer, who hopes to be there soon, subject to dates being finalised.

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Indoor Football Facilities

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in respect of providing full-size indoor football facilities. (S2O-9760)

Of the 10 projects that were approved under our national and regional sports facilities strategy in 2004, five will provide indoor football facilities, including full-size pitches. Four of them are due to be completed by 2008 and the other is due in early 2009.

As part of the work that is being done to implement the youth football action plan, the Scottish Football Association has established a facilities development steering group to develop a national facilities strategy for football.

I thank the minister for that progress. However, because many projects are public-private partnerships, some concern is felt that national and league teams that do not have access to much cash might be restricted in obtaining the playing times that they seek. Will criteria be set to ensure that, for example, the Scottish youth team or the Scottish women's team will have access at critical times when they require it and will not lose out to a corporate baron who has more cash to spend?

The details on the use of facilities are a matter for their ultimate operators, many of which will be local authorities. It is important to begin discussions about scheduling early. I make it clear that we intend such facilities to be used by our elite athletes and to be available to local communities. The best place to negotiate the balance of use is locally.