Land Ownership
To ask the Scottish Government how its proposed land commission will identify landowners and plan diversity of ownership. (S4O-03811)
The structure, role and remit of the proposed Scottish land commission is currently out for consultation. However, the commission will play a key role in ensuring that our package of proposals achieves our desired outcome of greater diversity of land ownership in Scotland. The set of proposals published last week are far reaching and build on the measures that we have already taken over the past few years, and they have the potential to transform Scotland’s concentrated pattern of land ownership.
Specific measures proposed to encourage greater diversity are: enabling the Scottish ministers to intervene where the scale of land ownership or decisions by landowners are a barrier to local development; improving the existing community right to buy and introducing a new right to buy as part of the current Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill; and extending the Scottish land fund and increasing it to £10 million per year from 2016 to 2020.
Our land must benefit the many, not the few, and our proposals will ensure that it does just that.
The European Union is proposing a fourth money laundering directive, which could reveal beneficial ownership of Scottish trusts, including for landed property. Does the cabinet secretary think that that would be a means for us to find out about ultimate beneficial owners and, indeed, have a register that the entities, estates and properties concerned would have to contribute to?
I certainly hope so. A central theme of the land reform review group’s report was the need for better information, transparency and accountability for land ownership. The Government has already committed to completing the land register within 10 years, with public sector land being registered within five years. Our consultation asks how we can improve further the information that we hold on land ownership and how to make it more transparent, if possible.
It is fair to say that the action being taken in Europe, combined with the measures that I have just outlined that are being taken here in Scotland to improve the transparency and accountability of land ownership, will shine a light into the darkest recesses of land ownership, which will be great for the future of democratising land and how it is used and managed, and the benefits that it can deliver for Scotland in the future.
“Working at the Edge...Childcare” (Government Response)
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Citizens Advice Scotland report, “Working at the Edge...Childcare”. (S4O-03812)
I welcome the Citizens Advice Scotland report of last week, which raised concerns about the cost of childcare and articulated the challenge that parents face. We know and understand that childcare costs are a considerable outlay for families. That is why, through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, we are investing £329 million in this financial year and next to expand funded early learning and childcare for three and four-year-olds to 600 hours. That represents an increase of 45 per cent since 2007, which will save families up to £700 per child per year.
That said, we have made clear our wish to go further. The First Minister has outlined this Government’s ambition, if re-elected, to deliver an increase in early learning and childcare provision for three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds from 16 hours a week to 30 hours a week by the end of the next session of Parliament.
The Citizens Advice Scotland report found that nearly one in four councils report that they do not feel that there is enough childcare for working parents. What more can the Scottish Government do in conjunction with councils to increase the provision of childcare across Scotland and to address specific concerns, including the need for summer holiday childcare for school-aged children and the need for childcare in Edinburgh because school finishes at lunchtime on Fridays? Both of those situations present a real difficulty for working parents on low incomes, who struggle to pay for increased childcare on Fridays during term time and for childcare during the summer months.
On the asymmetric school week, local authority schools have to be open for 190 days each year but it is up to the council to decide on the length and structure of the individual school day, week or year, taking account of local circumstances. Any proposals to change the school week would be subject to consultation involving schools, parents and the wider community.
We absolutely appreciate that the need for childcare does not stop when a child starts school and that finding affordable and flexible provision can be a challenge for parents. That is why the 2014 act has introduced a duty on local authorities to consult locally on out-of-school care, which will broaden the scope for consultation and planning beyond early learning and childcare in order to meet the needs of all families.
Although local authorities are considering ways to reconfigure early learning and childcare services to provide the flexibility that is needed and requested through the legislation—that includes, for instance, bleeding the 600 hours into the summer holidays—the key thing is listening and responding to parents’ needs.
In addition, I have asked the early years task force to consider what more we can do on out-of-school care. Professor Iram Siraj’s continuing workforce review will also consider out-of-school care as well as early learning and childcare. We look forward to receiving her report in the spring of next year.
If the member wishes to raise his concerns directly with me, I am happy to meet him. I am sure that my colleague Alasdair Allan will be happy to meet him on the specific issue of asymmetric school weeks.
Hairmyres Hospital (Ancillary Services)
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to Unison’s campaign to bring ancillary services in-house at Hairmyres hospital in East Kilbride. (S4O-03813)
The provision of soft facilities management services, such as cleaning and catering, plays a key role in the delivery of clinical services in NHS Scotland. Therefore, the Scottish Government believes that NHS Scotland should be responsible for the direct delivery of those services wherever possible.
The Hairmyres contract requires the benchmarking of soft facilities management services every seven years. The next benchmarking exercise is currently under way. To satisfy myself that NHS Lanarkshire has explored the options available to it, I have now commissioned the Scottish Futures Trust to undertake an independent review of the situation and provide a report to my officials. I have requested that NHS Lanarkshire not proceed until I have received that report and considered its findings.
I impress upon the cabinet secretary the concerns that people in East Kilbride have about the recent report into cleanliness at Hairmyres hospital and the fact that the vast majority of them believe that the services should come back in-house. I ask that due consideration be given to the information and findings about the subject that Unison and associated bodies have.
It has been made very clear to NHS Lanarkshire that the findings of the report into cleanliness standards must be addressed as a matter of urgency. We are reassured that action has been, and is being, taken to do that.
I am well aware of the concerns that Unison has raised. Yesterday, I met Lilian Macer, who is the employee director at NHS Lanarkshire, to inform her of the action that I have taken as set out in my first answer. We need to allow that to take its course.
I have also been contacted by a number of my constituents on the issue. I ask for clarity: will the minister encourage a bidding process that allows public sector bids to enable the services to be brought back in-house at Hairmyres hospital and Wishaw hospital, rather than just allowing the roll-on of the contracts?
I am sure that Elaine Smith understands that there are a number of legal issues to be explored. That is why I have asked the Scottish Futures Trust to undertake a review of the situation, consider all of the options and ensure that NHS Lanarkshire has explored all of the options that are available to it.
Such situations are not easy in light of the contracts that are in place. However, I hope that I made it clear through my answer to Elaine Smith and my previous answer to Linda Fabiani that the reason why I have asked the Scottish Futures Trust to consider the matter is to examine whether there are any options that NHS Lanarkshire could take. We have to await the results of that review, which I have urged the Scottish Futures Trust to undertake as quickly as possible.
NHS Lanarkshire (Support)
To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to NHS Lanarkshire with recruiting medical staff for emergency and general medicine services. (S4O-03814)
The Scottish Government works with all NHS boards including NHS Lanarkshire and key stakeholders to support their efforts in staff recruitment from Scotland, elsewhere in the United Kingdom and outwith those areas. The Scottish Government is supporting NHS Lanarkshire in aligning its staff to meet patient demand and in implementing a number of site-specific actions.
Is the cabinet secretary aware that, in addition to the fragile situation with Lanarkshire’s accident and emergency departments—NHS board continuity planning means closing one of them—our out-of-hours general practice service has been reduced from five centres to three, two and, on several occasions, one centre, staffed by one general practitioner and four nurse practitioners? That is for the whole of Lanarkshire, and it is even before the Christmas holidays are taken into account. What is the Government going to do to address the shortage of on-call GPs, which adds to the pressure that A and E departments are under?
I reassure the member that NHS Lanarkshire has prepared contingency plans. It is working hard to resolve some of the issues that the member has outlined.
Some of the recruitment difficulties that NHS Lanarkshire is facing are not unique to NHS Lanarkshire. There are challenges in some of the specialisms, not least emergency medicine, as is well known.
The workforce at NHS Lanarkshire is up by more than 11 per cent since 2006, and GP numbers in the area have increased by more than 7 per cent. Although there are challenges—which I absolutely recognise; we are in close contact with NHS Lanarkshire to support them in overcoming those challenges—we have a record number of staff, and it is a matter of helping NHS Lanarkshire to work through the issues that have been identified.
East Ayrshire Economy
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to boost the economy in East Ayrshire. (S4O-03815)
The Scottish Government is committed to supporting sustainable economic growth across Scotland, including in East Ayrshire. We work closely with a wide range of delivery partners, including Scottish Enterprise and East Ayrshire Council, and use all available levers to deliver growth.
Recent boosts to the East Ayrshire economy include an award of £1.3 million from the Scottish Government’s regeneration capital grant fund to East Ayrshire Council for the Kilmarnock town centre business hub. That complements specific business support, including three regional selective assistance awards in 2014, which are worth more than £2.3 million and which are creating 485 jobs.
The cabinet secretary will know that the unemployment rate in East Ayrshire is 10.5 per cent, in comparison with the Scottish figure of 7.1 per cent. Scotland’s unemployment rates are improving, but ours in East Ayrshire have worsened since Diageo left in 2009. Given that East Ayrshire Council is today proposing a £10 million investment in economic development, will the cabinet secretary give me some encouragement that the Scottish Government might match that?
I very much welcome East Ayrshire Council’s commitment to economic development. That is an example of good practice, where a local authority is investing to support business growth. In the statement that I will make to Parliament this afternoon, I will say more about issues in connection with business encouragement by local authorities.
As for additional funding for the East Ayrshire economy, through the work that the Government takes forward with Scottish Enterprise, we are focused on supporting projects that will deliver economic benefit and on supporting companies with the potential to deliver economic growth. That will remain the focus of all discussions that we have with partners about supporting the East Ayrshire economy.
Capital Infrastructure Projects (Pension Funds Investment)
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with pension fund administrators regarding investment opportunities to support capital infrastructure projects. (S4O-03816)
The Scottish Futures Trust engages directly with pension funds and a number of third parties acting on their behalf on financing opportunities in Scottish infrastructure projects. As part of that engagement, it has recently had discussions with Aviva, M&G, Prudential, Allianz, Legal & General and Standard Life.
At the Local Government and Regeneration Committee recently, the Deputy First Minister indicated frustration with the approach that pension funds have taken to opportunities to support capital projects that would secure a return on investment, present a more ethical investment than tobacco, for example, and support local employment. Does the cabinet secretary have any plans to approach pension fund administrators, particularly in the public sector, about opportunities to support capital projects in their areas?
I am well aware of previous efforts to allow local authorities to use pension funds towards infrastructure projects in their areas. In particular, the City of Edinburgh Council previously considered that in relation to the purchase of Edinburgh airport. Other authorities have done something similar.
We have no immediate plans to try to pressure local government pension fund authorities and their pension committees to invest pension fund money in infrastructure projects, because investment decisions are made by local government pension fund committees. Ministers have not intervened in the past; the matter is for local authorities.
Changes to the pension committees are coming in April next year, which will ensure that there is a 50:50 split in local authority representation on the committees. We believe that such investment decisions should remain with local authorities and their representatives on pension committees, in light of their fiduciary duties.
South Scotland (Transport)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve public transport in South Scotland. (S4O-03817)
As part of our commitment to improve transport connectivity for communities and businesses, the Scottish Government has provided more than £113,000 to third sector organisations for community transport services in South Scotland. It has also provided £353 million of funding for the Borders railway, to ensure that local people can connect directly to our capital city and the wider Scottish rail network. In addition, more than £1 billion is being invested annually across Scotland in public transport, including local bus services and other sustainable transport options, such as cycling.
As the cabinet secretary will be aware, revised timetables for the Lanarkshire services to Glasgow and beyond begin operation at the end of this week. A number of my constituents have contacted me to highlight their concerns about the impact of those changes on work, training, health appointments and leisure. ScotRail has told me that formal consultation on the changes took place in June, yet the first that I was aware of them was from an email in mid-November.
I am deeply concerned about the lack of public engagement on the proposals. Will the cabinet secretary please clarify for me and my constituents who is responsible for ensuring adequate public engagement on timetable changes? Will he provide assurances that steps will be taken to allow concerned constituents to make their views known on the changes as part of the next timetable consultation?
I clarify for the member that it is ScotRail’s responsibility to ensure that there is public engagement, as it proposes the timetable changes. I will, of course, check that ScotRail went through the proper procedures when the consultation took place in the middle of the year. The issue has also been raised with the Minister for Transport and Islands, who is looking at it, and with the local member, Aileen Campbell.
I am confident that ScotRail went through the correct procedures, but we will check that. If Claudia Beamish would like to meet the transport minister, he would be happy to discuss the issues with her.
Pelamis Wave Power
To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken in relation to Pelamis Wave Power since it went into administration. (S4O-03818)
Pelamis was unable to find sufficient private investment to avoid administration, despite efforts by the Scottish Government and the enterprise bodies over the past year. Our immediate concern is the impact of redundancies on staff and their families. Support for affected employees is provided through the partnership action for continuing employment—PACE—initiative. The PACE national team spoke to the administrators, KPMG, on Friday 5 December and again on Tuesday 9 December. No redundancies are likely this week and KPMG has undertaken to inform the national PACE team if its services are required.
Mr Ewing has spoken to the administrator directly. Pelamis continues to trade while a buyer is sought. Bids for the company’s assets were invited by Tuesday morning and are now being evaluated by KPMG.
In its operations to date, we believe that Pelamis has raised a total of £95 million-worth of funding. The vast majority of that funding—approximately £70 million—is from private sources. Administration arose because private funders withdrew their further support. The Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise have been the last remaining funders in Pelamis for some time, but our legal obligations under European Union law prevent us from continuing as sole funders of the company. The Scottish Government is now establishing wave energy Scotland to continue our support for wave energy.
I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer and I thank Fergus Ewing for meeting me to discuss the subject. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it would be a tragedy if wave power development no longer took place in Scotland, which is one possible outcome of recent developments? Will he do everything possible to retain in Scotland the expertise built up in Pelamis for wave power development?
First, I agree whole-heartedly with Malcolm Chisholm and I thank him for the way in which he has pursued the issue. Over a sustained period, the Government and its agencies have given significant support to the development of wave power in Scotland. That has been clear from the Government’s policy agenda and from our financial decisions. However, as I indicated in my first answer, we have reached the point at which the public sector is the sole remaining funder of the company, and EU law prevents us from acting in such a fashion.
I give Malcolm Chisholm the reassurance that ministers will do absolutely everything that we can. That is why the wave energy Scotland proposal has been developed, because we want to ensure that what Malcolm Chisholm has set out as an objective is delivered and fulfilled, that wave energy can continue to be developed in Scotland and that the fruits and the proceeds of that can be retained as part of our economic strength.