Plenary, 12 Jan 2005

Meeting date: Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Official Report 463KB pdf

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Tsunami Disaster

The next item of business is a statement by the First Minister on the tsunami disaster. The First Minister will take questions at the end of his statement, so no interventions should be made.

I would like to make a statement about the devastating tsunami in south-east Asia on 26 December 26.

I express sympathy and condolences on behalf of the Scottish Parliament and the people of Scotland to those who were, and are, affected by the disaster. I also express the sympathy and condolences of all members of the Scottish Parliament to the families of those who died as a result of adverse weather conditions in Scotland last night. Ministers are engaged with the relevant authorities to ensure that appropriate measures are actioned. We will discuss with the Presiding Officer how best to keep MSPs informed of those actions.

My purpose today is to outline what our devolved Government has done to try to help the victims of the tsunami. I will also detail a number of things that we can still do. Of course, I also want to pay tribute to the scale of the wider response from Scotland and to call for that generosity and deep concern for peoples elsewhere in the world to continue in 2005.

First, I want to state Scotland's deep sorrow at the devastation that has been caused by the tsunami—the disaster that has claimed the lives of so many thousands of people and whose horrific aftermath continues to bring suffering to thousands more. Our thoughts are with the communities whose people have lost not only their friends and loved ones, but their homes and livelihoods.

This terrible tragedy, which has swept away life from Malaysia to Kenya, has also touched the lives of people here in Scotland. Hundreds of people from the United Kingdom were caught up in the disaster and many lives have been lost. The provisional figures from the Scottish police information and co-ordination centre suggest that at least three people who were resident in Scotland were killed in the tsunami and that at least three more are missing. For the Scottish victims, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has systems in place to assist those who have been injured and the families of those who have died. I pay tribute to the FCO staff who responded in such difficult circumstances to the need to act quickly. Our Health Department is liaising with the Home Office and systems are in place for the repatriation of Scottish residents who are returning from the disaster area. I know that every member here will join me in expressing our condolences and sympathy to people here who have lost loved ones or who are living with the tragedy in other ways.

Clearly the UK Government and, in particular, the Department for International Development were responsible for the overall British response. Throughout Scotland, individuals and families began to donate immediately. However, following our recent work with agencies in Scotland, our Government also responded quickly. On 30 December the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport met the Scottish international aid charities in an emergency meeting to discuss how best we could support their efforts. We have been represented since then at religious events and I have written to the ambassadors of the affected countries on behalf of us all.

Immediately, we helped to co-ordinate a national newspaper advertisement of details for public donations. We seconded 11 members of staff to work with Mercy Corps, the Red Cross and the Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund here in Edinburgh. One member of staff, Dhana Wadugodapitiya, is in Sri Lanka at this moment. Dhana, who has family in Sri Lanka, is assisting with the aid effort by taking on administrative duties in Colombo to free up local staff to work on the ground. The Executive will encourage its staff to contribute to the appeal through the give-as-you-earn scheme. Other public bodies are doing the same.

Scottish Water was among the first to respond. Its prompt action enabled the first aid to be flown directly from Scotland just one day after the tsunami hit. Because it acted so quickly, 45 tonnes of valuable bottled water were sent to the Maldives on Christmas Monday, which was truly life saving. Scottish Water has also donated five large mobile generators, each of which is capable of powering a field hospital. It organised the logistics for a major water aid exercise, having been inundated with calls from other private Scottish suppliers that wished to help, and seconded logistics and engineering experts to work with the Red Cross and Oxfam in the immediate weeks ahead. I think that we all want to congratulate Scottish Water on that response.

We are taking further advice from people on the ground to identify more areas in which Scottish public services can help. The Scottish mountain rescue teams have offered their mobile communications vehicle, which could be flown to the disaster zone soon and may be a valuable asset in an area that currently has very poor communications.

NHS Scotland is already working to co-ordinate Scottish offers of specialist medical help to assist in the larger World Health Organisation effort, and our police forensic teams and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency are feeding into the wider relief effort and identifying staff who could lend expert and much-needed help.

For the moment, the immediate needs of affected communities are very much at the front of all our minds but, of course, there is much more to be done in the weeks and months ahead. A clearer picture is emerging from assessments that are being carried out by non-governmental organisations and Governments on the long-term needs of the affected communities. As we move out of the immediate recovery stage, those long-term needs will increasingly be the focus and priority. We will play our part in the reconstruction phase: neither Scotland nor our devolved Government has any intention of fading away when this disaster leaves the media headlines. We are in this for the long term, and we have learned a lot about the kind of contribution we can make. We now know that prompt action by us, in sending in highly skilled staff, can make a massive difference to charities. We will do that again in similar situations.

We are talking to Scottish fishermen with the aim of using Scotland's specialist knowledge and expertise in rebuilding the fishing communities that were struck by the tsunami. We have agreed to join a task force with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for International Development and the fishing industry to look constructively and urgently at how we and the industry can support the recovery of local fishing.

We will offer our expertise in education and children's services to help provide advice and support to the agencies that are working with the tens of thousands of orphaned and homeless children in the region. We will facilitate skills transfer from Scotland on anything that can be helpful to the huge numbers of communities that are looking to rebuild their lives. The Government will also underwrite the costs of sending much-needed professional help to the affected areas. Fundamentally, we will work closely with the Scottish aid charities to help them to build capacity in the long term so that they can make an even bigger impact.

There is no question but that the scale of the natural disaster is truly shocking. I welcome the Prime Minister's announcement of a national memorial service, at which our devolved Government will be represented. Yet while I have been horrified by the scale of the disaster, I have also been overwhelmed by the Scottish people's response. We have seen not only demonstrations of public sympathy and grief, but staggering levels of generosity. All sections of Scottish society have responded to the disaster—churches, businesses, entrepreneurs, schools, the media, public services and, of course, individuals in their millions. Scotland raised £3.5 million for the Scottish Disasters Emergency Committee appeal in just 48 hours. I can confirm today that the projected total is now £20 million, as fundraising efforts continue in schools, supermarkets, shopping centres and workplaces throughout the country.

Scotland has responded with compassion. Many thousands of ordinary Scots have dug deep into their pockets to help people on the other side of the world in their most desperate hour of need. I am proud of the way in which our nation has responded so far and I am determined that we should build on that spirit of generosity. The people of south-east Asia will need our support during the weeks and months to come; I know that Scotland will continue to respond.

In 2005, which is the year that the G8 leaders will meet in Gleneagles to discuss how the wealthiest nations can do more to assist the poorest, we should be mindful that there is a real opportunity to address world poverty. Scotland has shown the world that we can respond quickly and that we care what happens to peoples on the other side of the world. The tsunami was a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster happens in Africa every day. 2005 is the year for Scotland to show clearly that we as a nation take our place in the world seriously, that we accept our responsibilities as one of the richest places in the world and that we have the power to do something about the appalling gap between us and those who have next to nothing. 2005 has already been the year for Scotland to care; it now needs to be not only the year in which we simply give money, but the year in which Scotland makes a stand and leads the response in advance of the G8 leaders coming.

At the weekend, Tom Hunter asked us all to support the campaign to make poverty history, which is an unprecedented campaign alliance of charities, faiths, trade unions, celebrities and politicians. The year 2005 gives us in Scotland a rare opportunity to stand up and be counted and to be seen and heard when we do so. I hope that everyone from all parties here today will rise to the challenge that lies in front of us, put party politics to one side and speak with a united voice on the issue. At a time when the peoples of the world are experiencing rare solidarity, we have an opportunity to diminish the inequalities between nations and to make poverty history.

The disaster in the past three weeks has been terrible, but through it peoples of different races, colours, beliefs and ethnic origins are reminded of their common humanity. To my mind, there can be no better memorial to those who have lost their lives than to use the tragedy to step up the fight against global poverty and to change the world for the better.

I join the First Minister in expressing our sympathy with all those who have been affected by the Indian ocean tsunami and in praising and thanking the Scottish people, aid agencies and others for their outstanding response. I commend the Scottish Executive on the action that it has taken to help in the immediate relief operation and I join the First Minister in calling on all parties in Parliament to unite behind the campaign to make poverty history in 2005.

Will the First Minister encourage the parliamentary authorities to make it possible for MSPs to make payroll donations, like Scottish Executive staff, so that we can promote a method of giving that is most beneficial to charities? Will he further encourage all MSPs to consider donating one day's salary in January to the disaster appeal as a gesture to match the great generosity of the Scottish people?

As the focus in south-east Asia turns from immediate relief to long-term reconstruction, I welcome the First Minister's comments about co-ordination of the Scottish contribution, including the vital assistance that has been offered by our fishing industry. Will he consider how the experience that will inevitably be gathered in the coming weeks and months can be used to ensure that Scotland is in the future even better placed to respond to global emergencies in a fully co-ordinated manner?

I am certain that MSPs of all parties will want to give to the appeal that has been launched, if they have not already done so. I know that many of us have already made significant private contributions; others may wish to discuss that publicly. All individual members will make their own choices, but I hope that the parliamentary authorities and others will facilitate our ability to give in whatever way is most appropriate.

I remind all members and all our constituents that, although one-off donations from Scotland over the past fortnight have been incredibly generous and very welcome in south-east Asia, they are only the start of the process. The communities concerned will continue to be affected for a long time to come; we must not forget them when they disappear from the daily newspaper headlines.

I hope that the first meeting to establish the joint task force involving ourselves, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the fishing industry, the Department for International Development and various other agencies—which I think is set for next Monday—will be positive, and that concrete opportunities will arise for the fishing industry and fishing experts of Scotland and the United Kingdom to assist the affected communities.

I understand that a meeting has been arranged for 17 January, at which we will examine with the aid agencies the experience of the early weeks of Scotland's response. We will build on that experience in the weeks and months ahead. I hope that that is an indication that we do not intend to let that issue go.

I associate my party with the sentiments and condolences that the First Minister has expressed today. I welcome his announcement of the practical steps that are being taken by the Scottish Executive and other public agencies to promote and support the relief effort. Disasters such as the tsunami are poignant reminders of the truth of words that were uttered by John Kennedy back in June 1963, not long before his own premature death. He said:

"For in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures, and we are all mortal."

Like Ms Sturgeon, I welcome the incredibly generous and compassionate support for the appeal that has been demonstrated by people in Scotland. I especially welcome the First Minister's statement that beyond immediate relief and support, we as a country—Scotland and the United Kingdom—have a longer-term obligation to countries in south-east Asia and other developing parts of the world.

Does the First Minister agree that Britain must use its presidency of both the G8 and the European Union to argue for reform of the manner in which we deliver overseas aid to south-east Asia and other developing countries, so that it is properly targeted at the poorest countries and linked to promotion of good governance, free economies and international free trade? Does the First Minister agree that promotion of such free trade would do more to make poverty history than all the aid programmes in the world, and that it is a scandal that rich countries such as ours still erect protectionist barriers in the form of quotas, tariffs and subsidies, which prevent the economic development of poorer countries? Does he agree that we need to use all our endeavours to promote freer and fairer trade all over this planet of ours, so that we can give hundreds of millions of people in south-east Asia, Africa and elsewhere the opportunity and the tools to lift themselves out of poverty?

Those are important issues not just in this year of all years when the G8 summit will come to Scotland and not just for the British Government and the European Union, but for the people of Scotland and the elected representatives of this Parliament. Members will be well aware of my regularly expressed views on whether we should spend much of our time discussing what are essentially reserved issues.

However there are, as there have been in the history of this Parliament, times when we have opportunities to influence events that take place here in Scotland. The G8 summit is one such event. We should not just use the event to promote Scotland—we should also influence its outcome. In doing that we should be assertive and vocal in the campaign to support fair trade among the peoples of the world. That means opening up markets, but it also means ensuring that international companies do not distort the local economies of some of the poorest nations of the world. To strike the right balance between opening up trade opportunities and growing the economies and enterprise of the poorest communities in the world, and ensuring that they are not exploited by those who are much more powerful than they are is absolutely in tune with the feelings, emotions and values of the people of Scotland.

The Liberal Democrats add their condolences to those expressed by the First Minister, and we welcome his statement. Hearts all over the world go out to all the people who have been caught up in the subsea earthquake and the subsequent tsunamis. Our thoughts and prayers are for them and for all the people who have gone to their aid, whether they are their own emergency forces, medical teams and troops or people who have been sent from abroad. All those who helped in the immediate aftermath are to be commended, as are all those who will help to clear up, clean up and rebuild the shattered communities. It will take a generation to do so.

Has consideration been given to ways in which the Executive and Parliament could facilitate community-to-community support, such as twinning a community or organisation in Scotland with an identified community in India or south-east Asia to ensure that long-term support that is tailored to the needs of each Indian or Asian community will be maintained over the years ahead, which I believe will be the necessary timeframe?

That is an important suggestion, which can be taken forward in a number of ways. I understand that some Scottish local authorities—Glasgow City Council in particular—are considering such arrangements, which should be encouraged and facilitated.

Given the incredible international resonance of our education system and the compassion and generosity of our schoolchildren, which we will see in the weeks to come, we will try to facilitate and encourage the opportunity to combine the work that will take place in our schools with work in communities where schools have been demolished and where children have no facilities. Community-to-community partnerships will be important but, especially in education, there is an opportunity for young Scots to make their contribution, perhaps through fundraising and supporting the redevelopment of schools and educational facilities in communities that have been hit badly.

On behalf of all my party colleagues I associate the Greens with the sentiments that the First Minister has expressed on behalf of the Scottish people and the Scottish Parliament. I associate us particularly with the First Minister's commitment to make poverty history, which meets with our enthusiastic support and approval.

Our hearts, too, go out to the families of the thousands of people who are dead and missing and to the millions who have been affected by the greatest natural disaster in living memory, and to the friends and relatives of the Scottish people who lost family members in that few minutes of destruction that swept the holiday beaches of the Indian ocean on boxing day.

Tomorrow we will have the opportunity to discuss the way forward, what we can do and the matters that must not be forgotten, such as the 30,000 children a week who die of malnutrition and starvation throughout the world, the cancellation of world debt, the setting up of fair trade networks and the specific actions that we in Scotland can take in the next few days, weeks and months to help the victims of the tsunami to help themselves to recover their lives and livelihoods.

I thank the First Minister for his words and for the opportunity that is afforded to us to express our sympathies and commit ourselves to action.

The First Minister mentioned distortion of local economies. Will he give careful consideration to the type of aid that will be most appropriate for the fishing communities that desperately need replacements for their small boats that operate off beaches, for their outboard motors and for lines and hooks? The aid that is given to those communities should be appropriate to their way of life and its survival.

I am not certain about the detail of the point that Mr Harper raises, but the general point is central to the objectives that we must have in the coming weeks. It is not for us sitting here in Scotland to dictate to the people who live around the Indian ocean how they should rebuild their communities or what support we should give them. We need to look to them for guidance on what support will be most appropriate. We need to help them not only to survive the initial disaster but to rebuild their economies and communities in ways that can be sustained in the longer term. In all the decisions that we are making at the moment, we are working closely not only with the United Kingdom Department for International Development, but with the agencies that are operating on the ground, all of which are working in close co-operation with the Governments and communities that are most affected in order to ensure that the aid that is available is appropriate, that economic support and facilities and equipment that are made available are right for the locations to which they are offered and that the people who go to help are helping and not getting in the way.

I associate the Scottish Socialist Party with the statements of support, sympathy and condolence that have been made in the chamber this afternoon to all of those who have been affected by the tsunami. We also acknowledge and pay tribute to the non-governmental organisations that have worked tirelessly since the tsunami hit. Furthermore, we pay tribute to those living in the affected area who, through their grief and trauma, have responded immediately to the needs of their neighbours and the wider community as the disaster has unfolded and who continue to do so. We are humbled by the response of the Scottish people, some of whom have given until it hurts.

It is sad that, in the past, pledges of aid that have been made while the world has been focused on particular disasters have not come to fruition. Will the First Minister ensure that aid that is pledged by the Scottish Executive and the Westminster Government becomes a reality? Furthermore, will he join us in demanding debt cancellation, regardless of the G7's decision?

Although—as ever—I say that I am not here to justify the work of the UK Government, it is fair to say that while many Governments around the world have been criticised for their actions on aid and development in recent years, the UK Government has been praised by the aid agencies and other groups that are involved in the front line. At the same time, however, we all want to make a clear call to all the Governments in the world that if they pledge aid, they must deliver it. In recent years, there have been far too many examples of pledges of aid for disasters that have grabbed the headlines in our now international media not being followed through by the Governments concerned. I know that Oxfam and other international organisations are deeply concerned about that and I am sure that everyone in the chamber would want the countries of the world to say what they mean and to mean what they say on this issue.

I express my condolences and those of other independent members who have asked me to do so on their behalf.

The First Minister will be aware of the proposal that some Scottish police officers be seconded to go out to Asia to help in the aftermath of the tsunami disaster. I welcome that proposal, but will the First Minister try to extend it by asking employers in the private and public sectors to consider secondment of some of their employees who have relevant expertise and who might be able to help, especially employees in the health service and other emergency services? Will the First Minister encourage such employees to volunteer their services, where appropriate?

Absolutely. We are, and will continue to be, engaged with initiatives to pursue that objective. We need to be aware that when we see the images on our television screens, we do not necessarily take account of how the physical infrastructure and the personnel and public sector infrastructures of the countries have been affected. If 150,000 people have died, many of them will be the people who could have been responsible for rebuilding communities, including the infrastructure, the education system and the health system that existed.

We also need to be aware that, even before the tsunami, in many communities there was no clean water, no free public education system and no free public health system. In rebuilding those communities, we can perhaps ensure through our skills and commitment that they have, in the years to come, services that are better than what they had before. I believe that that should be our objective.

There is time for two more questions.

I welcome the First Minister's comments. The people of Scotland expect the Parliament to reflect their concern, which is for those who have been killed, injured or orphaned by this dreadful natural disaster.

We should not be diverted from the task of providing immediate relief and support for reconstruction in south-east Asia, but does the First Minister agree that we must also not be diverted from the task of combating poverty in Africa, which was the original focus of the make poverty history campaign? Will he assure me that the Scottish Executive will continue to do what it can to support church and voluntary organisations in Scotland whose long-term commitment has played such an important part in raising awareness of the issues and in co-ordinating work that helps countries?

Yes. I do not normally comment on members' motions, but this is perhaps a special occasion. I congratulate Des McNulty on the motion that he lodged before Christmas to highlight the issue. I know that he has received much support for it from members in all parts of the chamber.

I believe that this year we in Scotland have a unique opportunity to influence what happens at the G8 summit. We will not be one of the G8 leaders at the summit—we will, rightly, be represented by the United Kingdom Government and the Prime Minister—but we can influence its outcome by mobilising the values, opinions and beliefs of the people of Scotland and by stating clearly that when the G8 summit comes to Scotland we expect action to make poverty history, especially in Africa. The historical link between Scotland and Africa gives us an incentive to do just that.

I hope that in the work that we continue to do, we will not only work with the Scottish aid agencies to pull together and support their efforts to help those who have been affected by the tsunami, but continue our efforts not just to use the G8 summit to promote Scotland but to promote the values of Scotland to the G8 summit. In the meetings that have already taken place and in the meetings that will take place in the weeks ahead, we will support those who organise the campaign.

I warmly welcome the First Minister's statement and echo his tributes and comments. I particularly welcome his comment that Scotland is in this for the long term.

Has the First Minister had conversations with the aid agencies about establishing a one-stop shop that can be visited by members of the public who wish to offer services or materials and are not sure how to go about doing so? I also warmly welcome the First Minister's announcement that a fishing task force will be established next week, and his support for that. Will he support continuing discussions with the European Union to ensure that any decommissioned fishing vessels in Scotland or elsewhere in Europe are not scrapped but are made available to countries that are in need, if that is deemed appropriate?

As with the mountain rescue vehicle, we will take advice on that issue from those who are most involved. If it is appropriate that we provide vessels in that category, clearly we want to facilitate that.

It is perhaps appropriate that the Presiding Officer called Mr Lochhead's question as the final question, and I will address his first point last. There is, effectively, a one-stop shop in Scotland for disasters, emergencies and appeals; I believe that the Disasters Emergency Committee is a great development. It is a way of pulling together aid agencies and charities that are involved, and of helping their efforts to be much better targeted, focused and efficient. We can thereby ensure that more money goes more quickly to those who need our support, and that organisations are able to take the advice they get from affected countries, pass it on to Government and other agencies and get the best available support quickly to those who are worst affected. Some aid agencies and charities in Scotland are not yet part of the Disasters Emergency Committee; however, the way they have co-ordinated their efforts over the past three weeks is to be commended. It has given us an opportunity to support them and it will, in the months ahead, give us all an opportunity to make an even greater difference.