Plenary, 12 Feb 2009

Meeting date: Thursday, February 12, 2009

Official Report 700KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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General Questions

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Freight (Far North Line)

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to move freight on to the far north line. (S3O-5919)

The Scottish Government offers a number of freight facilities grant schemes to encourage a shift from road to rail. However, the mode of transport for freight is a commercial decision for the freight service provider and the customer.

As I drive home on a Thursday night, I find myself having to overtake an endless line of Tesco lorries as I travel between Edinburgh and the far north. Why cannot Tesco put those loads on to trains in the way that Safeway did in the good old days, when goods travelled by rail to Georgemas junction? What are the constraints on the minister that prevent him from making that happen?

The member will be aware of my recent visit to Inverness, during which I cracked a bottle of champagne over the front end of the new Tesco train that the company will use in that part of the Highlands. In the past, freight travelled to the far north by rail, but recent takeovers have resulted in changes to the distribution network of the supermarkets in question.

I have made it clear to the supermarkets that the Government can make money available to them to help them fund delivery by rail of containers to the far north. If any member can facilitate further discussions on the matter, I would be happy to assist them. Cognisant of my climate change responsibilities, I hope that the member will consider using the train and not the car for his journeys to Tain.

Can the minister be more specific about the powers that are available to him to ensure that all multiple stores along the route to which Jamie Stone referred furnish their stocks via the rail network? I am thinking of powers that the Parliament has agreed to, including planning powers, and the fact that 95 per cent of those stores are within a mile of the railway line.

I do not believe that we have such powers. That said, we have the power of persuasion and the capability to offer financial support. The powers that are available to us are applicable in certain limited circumstances and include designating parts of the road network as unavailable to lorries. However, I doubt whether those powers could be applied in this case. I am always happy to look at innovative ways of ensuring that we get freight traffic off the roads. We want on the roads north of Inverness fewer lorries than the 400 vehicles to which I have heard Mr Stone refer.

I look forward to the day when we follow Asda lorries up the A9 on our way north.

It takes three hours and 40 minutes to travel by rail from Inverness to Caithness. What plans does the Government have to reduce that journey time?

In terms of the railway network across Scotland and, in particular, rail journeys north of Inverness, the main and early intervention that can be made is to revise signalling arrangements. The signalling north of Inverness is reaching the end of its life. We may follow the example of the Cambrian line south of the border, which was an early adopter of the European signalling system. If we were to follow that route, it would help not only to refettle the infrastructure but to reduce journey times. Although we have yet to make the decision, that would be our likely approach.

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Transport Infrastructure (Linlithgow)

To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements have been made to transport infrastructure in the Linlithgow constituency since May 2007. (S3O-5953)

I am pleased to state that work will commence this month on the Airdrie to Bathgate line. Improvements will also be undertaken to passenger facilities along the entire length of the route. Additionally, under the access for all small schemes programme, work is taking place to install two smart help points and the React navigation system at Linlithgow station. Of course, there is the on-going maintenance of the trunk roads in the Linlithgow constituency, which is covered by Transport Scotland's maintenance contracts.

The minister is aware of my consistent support for a station at Blackridge on the new Airdrie to Bathgate line. He is also aware that the housing company that was to contribute to the funding of the new station by way of a section 75 consent has gone into receivership. The Labour-Liberal Democrat Scottish Executive committed £300 million to the Airdrie to Bathgate line. Will the minister commit the funds that are necessary to ensure that Blackridge station is built, as a number of Scottish National Party MSPs have promised, or will this become another broken SNP promise?

Mary Mulligan has heard from this minister on many occasions his absolute commitment to the delivery of Blackridge station. We now have to deal with the administrator on the technical and legal issues that relate to the land for the station. On finance, we have identified efficiencies elsewhere in the delivery of the line. As a result, it is likely that financial inhibitions will not cause us any problems.

Mary Mulligan and all members in the chamber should be absolutely assured that I am committed to the delivery of that station. I am working very hard to ensure that, in the face of difficult circumstances, we shall deliver it.

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Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will offer retired and senior people wishing to volunteer following its decision to withdraw funding from the retired and senior volunteer programme. (S3O-5913)

We believe that volunteering plays an important part in creating strong communities. We support Volunteer Development Scotland in its role as the Scottish centre of excellence in volunteering and we have provided £11 million over three years to support the 32 volunteer centres across Scotland. Many retired and senior volunteers make considerable use of the services that are offered by the volunteer centres.

In his written response to a constituent of mine who raised concerns about the ending of the RSVP grant, the minister said that he had encouraged Community Service Volunteers to engage further with community planning partnerships and local authorities to find funding.

As much as the minister would like to pass the buck to local government, he knows that councils with hard-pressed local budgets and burdensome central Government targets will struggle to fund the programme. Given that the March deadline is fast approaching, will he offer some central support for retired and senior volunteers, or will he persist in making the £1 million funding cut?

I do not agree with the member's analysis. The grant has run its natural course of three years, and CSV has known for many months that funding will come from the local level. Transitional funding could divert focus from the need to make strong connections with the CPPs and weaken the single outcome agreements. The change is on the table, and there is broad acceptance of the new reality. We have had meetings with Claire Stevens, who is CSV's director in Scotland, and Hammy Smillie, who is a member of the CSV Scotland advisory board. They accept the new reality; the member should do that, too.

Is the minister aware that the RSVP supports a range of initiatives across the country, one of which is energy efficiency advice? That service is being rolled out on a peer basis: older people are giving advice to other older people. The service has had huge success in generating lower bills for older people, thereby saving them huge amounts of money. Energy costs are a major issue for older people who are strapped for cash. Is he not concerned that we could lose that service across the country if local authority funding to meet its costs is not found?

I appreciate the point and value the work that has been done. The fact is that £21 million will be spent on volunteer centres and CSV over the next three years. We have had the conversation with Claire Stevens and Hammy Smillie on how we can help to bind CSV to the Scottish local authority economic development group, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and the national health service in Scotland. In essence, we are trying to develop a new localism. I believe that that will be forthcoming. I look to the members who have put these questions to help us in that process.

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Alcohol Sales (Enforcement of Legal Age Limit)

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to strengthen enforcement of the legal age limit for the purchase of alcohol. (S3O-5945)

We are implementing the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 in line with the previous Government's timetable. The act allows licensing boards to take tough action and crack down on rogue retailers. We have rolled out test purchasing, thereby providing the police with an additional tool—one that is based on intelligence—to tackle underage sales. The police have carried out more than 1,200 test purchases and there is already evidence that that work is proving successful.

However, we need to get out of the mindset that this issue is only about enforcement and only about young people. We know that many young people get alcohol from their home, not from shops. We also know that alcohol misuse affects all age groups, not just young people. That is why we need to kick-start a culture change and to try some new approaches, and that is what we will do.

My local Co-operative store in Shettleston Road has developed policies that are aimed at enforcement and at educating younger citizens about access to alcohol. Will the cabinet secretary support Labour's call to make challenge 21 mandatory? Is that a real possibility—yes or no?

That is the law that was brought in by the previous Administration in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, which will kick in in September. Retailers should not sell alcohol to under-21s unless they are absolutely certain that they are over 18, and should require proof of their age where there is any doubt. Any retailer who breaches that instruction is in breach of licensing law. Mr McAveety is behind the times. That is the law. We accept that it should be enforced, and we commit fully to ensuring that it is.

Having been out in Mr McAveety's city with members of the licensing board on Saturday night, I can assure him that I know that his colleagues on the licensing board also view the matter as vital.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that the control of underage and irresponsible drinking is far better done via the public house than via the off-licence, where it cannot really be done at all? What measures can he take to switch the balance of advantage from the off-licence to the public house, which is often priced out of the market by supermarkets?

The Government has been discussing and consulting on that matter. A variety of interested groups and parties are taking positions on the issue of minimum pricing.

I agree with the member that there has been a continuing professionalisation of the on-sale trade and that there is a benefit from the supervision of alcohol consumption by a professional body that should seek to ensure that that consumption is regulated. Last Saturday in Glasgow, I saw that the situation is, in the main, well policed and that matters are well dealt with, and I am aware that the situation is the same in other jurisdictions.

As the Deputy First Minister has said, the sale of alcohol at pocket-money prices is unacceptable, and there is, frankly, something wrong in our society when someone can buy cheap, high-strength alcohol for far less than a bottle of water.

Will the cabinet secretary give thought to the idea of transferring the responsibility for policing underage sales of alcohol from the police to trading standards officers, who currently have responsibility for detecting underage tobacco sales? I submit that that would be a more efficient arrangement and would release police for other duties.

There is some merit in that suggestion. These matters are under constant discussion. In my experience, the arrangement between the police and the licensing standards officers works well.

If I may hark back once more to my visit to Glasgow on Saturday night, I can tell the member that I met two sets of two licensing standards officers who were out and about. In rural areas, the situation might be different, because the size of the area that is involved often means that the role of licensing standards officers is conjoined with the role of trading standards officers.

We must ensure that the law is enforced. Who should do that is a matter that is, perhaps, best dealt with in partnership, bearing in mind the fact that different arrangements will apply in different localities.

The issue depends fundamentally on the vigorous enforcement of the law to ensure that our youngsters are not sold alcohol when they should not be. Frankly, that is not just a matter for enforcers. As Alasdair Morgan implied, each and every person in the community has a responsibility in that regard. Far too many adults purchase alcohol for youngsters. The real problem is not so much rogue retailers but agency purchase, whether deliberate or misguided, and that has to stop.

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Banking Sector Recapitalisation

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding its recapitalisation of the banking sector and any impact that this might have on Scottish Government spending. (S3O-5891)

I have been in correspondence with the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the recapitalisation of the banking sector and the work of UK Financial Investments Ltd. Any direct impact on Scottish Government spending is likely to arise through the reductions in public spending that are expected to be made by the United Kingdom Government in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Although I agree that we should all be concerned about those impending cuts, I would like to explore another issue relating to the recapitalisation of the banks.

The cabinet secretary will be aware that private finance initiative payments between now and the end of 2033-34 across the UK come to £216 billion. Does he agree that, in the interests of securing better value for the public purse, the recapitalisation of banks that are involved in public-private partnerships or PFI consortia could be renegotiated? Is he as concerned as I am that, in a letter to me, the Treasury ruled that out on the basis that it would undermine the share price of those banks?

Clearly, there is a possibility that those PFI and PPP contracts could be renegotiated. Where doing so would be in the public interest, I would like that to happen, so that we can try to deliver greater value for the public purse and more effective use of those funds as a consequence of the climate in which we now operate.

Does the cabinet secretary accept that increased levels of borrowing by the UK Government have had a positive effect on Scottish banks, consumers and public services? If so, does he also accept that those increased levels of borrowing will have an effect in due course on levels of public expenditure?

Mr Chisholm takes us on to ground that is certainly causing me a great deal of concern, because the prognosis for public expenditure in the period from 2010-11 onwards is extremely serious. I am aware that the Parliament, which operates within a fixed financial envelope, will be directly challenged by the impact of those UK public expenditure cuts. That is what lies at the heart of the Government's unease at the situation that we face. Quite clearly, Parliament will have to wrestle with the issue in the course of considering the preparations for the 2010-11 budget. That is why I welcomed the initiative from the Liberal Democrats to encourage greater dialogue within the political parties in Parliament on how we can address that situation. I will be taking forward action on that as a matter of priority.

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Public Services (Management)

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to introduce the benefits of modern business management techniques to public services. (S3O-5895)

We are committed to ensuring that an appropriate range of modern techniques is used across the public sector in Scotland. We particularly welcome examples of best practice.

Will the cabinet secretary join me in acknowledging the success of NHS Lothian's modernisation team, lean in Lothian, in reducing waiting times for computed tomography scans, improving the efficiency of sterilisation of surgical instruments and effecting improvements in many other fields? Does he share my belief that a crucial factor in the team's success is the fact that it involves staff at all levels in effecting change? Does he recommend the adoption of lean techniques, including kaizen blitzes, in other areas of the public sector?

Dr McKee quite rightly applauds the work of the lean in Lothian team, which is particularly commendable. The reduction in waiting times for CT scans from 21 weeks to four weeks is a great tribute to the improvements in methodology that have been deployed.

The Deputy First Minister and I are anxious to ensure that examples of best practice are taken from one aspect of the public services and applied to others. I know that, within the health service, there is a great appetite to ensure that, in many of the areas of activity that Dr McKee mentioned and across the national health service in Scotland, the lessons of the lean in Lothian team are learned.

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Secondary School Pupils (Work Experience)

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has proposals with regard to updating and increasing flexibility of the traditional one-week work experience for secondary school pupils. (S3O-5864)

The Scottish Government recognises that work placements for secondary school pupils are an important part of the senior phase of learning in the curriculum for excellence. We will consider fully the findings of our recent research on work experience, and we will work with local authorities and other stakeholders to maximise flexibility and choice and to ensure that placements are relevant and meaningful for all young people.

The cabinet secretary mentioned the "Work Experience in Scotland" report that was commissioned by the Scottish Government. It indicated that work experience has not been updated since the 1980s. Will it be updated to take account of the number of students who remain in school in secondary 5 and secondary 6, in order to ensure that they receive more targeted and relevant work placements?

It is appropriate that we update work placements. Vocational learning has to be improved. Traditionally, there is one block of vocational training in S4, but I think that flexibility to depart from the traditional one-week block would be in order. Suggestions on that will be welcome as we move towards rolling out improvements to work placements for senior pupils in secondary schools.

The cabinet secretary will be aware that, until last year, work experience for pupils at Borders schools was co-ordinated within the Borders with Careers Scotland staff. As a result of the creation of the centralised quango, Skills Development Scotland, that co-ordination is now done from Paisley. How on earth can the Government expand work placements when the necessary organisational work is not being carried out at a local level?

Scottish Borders Council is more than capable of ensuring that pupils from its secondary schools have relevant placements with employers. The curriculum for excellence provides us with great opportunities for innovative and more flexible delivery. Scottish Borders Council is fully capable of rising to the challenge.

Before we move to questions to the First Minister, I invite members to join me in welcoming to the gallery His Excellency Jan Winkler, the Czech Republic's ambassador to the United Kingdom. [Applause.]