City Building (Glasgow)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the impact on employment in Glasgow of the city council’s plans for its City Building subsidiary. (S4O-04781)
The Scottish Government would encourage Glasgow City Council and City Building to communicate clearly with interested parties about their workforce plans, and to engage with unions during any process of change.
Given that City Building is the largest apprentice employer in Scotland and Royal Strathclyde Blindcraft Industries is the largest supported workshop in Europe, that it works with returning war heroes and people with disabilities and that it contributes £5 million a year to Glasgow’s finances, does the minister see any mileage at all in the dismantling of that successful organisation?
The Scottish Government applauds all employers that support apprentices, including City Building, which has more than 300 apprentices. The Scottish Government is also firmly committed to equality for disabled people, including the right to work on an equal basis with others, and is striving to create a Scotland that is fair and inclusive to all. However, councils are separate entities, independent of the Scottish Government. It is for Glasgow City Council and City Building to make the business case for any change to current arrangements.
As City Building is based in my constituency, obviously I have a particular interest in its operation. It was set up at the time of stock transfer, to ensure the future of maintenance jobs attached to city council housing. Of course, Mr Kidd is absolutely right to focus on RSBI—
Can I get a question, please?
You certainly can, Presiding Officer. Mr Kidd is absolutely right to focus on RSBI, particularly since the closure of the Remploy factory that was almost next door. Does the minister agree that, if Glasgow’s funding settlement was as it should be, Glasgow City Council would be able to do even more with City Building and make sure that that organisation employed even more apprentices in future?
Patricia Ferguson must be aware that the outcome of the spending review 2011 and budget review 2013 confirmed that local government revenue funding and capital share would be maintained on a like-with-like basis, with extra money for new duties. That has meant that the total settlement has increased to more than £10.85 billion in 2015-16. The decisions that Glasgow City Council makes are for it to make itself.
Does the cabinet secretary—[Interruption.]
Ms Ferguson!
Does the cabinet secretary agree that any potential restructuring of City Building should involve positive and constructive engagement with trade unions at the outset, rather than have engagement as an afterthought, and that it should not be presented as a fait accompli?
The Scottish Government puts great value on the importance of effective engagement with trade unions and always expects and encourages employers to engage with trade unions in a respectful manner.
Computer Science Graduates (Gender Breakdown)
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have graduated in computer science from Scottish universities this year, broken down by gender. (S4O-04782)
The latest Higher Education Statistics Agency figures show that 3,150 Scottish university students graduated in computer science in 2013-14, which is a 10.5 per cent increase since 2007-08. Of the 3,150 students who graduated in 2013-14, 2,525 were male and 625 were female, which is a split of 80 per cent male and 20 per cent female. The Scottish Government is committed to addressing the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering and maths courses and careers. That includes computer science and other information technology-related courses.
The minister will know that the software industry in Scotland needs about 10,000 new entrants every year to keep pace with demand, and the European Commission predicts a shortage of nearly 1 million by 2020. What additional measures can the Government consider to improve the position in Scotland, particularly in schools and particularly among females?
The member is right to say that there is a skills shortage in this area, that the industry is crying out for new people and that the Government, as well as the industry, is sending out the message that we want to recruit more young women on to computing and information and communication technology courses. The Scottish Government is doing a number of things on this front, not least through initiatives such as CodeClan, which is an industry-led academy that works with the industry, and the dragonfly programme, which promotes engineering and science careers specifically among secondary 2 girls. Those and other measures are designed to make it clear that, as is being made clear in primary school, there are no boys’ jobs and girls’ jobs in Scotland. That very much applies to computing science as it does to other science subjects.
Glasgow City Council (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities last met Glasgow City Council and what issues were discussed. (S4O-04783)
Ministers and officials regularly meet Glasgow City Council on a variety of portfolio issues, and the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities last met the leader of Glasgow City Council on 28 October at the Scottish cities alliance leadership group meeting, the agenda for which spanned a range of issues including empowering Scotland’s cities, infrastructure investment and plans to refresh the agenda for cities. The cabinet secretary is due to meet Councillor McAveety again tomorrow at the cities convention in Perth.
The cabinet secretary has been rightly proud of, and has taken credit for, the fact that the Queen Elizabeth university hospital in my constituency was delivered on time and on budget. However, can the minister clarify what discussions the cabinet secretary has had with Glasgow City Council on the building’s impact on local infrastructure and, in particular, on local people? Although it is, of course, for the independent reporter to consider the nature of any parking scheme, does the minister agree that it would be unjust for local people and the people of Glasgow to pay to mitigate the impact of a project that serves people right across the country? Furthermore, given that the cabinet secretary has not responded to my correspondence, I ask the minister to convey to the cabinet secretary my wish to meet him to discuss these matters of concern to my constituents.
As with any major development, certain matters would have been captured in the planning consents that the planning authority considered at the time, and transport matters, for example, would be for transport partners to consider further.
As for the separate issue of the reporter’s hearing, it is of course impartial and, as such, it would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene. There are local, regional and national transport responsibilities, all of which the Government has engaged appropriately on; for example, the Government was involved—indeed, I was involved—in trying to ensure that the fastlink connection to the hospital was completed. Discussions are being had with the city council on the city deal, tax increment financing and other transport projects as appropriate on which the cabinet secretary is engaged, but in response to Johann Lamont’s request to meet the cabinet secretary in order to raise further issues, I am of course more than happy to convey that to him in the spirit in which it has been conveyed by the member.
Fertility Services (West Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve fertility services in West Scotland. (S4O-04784)
National health service in vitro fertilisation services for patients of health boards in the west of Scotland are provided by the assisted conception unit at Glasgow royal infirmary. A new state-of-the-art unit that was formally opened on 23 February by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing provides a calm and supportive environment for patients and benefits from a multimillion-pound investment enabling the delivery of the latest innovative assisted conception technologies in modern purpose-built accommodation. Along with funding support from the Scottish Government of £18 million over the past four financial years, the additional capacity in the new unit has meant that all eligible patients now start treatment both at the unit and indeed across Scotland within 12 months. The Scottish Government has also funded the purchase of EmbryoScopes for Scotland’s four assisted conception units to help with the selection of the best embryos in order to improve IVF success rates and, importantly, to increase the use of single-embryo transfer to reduce the multiple-birth rate.
I thank the minister for that comprehensive answer. I welcome the investment that the Scottish Government has made in recent years to tackle the postcode lottery that faces couples who are waiting for IVF treatment. However, after successful treatment, new parents face a bill of £500 six months after the birth of a child who has been conceived through IVF for the storage of any remaining frozen embryos. Can the minister tell me how many times health boards have passed such bills on to debt collection agencies if they have not been paid within the time expected by boards?
I do not know the answer to that specific question. I respect Mary Fee’s involvement in the issue. She has asked a number of written questions and has submitted a number of motions on the issue. The national infertility group collects data. I am not sure whether it collects data on that issue, but I will write to the member about that.
Winter Preparedness (Vulnerable People)
To ask the Scottish Government what winter preparedness programmes it has put in place to protect vulnerable people. (S4O-04785)
The Scottish Government supports a number of initiatives designed to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities throughout the winter period, including the ready for winter campaign that was launched on 9 November.
National health service boards and their partners have robust winter plans in place to ensure that all patient services will be delivered and maintained throughout the winter period. NHS boards have processes in place to identify patients who are at a high risk of admission to hospital this winter, including the very frail and those suffering from long-term conditions.
The seasonal flu programme, which was launched on 1 October, offers free seasonal flu vaccination to more than 2 million people, including vulnerable groups.
Tackling fuel poverty remains a priority for this Government. This year a record budget of £119 million is being made available for fuel poverty and energy efficiency to help vulnerable groups to stay warm this winter.
It is clear that the Scottish Government has put in place a number of programmes to help people over the difficult winter months. Will the cabinet secretary give me an indication of how many people in my constituency and across Glasgow have benefited and will benefit from those schemes?
I will write to James Dornan with more detail about the specifics of his constituency.
In 2013-14, the home energy efficiency programme for Scotland installed 34,000 energy efficiency measures across Scotland. Many of those—almost 3,700, or 13 per cent of the Scotland total—were delivered in Glasgow. I do not have the specific figures for the member’s constituency, but that gives a sense of the very direct support for some of the most vulnerable people.
I am very happy to write to James Dornan about some of the other mechanisms that are in place, particularly within the health service, to support the most vulnerable people within the city of Glasgow.
There are 252,000 households still in extreme poverty and around 1 million households in fuel poverty—that is four in 10 households in Scotland. I appreciate the challenges that face the Government in that regard, but will the cabinet secretary at least publish the figures for all constituencies, not just Mr Dornan’s, with regard to the Government’s input in tackling this problem and moving towards its target of zero by November next year?
I can certainly look at the level of information on fuel poverty measures. If that information is available on a constituency basis, there is no problem with providing it. I reiterate that fuel poverty remains very much a priority for this Government. This year, a record budget of £119 million has been made available for fuel poverty and energy efficiency measures. Of course, the focus around that scheme in winter is particularly important.
As I said, if the information that Richard Simpson asks for is available, it will be provided.
Energy Industry (North-east Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the energy industry in the north-east. (S4O-04786)
We are supporting the energy industry in the north-east through a wide variety of measures within our devolved powers. For example, we have set up the energy jobs task force, which is co-ordinating action between Government, the wider public sector industry, industry bodies and trade unions to support jobs in the North Sea oil and gas industry.
We are also supporting investment in low-carbon projects in the north-east, an example of which is the district heating loan fund. That fund has supported a range of projects, including via a £1 million loan in February 2015 to Aberdeen Heat and Power for the continued expansion of the network in the city.
Given the concerning job figures for the north-east yesterday, with the claimant count rising by 39 per cent, does the cabinet secretary agree that a renewed strategy to support the energy industry in the north-east is required? Does he also agree that, although the appointment of Bob Keiller as the chair of Scottish Enterprise presents an opportunity for a fresh focus on policies to support the sector, the success of the Aberdeen city region deal bid will be crucial to securing the future of the energy industry in the north-east, which is important to Scotland as a whole?
I welcome Richard Baker’s comments on the appointment of Bob Keiller as the chairman of Scottish Enterprise. I am absolutely delighted that Mr Keiller has been appointed, as he brings tremendous expertise and experience, not just in the oil and gas sector but across business more widely, to the leadership of Scottish Enterprise. He also has an intimate knowledge of the north-east of Scotland.
We remain focused on employment in the north-east of Scotland, and the employment data are concerning, given the increase in the claimant count. That is why the energy jobs task force is focused on supporting companies and why a lot of our work on internationalisation and innovation will concentrate on developments in the north-east. The Government is determined to ensure that we broaden our energy propositions, which is why we are pressing so hard for a more stable approach to renewable energy policy development in the United Kingdom. That has been singularly absent in the past few months.
Commission for School Reform
To ask the Scottish Government how it will respond to the commission for school reform’s challenge paper. (S4O-04787)
The First Minister and I are meeting the chair of the commission, Keir Bloomer, this afternoon to discuss the challenge paper.
One of the weaknesses of the Scottish Government’s policy on closing the attainment gap, which is highlighted in the paper, is the targeting of resources. Given that most of the poorest children do not go to schools in the poorest areas, they miss out on the intended support. My constituency, for example, receives not one penny of the Scottish Government’s attainment fund, whereas Labour’s fair start fund proposal would see every primary school in my constituency receive support for those children who face barriers to attainment. Will the minister and the cabinet secretary undertake to re-examine the targeting of future funding when they meet the authors of the commission’s report?
One matter on which Mr Gray and I agree, I suspect, is that it is unacceptable that somebody in Scotland’s most affluent communities is twice as likely to leave school with at least one higher as someone from Scotland’s most deprived communities. Also unacceptable was the situation that we inherited, in which that outcome was almost four times as likely.
Mr Gray raises the issue of resources. It is important to say that the £5 billion that the Government and local authorities invest in schools is increasingly being targeted on our priority of closing the attainment gap. It is also important to say that the Government is investing outwith the seven local authorities that were initially named.
Mr Gray mentions the fair start fund that Labour proposes. I will not try to offer advice to Labour on the writing of its manifesto, but I point out that that fund needs a bit of work done on it, given that it has been costed at £72 million when all the available evidence suggests that an £87 million investment would be needed to implement the policy in pre-school and primary schools and that £131 million would be needed to implement it across all schools.
While Labour is working all that out, this Government will get on with the important task of making Scotland’s education system fairer for all.
Specialist Nurses (Recruitment)
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with the recruitment of additional specialist nurses. (S4O-04788)
So far this year alone, the Government has invested over £2.4 million to improve access to specialist nursing and care, which includes the appointment of additional specialist nurses, and national health service boards are on track to appoint at least one additional whole-time equivalent specialist nurse by 31 December. NHS motor neurone disease specialist nurses are now paid from the public purse, and NHS boards that employ those nurses are in the process of recruiting additional nurses, which will fulfil our pledge to double their number.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that there is nothing more appreciated by patients with chronic or rare diseases than the availability of a specialist nurse? Will she closely monitor health boards’ use of the money? Will she ensure that the issue is a priority in the forthcoming spending review?
Yes. I reassure Malcolm Chisholm that we are monitoring the situation and that we will ensure that it is a priority going forward.