SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Business Failures
To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the recently published business failure rate in Scotland will have on the economy. (S1O-6083)
The relationship between business failures and economic performance is far from clear cut.
The modesty of that answer explains all about the paucity of the Executive's understanding of business and the economy of Scotland. I will continue more in hope than in expectation.
When considering statistics on the economy, it is possible to take a simplistic approach or a serious approach. It is not surprising that, as usual, the Tories go for the former.
Does the minister accept that, despite Scotland's outstanding economic potential, our already mediocre Scottish growth record has got worse since Labour came to power? Does the minister put any of that down to the fact that, according to his predecessor, the First Minister would not take growth seriously and she could not get the economy on to the Labour Executive's agenda?
The comments about my predecessor, who was responsible for developing the smart, successful Scotland strategy, do not warrant a response—indeed, they are beneath Mr Wilson. We have made it absolutely clear and continue to make it clear that economic growth is our priority. Indeed, I made it clear to the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce this morning that economic growth is our priority and that the economic growth rate that we have seen in Scotland, not only over the past few years but over the past 30 years, does not meet our aspirations for Scotland. We have to pursue a medium to long-term strategy that will allow us to realise our economic potential.
In view of the threatened closure of Jones & Campbell Ltd of Larbert, the biggest foundry in Scotland, will the minister tell us what progress has been made in discussions between the Executive, Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley and the company on alternatives to closure and on finding alternative employment for the workers if the foundry's closure goes ahead?
Mr Canavan has stayed close to this matter, as I would expect, and I have had some correspondence with him on the issue. I have made it clear to my officials that I wish to be kept up to date with the discussions about either avoiding the closure or, in the case of closure, what can be done to support the work force. In all fairness, I think that it would be best for me to give the most up-to-date report possible. We could perhaps undertake to get that up-to-date report and provide it to Mr Canavan as soon as that is practicable.
Firefighters (Pensions)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken in the light of recent developments to ensure that firefighters' pensions will be fully funded without any need to cut front-line services. (S1O-6070)
In the current financial year we are making an additional £5.4 million available to fire authorities to assist in meeting rising pension costs. Significant additional provision has also been made over the next three years through the 2002 spending review, in recognition of pension pressures. The requirement to fund pensions should not lead to any reduction in front-line services.
Will the minister join me in paying tribute to the firefighters and to their professionalism and bravery in fighting the old town fire earlier this week? [Applause.]
I am sorry, but I could not hear all of that, Presiding Officer.
Forth Bridge (Refurbishment)
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Network Rail about the timetable for refurbishment and remedial work on the Forth bridge. (S1O-6078)
Maintenance, replacement and repair of track and signalling equipment, including on the Forth railway bridge, are operational matters for Network Rail, with which we have a wide range of discussions on a wide range of issues.
I thank the minister for that non-answer. The Forth bridge is not just one of the engineering wonders of the world, it is an essential rail link for Fife and the north. Recent reports suggest:
Like Tricia Marwick, I look forward with interest to the findings of the scoping study that Network Rail is carrying out on meeting its responsibilities for the Forth railway bridge. I understand that it expects to have the results of the scoping study early next year. The study will address both the short-term and the medium to long-term refurbishment needs. Only after those results are known will Network Rail know what time scale will apply and what the costs might be.
Will the minister investigate what can be done to ameliorate the very worst effects of the lack of maintenance on the rail bridge on the community of North Queensferry, which is directly below the bridge? The community has suffered for a considerable time now. Since I came to the Parliament and before then, there have been grave concerns about pieces of rust and other parts of the bridge falling on to homes and individuals in North Queensferry. That is causing serious concern. I am also concerned about the increase of £40 million in the basic costs, which now stand at £280 million.
As I said in response to the last question, the final costs to Network Rail are not clear. Network Rail is still in the process of receiving a report from those whom it has commissioned to scope costs.
Canals
To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is with regard to improving the infrastructure of canals. (S1O-6108)
Our recently published document "Scotland's Canals: an asset for the future" lays out our vision and aspirations for the Scottish canal network. In that document, we stress the importance of maintaining and improving canals. However, the strategy for improving their infrastructure is primarily an operational matter for British Waterways.
I am sure that, like me, the minister welcomes the fact that Scotland's Lowland canals have reopened after some 70 years. What action is the Executive taking to ensure that we maximise the potential economic benefits of the reopening of canals? Will the minister join me in congratulating Falkirk Council on establishing, with British Waterways, a response squad to ensure that canals are maintained to a high level and remain a tourist attraction? Will he encourage other councils through whose areas canals run to establish similar teams?
I have no problem repeating Mr Matheson's welcome for the work that has been done around Falkirk. The Falkirk wheel is one of the most popular attractions—if not the most popular attraction—in Scotland. It has been a catalyst for understanding the canals' potential to promote economic regeneration. Michael Matheson is right to say that we must raise awareness of that potential in Scotland more generally. That was one of the main reasons for the publication of the document "Scotland's Canals: an asset for the future".
I declare an interest: I have been actively involved in the Forth and Clyde Canal Society since 1984 and pushed hard for the millennium project.
The great thing about question time is that one always learns something. I had always thought that Cathie Craigie had a constituency interest in canals, of which I was well aware. I now realise that her interest in canals is much more profound and goes back much further. That interest is much to the member's credit. I know that she has been very involved both in the regeneration of our canals and in looking forward to what is now possible.
Profound or not, questions and answers are getting very long.
Will the minister confirm that the Falkirk wheel has brought considerable added tourism interest to the area? Does he agree that a Scottish Premier League team in Falkirk could do much the same and that fans could travel by canal? On that basis, and with regard to Falkirk and Inverness, does he agree that money set aside for improvements to stadiums for Euro 2008 could perhaps now be spent on the stadiums of first division teams that aspire to the premier league?
That is well wide of the question.
My answers are: yes; yes; yes; and I could not commit to that just now.
National Health Service<br />(Innovation and Good Practice)
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is promoting innovation and developing good practice within the NHS. (S1O-6095)
There is a range of initiatives to turn good practice into common practice and support front-line staff as they lead change. That will be given renewed impetus through the recent establishment of the centre for change and innovation.
I am obliged to the minister for that answer. The minister will be aware of the promising results emerging from the establishment of disease registers and from heart and stroke secondary prevention clinics. Such clinics are now being run in all general practices in Strathkelvin and Bearsden. Is the minister aware of the prospects that they offer for substantial disease prevention, perhaps to the extent of a reduction of 30 to 40 per cent? Does he agree that such pioneering work might make a real difference to patient care and will he consider how such good practice might be best promoted and better supported?
There are, of course, two kinds of prevention: there is primary prevention, which involves issues such as diet; and there is the secondary prevention to which Brian Fitzpatrick referred. More of that is being done in primary care and that is a key feature of the change agenda that we see before us in the health service. We want to encourage more to be done in primary care and to develop better links between general practitioners and other primary workers and hospitals and the rest of the health system.
Given that good practice includes value for money, what is the minister doing to tackle the problem of the costs involved in the use of agency nurses?
I am certainly concerned to see that the number of agency nurses is rising in certain parts of Scotland, although I point out that, in the member's area of Tayside NHS Board, the amount of money spent on agency nurses is 34 per cent less than it was a year ago. That is a good example, which other boards in Scotland should follow. The other thing that should be said in relation to that and to today's Audit Scotland report is that, although bank and agency nurses are put together in today's report, there is a clear distinction between them. Bank nursing is a good thing. Bank nurses are NHS employees who want to work in a bank, because they want to work flexibly. That must be distinguished from agency nursing, which we are doing everything we can to reduce.
School Standards
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to improve standards of literacy and numeracy in schools. (S1O-6101)
Following the publication of the literacy and numeracy statements in June, Learning and Teaching Scotland has appointed two national development officers to work closely with education authorities and schools to help to promote literacy and numeracy. A national two-day seminar on literacy and numeracy will take place in the new year and a website will be launched to highlight good practice.
I welcome those initiatives and I sincerely hope that Scottish state school pupils will continue to achieve higher standards than I was able to achieve at a certain private school in England. Is the minister satisfied that the curriculum is sufficiently challenging to ensure that children achieve good standards in the three Rs? Will she comment on the alphabet magic system that has been developed in East Lothian? I think that she saw it in practice in Longniddry Primary School during a recent visit. I would have been there had the minister's private secretary written me a letter to let me know that she was coming.
I certainly have no complaints about the member's literacy skills; he writes me enough letters and I am sure that he will continue to do so. The point that he made about the visit to Longniddry Primary School is well taken. I enjoyed the visit to the school, which has been using an imaginative approach that has been developed by a range of people in the school who are part of the school team, including a very enthusiastic head teacher, teachers, classroom assistants and nursery nurses. The system appears to be producing excellent results. I want such good practice to be highlighted.
Does the minister agree that one further method of promoting standards of numeracy among our children would be for elected representatives to lead by example in displaying scrupulous numerical accuracy? Is she aware that although 44,000 jobs are dependent on the fishing industry in Scotland, the Prime Minister estimated the figure to be only 14,000? He was wrong by a factor of three. Will she arrange for the Prime Minister to undertake a class of elementary mathematics?
Although I fully recognise the problems that fishing communities face, I had hoped to be able to make a more constructive comment on education. If the member would care to write to me to express his concerns about education and schools, I would be happy to respond.
Is the minister aware that two of the local authorities that perform best in education—Stirling and East Renfrewshire—swear by the effects of their standardised testing, as opposed to the national testing that the Executive uses? Will the Executive learn from that by considering improving its national testing so that it matches up to the standardised testing that is used by Stirling Council and East Renfrewshire Council?
If the member had cared to look at some of the material that was produced when I launched the literacy and numeracy statements, he would know that we wish to develop a set of common principles and a framework for assessing reading skills right through from pre-school to secondary education. Although it is important for local authorities and schools to have the option to make use of best practice, we must ensure that we put that in the context of a national framework.
The minister will know that there is considerable concern about achievement in secondary 1 and secondary 2. Will the minister outline what plans she has for basic numeracy and literacy, particularly for children who, for whatever reason, underachieve at those stages?
Sylvia Jackson has highlighted a critical issue to which a number of recent reports have drawn attention. Improving standards in S1 and S2 is one of the priorities that the development officers who will work on literacy and numeracy will examine. They will also examine the transition from primary school to secondary school and the disparity in attainment between girls and boys, and they will focus on pupils in the most disadvantaged areas. We will seek to build on that work and to continue that focus.
Defibrillator Provision
Before I ask my question, I declare an interest as a patron of the Borders-based charity, Scottish HART, which stands for Scottish Heart at Risk Testing.
We are not aware of any statutory responsibility to provide defibrillators in public facilities. Our national advisory group on cardiac services will keep under review the evidence on the effectiveness of providing defibrillators in public places as it emerges.
I thank the deputy minister for that answer. In his absence, I also thank the Minister for Health and Community Care for the meetings that he has had with Mrs Wilma Gunn in relation to Scottish HART.
I said that there were no statutory responsibilities to provide defibrillators in public facilities, but if local assessment revealed that it would be appropriate to have such a medical facility, we would welcome that. We have examined other models that address issues relating to cardiac arrest. One of the most compelling pieces of evidence on the subject is that greater general awareness of resuscitation skills makes a much more effective contribution to intervention than does provision of defibrillators. Although they are welcome, defibrillators make only a marginal contribution. That said, there is nothing to stop the development of local initiatives. Excellent examples of such initiatives already exist throughout Scotland.
Is the deputy minister aware of Lanarkshire NHS Board's action in relation to defibrillators, which recently had happy results in Strathclyde park? Will he consider having discussions with major retailers such as Safeway plc, J Sainsbury plc and Asda about the provision on a partnership basis of defibrillators in major areas of public resort? Will he encourage NHS boards to take the issue on board and to deal with associated training issues?
We would be happy to work in partnership with anyone involved in the arena to ensure that such facilities are available if appropriate, but we would do so only after proper and rigorous assessment to ensure that such provision would make a genuine difference in local communities. Lanarkshire was highlighted; that has been a welcome development, and we are keeping an open mind about any future development. We think that partnership would be important, particularly in areas where the public gather. Irrespective of the commercial aspects of the organisations that are involved, such suggestions would be taken into account and we would welcome innovative ideas.
Deprivation (Glasgow)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the city of Glasgow is a special case with regard to the provision of Executive funding to address poverty and deprivation and their consequences. (S1O-6103)
Glasgow City Council receives the highest general revenue grant per head of any mainland council, set at more than 25 per cent above the Scottish average. Glasgow also benefits through several other Executive programmes that address poverty and deprivation, such as the better neighbourhood services fund and investment in Glasgow's social inclusion partnerships.
Does the minister recognise that one in three people in Glasgow lives in poverty, compared to one in eight in Scotland; that Glasgow has seven out of 10 of the UK's unhealthiest parliamentary constituencies; that Glasgow has 83 per cent of the worst areas of deprivation in Scotland and that 41 per cent of the children of Glasgow live in families that are dependent on income support? With that level of poverty and deprivation concentrated in Glasgow, why is it that in each of the past two years and in the next three years, her Executive is awarding Glasgow less than average increases in grant aid support? Is not it the case that her Executive is anti-Glasgow and prefers rhetoric to reality as far as tackling poverty in Glasgow is concerned?
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. That is the most absurd point that I have heard from Mr Sheridan.
Less than average increases!
Presiding Officer, I would like a chance to answer the question.
Yes, go on.
Just occasionally, Tommy Sheridan should show some courtesy. He knows as well as I do that Glasgow receives one of the highest settlements, as I made clear in the figures that I gave in my answer. The changes that have been announced recently reflect the changing circumstances in Glasgow, and the settlement that has been accorded reflects those changing circumstances.
Does the minister agree that, despite his rhetoric, most of Tommy Sheridan's proposals on issues such as free school meals would export money out of Glasgow rather than give money to the city? Does she acknowledge the importance of factoring in deprivation in distribution of moneys throughout Scotland, which is activity from which Glasgow certainly benefits?
I absolutely recognise those points and I am committed to ensuring that we work on poverty in Glasgow and throughout Scotland. We must give due recognition to pockets of poverty elsewhere in Scotland. I would like to mention something that has never been highlighted by the opposition parties in the chamber. All the reports that have been produced on poverty recently have given significant credit to the work of the Executive in having the courage to say that poverty is a long-term problem and for beginning fundamentally to tackle the problem.
Poverty is rising.
Those reports have given credit to the range of efforts that are being undertaken by the Executive. [Interruption.]
To be frank, I think that the minister doth protest too much. Is not the minister ashamed that new Labour has not only failed to reduce poverty in Scotland but has actually failed to stop it rising since coming to power five and a half years ago? Never mind new Labour's fiddled figures; those are the figures that the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published last week, to the embarrassment of the minister.
Order. We are getting a speech now.
I think I got the gist of that. The SNP and other parties do not understand—[Interruption.]
Not during question time.
Do we have a commitment from the SNP that it will reduce incomes in order to reduce that gap? We have said that we can lift everyone's income and still tackle poverty. The SNP cannot.
Is the minister aware that there was less poverty and less deprivation in Glasgow under the last Conservative administration than there is now under Glasgow City Council? Is she also aware that one of the main reasons for that was that there was far more employment in Glasgow when we had a national Conservative Government? Will the minister comment on those comparisons? Kenny Gibson is quite right that we have had many Labour administrations and there is a lot of rot going on in Glasgow now.
A lot of nonsense is talked in the chamber, but that must come the close to being the worst. Iain Duncan Smith had the audacity to visit Easterhouse in my constituency, where he did not get a very warm welcome, despite what the Conservatives' public relations people said. He could barely find anyone to talk to. However, the people who did talk to him—
When was Tony Blair there?
Mr McLetchie asks, "When was Tony Blair there?" Tony Blair was at one of the highest-achieving schools in my constituency in the east end of Glasgow—a brand new school—to congratulate the Executive and Glasgow City Council for the work that they are doing to turn poverty around.
Question 9 has been withdrawn.
Broadband (Highlands and Islands)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the availability of broadband across the Highlands and Islands. (S1O-6080)
Last week I published an update to our broadband strategy, which details the actions that we are taking to increase availability of broadband in Scotland, including in the Highlands and Islands. At the same time, I announced a new initiative, worth up to £24 million, which is aimed at accelerating and widening the reach of broadband throughout Scotland.
I am sure that the minister will appreciate that the widespread distribution of broadband technology in rural areas is vital to maximising those areas' economic potential and in helping to break down geographic barriers. Do the specifications for the pathfinder project allow for broadband technology to be rolled out throughout the Highlands and Islands?
Yes. The purpose of the pathfinder project is to aggregate public demand for broadband in order to stimulate the roll-out of broadband accessibility in the Highlands and Islands and in the south of Scotland. Procurement started formally last month.
I call Rhoda Grant.
Does the minister agree that—
I said Rhoda Grant.
Sorry. It was worth a try.
That's what I call a "chancer".
Assistance is available. The truth is that achieving broadband availability throughout Scotland was always going to require a mixture of different technologies. We continue to try out power-line carrier technology, and there will be a major trial of wireless technology in the Western Isles by the enterprise network. Highlands and Islands Enterprise is already working with businesses in the Highlands and Islands to pursue the possibility of using satellite technology for broadband access.
The minister will be aware that a key part of Executive policy for rolling out broadband is to aggregate public sector demand in terms of local authorities, health, education and so on, and thereafter to hope that private industry will provide some of the infrastructure. Is he happy with the current assessment of public demand? Is he happy with the level of private investment, and is there an additional role for Government in terms of the infrastructure for broadband facilities?
In answer to the first supplementary question that I was asked I said that the pathfinder project is exactly as Mr Hamilton described; it has gone out to procurement. We expect to see strong expressions of interest that will deliver the benefits that we all want to see in the Highlands and Islands and in the south of Scotland. The truth is that predicting how the broadband telco market will operate has been an inexact science in the last year or so. We have always made it clear that where the market fails to deliver what we want, we will intervene. That is exactly why we introduced our new intervention of £24 million, which is aimed at enabling more digital subscriber line exchanges. We have great confidence in the pathfinder project, but we will monitor it and see what comes back in terms of expressions of interest.
Transport (North-East)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make a decision on whether it will make a substantial contribution to the £247 million that is needed to implement the north-east Scotland transport partnership's plans for a modern transport system for the north-east. (S1O-6094)
We expect to receive the outcome of the transport appraisal of the modern transport system from NESTRANS early next year.
Is the minister aware of the evaluation that is currently being carried out of the potential demand for the reopening of Laurencekirk station, which was commissioned by ScotRail? Will that information be taken into account by the Executive when it considers the transport problems that face the north-east and when it makes a decision next year?
I am aware of that evaluation. It is clear that it is for Aberdeenshire Council, as the lead authority in the investigation, to examine how best it can include the information in its wider proposals. The modern transport system rail proposal in Aberdeenshire is specifically for the Aberdeen crossrail project to deal with and is, as I understand it, currently being specced on the basis of improved train connections between Inverurie and Stonehaven via Aberdeen. That is the project about which we expect first to receive detailed results from the transport appraisal.
Will the minister answer Mr Rumbles's first question? When will the Executive make a decision with regard to the project? Will it be before or after the election?
If Mr Adam had listened to my first answer, he would have heard me say that we will receive the transport appraisal early next year. As has been made clear on many occasions, the decisions that follow that will include decisions about carrying forward the project. The timetable will depend partly on how quickly the promoting local authorities—Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council—are able to bring forward the final transport appraisal. We will examine that as quickly as we can and thereafter conduct an appraisal as rigorously as we appraise every transport proposal that comes before us.
Members will have noticed that we have not got far down the list of questions, so let us see whether we can do better during First Minister's questions.
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