Contents
- Scottish Parliament Thursday 13 January 2000
- Housing
- Lead Committee
- Question Time
- First Minister's Question Time
- Housing
- Representation of the People Bill
- Membership of Committees
- Decision Time
- Social Workers and Violence
Question Time
This afternoon, we start with question time. As we have introduced a new procedure, I shall take a couple of minutes to explain how it will work. I shall add on injury time afterwards.
After each questioner has had a chance to ask his or her question, it will be open to any member to ask a supplementary. Members can press their buttons, and their names will come up on the screen. I ask members please not to press any button until the member who is asking the question is on his or her feet. If members press too soon, they will risk being wiped off the list, along with those who were not called on the previous question.
I have to try to balance the pressure from members on a particular question with the interests of those members who are further down the list, waiting for their questions to be reached. Questions in both categories—the general questions and the First Minister's questions—that are not reached will receive written answers later in the afternoon.
The selection of questions is extremely difficult, and it would help if members dropped me a note in the morning, before question time, telling me if they have a particular interest so that I can take that fact into account. That does not guarantee that those members will be called to ask questions, but it would help. I cannot be expected to know all the geography that is involved in these questions. Although the chair is omnipotent, it is not omniscient. Any advice that members can give would be welcomed.
The serious point that I want to make is that, at the end of question time, there can be no points of order on not being selected to ask a question. Any points of grievance can be addressed to me outside, after question time, when I shall try to make amends, and possibly even offer cups of tea and sympathy.
Let us proceed.
SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Rural Communities
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is currently taking to promote the vitality and future viability of rural communities. (S1O-896)
The Executive is taking forward a wide range of policies and activities—for example, a £14.2 million rural transport funding package, an ambitious programme of land reform and the preparation of new rural development plans that will put almost £100 million into rural communities each year—in line with its commitment to support and enhance all aspects of rural life in Scotland.
I am sure that, along with everyone in this chamber, the minister is fully aware how vital the tourism industry is to the rural economy. Is he aware that a recent survey suggested that 40 per cent of businesses that are involved in that industry said that the Scottish Tourist Board is doing very poorly, and that a further 80 per cent thought that the Scottish Government did not understand the tourism industry at all? What plans does the Executive have to reform the structures and financing of the tourism industry in Scotland?
As Mr Paterson will be aware, the Executive is in the middle of producing a new tourism strategy. As part of that strategy, the Scottish Tourist Board and its partners have been asked to consider in particular the problem of growing tourism in remoter areas and to come up with fresh ideas for that. Those ideas will form part of the new strategy, which I hope will address the points that Mr Paterson has just made.
Will the minister expand on the Executive's commitment to support socially rented housing in rural areas and will the Executive meet representatives of housing providers in the Highlands and Islands?
If the member had been present throughout this morning's debate, she would know that that matter has been debated extensively. Discussions have already taken place between the Executive and Scottish Homes on increasing substantially the amount that is spent on provision of affordable rented accommodation in rural areas.
What steps will the Executive take to deal with the situation in some Highland communities where 90 per cent of the housing stock is holiday homes?
That is a problem and Dr Ewing's point is well made. The essential point—apart from the issue of holiday homes—is that, historically, there has been an underspend on provision of affordable housing in rural areas. That relates to my previous answer about the fact that the Executive has had discussions with Scottish Homes; we have asked it to increase substantially the proportion of its spending for provision of affordable housing in remote rural areas.
Housing (Stock Transfer)
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to put in place to ensure that tenants who are concerned about transfer of council housing stock are made aware of the opportunities to voice their opinions. (S1O-895) The Minister for Communities (Ms Wendy Alexander): Glasgow City Council has set up 31 neighbourhood forums that are represented on a citywide tenants forum. I am aware of the interest in this matter and I have agreed to the forum's request for a meeting to discuss how best to include input from tenants in the discussion about the proposed stock transfer and the move towards community ownership.
Glasgow tenants and council trade unions were excluded from the year-long Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service feasibility study into stock transfer and there are no tenant or trade union representatives on the Executive's newly established steering group or on Glasgow City Council's development team. Given those facts, does the minister agree with the University of Paisley's independent business report, which said:
"Tenants and trade unions have been excluded from all discussions on the development of proposals to transfer the housing stock in Glasgow. This conflicts with the social inclusion agenda and does not augur well for the future"?
I met the joint trade unions in Glasgow in December, so what Tommy Sheridan says is factually inaccurate. I reiterate that I will meet the citywide tenants forum next week.
What is Ms Alexander's response to Glasgow City Council's biggest and most recent survey of its tenants, which took place three months ago?
I am not familiar with the details of the study.
You have had two supplementary questions, Mr Sheridan. I call Dorothy-Grace Elder.
All the Glasgow tenants associations that were set up before the proposed stock transfer are solidly opposed to the transfer. Is the minister aware of the deplorable tactics employed by Glasgow City Council in denying freedom of expression to tenants who oppose the transfer? The tactics include cancellation of the booking of a hall that is owned by Glasgow City Council. The Waverley centre in Drumchapel was booked by Glasgow Against Housing Stock Transfer, which is a tenants organisation. The tenants' booking was cancelled and they had to be taken to a church.
That is enough. Can we hear the answer, please, Ms Alexander?
All parties in the chamber embrace the need to look for new solutions to housing problems and, in that spirit, Glasgow City Council is to be commended for exploring the options. I am happy, on behalf of the Executive and of Glasgow City Council, to provide the critical assurance for which Dorothy-Grace Elder asks: there will be no move towards community ownership unless the tenants of Glasgow vote for it. There will be a ballot and every tenant—not just a few—will have the opportunity to make the decision collectively.
Drug Rehabilitation
To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of its plans for expenditure, announced in the Minister for Finance's statement of 6 October 1999, on drug rehabilitation broken down by local authority and health board areas. (S1O-914)
The Minister for Finance's statement emphasised the Scottish Executive's commitment to tackling the drugs menace by providing £10.5 million to establish a drugs enforcement agency. Local authorities and health boards are currently planning their budgets for next year and I expect to see clear plans for investment in services locally to tackle head on the drugs problem that affects many Scottish communities.
I understood that the Minister for Finance also announced money for drug rehabilitation—that, rather than money for the drugs enforcement agency, was the basis of my question. Is the minister saying that no moneys will be allocated to individual local authorities and health boards for drug rehabilitation in the coming year?
No—moneys that go to local authorities and health boards are not ring-fenced as such. It is for the individual authorities to specify exactly how the totality of their allocation will be broken down. I can provide the member with current and previous years' expenditure patterns, but until those bodies take their own decisions about exactly how much they will allocate to drugs, it is impossible to give information about next year.
Will the minister agree to examine the uptake of residential rehabilitation schemes? It is a matter of considerable concern that expensive schemes funded in Scotland are not being utilised.
It is a priority for the Executive to conclude as soon as possible the survey that is being undertaken of all expenditure that goes through its budget. The survey includes an examination of residential detoxification centres, to ensure that best-practice proposals are replicated across Scotland. If individual projects do not provide value for money, we expect that those projects will be reshaped and expenditure moved elsewhere.
Parliamentary Debates
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to lodge further motions for debate on drugs, education and housing issues affecting Scotland. (S1O-893) The Minister for Parliament (Mr Tom McCabe): I informed Parliament today of the intention to hold next week a debate on drug misuse. We are debating housing today and the chamber will have an opportunity to discuss the improvement in Scottish education bill when it is introduced shortly.
I thank Mr McCabe for his answer. When I lodged this question, none of the substantial debates mentioned in it had taken place. Given that housing is being debated today and that the issue of tackling drugs comes before the chamber next week, I will put aside my suspicion that Mr McCabe has been reading my mail.
I commend the Executive for addressing issues of real importance—[Applause.] Wait a minute— this is uncharted territory for me. I thank the Executive for discussing issues of real importance, rather than the millennium non-bug, and for being guided by Conservative principles.
We will let that pass.
On the subject of motions about education, is the minister aware of research that shows that participation in music by schoolchildren can greatly enhance their attainment in numeracy and literacy and improve behaviour and motivation? Is he further aware that, owing to a lack of resources, there is a huge variation in the provision of musical instrument tuition across local authorities? If so, what additional support will the Executive provide to local authorities to ensure that all children, if they so wish, can access opportunities to learn to play musical instruments?
Although education funding has been increased by 8 per cent, it is for the local authority to determine the way in which it distributes spending across all aspects of education. The education bill, which will be presented to Parliament in the near future, will contain sections on involving young people in all aspects of their education and I am sure that they will have the opportunity to comment on this issue
at that time.
Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to ensure that there will be no increase in waiting times for non-emergency surgical procedures within Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust over the next year. (S1O-909) The Minister for Health and Community Care (Susan Deacon): I expect the trust to play its part in meeting the Executive's priorities for the national health service in Scotland. We are working with all health boards and NHS trusts across Scotland to speed treatment and to shorten waiting times. As I announced before Christmas, we plan to establish national maximum waiting times, to be met by March 2001, in the key clinical priorities of heart disease, cancer and, for the first time, mental illness.
Is the minister truly aware of the worry and uncertainty that is caused by increased waiting times for operations, and is she aware that she is now presiding over a worsening situation? Can she explain why waiting times for out-patients in Angus have not been issued to general practitioners over the past six months and how keeping surgeons and nurses from doing the work for which they were trained will deliver the improvements that she has promised for the NHS?
I am very much aware that waiting for treatment can cause patients worry and anxiety. That is why the Executive has put such emphasis on speeding treatment and reducing waiting times. What often adds to that worry and uncertainty is the misinformation that members occasionally put into the press and the public domain. I can give an assurance that we are continuing to work to take real action and real measures to ensure that waiting times are reduced. We know that that matters to people and we are taking action on it.
The minister will know that the increased spending that was made available this year to the Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust was entirely taken up by the pay award to nurses and doctors. Does she accept that, if the Executive insists on the elimination of the trust's projected £12 million by the end of the current financial year, that will have serious implications for the health service on Tayside? In the interests of patients and staff alike on Tayside, will she consider allowing the trust to carry forward the deficit into a future financial year, particularly in the light of the fact that the trust is addressing the structural problems on Tayside through its acute services review?
In the current year, in excess of
£388 million has been allocated to health services in Tayside. That represents an increase of 4.25 per cent. I must take issue with the member: the figures that I have given indicate a real-terms increase, only part of which has been assigned to meeting the cost of pay awards.
On the deficit in Tayside, officials from my department are working with the board and the trust to put in place a sensible recovery plan that will enable the trust to manage its resources effectively while maintaining the level of patient care. It is always worth remembering that, whatever the size of a budget in the NHS, either locally or nationally, it must be managed effectively and sensibly, with patients' needs in mind. That is exactly what we want to do nationally, and it is what we want, working with health officials in Tayside, to do locally.
Will the minister acknowledge, following the answer that she has given to Mr McAllion, that the recovery plan that is being proposed by the management executive and that will be forced through in Tayside before the end of this financial year will result in a reduction in the volume of elective surgery work that is being done by the Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust? That will have an impact on the waiting times of patients in all constituencies in Tayside. Does that not indicate that the Government's rhetoric on health spending does not accord with the reality that our constituents experience?
Mr Swinney's colleague Mr Welsh has already said that he is concerned about the anxiety that is felt by the people of Tayside. I have already made the point that misinformation put out by local members adds to that worry. Neither this Executive nor anyone else is imposing a financial plan on local health authorities in Tayside. The local trust in Tayside is working with the health board to develop a sensible recovery plan. If local members want to contribute to that process and ensure that their constituents' health needs are taken into account as part of it, they would be better engaging in constructive debate at a local level, rather than trying to score points in this Parliament.
Oban Hospital
To ask the Scottish Executive what assurances it can give that there will be no cuts in clinical service provision at Oban hospital. (S1O-905) The Minister for Health and Community Care (Susan Deacon): It is for Argyll and Clyde Health Board and Argyll and Clyde Acute Hospitals Trust to decide on the services and facilities to be provided to meet the needs of the local population.
There is great concern in the local community about the recovery plan that is being drawn up by the acute hospitals trust because of a financial overspend. What will the implications be for Oban hospital? Will the minister give an assurance that doctors, nurses, staff and—most of all—the local community will be consulted about any changes that are brought forward as a result of the plan? They are very much in the dark right now and there is tremendous concern about the implications of the recovery plan.
I am glad that Mr Lyon has raised the issue of consultation and discussion on recovery plans and, more generally, on the delivery and design of health services at a local level. It is very important that local people are kept informed about decisions that affect them, and that local members are involved in discussions. I understand that Mr Lyon has been in touch with the local health authority and I encourage him to continue that dialogue. As I said before Christmas in the debate on the national health service, I expect NHS trusts and health boards to involve local communities in full consultation and discussion throughout these processes.
My question, too, is about the management of NHS resources and about plans for recovery. I draw the Executive's attention to the headline in an excellent publication that can be purchased locally: "Cash plea as flu crisis wrecks waiting lists". That situation has arisen because of a combination of circumstances, none of which is helped by the minister's precipitate withdrawal of emergency winter payments to local hospital trusts. Will she now reinstate those payments?
Is this about Oban?
If she does not reinstate them, will she resign on the ground that she is not managing the resources of the NHS?
Does that refer to Oban?
It is the same all over.
As the supplementary question does not relate to the original question, we will proceed to question 8.
Carers
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the specific areas into which the £10 million pledged to assist carers will be channelled. (S1O-903) The Deputy Minister for Community Care (Iain Gray): We expect the £10 million to be used to enhance existing quality services—including respite care—that are of direct benefit to carers, as well as to develop new and more innovative services. A copy of the department's letter to local authorities advising them of their share of the £10 million is available in the Scottish Parliament information centre. It is for individual authorities, in consultation with local carers groups, to decide how best to use those resources.
Will the minister acknowledge that the Executive's response to the needs of carers is wholly inadequate? Will he comment specifically on the plight of families and friends whose informal caring for mentally ill people saves the Government £280 million each year, according to Accounts Commission estimates?
In the debate in which the £10 million for carers was announced, I made it clear that it is well understood that the health service and the community care systems could not continue without the informal care that is carried out by 500,000 or more Scots—we cannot match that. In that debate, we also agreed, as did carers organisations, that the money was a first step in giving the needs of carers a much higher priority. It is a step in the right direction.
Does the minister agree that children who are carers need specialist support? It is important to ensure that young people who are carers have a childhood. Can he advise on proposals to assist such children?
When the carers strategy was announced, the Executive acknowledged that there was not enough in it for young carers. I have asked officials to work on research and to bring forward further proposals, which I hope to present to the Parliament. I would expect that one area on which the £10 million that has been allocated to local authorities will be spent will be better information and services for young carers, perhaps through schools.
Roads (M74)
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance the Minister for Transport and the Environment gave to the leaders of Glasgow City, Renfrewshire and South Lanarkshire Councils at her meeting with them on 21 December 1999 on the extent to which the Scottish Executive does not consider that the M74 northern extension satisfies the assessment criteria used in the strategic roads review, and what advice the minister offered the council leaders on how the M74 northern extension should be amended to meet the Scottish Executive's criteria. (S1O-917)
As I made clear in
my statement to Parliament on 4 November, that proposal is to be promoted by the local authorities. Discussion focused on how they might deliver their proposal.
I thank the minister for that full and informative answer. [Laughter.] I hope that her relegation to the second row of the Labour seats has no relationship to recent press speculation about impending ministerial reshuffles. [MEMBERS: "Shame."] Will she consent to tell the chamber whether the Executive approves of and supports the current M74 proposal, whether it is encouraging Glasgow City Council and other councils to bring the scheme to completion, and whether it has offered any guidance to those councils as to whether the scheme requires substantial amendment and, if it does, what proposals the Executive will put to the councils for achieving a fresh set of planning and other statutory consents?
I shall be extremely careful where I sit the next time I come into the chamber; I did not realise that it had such significance.
The key issue about the M74 extension, as was made absolutely clear in the strategic roads review, is that the project must be considered carefully. It would be a major urban motorway, running right through the centre of a city. There would be a lot of local traffic as well as a high proportion of commuting traffic. The matter therefore fits extremely well into the local transport strategies that are being developed by local authorities. Those issues, together with others relating to funding and to the opportunities that are available under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and under the proposals for local road- user charging, which I have already indicated to Parliament will be introduced in the integrated transport bill, can all be taken forward by local authorities.
Does the minister agree that many local businesses, particularly in my constituency, that are under the blight of the proposed M74 extension have been suffering greatly for a number of years because of the uncertainty surrounding the proposal? Will she confirm that she is considering the discussions that took place on 21 December 1999, and will she issue advice in the near future about the matter?
The issue of blight was raised by one of the councils at that meeting; it is one of the many matters that I am currently considering.
2001 Census
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on the questions to be included in the 2001 census and in particular whether there will be any questions seeking information about religious denomination. (S1O-907)
Details of our proposals for the 2001 census in Scotland were announced last Monday when the draft census order in council was laid before the Parliament. It is not proposed to include a question on religion. We believe that, in Scottish circumstances, alternative ways of collecting information on religion will be a more appropriate way of meeting user needs. We plan to do that by sample surveys.
I thank the minister for his response, but I must say that I am somewhat disappointed. Is he aware that research undertaken by the social and public health sciences unit of the University of Glasgow indicates that there are differences in health and employment opportunities between Catholics and people of Irish descent and non-Catholics? Does he feel that, in line with our commitment to tackling exclusion, there is a need to gain further and more substantial information on the matter, and that the inclusion of a question on religion in the 2001 census, which will happen in other parts of the United Kingdom, would provide that information?
I appreciate that this is an important issue. We have received a number of representations about it, all of which were given careful consideration. However, the conclusion was reached that the census was not the appropriate vehicle for gathering the sort of worthwhile information on this subject to which Karen Whitefield has referred. It can be difficult to identify how such a question is to be answered. For example, is a Christian a communicant Church member or someone who attends church regularly or irregularly?
We accept the point that, in advancing our equality strategy, some of that information must be made available. However, we believe that an examination of qualitative issues, such as the relevance of religion to promoting social inclusion and equality in the wider context of culture and lifestyle, can be better done and the results better achieved through sample surveys. That is what we are committed to doing.
Can the minister provide the reasons for not including a question on the Scots language in the census? Is there scope for amendment of the draft census order under the terms of the Census Act 1920?
We received a number of representations about the Scots language, but it appears from research that the Scots language means different things to different people, in terms
of what would be understood in answering the question. The proposal was rejected, as research undertaken on behalf of the Registrar General showed that such a question would not work well because there was no demonstrable need for it at a small-area level, for which census information is important.
It is my understanding that, in some cases, it may be possible to amend the order that was laid. I will confirm in a letter to Irene McGugan whether that question is one that can be amended. Any amendment would have to proceed by way of primary legislation because there is no provision in the Census Act 1920 for a question on religion.
Is the minister aware of the concern among ethnic minorities that the previous census grossly underestimated their numbers? What consultations has he had with ethnic minority groups to try to overcome that problem, particularly in terms of the range of languages that can be used on the census form and on the way in which the census is conducted?
There was considerable consultation following the publication of a white paper by the UK Government before the establishment of this Parliament. Many ethnic groups were involved in that consultation. There will be a question on ethnicity in the census, and it is my understanding that census forms can be made available with translation.
Foreign Language Teaching
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote the teaching of foreign languages in Scotland during 2001, the European year of languages. (S1O-910) The Deputy Minister for Children and Education (Peter Peacock): The Scottish Executive is committed to the learning of foreign languages in Scotland. We are discussing with interested bodies how Scotland can participate in the European year of languages in 2001, and we will announce plans later this year.
Does the minister agree that schools in my area in North Ayrshire have shown excellence in the teaching of modern languages? I am sure that he is aware that the uptake of standard grade Spanish, for example, in Kilwinning Academy, is twice the national average. Will he take that first-class track record into account in determining the location of the school of excellence in modern language teaching in Scotland?
I am aware of Irene Oldfather's personal interest in the matter. She was the vice- chair of education in North Ayrshire, and is involved in the European Committee of the Regions, which makes her particularly aware of the importance of foreign languages. Because of my association with her on that committee, I am also aware of the work that has been done in North Ayrshire.
I am keen to make a decision soon on the school of excellence in modern language teaching, to which Irene Oldfather referred. We hope to make an announcement on that issue in the coming weeks. I am aware of the excellent submission made by North Ayrshire.
Local Government Finance
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs, if any, will be lost as a result of the announcement on local government finance on Wednesday 8 December 1999. (S1O-898) The Deputy Minister for Local Government (Mr Frank McAveety): Government-supported expenditure will be £6,746 million in 2000-01, an increase of 3.7 per cent over the comparable figure for this year, and higher than the projected increase in inflation. It is for local authorities to prepare their own budgets in the light of their own circumstances, which may vary, as will their employment decisions.
I thank the minister for not answering my question. Does he agree that, yet again, the settlement will result in a reduction in services, fewer road repairs, closed libraries, more uncollected litter, an increase in council tax and people paying more and getting less?
It is interesting that we have had that question again from a member of the Scottish Conservative party, which presided over tremendous opportunities for local government in the 1980s and 1990s. On the figures, it is for local councils—as Mr Harding well knows, because he still sits as a local councillor—to determine how best to allocate their budgets. It would be wrong, on the principle of subsidiarity, on which this Parliament was set up, for the Executive to determine how best to allocate those budgets.
I draw the member's attention to two key facts. For two years running, local authorities' budgets have grown. We can also deal with the issue in terms of the comparative spend. If his Government was still in power, £2 billion less would be spent over the next three years, compared with what we will spend.
Is the minister aware that, in the first three years of the parliamentary session, the Labour Government will be spending £2.5 billion less than was spent by the Tory Government—which he has been berating—in its last three years?
On the increase in spending to which the minister referred, is he aware that it lags behind average earnings, which will increase by 4 per cent? If spending increases by 3.6 per cent, where will the jobs be lost, and is the minister responsible for that?
I will obviously take lectures from the great economist, Andrew Wilson. It took him until three days before the election to address the fact that the Scottish National party would be in deficit. That is the same Andrew Wilson who, along with his SNP colleagues, regularly trots out spending commitments without identifying where the money would come from. If Andrew Wilson can give me that information—[Interruption.] It is interesting that both the SNP and the Tories are again barracking me. It is an enjoyable experience. I do not mind being in the third row being barracked by that crowd.
Landfill
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has put in place to prevent radioactive pollution escaping into the atmosphere from landfill sites. (S1O-897) The Minister for Transport and the Environment (Sarah Boyack): Regulation of the disposal of radioactive waste in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Considering that SEPA has identified radioactive tritium levels that were some 200 times higher than background levels in the Lanarkshire landfill site, and given that the Executive has cut SEPA's funding by 6 per cent, how does the minister propose to monitor and police such abuses?
It is important that that is done in a transparent manner. Radioactive waste is disposed of at 12 sites in Scotland, which are regulated. I have ensured that that information was placed in the Scottish Parliament information centre. It is important that that information is available. I have every confidence that SEPA is monitoring those sites.
If Mr MacAskill would like to raise any particular matters with me, I should be interested to hear from him. I answered his question on radioactive waste issues before Christmas. I should be happy to deal with detailed, specific questions if he has any others.
French Beef
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that French beef in the Scottish marketplace conforms to the same standards laid down for home-produced beef given the rising incidence of BSE in France. (S1O916)
A range of BSE-related legislative measures, such as those requiring the complete removal of specified risk material, are already in place to safeguard public health in relation to the consumption of beef by consumers; those controls apply to both domestic beef and beef imported from France.
As much of the beef that is currently being imported from France is cow beef, would it be fair to say that it would be over 30 months of age? Does the minister consider that that particular requirement in the UK marketplace would be appropriate for beef produced in France?
The European Community directive governing those health matters would require France to comply with the requirements of this country. It would be for the European Commission to ensure that it is so doing. Under European rules—as Mr Johnstone will be aware— we are unfortunately, under the open market regulations, not able to check every piece of imported beef, but the Meat Hygiene Service and the State Veterinary Service regularly inspect it.
Notwithstanding the Euro- sceptic views of the Conservatives, is the minister prepared to meet his French colleague to see whether there is any way in which Scottish beef can get back into the French market, or is he resigned to waiting, perhaps for years, for the outcome of the current court case?
I am certainly not resigned to waiting for years for the current court case. I am concerned that, at present, the only position that has been put to the United Kingdom—or anywhere else—is that the French might wish to pursue the issue of a herd-based scheme. Alasdair Morgan will be aware that that could take a very long time.
The interest in instituting a herd-based scheme is the only position that has been put by the French Government. It is not consistent with our position—supported by the rest of Europe—that the date-based export scheme is entirely correct and safe and should be implemented immediately by the French, to comply with their European requirements.
EU Beef Labelling Scheme
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the European Union requesting that the implementation of council regulation 820/97, which allows for the introduction of a compulsory beef labelling scheme, not be delayed any further. (S1O-915)
I attended the EU Council meeting in December at which the proposals for compulsory beef labelling were, regrettably, deferred by the EU until 1 September 2000. I had to concur reluctantly with the UK position to support that deferral because many EU member states—including the UK—are not in a position to implement the scheme in full. I believe that the proposals can be taken forward now and officials in the Scottish Executive rural affairs department are working with others to ensure that the new date can be met.
Has the minister tried, as I have, to make an informed choice in the supermarket? Does he accept that continuing— and sometimes deliberate—confusion over labelling and the difficulties that it poses for consumers is an obstacle to the recovery of the Scottish beef sector and other sectors?
I would not describe myself as a natural shopper but, thinking of the occasions when I have had to exercise that choice, I could not agree more with Nora Radcliffe's comments. That is why, in October, in an attempt to strengthen the voluntary arrangements in advance of the compulsory arrangements coming into place, the Executive consulted to ensure that we will have clearer descriptions that will help to distinguish between imported products and products that are produced in Scotland.
I will take an injury time question from Mr Rumbles.
Rural Schools (Traffic Calming)
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce traffic- calming measures outside rural schools in areas such as Aberdeenshire. (S1O-900) The Minister for Transport and the Environment (Sarah Boyack): Decisions about the introduction of traffic-calming measures on local roads are the responsibility of local authorities. The Scottish Executive is responsible for trunk roads. We are not aware of particular safety problems on trunk roads in Aberdeenshire associated with rural schools.
Aberdeenshire Council wants to install amber flashing lights on a trial basis near three schools: Craigievar, Tough and Kildrummy. Such lights are not allowed on those roads under current regulations; they may be installed only where many children cross the road to and from a school.
Does the minister accept that that rarely happens in rural schools and that children are still at risk if they are dropped off and collected from the school without actually crossing the road? Will the Executive consider those regulations specifically?
We have said that we are happy to consider the issue of road markings outside those schools, to help identify the need for safety measures there. The issue of lights is being progressed by officials of the Scottish Executive and local authority transportation officers.
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