SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
MMR Vaccine
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the current measles, mumps and rubella vaccine programme. (S1O-4666)
The Executive has no plans to review the current MMR vaccine programme.
I draw the minister's attention to the announcement that the Minister of State for Health, Jacqui Smith, made this morning. She has allocated £2.5 million to research into autism. Obviously, that must be welcomed, but I say to the minister that, given the lack of take-up of the MMR vaccine in this country, no number of advertising campaigns will convince parents of the safety of the vaccine. To prevent—
The member is making a speech—he should ask a question.
Does the minister agree that, to prevent a measles outbreak, it would be worth while at least to offer a single vaccine to parents who are not convinced of the efficacy of the MMR vaccine?
As the First Minister said last week, it is important to keep the temperature down and have a rational debate about the issue. Politicians should not second-guess medical opinion. The medical advice is clear. Two issues relate to single vaccines—the risks between vaccines and more trauma for young children. The key point is that all the evidence shows that, if we were to move to single vaccines, there would be big drop in uptake. That happened in a similar situation in 1980, with the whooping cough triple vaccine, and would mean dangers not just from measles—which have been well publicised—but from mumps and rubella. Single vaccines would result in a reduction in all-round uptake.
Will the minister take the opportunity to recognise and applaud the efforts of general practitioners, health visitors and practice nurses, who work day in, day out to take forward the MMR immunisation programme and other childhood immunisation programmes and offer parents the best possible information and advice in taking important and sensitive decisions? Will he do all that is in his power to support them in their efforts, particularly as their jobs can often be made more difficult by misleading and at times ill-informed contributions on the matter?
I pay tribute to all the work that Susan Deacon has done on the issue. She is absolutely right about GPs and other front-line health workers. They were given information packs last year, not least as a result of her efforts. We are considering further ways of increasing the flow of information to parents. I agree with Susan Deacon that what GPs say and do is crucial.
I remind the chamber that this debate was started not by politicians, but by clinicians. Given the current situation, what advice would the minister give to parents who are refusing MMR? Will he offer them another option until the research that Mr Quinan referred to is delivered?
I do not think that my advice is crucial in this area. Obviously, I am making my view clear, but I am listening to medical advice and I am sure that, as most people would agree, parents want to hear medical advice. Notwithstanding Ben Wallace's opening sentence, the reality is that the overwhelming body of medical opinion, not only in this country but in countries throughout the world, is that the MMR vaccine is the best and safest option for young children and for society as a whole.
Audiology Services
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that individual national health service boards adhere to the good practice guidance issued to them in March 2001 on digital hearing aid fitting and services. (S1O-4708)
The good practice guidance, which the Medical Research Council developed for the Scottish Executive, was issued last March. On 6 February this year, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People released the research findings on the audiology units in NHS Scotland. The information gathered has included an examination of the extent to which the good practice guidance is being applied across the service. The information from the RNID research report, and the Scottish Executive review of audiology services when it reports later in the year, will be examined and analysed to see how well the guidance is being applied and what further work needs to be done.
The minister is obviously aware of the recent research by the RNID. It found that only nine out of 22 audiology departments in Scotland claim to comply with the Executive's guidance on the technical quality of hearing aids. She says that—
A question, please.
I am asking a question.
You are not. You have not yet started to ask a question. You have explained that the minister is aware of a report. Will you ask a question?
Does the minister agree that the standard of service identified by the RNID, with only nine out of 22 audiology departments claiming to comply, is unacceptable to the hard of hearing? Will she give an undertaking that she will take action before too long? It is clear that the current situation is not acceptable.
As I have said, it is important that we consider the results of the research. The findings are not what we would have hoped for. We are keen to ensure that audiology departments throughout Scotland adhere to the guidance that has been issued.
Does the minister agree that, although access to digital hearing aids is important and of great benefit to many deaf and hard of hearing people, improvements within audiology services throughout the NHS is central to improving services to the deaf community? The minister has referred to the on-going review of audiology services. Will she let us know when that review is due to be completed? In the meantime, will she use the expertise that has been established throughout the many organisations that represent deaf and hard of hearing people to improve audiology services now?
It is important to recognise that this discussion is about more than digital hearing aids. The support that is given by audiology units is very important if people are to make the best use of any aid that is given to them. Therefore, although the review will not report until the autumn, we have asked to be given an initial indication of training needs in audiology departments throughout Scotland, so that the appropriate training can be introduced as soon as possible.
Enterprise (Female Representation)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address any under-representation of women in business following the report by the Industrial Society, "Unequal Entrepreneurs: Why Female Enterprise is an Uphill Business". (S1O-4696)
The Scottish Executive is committed to supporting more women into business in Scotland. The Industrial Society report is already informing the development of policy on support for women in business in Scotland.
Does the minister agree with the report's findings that women generally start up business with less access to financial networks, less capital to invest and poorer prospects for business growth? Although there are a number of welcome initiatives, implementation across Scotland is patchy. Will she consider establishing a national centre for women in business to oversee a coherent strategy and to drive forward an effective approach to women's enterprise development in Scotland?
I share the member's concern. The Industrial Society's report indicates that about one in four self-employed people is female; the figures for Scotland are no different. Jackie Baillie will be pleased to know that tenders have been invited for a feasibility study on establishing a national centre for women's enterprise in Scotland. She will be aware that we have promised a microcredit scheme of £1 million. We hope that the principal recipients of microcredit will be women. We fully expect that microcredit grants, which will range from £500 to £5,000, will be available in all local economic forum areas within a fortnight.
Scottish Ambulance Service
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Ambulance Service will complete the introduction of a paramedic technician into every ambulance. (S1O-4709)
The service plans to have a paramedic in every emergency front-line ambulance by the end of 2005.
Does the minister agree that, as paramedics have additional training, investment in the programme, whose aim is to ensure that a paramedic is available for every 999 call, is crucial to our emergency services? Does the minister agree that ambulance technicians, who are at the front line in many emergencies, have a difficult job and that, to meet our targets for a full paramedic service, we must look after those staff, as they are the main source of recruitment for the paramedic service?
The Scottish Ambulance Service has received additional money for three years to train 225 technicians to paramedic level. The year-on-year uplifts to its allocations have enabled it to increase the overall complement of emergency ambulance staff. There are 200 more emergency ambulance staff in the front-line vehicles than there were 10 years ago. We value and appreciate the contribution of the staff. We will do everything possible to raise standards and to protect the staff's best interests.
Does the minister recall that Scotland's two busiest part-time ambulance stations are the ones in Peterhead and Fraserburgh? Is he aware that, at grave risk to the public, staff at those stations work excessive hours to cover a full-time requirement? Does he intend to provide the necessary funding to upgrade the stations to full-time operation in the coming year?
I am not familiar with staff hours in the locality that Stewart Stevenson mentioned and members would not expect me to be familiar with them—that issue is the responsibility of local managers. The Ambulance Service is formulating proposals to improve ambulance provision in Scotland. I am sure that, as part of that, it will consider Stewart Stevenson's comments.
Does the minister accept that it is crucial that the Ambulance Service works in close collaboration with health boards, particularly given the background of the acute hospitals review and the reduction in the number of hospitals in some areas? Will he undertake to ensure that there is no halt in the funding regime that supports the increase in the number of paramedics and that the welcome funding that he announced will be safeguarded and, if necessary, ring-fenced to ensure that the increase is delivered?
As I said, the funding regime is intended to provide additional paramedics. The proposals to consider response services will improve the service that is available to the public. Robert Brown is correct that the Ambulance Service must ensure that it liaises closely with health boards. Those who rely on the provision of services in hospitals often depend on the Ambulance Service to get them there. We will ensure that close liaison will continue and, where necessary, that the liaison will improve.
Schools (Sport)
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent action it has taken to promote sport in schools. (S1O-4695)
We work with education authorities and sportscotland to ensure that children have access to as wide a range of sporting activities as possible. Particular initiatives that sportscotland supports include the school sport co-ordinator programme, the active primary school programme and the TOP programme.
What action can the minister take to promote sport in small rural primary schools? Because of the small number of teachers in those schools, sport is often overlooked or taught by teachers with no specialist sports knowledge. To encourage talent, it is important that young people are allowed to take part in sports from an early age. At present, that is extremely difficult and it is impossible to give children in rural areas the same opportunities as others.
The issue is indeed often a problem in rural areas. That is principally the responsibility of the local education authority. Nevertheless, in targeting assistance through, for example, the school sport co-ordinator programme, which disburses money through local authorities, the Executive is making resources available so that councils can promote physical activity in ways that are most suited to local need. The education authorities in rural areas will require rather different programmes from those in urban areas. We are targeting money through local authorities in the hope that they will concentrate on the best way of delivering sports education in schools according to the needs in their localities.
Given the importance of sport to the health, fitness and self-fulfilment of young people, will the minister tell the Parliament whether the amount of sport in our schools has increased or decreased since the Labour-Liberal coalition was formed?
I am assured that it has increased. The national guidance in the curriculum for five to 14-year-olds recommends that 15 per cent of time should be spent on expressive arts, which include physical education. The guidance is that at least one hour per week should be spent on expressive arts in schools. Schools provide for sports in different ways. The projects provided by sportscotland and local authorities include various after-school activities, lunch-time activities and activities in which young people volunteer to work with young children. I believe that, through those programmes, the amount of physical education that is available to young people is increasing and that sporting facilities are improving.
Landfill Sites
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the licensing and operation of landfill sites. (S1O-4678)
New legislation is being prepared to tighten the controls on landfills and to minimise the impact of landfills on their surroundings. It is intended that operators of all sites will have to submit conditioning plans later this year to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Those plans will show how the sites will be improved to meet the new standards.
I welcome the fact that new legislation is forthcoming. Does the minister agree that it is unfair to local communities, such as Greengairs in my constituency, for landfill operators to apply for planning permission for a smaller project than is truly intended, as is often the case, and then to submit a further application, knowing that that will be more likely to succeed because the landfill will by then be operating? Does he agree that we need to modernise our planning process to allow those people who live near the landfill sites a far greater say in the planning decisions?
The essential issue is the nature of the activity that is being conducted and that is affecting nearby residents. The important point is that new legislation is being prepared to tighten controls on landfill sites. That, combined with planning legislation, will make the situation much more satisfactory. I agree with Karen Whitefield that the present combination of provisions is not working well.
I have a number of points to make, minister, thank you very much.
No, no: just one supplementary question, please.
Okay—but it is one question containing two points. Will the minister—[Laughter.] Some of my colleagues have been putting about five points in their questions—the minister is lucky today.
Just get on with the question.
Will the minister investigate how SEPA handles cases? There is a definite public perception that SEPA is not taking sufficiently strong action. Will the minister also investigate those areas of Scotland that are most heavily dumped on, particularly the east end of Glasgow?
I am bound to say that it is simply not good enough to make a generalisation on SEPA's conduct. If the member has specific allegations about SEPA's conduct, I invite her to write to me about them. The evidence that I have on a number of landfill sites is that SEPA has acted promptly, has drawn up the necessary regulation and has been on top of any situations where regulations have been contravened.
Will the minister make representations to ensure that a greater proportion of landfill tax will be devoted to supporting recycling?
Robin Harper is well aware that the Scottish Executive is concerned principally with ensuring that we have the capacity to reduce dramatically the amount of waste that currently goes to landfill sites. We will use UK Government taxation to improve the situation, both by reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill and by making increasing use of recycling.
Engineering (Female Participation)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote female participation in engineering. (S1O-4657)
A variety of initiatives are aimed at attracting women into the traditionally male-dominated engineering and technology sector. I recently launched a women-only engineering course that has been set up at the Institute of Applied Technology, which is shared between Fife College of Further and Higher Education and Glenrothes College. I know that the member is familiar with both those colleges.
Does the minister agree that, if we are to be at forefront of innovation in engineering and technology, projects such as the one in my constituency to which she referred need to be rolled out across the country? What steps is the Executive taking to ensure that good practice is rolled out across Scotland?
In the interests of time, I will provide the member with just a few examples of that. A couple of buses organised by the women into science and engineering project are touring schools in Scotland to encourage boys and, in particular, girls to consider courses in engineering. This week I had the pleasure of joining Peter Hughes, who runs Scottish Engineering, to hear a completely inspirational address, hosted at Parkhead in Glasgow, that he gave to 7,000 schoolchildren. His aim was to encourage boys and girls in particular into the engineering and science sector. The children who attended the event had the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities relating to science and engineering.
West of Scotland Water<br />(Dumfries and Galloway)
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of investment decisions by West of Scotland Water authority on development in Dumfries and Galloway. (S1O-4670)
On 24 January, the member wrote to me asking the same question; a detailed response to that letter is being prepared. WSW is currently preparing a report on the extent of development constraints in its area. The Scottish Executive is in discussion with local authorities and the housebuilding industry on the same issue. It is essential to balance the need to provide infrastructure for new development against the need to ensure that charge payers' money is not spent on extending capacity when, in practice, that will not be needed.
This is a matter of great concern to everybody in Dumfries and Galloway, including Peter Duncan, who is the Conservative MP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale and whom I welcome to the gallery. Mr Duncan is a man of the people and is in the public gallery, not the distinguished visitors gallery.
The member must ask a question.
Will the minister meet Dumfries and Galloway Council?
It is not for me to discuss whether the member of Parliament for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale is a man of the people. However, David Mundell's observation was somewhat myopic. If he had looked very closely, even he would have observed that the entire Scottish Affairs Select Committee of the House of Commons is in the gallery. Had he made that clear, he would have provided a more accurate representation of the situation.
Is the minister aware that rural schools are being closed in Dumfries and Galloway on the basis of low numbers? Is he aware that, at the same time, young families with children who wish to move into communities there cannot get houses because of the effect of sewerage constraints on building programmes? Does he think that we need more co-ordination on those issues? Will he say when the cross-cutting ministerial group on rural development will next meet and whether it will consider those issues at that meeting?
I can confirm in advance of that meeting that we acknowledge that more co-ordination is needed. That is why we are intervening to discuss the matter with local authorities and to conduct discussions between them, house builders and WSW to assess the problem. We are cognisant of the matter. However, I urge Mr Morgan to remember that the priority that the Executive and WSW gave was public health and the raising of the standard of our water and sewerage service—that was the priority ahead of development. We are now reaching a stage where the constraints that Mr Morgan referred to are evident, which is why we are co-ordinating our efforts.
Scottish Borders Council
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last contacted Scottish Borders Council and what issues were discussed. (S1O-4671)
We are in frequent contact with Scottish Borders Council and other local authorities on a range of issues.
That was an enlightening answer. Does the minister agree that the £6 million of further cuts that the Liberal-Independent coalition in Scottish Borders Council is imposing are unacceptable, as they will harm the most vulnerable? Will he meet Borderers in Edinburgh on 28 February to discuss special borrowing for the council's administration in the light of the £300 million offered to Glasgow Housing Association at 0 per cent interest and the write-off of £20 million of health trust debts?
Christine Grahame is being slightly premature. As I understand it, when question time started, Scottish Borders Council was still discussing its budget and the local democratic process was running its course; we do not yet know its decisions.
The minister will of course acknowledge that there is great anxiety in the Borders. Will he say whether Scottish Borders Council has asked for a loan? Will he confirm that, if the council chose to do so, it could reduce its reserves in order to keep valuable services going without infringing statutory guidance or regulation? I would prefer it to do that.
As of the beginning of question time, there had been no requests from Scottish Borders Council for special borrowing consents. I believe that the council thinks that that would be the wrong course of action for a variety of reasons. There is no statutory requirement on councils to carry reserves and there is no guidance from the Accounts Commission on what level of reserves should be carried. It would obviously be prudent for any organisation to seek to have some reserves, but that is a matter for Scottish Borders Council. If it chooses to reduce reserves in the interests of protecting services, it is free to make that choice.
Academic Links
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to strengthen Scotland's academic links with the United States of America. (S1O-4702)
I announced earlier this week a £6 million award from Scottish Enterprise to the University of Edinburgh and Stanford University in California. That is the first of what we hope will be a number of transatlantic bridges between top Scottish and US universities. The aim of the Edinburgh-Stanford link is to establish Scotland as a global leader in the commercial development of voice-recognition technology.
Does the minister agree that that link offers important opportunities for collaboration between Scotland and the US in biotechnology and bioscience, particularly for world-leading research institutes such as the Roslin Institute and the Moredun Research Institute, which are in my constituency?
The decision of the 1945 Labour Government to fund collaborative research institutes—a couple of which are based in the member's constituency—was fundamental to our excellent research record. The research institutes have developed products such as Dolly and related cloning work, all of which has been important to the development of the biotechnology industry not just in Scotland, but throughout the globe.
To help to foster a better understanding of such links, could the Scottish Executive publish an annual list of all Scottish politicians who undertake study or lecture tours in the United States of America? The list should indicate who sponsored or paid for the trips, what broad areas were addressed and what the possible benefits of those trips might be for the Scottish people.
Far be it from me to trespass on to the territory of the Parliament. Members of the Executive should be careful not to dictate to the legislature, but I am sure that the parliamentary authorities will want to consider that matter in due course.
Ayr United Football Club
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now grant planning consent in line with the decision of South Ayrshire Council on 30 June 1999 for a new stadium for Ayr United Football Club with associated development, following the abandonment of its appeal. (S1O-4674)
No. Conceding the appeal does not necessarily mean that planning permission will be granted. The court is returning the matter to the Scottish ministers for a redetermination.
I thank the minister for his answer. Does he agree that South Ayrshire Council was right to use local knowledge to determine its decision? Does he agree that the reporters whom the minister appointed concurred with South Ayrshire Council's decision? Does he regret the delays created by the Scottish Executive that have prevented Ayr United from providing a stadium that will meet its requirements and that will take it into the Scottish Premier League?
I appreciate that Mr Gallie feels that the previous determination by Scottish ministers was not a good one. I must say—I am being egged on from the side—that I would have to go some to match the recent dubious penalty decision that saw Ayr United progress to the league cup final at the expense of Hibernian.
Foul!
If that is what Mr Gallie was referring to in our latest correspondence, in which he said that Ayr United had amply demonstrated its capacity to join the Premier League, he may not have deployed his best argument.
Writs (Electronic Servicing)
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to provide for the electronic servicing of writs by claimants, similar to the scheme launched by the Lord Chancellor in December 2001 in England and Wales. (S1O-4658)
As I am sure John Young and the Parliament are aware, the service of writs in England is undertaken by the courts. In Scotland the onus is on the party that makes the claim to arrange service. Therefore, the approach in Scotland is different. This is a matter for the courts to regulate as an aspect of court procedure, and not for the Executive. Accordingly, the Executive has no plans in this respect.
I thank the minister for his reply. Is he aware that claimants under the system that is operating south of the border are limited to a maximum of £100,000? If such a system proved to be very successful, would the Scottish Executive be prepared to re-examine its position on the matter?
As I think I indicated to John Young, the system of servicing writs in Scotland is fundamentally different from that in England. The important thing is that people who receive writs get them in a way that guarantees adequate time to respond.
Teachers (Probation)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the terms of the McCrone settlement, which guaranteed new teachers a probationary year's work in the classroom, will be implemented in full from summer 2002. (S1O-4663)
From August 2002 all eligible new teachers who leave a Scottish teacher education institution with a teaching qualification will be guaranteed a one-year training contract with a maximum classroom commitment of 70 per cent of the commitment of a fully registered teacher. The remaining time will be available for professional development. That represents full implementation to the agreed time scale.
Does the minister accept that local authorities are reporting serious problems in delivering a sufficient number of trainee positions, because of a lack of funding and a lack of vacancies? Will he comment particularly on the position of the 6,000 teachers in Scotland who are on temporary contracts, as in some areas temporary posts are already being vacated to accommodate probationers?
There is no doubt that when we move on to the new scheme, issues will arise in the transition period. We are determined to work with the local authorities and the General Teaching Council for Scotland to ensure that the scheme is delivered on time.
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