SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Before we begin question time this afternoon, I am sure that colleagues would like to welcome our distinguished visitor from the West Indies, the honourable Alix Boyd-Knights, who is the Speaker of the House of Assembly of Dominica.
Compensation (Ex-Miners)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last made representations to the Department of Social Security in connection with compensation for ex-miners in Scotland. (S1O-2973)
Coal, including industrial compensation for ex-miners, is a reserved matter. My officials keep in touch with their Department of Trade and Industry counterparts about the progress of the scheme.
I am totally underwhelmed by the extent of the minister's representations. Not content with robbing £250 million a year from the miners pension fund and not content with using the pension fund to pay for the miners compensation scheme, the Labour Government has now changed the rules to allow the Department of Social Security to claw back the compensation that has been paid to the miners. Is the minister aware that the DSS has received millions more in clawback than the Scottish miners have received in compensation? What representations does she intend to make about that?
I can confirm that Dr John Reid announced in June 1999 a compensation package for over 5,000 Scottish ex-coal miners who have lung diseases. That has already resulted in £7.7 million being paid to Scottish ex-miners who have respiratory disease.
Contrary to what the minister just said, representatives from Auchengeich miners' welfare make the point that not a single miner has been fully compensated under the scheme—not one Scottish miner. Will the minister please give a commitment today on behalf of those 5,000 miners that she will look into the matter personally and that she will ask her officials how many miners have been paid?
I have made it clear that my officials are in touch with their DTI counterparts. What is important is that this Government made a commitment to hand over money, that £7.7 million has been allocated in Scotland to the issue of respiratory disease and that more than £15 million has been allocated for Scotland for vibration white finger. That means that miners in Scotland have been allocated £23 million by the Government.
I have a constituency interest in the matter. Will the minister assure me that in conjunction with her Westminster counterparts, everything is being done to ensure the speedy payment of the miners' compensation claims? In an answer given by Helen Liddell earlier this year, it was noted that
Indeed. One way to speed up payment is to ensure that there are assessment centres. I am pleased to confirm that the DTI has in Glasgow an assessment centre for vibration white finger. In the case of respiratory disease, there are now three centres in Scotland; in Ayr, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Scottish Arts Council
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers of direction it has in respect of the budget allocation to the Scottish Arts Council. (S1O-2955)
The Scottish Arts Council is funded under Section 23 of the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985. Payments may be subject to such conditions as ministers think fit.
If that is so, will the minister explain why he thought fit to allocate an extra £1 million to Scottish Opera under direction to the Scottish Arts Council against the wishes and advice of so many people in Scotland?
Mike Russell has been promising to the press for two weeks that he will give me a grilling on that—a grilling by Mike Russell is the equivalent of being asked questions by the Teletubbies.
The minister always gets full marks for invective, but none for his answers. I asked why he allocated that money. Will he answer a question for a change, instead of doing his usual impersonation of a grumpy old man?
See what I mean about the Teletubbies? I allocated that money because I thought that it was appropriate and right. I have powers to do it under the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985.
Skills Development
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is developing strategies to increase skills development and productivity in the work force and what role partnerships with trade unions are playing in this process. (S1O-2971)
The Scottish Executive works closely with the enterprise network, employer-led national training organisations, other education and training providers and the trade unions to enhance the skills of the work force in Scotland. I am delighted that the First Minister, when he held the post that I now hold, set up the Scottish trade union learning fund and the trade union working party on lifelong learning.
In the light of the Executive's commitment to lifelong learning and social inclusion, does the minister agree that the trade union movement is in an ideal position to help turn strategy into reality and that Unison's return to learn project is an excellent example of partnership working? What plans does she have to involve trade unions further in the lifelong learning agenda?
The Unison return to learn programme is an example of where we want to go in future. I am delighted to confirm that £1.6 million will be available to the Scottish trade union learning fund over the next four years and I had the pleasure of announcing the first 12 union projects some months ago in Rosyth.
Water Industry
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps can be taken to improve the competitive position of the Scottish water industry. (S1O-2991)
The Scottish water industry must continue to improve its efficiency in delivering a high quality service at the best possible value to its customers. The Government will work with the industry to achieve that.
The minister will be aware of the evidence on that subject that is being taken by the Transport and the Environment Committee of the Parliament. Does he agree with witnesses from all over Scotland who have highlighted the competitive advantages of having a single Scottish water authority? That would lead to increased purchasing power, improved opportunities to supply customers with outlets all over Scotland and better standards of customer service. Does he agree that the best way to improve the industry's competitiveness is to unite Scottish water in a single high quality, publicly owned public service provider?
I agree that there should be a publicly owned and publicly provided water service; that is what the Executive is committed to delivering. On whether the three existing authorities should be merged into one, there could be great advantages in that and it is something that we have certainly not ruled out. The downside is that 40 per cent efficiencies must be made over the next few years. I do not want to do anything that would in any way interfere with that and I am slightly worried that moving from three authorities to one at this stage might do that. However, if I could be reassured about that, it is something that I would be prepared to consider further.
The Government's water policy has left many victims in its wake in recent years. Is the minister happy that among its more recent victims are Scotland's voluntary organisations and charities, which are to lose £25 millions worth of water relief over the next five years? Is he satisfied that there was adequate consultation on that decision and will he rescind that decision?
I certainly will not. It is against the law for a start. As Richard Lochhead knows, there was adequate consultation on the matter. I asked the water authorities to examine whether they could perhaps ring-fence some groups that we might be able to discriminate in favour of. However, that has not proved to be possible. If we were to exempt charities, that would include private schools. Is it the SNP's position that private schools should be exempt from water charges? That is an interesting policy.
In the minister's response to Lewis Macdonald, did he actually mean to rule out access to private sector expertise and investment for the water industry?
There have been a number of public-private partnerships that have been to the benefit of the service. We do not adhere to doctrinaire, old-fashioned, dogmatic ideology. We decide what is best for the individual customer—patient, pupil or teacher—rather than concentrating on old sectoral interests.
Schools (Access)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the accessibility of schools for people with disabilities. (S1O-2988)
Scottish ministers are considering introducing a duty on Scottish local authorities to plan to increase access for pupils with disabilities in line with the Special Educational Needs and Disability Bill, which is being progressed through the Westminster Parliament. The Scottish Executive's inclusion programme is providing £19 million over two years from April 2000 to assist local authorities to include children with special educational needs in mainstream schools. That funding is being used to help schools to improve physical access to buildings and facilities, to provide special equipment, to improve access to the curriculum and to provide additional staffing.
Does the minister recognise that, in the coming months, local authorities will face serious and potentially expensive demands to provide such access? I am glad that the minister recognises that access does not mean only access to buildings, but access in all its senses, including access to the curriculum. Can he offer local authorities encouragement to get on with improving access and support to help them to do that?
I can offer that encouragement. The sum of £19 million has been made available. There will be further announcements of funding for future years, but those will not be made this afternoon. I recognise that the issue is not only access to buildings, but access to the curriculum. There are a variety of initiatives, such as encouragement of greater use of information technology to support pupils who have special educational needs, and the development of access to new learning and curriculum materials for those who have autism. I also recognise the importance of additional staff training and of appointing additional support staff to make all those things possible. The Executive is providing funding support.
Will the duty on local authorities extend to pre-five education and to helping voluntary and non-profit making bodies that supply pre-school education in remote rural areas?
The details have still to be confirmed, but I undertake to consider all those issues in the context of the announcement that we hope to make in due course.
Is the minister aware of the problem of providing transport to allow disabled schoolchildren to attend school link courses that are provided by further education colleges, such as Falkirk college? Is he aware that a number of councils have had to withdraw schoolchildren from courses because they are unable to meet their transport costs? The minister referred to ensuring that children have access to the curriculum. Such courses are part of children's curriculum, but local authorities are unable to provide transport that will meet the needs of the disabled child.
Our approach has been to provide funding to individual local authorities, not to direct them on spending the money. I was not aware of the specific problem that Michael Matheson mentioned. If he gives me further information, I undertake to look into the problem and to respond to him.
Social Inclusion (Rural Communities)
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to encourage social inclusion in rural communities. (S1O-2994)
Through the social justice strategy, we are delivering a range of polices and programmes that will build strong and inclusive communities throughout rural Scotland. We have already acknowledged that we need to improve our understanding of rural social exclusion. I established the rural poverty and social inclusion working group to assist us in that. I look forward to receiving the group's report presently.
Does the minister intend to act upon recommendations 17, 18 and 19 of the Rural Development Committee's first report, on the rural economy, which underlines the requirement for more investment in rural infrastructure, such as railways? If so, will he say when he hopes to buy a ticket for the Borders railway line?
It might be interesting to speculate on when I might buy that ticket, but as Christine Grahame knows, we are already providing information as part of the investigation into the rail link. The member knows that that was part of the proposal. We have not had a response to the investigation yet. Once it has been developed, it will be for my colleague the Minister for Transport to investigate whether or not and how the proposal could be taken forward. I am certainly not going to speculate on my rail ticket buying habits.
I draw the minister's attention to the front page of last Wednesday's edition of the Dumfries & Galloway Standard. The main story mentioned the possibility that some 33 rural schools throughout Dumfries and Galloway may face closure. How does that lie with the Executive's policy on social inclusion in rural communities?
I was not aware of the front page of that newspaper. My colleague has made it clear on many occasions that local authorities have received above-average increases in the local government settlement. It is for local authorities to determine how they allocate that funding. I would certainly be surprised if Dumfries and Galloway Council believes that it is in its best interest to close schools, but I am happy to look into that for Mr Fergusson.
Pollution (River Quality)
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will assist farmers in protecting river quality from pollution caused by agricultural chemicals. (S1O-2970)
Advice will continue to be given through published guidance and a programme of advisory assistance. The Scottish Executive funds the publication of a code on the prevention of environmental pollution from agricultural activities—the PEPFAA code. The Executive also funds the provision of advice to farmers by the Scottish Agricultural College, which offers practical guidance to minimise the impact of farming activities on the environment.
Can the minister assure me that work is being undertaken to assess the potential contribution of agricultural pollution to the continued failure of Ayrshire bathing waters to meet the bathing water directive standards? Can he assure me that continued efforts will be made to monitor and tackle that pollution, if it proves to be a problem?
The main problem for Ayrshire beaches is untreated sewage. Investment is under way by West of Scotland Water that will ensure the required improvements for the 2001 bathing season are made.
Is the minister aware of the work that was done by Linda Handley of the Scottish Crop Research Institute in Invergowrie? That research casts doubt on the connection between artificial nitrogen that is used on farms and eutrophication of our rivers. Is he also aware that the work that she is doing was commissioned largely by the Scottish Executive and, I believe, is now contained in a report that has been delivered to the Executive? Is the Executive willing to publish that report?
We must tackle the problem of excess nitrate loss from agriculture; it can affect the quality of our drinking water supplies and presents a risk to the ecological balance of rivers and seas. Many farmers recognise the need to adopt sustainable practices that do not lead to environmental problems. There is a commitment under European law that we must take action to deal with nitrate diffuse pollution.
Schools (Placing Requests)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the current system of placing requests for local authority schools. (S1O-2957)
We recently made a number of changes to the placing request legislation in an attempt to streamline the system. We will monitor and evaluate the impact of those changes before considering whether any further amendments are necessary.
I am sure that the minister is aware of the difficulties that are experienced every year by local authorities and the concern and anxiety that is felt by parents and pupils in a system that varies considerably from authority to authority. In the interests of fairness and consistency, will the minister investigate the rules that govern placing requests across Scotland? Specifically, will he consider whether it would be appropriate for the Scottish Executive to set a central enrolment number for schools, with the aim of reducing the number of cases that end up in the sheriff courts?
We are keen to have more consistency, although it would be appropriate to examine first how the changes that were introduced through the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000 are bedding in. We intend to discuss that with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities in due course.
I have no doubt that the minister is aware of last night's press statement from the Executive, which announced that placing requests have gone up by almost 4 per cent over the past year and by almost 30 per cent since 1989-90. Does the minister agree that that is a vindication of allowing placing requests and of allowing information to be produced—which some journalists might turn into league tables—and that that means that we should continue with placing requests and league tables?
I do not want to bore everyone who missed this morning's proceedings with the niceties of a debate about league tables that do not exist. It is important that parents have an opportunity to express preferences for schools; for local authorities to manage their resources and provision in the wider sense; and for children to have the best possible location for their education. We can do that in a properly managed system. If we can provide all schools with the excellence of the best schools, placing requests will represent more of a real choice in every community than they do at present.
In his research, will the minister examine to what extent placing requests are determined by the pull of what is perceived to be a better school and by the push of what is perceived to be a worse school?
If we conduct such research, I will be happy to examine that issue. Mr Gorrie makes a good point. Sometimes the perception of what a child can achieve at a school outside their local community is not matched by the reality of the strength that comes from being part of one's own community and attending a local school. I hope that parents throughout Scotland will take all those factors into account when they make their choices.
BCG Vaccination
To ask the Scottish Executive when BCG vaccinations were last administered to schoolchildren in Scotland. (S1O-2982)
The Executive does not collect information from health boards about the timing of local vaccination programmes. However, as the Executive previously confirmed, the general position is that, due to an interruption in supplies of BCG vaccine, the schools immunisation programme across the UK was suspended in September 1999, although it has since been recommenced in London. I am pleased to say that we expect to be able to announce presently the resumption of the BCG programme in Scotland.
Is the minister aware that the chief executive of Grampian Health Board said, in a letter to me, that
All UK health departments co-operate closely on vaccination and work is continuing on that throughout the UK. As I said, I hope that we will be able to recommence the schools programme shortly. In the meantime, I can give an assurance that the Scottish Executive health department and other health departments are actively ensuring that we maximise the benefits of childhood immunisation programmes, which in this area—as in others—have been very effective in protecting our children from infection.
As somebody who lost a year of her childhood in hospital as a result of tuberculosis, I see the availability of BCG vaccination as critical. We believed that such vaccination would avoid all the distress that was caused by such circumstances.
Order. We will have an answer please.
From the answers that she has received to previous questions on the issue, Margaret Ewing will be well aware that the supply problems are exclusively problems that are related to manufacturing. That is precisely the issue that is being addressed. However, it will be addressed all the more effectively by good co-operation throughout the UK, rather than by trying to create splits between different health departments.
Camanachd Association
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the Camanachd Association's case for an increase in its core annual funding from sportscotland from £15,000 to around £50,000 and, if so, what direction it will give to sportscotland on this matter. (S1O-2993)
No. Based on advice from sportscotland, the Scottish Executive is of the view that the current level of core funding is appropriate.
Does the minister acknowledge that, during the parliamentary debate in December, members from all parties expressed support for the modest increase in funding that was sought by the Camanachd Association? Will he tell us why an unelected quango has been allowed to overrule the decision of elected members of the Parliament? As a former sportsman, will he step in and order the quango to overturn the decision or show it a red card?
No. It is important to realise that, over the past few years, the Camanachd Association for shinty has received around £100,000 per annum from sportscotland, not £15,000. That is a very generous contribution, which I welcome. I lived in Kingussie and I watch shinty regularly. It is a splendid game and a part of our culture. I am delighted that sportscotland has been able to give the sport such a generous amount of money over the past few years.
As Scottish Opera was recently given £1.2 million to promote mainly Italian, German and French works, does not the Executive agree that shinty—which is more popular than opera in the Highlands, and which is essentially an ethnic Scottish game that is played by many Scots—should qualify for at least £50,000 of support?
That is one of the most disgraceful questions that I have ever heard in the Parliament. It shows once again the inward-looking approach of some parties and members. Scotland must remain an outward-looking country that is open to the whole world and all its benefits. We should not take the wha's-like-us attitude of some parties.
I wonder whether the minister is aware of the disappointment that his announcement will cause in many communities throughout Argyll and Bute. Will he publish the figures to show where that £100,000 came from and where it was spent?
Yes. I did so yesterday in a written answer to John Farquhar Munro.
Personal Care
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its definition of personal care is the same as that contained in the report of the Sutherland Royal Commission on Long Term Care of the Elderly. (S1O-2960)
We have made it clear that we accept the Sutherland principles. The challenge now is to work on the detail and to translate the principles into applicable and understandable practical arrangements.
Rather than answering my question, that begs the question and poses another. Why has the care development group been asked not to translate the principles of the Sutherland report, but to
As it did yesterday, the Opposition is trying to dance on the head of a pin and confuse older people about this most important matter. Nicola Sturgeon did not listen to my answer. We all welcome the exceptionally able group of people who have agreed to serve under my convenership. The group will consider the detail in the first instance, but it will also deal with the very real and important task of translating principles into action. While the Opposition tries to confuse, we are determined to translate aspiration into action and rhetoric into reality.
What plans does the minister have to make the work of the development and implementation group an open and inclusive process? Will he publish a list of the groups that that group will consult? Will he keep the Parliament informed of progress, to ensure that we end up with a clear, widely acceptable and—most important—sustainable implementation plan?
I can assure Richard Simpson that this will be a most inclusive process. As the parliamentary answer that revealed the names of the group said, we are determined to consult widely, particularly with older people in Scotland. I will consult older people's groups and other mechanisms will be used to ensure that the consultation is wide and inclusive. My only worry about Richard Simpson's suggestion of naming the groups we will consult is that we may exclude somebody. In principle, I entirely agree with what he says.
I will give the minister another opportunity to stop us asking the same question every week and to stop us having continually, as he says, to dance on the head of a pin. I understand that the minister accepts the principles of Sutherland but, as the chairman of the development group, does he accept the definition of personal care in chapter 6 of the Sutherland report—or is his remit to narrow and redefine that definition? I give him my word that if he gives us a clear answer I will not mention the matter again until after the development group has reported.
If Mary Scanlon had listened to the answer, she would not have had to ask the question. Sir Stewart Sutherland would be the first person in the world to admit that he has not said the last word in detail about personal care. He said as much in his report. I am delighted that Sir Stewart Sutherland will be one of the people who will give advice to our group as we work over the next six months.
Will the minister ensure that, under his chairmanship, the care development group will consider free personal care for the younger disabled? Will he discuss with such organisations as the Leonard Cheshire Foundation, which has expertise and experience in the field, what many perceive to be a significant deficiency in service provision?
It is clear that Keith Raffan has introduced another dimension to our work. As the remit of the care development group makes clear, we are focusing on older people in particular. We have a range of issues to consider and have not focused solely on personal care. Unlike the Opposition parties, we are examining all the other aspects of care for elderly people, particularly the crucial issue of the development of services. That will be our focus, but the work to which Keith Raffan refers will have to be done.
Health Service (Underspend)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipates an underspend in the national health service in Scotland this financial year and, if so, of how much. (S1O-2963)
Good financial management inevitably means that the expenditure of the national health service in Scotland will differ from its budget. That is normal and will be mainly due to commitments to planned activities and capital projects for which the cash will be required in future years. The health budget, as with all other Government budgets, operates to a cash limit which it must not exceed. Any money not spent in the current financial year will be carried forward to next year.
It would be nice if, for once, we could get an answer. My question is straightforward: is there to be an underspend or not? Will the minister please give us an answer to the question?
If Brian Adam had listened to my answer, he would have heard the answer to his question. I am struck that, once again, the SNP wants to indulge in speculation while the rest of us deal in realities. The reality is that every penny of the sum that was carried over last year has been committed to health spending. No one would guess that from the comments from the SNP. I am sure that we will follow the same process when we reach the end of this financial year.
Will the minister ensure that any underspend is used for essential projects such as the continuation of in-patient maternity services as Falkirk royal infirmary?
As I have repeatedly said, we are determined not just to spend more on health in Scotland but to spend better. That means ensuring that we get the priorities right and that we spend resources well. We are taking action across all those fronts, including maternity services.
Young Offenders
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the interaction between the children's hearing system and the adult court system in relation to young offenders. (S1O-2977)
In order to challenge offending behaviour and reduce the potential for reoffending, officials are currently examining the feasibility of a pilot scheme that would refer more 16 and 17-year-olds to the hearings rather than to the court system. This is a complex area and we will assess any proposals very carefully before any final decisions are reached.
I am glad to hear that. The minister will be aware that, at the moment, young offenders between the ages of 16 and 18 who are not subject to supervision requirements can be referred by the sheriff to a children's hearing for advice, although that power is never used. Does he agree that for some people who fall into that age group, an appearance at a children's hearing would be more appropriate, as it is based on a welfare principle? With that in mind, should not local authorities place more emphasis on the development of effective youth strategies that would allow intensive treatment to be provided through a supervision requirement?
I agree that we need well-defined and well implemented youth strategies and that we need to make better use of the court and hearings systems. It is important to get it right. Whatever solutions are chosen, they should minimise the risk of reoffending, deal with offending behaviour and challenge the attitudes that lead to it. That is the critical caveat on any changes. We should not use any changes to make life easier for those who are offending; we need to challenge their behaviour and ensure that they do not reoffend.
“The same as you?”
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in respect of the implementation of the report "Just Like Us"—which is properly titled "The same as you?"—and what specific guidance has been given to Ayrshire and Arran Primary Care NHS Trust regarding this. (S1O-2959)
Phil Gallie can change his initial question, but I cannot change my initial answer, so here it is. There is no report called "Just Like Us" but the report on services for people with learning disabilities entitled "The same as you?" was launched in May last year. Good progress is being made in implementing its recommendations and Ayrshire and Arran Primary Care NHS Trust has received the same guidance as all other national health service bodies.
I thank the minister for his reply and for his courtesy in identifying the correct report.
I am sure that Phil Gallie has read that excellent report, even though he did not get its title correct. It received more backing in the Parliament than any other that I can remember in the past two years. I think that the people of Scotland have approved it because users and carers were involved in its production to an unprecedented extent.
River Clyde (Radioactivity)
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to monitor levels of radioactivity in the River Clyde. (S1O-2965)
Monitoring of levels of radioactivity in the River Clyde is undertaken by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The monitoring programme includes taking water samples for analysis from the River Clyde monthly. In the Firth of Clyde, monitoring is also conducted throughout the year in the vicinity of the Gare loch, the Holy loch and the Hunterston peninsula.
Does the minister agree with the socialist Prime Minister of Andalucia, Manuel Chavez, who says that the British navy sailing submarines with cracked reactors is irresponsible conduct?
The entire monitoring programme that was carried out by SEPA was reviewed and found to be in good shape. The matter of submarines is reserved. If Mr Quinan has any problems with that, I suggest that he contact his local member of Parliament.
Have levels of radioactivity risen or fallen in the Firth of Clyde and the Irish sea over the past 20 years?
I cannot give a specific answer, but I will look into that. In the area in which John Scott may be interested, around Hunterston, the levels of radioactivity are well below any permitted or acceptable maximum.
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