Plenary, 15 Feb 2007

Meeting date: Thursday, February 15, 2007

Official Report 691KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Education and Young People, Tourism, Culture and Sport

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Schools (New Build)

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new schools have been built since May 2003. (S2O-12060)

On 29 January we announced the achievement of our commitment to the renewal of 200 schools since 2003. That includes 110 new-build schools.

The minister may be aware that Dumfries and Galloway Council intends to announce the preferred bidder for its public-private partnership schools building programme next month, and that the contract will be signed in the summer. Does the minister share my concern that, if Alex Salmond becomes First Minister in May and pulls the plug on PPP, instead of construction starting in the autumn, plans for new schools in Heathhall, Lockerbie and Moffat in my constituency will have to be shelved?

The possibility of Alex Salmond becoming First Minister is fairly remote. However, in the unlikely event that that happened, Elaine Murray would be right to be concerned. Contracts under our plans—and under the plans that are under way in Dumfries and Galloway—would be cancelled.

Peter Peacock wrote to Fiona Hyslop and the Scottish National Party to ask how its projects would work, but there has been no reply. I have written twice, I think, since then, but there has been no reply. Perhaps Elaine Murray's powers of persuasion might enable us to get the information that so far has been refused.

The Minister for Education and Young People, in a personal capacity as a Labour candidate, may have written to me, but I have not received any such letter. The minister has continued to talk about such a letter in committees in the Parliament, so I took the trouble to write to him not only at John Smith House but at Victoria Quay, and to e-mail him, to explain the Scottish futures trust as proposed by the SNP. If the minister had any courtesy or respect, he would acknowledge that.

It is essential that we replace the school estate in Scotland. Under the SNP, the school building programme will progress—but we will introduce a not-for-profit Scottish futures trust. Is the minister aware that in his constituency, if a better interest rate had been achieved from the market for procurement, it is probable that two extra secondary schools, like Gleniffer high school, would have been built? That could not happen because of the excess profits that the minister's Administration is wasting because of PPP finance.

That is just absolute nonsense. The SNP's plans are not only uncosted but unproven. We have no way—and nor does the SNP—of knowing whether those plans would work. Many questions remain unanswered. The SNP's proposals are asking people in Scotland to take a great leap in the dark. Like many other things about which the SNP is trying to kid the Scottish electorate, it will be not only a leap in the dark but a leap into danger.

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Social Workers

To ask the Scottish Executive how many social workers there are and whether the figure has increased in recent years. (S2O-12024)

There were 4,855 whole-time equivalent social workers employed by Scotland's local authorities in October 2006. That is 25 per cent more than the 3,873 whole-time equivalent social workers employed by local authorities five years ago.

I thank the minister for that most encouraging news—an increase in the number of social workers of 25 per cent is valuable. Does the minister plan to continue the fast-track graduate recruitment scheme? If so, what will be the timeframe? Does the minister agree that that scheme is part of an overall package for social work, and that, if the social work sector wishes to advance, it should value its own profession and commend itself to the general public whenever possible?

The fast-track scheme was a particular response to past difficulties in recruitment. It has been successful in bringing new blood into the profession, but many employers have said that it is time for a new approach.

We continue to support post-graduate routes into social work through a bursary scheme. That scheme has supported 320 new students this year—and that figure too has gone up 25 per cent over the past three years. As part of our implementation of "Changing Lives", we are talking to employers about new approaches to social work recruitment, in the context of recruitment issues that have arisen in recent years. To take up Euan Robson's last point, "Changing Lives" is designed to focus the social work profession in a modern way. It is based on valuing and supporting the work that social workers do for Scotland.

I note the welcome increase in the number of social workers by 25 per cent over the past five years. Does the minister agree that, as welcome as that increase is, the issue is not just about absolute numbers, but about the job that social workers are doing? Does he agree that social work cannot be and is not a stand-alone profession and that the key to effective social work practice is proper interagency working, so that it is not only social workers who are responsible for that effectiveness but everyone who is caring for vulnerable people, who must all work together?

I absolutely agree with Scott Barrie and could not have put that better myself. I am well aware of Scott Barrie's background in social work and of his knowledge of the issues. He will be aware, as will everyone in the chamber, that the challenging "Changing Lives" agenda is designed to modernise the way in which social work operates, to ensure that it is much more client focused, that as little time as possible is spent simply shuffling paper around and that as much time as possible is spent engaged in action, in partnership with other professionals, that will make a difference for, among others, Scotland's children.

Does the minister agree that, however much success he has with recruitment, much of it is vitiated by the failure to retain staff, particularly in children and families social work? How does he envisage the Executive addressing that problem?

I am not sure that a major problem has been identified with retention in the profession. However, I agree that the issues of retention, recruitment, training and the valuing of social workers are central to how we deal with the matter.

I do not want to be complacent. It is true that there are differing levels of availability of social work vacancies across Scotland and that there is still work to be done with regard to recruiting more social workers into the profession and on focusing on the work in order to make it a more enjoyable profession than it has been in the pressured days that we have gone through.

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Schools (Surveillance Technology)

To ask the Scottish Executive what role surveillance technologies have in schools. (S2O-12069)

Local authorities are responsible for the delivery of education in a safe and secure environment for both staff and pupils. It is for authorities to decide what technologies best support the achievement of those objectives.

The Executive has made it clear, not least in the Communities Committee this week, that it favours a completely unregulated approach to the development of those technologies, notably fingerprinting systems, which will be the first such technology to be rolled out in Scottish schools. However, is the minister aware of the strong cross-party concerns on those issues in Westminster? Is he aware that a written answer in Westminster said that

"the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency … is revising its current guidance on data protection to include specific guidance on biometric technology"?—[Official Report, House of Commons, 5 February 2007; Vol 456, c 628W.]

Will that new guidance apply in Scotland? If not, why not? If so, is the Scottish Executive seeking to influence it?

Patrick Harvie might have been at a different meeting of the Communities Committee than the one that I was at, given the reference that he made to fingerprinting technology. However, there was a discussion at that meeting about anonymised systems for school meals payments.

We have made it clear that the issue is a matter for the schools to determine. We have made clear what we expect to happen with regard to good practice and we have made clear how we expect the law to be applied. Nothing has changed between Tuesday and today that I can add.

Will the minister accept that, ever since the outrage at Dunblane, sensible security is extremely important in schools for teachers and pupils and for parents, when they visit the schools? Does he agree that a safe and secure school environment is an essential requirement?

Will the minister accept that, where closed-circuit television operates, it is an extremely effective deterrent against a variety of crimes, including fire raising?

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton is absolutely right to put safety and security within the context that he mentioned. Not only would we be shocked and horrified if something were to happen that we had done nothing to prevent, but we would all be held to be guilty of neglect. It is incumbent on us to take steps to ensure that technology that is relevant and appropriate is used to encourage a safe and secure environment in our schools.

I appreciate the contribution that CCTV can make in town centres and outside schools in diminishing vandalism, and so on. However, we do not recommend CCTV as a measure to monitor or reduce indiscipline in schools. There is a different context there, and a number of other measures can be used to alert parents to the fact that their child has not turned up for school. Albeit that mistakes can sometimes happen—I heard of one such case today—we should do what we can to ensure that our children are well protected.

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Primary Schools (Perpetual Process Improvement)

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to teach the concept of perpetual process improvement in primary schools in order to create increased receptiveness to learning, as suggested by Professor Umit Bititci and others. (S2O-11992)

No.

I find that disappointing. Does the minister recognise the interest and support that has been forthcoming from the Smith group, in particular Sir Robert Smith, whose Weir Group has used the concept to considerable effect? Will the minister rethink the issue on the basis that the concept would have a beneficial effect in reinforcing the processes of teaching, learning and doing homework, and, in the light of the report this week of the United Nations Children's Fund, in creating and helping to develop a new generation of confident youngsters who feel that their colleagues are kind and co-operative?

The process and principle of engaging all young people in learning for life are reflected in a number of policies across the Executive and in the practices of local authorities. That almost goes without saying. I am perhaps not entirely alone in the chamber in wondering precisely what Jim Mather is getting at in the particular question that he is asking. He is talking about whether we plan to teach the concept of perpetual process improvement in primary schools. I do not recognise a practical outcome to that.

What I can say is that a curriculum for excellence is stimulating constructive debate on learning and teaching. It is giving those who are involved at every level of Scottish education the opportunity to reflect on the purpose and principles of what they do. The assessment is for learning programme is very much influenced by educational research that suggests that learners learn best when they understand clearly what they are trying to learn and what is expected of them and when they are given feedback about the quality of their work. That may be what Jim Mather is referring to. It is very much at the heart of what we are trying to do with the curriculum, and considerable progress is being made in that regard. The Executive wants to move forward on the basis of evidence-based approaches to such matters, and the issue is up for grabs, in many ways, with the curriculum for excellence debates that we are currently having.

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Literacy

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve literacy and encourage children to read books. (S2O-12064)

The Executive is committed to improving literacy and is promoting a variety of initiatives, including the home reading initiative, Scotland reads and bookstart Scotland. Last week, the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport committed an additional £1.5 million to bookstart Scotland to encourage parents to read with their children.

As part of a curriculum for excellence, literacy skills have been identified as a key factor in ensuring that our young people become successful learners, effective contributors, confident individuals and responsible citizens. The development of literacy will be a key theme across the curriculum, with all teachers having responsibility for promoting language and literacy development.

I am grateful to the minister for highlighting the important work of bookstart Scotland. I draw the minister's attention to the excellent work that goes on in Airdrie, Petersburn and Newmains libraries in my constituency, where bookstart Scotland sessions are well attended. Does he agree that local authorities must continue to work with their health authority partners to ensure that the bookstart programme's benefits are enjoyed by as many children as possible, both before they start nursery school and once they take up their entitlement to the free nursery places that were, of course, introduced by this Labour-led Administration?

I welcome the initiatives in Karen Whitefield's constituency. Indeed, such initiatives are being introduced all over Scotland. We cannot overestimate the significance and value of parents reading to and communicating with their children. Such activity has a beneficial educational impact on the child's learning ability, not only when they enter nursery school but as they progress through primary school into secondary school. Communicating with children at the earliest possible age not only benefits them at the time, but stays with them for life, and we must encourage anything that can be done to support that. In that respect, bookstart Scotland is a very imaginative initiative. However, we can build on it. I want our children to have the best possible start in life, and I worry about children in families and households in which the value and effectiveness of reading and communication have not yet been established. While that situation remains, we have more to do.

Although I agree with everything that he has said, will the minister comment on Fife Council's announcement this week of the closure of libraries in Pitteuchar, Glenrothes, Thornton and throughout Fife?

I am not familiar with the specific situation in Fife, but sometimes there are reasons for closing facilities. For example, the population might have changed or there might be a lack of demand. That said, I know from my area that underused facilities can be closed for one reason and then reopened to provide other opportunities for communities. In my constituency, a community learning facility that has been established in what used to be a library is making a remarkable contribution to the community's life not only by helping adult learners but—more important—by allowing young parents to learn skills that they might otherwise not have had a chance to develop.

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Edinburgh Zoo

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to attract visitors to Edinburgh zoo. (S2O-12023)

Edinburgh zoo is an extremely successful visitor attraction that, like other attractions in Edinburgh, benefits from VisitScotland's marketing of the city as a great city-break destination.

I welcome Scottish Enterprise's recent £1.875 million contribution to the chimpanzee enclosure and other public sector grants that the zoo has received. However, I am interested in pursuing with relevant ministers, given the significant contribution that the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland makes, ways in which the Executive might provide it with greater financial stability and annual support, perhaps to bring it into line with the public sector support that the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh receives. Will the minister meet me to discuss how the Executive might be able to support the zoo in ensuring that it achieves its master plan for increasing visitor numbers without having to build housing on the green belt?

Most of the issues that Margaret Smith has raised are for the zoo's management. However, I am aware that the zoo participates in a number of particularly successful initiatives to encourage visitors. The management of the zoo has shown great strategic vision in setting plans for its long-term development over the next 20 years, which I know have been discussed with Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians. Moreover, the office of the chief scientific adviser for Scotland keeps in touch with the zoo on this and other issues, and I hope that the zoo finds those meetings to be helpful.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland also owns the extremely successful highland wildlife park at Kincraig in my region. Given that Edinburgh zoo attracts more visitors per year than all the other science-based organisations in Scotland put together; that, each year, it educates 25,000 children on conservation and the natural world; and that it acts as an essential barometer with regard to the effects of global warming and climate change on animal and bird species, will the minister explain why there is no official dialogue between the Executive and the zoo's management, unlike that between the Executive and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh? I know that she has recently met the zoo's management once, but would it not be a good idea if there was at least one meeting per year with the organisation?

In his effort to help Edinburgh zoo, Mr McGrigor is perhaps conflating a number of different issues, and it might help to set them out individually.

I met the zoo's management in its capacity as a visitor attraction, and I am very happy to work with it, or any other visitor attraction, and VisitScotland to ensure that it maximises its potential. However, as Mr McGrigor rightly identified, the zoo also has an important role in animal and species preservation. The Executive has a dialogue with it on that subject and, as I pointed out, the zoo is meeting the office of the chief scientific adviser in the near future. However, any further discussions about the possibility of funding for the zoo's science base would be for the Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department, and I am happy to pass Mr McGrigor's suggestion to the appropriate minister.

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Finance and Public Services and Communities

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Affordable Housing (Highlands)

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase the availability of affordable housing in the Highlands. (S2O-12027)

We are doing a great deal to provide affordable housing in the Highlands. Through Communities Scotland, the Executive is investing £33.6 million to improve the availability of affordable housing in the Highlands, which represents a 30 per cent increase on last year's housing investment programme. Overall, our housing investment in the Highlands has more than quadrupled since 1997-98.

I was pleased to visit Inverness last month and see one of the first households in the city to benefit from our innovative homestake shared equity scheme, which is aimed at helping those on low incomes get on to the property ladder. Since its launch, more than 200 other homestake houses have been approved in the Highlands.

I thank the minister for that encouraging reply. I am sure that she will be aware of the distinct lack of affordable housing in the Highlands, which is proving to be an impediment to retaining our young people. Has the Scottish Executive ever considered sponsoring more community land trusts in the Highlands as a way of making more housing affordable for young people who so desperately need new homes?

I am prepared to look at any innovative suggestion for increasing the number of affordable homes. We are passionately committed to increasing the number of such homes for people in the Highlands. When I visited Inverness recently, I met a young nurse, Janet MacMillan, who was one of the first people to benefit from the homestake project. That is a shared equity model, so we are already introducing innovative ways of dealing with the problem in the Highlands, but I would be prepared to consider any other innovative approach.

Does the minister agree that it is singularly depressing that Highland Council tenants are having to endure an increase in rents and a freeze on repairs and infrastructure development while, across the Minch in my constituency, tenants are now part of a community body, the Hebridean Housing Partnership, under which there is a five-year rent agreement, a programme of home renovation and repairs, and a £15 million Scottish Executive fund to build 300 homes in the Western Isles in the next three or four years? That will constitute the largest home building initiative there since the Ministry of Works in the 1940s and 1950s. Does the minister further agree that those who campaigned for a no vote in the Highlands should hang their heads in shame?

I agree that the result of the ballot in the Highland Council area was extremely disappointing. People in the Highlands had what we thought was a terrific opportunity to benefit from a huge amount of funding. I agree with Alasdair Morrison that we welcome the Western Isles decision. We think that people there have taken the right decision, as they are going to be able to unlock a huge amount of funding. As he mentioned, some 300 new homes in the Western Isles is good news.

Does the minister agree that there is a chronic shortage of affordable housing in Lochaber, and does she agree that public money should be used for real priorities? Does she agree with George Lyon and me, who have both argued that there should not be a marine national park, which would cost several million pounds a year, and that that money would be far better spent on providing affordable housing in Lochaber?

Fergus Ewing would not necessarily expect me to agree with him, as a marine national park could bring massive benefits to the Lochaber economy. Overall, there has been a huge increase in affordable housing in the Highlands. Indeed, as I said, investment in such housing has more than quadrupled since 1997-98.

Is the minister aware of what Communities Scotland's housing inspection report said about Highland Council's provision of houses for homeless people? It gave the council only a fair mark for that provision. One area in which the council fell down was the need to provide appropriate temporary accommodation and to eliminate breaches of the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) Order 2004—in other words, people were put into bed-and-breakfast accommodation. Can the Executive give any more support to Highland Council to overcome those shortcomings?

I am aware of the number of breaches of the unsuitable accommodation order in the Highland Council area. However, I think that the most recent statistical bulletin shows that there has been a slight decrease in the number of breaches.

Communities Scotland is working with Highland Council to consider ways in which the problem of the provision of houses for homeless people can be resolved. We would like progress to be faster, but I reiterate that the money that has been made available for affordable housing in the Highlands has more than quadrupled since 1997-98 and that, since last year, there has been a 30 per cent increase in the housing investment programme. That huge investment in affordable housing in the Highlands will make a difference to people's lives.

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Community Group Funding (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar)

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to any problems raised by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in respect of funding for community groups. (S2O-12057)

The comhairle asked us to allow it flexibility to treat certain funding that it provides to community groups as capital expenditure rather than revenue expenditure. We have considered the issues that are involved in some depth, with a view to being as accommodating as possible. We are currently consulting the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Audit Scotland and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, and I expect to be in a position to reach a final decision in the near future.

I thank the minister for quickly reconstituting the COSLA, Audit Scotland and CIPFA group to consider the views that were raised with him by me and the vice-convener of the comhairle, Angus Campbell. Does he agree that the new arrangements should be put in place as soon as possible to allow community groups and the comhairle to get on with delivering their work in many communities in the Western Isles?

I understand why the request would be beneficial to the council, which is why we have acted in the way that we have. I said that we would do our best to reach a decision on the matter as soon as possible, and I will ensure that our officials pursue the issue with haste.

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Public-private Partnerships

To ask the Scottish Executive how the use of PPP has helped to deliver major infrastructure projects on time and reduced subsequent maintenance costs. (S2O-12032)

Recent reports on operational public-private partnership contracts have confirmed that the vast majority have been delivered on time and to cost and quality targets, that they are meeting public service requirements and that they represent excellent value for money. The focus on whole-life costs and the integrated nature of PPP contracts ensures that facilities are fit for purpose and well maintained over the life of the contract.

Is the minister concerned that a move away from the well-established PPP model could seriously disrupt the delivery of a new or refurbished school every week, to which the Executive has committed itself?

Such a move would bring projects to a crashing halt. Certain parties in the chamber are prepared to do that, but they will be called to account in a few weeks' time when parents, grandparents and professionals who deliver education in our communities express their views about the intention of those parties to bring projects to a halt and stop the massive progress that has been made in education throughout Scotland.

How will the minister ensure that the necessary sums will be spent on Scottish Water's Seafield waste water treatment plant, which was developed using a PPP approach, to cap the obnoxious smells that affect thousands of residents of Leith and east Edinburgh? How will the Scottish Executive ensure that that happens within the current rules, which prevent public subsidies for PPP projects? When will the necessary sums be spent?

The real smell is of the Scottish National Party's policies, which would wreck not only educational opportunities but every other opportunity that innovative contracting brings to various aspects of Scottish life. The SNP might want to concentrate on smells, but the Administration is concentrating on improving Scotland and putting in place whatever innovative contract procedures are necessary to ensure that we do that.

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Compulsory Purchase Orders

To ask the Scottish Executive within what time frame compulsory purchase orders should be completed. (S2O-12038)

There are statutory timescales for particular stages of the compulsory purchase process, but there is no overall timeframe for the completion of a compulsory purchase order from start to finish.

I am well aware of the member's interest in the compulsory purchase order for Ainslie Road and Maclehose Road in Cumbernauld, which the Executive received in October 2006. Other essential papers in relation to the order were received in November and December. Those matters are all currently under consideration.

I am grateful to the minister for his response and for the fact that he is aware of the compulsory purchase order that has been submitted by North Lanarkshire Council. I know that he is also aware of the problems that are associated with the flats and the unacceptable conditions in which the residents have to live. This case has been going for a considerable time and it has been a difficult one to deal with. However, as I understand it, there are only three objections to the compulsory purchase order when there could have been 108. Surely that shows that the majority of people want to see the order progressed as quickly as possible. Will the minister guarantee that that will happen within weeks rather than months?

There are legal processes to be gone through. The consideration that we have to undertake includes checking whether the order has been drawn up properly and whether the local authority has carried out correctly all the procedures that are required of it. Depending on the outcome of that consideration, the Executive will advise North Lanarkshire Council of its response to the order—the order will be confirmed, further steps will be required of the council, or the order and objections will be referred to a public local inquiry. It is in everyone's interests that we get the speediest possible resolution to this problem. I am well aware of the distress that is being experienced by the member's constituents.

The minister will be aware that the Scottish compulsory purchase order reimbursement scheme has not been reviewed for many years, whereas the English scheme is reviewed annually to take account of rising house prices. In light of the houses that will be lost to the Aberdeen western peripheral route, will the minister ensure that the Scottish system is updated immediately so that it is fair and on a par with the scheme in the rest of the United Kingdom? Rumour has it that the minister believes that he is a unionist; he now has an opportunity to display that. It would be helpful to get such an update under way before we conduct any more negotiations on purchases of houses.

One of the advantages of devolution is that we do not blindly follow the English model in all circumstances. We recognise the interest in the issue, which is why a review of the home loss payment levels is currently under active consideration. These matters are invariably complex and any change in payment levels would have an impact beyond the compulsory acquisition of any given property. We will consider the issue very carefully and come forward with proposals in due course. I am particularly anxious that all the implications should be fully explored. We will make our conclusions known as soon as we are in a position to do so.

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Public Procurement (McClelland Review)

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to act on the recommendations of the McClelland review of public procurement and the subsequently established advisory group. (S2O-12006)

Significant progress has already been made in implementing the McClelland report's recommendations. The Executive has established the public procurement reform board to oversee implementation of the report. Information about the board's work is published in the procurement section of the Executive's website.

The McClelland report estimates the value of public procurement in Scotland at £8 billion. Westminster's estimate of the value of public procurement is £125 billion for the UK as a whole, which would mean that Scotland's share is roughly £10.5 billion although, given that the public sector is larger in Scotland than it is in England, the figure is likely to be higher than that. Will the minister admit that he has no idea how public sector spending helps or hinders Scottish businesses? Is it not time that the Scottish Executive followed the lead of the Irish and Norwegian Governments in using e-tendering for public procurement, which has resulted in a significant boost to their indigenous small and medium-sized enterprises?

It might have escaped the notice of the Scottish National Party as it pursues its single issue of independence for Scotland—irrespective of the impact that that would have on Scotland—but we have established an organisation called e-procurement Scotland, which is growing by the week, with the intention of taking a much more comprehensive approach to public procurement in Scotland. I appreciate the point that is made about the figure in the McClelland report. The whole point of commissioning the report was that we needed to get a much broader view of the extent of public procurement and its impact on business in Scotland.

Our intention in ensuring that there is a far better procurement system for the public sector in Scotland is to give the taxpayer better value for money, to ensure greater transparency and to create greater access within the Scottish market to the opportunities that exist. It is false to pretend that all we have to do is close down markets and close our doors to the rest of the world and somehow that will make everything better in Scotland. Such an approach has proved to be disastrous in other parts of the world and it would be disastrous here too.

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Council Tax (Pensioners)

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average council tax bill is for a pensioner household. (S2O-12026)

Information on council tax bills by household type is not held centrally. Based on the most recent information from the family resources survey, the average council tax paid by pensioner households in 2004-05 was £603, which is approximately half the band D average. The council tax bill paid by pensioners in 2007-08 will rise on average by 1.9 per cent, which is well below the rate of inflation.

Does the minister agree that many pensioners who are on a low income and who pay no income tax still have to pay a very large share of their income—the minister mentioned an average bill of more than £600—on council tax? Does he accept that many of those pensioners would face a huge increase in their bill as a result of any council tax rebanding and revaluation? Does he also accept that the same pensioners would pay nothing at all—not a penny—under a local income tax scheme?

No, I do not accept all those assertions.

Many pensioners in Scotland who do not pay income tax qualify for the council tax benefit that is currently on offer. One of the difficulties in Scotland is that not enough pensioners take up that benefit. I believe strongly that we must apply our minds to how we can encourage many more of the pensioners who are on the lowest income to access that benefit. It must also be pointed out that many people of pensionable age who are not in paid employment generate an unearned income through a variety of other sources and through that would incur an income tax bill.

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Simclar

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any adjustment will be made to the local government finance settlement to local authorities in Ayrshire to address the impact of the closure of Simclar Ayrshire. (S2O-11994)

The local government finance settlement that was approved by Parliament last week confirmed record levels of funding for local government. Core revenue funding for councils in Ayrshire in 2007-08 will increase by £28 million. It will be for each council to determine how it uses those additional resources to meet local needs.

Will the minister check what level of financial support has been provided to Simclar Ayrshire in order to retain it in Ayrshire over the years? Would we be able to reclaim that money from Simclar International, the Simclar parent company? Finally, will the minister assure me that no public money will be channelled to Simclar International in Scotland in the future?

On the first point, I can certainly ask my colleagues in the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department to supply that information, and we will then write to Mr Gallie.

I would not like to give an absolute commitment that no public funding would ever be directed towards that company if at some point in the future it came up with an innovative proposal that might provide sustained employment in Ayrshire or any other part of Scotland. We would be duty bound to look at ways in which we could assist such proposals. I hope that the misery and bad luck that are being experienced by those individuals in Ayrshire will not be repeated and I hope that there will be opportunities to provide useful replacement employment not only in Simclar but in other companies.

It is not always the case that public funding brings relief to people in Scotland, whether in Ayrshire or anywhere else. For instance, we have given considerable additional finance to local authorities in the recent past. Thankfully, in North Ayrshire, that resulted in a council tax increase of 2.4 per cent and a 1.5 per cent increase in East Ayrshire. Sadly, however, the poor individuals in Conservative-controlled South Ayrshire were burdened with a 3.9 per cent increase. Clearly, in some parts of the country, it is not all about money.