SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Public Transport
To ask the Scottish Executive whether adequate information on public transport timetables was available during recent severe weather conditions and, if not, what plans it has to address this issue. (S1O-2542)
I understand that during the recent severe weather conditions, the national rail inquiry service received many more calls than the system was capable of handling. Regrettably, that prevented provision of a normal service to the public. However, the implementation soon of a sustainable timetable, as part of the national track recovery plan, will assist with the provision of reliable information to rail users. In addition, as part of our programme for government, we intend to implement a multi-modal public transport information system, covering the whole of Scotland and the rest of Great Britain, by the end of December.
Will the minister investigate how more railway stations can be equipped with direct access to national rail facilities on the web, to give up-to-the-minute information to rail users?
One of our objectives with the new public transport information project is that, by the beginning of next year, people will be able to get information on bus and rail travel. For 2002, we intend to ensure that that information is available more widely on the web, and that any passenger delays can be conveyed using that technology.
Does the minister recall that when the improved timetable for the rail service between Edinburgh and Glasgow via Falkirk High was introduced last year, the service was hailed as ScotRail's flagship, with four trains per hour running on time? Recently, the service has deteriorated into an absolute shambles, with only two trains per hour, which usually run late. Will the minister tell ScotRail and Railtrack to get their act together urgently to improve that service for the general public?
The question is about transport timetables.
The trains are running late.
I did not hear that.
Dennis Canavan raises the relevant issue that when train times are altered, that information should be communicated efficiently and accurately to passengers. That was one of the key points that I made when I met representatives of the rail industry three weeks ago. It is important that the industry communicates its plans accurately. People who are undertaking journeys have a right to know that their trains will run and about any time delays that will be incurred. That is one of the core problems that we have had over the past few weeks.
I understand the difficulties that the travelling public have experienced in recent weeks. The railway line that Dennis Canavan mentioned has inconvenienced me by affecting the time that it takes to travel to Edinburgh. Will the minister ensure that future improvement to services will involve transport operators—especially bus and rail operators—working together to integrate their services and to ensure that the public are aware of the times of trains that meet buses? We must achieve that if we are to meet our objective of increasing use of public transport.
That is a valid point. All the operators must work together. A key objective of the Transport (Scotland) Bill, which is going through stage 2, is to provide a much more stable environment in which the bus companies will operate. The companies will be required to provide information to local authorities, so that information can be posted where people are catching buses. The point about trains and buses linking together is important. We are keen to act on that, to deliver a more integrated, seamless travel opportunity for the public.
Anti-drugs Spending
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of total anti-drugs spending was spent on (a) education and (b) rehabilitation in 1997-98 to 1999-2000 and what the projected figures are for 2000-01. (S1O-2539)
The information requested is not held centrally.
I thank the minister for the figures on investment in rehabilitation and education. Is the effectiveness of those programmes monitored and assessed and, if so, how often? Is the information published?
The Executive has launched a drug action plan. In the next three years, many changes will take place. We will seek more clarity from the drug action teams about how the money is spent. There will be more emphasis on monitoring how the money is spent. Most important, there will be a major injection of £100 million for the drug action plan. That will allow more community-based initiatives, a major expansion of rehabilitation services and more emphasis on education and prevention, following an evidence-based approach.
From the minister's response, it appears that there can be no accurate analysis of where the funds are going. Am I correct in assuming that the figures do not take into account activity in the voluntary or charitable sector? Is not it a cause for concern that the Parliament has no coherent strategic overview of what we are doing to cope with the drug abuse problem?
The snapshot figures that I gave tried to capture the voluntary sector as well as all the other parts of the drug programme. However, we shall certainly try to get a more comprehensive picture and to monitor more closely what drug action teams are doing with the considerable extra resources that are being provided over the next three years.
Economic Policy
To ask the Scottish Executive how the Republic of Ireland's economic performance will influence its policies for the Scottish economy. (S1O-2537)
The Executive is always keen to learn from the experience of other countries, including the recent successes of the Republic of Ireland.
I thank the minister for her positive response, but is she aware that industrial production in the Republic of Ireland grew by 15 per cent over the past year, compared with 0.8 per cent in the United Kingdom, which is less than an eighth of the European Union average? Is she aware that growth in per capita income, employment and inward investment in the Republic continues to far outstrip the UK and Scotland? Does she agree with me—and with the First Minister's hero, Mario Cuomo—that until Scotland has the control over its economy that the Republic of Ireland and other independent nations enjoy, it will never achieve its full economic and social potential?
I, too, have had the opportunity to study the recent performance of the Republic of Ireland. The important lesson for us all is that that good performance in the past 10 years follows 60 years of poor economic performance by a nation that was divided by divorce and where the politics of partition dominated domestic politics.
Further to that answer, would the minister care to comment on a statement made by Jim Powers, who was the chief economist at the Bank of Ireland group treasury? Mr Powers said:
Sorry—
Minister, you puzzle me. Are you going to answer the question?
Could the member repeat his question?
Presiding Officer, I am well aware that the Labour party has problems with the euro and with whether the country will join or not.
I thank Ben Wallace for his question. Entry to the euro is not necessarily a matter of principle, but rather a matter of meeting the five convergence conditions that the British Government has laid out. When it is appropriate for us to join the euro, we will do so at the appropriate interest rate and when the other five appropriate tests have been met.
Prescription Drugs (Beta Interferon)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the drug beta interferon is subject to postcode prescribing. (S1O-2538)
The prescribing of beta interferon is determined by the clinical needs of individual patients, the available evidence about that treatment and the clinical judgment of the specialists concerned.
Will the Minister for Health and Community Care comment on the treatment of my constituent, Vivian Howie, who suffers from MS and whose neurologist at Ninewells said that she would be an ideal candidate for beta interferon? Tayside Health Board told her that she could not be given the drug because its budget of £70,000 had run out, but Fife Health Board told her that beta interferon could be prescribed for her if she were to move to Fife, because it prescribes to all who meet the medical criteria.
The Executive is seeking to remove both the variations that exist across the country and the practice of postcode prescribing; that is explicit in Government policy. It is precisely for that reason, and because of our commitment not just to talk about those problems but to act on them, that the Health Technology Board for Scotland has been established, and that other work is taking place to provide a better national framework for the NHS in Scotland. Those steps will ensure that there is greater equity across the nation, not just in prescribing practice but in other aspects of care. That will be a key theme in the health plan that is to be published next month.
My constituent, Vivian Howie, needs to know now whether she must pack her bags and move to Fife. What will the Minister for Health and Community Care do about her case?
I find it sad that, not for the first time, the SNP takes individual cases and complex matters of health and public policy and uses them to generate headlines and stories. [Interruption.]
Order. Let us hear the answer.
Presiding Officer, if Opposition members would care to listen, they might get an answer to the question.
Transport (Disruptions)
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the economic costs of recent transport disruptions. (S1O-2552)
An independent business survey and retail sales sources suggest that the initial economic impact of September's fuel blockades has been limited. The effects have not yet been fully reflected in Scottish Executive statistics. It is too early for the economic costs of transport disruptions caused by rail safety works and floods to be picked up, either in surveys or in economic statistics.
I look forward to that further information being made available. Does the minister agree that recent events have highlighted the need for increased investment and increased choice, especially for those people who travel in and out of cities such as Aberdeen daily? Will she confirm that the funding bid for Aberdeen commuter rail services, which was considered last week, is still very much a live bid that is on track for next year?
I am happy to confirm that the funding for the railway stations at Inverurie, Dyce and Stonehaven is to go ahead, and that all three stations will be upgraded to a much higher standard. That should be a definite improvement for the passengers who use those stations.
Does the minister agree that the real cost to the economy and the true cause of the recent transport disruption was not the legitimate protest against fuel prices, but the extortionate new Labour fuel taxation? Does she agree with the Minister of State at the Scotland Office, Brian Wilson, who finally admitted in the House of Commons this week that we have the highest fuel tax in Europe?
Order. That supplementary was well wide of the question, Mr Ewing. We shall move to question 6.
Higher Still
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the review of implementation of higher still and, if so, when. (S1O-2519)
We will publish the review of new national qualifications as soon as possible. My priority is to ensure that the views of teachers and other stakeholders are fully taken into account and that we produce a thorough report.
I thank the minister for that reply; it is essential that stakeholders are consulted. When the review is published, will it consider the role of Her Majesty's inspectors of schools, whom many now regard as the advisers on policy, the mediators of information that comes to the Executive, and the people who are responsible for implementing policy? Will he ensure that that major issue is reviewed, either in the review of higher still or in further action by the minister?
The major issues will be decided by the 2,000 or so teachers who will be consulted as part of the review. I want to ensure that the issues that arise from that review are those that are identified by those teachers, and we must learn lessons from that process. I assure Michael Russell that, if that affects any part of my department, those lessons will be taken on board.
Flood Prevention
To ask the Scottish Executive what up-to-date guidance has been given to local authorities with a view to ensuring that they put in place effective permanent flood prevention measures. (S1O-2515)
On the provision of flood prevention measures, our guidance to local authorities is that the measures should be environmentally sustainable and of a standard that will reduce the flood risk to an appropriate level. Authorities are also advised, on a scheme-by-scheme basis, to take account of the implications of climate change.
Will the minister also confirm that advanced contingency measures are being worked up and prepared, in the Administration and by all local authorities in Scotland, so as to save life, livestock and property in the event of the future flooding that has been predicted?
That question touches on two issues. There are immediate problems when floods arise, which must be dealt with in the short term. We are looking into better early warning systems and considering proposals for a flood helpline. On the longer-term issue of sustainable flood prevention systems, the solution is dependent on local authorities bringing forward proposals. I ask all local authorities to consider the problems and present their ideas. In the past, we have never failed to fund such proposals.
Is the minister aware of any additional assistance that the Executive can provide to local authorities to enable them to pilot innovative methods of flood prevention, such as the hydro-science project that Dumfries and Galloway Council is investigating?
The scheme that Dumfries and Galloway Council is considering is one of a number of innovative proposals that have been made. It is appropriate for all local authorities that have a responsibility in this area to consider the issues and to seek to prevent floods by following guidance about not building on floodplains; that should be elementary. Authorities should find out where problems exist and take short-term measures to combat them, while they develop the long-term measures that are needed to ensure that this scourge is removed. There is no doubt that, because of climate change, floods will be a recurring and increasing problem.
Does the minister recall that last week, during exchanges at First Minister's question time, we were advised that there would be consequentials from John Prescott's announcement of an additional £50 million for England and Wales? Does he also recall that we were advised that a review would be aimed at speeding up the procedures that must be observed by our local authorities when they seek to implement major flood prevention schemes? Can the minister provide any clarification on those matters?
The answer to both questions is yes.
Has the minister been made aware of WWF Scotland's wild rivers scheme, which was launched in detail last week? I believe that a few members of the Executive were present at the launch to hear what the WWF representatives had to say. Will extra money be made available to authorities up and down river catchment areas in Scotland, particularly those of the Tay and the Forth, to enable them to co-operate with one another?
It is mandatory for any local authority that proposes a scheme to consult other authorities about that. There is no sense in building a flood defence mechanism that simply transfers the problem elsewhere.
Question 8 has been withdrawn.
Department of Social Security (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the Department of Social Security and what issues were discussed. (S1O-2516)
Meetings take place on a regular basis to discuss a range of matters. The Scottish Executive is aware of the importance of the role of the Department of Social Security in the pursuit of social justice and of the need to work closely with it to achieve our aims.
On many occasions, the Parliament has been told that detailed discussion has taken place with the Department of Social Security on housing benefit reform and its implications for the proposed mass housing stock transfer in Glasgow. In the interests of openness, will the minister ensure that the minutes of those meetings are made available to members of this Parliament?
We have regular discussions with our colleagues in the Department of Social Security—about housing benefit, but also about children and pensioners. I hope that Mr Quinan welcomes the significant lifting of 70,000 children out of poverty and the new package for pensioners, which will benefit 900,000 pensioners in Scotland. We have discussed the issue of housing benefit with the DSS. There are no referrals by local authorities in the case of under-occupation—an issue that I know Mr Quinan cares deeply about—nor will there be any referrals in the future.
Is the minister aware of the massive rise in the number of rejected social fund applications, from 5,000 in 1996 to 362,000 last year? Does the minister know the reasons for that increase? Does she know how many Scots families on income support have had their social fund applications refused?
As Mr Sheridan is aware, those are reserved matters. I do not know the detail of social fund rejections. Our approach is based on getting people back to work, and we have had significant success in doing that. Since 1997, 70,000 new jobs have been created in Scotland. There is now 70 per cent less youth unemployment in Scotland than there was in 1997, and long-term unemployment has been halved. I hope that the member welcomes the fact that people are getting back to work.
I accept, and members all understand, that the matter is reserved. However, I would have thought that the minister would have been sufficiently shocked by the difference between the previous and current numbers of rejected applications to the social fund to have a real interest in discovering how many of those applications were from Scots families. Will she do that?
As Margo MacDonald has asked me to do so, I certainly will.
Question 10 has been withdrawn.
Child Welfare
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote the welfare of children. (S1O-2550)
The Scottish Executive gives very high priority to promoting the welfare of children through a range of initiatives. Our programme for government sets out the objective of all children having the best possible start in life. It commits us to a range of targets to help to achieve that goal, including nursery education for all three and four-year-olds whose parents want it and a major expansion of child care provision.
I am glad to hear that.
I assure the Parliament that what Jamie McGrigor suggests is happening is not happening; quite the reverse is true. Unlike the previous situation, one of my specific roles and responsibilities as Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs will be children's services and children's welfare. The Cabinet still includes a minister for children; that is Jack McConnell.
Does the minister have any specific plans to support the pre-school care and education of children with physical disabilities and learning difficulties, especially in remote Highland areas?
It is important to ensure that we have quality facilities across Scotland for children with special educational needs. Mainstreaming is important. It is important to ensure that there is funding for schools so that, where parents want it, there is appropriate mainstreaming. I will examine that matter in greater detail. I now chair the special educational needs forum; the issue was raised at that forum this week.
On the wider issue of the welfare of children, what plans does the minister have to protect children from terrible harm and to increase the number of police who track child pornography on the internet?
The issue of the use of the internet in relation to threats to our children is topical this week.
St Mary's School, Dunblane
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs will consider visiting St Mary's Episcopal Primary School in Dunblane to meet parents, pupils and teachers. (S1O-2521)
I will be happy to consider any invitation from any school in Scotland as part of my programme of school visits over the next year.
I welcome the minister's open approach. In that new spirit of perestroika, will the minister consider, in his review of his policies, leaving the transfer of St Mary's from independent management to Stirling Council management firmly where it is—in the in tray?
I think that Mr Monteith is confusing perestroika and glasnost. Glasnost is the description of openness and transparency; perestroika is the description of restructuring, which is what is happening to St Mary's Episcopal Primary School in Dunblane. I have every confidence that Stirling Council will restructure St Mary's in a positive way that will protect the education of the children.
M74 (Property Disposal)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in disposing of properties acquired by the Scottish Office during the construction of the M74. (S1O-2523)
A number of properties have been disposed of since 1991. Most of those that remain are adjacent to the latest section of motorway to be constructed. Surveys to establish the full extent of surplus land in that area are continuing and should soon be completed.
The minister will recall that I sent her some photos—[Laughter]—that I had taken of some of those properties. Does she agree that some of the properties are in such an appalling state as to create an eyesore for local residents? If they were well maintained, those properties could provide valuable rural homes. With the onset of winter, surely some urgency is required in the disposal of those properties.
Mr Mundell sent me some very interesting illustrations—[Laughter]—which I passed on to the relevant officials.
Planning (Ayr)
I am sorry to say that I have not sent Mr Galbraith any pictures at all.
The reasons for those decisions are given in the Scottish Executive's letter of 3 November. I am sure that everyone will understand that I am unable to say anything further, given that the applicant may exercise his right of appeal to the Court of Session.
Is the minister totally unaware of the impact that that decision will have on the future of Ayr United? Can he explain why he chose to go against the recommendations of the local authority and the two reporters to the public inquiry? Is Ayr United simply the latest victim of yet another cock-up by the minister?
If Kay Ullrich sends me any pictures, I hope that they will be Peploes or Cadells.
Can the minister advise us of the overall cost of the planning inquiry into the Ayr United stadium and retail developments? Does he feel that he has received value for money from that planning inquiry, given his rejection of the reporter's findings? Does he feel that that is best value in terms of cash, public confidence and time?
The cost to the Executive was £39,000, which I consider to be good value and a splendid use of money.
Standards in Schools
To ask the Scottish Executive what priorities it has set to improve standards in schools. (S1O-2531)
The national priorities for school education were set out in a draft order laid on 6 November for the Parliament's approval. They set out our clear intention to improve attainment, deliver quality of opportunity, create a strong and healthy learning environment and encourage ambitious, considerate and creative young adults.
Does the minister agree that we must ensure that our teachers are not overburdened with bureaucracy at the expense of teaching and preparation?
Teachers should teach, and those who enter the teaching profession do so in order to impart knowledge and encourage ambition and creativity in children. Anything that we can do to reduce the paperwork and bureaucracy that goes with the job and to ensure that the system supports the teachers, instead of the other way round, is worth doing. I hope that that reassures any teacher from Airdrie, Shotts or any of the surrounding villages that Karen Whitefield might want to mention.
Will the minister consider measures for early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders, to ensure that all children have the opportunity to improve their standards?
As the national priorities for education make clear, all children must have the opportunity for a high-quality education and the system should support that aim in every possible way. That will require the education system not only to identify special needs at a very early age, but to work closely with children's services, the health service and other agencies and public bodies, to ensure that all children can grow to their full potential from the earliest possible age.
Scottish Natural Heritage
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the pre-designation public consultation procedures by Scottish Natural Heritage in respect of special areas of conservation and sites of special scientific interest. (S1O-2533)
I am considering proposals for improvements to the nature conservation system in Scotland, including the way in which people are consulted about the designation of protected areas. In the meantime, we are obliged by European commitments to press ahead very quickly with the selection of candidate special areas of conservation, and SNH is taking forward the notification of SSSIs to protect European sites.
I welcome the minister's answer, because the apparent parachuting-in of designations in the past did not receive much community support.
As the member knows, this site was first notified to the European Union in order to protect bottle-nosed dolphins. However, the recent area of concern is the fact that the sandbanks that are always covered by at least a small amount of water are being added to the notification. I assure Mr Stone that there are no plans to change the management structure or plan for that area and that there is no intention whatsoever to interfere with fishing.
Is the minister aware that many people affected by these designations feel that they are not based on adequate scientific evaluation? Will he delay the introduction of the designations until such evaluations are properly carried out?
The evaluations are properly carried out. Sites can be designated only on scientific grounds and full consultation is considered in that process. Furthermore, when Lord James Douglas-Hamilton was the relevant Government minister, an appeals committee was introduced to consider the scientific basis of the designation. As a result, there is a sufficient appeals mechanism.
Is the minister aware of the huge opposition of the local community in Islay to the designation of a seal sanctuary off the south-east Skerries? Will he take that opposition into consideration before any final decisions are made?
As I said, the areas are designated on scientific grounds by SNH and ministers have to accept them. It is important when we consider such designations that all the local stakeholders are consulted and that their views are taken into consideration. Once SSSIs are in place, we must ensure that there are positive management policies, for which money will be available, so that the local community can be fully involved in the management of sites.
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