SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Employment (Dunfermline)
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting employment in the Dunfermline area. (S2O-11097)
The smart, successful Scotland enterprise strategy that is being pursued by our enterprise networks, and a range of other measures including the regional selective assistance scheme, workforce plus and training for work, help to support prosperity. Those measures have increased employment in Dunfermline and other communities throughout Scotland.
The minister is right to acknowledge the growth in employment in the Dunfermline area. However, the closure of the Lexmark International (Scotland) factory earlier this year and the announcement that the Solectron Scotland facility will close within the next few months mean that more than 1,000 jobs will have been lost in Dunfermline. Can the minister assure me that Fife in general and Dunfermline in particular will still qualify for assistance to attract new jobs, and that Scottish Enterprise Fife will receive all the assistance it requires to ensure that employment growth continues in west Fife?
I give Scott Barrie a categorical assurance on that.
I received a helpful and detailed written response from Nicol Stephen on the issue on 14 November, for which I give my thanks.
That is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Transport, in the first instance. However, I agree with Bruce Crawford that improving transport infrastructure—the Forth road bridge in this case—is absolutely vital to the future economic development not just of Fife but of the surrounding areas, as I said in the chamber only last week. That is generally true of road and other transport infrastructure projects, which is why we have invested so heavily in such developments and will continue to do so post May next year.
Planning Gain Supplement
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent representations it has made to the United Kingdom Government regarding the planning gain supplement. (S2O-11089)
We are aware of the very many concerns raised by local authorities, developers, professionals and others about the outline proposals. We have continued to discuss those concerns with the Treasury as it develops the proposals further. Our aim is to secure a sensible and workable solution for Scotland.
Will the minister redouble his efforts to ensure that there is no prejudice to section 75 agreements that are often operated under present legislation to the advantage of communities?
I acknowledge the success of section 75 agreements in capturing the planning gain supplement in support of related developments. Euan Robson will know that expenditure under existing section 75 agreements will be taken into account in the proposals that have been made. However, we must wait to see the detailed Government proposals. We raised concerns in our response to the consultation about how the gain would be calculated, how funds would be distributed and various other matters. We await further news from Westminster about what is proposed.
Given that ministers have published the representations that they made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the planning gain supplement, will the minister explain why the Executive is refusing a request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to publish the representations that it made to the chancellor on supplementary charges for oil and gas companies? Is it because those representations were ignored?
I do not have such information about the oil and gas companies, but I will write to the member about the matter.
Glasgow to Edinburgh Rail Service
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce a high-speed rail service between Glasgow and Edinburgh. (S2O-11127)
We will soon publish our rail policy document, "Scotland's Railways", as part of the national transport strategy. It will examine a number of options for improving connections between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Is the minister aware of the strength of feeling among my constituents in Shotts that there should be a high-speed service on the Shotts line and that it should stop at Shotts? Is he aware of the high levels of representations and will he, when considering any proposed high-speed service and its stops, consider not only the number of people who would benefit from the service but the matters of rural isolation and social deprivation?
I respect Karen Whitefield's points. Scottish Enterprise is leading a study to examine the economic impact of high-speed transport links and joint work has been done between the regional transport partnerships in the east and west to identify a possible route between Glasgow and Edinburgh, were the Scottish Enterprise study to produce a positive outcome.
The minister will be aware of press speculation that post May the Executive might consider the electrification of the Edinburgh to Glasgow line to make it into a high-speed line. Will the minister tell us how that squares with the renewal of diesel-engine capacity in the Scottish fleet that would be brought about as a consequence of the Edinburgh airport rail link scheme, which would mean that city sprinter trains could not access the proposed incline in the tunnel on that route? Why are we to have high-speed electric trains at the same time as we renew almost all of First ScotRail's fleet?
There has certainly been much press speculation, including some involving Mr MacAskill's position on EARL, which of course changes according to which publication he writes in.
I welcome the minister's willingness to consider how we can maximise use of the existing railway infrastructure between Glasgow and Edinburgh and the new range of services that could be delivered. Given that willingness to examine future options, does the minister agree that now is the time for him to ask Transport Scotland to examine long-term capacity at Waverley station? If we have ambitions to improve the railway in and out of Edinburgh and Glasgow, we need to consider that key pinch point, which will frustrate our ambitions if we do not start looking at it now.
One of the matters that need to be considered in the capital expenditure plans for Government from 2010 to 2020 will be capacity not just at Edinburgh Waverley but at Haymarket and in the west. It will be important to take into account Sarah Boyack's point when we devise our railway strategy, and in the long-term development of rail, which is a great success story in Scotland. More people are travelling by rail as an alternative to the car. We hope to continue in that direction of travel, but I take the member's points seriously.
Given that First ScotRail's existing flagship is the Edinburgh to Glasgow line via Falkirk High, which gives Falkirk very good rail links with Scotland's capital city and largest city, will the Executive ensure that a detailed assessment will be made of the impact on the Falkirk economy should alternative arrangements be considered?
That is a fair question. It is certainly important that we take into account issues that relate to the current service in developing any transport investment in new provision of capacity on the Edinburgh to Glasgow line. That would happen through the Scottish transport appraisal guidance process anyway, but I assure Mr Canavan that the implications for the important commuter stop that he mentioned will be part of the calculations when we consider those options.
Does the minister agree that although it is important to have a high-speed service between Edinburgh and Glasgow, it is also important that we address on-going problems of capacity and overcrowding and that we make sure that trains stop at the right places on the route? Will the minister also consider the point that I raised with him previously about the need on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route for a proper stop at Edinburgh Park in my constituency?
I was able to discuss the Edinburgh Park issues the other week with Keith Miller from Miller Developments. We plan to develop proposals to honour a sensible commitment to Edinburgh Park and we appreciate the importance of having a rail stop there to provide travel choices to many people who work in that area of west Edinburgh. The matter is under close review with Transport Scotland and First ScotRail and I hope that we will be able to make a positive announcement in due course.
On examination of whether any particular line can be used as a high-speed line, does the minister accept that the Shotts line to which Karen Whitefield referred has the potential to provide better commuting opportunities between Livingston and Glasgow and Livingston and Edinburgh, and that existing proposals could bring about short-term improvement to commuting opportunities?
I acknowledge Bristow Muldoon's points about Livingston. One of the trade-offs in rail that we must recognise and which I know Bristow Muldoon recognises is between improved journey times and commuter stops—that is one of the calculations that we are currently making. It is part of the considerations in the "Scotland's Railways" document that we will publish as part of the national transport strategy. That essential trade-off will be one of the core decisions as we develop our plans for Scotland's railways.
Question 4 was not lodged.
Road Safety
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being considered to improve road safety at accident black spots. (S2O-11109)
The Executive is addressing road safety through a combination of engineering, enforcement and education. We are, through Transport Scotland, which is responsible for trunk roads, currently working with local authorities, who are responsible for road safety matters in their areas, including the identification and treatment of accident cluster sites. In addition, through Road Safety Scotland, the Executive engages with police forces and a wide range of other parties to promote the road safety message throughout Scotland.
I appreciate the minister's point about engineering, but the problem is often to do not with the road but with driver behaviour—in my area, the behaviour of young drivers particularly. What steps are being taken to influence driver behaviour, especially the behaviour of young drivers?
I take Gordon Jackson's point about the importance of acknowledging driver behaviour in the accident statistics. It is tragic that young drivers are disproportionately represented in road accidents—one in five new drivers is involved in a road accident within a year of passing the driving test. The current Road Safety Scotland campaign aims to raise awareness of the dangers on rural and urban roads and is targeting young drivers.
The minister might be aware that following a spate of fatal road traffic accidents on roads in Moray during the past fortnight, a number of families are grieving for lost loved ones. Is he also aware that the number of fatalities on roads in Grampian this year has already exceeded the total for last year? The trend is in the wrong direction.
I will of course be happy to meet the member to discuss the matter. We express our condolences to Mr Lochhead's constituents at this time. He described worrying circumstances and made a fair point about the balance between education and regulation. I assure him that we will consider the matter. Driver behaviour, which Gordon Jackson mentioned, is an extremely important component of the challenge that we face, but I will be happy to consider further measures that we might take.
Question 6 has been withdrawn.
Road Fatalities
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of road fatalities in rural Scotland in the past two years took place between sunset and sunrise. (S2O-11074)
In 2004 and 2005, 166 fatalities out of a total of 418—that is, 40 per cent of deaths—due to accidents on non-built-up roads were reported as having occurred in darkness.
I thank the minister for his answer and for his comments in response to Gordon Jackson's question. Is he aware that the overwhelming majority of recent fatalities in the Grampian police area have occurred as a result of accidents at night and that the police said that driver skill—or lack of it—was a significant factor in all but one case? Will he therefore consider promoting more strongly, and giving financial support to, the pass plus scheme, which provides training on driving at night?
I acknowledge the points that Stewart Stevenson made. I am well aware of the circumstances and of the police analysis of the causes of the accidents that he mentioned. I will certainly look again at the pass plus scheme. The member knows that most of the resources that we channel into the area are channelled through Road Safety Scotland's programme, which is proven to have lasting benefits. However, I am happy to consider alternative or additional approaches that could demonstrably assist in the prevention of tragic accidents.
Central Heating Programme and Warm Deal Scheme (Western Isles)
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the Western Isles constituency have been placed on a waiting list for installation and assessment work under the Executive's central heating programme and warm deal scheme as a result of the transition of the contract from Eaga Partnership to Scottish Gas. (S2O-11061)
Information is held by postcode area, not by parliamentary constituency. According to Scottish Gas there are in the HS postcode area currently 79 applications for the central heating programme and 11 applications for the warm deal, although actual eligibility is likely to be lower once those applications are assessed.
Scottish Gas operates the warm deal scheme with an expectation to process around 12,000 claims per year. With an estimated 12,000 applicants already on the waiting list, what does the minister plan to do to ensure that the elderly people who are in need of assistance from the warm deal scheme are not let down by the Executive this winter?
There are two issues there. Dave Petrie referred to the warm deal rather than to the central heating programme, although I am not sure that that is what he meant. I will cover both, to cover both eventualities. There has been greatly increased demand for the central heating programme; I said that the figure for which we have planned this year is 12,000, but I was being cautious because, in the light of this week's announcement, we should get more than 12,000 central heating systems installed this year.
Given that we started two minutes late, I will take one more supplementary question.
On behalf of my many constituents in the Western Isles who have already had central heating systems and insulation installed free of charge, I thank the Executive for what has been a life-saving and life-transforming initiative.
There have been transitional issues. I had a meeting on the warm deal with a particular contractor this week and we are in touch with Scottish Gas about the issue. It has been concentrating on the central heating programme and we are taking up with it some of the concerns that Alasdair Morrison raised in his letter.