SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Affordable Housing
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for expenditure on affordable housing over the period of the current spending review. (S3O-1720)
The expenditure plans for the current spending review period, which is 2005 to 2008, were set by the previous Administration in the 2004 spending review. Following the 2007 spending review, the Government intends to invest more than £1.5 billion in affordable housing from 2008 to 2011, which is 19 per cent more than the previous Administration planned to invest in 2005 to 2008.
The minister has declined to set a target for the number of affordable homes and the number of social rented homes that will be built in the next three years. As far as I can see, he has preferred to criticise the target of 30,000 homes that housing organisations have proposed, which he supported in a parliamentary motion in February, and which is based on the research that is being done on housing need. Will he explain why the target of 30,000 homes was attractive when he was in opposition but is now flawed? Will he give a firm commitment and date to set out the Government's targets for an affordable housing supply against which its ambitions can be judged?
I did not answer the question that Hugh O'Donnell accuses me of not answering because he did not ask that question. I answered the question that he lodged, rather than the question that he thinks that he lodged.
Does the minister agree that Highland Council is severely disadvantaged by the Westminster Government's refusal to write off its £160 million of housing debt, following the democratic vote of Highland housing tenants to reject the privatisation of Highland housing stock? Will he continue to press Westminster to write off the housing debt of all Scottish councils, so that more social rented housing can be built?
The member may be aware that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, John Swinney, has written to the Treasury about the matter but, as far as I am aware, we await a response. We agree absolutely that it is unfair that some councils were bribed to transfer their houses out of council control, whereas other council areas, in which tenants used their democratic right to reject that bribe, have been disadvantaged. We will continue to press the United Kingdom Government, because we agree that the situation is unfair.
Sudden Oak Death
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to prevent the spread of sudden oak death. (S3O-1674)
Scottish Government inspectors have worked closely with the sites where Phytophthora ramorum has been found to manage the outbreaks. Action has included the continuing provision of advice on good hygiene practice and controls to minimise the risk of the disease spreading; overseeing the removal and destruction of infected plants and susceptible host plants within 2m; monitoring the sites to identify any further infection; and conducting surveillance of a 3km zone around each site. The Scottish Government is also conducting a wider survey of established specialist gardens, which will include those that are in the vicinity of the outbreak sites.
Does the minister acknowledge that the discovery of the disease at Arduaine and Inverewe gardens was due to the vigilance of National Trust for Scotland staff? Will he assure me that the Scottish Government will do all in its power to ensure that the disease, which is lethal to most shrubs and has been called the foot-and-mouth disease of the plant world, is not allowed to take hold in Scotland, not least because of the economic importance of the horticultural and garden tourism sectors and of the plant nursery sector, which is enormous? Might it be necessary to ban imports from infected areas or countries and to have a certificate system to show that plants have a clean bill of health?
I pay tribute to those who are constantly vigilant—not only staff in the gardens that Jamie McGrigor mentioned, but Scottish Government inspectors.
NHS Borders
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last spoke to NHS Borders and what issues were discussed. (S3O-1693)
I meet all chairs of national health service boards monthly, and the Minister for Public Health chaired the annual review of NHS Borders on 24 September. In addition, Scottish Government officials regularly meet NHS Borders representatives to discuss a wide range of issues.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of the Parkinson's Disease Society's calls for specialist Parkinson's disease nurses in the NHS Borders area and elsewhere. Recently, I met senior health board managers, who, as a consequence, are considering training and appointing a neurological specialist nurse who would offer specific advice and support to people with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or motor neurone disease. Will the cabinet secretary discuss that issue at her next meeting with NHS Borders, so that we can move forward and have a neurological specialist nurse for the region?
I thank Christine Grahame for that important question.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of the concerns of NHS Borders about the NHS Scotland national resource allocation committee's report on the review of the Arbuthnott formula, which could lead to an £11.7 million differential in investment. That would be a catastrophic difference in the funding that is available to NHS Borders. What is the timing for the cabinet secretary's decision on that report? Is she prepared to meet me, other interested members and the chair of NHS Borders to discuss future funding for the area?
As I said, I regularly meet the chair of NHS Borders, and I would be more than happy to meet Jeremy Purvis to discuss the issues further. Obviously, all NHS boards that are in the category that NHS Borders is in are concerned to know the outcome of the report, which I have previously said that I am considering. The Health and Sport Committee has been helpful in providing input in that context, and all NHS boards have an opportunity to provide input. I will decide on the implementation or otherwise of the report early in the new year.
Farming Communities (Borders)
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to support farming communities in the Borders. (S3O-1675)
The Scottish Government—which is often represented on such matters in the person of my friend Mr Lochhead, whom members will note is back from his highly successful negotiations in Brussels—is committed to helping all sectors of rural Scotland to thrive. Direct financial support is provided to farming businesses and community groups in the Borders through a variety of publicly funded measures. We aim to inject some £1.6 billion into rural areas over the seven-year period of the Scotland rural development programme, and we expect that farming communities will particularly benefit from the measures that are directed towards promoting the competitiveness of agriculture, the quality of life in rural areas and diversification of the rural economy.
The minister will be aware that farmers in the Borders, as elsewhere, remain deeply unhappy about the burden of regulation that they face, not least the number of inspections from the Government's agencies. Can he provide an update on the Government's progress towards meeting its manifesto commitment to establish pilot schemes for single farm visits?
I am pleased to do so. The single Scottish rural delivery service, which I have the pleasure of overseeing, is being developed and will be launched in 2008. It will undoubtedly make the process of visits by inspectors and officials of various types easier to cope with, because a range of Government agencies will deliver through a single client manager. We are driving the scheme forward with the co-operation of all the staff involved. I am sure that people in the area that Mr Lamont represents will welcome the scheme when it is launched, probably at the Royal Highland show next year.
Health Inequalities
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address inequalities in health. (S3O-1768)
"Better Health, Better Care" sets out the Scottish Government's key priority of tackling health inequality. We are already providing the keep well programme, which anticipates preventable ill health by strengthening and enhancing primary care services in the most deprived areas of Scotland. The ministerial task force on health inequalities, which I chair, is looking at the wider factors underlying health inequalities and will identify further measures and improvements when it reports in May next year.
Is the minister aware that the Scottish public health observatory community health profile has found that diabetes-related admissions in my constituency of Airdrie and Shotts are up to 70 per cent above the Scottish average? Does she agree that health spending in areas with the poorest health outcomes must be targeted at primary health care? Can she assure me that the uplift for NHS Lanarkshire will guarantee investment in retinopathy screening and services that identify and treat heart disease and poor diabetes control?
I assure the member that the Government takes health improvement and health inequalities very seriously. That was reflected in the budget, with an overall investment of more than £100 million extra a year in health improvement and better public health, all of which will help Karen Whitefield's constituents. There will also be £12.5 million a year to strengthen primary health care services in the most deprived areas. All of that adds up to a significant investment in the services to which Karen Whitefield refers.
Given the significant level of expenditure by local authorities on mental health, drug and alcohol treatment and care of the elderly to address health inequalities, when will the outcome agreements with councils be available for MSPs to scrutinise?
Single outcome agreements with individual local authorities will be developed over the coming few months. The important point to remember is that local authorities and health boards are jointly accountable for the delivery of many services in mental health and the other areas that Mary Scanlon mentioned, which is crucial. We will ensure that the services that are delivered on the ground are adequate to meet the needs and challenges of the 21st century. For the first time, there are four health improvement, efficiency, access and treatment targets that are directly relevant to mental health services. That is a huge improvement on the previous position and will lead to continued improvement in mental health services on the ground across Scotland.
I draw the minister's attention to the level of health inequalities in Lanarkshire, which is second only to that in Glasgow. I seek an assurance that, when the options for the future of Monklands accident and emergency department are reviewed, the impact on inequalities will be a key deciding factor in how we go about reversing Labour's daft decision to close Monklands A and E.
One of the critical reasons for keeping the A and E department open at Monklands was that the department and the hospital serve a highly deprived area and communities. The member makes an important point. The impact on health inequalities will be a key consideration for the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing.
National Health Service (VAT)
To ask the Scottish Government what the cost to the national health service was of VAT paid in connection with the employment of agency staff in the latest year for which figures are available. (S3O-1698)
The Scottish Government does not hold centrally the cost of VAT paid in connection with the employment of agency staff.
I thank the cabinet secretary for her reply. Is she aware that the Scottish public sector VAT task force—an organisation that was established by NHS senior management—has established that a recent change in practice by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs means that health boards can no longer claim exemption from VAT on services that are provided by agency doctors and members of professions allied to medicine—an exemption that is granted on services that are provided by agency nurses? That could cost NHS Scotland over £1 million a year—money that could be spent on other services. Will the cabinet secretary take that up with the Chancellor of the Exchequer as a matter of urgency?
I thank Ian McKee for that question and note his interest in the issue. He is right to say that HMRC issued revised guidance in January 2007. The position is that NHS bodies are allowed to reclaim VAT on agency nursing and clerical staff under the contracting-out rules, but the recovery of VAT paid on other staff provided by agencies—such as other types of medical personnel, ancillary staff or people working in finance—is not allowed. That is, of course, a matter for HMRC. I am happy to write to that agency to ask about the rationale behind its policy, although I hope that the answer does not get lost in the post. I am also happy to take up the matter with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Alcohol Consumption (Young People)
To ask the Scottish Government how it intends to target resources and services for raising awareness of the effects of alcohol consumption among young people and for providing rehabilitation services for them. (S3O-1695)
The Scottish Government provides resources to alcohol and drug action teams, which make decisions on allocations to services, including rehabilitation services, based on local circumstances and identified need.
I thank the minister for that answer. I am sure that everyone will agree that the first alcohol awareness week was a great success, and that changing people's attitudes to drinking is fundamental to tackling the growing problem—as was highlighted in this week's report from the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems group. Will the minister consider supporting an alcohol awareness week that is specifically targeted at young people?
Scotland's first ever alcohol awareness week was a truly groundbreaking initiative that received excellent media coverage. We are happy to consider targeting future campaigns at young people, but we also need to recognise that far too many Scots across all age groups drink far too much. We want a culture change in our relationship with alcohol in Scotland, and that is why we will bring forward a draft strategy for consultation in spring next year. That will be assisted by the £85 million boost in the budget over three years to help tackle alcohol misuse.
Will the Minister for Public Health join me in welcoming the fact that since the advertising arrangements were changed to prohibit the advertising of alcohol in a number of ways, the number of young people—and I mean very young people—who are not drinking has risen quite considerably, by some 12 per cent? Will she consider following up on the motion that Bill Wilson lodged calling for further pilots and work in universities and colleges on the establishment of normative data, and for the promotion of that data, which encourages people to recognise that the majority of people do not abuse alcohol, rather than using the punitive approach that has been taken up until now?
I hear what Richard Simpson says. He makes the point that, particularly when we educate young people about substance misuse, we need to ensure that we make the point that the vast majority of young people do not behave in that manner and we need to reinforce good behaviour. However, we need to recognise that Scotland has a particularly unhealthy relationship with alcohol, which filters through to the behaviour of young people in the next generation. It is therefore the responsibility of us all to challenge the public about their drinking. Many people do not recognise that they have a problem. They think that it is someone else's problem and responsibility. We need to ensure that we change that culture and attitude so that the next generation grows up in a different Scotland that has a healthier relationship with alcohol.