British-Irish Council
The next item of business is a statement by the First Minister on the British-Irish Council summit. The First Minister will take questions at the end of his statement and there should therefore be no interventions during it.
Last week, along with the Minister for Community Safety, I represented the Government at the 10th British-Irish Council summit. The meeting took place in Dublin and was hosted by the Taoiseach. I take this opportunity to inform colleagues of the productive and useful discussions that took place at the summit and of the way in which Scotland is contributing to the valuable work of the council. I am pleased to report that we are making excellent progress in forging friendships and close working relationships with all the members of the British-Irish Council.
The council was established under the Good Friday agreement on 10 April 1998
"to promote the harmonious and mutually beneficial development of the totality of these islands."
Its members are the British and Irish Governments, the Scottish Government, and those of Wales and Northern Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It is reasonable to say that the importance of the body has been substantially enhanced by the participation of the reconvened Executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The council enables members to exchange information, consult and co-operate on areas of mutual interest. Last week, we made progress in a number of areas. The meeting focused on the misuse of drugs, which is a strand in the council's work that is being led by the Irish Government. There was an extremely constructive discussion on the topic. We reflected in particular on the impacts of problem drug use on families, especially young children, and on how we respond through our respective drug and alcohol strategies.
All members welcomed the opportunity to hear from their colleagues on the shared and specific challenges that they face. The discussion was valuable and timely in relation to the development of the Scottish Government's new drugs policy. Indeed, it emerged during the discussion that all the Administrations are going through similar processes.
The discussion broadened to embrace the impacts of alcohol misuse, which is a significant, shared challenge for all our societies. That led to a constructive discussion that will certainly help to shape the council's future work. Significantly, it was agreed by all who were present that, great though the social damage that is caused by the scourge of illegal drugs undoubtedly is, the consequences of alcohol misuse are substantially greater.
There was a brief discussion on the work programme for future meetings of the council—a subject that will be discussed in detail at the next summit. I was pleased to confirm to members that the Scottish Government will host the next British-Irish Council summit in Edinburgh in September.
The Scottish Government aims to be a positive and proactive partner in the council. As part of that approach, we propose to include energy as a new work stream for the council. It is a matter of huge importance to all members. Last week, I highlighted to colleagues the importance of energy issues and emphasised that the focus of the work should be connectivity and transmission, which is a strategic issue for all council members.
The generation of renewable energy presents an enormous opportunity, but there is not yet a strategy for connectivity and transmission. Scotland has a huge amount to offer on that. Co-operation through the British-Irish Council may lead to progress on related issues, such as carbon capture and storage and climate change. By leading a new work stream on energy—on which I will present a paper at the Scottish summit—council members can give the issue the profile that it deserves.
As colleagues in the Parliament are aware, the British-Irish Council is an important forum and the Scottish Government seeks to maximise its potential. We can further enhance the strength and success of the council by developing closer bilateral relationships with each of the member Governments. While in Dublin, I had a useful meeting with the Taoiseach, during which we discussed our respective plans in a number of areas, including energy. We look to Ireland with respect and admiration for what it has achieved as a small independent country. Our relationship with its Government is of major significance. The Taoiseach and I discussed ways in which we can strengthen that working relationship. We have paved the way for future talks and bilateral visits later this year.
In addition, I held a meeting with the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Wales. That was our first formal trilateral meeting since the three new Administrations were established and it is significant for several reasons. First, we held discussions on the current arrangements for devolution in the United Kingdom and reached a clear collective view on the importance of the joint ministerial committee and other formal mechanisms and the reinstatement of mechanisms that have fallen into abeyance. Secondly, we identified important opportunities for bilateral co-operation in specific policy areas. One early opportunity that we have proposed is for other member Governments to come to Scotland to hear about the work of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission, which has excited great interest, particularly in Wales. Thirdly, following our valuable bilateral and trilateral discussions, we have set in train plans for similar meetings later this year.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the successful visit yesterday by our friends from across the sea, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and junior ministers. In particular, we made significant progress on the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service through the signing of a joint declaration and the publication of a joint paper setting out the way forward.
I am pleased to inform the Parliament about the positive and constructive set of meetings at last week's British-Irish Council summit and about the strengthening of the ties between the Scottish Government and other council members. The communiqué from the summit, which is the official record of the meeting, is now lodged in the Scottish Parliament information centre. The current arrangements bring together two sovereign states, three devolved nations and three Crown dependencies. That could be a model for future co-operation throughout the islands, although of course I anticipate that a situation in which we have three sovereign states is a likely development soon. We look forward to growing co-operation and to making progress together in the coming months and years. The Scottish Government will ensure that the next summit in Edinburgh later this year is a success and that it lays strong foundations for the future of the British-Irish Council.
I commend the First Minister for the brevity of his statement; I also commend it as an example to the members who follow.
I thought, Presiding Officer, that you might be hoping that some of the rest of us would fill in the time, to make up for what was perhaps not the fullest statement that members have ever heard.
The 10th summit of the British-Irish Council is an appropriate occasion on which to recall the circumstances of its birth. I hope that the First Minister will join me in acknowledging the vision of the British and Irish politicians who brought the council into being a decade ago. The development was not without risk—perhaps a bit like devolution—but the council has contributed significantly to supporting peace and prosperity, particularly in Northern Ireland, and to policy co-ordination throughout these isles. I welcome the fact that the next British-Irish Council summit will be held in Edinburgh in September.
We welcome the inclusion of energy in the council's possible future work programme. However, given that we have a minority Government that is dependent on the support of Parliament, will the First Minister offer a commitment that Parliament will have the opportunity to debate the proposed energy paper in advance of his presentation to the summit in Scotland in September?
I note from the official communiqué that other council members have suggested that early years policy should be included in the council's future work programme. Is the Scottish Government willing to support that call? To avoid sending the wrong message to other members of the council on drug misuse or early years policy, will the First Minister consider reviewing his Government's decision to pull the plug on nursery places for Scotland's 900 most vulnerable two-year-olds?
Finally, the official communiqué does not directly mention the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service. However, the First Minister stated that a joint declaration was signed yesterday and that a joint paper has been published. In light of those developments, will he enlighten us as to when he envisages the restoration of that service?
The ferry service was discussed at the bilateral meeting with our Northern Ireland visitors yesterday as opposed to at the British-Irish Council summit. However, the issue was raised last year at the British-Irish Council summit in Belfast. We expect to have the consultant's report, which tenders are out for now, in September. There is a real wish and enthusiasm on the part of both Administrations to move forward that important initiative.
I thank Wendy Alexander for some of her comments, but I should say that the Welsh, in proposing debating early years strategy, referred to the fact that such a strategy is a great part of the Scottish National Party Government's education drive in Scotland. Would that she were as complimentary and understanding as her Welsh colleagues are of all the good things that we are doing. Her Welsh colleagues are also deeply enthusiastic about the Scottish Broadcasting Commission. That is another policy that I commend to Wendy Alexander.
Of course I accept that we are a minority Government. We have proposed to the council a work stream on energy, and I would be delighted to set out our various ideas on that and on the importance of connectivity and transmission in particular.
One of the most interesting features of the British-Irish Council at the moment is the range of political views and the types of Government that are represented round its table. Indeed, as a result of Rhodri Morgan's unfortunate illness at the previous British-Irish Council summit, the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland were the only Labour Party politicians who represented around the table the Governments and Administrations that participate in the council. The varied nature of the Administrations that are represented in the British-Irish Council makes for constructive dialogue and interesting discussions.
We should welcome the farsightedness of those who have brought such bodies into being. I certainly agree with Wendy Alexander that discussions on constitutions in the future are not for the McChattering classes. Such discussions are vital in understanding what future constitutional development will be. Councils and commissions are much more important than working parties, review groups and sub-committees of bodies, and the Parliament needs to engage in constructive work in determining such things.
I hope that Wendy Alexander acknowledges that the SNP's drive for early years provision has included a substantial increase in provision for nursery education. When the British-Irish Council debated drug misuse, we considered at considerable length the consequences of such misuse to vulnerable children across the islands and in our respective areas. In a mood of cross-party reciprocation, I acknowledge the substantial increase of £800,000 in Labour-led Stirling Council's budget for vulnerable children, which was discussed at its meeting this morning. That council went on to cut its council tax rate by more than 1 per cent. We thought that a council tax freeze was enough. Although we welcome the council's imagination in such matters, which is a tribute to the generosity of the Scottish local government settlement, what it has done rather leaves Wendy Alexander's comments about a cash crisis in local councils in tartan tatters.
I apologise to the Presiding Officer and the First Minister for arriving late in the chamber for the latter's statement, for which I thank him. I, too, am glad that the summit in Dublin was so constructive.
In the discussions on drug abuse, was thought given to co-ordinating the work of the respective law enforcement agencies of the jurisdictions that are represented on the British-Irish Council? If it was, will the First Minister confirm that the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency will be a primary body in that co-ordination? In addition, is it proposed to devote part of the positive forum of the British-Irish Council, when it meets in Scotland in September, to a continued discussion on drug abuse, given that the new drugs strategy for Scotland will have been published by then?
That was not a feature of the discussion, but the summit meetings are only the most formal part of the proceedings and many ministerial meetings take place as a consequence of those meetings. I will therefore ensure that there is a discussion between the respective ministers for justice about policing and enforcement, and about co-operation between the various Administrations on the issue of drug enforcement.
Two things were of interest to me in the discussions on drug misuse, and I am sure that Annabel Goldie will be interested in them, too. First, the discussions centred substantially on the impact of drug misuse on children and on children who are at risk. There was agreement that the misuse and abuse of drugs is an enormous scourge in society. The Welsh have just published a reconsideration of their drug strategy; the Westminster Government is about to publish a strategy; and the other Administrations indicated how their thinking is developing. It struck me that consensus is emerging across Governments, as I hope it is in this chamber, on refocusing the work. Fergus Ewing has been taking that forward with the spokesman of each party.
Secondly, Liam Byrne, the United Kingdom minister, pointed out that the latest statistics that have been collated—I pay tribute to him for identifying them—show that 200,000 children are at risk in their families because of the misuse and abuse of illegal drugs. He also pointed to a figure of more than 1 million children who are at risk because of alcohol misuse. We must never underrate the drive against the scourge of drugs—Annabel Goldie would not allow us to do so—but that figure, which was reinforced by comments from several of the Administrations, highlighted the fact that alcohol misuse is a huge problem throughout our islands. All parties must put the same effort into tackling that issue as we put into tackling illegal drugs.
I welcome the First Minister's statement. The renewed involvement of the Northern Ireland Assembly Government is clearly significant, and I was pleased to join the First Minister and other ministers on Tuesday in welcoming the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland to Edinburgh castle. Their presence together in Scotland on behalf of their shared Government was a truly remarkable and very positive sight. It reminds us that the British-Irish Council was one of those bodies that were established for dialogue and to secure peace in Northern Ireland, and it is part of that truly historic agreement.
I would be grateful if the First Minister could give an update on the work that is being led from Scotland on immigration issues across the nations and others that are represented on the council.
In supporting the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service, what budget has the First Minister's Government allocated?
The First Minister implied that there was agreement that drugs policy was still very important but perhaps less significant than tackling alcohol misuse. I have read the communiqué and I cannot find that sentiment expressed directly in it. Can the First Minister explain that apparent omission from the communiqué? Are any discussions under way about changes to the criminal classification of drugs or changes to enforcement policies?
Finally, I am very pleased that the energy and renewable energy opportunities in these islands continue to be taken seriously. How will the First Minister seek to balance that work with the strong opportunity that also exists for joint transmission and grid work with Norway and other North Sea countries? An opportunity to link from Ireland to Scotland and the Scandinavian nations might also interest Ireland. Does the First Minister expect to bring his paper on energy to the Parliament in any form before he presents it to the next British-Irish Council meeting?
I will answer the last point first. I indicated to Wendy Alexander that I would be happy to bring the scoping paper for a strand of discussion to Parliament to be discussed, because it contains issues on which I would like to secure maximum cross-party support. I know that Nicol Stephen understands that—regardless of how great Scotland's potential is in renewable energy and regardless of how much we strive to knock down some of the obstacles, for example on access to the grid—unless we have a transmission system that is capable of taking the amount of power that we are capable, in electricity, of producing, our potential will remain just that, rather than actuality. I will be delighted to bring forward that strand.
In Dublin, I also had a meeting with Airtricity. As Nicol Stephen knows, that company has pioneered the concept of the so-called supergrid and has just been taken over by Scottish and Southern Energy, which is obviously one of Scotland's great companies. Many of the ideas and much of the imagination that Airtricity has put into that concept will now have an even more distinct Scottish connection than Airtricity's own investments in Scotland.
I was delighted that the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland came to Edinburgh castle the other night. Sometimes we underrate points of historical significance when we are living through history, but I suspect that if anyone had said a few short years ago that we would have a convivial social gathering with the First Minister and the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland—Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness—it would have taken some believing. The fact that that has come to fruition is a tribute to everyone who has played such a strong part in the peace process—successive Prime Ministers, for example—but in particular it is a tribute to the politicians of Northern Ireland, who have put behind them so much of the past to enable them to co-operate for a better future. Ours may be a small role in many ways, but nonetheless, because of our connections, history, interrelationships and family relationships with Northern Ireland, we are duty bound to do everything that we possibly can to assist even further in that process.
I regard the ferry service as important in itself. It is important for the Mull of Kintyre and for tourism in Scotland, and it offers a number of other transport opportunities, but I regard it as important to indicate the tangible progress of joint projects with the new Executive in Northern Ireland. There is, as yet, no budget for the ferry service, because we are at the stage of tendering for the feasibility study, but there is the strongest possible determination to make a success of it. We are dependent on the service being feasible, arguable and financially stable—it would not be any use to us if it was not. There is an absolute political will to see the project delivered if it possibly can be.
The discussions that we had on transport were broadened to include our existing direct ferry services with Northern Ireland. New facilities are going in at Belfast and I hope that before long new facilities will emerge in south-west Scotland. I know that that enthusiasm for co-operation will be shared by all parties in the Parliament.
On the discussion broadening out to cover issues of alcohol misuse, it is the way of such things—Nicol Stephen has participated in them, so he knows this—that communiqués are sometimes drawn up before the discussion takes place. I do not in any sense downgrade or minimise the issue of the abuse of illegal drugs, the scourge that it is on society and the problems that it causes, but the recognition by all Administrations—they all brought forward their own figures—of the impact of alcohol misuse was a telling aspect of the discussion that took place at the council.
We have six minutes left. I am unlikely to fit in all back-bench members who want to ask questions, so brevity all round would be greatly appreciated.
As the First Minister said, one of the results of yesterday's visit by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland was the announcement of the feasibility study on reinstating the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry. As a student of Scottish history, I am sure that the First Minister knows all too well that sea travel along that route led to the emergence of Dalriada, one of the precursor kingdoms of Scotland, more than 1,000 years ago. In those days our transport links with Ireland helped Scotland to be founded, and the links have continued right the way through. The First Minister has answered questions on the timetable and budget; will he say something else about the benefits of that link should it be re-established?
I do not think that I should come out in favour of reinstituting Dalriada; Berwick wanting to come back to Scotland seems to be causing enough controversy. Keith Brown's point is well made, nonetheless. The links between Scotland and Northern Ireland are hugely important for the reasons I have given. Let us remember that the direct link from the south-west of Scotland to Northern Ireland is a euroroute—it is designated as one of the main strategic transport routes of the continent of Europe. We all want to see increased investment so that the facilities match the designation.
I welcome the First Minister's comments about tackling drug misuse and I am sure that he agrees that the best way to do that is to prevent drugs from getting into the community in the first place. I hope that the First Minister will reflect on the success of the drug dealers don't care campaign, which led to significant arrests and convictions. Will the First Minister repeat that initiative and will he invite members of the council to join him in running similar campaigns simultaneously in their Administrations so that we have a concerted effort to tackle the drug dealers who cause mayhem and misery in our communities?
That particular issue did not come up in the discussions, but I am prepared to look carefully at Hugh Henry's suggestion with Fergus Ewing and to come back to him with action. The other Administrations might well be extremely interested to hear about the benefits and results of the project that the member mentioned.
I welcome the First Minister's statement. He stated that energy would be a new work stream for the council when its summit takes place in Edinburgh later in the year. What other issues will be discussed at the Edinburgh summit?
I am glad that Michael Matheson asked me that question, because it reminded me that I did not answer Nicol Stephen's point on demography. The demography work stream will be discussed at the council meeting in Edinburgh later this year. It is also being discussed at a ministerial meeting next month in preparation for that summit.
Demography is interesting in respect of, for example, drugs or alcohol misuse. It affects the constituent parts of the British-Irish Council in radically different ways. Therefore, it is understandable that the paper that is taken to the September meeting must reflect that different experience. That work stream will be presented at the September meeting as well.
As regards energy, connectivity, the ability to access Scotland's energy resources, the energy resources of Ireland and Northern Ireland and the marine resources around these islands in particular, are very important issues.
Is the First Minister aware of a European and External Relations Committee report from the previous parliamentary session on a programme of Scotland-Ireland co-operation that included a recommendation, which was accepted by the previous Scottish Executive, on cross-border co-operation to attract increased European funding? Is he further aware that the committee recommended that opportunities existed to extend areas eligible for cross-border support to North and East Ayrshire and the Western Isles on the ground of adjacency to designated areas? Did the First Minister raise that matter in discussions and will he give a commitment today to promote the case for inclusion of North and East Ayrshire and the Western Isles in any future discussions, both at the council meeting and with the European Commission?
Yes, I am aware of that. With reference to one of the specific projects mentioned, the matter is very much in our minds at present. I hope that when we make the relevant applications for European funding—for example, in the case of electricity transmission to the Interreg programme—we will receive support from all parties in the chamber.
The First Minister stated:
"we identified important opportunities for bilateral co-operation in specific policy areas."
One example was the Scottish Broadcasting Commission. What are the other important areas for bilateral co-operation?
We heard about one—the Welsh initiative on early intervention in early years. The Welsh are extremely impressed by the emphasis that we in Scotland have placed on that and plan to introduce their own policy programme on it. They were anxious to put that forward as a work stream in the council, and that was supported enthusiastically by the Scottish members who were present.
The First Minister might be aware that the Scottish Parliament is leading discussions on reforming the British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body, which is the parliamentary wing of the British-Irish Council. One issue has been the lack of willingness, to date, of the British-Irish Council to allow effective scrutiny of its work by the BIIPB. At the council's next meeting in Edinburgh, will the First Minister institute a discussion to establish whether greater co-operation between the two bodies could result in proper scrutiny of the council's work by the BIIPB or whatever it comes to be called?
For a number of years, I was an alternate delegate to the parliamentary association, so I have attended a number of its meetings and know something about it. I am sympathetic to the point that Iain Smith makes, but he will be aware that one reason why such scrutiny has not taken place in the past has been to do with sensitivities surrounding the peace process in Ireland and, in particular, the position that some parties took towards the bodies in question at a particular point in time. Although I will be happy to put forward his suggestion, I will so do in a way that does not compromise or embarrass any of the parties that are participating so well in the existing bodies. I hope that he will accept my assurance that I am sympathetic to his idea but will take on board the caveat that there is a substantial reason why the scrutiny and co-operation that he seeks has not taken place in the past.
I apologise to the three members who pressed their buttons but whom I could not call.