NHS Fife (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Fife and what issues were discussed. (S4O-03931)
Ministers and Government officials regularly meet representatives of NHS Fife to discuss matters of importance to local people.
The cabinet secretary is well aware of the pressures that are facing NHS Fife, including bed blocking and breaches of waiting time guarantees. In 2013, the then health secretary said that he wanted to accelerate the pace of change towards seven-day services.
Labour has this week called for £100 million from budget consequentials to create a front-line fund to take forward that ambition, ease the pressure on front-line staff and provide better patient care. Will the cabinet secretary support it?
I say to Claire Baker that we are already taking significant action. The £100 million for tackling delayed discharge—which I think is a better phrase than bed blocking—over three years will make a huge difference to the partnerships going forward from 1 April. Of course, Fife will get its share of that resource. That is in addition to NHS Fife’s uplift through the NHS Scotland resource allocation committee allocation, which I am sure that the member will want to welcome. Fife’s total budget uplift next year will be £19.5 million.
On seven-day services, I am not sure whether the member is aware that a task force that we established has been looking at seven-day services over the past year. I would suggest that it is better to wait for the recommendations and the information that come out of that expert group. These are people who know what they are talking about and who will inform us on how we develop seven-day services. I suggest that we should wait and see what they have to say.
The cabinet secretary may be aware that, in the year to December 2014, NHS Fife has made use of the integrated community assessment and support service in respect of nearly 2,000 people. Will she confirm whether she has encouraged further use of that scheme in Fife and elsewhere?
Yes. I think that it is a good model and it provides an opportunity for the integrated partnerships going forward to look at some of the things that have already been successful, whether in Fife or elsewhere.
We should recognise that integration from 1 April provides the biggest reform that we have seen in our public services for a generation. However, it will only be as good as the plans that those partnerships bring forward. I would hope that the type of service that Roderick Campbell has described would feature not only in Fife’s integrated partnership plan, but elsewhere in Scotland as well.
Energy Jobs Task Force
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in setting up the energy jobs task force. (S4O-03932)
The First Minister announced the establishment of the energy jobs task force on Wednesday 14 January in Aberdeen, where she was meeting key stakeholders in the oil and gas industry. The task force will be chaired by Lena Wilson, who is the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise, and the first meeting will take place later this month.
I am grateful for that reply.
In the third quarter of 2014, refined petroleum chemicals and pharmaceuticals fell by 2 per cent. Since then the price of oil has fallen significantly. Although I appreciate the efforts that have been described this morning, is the Government considering any other actions to help people in that vital industry?
The Government is taking a number of steps, which have been shared with Parliament on a number of occasions, to support developments in the oil and gas sector. Fergus Ewing is in Aberdeen today meeting companies, as he has done persistently during his term in office as energy minister, and he will continue that direct dialogue with individual companies. The Government has set out a range of interventions that have been taken to support innovation. Indeed, I was discussing the oil and gas innovation centre, which has been funded by the Scottish funding council at the Government’s request, just the other evening at an event in Parliament. We are supporting the internationalisation of business activities into the bargain.
Crucially, of course, the issue that the industry requires to see addressed is the fiscal regime in the North Sea sector. That is an issue upon which the Scottish Government has made representations to the United Kingdom Government.
As the cabinet secretary rightly outlined, the fiscal regime is critical in supporting the industry and ensuring that jobs can be protected. For example, exploration activity can be augmented by tax credits, on which I know that the Government has made a strong submission. At today’s meeting of the Devolution (Further Powers) Committee, the Institute of Directors backed the idea that action should be taken here and now, rather than waiting until the budget.
Has the cabinet secretary received any communication from the Treasury since the Scottish Government made its submission in relation to support for the oil and gas sector?
I very much welcome the contribution that the Institute of Directors has made to the debate, which I thought was a particularly thoughtful and focused intervention on the issue about which the oil and gas sector is most concerned—securing an improvement in the fiscal regime.
The Scottish Government will continue to raise with the United Kingdom Government the issues of exploration tax credits, the level of the supplementary charge, which we believe is too high, and the encouragement of an investment allowance, and we will, of course, advise Parliament of any response that we get from the UK Government. I stress the point that the First Minister made in her comments—we need action in this area before the budget in March.
Road Haulage (Training and Skills)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote training and skills development in the road haulage industry. (S4O-03933)
Skills Development Scotland offers a range of services for individuals and employers. SDS can offer employers a contribution to the cost of training through the freight logistics modern apprenticeship framework.
In addition, Transport Scotland works in partnership with freight industry stakeholders on how best to meet the industry’s needs over a range of issues. It has facilitated discussion between the freight trade associations and Skills Development Scotland on training and skills development.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, but is she aware that there is currently a shortage of drivers for heavy goods vehicles? There are companies that want to recruit young people but which do not have the funds and support to train them, and there are young people who would relish the opportunity to work in the sector. Therefore, what more can the Scottish Government do to ensure that its modern apprenticeship scheme is properly aligned with the needs of the logistics sector, and that schools and careers guidance are fully engaged in making young people aware of the opportunities that exist? Will she meet me and other interested MSPs to discuss a skills academy to bring together education and training providers and the industry to address the needs of the sector?
I am aware that the industry is reporting a shortage of HGV drivers, which may be compounded by the fact that it has an ageing workforce. However, I am pleased to hear that there are companies in Scotland that want to recruit and train young people.
There is, of course, a minimum age for HGV drivers, but we are keen to do what we can to increase the modern apprenticeship opportunities for young people in this important sector. It is worth remembering that SDS can make contributions to the cost of training. I know that Transport Scotland officials have already met the Road Haulage Association to discuss the issue, and I would be happy to meet the member—and, indeed, any other members who are interested in the issue—to discuss how we can ensure that young people are aware of and can access the opportunities that the industry presents.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, but it appeared from a meeting that we had in this building just the other evening that the heavy goods transport industry is in a critical situation regarding recruitment. How will the Scottish Government ensure that SDS engages with the road haulage industry as a matter of urgency in order to encourage easier entry of new skilled drivers into the industry?
In my earlier answer, I indicated that Transport Scotland officials are already engaged in that conversation. They will continue to discuss any issues of concern with the freight trade associations. In doing so, they will work in partnership with officials from my portfolio and from Skills Development Scotland to help to meet current and future skills needs. I know that a meeting between the RHA and SDS to explore the issue further is to take place in February.
Patient Care (NHS Grampian)
To ask the Scottish Government how the additional £15.2 million announced for NHS Grampian in 2015-16 will benefit patient care. (S4O-03934)
NHS Grampian has welcomed the additional £15.2 million from the Scottish Government. It is currently working up plans on how best to use the extra funding for the benefit of its patients.
Following the news this week of a highly successful scheme pioneered by the Henry Ford medical group in Detroit, where the suicide rate among patients has fallen by 75 per cent in four years, are there any plans to implement strategies that would specifically target suicide rates in Grampian?
I am more than happy to look into that research in more detail. We should always look at emerging findings from elsewhere. In the meantime, NHS Grampian works in partnership with Moray Council, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Police Scotland and third sector partners on suicide prevention strategies and plans. Well-established initiatives are in place across Grampian in a range of community settings. Those follow the choose life strategy, which has been very successful; indeed, other countries have looked at adopting it. The essence of it is that the partners work collaboratively to reduce suicidal behaviour by reviewing data and understanding trends, providing support to those who are affected and working with local community planning partnerships to raise awareness of suicidal behaviour through awareness training.
In relation to the wider question and to Stewart Stevenson’s supplementary, does the cabinet secretary recognise the importance of the mental health services that are delivered at Cornhill hospital in Aberdeen? In her conversations with NHS Grampian on the use of the additional funds, will she address the clear pressures that Cornhill faces in delivering services?
At the annual review, the issue of mental health services of course came up and was well discussed. I expect NHS Grampian to consider across all its services how it can make the improvements that it needs to make and meet the targets and standards that we expect it to meet. That job has been made a lot easier by the acceleration of the NRAC—NHS Scotland resource allocation committee—funding, which will result in an uplift of more than £49 million to NHS Grampian next year. I hope that the member welcomes that.
Community Justice Centre (Dundee)
To ask the Scottish Government when a community justice centre as recommended by the commission on women offenders will open in Dundee, given that Dundee has the highest percentage of female problem drug use in Scotland. (S4O-03935)
Following the publication of the report of the commission on women offenders in 2012, Scottish Government officials worked with community justice leaders in Dundee to help them to develop a local service for women who offend, as we have done right across the country. The team in Dundee decided not to establish a justice centre for women. Instead, it decided that developing the dedicated women offenders team, which had already been praised by the commission as an example of good practice, was the right thing to do to deliver the best service for women in Dundee. We supported that decision, and we have provided more than £237,000 in grant funding since 2013 to expand the women offenders team in the city. The team provides a broad range of services for women who are involved in the criminal justice system, in line with the commission’s recommendations.
Will the cabinet secretary consider Labour’s call to reconsider the proposal for a super prison in Inverclyde, given that the Angiolini commission recommended that services and rehabilitation should be provided much closer to communities?
As I outlined to the Justice Committee on 16 December last year, a proposal has been put to me by the Scottish Prison Service. I am considering that matter, and I will make an announcement in due course.
Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on the introduction of its revised business rates incentivisation scheme. (S4O-03936)
I announced the introduction of the revised agreed business rates incentivisation scheme as part of my parliamentary statement on the 2015-16 local government finance settlement on 11 December.
Under the new BRIS, Aberdeen has been set a far higher target for business rate collection. The figure is about £50 million higher, even though, given the fall in oil prices, income from rates must be expected to decrease locally. How can the scheme be judged to have worked in any way for Aberdeen if it fails to allow more funds that are raised in the city to be invested in the local economy at the very time when that is needed most? Given events in the energy industry, will the cabinet secretary consider revising the target?
The process of arriving at the business rates incentivisation scheme was a joint piece of work between the Scottish Government and local authorities in Scotland. A joint group involving the Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities formulated recommendations, which were accepted by ministers and leaders of local government in Scotland. We will continue to review the scheme as it takes its course. We have set targets for 2014-15 and 2015-16, and the Government will of course continue to review all these matters as we proceed in the period going forward.
We are about to enter financial year 2015-16, but has the business rates incentivisation scheme for 2013-14 been sorted out yet?
I have said to Parliament that, as we were unable to reach agreement on the application of the scheme in 2013-14, it would not apply in that year. However, we have secured agreement for 2014-15 and 2015-16, and I would have thought that that would have been welcomed by Mr Brown.
Homelessness Statistics
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the most recent homelessness statistics. (S4O-03937)
The Scottish Government welcomes the reduction in homelessness shown in the most recent statistics for the second quarter of 2014-15. The 3 per cent reduction in applications follows the trend in recent years of falling numbers. The 36 per cent fall since 2008-09 has been due mainly to the on-going focus on prevention by local authorities and their partners, and the Scottish Government is continuing to support that, as well as taking steps to increase housing supply.
Although the reported fall in the number of homelessness applications is to be very much welcomed, does the minister recognise that the overall homelessness statistics contain worrying trends that require to be addressed? For instance, given that it is the case that the longer families have lived in temporary accommodation, the more likely they are to attribute their worsening health to their accommodation, can the minister tell the chamber what specifically she is doing to address that issue? Moreover, given that homeless children are two to three times more likely to be absent from school and three to four times more likely to have mental health problems, does she share my concern about the impact of the picture of lengthening stays on the almost 5,000 children who are now living longer in temporary accommodation?
I am concerned about any homeless family in Scotland, which is why we are working hard with our partners to increase the supply of housing in Scotland and to reduce the length of time that households spend in temporary accommodation. I should point out that most households in such accommodation are waiting for settled accommodation. I think that the Shelter report said that the average wait was around 18 weeks, and we are taking steps to improve the quality of information that we hold on the length of time that people spend in temporary accommodation to better inform our approach in future. In fact, we have started a consultation with chief housing officers on the matter, and we expect responses by the end of January.
That said, it is worth noting that the vast majority of temporary accommodation for homeless households will be good-quality and well-managed social housing. That is not always the picture that is painted. Households are rarely placed in poor-quality temporary accommodation, and things have been strengthened in the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2014, which covers accommodation for children and pregnant women, to ensure that such accommodation is wind and watertight.
National Health Service (Increased Demand)
To ask the Scottish Government how it is planning to meet any increase in demand for national health service services over the next five years. (S4O-03938)
National health service boards are responsible for planning and delivering services to meet the needs of their local population now and in the future. Our 2020 vision sets out a clear strategic direction on how we expect health and social care services to be delivered in the years ahead, and the Scottish Government is working closely with the NHS to make that happen.
One area where demand for NHS services is expanding dramatically is my home village of Bishopton, an area of urban expansion where 2,500 new houses are being built. Approximately 300 of those houses are now up and occupied while the building work continues.
Bishopton has one small health centre that is creaking at the seams; there is anecdotal evidence that people are going directly to accident and emergency, which is the very thing that we all want to avoid; and, to date, not one sod has been cut to create a new health centre. Indeed, there seems to be no health board plan for one to be built. Will the cabinet secretary investigate, intervene and revert to me with proposals for resolving that intolerable situation?
I am more than happy to write to Annabel Goldie on the specifics and on some of the plans for Bishopton.
On a general note, however, it is very important that we shift the balance of care from the acute to the primary care sector, and we need that to happen more quickly. That requires investment in local services, which is an issue that we will be discussing in this afternoon’s debate on the 2020 vision and as we take forward the plans over the next few months.