SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Question 1 has been withdrawn.
National Health Service<br />(Minor Ailments Scheme)
Good job I was here in plenty of time.
The number of patients registered for the minor ailment service in Scotland was, as at 31 August this year, 541,385.
All 541,385—as the minister stated—recipients of free prescriptions currently qualify for the minor ailments scheme, which means that people on low incomes, the elderly and people who are in poor health are not put off seeking the expert advice of community pharmacists by the cost of over-the-counter medicines. Not only that, but it frees up hard-pressed general practitioners to concentrate on more serious cases.
I assure the member that the Government remains committed to the minor ailments service. It is one of the four core services of the new pharmacy contract. Under the service, patients who are not liable for prescription charges can register with a community pharmacist and then have any common conditions or minor ailments treated by the community pharmacist on the national health service without the need to visit a GP. That not only improves the quality of service for the patient but, as the member rightly said, reduces the burden on GPs.
Dave Thompson.
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to continue funding the four Scottish centres of excellence—
I am sorry, Mr Thompson. You had your button pressed so I assumed that you wanted to ask a supplementary to the first question. I apologise. You do not need to press your button if you are asking the main question.
National Health Service<br />(Argyll and Bute Dental Provision)
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase NHS dental provision in Argyll and Bute. (S3O-1297)
NHS Highland is currently exploring all options to establish a new dental practice in Oban. It is also looking to develop new dental facilities in Campbeltown, and on Rothesay and Islay.
The minister is obviously aware of the efforts to establish the much-needed new national health service dental practice in Oban. I hope that she will assure my constituents that the Government is keeping up the pressure on the matter. In addition, I wonder what advice the minister can offer to one of my constituents who has moved up from Greenock to Lochgilpead. Last week, she tried to sign up with an NHS dentist there and was informed that she could only be put on a waiting list that consists of 500 people, and that she would be better to stay with her existing dentist in Greenock, almost 100 miles away.
I will deal first with the situation in Oban, of which I am fully aware. The situation at present is that there is a salaried dental service in the Lorn and Islands district general hospital. As I am sure Jamie McGrigor is well aware, that service is under severe pressure. The local community health partnership intends to provide a new service in a new and bigger premises. Those premises will be compliant with the 2009 decontamination standards. A number of options have been identified and the CHP has appointed consultants, who are currently working on an outline business case. In the meantime, attempts are being made to recruit an additional salaried dentist to work in the hospital. I am very aware of the level of interest among people in Oban and the surrounding area. I believe that many people attended a recent public meeting.
Question 4 has been withdrawn.
Centres of Excellence (Music)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to continue funding the four Scottish centres of excellence in music. (S3O-1331)
The concordat between the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities proposes that the funding for the centres of excellence be rolled up into the local government settlement from 2008-09.
The minister will be aware that organisations such as Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, the UHI Millennium Institute and Fèisean nan Gàidheal are currently developing a fèis academy. The project will go a long way towards further developing local talent and encouraging more participation in the fèisean movement. Will the minister tell us what progress has been made towards the academy's establishment?
I am aware of the proposal to establish a fèis academy. Early this year, Fèisean nan Gàidheal commenced discussions with the RSAMD, the UHI Millennium Institute and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig to explore jointly the options for establishing and operating a new body. Representatives from those four institutions have formed a working party, which will report its recommendations for the establishment and funding of the new body later this year. As indicated in answers to previous questions, the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture is willing to meet Arthur Cormack and other representatives of the working group and looks forward to receiving their proposals.
As the minister will be aware, Dave Thompson and I had the great pleasure of attending in Strathpeffer two weeks ago the annual showcase of the four music schools. We were so moved by the performance—it was truly outstanding—that, in a rare moment of interparty co-operation, we jointly lodged a motion congratulating the young people involved.
I cannot without discussions with COSLA ensure that that money will be ring fenced—that is not the idea of the concordat—but I cannot possibly imagine that the centres of excellence would be under threat.
I am glad to hear that the level of funding for our centres of excellence in music is being maintained. However, will the minister remind us why funding under the classification "Other Arts" in the provisional culture budget—which, of course, includes festivals, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and Gaelic broadcasting—is to be £7 million next year but will drop to £2.3 million the following year?
As Ted Brocklebank's question falls within the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture's portfolio, I will ensure that he gets an answer from her.
I strongly endorse the point that Peter Peacock made and remind the Minister for Schools and Skills of the excellent youth music initiative, which ensures that all primary school pupils have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. Last year's budget contained a £10 million line for the initiative. Notwithstanding that missing line—one of many that are missing from last week's budget—will the minister tell us how much money will be devoted to the initiative in the forthcoming financial year?
As the new concordat with local government outlines, specific budget lines have, in many cases, been taken away. Those matters will be taken forward in discussions with COSLA.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the board of NHS Ayrshire and Arran. (S3O-1366)
I have monthly meetings with national health service board chairs at which a range of issues are discussed. I also attended the most recent meeting of NHS chief executives yesterday. The chief executive of NHS Ayrshire and Arran was present at that meeting. I also met the chair of NHS Ayrshire and Arran on 5 November and I will meet representatives of the board when I chair its annual review on 10 December.
In that case, I assume that the minister is aware that, at a meeting on 5 October this year, NHS Ayrshire and Arran withdrew funding from the Compass centre in Irvine, which is a Scottish Association for Mental Health project that provides training and support to 70 service users with mental health problems. Will she say how that rests with according national priority status to mental health? Will she take whatever action is necessary to demonstrate the commitment that she made to people who suffer from mental illness to ensure that the Compass centre, which has been supported for the past 16 years, does not now close its doors to that vulnerable group?
I reassure Irene Oldfather and all other members that mental health is a priority for the Government. I hope that we have cross-party support in that. As I am sure she is aware and understands, provision of local community services is a matter for local NHS boards. That said, I am, given the concerns that she has raised with me, perfectly happy to discuss the matter further with NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that the Red Cross provides an excellent support service to patients in Ayrshire and Arran and that the costs of delivering that service to the public would be considerable if it was provided by the health board? North Ayrshire Council is considering withdrawing its support to the Red Cross due to a lack of equivalent funding from Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board. Will she attempt to persuade the health board that to provide modest support would not only save it the cost of providing the services but would ensure continued delivery of excellent Red Cross care to the people of Ayrshire and Arran?
Last week at question time, I indicated the Government's support for the voluntary sector. We discussed the Red Cross in particular. I repeat the comment that I made to Irene Oldfather: decisions on provision of local community services are matters for NHS boards. However, I expect all NHS boards to work constructively with the voluntary sector, which makes a fantastic contribution to the health service and wider public services in Scotland.
The minister will be aware of the particularly poor state of mental health provision in the NHS Ayrshire and Arran area. Does she accept that maintaining the Compass centre in Irvine into the future is vital, and will she undertake to have further discussions with NHS Ayrshire and Arran on the subject prior to the review on 10 December?
I am aware of how important those services are, Irvine being my home town. I also confirm that at least one local councillor will actively campaign on the Compass centre's behalf—I know that because she is my mother.
sportscotland
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make a decision about the future of sportscotland and how it intends to replicate the work done by sportscotland on behalf of many Scottish sporting bodies. (S3O-1314)
It is hoped that we will be able to announce the decision on the future of sportscotland before the end of this year. The underlying principle of the review of sportscotland is to ensure that, whatever structures are put in place, the best interests of sport will be paramount.
As well as providing a single voice to represent sporting interests, sportscotland fulfils a number of functions on behalf of sporting bodies and local authorities, including direct administrative support in payroll and information technology as well as expertise in everything from marketing to long-term facility planning and implementation of the active schools programme. How will the minister ensure that co-ordination and integration across all the functions that sportscotland performs are as cost effective and efficient in the future as they currently are, if the Government redistributes sportscotland's functions across other bodies, including local authorities, and keeps others within the Scottish Government?
We would not make a proposal that was less cost effective than the current arrangements—to do so would make no sense at all. Our clear intention is to ensure that the governing bodies' support in the future is as good as, if not better than, it currently is. We are consulting many governing bodies throughout Scotland—the Scottish Cyclists Union, the Scottish Gymnastics Association, the Scottish Amateur Swimming Association, badmintonscotland, Judo Scotland and Scottish Athletics are a few—as part of the review. All those bodies' views will be fed into the review process and we will ensure that we take proper cognisance of their feelings and views on their sports' requirements; after all, the effects of any decision that we take on sportscotland's future will vary from one governing body to another.
Setting aside the question of the structure that might be put in place to replicate sportscotland's work, I note that Julia Bracewell, the chair of the organisation, expressed serious concern at this week's meeting of the Health and Sport Committee about the impact of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport in London's proposed £13 million cut in sports lottery funding to Scotland at both grass-roots and elite levels. Will the minister ensure that those concerns are brought fully to the department's attention? Moreover, has he taken note of the fact that, to date, the DCMS has not confirmed whether the cut has been capped at £13 million or could be more? Will he make representations to ensure that if the department goes ahead with the cut it will be capped at that amount?
I have made clear my deep concern about the intended loss of £13.1 million of lottery funding to Scottish sport over the next three or four years. I find it unacceptable that the DCMS is intending to take away that money, particularly in the light of the decision that was made on 9 November to award Glasgow the 2014 Commonwealth games. Scotland requires all its current sport funding—and more.
The minister will be aware that, on 1 November, the First Minister confirmed that
We take this matter very seriously, which is why a full consultation is under way.
There is no full consultation.
Order.
For the member's benefit, we are consulting sportscotland, the Scottish Institute of Sport, Scottish Cycling, Scottish Gymnastics, Scottish Swimming, badmintonscotland, Judo Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the voice of chief officers of cultural, community and leisure services in Scotland, Scottish Athletics, the Scottish Sports Association, the Scottish Institute of Sport Foundation, the Scottish Golf Union, the Scottish Rugby Union, the Scottish Football Association, Scottish Universities Sport, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Scottish Parliament's Health and Sport Committee. [Interruption.]
Order.
Given the number of bodies I have just listed that are involved in the process, there is quite clearly a full consultation under way.
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. The minister said that there was a full consultation process under way on sportscotland's future. If so, will he, as a courtesy to Parliament, place in the Scottish Parliament information centre the paper on which he is consulting to allow members to contribute to it?
As the member is aware, that is not a point of order for me to rule on. I am afraid that we now do not have time for question 8.
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