Veterans (Accommodation)
To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it provides to veterans seeking accommodation. (S4O-05706)
A wide range of help and support is available to veterans who are seeking accommodation. Through its affordable housing supply programme, the Scottish Government provides grant funding to veterans organisations to build homes to support ex-service personnel. Priority access is provided to veterans who are looking to buy a home with assistance from the Scottish Government’s low-cost initiative for first-time buyers schemes.
We have produced a tailored housing guide for veterans and for support organisations that provide advice and support to veterans to help them to understand their housing options. In addition, the Scottish housing options guidance, which was published on 2 March, advises that local authority housing options services should ensure that appropriate plans, liaison and referral arrangements are in place to address the particular needs of people leaving the armed forces.
The latest information from the Ministry of Defence has revealed that 30 per cent of Scotland’s service family accommodation is lying empty, and the Army is evicting veterans only three months after they have left the service. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it is a disgrace that there are more than 1,000 empty service homes in Scotland, including those in my constituency of Edinburgh Pentlands?
I agree with the member that it is in no one’s interest for such large numbers of homes to be sitting vacant. While the Scottish Government recognises that that accommodation is aimed at meeting the needs of serving personnel and their families, we strongly urge the MOD to have the best possible use and maintenance of its service family accommodation.
I spoke to the Secretary of State for Defence about the issue very recently, and as recently as yesterday I spoke to Andrew Dunlop, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland. I encourage the MOD to look at what steps can be taken to reduce the number of such vacant properties throughout Scotland, including steps that involve those who have recently left the armed forces.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that some veterans—too many—end up in the criminal justice system, perhaps because of homelessness, post-traumatic stress disorder or other issues. What is the Scottish Government, together with the United Kingdom Government and the MOD, doing to help veterans who are finding civilian life very difficult, which may end up with them coming before the courts?
One example of that help is the community justice service support for ex-service personnel in North Lanarkshire. The criminal justice social work service’s veterans mentoring project there responds to a growing need locally. The project provides a package of support to veterans who have difficulties in readjusting to civilian life and who can become involved in offending, which is often significantly linked to alcohol and drug misuse. As well as those on community payback orders, the group works with veterans who have been referred through social work and mental health services. That is just one example of the assistance that we provide to such veterans.
Children
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that children get the best start in life. (S4O-05707)
Ensuring that all children get the best possible start in life is a key priority for the Government. That is why we established the early years change fund in 2012, with local government and the health service, to invest £274 million to deliver transformational change in early years services. That has included establishing the early years collaborative, which is encouraging agencies to work together and intervene early and is building on Scotland’s first-ever early years framework.
We have also invested about £500 million to expand free early learning and childcare to 475 hours for all three and four-year-olds and disadvantaged two-year-olds. We are recruiting 500 additional health visitors by 2018 to support parents in their children’s earliest years.
I am sure that parents and children throughout Scotland very much welcome the more than £0.5 billion of investment that the minister refers to. We are all aware of the impact that poverty can have in early years, but what more can we do in the next Parliament, which we are about to elect?
We fundamentally disagree with the changes that the United Kingdom Government currently proposes and we will continue to develop a Scottish approach to tackle and mitigate the impact of poverty. We are investing £14 million in 2016-17 through our new third sector fund to tackle inequality and help thousands of children, families and communities. We have fully funded free school meals for all primary 1 to P3 pupils, which will deliver a saving for families of at least £380 per child per year and benefit 130,000 children throughout Scotland.
As the First Minister recently announced, we will also extend universal free school meals to all two, three and four-year-olds in early learning and childcare when we expand provision to 30 hours a week. Moreover, if re-elected in May, we will replace the sure start maternity grant with a new and extended maternity and early years allowance, which will increase the amount for the first child, reinstate payments for subsequent children and make payments to low-income families when their children start nursery and school. I could list more that will contribute to a package of measures to give children the very best possible start in life.
The Scottish Government has argued firmly that the named person policy is part of the programme to give children the best start in life. Will the minister confirm whether that scheme is mandatory?
As Liz Smith clearly knows well, the named person scheme is an entitlement for all families across the country. It is designed to help families who have told us that they are fed up being passed from pillar to post. It is about co-ordinating services and putting children at the heart of service design and delivery. Liz Smith would do well to look again at her notes on when we passed this unanimously through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.
Superfast Broadband
To ask the Scottish Government what progress digital Scotland has made in providing 95 per cent superfast broadband coverage to communities by 2017. (S4O-05708)
The digital Scotland superfast broadband programme has delivered fibre broadband to more than 530,000 homes and businesses in Scotland and has met the initial coverage target of 85 per cent six months early. The programme remains on track to meet the 95 per cent target by the end of 2017.
If the Scottish Government is re-elected in May, what action will be taken to deliver superfast broadband to 100 per cent of Scotland’s communities, including those in urban areas such as my constituency of Glasgow Cathcart?
The Scottish Government has given the commitment that, if we are returned to office in May, we will deliver 100 per cent superfast broadband coverage in the course of the next parliamentary session. Digital connectivity is essential to the ability of individuals and businesses to participate in our 21st century society. We have made significant progress, with the 85 per cent target being reached six months early, and we will work during the next session to ensure that every citizen in Scotland has access to the level of connectivity that is appropriate for 21st century Scotland.
How soon will the cabinet secretary be able to deal with the continuing problem of exchange-only lines upgrades?
The problem of exchange-only lines is being addressed as part of the roll-out of the superfast broadband programme. In countless communities around the country, the challenge of exchange-only lines has been addressed and the services have been delivered. They require a more complex solution that involves more complex engineering and is more resource intensive. That solution has been delivered across countless communities and is part of the Government’s on-going commitment to delivering the programme.
I welcome the decision to ensure that there is 100 per cent superfast broadband coverage by 2021. As the cabinet secretary will know, 97 per cent of Arran will have superfast broadband by the end of this summer. When will it be installed in Machrie, which makes up the remaining 3 per cent? Surely it makes sense for BT to cover the entire island in one go.
I am not surprised to hear that superfast broadband coverage in Arran will be at 97 per cent by the summer, given the tenacious efforts of the member of Parliament for Cunninghame North in pursuing the issue on his constituents’ behalf. I cannot give him a specific timetable for the community of Machrie, but I assure him that the challenges that must be overcome to deliver the service will be overcome as part of the roll-out of the Government’s programme.
Scottish Pork
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the percentage of pork in Scottish supermarkets that is reared in Scotland. (S4O-05709)
Annual pigmeat production in Scotland totalled about 24,000 tonnes in 2015, and it has been estimated that Scottish consumers buy about 10,000 tonnes of fresh pork, most of which is believed to come from Scotland-reared pigs. Each supermarket has its own sourcing and labelling policies, with most Scottish supermarkets offering and identifying specially selected Scotch pork, which is vigorously promoted by Quality Meat Scotland. Other fresh pork products that are sourced from Scotland may be available under own-label, organic or outdoor-reared packaging. I have asked Quality Meat Scotland to investigate the extent to which domestically sourced pork is available in Scottish supermarkets.
What else can the Government do to ensure that customers are not misled on supermarket labelling? Can we praise Aldi and Lidl for having 100 per cent Scotland-reared pork in their supermarkets? The other supermarkets should take that as good practice.
I praise Aldi and Lidl for sourcing 100 per cent Scottish fresh pork and urge other retailers to follow in their footsteps. We are in constant discussions with the food service sector and retailers about sourcing Scottish produce, be that pork or other produce. We also support clear labelling to highlight the provenance of products that are on sale. I continually remind retailers and other major purchasers of food products to ensure that they label in such a way and that they source locally where that is possible.
What financial support has been given to the expansion of pork abattoir capacity in Scotland over the past five years? What percentage of Scotland-farmed pigs were exported last year to England for killing and were subsequently branded as British pork as opposed to Scottish pork, and what was the consequent loss in the QMS levy to Scotland?
In the past five years, the food processing grants scheme has supported seven abattoir projects totalling £3.28 million. The records from 2014 show that just over 500,000 pigs moved south from Scotland to abattoirs and other premises in England, while 29,000 pigs came in the other direction, which equated to a net loss of just under £500,000 in the levy paid. We have been putting maximum pressure on the United Kingdom Government to change the form that is used for allocating the red meat levy so that we can keep Scottish levy in Scotland to promote Scottish produce and not lose it over the border.
E-Commerce Sales
To ask the Scottish Government what the estimated value of e-commerce sales was in 2014 and 2015. (S4O-05710)
Scottish Enterprise uses data published by the Office for National Statistics to estimate the value of e-commerce sales in Scotland. The latest data, which were published by ONS in November last year, mean that we can estimate the value of e-commerce sales in Scotland in 2014 at £49 billion. That is made up of £18 billion over websites and £31 billion through electronic data interchange sales. That represents an increase of £9 billion from £40 billion in 2012. Those data are published every two years, and the next figures will be available in 2016.
Does the Scottish Government welcome the e-commerce excellence initiative that is led by the chambers of commerce? Can the Scottish Government do anything specific to engage with that initiative?
That goes back to the question about digital connectivity that I answered a moment ago. We acknowledge the importance of the availability of digital connectivity, which allows many companies in Scotland—particularly small and medium-sized enterprises—to access new markets. We very much welcome that initiative from the chambers of commerce and look forward to working with them, through the established structures of company development support, to ensure that SMEs take up the opportunity. We will work closely with the chambers of commerce to ensure that that happens.
I recognise that the issue of e-commerce is one that Mr Brown has pursued with vigour during his time as a member of Parliament, and I wish him well in the future.
Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry (Engagement with Survivors)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to engage with survivors on contested issues relating to the Scottish child abuse inquiry. (S4O-05711)
On Monday, following a meeting earlier this year, I met survivors to discuss a range of issues and, in particular, to consider a more structured approach for survivors’ engagement with ministers throughout the lifetime of the inquiry. If it is re-elected, this Government will immediately put that approach in place.
As Mr Pearson knows, many survivors have been campaigning for the inquiry for a very long time. Their views, ambitions and needs are vital to the work of the inquiry, and it is important to continually recognise that those are varied, considered and powerful views. That makes it all the more important that we continue to listen to them, to act on them where we can and to ensure that survivors’ needs and interests remain at the heart of the inquiry process and any other actions.
Since the meeting on Monday, survivors and our representatives have told me of their profound disappointment and anger because they do not feel that they are being listened to. They want an inquiry that covers all survivors, regardless of where the abuse took place, and a system of redress that covers all survivors. Will the Government work hard to deliver the promised survivor-centred response that they demand?
I acknowledge that this is probably Mr Pearson’s last contribution in the chamber. I know that he has been a great friend to survivors and to many organisations, which I appreciate.
Mr Pearson knows that it has been very challenging to reach a decision on the inquiry’s scope given the wide range of views, even among survivors. However, the remit cannot be so wide that survivors lose hope of the inquiry ever reaching clear and specific conclusions. The definitions of “abuse” and “in care” for the purposes of the inquiry are very broad, and that was in response to the views expressed by survivors to me and to other ministers.
Mr Pearson has attended meetings with survivors that I have participated in, so he is very much aware that there are clear issues about the time-bar legislation and it not applying to pre-1964 cases. I gave a commitment in this chamber, which acknowledged those issues, that we would nonetheless have a dialogue with partners. I am pleased to say that Jamie Hepburn has announced the successful tender for the consortium for the survivor support fund and that this Government will be prioritising the needs of older survivors within that support fund to ensure that their needs are assessed and that they have access to the service and the fund by June this year.
City Deal (Dundee)
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making with a city deal for Dundee. (S4O-05712)
The Scottish Government is very supportive of city deals—cities and the regions are the engines of our economy. We are aware that Dundee, together with Perth and Kinross, Angus and north Fife have signalled their intent to work together on a proposed Tay cities deal, and we look forward to engaging with them on the proposals.
The Scottish Government has recently committed to investing up to £63.8 million in Dundee through the growth accelerator model, which aims to deliver a range of central waterfront investments, including the station concourse, civic places, development of the V&A, world-class digital infrastructure and grade-A office space to support economic growth and increased tourism in the area.
Inverness got its city deal yesterday; Glasgow and Aberdeen have their city deals, and Edinburgh is on its way. Dundee is being left behind. [Interruption.] It is a whole year since Dundee City Council even discussed a city deal.
The United Kingdom Government says that it is waiting for an approach. Nicola Sturgeon confirmed to me in a letter that her Government has not even started talks about Dundee’s city deal. Dundee is becoming Scotland’s sold-out city. [Interruption.] When, and I want a commitment, will the Scottish National Party get a city deal moving for Dundee?
I confirm that, contrary to what Jenny Marra has said, Dundee City Council has written to me and to the UK Government on the issue. I also confirm that, on yesterday’s Inverness city deal announcement, the UK Government’s contribution of £53 million was substantially less than what we have just awarded to Dundee through the growth accelerator model.
It is also true to say that Dundee has played a very astute game, if I may say so, by getting the growth accelerator model in first before many other cities; uniquely, it has also proposed a Tay cities deal, which will for the first time in the UK involve two cities working together on a city deal. I suggest that Jenny Marra gets behind the city council and makes sure that she wins that money in the long term.
Public Sector Reform
To ask the Scottish Government what its priorities are for public sector reform. (S4O-05713)
The Scottish Government is committed to maintaining its approach to public service reform, guided by the Christie priorities of prevention, integration and empowerment. We will continue to invest in vital public services such as health and education, supported by ambitious reforms to ensure that those services remain sustainable and improve outcomes for the citizens of Scotland.
Given that the Government’s police reforms have resulted in a chief constable and a deputy chief constable resigning, given that its college reforms have resulted in 150,000 fewer places and lecturers out on strike, given the shambolic implementation of curriculum for excellence and a series of information technology failures, how can people have confidence that the integration of health and social care will be different from those other botched reforms? Given that the bar has been set so low, what will the Government’s version of success look like in that case?
It is well seen that Mr Bibby is closing this parliamentary session on the same cheerful note that he started it on five years ago.
Crime is at a 41-year low, college places have been preserved at more than 116,000, as we promised, and curriculum for excellence is delivering increased attainment for the young people of Scotland. Mr Bibby should get behind the citizens of Scotland and stop whingeing from the side.
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