SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Amateur Football
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is promoting amateur football. (S1O-4516)
I thank Donald Gorrie for his question, which gives me my first opportunity to answer questions at question time.
Given that a large amount of public money has gone, and is going, into top-level football, will the Executive promise to give more money and support to amateur football? The number of amateur football clubs is falling and clubs have great difficulties with the quality and quantity of football pitches and with the increasing expenses that they must meet.
If Donald Gorrie has in mind a particular football club that has particular problems, the Executive would be interested to hear more. I assure him that the Executive remains committed to amateur football. He will have noted the First Minister's statement yesterday on Euro 2008, in which he made it clear that, in going for six stadiums, we want additional investment to go into amateur football and into football for young boys and girls in Scottish schools. The Executive's commitment to football at all levels has been made quite clear over the past couple of days.
Will the Executive ensure that both amateur football and professional football benefit from our bid to stage the Euro 2008 championships by stipulating that public investment in football stadiums should be combined with community use of such facilities? Does the minister agree that, whatever preferences some people may have had for a solo bid, it is now absolutely essential that the entire football community in Scotland—and all Scotland's politicians, irrespective of political persuasion—unite behind the joint bid, so that it turns out to be a winner for Scotland and Ireland?
I thank Mr Canavan for his question. I agree entirely with the points that he made. I refer him to the statement that the First Minister made yesterday, which I hope will offer Mr Canavan some reassurance. The First Minister said that he wanted
I am pleased to hear the minister's support for amateur football. However, I make a plea on behalf of the many women's football teams and their supporters. For far too long, women's football has been the cinderella of the sport. In her discussions with sportscotland, will the minister stress the need to encourage women's football teams? After all, many women followers of the beautiful game are much more knowledgeable than the average male supporter.
I know that Trish Godman was a footballer previously and I realise that the sport is of particular personal interest to her. Although I have never been a good footballer, I, too, have an interest in women's football.
Will the minister clarify that such participation will not be mandatory?
I assure Annabel Goldie that neither she nor I will be forced to play football.
Mental Health
To ask the Scottish Executive whether mental health is still a key clinical priority. (S1O-4508)
Mental health is one of the three clinical priorities. The Scottish Executive is strongly committed to implementing the framework for mental health services, to developing mental health services in primary care and community settings and to promoting mental health and well-being as part of the broader health improvement agenda.
I thank the minister for that answer. However, does he accept that that will be cold comfort to the 47 people who have been trapped in the state hospital at Carstairs—some for as long as three years—despite their having been assessed as able to leave? They have been unable to return to their communities because of a lack of appropriate beds and staffing locally. Will he agree to visit Carstairs and to meet the patients concerned? Will he agree to intervene personally to stop that infringement of human rights?
I am scheduled to visit Carstairs at the beginning of March. It is clear that there is a problem with people who need more appropriate accommodation in local forensic units.
What steps is the minister proposing to lessen the correlation between mental health problems and social deprivation?
I was pleased this week to chair the first meeting of an advisory group on the promotion of mental health and well-being. That is an important new part of the health improvement agenda. As part of that, we are considering the wider issues of social justice and social deprivation, which is a broad and exciting new part of the mental health agenda that has not been covered before. Along with the expansion of services in primary care and community settings, it complements the more traditional mental health agenda as embodied in the framework for mental health services.
Is the minister aware of the Scottish Health Advisory Service report, "Review of Mental Health Services in Ayrshire and Arran September 2001", which says that services for mental health in Ayrshire are among the best in Scotland?
I will certainly join Phil Gallie in congratulating those people and thank him for drawing attention to the centre. I congratulate the staff there and acknowledge the great effort that has been made in Ayrshire. It was not so long ago that Ayrshire was being criticised for not spending enough of its budget on mental health. Ayrshire has made big improvements in mental health because of the work of the mental health and well-being support group and other monitoring arrangements.
How would the minister respond to concerns that have been expressed to me to the effect that Executive support for public health and awareness campaigns that are associated with mental health—such as those that he mentioned—although welcome, merely give the illusion that mental health is a priority? However, in practice national health service boards continue to fund mental health services sparingly in comparison with other services?
I accept that there is an historical problem in relation to mental health spending. However, I remind Adam Ingram that expenditure on mental health in the NHS increased by 9 per cent last year.
Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and what issues were discussed. (S1O-4473)
Officials are in regular contact with DEFRA on a variety of issues. I met Mrs Beckett—the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs—on 16 January at a meeting of agricultural ministers at which a range of agricultural matters were discussed.
Can the minister estimate the impact on those discussions of George Lyon's comments? He said:
I am sure that Duncan Hamilton recognises that there is a perfectly legitimate place for party-political contests and politicking. However, when I represent the Executive at meetings of agricultural ministers, I represent the Scottish Executive, the Scottish people and the interests of Scottish farming—I do not debate narrow party-political points. The points that I make at such meetings are in the interests of ensuring that there is sustainable agriculture throughout the crofting parts of Scotland and all Scotland.
When the minister met Margaret Beckett on 16 January, did he take the opportunity to back calls from his party colleagues in Westminster for a full public inquiry into foot-and-mouth disease?
No.
Transport Priorities (Glasgow)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Glasgow airport link and the Glasgow crossrail projects are among its transport priorities. (S1O-4497)
The Scottish Executive gives high priority to a safer, bigger and better railway network. We have already started work on a detailed analysis of the case for rail links to both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports. Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive is looking at options for Glasgow crossrail and we will consider any formal proposals when they are received.
Does the minister accept that we have had study after study on both projects and that it is entirely unacceptable that passengers to Scotland's largest city cannot travel there—or to other parts of Scotland—by rail from the airport? Will he take more of a leading role and agree to meet British Airports Authority, SPTE, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and other interested bodies to discuss not whether the projects can be done, but how and when they will be carried out?
It is important to recognise that the studies that have been done on the projects and the studies that are currently under way are essential in identifying which options offer the best value for money. We will pursue those options on the basis of well-costed and well-argued cases. We will consider those cases when they are presented and take matters forward from there.
I notice that the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning is not here—perhaps her portfolio is as overloaded as the transport infrastructure. Does the deputy minister agree that the Government has failed in respect of the lack of progress on the airport direct link and the crossrail link? Will the Government find the time to ensure that progress is made toward implementation of those vital long-awaited schemes?
We will find the parliamentary time that is required to make progress on such schemes when they come in—I assume that that is the essence of Sandra White's question. We have said that they are strategic priorities. We are not prejudging the studies on rail links, which will consider several options in relation to both airports. It would not be right for us to prejudge that work.
Is the minister aware of the considerable anxiety that is shared by bodies such as Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and the Labour-controlled Glasgow City Council, about the fact that no movement is being made in respect of the rail link to Glasgow airport? Does he realise that there will be considerable resentment if, at the end of the day, the project does not go ahead despite the airy-fairy promises that he and previous ministers have given?
I am sorry that Mr Aitken takes the view that no progress is being made. We are expecting the consultants' initial report on the rail links to airports in the next few weeks. We expect to receive their final report in the course of the year. We will make rational judgments that are based on the evidence before we make choices about which strategic priorities will deliver the best value for money for the Executive and the best services for passengers throughout Scotland.
Perth and Kinross Council (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of Perth and Kinross Council. (S1O-4476)
Scottish Executive representatives meet all local authorities regularly to discuss matters of mutual interest.
I will take that answer to mean, "Not recently." When the minister, or his colleague, next meets administration members of Perth and Kinross Council, will he remind them that the Parliament is committed to open government and freedom of information? In particular, will he tell the Labour-Tory-Lib Dem coalition that it is unacceptable that it refuses to publish the report of an investigation into the training and care assistants fiasco, which recently resulted in the withdrawal from school of many vulnerable children in Perth and Kinross, some of whom will never re-enter mainstream education?
Roseanna Cunningham might be interested to know that I spoke yesterday to representatives of Perth and Kinross Council. I am sure that they will be pleased that she is beginning to take an interest in the affairs of that council—my understanding is that such interest has hitherto been singularly lacking. Nonetheless, it is a shame that she has done so in such a negative fashion, but perhaps that is to be expected from the SNP. The matters to which Roseanna Cunningham referred are matters for the local authority. Local authorities are locally autonomous. We respect that. It is about time that the SNP did the same.
Is the minister aware that on all recently published performance indicators, Perth and Kinross Council performs well above the Scottish average, and that it outperforms the adjacent Angus Council, which is SNP controlled? Will the minister join me in congratulating the partnership administration of Perth and Kinross Council on its performance?
It is right to point to the fact that according to Accounts Commission reports, improved performance is being reported in many local authorities. The performance of Perth and Kinross Council, to which Murdo Fraser referred, has improved since the SNP lost control of the council.
Cannabis Possession
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to issue guidance to the police on dealing with possession of cannabis cases in the light of the Home Secretary's recent announcement on categorisation of cannabis. (S1O-4486)
Classification of drugs is reserved to the UK Government. The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has been asked by the Home Secretary to review the classification of cannabis. A decision on reclassification is expected in the next few months and any advice to police forces will reflect the Home Secretary's decision.
Does the minister accept that it is time to stop criminalising the thousands of Scots who use cannabis recreationally through choice, or medically, because they have to? Does the minister also accept that police time and other resources should be diverted from the pursuit of those who use cannabis, and released to help to treat and rehabilitate those who are addicted to harder drugs? That is where our resources should be concentrated.
I am disappointed that Mr Sheridan has not welcomed the fact that the Home Secretary is adopting a much more realistic approach to the issue. Reclassification, if it happens, will be done on the advice of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. That committee's advice is important.
I am sure that the minister is aware that in many communities, including some in my constituency of Pollok, there is a problem of chaotic drug use, which includes cannabis use. Will the minister reassure my constituents, who often suffer problems of crime and disorder as a consequence of drug misuse, that the safety and security of their communities will remain a key policing priority, regardless of the change in categorisation of cannabis?
I visited a constituency in Glasgow yesterday—not Johann Lamont's constituency, but Govan—and that was exactly the message that I was trying to give out. It is crucial that we support and rehabilitate chaotic drug users. To that end, the fact that we have provided £100 million for expenditure over the next three years is an indication of our commitment. Indeed, the funds have been so great that some local authorities have found it difficult to spend them this year.
I welcome the fact that there is some change in the attitude to cannabis use and abuse. What plans does the minister have to make plain his point of view, and those of chief constables and senior police officers in Scotland, when senior police officers in England and Wales inform the Home Secretary of their deliberations on whether a similar attitude should be taken to people who are found in possession of hard drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and cocaine? I would be most concerned if the Parliament and Scottish police forces were not consulted on the matter.
Consultation is taking place with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland about the way in which we handle drugs matters. However, in practice, there is already a distinction between the handling of cannabis users and users of other drugs—that is appropriate. It is crucial that we support all drug users. The communication strategy, which we will launch in March, will indicate clearly that all drugs, when misused, are inappropriate. That is the strategy that we will adopt. I hope that Margo MacDonald will support that strategy because it is a realistic one.
Aquaculture Sites (Relocation)
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the relocation of aquaculture sites to more exposed offshore locations. (S1O-4503)
The issue is one that we want to debate during our consultation on a strategic framework for aquaculture. We are aware that new technologies are being developed that could make offshore sites more viable. Some Scottish companies are exploring those possibilities. However, moving further offshore also raises important issues of staff safety and carries a higher risk of damage to cages and escape of fish.
I thank the minister for that reply. Does the minister agree, with hindsight, that many fish cages have been located too close to the mouths of rivers and in sea lochs that do not have the necessary level of water exchange? Could the minister ensure that any new locational guidelines for sea cages will cover retrospectively any fish farms that are currently applying or re-applying for licences?
Hindsight, as John Farquhar Munro will know, is a precise science. Knowing what we know 20 years on from the inception of the industry, most observers would admit that some farms are not ideally located. Relocation is a credible option if those farms are to remain in production and the industry is to expand. However, that development must be sustainable and it must take account of environmental prerogatives. On licences, where consideration has been given to relocation, we should also expedite licence consideration.
The minister might know that I asked a similar question last year. The then minister promised to consider and make a study of the example of Northern Ireland waters. Was that done? If so, what opinion did the Executive form about the practicality of that option?
It is now more than two years since the locational guidelines were introduced. I want those guidelines to be reviewed in the context of the overall aquaculture review that is currently under way. That review will incorporate views from Northern Ireland, Norway and elsewhere where the practices that Dr Ewing mentioned are in vogue. Those views will inform our environmental work. I hope to report on the aquaculture review in the summer.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (Report)
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in light of the report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, "Standards and Quality in Primary and Secondary Schools: 1998-2001". (S1O-4488)
The report emphasises that there is much to be proud of in our schools. Standards are improving year on year. However, several areas for improvement are identified. We are already taking action to deal with those areas through a range of policies, the framework for improvement, and action to promote effective leadership in schools. We are considering whether any further action is needed to raise pupil attainment in S1 and S2.
I thank the minister for that answer. Does she share my concern that the achievements of schools and pupils are all too often defined on the basis of exam results alone? Will she assure me that, in continuing to improve standards, due recognition will be given to the development of life skills and vocational education and experience? Will she also assure me that appropriate recognition and encouragement will be given to innovative projects such as the Instep project at Castlebrae Community High School and the joint work between Scottish Power Learning and Portobello High School in my constituency?
I assure the member that the Executive's priority is that every young person should achieve their fullest potential. We want to close the gap between those who have not had the opportunity to do well in school and those who have. For some young people, that will include using innovative projects that allow them to participate in initiatives such as those that have been described. Those with special educational needs will be given the opportunity to learn to the best of their ability too.
The minister will be aware that the inspectorate links attainment and class size. How does the minister respond to figures released yesterday which show that Labour's binding commitment to reduce primary 1, 2 and 3 class sizes to 30 or below, given by Brian Wilson, Helen Liddell, Peter Peacock, Sam Galbraith and none less than the First Minister, has not been achieved and that attainment has been affected?
I am sure that Michael Russell has examined the figures and knows that they relate to the year 2000-01 and to primary 1 and 2 only. If Michael Russell really wants to consider what we are doing to improve the quality of education, he should commend initiatives such as that on classroom assistants. Not only are we reducing class sizes, we are improving the adult to child ratio in classes throughout Scotland. We know that that will benefit children and young people.
Organ Donation
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide young people with information on organ donation. (S1O-4519)
The Executive believes that young people should have information on organ donation. Transplant co-ordinators visit schools regularly as part of their educational work. Earlier this week, we announced that we are developing an education resource pack on organ donation and transplantation.
I welcome the Scottish Executive's initiative to provide young people with information on organ donation. Does the minister agree that all in Scotland should be encouraged to register as organ donors, to give opportunity to the many who await a transplant? Will the minister pursue all avenues to allow more registration?
I congratulate Margaret Jamieson on the initiative that she has taken. She requested 10,000 donor cards this week and will contact employers in her constituency about distributing those cards with pay slips. A large number of lives have been saved because people have carried donor cards and registered on the organ donation register, of which Margaret Jamieson reminded us. More lives will be saved if more people do that. At the Scottish Transplant Group's conference on Monday, which Janis Hughes and Shona Robison also attended, I was pleased to announce that we have asked the Scottish Transplant Group to produce proposals for a campaign to promote the issue and ensure that more people are willing to save more lives.
Youth Work
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote youth work. (S1O-4492)
The Scottish Executive is committed to raising the profile of youth issues and to bridging the gap between the voluntary and statutory sectors. From 1 April, YouthLink Scotland will assume responsibility for delivering an enhanced youth issues agenda in Scotland.
Does the minister welcome initiatives such as the establishment of the Having Your Say youth forum in West Lothian, which gives a voice to looked-after young people? What plans does the Executive have to promote such initiatives?
I was delighted to meet young people from that initiative when they attended the Parliament for my statement on services for looked-after children. That is the sort of initiative that brings young people and adults together and allows them to construct an agenda. I hope that such initiatives will be replicated throughout Scotland.
Is the minister aware that in the latest swingeing cuts by Scottish Borders Council, the core funding of the Gala Youth Project in Galashiels—£60,000—will go as at 31 March? That will end at a stroke a 50-year-old project for young people in difficulty that has 150 young people on its books and is highly regarded by police and educationists. Will the minister release a pauchle of those millions underspent on the education budget, on whatever terms, to Scottish Borders Council, so that at least those 150 young people are not punished for the mistakes of others?
The member has raised the circumstances of Scottish Borders Council before, as have the local constituency MSPs who keep me up to date on progress. At this point, it would be inappropriate for me to make a commitment to an individual project. As I understand the situation, discussions are ongoing between council officials, the Minister for Finance and Public Services and others to see what initiatives can be taken. The matter is primarily one for Borders Council. That will remain the case.
I know that the minister recently visited a youth event in North Lanarkshire. Does she agree that North Lanarkshire Council's youth strategy and the approach that it adopts is a model from which other local authorities could learn? Does she accept that the strategy has been an important catalyst in involving young people in their communities and, more importantly, in shaping and developing local policies?
On Sunday, I was delighted to attend the initiative about which Cathie Craigie spoke. Although I was too late to participate in the aerobics class, I was delighted to see Cathie and another of her colleagues performing in the class. The initiative demonstrates, once again, how important it is to bring young people and adults together. I am particularly impressed by the way that North Lanarkshire Council has gone about involving young people. I am also impressed by the work that it is doing in a partnership approach with other local authorities. I commend that approach to other local authorities in Scotland.
Strategic Planning (Local Health Services)
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that planning authorities, when developing their strategic planning requirements, give full and proper consideration to the provision of local health services. (S1O-4484)
The Scottish Executive is satisfied that the current arrangements for land use development planning and community planning are such that, if local authorities and NHS boards fulfil their respective roles in those processes, there should be adequate liaison between those bodies to ensure that full and proper consideration is given to the provision of local health services.
Is the minister aware that there is some urgency in the need to change those provisions? Does he agree with the British Medical Association's recent comments on the matter? We have closed waiting lists and hospitals, but is he aware that in Livingston, two doctors' surgeries have had to close their patient lists to new applicants? Surgeries across Livingston are being asked how many new patients they can take before they too have to close their lists. West Lothian is one of the few areas in Scotland that is bucking the trend, as it has an increase in population. Does the minister agree that planning measures need to be in place sooner rather than later to ensure that people can access their doctors when they need to and that they can do so locally?
My point was that planning measures are in place. The partners, who have a role in that process, can be expected to use those processes in order to deliver access to health services for all our people. Fiona Hyslop spun slightly when she described the situation in Livingston. Patients in Livingston have access to general practitioners.
I thank the minister for his recognition of the role that I have been playing in meeting the health board and the health trust. Will the minister join me in welcoming the fact that the health trust has already invested in expanded GP facilities at the GP practice in West Calder? As the minister indicated, the health trust is investigating the possibilities of an additional health centre in Livingston. I also ask the minister to hold discussions with his colleague, the Minister for Health and Community Care, to ensure that areas of strong population growth, such as Livingston, receive appropriate primary care services. That will enable areas such as Livingston to meet future growing population needs.
I am certainly happy to raise that issue with the Minister for Health and Community Care. In fact, I am sure that he heard what Bristow Muldoon said, because he is sitting right next to me. We must ensure that health boards and trusts have the resources and tools that they require to provide services, including the capacity to provide salaried GPs in areas where it is difficult to attract GPs to practise. In the end, the important thing is that local agencies that know their areas and understand local needs are helped and supported to provide those services.
Livestock Movements
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to remove the 21-day rule relating to the movement of livestock off farms. (S1O-4471)
On Tuesday 22 January, a consultation paper was issued proposing the retention on an interim basis of the 20-day standstill rule, subject to exemptions for specific categories of stock and for animals that are held separately from the rest of the herd.
Given that the purpose of the regulations was to prevent the spread of disease, and given that the international authorities declared the whole of the UK foot-and-mouth free earlier this week, does not the minister accept that the remaining regulations leave Scottish farmers at a competitive disadvantage? Is not there a case for a further immediate relaxation of the rules, and perhaps for the introduction of a 14-day standstill rule for cattle? Will the minister tell the chamber whether he has carried out an economic assessment of the impact on the industry of his latest proposals?
The first thing that I want to tell Richard Lochhead is that it is not a question of taking into account the views of just the industry, although that is very important. I am sure that he would agree that I have to take account of the views of the chief veterinary officer in Scotland, who is quite clear and unequivocal that, notwithstanding any Office International des Epizooties—OIE—statement, he still considers there to be a considerable degree of risk in the United Kingdom and particularly in Scotland, for which he is responsible. It is on that basis that we have carried out extensive discussions with those in the industry who are involved, at meat and livestock level, in farming and in the marts to consider how we can apply the advice of the veterinary officer in a reasonable and equitable way. I believe that the proposals that we have made represent such an arrangement.
The minister will be aware that the labelling of meat imports is woefully inadequate and that the system is being abused. What is being done to protect UK livestock farmers and consumers from those bad labelling practices?
I do not think that that is relevant to the question.
I think that it is germane, Presiding Officer. There are three elements to the control of foot-and-mouth disease. First, there is the key element of assessing the risk from illegal imports and those that are improperly labelled. Secondly, there is the issue of taking account of the risk assessment by the chief veterinary officer in relation to the containment of the disease. The third element concerns what we must do next to ensure general standards of on-farm biosecurity. In relation to Jamie McGrigor's question, the chief veterinary officer for Great Britain is conducting a risk assessment of all labelling and import practices with a view to introducing further legislative proposals to curb, if we can, the potential danger to our livestock industry from imports.
That is all very interesting, but it is not actually relevant to the question.
Alcohol Misuse
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle the misuse of alcohol. (S1O-4507)
The Scottish Executive published its plan for action on alcohol problems on 18 January 2002. The plan sets out a powerful package of national and local measures for a range of organisations and individuals to reduce alcohol-related harm in Scotland. The action proposed includes changing the culture surrounding drinking; prevention and education; support and treatment services for people with alcohol problems; and protection of individuals and the wider community. Copies of the plan have been placed in the Parliament's reference centre.
I welcome the Executive's commitment to an alcohol strategy. Does the minister agree that, historically, Governments have failed to provide adequate strategies to deal with misuse of alcohol and have focused instead on the obvious problems of drug misuse? Given that there were almost five times as many alcohol-related deaths as drug-related deaths in 1999, will she assure me that there will be financial assistance to give alcohol misuse the same priority as drug misuse?
I assure Janis Hughes that the Executive recognises the problems that are caused by alcohol misuse. We are already making resources available under the plan that was announced last week. Some £1.5 million has been made available for a communications strategy and the funds available to local projects have been doubled to more than £1 million. However, we want to go further than that and we are seeking further plans and proposals from local projects to deal with concerns in their areas. Further resources may be sought.
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