Immigration Bill (Duties on Landlords)
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Home Office regarding proposals in the forthcoming Immigration Bill for landlords to carry out checks of tenants’ immigration status and evict undocumented migrants. (S4O-04628)
The Minister for Immigration, James Brokenshire, wrote to the First Minister on 13 August advising that the United Kingdom Government would be introducing its Immigration Bill in September. Following that, Home Office officials met Scottish Government officials on 19 August. I have written to the Minister for Immigration setting out my significant concerns about the measures in the Immigration Bill and the lack of adequate consultation with my officials and housing stakeholders in Scotland.
The proposal is clearly at odds with our approach in Scotland. It will encourage suspicion and discrimination and undermine our efforts to strengthen tenants’ rights. I was delighted to hear the First Minister say yesterday that she would not only oppose the repeal of the Human Rights Act 1998 but refuse to consent to it. Will the Scottish Government take the same stand with this proposal and prevent this draconian and xenophobic scheme from being imposed in Scotland?
The Scottish Government is very much opposed to what the UK Government proposes in relation to landlords and immigration. However, as it stands, UK ministers will be able to extend the eviction measures to Scotland through secondary legislation. It would allow them to amend, revoke or repeal any act or order made by the Scottish Parliament. I have written to the Minister for Immigration making clear my concerns and urging him to amend the Immigration Bill to require the UK Government to seek the consent of this Parliament before it extends the legislation to Scotland.
Onshore Underground Coal Gasification
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the planning moratorium on fracking to include onshore underground coal gasification installations. (S4O-04629)
As Malcolm Chisholm will be aware, the United Kingdom Government has issued licences in Scotland for underground coal gasification. However, at this time, there have been no planning applications for any underground coal gasification projects in Scotland. The Scottish Government has been clear that the development of new energy technologies such as underground coal gasification must be consistent with our environmental objectives. We will continue to take a cautious, evidence-based approach to all such developments. I assure the chamber that we continue to listen carefully to the views that are being expressed by communities and stakeholders on this matter.
I am sure that the minister knows the great concerns of communities and is aware that all MSPs have had many emails and letters about the matter.
Given that underground coal gasification is the most frightening and experimental method of unconventional gas extraction and given its unacceptable climate change implications, it is puzzling to people throughout Scotland that the Scottish Government will not make a clear statement about the matter and say that it will extend its moratorium to those aspects of underground coal gasification that are within its control.
We will continue to take a careful and considered approach that puts the interests of the public and communities at the centre of the debate. As the member will appreciate, licensing of onshore unconventional oil and gas is being devolved but licensing of underground coal gasification is not. Indeed, it is licensed by the Coal Authority as opposed to the section of the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change that deals with oil and gas.
A report this week from Biggar Economics said that underground coal gasification could be worth £6 billion to the Scottish economy and create 5,000 jobs. What weight will the Scottish Government give to the potential economic impact of this industry when it reaches any decision on planning consent?
We listen carefully to all evidence submitted from all quarters in this matter. We look forward to having an opportunity to study in detail the report to which Mr Fraser has referred—I believe that it is from Mr Blackett—which was reported in the press earlier this week. Our approach is to listen to evidence from all sides of the debate but to take an evidence-based and extremely cautious approach.
Higher Education (Medium-term Strategy)
To ask the Scottish Government what its medium-term strategy is for higher education. (S4O-04630)
The Scottish Government wants to enable our higher education sector to thrive, which is why we are investing over £1 billion in it this year. Universities can make a key contribution to the delivery of Scotland’s economic strategy by increasing growth and helping to tackle inequality. We want our highly successful institutions to be places where anyone can aspire to study. Every young person, whatever their background, should have an equal chance of participating in higher education based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay.
Perhaps predictably, the cabinet secretary does not refer to the elephant in the room, which is the Scottish Government’s now very controversial proposals to interfere in university governance. Why, when opposition to her Government’s plans is so overwhelming that it includes the four ancient universities, 17 university principals, the chairman of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s board of governors, the committee of the Scottish chairs of university governance, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Institute of Directors, the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and Robert Black, the former Auditor General of Scotland—I could go on, Presiding Officer, but in deference to you I will not—
Thank you.
—does the cabinet secretary still think that her proposals are wise, workable or even credible?
Of course, Miss Goldie forgot to mention trade unionists and students. The Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Bill also has support in this chamber from the Labour Party.
I stress that our universities are and will remain autonomous. There is nothing in the bill that will require our higher education institutes to ask ministers’ permission for anything. As Miss Goldie knows, higher education governance was reviewed in 2012 by Principal Ferdinand von Prondzynski. It is only right that in return for £1 billion-worth of public money we expect the very highest standards of governance. Much progress has been made in the sector, but of course there is room for improvement to ensure that university governance is modern, transparent, fit for the future, diverse, inclusive and representative of the wider university community.
The cabinet secretary will recognise the huge concern about the effect on universities of the United Kingdom Government’s policy on post-study work visas. Does she agree that there is also great concern among Scottish colleges, such as South Lanarkshire College in East Kilbride, about the UK Government’s many changes to international college student visas, not least the removal of the well-established right to work part time?
Yes. People who want to come to Scotland to live, study and work are important to our population growth and our future economic prosperity. We are working hard to attract the best international talent to our colleges, our universities and, of course, our workforce. The UK Government’s focus on arbitrarily reducing net migration, irrespective of the value that people might bring or the contribution that they could make to Scotland’s economy and society, is simply wrong. I have raised my concerns and this Government’s concerns about the policy’s impact on Scottish colleges with the UK Government and I will continue to work with the college sector in that regard.
Currency
To ask the Scottish Government what work it has undertaken in the last year on the currency options for Scotland, either in the current constitutional context or in the future. (S4O-04631)
The Scottish Government set out its position on the currency question during the referendum last year.
I take it from that that no work has been done to explore the subject area further. If a city such as Bristol can have a Bristol pound and an area such as Brixton can have a Brixton pound, creating local economic benefits, is there not an opportunity for Scotland to explore complementary currencies in the current constitutional context, as the New Economics Foundation and Common Weal have recently suggested? Such a measure would have an immediate local economic benefit, increase understanding in Scotland of what money is and where it comes from, and create confidence that the pound sterling is the not the only kind of money we could ever trust.
Mr Harvie has set out a number of interesting ideas in his question, and I will look carefully at the points that he has raised. He would expect nothing else of me.
The Government is, of course, very interested in local economic development. Indeed, that is why we bring forward measures to support the development of local economies, principally through the work of our enterprise agencies, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise; why we so actively support the business gateway and organisations such as Entrepreneurial Spark and the Scottish EDGE; and why we provide concrete and practical support for the small business community in our localities through the small business bonus scheme, which provides savings on business rates for more than 95,000 businesses in Scotland and which I am sure is a policy that Mr Harvie enthusiastically supports.
Rail Travel (West Scotland)
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to increase the availability of rail travel in the West Scotland region. (S4O-04632)
The Scottish Government has secured through the new ScotRail franchise agreement significant improvements and innovations in services, trains and facilities. There will be enhanced services on the Kilmarnock, Ayr and Stranraer route by December 2015 and new electric trains will be introduced on the Edinburgh to Glasgow route from summer 2017. Passengers in the west of Scotland will benefit from fare increases being capped according to the retail prices index, the extension of smart ticketing and improved connectivity with other transport modes.
I thank the minister for that answer.
“We must develop alternatives to the reliance on the M8 and the road network, which is hard-pushed to cope with demand, particularly at peak times, so with rail now becoming possible once again we should seize the opportunity.
What I’m suggesting is the route that would go from Braehead to Glasgow, as this would involve minimal disruption.”
Those were the words of Derek Mackay in 2012, before his appointment as transport minister, when he was discussing rail links to Renfrew. Can the transport minister tell me now what he is doing to bring such links to Renfrew?
As a fellow resident of Renfrew—the largest town in Scotland without a railway station—I agree with Mary Fee, but I will not let my ministerial interest be compromised. All that needs to happen is for Labour-led Renfrewshire Council to put in an application as promoter of the scheme. However, given that it has failed to do so, I cannot even execute my desire for rail to be extended to the town of Renfrew at Braehead.
The £5 billion investment in rail in Scotland is the reason why patronage on the railways is increasing, and that is in addition to the multibillion-pound investment in roads. If Mary Fee wants to tell her pals on Renfrewshire Council to get their finger out, I will happily oblige.
New Psychoactive Substances
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the issue of new psychoactive substances. (S4O-04633)
Substantial progress has been made across many fronts, including on all the recommendations of the NPS expert review group. For example, I have written to all Scottish local authorities to request that they ban NPS in their public entertainment licences, and guidance to support trading standards staff across Scotland was launched last week.
New psychoactive substances also remain a priority for alcohol and drug partnerships, and improving identification and preventative activities that are focused on NPS is set out as a requirement in their local delivery plans. I thank Graeme Dey and Nigel Don for the work that they have done locally to help tackle these substances, and I thank Mr Dey for his participation on the NPS ministerial cross-party working group.
Will the minister provide details of the measures that are being deployed to respond to the challenges posed by NPS for forensics?
Mr Dey has raised an important point. The Scottish Government is contributing to the cost of infrastructure that has allowed new high-tech machinery to be secured. We are also engaging further with stakeholders, including through the publication yesterday of a questionnaire to understand views on the proposed definition of NPS, the categorisation of NPS, improvement in data collection and, crucially, the potential functions of a forensic centre for excellence to lead detection and identification of NPS and assessment of the extent of the psychoactivity of substances and the harms that they are likely to cause. Functions of that centre could include developing national reference standards to become a national resource in the field, linking with other data systems at European Union and United Kingdom levels as well as the Welsh emerging drugs and identification of novel substances—WEDINOS—project, and acting as a central resource for enforcement agencies and, potentially, the national health service on emerging trends in NPS.
Trains (Passenger Safety)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it can take to improve the safety of passengers on trains. (S4O-04634)
Railway safety policy has not been devolved to the Scottish ministers and remains reserved to the United Kingdom Government. The Office of Rail and Road is the UK member state’s railway safety authority and is responsible for ensuring, with enforcement if necessary, that the safety performance of train operators, including those operating the ScotRail and sleeper franchises, continues to ensure the safety of passengers using train services.
The Scottish Government has ensured that ScotRail and the Caledonian sleeper services are committed to fulfilling an active role in providing a safe and secure rail network for all passengers and staff and will work in partnership with others to achieve that aim. Our input to the specification of cross-border franchises, run by the Department for Transport, includes the same passenger-focused approach to safety issues.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport (Spaceport Bid)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update regarding Prestwick’s bid to be the United Kingdom’s first spaceport. (S4O-04635)
The location of the spaceport is for the United Kingdom Government to decide. Airfields that are on the shortlist are waiting for Westminster to outline the bidding process and the timetable for submitting bids. As I have said before, we believe that Prestwick is well placed to submit a strong bid. We would like the UK spaceport to be located in Scotland and we have stated that we will provide advice and support to any Scottish airfield that wishes to pursue this opportunity.
In that case, does the minister agree that the development of high-tech space and aerospace manufacturing opportunities is an integral part of the development of the UK spaceport business case and the subsequent decision, and that Ayrshire, with its manufacturing base, its aerospace campus at Prestwick and the expertise in Ayrshire College, is ideally placed to develop those opportunities?
I agree that Prestwick airport is well placed to submit a strong bid for the spaceport and I will be happy to support it to pursue that at every opportunity.
In my view and in the view of others, Prestwick airport is the location of choice for a spaceport not just in Scotland but in Britain. Given the competition for a spaceport from England and Wales, will the Scottish Government get behind this bid for Scotland and at least pick one site? If we do not do that, we run the risk of ending up with no Government backing for any site and of Scotland’s bid ultimately failing.
I understand John Scott’s desire for us to support Prestwick and no other. However, until we see the final criteria, it would be wrong of us to rule out other airfields that might be eligible.
We will support a bid for the spaceport to come to Scotland. I have said that Prestwick has a strong case and a strong bid. If it transpires that that bid is the best, the Scottish Government will of course get behind it. At the moment, however, we are behind all the potential bids to bring the spaceport to Scotland.
I am, of course, pleased to hear that the minister is behind all the bids. I remind him of the bid from Machrihanish—the cape Campbeltown bid that is now supported by Argyll and Bute Council—which has the only runway in Scotland that is presently approved for space flight.
That is exactly the reason why I am not closing down options. We support the spaceport coming to Scotland and we believe that there are a number of good bids. For the reasons that have been given, Prestwick has a particularly strong bid. Of course, there might even be a coalition in which airfields work together to maximise the opportunity that Scotland might have to host a spaceport in the UK.
Local Authority Contracts (Small Businesses)
To ask the Scottish Government how many small businesses have successfully bid for local authority contracts in the last year. (S4O-04636)
The public contracts Scotland portal indicates that a total of 15,692 suppliers were awarded contracts in 2014. Of those, 58 per cent were registered on the portal as micro or small businesses.
I thank the minister for that number. Impact Shopfitting is a small Strathaven-based woodframe start-up business that is seeking small procurement contracts via the e-procurement portal. The business describes the professional electronic commerce online system—PECOS—as a closed shop. It cannot secure a contract without access to the system and cannot get on to the system until it has secured a contract. In the light of the recent Scottish Government strategy on digital procurement, what is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that the system is inclusive and accessible to small start-up businesses, which will enable them to grow and contribute to their local economies?
We are ensuring that thousands and thousands of small businesses are assisted in getting contracts. I point out to the member that, of the suppliers that were awarded contracts, 9,147 were registered as micro or small businesses. Further, with the small business bonus, we are providing low or no business rates for nearly 100,000 businesses, which is more than any other Government anywhere in the United Kingdom is doing.