General Questions
“Strategic Transport Projects Review”
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will revisit the “Strategic Transport Projects Review” to prioritise the Aberdeen to central belt rail enhancements. (S4O-00389)
The Aberdeen to central belt rail enhancements are included in the STPR recommendations. We have already seen improvements since 2008, including faster journey times and service frequency enhancements along the route. As I indicated in June, we have asked Network Rail to re-examine the proposals for the route to deliver additional incremental improvements. It will report next year.
As the minister knows, Aberdeen and the north-east is arguably the powerhouse of the Scottish economy, yet there is a feeling that, under the Scottish National Party Government, north-east rail commuters have not seen real improvements. I acknowledge that there have been some improvements in the timing of services between Aberdeen and the central belt. Following the positive news that the House of Commons Transport Committee has backed proposals for a high-speed line between London and Scotland, when can north-east commuters expect to see real improvements to the rail network between Aberdeen and the central belt?
The member refers to the report of that committee, but I would like the same commitment to be made by the United Kingdom Government. Currently, the UK Government has given no commitment to have high-speed rail come to Scotland, although we are working with our colleagues in the Scotland Office and at Westminster to ensure that it does. The line could produce massive benefits not just for cross-border services, but for services right through to Aberdeen. As I said, we are seeking to improve the route; indeed, we have improved it already. However, further major improvements could come through high-speed rail, and I welcome the member’s support for that position.
Does the minister share the view of previous transport ministers of all parties, both at Westminster and at Holyrood, that the east coast main line does not stop at Edinburgh?
I do not want to prejudice any consultations that might be on-going, of which the member is well aware. The idea has been raised of whether stopping services there could improve services that are not cross-border services, so that we could have improved services between Edinburgh and Aberdeen. However, it would not be wise to downgrade an existing very good service in order to improve another service. I hope that that helps the member with the point that he is making.
What reassurances can the Scottish Government give to those who are concerned about the future of the Highland Chieftain and the Caledonian sleeper services following the publication of Transport Scotland’s “Rail 2014” consultation?
My guidance would be that they should read those parts of the document that refer to the possibility of enhancing the sleeper services. I reassure the member that patronage of the sleeper services has increased substantially in recent years, which shows that there is a demand for those services. Nevertheless, as I am sure he will agree, there are ways in which the services could be improved. We are equally open—perhaps more open—to the idea of enhancing the services through the consultation to which he refers.
Hunterston Coal-fired Power Station (Opposition)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it acknowledges the level of opposition to the proposed coal-fired power station at Hunterston. (S4O-00390)
I confirm that, to date, 20,583 letters of objection to the Hunterston development have been received. Those will be taken into consideration in determining the application.
Given the level of statutory and public opposition, what steps can be taken to persuade Ayrshire Power to withdraw its application and save everyone the cost of a public local inquiry?
As it is an active application that the Government may have to determine, I cannot speak specifically to the question that has been asked. However, in general, it is important that, in relation to any planning application, those who feel that their interests would be disadvantaged were it to be approved continue to pursue their objections and ensure that everyone is aware of them.
Will the minister confirm that onshore wind farms are productive for only around 25 per cent of the time and that, as the Institution of Civil Engineers stated earlier this week, coal-fired power stations will be essential to secure the energy supply in Scotland in the future?
It is interesting to note that even when the nuclear station on the west coast of Scotland was out of operation for a while it caused us no problems whatsoever. There has been much debate about the transmission of electricity across the Scotland-England border. It is worth making the point that in December last year, 97 per cent of electricity that crossed the border did so in a southerly direction. With the increase in renewable energy in Scotland, that percentage can only rise.
Smarter Choices, Smarter Places
To ask the Scottish Government when it will report on the outcome of the smarter choices, smarter places scheme and the impact that it has had on encouraging active travel. (S4O-00391)
Monitoring and evaluation of the smarter choices, smarter places programme are on-going. The impacts that the programme has had on encouraging active travel will be reported in the final evaluation by the end of 2012.
Has the minister had the opportunity to examine the research by cycling campaign group Spokes, which showed a 12 per cent increase in the number of cyclists across Edinburgh? Does he agree that the Scottish Government must continue to invest in cycling and walking? Will he meet me and representatives of Spokes and the Bike Station at Causewayside in my constituency to discuss what more can be done to support active travel, given the obvious environmental and health benefits that it brings?
Yes, I am aware of the rising number of cyclists in Edinburgh. I take this opportunity to praise City of Edinburgh Council members and officers for their commitment and leadership in making the city such an active travel success story. I recently had the chance to cycle into the city on an excellent cycle route. To my mind, the other local authorities should look closely at what Edinburgh has done and try to follow suit.
Last week, I attended the Cycling Scotland conference in Glasgow and took questions on the draft budget from delegates, including one from a Spokes representative. However, I am happy to meet the member and the two constituency interests that he mentioned.
Agri-environment Schemes
To ask the Scottish Executive how it assessed the future demand for agri-environment schemes when developing the current draft budget and spending review. (S4O-00392)
We took a range of factors into account, such as demand under the current and previous programmes and the views of key stakeholders. A key part of the process was to ensure that funding is available to deliver key benefits to Scotland’s environment, such as biodiversity.
Funding continues to be available and results from the two previous agri-environment rounds show a consistent level of approvals. We have already announced that a full agri-environment funding round will take place in 2012.
Does the Government have contingency plans if there is a surge in applications towards the end of the round? The minister may remember that that happened with the rural stewardship scheme as it came to an end. Can he reassure members that demand will not be managed down by changing criteria or cancelling schemes?
We very much value the contribution that the schemes have made to date. For example, we have invested £33 million in hedgerows since 2008 and we have seen a significant improvement in biodiversity from that expenditure. We wish to ensure that in managing the issues that the member referred to, such as a surge in applications, we continue to deliver important benefits for biodiversity.
Prisons (Overcrowding)
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to tackle overcrowding in prisons. (S4O-00393)
We are committed to building or renovating new prisons. HMP Low Moss will come on stream in March 2012 and later that year construction will start on HMP Grampian, which will ease overcrowding in the short to medium term.
The Scottish Government has also introduced a range of reforms that we believe will reduce prison overcrowding, including the introduction of the community payback order, a new approach to young people who offend—the whole system approach—and a presumption against short sentences. Those reforms will take time to have an impact on the prison population, but we are confident that they will do so.
In a recent visit to HMP Barlinnie, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice said:
“We’ve got to make sure that prison isn’t used routinely for short-term prisoners where it doesn’t benefit them and it doesn’t benefit us.”
Can the cabinet secretary update us on progress in setting up the Scottish sentencing council, so that sentencing can be more consistent and transparent?
I am in discussion with the Lord President on those matters. There are cost implications. Work is on-going to make High Court decisions clearer and more available across the judicial spectrum and publicly.
We are committed to a sentencing council, which the Parliament voted for. I believe that it will be of benefit to the whole justice system. In the interim, matters have been taken up by the courts themselves to ensure we get greater clarity and consistency. In a time of financial austerity, taking the time to ensure that resources are used appropriately and taking appropriate steps to ensure that we improve matters is a balanced and appropriate approach.
Pibble Mine (Site of Special Scientific Interest Designation)
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on Scottish Natural Heritage’s proposal to remove the site of special scientific interest designation from Pibble mine in Wigtownshire. (S4O-00394)
The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 grants Scottish Natural Heritage the power to denotify all or any part of a site of special scientific interest where it considers that its natural features are no longer of special interest.
In the case of Pibble mine, the importance of the sole natural feature of interest was reconsidered as a result of the British Geological Survey’s geological conservation review, and it was judged that the site no longer met the qualifying criteria for notification as an SSSI.
The minister is correct, but the British Geological Survey’s review was published in 1998, some 13 years ago—one might have thought that action would have been taken by now. The same review recommends the removal of the designation of several other SSSIs, yet only Pibble mine is currently to have it removed.
Is the minister aware that Pibble mine lies on the site of a proposed wind farm development, and that the other sites that the review mentions do not? Does the minister believe that that is just a coincidence?
SNH has notified and confirmed 10 SSSI denotifications in full and four in part, and has notified but is yet to confirm a further four denotifications in full and two in part.
With regard to the evaluation of Pibble mine, if the information had been available when it was designated, it would never have been designated in the first place as the number of points that it scores falls well below the designation level.
Council Tax Freeze
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that local authorities will maintain the council tax freeze in 2012-13. (S4O-00395)
The Scottish Government is committed to maintaining the council tax freeze for the remainder of the current session of Parliament and is currently working with local authorities to deliver it for 2012-13.
The minister’s answer is reassuring, particularly as Labour politicians in my constituency—and recently in the chamber—seem to be confused about their party’s position on the council tax freeze. Will she confirm how much she expects the council tax freeze will save hard-pressed families in North Ayrshire between now and 2016?
Margaret Burgess will be pleased to know that the average saving for a council tax band D dwelling over the current session of Parliament will be more than £1,136. That is on top of the savings that have been made in the previous parliamentary session, thereby providing hard-working families with a cumulative saving of £1,239 throughout the lifetime of the policy.
The policy involves the Scottish National Party Government doing what it can with the powers that it has to protect hard-working families. Along with policies such as the abolition of prescription charges and the provision of free tuition, the council tax freeze provides tangible help for real people’s lives, and it helps the constituents of North Ayrshire, about whom I know Margaret Burgess cares so passionately.
Statutory Repairs (City of Edinburgh Council)
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding the statutory repairs system for shared buildings in the City of Edinburgh Council area. (S4O-00396)
I am aware that there is an on-going audit and police investigation into the statutory repairs system at the City of Edinburgh Council. That is potentially a serious issue, and it is right that it is fully investigated. It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment while the investigation is on-going.
It is clear that I do not have to impress on the cabinet secretary the importance of the matter and the concerns that have been filling my mailbag for some months. Does he believe that, in the event that the current investigations find any evidence of wrongdoing, there may be a role for the Scottish Government in addressing the underlying framework to ensure that such problems do not happen again?
The Scottish Government will take cognisance of any recommendations from the council as a result of the investigation. It is far too early for me to comment, but in principle the Government always listens to recommendations on where we need to improve our own procedures.
College Budgets (Widening Access to Education)
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact its proposed reductions to college budgets will have on widening access to education. (S4O-00397)
Further education colleges already offer learning opportunities to students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Our plans for reforming post-16 learning are predicated on ensuring that such provision is better aligned with jobs and growth, is sustainable and continues to focus on improving life chances. As part of that reform we want to consider how best to ensure wider access to all post-16 learning, including that offered by colleges.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that of our further and higher education institutions, our colleges have the best record of serving disadvantaged communities? Is he aware of concerns among some of our most vulnerable learners—those with additional needs—that they are already being disproportionately affected by the cuts?
The record of our further education colleges is very good, but that does not mean that it cannot improve. I am spending a considerable amount of time talking to college principals and students in colleges. I am endeavouring to set to one side the scaremongering in order to talk about how we can focus the resource that we have—a resource that is under a great deal of pressure from the coalition Government and which would have been under pressure from a Labour Government—on where it counts, and in particular on those who are distant from the labour market and who need the best opportunities.
The reform of post-16 education can produce better results for more people. The opportunities for all guarantee is part of that. I would have expected Opposition support for ensuring the effective use of resource and the betterment of our colleges but, alas, the Opposition is always looking backwards.
The minister will be aware of on-going discussions between colleges in Ayrshire and Renfrewshire regarding amalgamation. Will he update us on the progress of those talks and the likely implications for FE colleges in Ayrshire and Renfrewshire?
The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council and the Government published a paper on regionalisation last week. An active discussion is taking place among a range of colleges about how they should take forward the regionalisation agenda.
The exact solutions will depend on the pattern of provision and what those colleges wish to achieve. I had a positive discussion with a group of principals and chairs last night about how regionalisation was moving forward. I encourage every member to talk to their local further education college, to be part of the process of change and to ensure that the resource that we have is applied to the front line of education, and not to the back room.
Common Grazings
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the role of common grazings with regard to the future of crofting. (S4O-00398)
We recognise that common grazings are an important part of crofting and bring economic, environmental and social benefits to the Highlands and Islands. We promote their use through better regulation and financial support. One of the Crofters Commission’s key objectives, in its corporate plan for 2011 to 2014, is to encourage better shared management of common land.
Financial support is provided through the single farm payment and the Scottish rural development programme. The reform of the common agricultural policy will provide the opportunity to look again at how support for common grazings is provided.
With reference to the review of the common agricultural policy and the draft proposals for non-historic direct payments post-2013, unintended consequences of the change could be abandonment and further economic decline. Will the minister agree to work with stakeholders to find a mechanism to ensure that common grazings receive equitable payments per hectare of land managed?
We regard common grazings as an important part of the economy of the Highlands and Islands. There are 921 such grazings. We will see a different kind of oversight through the election of members to the Crofters Commission next year. The appropriate order is before Parliament and I believe that it will be considered in committee shortly.
The minister is aware that the most recent crofting acts put burdens on grazings clerks to report on the crofting activities of other tenants. Will he review that in light of the disharmony that it causes in crofting communities?
It is clear that one of the huge benefits of changing the way in which we manage crofting is that we have good, accurate maps. We are strongly encouraging crofters with a shared interest in the grazings to collaborate on that, and the early feedback is that that approach is working well.