Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, March 25, 2010

Official Report 1173KB pdf

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Scottish Executive Question Time

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Justice and Law Officers

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Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service

1. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the chief fire officer of Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service. (S3O-10047)

The minister will be aware that Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service purchased two combined aerial platform appliances several years ago, at a cost of some £450,000 each. Since their day of purchase, the appliances have never been operational, due to very serious defects within them. When they are loaded with water and crewed up, they are actually overweight for use on roads in the United Kingdom.

Serious failings were made in how the vehicles were procured. I know that other fire authorities have purchased similar vehicles and have experienced the same problems, and some fire services continue to purchase the appliances.

Given the serious problems that have occurred with the vehicles in the course of the procurement process and given the considerable amount of taxpayers’ money involved, does the minister agree that there is a need for a very thorough investigation to consider how the mistakes in the procurement of the appliances were made?

My colleague is correct to state that the two appliances that were bought by Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service have not met operational standards since they were purchased in 2005. The Central service is still considering options to resolve the situation, including redesigning or scrapping the vehicles. Decisions on how to proceed are for Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service, not the Scottish Government.

Audit Scotland has recently reviewed the processes that have been deployed by services throughout Scotland in purchasing combined aerial rescue pumps—or CARPs. It concluded:

“subject to some initial difficulties, most services where the appliances are now fully operational report that they are fit for purpose and that they are delivering expected benefits”.

If Mr Matheson or others have further representations to make about individual appliances, I will of course be happy to give them full and due consideration.

Does the minister have any plans to meet the chief fire officers of Strathclyde and services throughout Scotland following the publication of the new policy statement by the Health and Safety Executive and fire and rescue services, which includes a set of principles about the balance between firefighters’ operational and health and safety duties? Can he confirm if and when further guidance, which is referred to in the foreword of that statement, will be issued? What input will the minister have, given the problems with the implementation of the health and safety regulations, which I highlighted both during the parliamentary debate on 12 November 2009 and in the course of my subsequent meeting with the minister last week?

I last met Steven Torrie, chief fire officer of Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service, on 21 September 2009. Steven retires shortly, and I am sure that many members will wish to join me in thanking him for his commitment and professionalism during his three years as chief fire officer in Central, and for his 35 years as a firefighter. I will be meeting the new chief fire officer for Central, Kenny Taylor, on 29 March.

I have no specific date arranged to meet Brian Sweeney, the chief officer of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue. However, I expect to meet him within the next few weeks—I hope that the meeting will take place.

I think Margaret Mitchell said that the statement to which she referred was a new statement. It was indeed issued recently, but its content, as I understand it, essentially restates the principle of how the fire and rescue service operates and how health and safety operates within it.

I emphasise the role that common sense plays in the context of carrying out rescues, where clear command and control structures are required. I will certainly bear those issues in mind. I indeed met the member recently to discuss these issues, and I am always happy to consider any specific issue that members may have in this regard.

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Victims and Witnesses (Rights and Protection)

Does the cabinet secretary share my view that victims often feel that they are the forgotten people in the Scottish criminal justice system? Does he support Victim Support Scotland’s call for the creation of a victims commissioner? If so, will he and his party support my proposed commissioner for victims and witnesses (Scotland) bill?

2. To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to expand the rights of and protection for victims and witnesses. (S3O-10000)

The Scottish Government has promoted the interests of victims and witnesses by providing record funding of more than £4 million a year to Victim Support Scotland, introducing victim statements, extending the victim notification scheme and fully implementing the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004. The Scottish Government is working on proposals to further enhance the rights of victims and is about to undertake a comprehensive review of support for witnesses.

We accept that there is a journey to be travelled and recognise that, in Scotland, victims have been the forgotten people in the system. That issue was flagged up, quite correctly, by the current Lord Advocate when she served as Solicitor General for Scotland in the previous Administration. Significant progress has been made by my predecessor and by this Administration.

We will consider and take a view on the victims commissioner proposal when Mr Stewart’s bill is published. In a world of limited resources, we will have to decide whether to put significant funding into front-line services or into an edifice and a tsar.

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Police Numbers (Highlands and Islands)

3. To ask the Scottish Government what the increase in officers on the beat in the Highlands and Islands has been in the last three years. (S3O-10054)

I note the member’s concerns. His name was mentioned when I met the new chief executive of CrossReach, the Church of Scotland organisation that deals with alcohol.

I can comment only from a police perspective, as such matters are decided on by the local alcohol and drugs partnership. Beechwood house offered a maximum of only four beds. Any additional numbers had to be accommodated at Burnett Road police station in Inverness. It is expected that there will be a small increase in the number of people who will have to be accommodated by the police, but their care will be the responsibility of dedicated custody staff, who will be supported by NHS Highland staff, where appropriate. It is not anticipated that the new arrangements, which are still under development, will result in any front-line officers being diverted from their operational duties. However, I understand the member’s concerns, and I can confirm that they were shared by CrossReach when it met me.

The Highlands and Islands is covered by the Northern Constabulary police area. In March 2007, Northern Constabulary had 707 police officers, thanks in part to this Government’s commitment to have 1,000 extra officers on the beat in our communities across Scotland. There are now 793 officers in Northern, which represents an increase of 86.

That is a welcome increase in the number of bobbies on the beat, but I am concerned that a recent decision to close the Beechwood house designated place in Inverness will have the effect of reducing that number, by diverting resources to a duty that police officers are ill equipped to perform. Is the Cabinet Secretary for Justice satisfied that suitable alternative arrangements are in place to minimise the diversion of bobbies from the beat to look after the 900 drunk and incapable people who used Beechwood house designated place last year, and who may now end up in the cells?

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Knife Crime (Lothian and Borders)

Yes, I recognise the debt of gratitude that we owe to Strathclyde Police, and to Lothian and Borders constabulary here in the east. Those who are a danger to our communities, who carry knives and who have a propensity to use them should be dealt with firmly and severely.

As I said to David Whitton, I welcome the fact that more of those who are caught are being convicted, and that more of those who are convicted of a serious offence are going to prison, and going for longer. However, I ask Mr Aitken, as convener of the Justice Committee, to reflect on the written and oral evidence that he has received—for example, from the chief constable of Strathclyde, who is opposed to mandatory sentences, and from the chief superintendent who is head of the violence reduction unit, and who argues in his written evidence to the Justice Committee that mandatory sentences not only are not a good thing, but would be counterproductive.

I ask those who are currently engaged in a bidding war in relation to mandatory sentences—we have heard six months from the Labour Party, two years from the Tory party and four years from the Labour candidate in Glasgow North East—to reflect on the issue and to listen to the experts, such as the chief constables, the head of the violence reduction unit and the prison officers and governors, and to realise that such sentences are counterproductive.

4. To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce knife crime in the Lothian and Borders area. (S3O-10002)

The Scottish Government is working with the police-led violence reduction unit to tackle violence across Scotland. Lothian and Borders Police undertakes a variety of activities to reduce knife crime, which range from work in secondary schools to highlight the dangers of getting involved with knives to the deployment of Scottish Government-funded Ferroguard metal detectors to keep city and town centres safe.

I am pleased to say that there has been an 11 per cent reduction in crimes involving offensive weapons in Lothian and Borders since 2006-07. That should come as no surprise, given the record numbers of police officers on the streets, the record investment in activities for young people through the cashback for communities initiative and the record investment in the violence reduction unit to address the causes of violent offending. I am sure that the member will join me in thanking the chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police and, indeed, every police officer in the force for their tireless work.

I certainly join the cabinet secretary in thanking the police for their work.

I understand that in a newsletter in his constituency in 2008, Mr MacAskill said that the prevalence of knife crime was a problem for the west coast rather than the east coast, so how does he explain last year’s 21 per cent increase in knife crime in the Lothian and Borders area? Does he agree that one way of tackling the issue might be to introduce mandatory jail sentences for knife carriers instead of letting them off scot free?

I am astounded at the concept that knife carriers are being let off scot free. Knife crime is down in Lothian and Borders, as it is elsewhere. Mr Whitton seems to be mixing that up with the fact that convictions are up, which is a good thing, because we wish those who are caught to be convicted and not to get off scot free.

Mr Whitton should welcome the fact that more people who are caught with knives are being convicted, and are going to prison and going for longer but, overall, fewer people are being caught, because fewer people are carrying knives. That does not mean that we do not still have a significant way to travel. However, the homicide rate in Glasgow is the lowest recorded in 10 years; in Edinburgh it is the lowest recorded in 20 years; and overall recorded crime in the whole of Scotland is the lowest recorded in 30 years.

Knife crime affects all of Scotland, but if Mr Whitton thinks that it is uniform throughout the country, he should get out more. There are significant problems in some areas of Edinburgh but, just as there is a greater problem in Craigmillar than there is in Duddingston, it is not rocket science to work out that the problem is worse in the west of Scotland than it is in Shetland or Orkney.

Does the cabinet secretary agree that particular praise is due to Strathclyde Police for the various innovations that it has introduced that have made a significant impact on knife crime? Does he share my view that the problem will be drastically curtailed only if those who carry knives appreciate that they face almost inevitable custody following conviction?

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Parades (Strathclyde)

5. To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council, Strathclyde Police Authority and march organisers regarding parades in the Strathclyde area during 2010. (S3O-9968)

I met Glasgow City Council on 3 March and 9 March to discuss parades in the city. No discussions have been held with Strathclyde Police Authority, but the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland was involved in the meeting on 9 March, as was the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, North Lanarkshire Council and the Scottish Trades Union Congress. I met the Orange order on 16 March and am due to meet Cairde na h’Eireann in April.

The meetings have been valuable in establishing dialogue about the economic and social impact of parades, particularly in the west of Scotland. There is general agreement that people need to work together to ensure that parades do not have a negative impact on communities.

I thank the minister for his detailed answer. He will be aware that Glasgow City Council has signalled its intent to reduce the number of marches and parades that are held in the city, which has far and away the largest number of any local authority in Scotland, and nearly three times as many as Edinburgh, particularly during the summer months. He will also be aware that in the wider Strathclyde area, the cost of policing marches last summer alone came to £1.8 million, which is not an insubstantial sum.





Given those facts, will the minister give the chamber an assurance that his Government will support the city council in its efforts? Will he give a further assurance that he will continue to meet personally the council, the police authority and march organisers to discuss these serious issues?

Yes, I am happy to give Bill Butler an assurance that I will continue to work with everyone to seek to achieve the objective of reducing the impact of marches and parades on our country. That impact is felt by communities and in city centres, with disruption to both business and personal activity, and is most obviously borne by the police. As Mr Butler stated, last year the burden on the police was substantial—the figure that I have is £1.7 million—and in 2008-09 more than 1,000 events took nearly 50,000 police hours. Those 50,000 police hours could have been devoted to policing other activities in other areas in other ways. I want to develop the matter on a cross-party basis and I give this undertaking to all members: after I have finished the round of meetings to which I referred, which might take a couple of months, I will seek to have informal meetings with parties across the chamber to try to establish and maintain a cross-party, non-partisan approach to achieving the objective of reducing the impact of marches and parades on Scotland.

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Cashback for Communities (Lothians)

6. To ask the Scottish Government how young people in the Lothians region are benefiting from the third round of the cashback for communities scheme. (S3O-10049)

How is the scheme contributing to increasing youth amenities in deprived areas?

A total of more than £0.5 million in cashback for communities funding has been awarded to 64 youth organisations throughout the Lothians including in Craigmillar, Tranent, Gorebridge and Blackburn. Some of the areas are included because of their socieconomic nature and some because they tend to be in high-crime areas. The work ties in with that being done through the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Rugby Union in partnership with others. There must be a requirement to ensure that those areas that are most blighted by criminality and where the kids have the fewest life chances are given additional funding. Equally, we are certain that there should be no postcode lottery and that kids from other areas should also have the opportunity to be all that they can be.

The third round of the cashback for communities scheme, announced in December last year for the local authority areas of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian, resulted in grant funding by Youthlink Scotland of more than £148,000 to 33 projects, benefiting 5,980 children and youths.

The schemes being funded are varied and across all four of the local authority areas. They range from providing respite for 30 young carers in Broomhouse to evening street hockey sessions in Loanhead. Those are just a few good examples of how we are turning the gains of criminals’ illegal assets, their cash and possessions into meaningful, community-driven projects.

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Community Safety

Is the minister aware that the Labour-Tory-run East Dunbartonshire Council has announced that it will be slashing the community safety budget by 63 per cent, which will damage the reputation that has been built up in recent years by the community safety team? Does the minister agree that those cuts in the community safety budget, which involve reducing the number of community support officers from 10 to three, could jeopardise public safety? Therefore, does he agree that the Labour-Tory coalition would be better suited to listen to David Whitton who, in his 2007 election leaflet, argued for a doubling of the number of community wardens?

7. To ask the Scottish Government what measures it has put in place to enhance the role of community safety in Scotland. (S3O-10051)

Through the national community safety strategic group, the Scottish Government regularly discusses challenges and opportunities faced by the community safety sector with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers and other partners.

We make information and support available to local partners to help them in setting strategic priorities, including those set out in “Promoting Positive Outcomes: Working Together to Prevent Antisocial Behaviour in Scotland”, the national antisocial behaviour review. We also offer direct support by funding national community safety organisations and the safer communities and safer streets programmes to tackle issues that are important to our communities.

The member will have more up-to-date information than I have about the activities in that area, and I must confess that I have not had the opportunity to make a study of Mr Whitton’s election literature—

A fine publication.

And I have no plans so to do.

What I can say—and I hope that members will take this matter seriously—is that the setting and resourcing of local priorities are and must be matters for local authorities. I recently discussed challenges and opportunities in community safety with Jim Neill, the national community safety adviser, and I asked him to look into the issues and to report back to me. Community planning encourages partners to work together for the good of their communities, and I hope that members will agree that serving the best interests of communities must be our priority.

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Rural Affairs and Environment

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Integrated Maritime Policy

The first steps towards an integrated maritime policy for Scotland have been achieved through the recent enactment of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, which received royal assent on 10 March. The marine planning provisions are key elements of that act, and will allow us to manage the competing demands on marine resources more effectively. The fishing industry and all those with an interest in the sea will be able to participate in the preparation of the national and regional marine plans.

1. To ask the Scottish Government what steps the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is taking to ensure an integrated maritime policy for Scotland that will successfully integrate and secure the future of both the fishing industry and the growing number of new North Sea economic activities and initiatives. (S3O-10056)

I congratulate the Scottish Government on its success in the creation of new industries that are harnessing Scotland’s environmental advantages in wind and water power and supplying energy resources and skills to power Scotland’s economic future. However, will the cabinet secretary also ensure that that enormous boost to Scotland’s economy will be created in harmony with Scotland’s traditional renewable marine activities, for the maximum benefit of all those whose livelihoods depend on Scotland’s coastal and marine environment?

Mr Welsh makes a good point. He rightly highlights the need to balance all the interests in our seas in the years ahead. That is the primary purpose of the marine plan, which has a strong planning dimension to it to ensure that we can balance the competing interests. It is important that people in our traditional sectors who make their living from the sea can continue with their operations and make their livelihoods at the same time as those in our newer sectors come on board, particularly in renewable energy. The plan is at the heart of the debate on how we balance those interests, so that everyone can sit around the same table, look at our seas and how we can use them productively and sustainably, and ensure that everyone gets their fair share of their use.

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Recycling (Glasgow)

Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council officials continue to work together to improve recycling services, and we expect future discussions to give greater emphasis to commercial waste.

The minister will be aware that John Crawford of Glasgow Caledonian University’s environment centre recently raised concerns that a significant amount of non-municipal waste is exempt from the current environmental regulations as recycling targets in Scotland do not apply to refuse collected by private contractors. What action is being taken to ensure that any progress towards meeting Scottish Government recycling targets is not misleading, as most commercial waste is collected by private contractors and therefore not included in the figures?

I call Sarah Boyack, and remind her that this is a question on Glasgow City Council

The minister made the case for targets for non-municipal waste. Does he agree that it would make more sense for councils such as Glasgow City Council to be able to plan intelligently to deal with domestic and non-domestic waste at the same time? Will he set a target for the publication of the national waste plan for zero waste? Does he have a date for that yet?

Bill Aitken raises an important issue, and I agree with the sentiments behind the question and those echoed by the chap he referred to.

We have the zero waste plan, which we are going to publish in the next month or two. As members will be aware, we have already given a commitment to have a new emphasis on all waste in that plan. That is why we are saying that we want a zero waste Scotland and why I hope that the Parliament will get behind the concept. It is not zero household waste; it is zero waste Scotland. There will therefore be a much greater emphasis on commercial and non-municipal waste, because 85 per cent of our waste in Scotland comes from the commercial and industrial sectors, compared with the 15 per cent that is household waste, which has had all the attention in recent years in recycling targets.

Bill Aitken and the chap he referred to both make a perfectly valid argument, and I hope that Bill Aitken will take part in the debate on the zero waste plan that we hope to have in the next few weeks.

The cabinet secretary will be aware that, courtesy of record Scottish Government funding, Glasgow City Council plans to invest £135 million in new large-scale waste and recycling facilities, which is just as well, given that Glasgow currently sits at the bottom of the recycling league in Scotland. What non-financial support, such as advisory and procurement support, will the Scottish Government give to Glasgow City Council?

2. To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with representatives of Glasgow City Council regarding the recycling of non-municipal waste. (S3O-10012)

The Scottish Government has long recognised the specific challenges that face Glasgow in its efforts to meet some of Scotland’s recycling targets. As Anne McLaughlin says, Glasgow sits at the bottom of the recycling league in Scotland, and if Scotland’s biggest city cannot make substantial progress that will hamper our ability to achieve our national targets and move towards becoming a zero waste country.

We need a zero waste Glasgow, and bespoke advice has been given to Glasgow City Council on issues around waste management. I am pleased to note that the council is now taking its responsibilities seriously and is planning a £135 million investment in waste treatment facilities, which the member mentioned.

As I have said, we hope to publish the zero waste plan in the next couple of months, and I hope that Parliament will have an opportunity to respond to the recent consultation and to have a say on the contents of the final plan in the next few weeks.

Sarah Boyack raises a sensible point. As a former minister with responsibility for the environment, she will be well aware that, in the past, the focus was on household recycling. Now, however, I think that we have a degree of cross-party agreement that we must shift the emphasis to all waste, including the 85 per cent of waste that is commercial and industrial waste.

I agree that there are advantages for city councils such as Glasgow if they adopt a more holistic approach to waste in their planning. Perhaps the debate on targets has not yet concluded. It is at the heart of our deliberations around the zero waste plan.

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Illegal Waste Disposal

The Scottish Government funds the flycapture project, which is a national database for recording fly-tipping incidents. Flycapture is available free of charge to all Scottish local authorities, and 28 local authorities are signed up to it at present. Local authorities and other duty bodies maintain information about littering within their areas.

What measures are being contemplated by the Scottish Executive to reduce the illegal—although not always regarded as such—disposal of hazardous and poisonous waste, such as domestic chemicals, batteries and asbestos, which has dangerous consequences? In most continental countries, such items are classified as special waste and treated as a chemical problem.

I know that Professor Christopher Harvie has fantastic knowledge of all things German and I am intrigued to find out more about Germany’s special waste policies.

We recognise that some waste is more hazardous and dangerous than other waste. We have implemented a number of European regulations on, for example, the collection of batteries, which Christopher Harvie mentioned.

If Christopher Harvie has in mind any specific lessons that we could learn from what is happening in other countries, which the Scottish Government is always keen to do, he should write to me. However, there is already a lot of legislation on dealing with such waste, and I will happily write to him with some information on that.

3. To ask the Scottish Executive what data are available documenting and evaluating the environmental impact of illegal waste disposal and littering in Scotland. (S3O-10042)

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“Inquiry into Future Support for Agriculture in Scotland: The Interim Report”

I assure Liam McArthur and his Orkney constituents that there is clear recognition that there must be direct, continuing support for the most disadvantaged areas of Scotland. Whether that support is delivered through future LFASS arrangements, as I am sure it will be, and to whatever extent it is reflected in future direct support from Brussels, which remains to be seen, it is clear that distance from markets, the climate and many other factors should influence the degree to which farmers are supported.

A debate is taking place in Europe about the future of less favoured area payments. All the signs that I see suggest that Scotland is comfortable in that debate, because almost all of Scotland would be covered by the criteria that might be laid down by Europe, albeit that there might be some arguments about some of the margins on the mainland. Of course, when we pay out the fund within Scotland, we have our own influence over which parts of Scotland get which rates. I assure Orkney’s farmers that their location and the challenges that our island communities face will continue to be at the forefront of our minds.

4. To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the National Farmers Union Scotland regarding the “Inquiry into Future Support for Agriculture in Scotland: The Interim Report”. (S3O-10005)

I declare an interest, as I am a farmer.

The NFUS has submitted its formal written response to the inquiry. There have been informal discussions with the NFUS on the subject of the inquiry—indeed, yesterday, I met the president and chief executive of the NFUS, and it was one of the many subjects that we discussed.

The procedure for the Pack inquiry is that stakeholders send their views directly to Brian Pack, who will make recommendations to Government.

The cabinet secretary will be aware that, elsewhere in the European Union, discussions on the future of the common agricultural policy are focused on future budgets, discussions about activity, and a thematic approach to post 2013. What discussions has he had with his opposite numbers in member states such as Ireland, France or Poland to find out their views on the matter? Does he agree that we in Scotland are perhaps a little too prematurely engrossed in the minutiae and details of future schemes that might or might not be deliverable in the wider EU context?

I assure the member that, when I attend agriculture councils, I take every opportunity to raise such issues in the margins with my fellow ministers from other EU member states. As the next few months go by and the European Commission’s proposals become clearer, we will want to seek to influence them even more. That means that we will need to have even more discussions with other agriculture ministers to seek to influence their views and, of course, to get Scotland’s message across at the same time.

On whether the Pack inquiry is premature, that is certainly not the view of Scotland’s farming community. The public meetings that Brian Pack has held throughout Scotland have attracted literally thousands of farmers. They have been a huge success and there has been a huge degree of interest, understandably, in the future of Scotland’s agriculture policy. There is general consensus, which I hope the member shares, that Scotland should be leading the debate. Given the importance of agriculture to Scotland, we should determine as quickly as possible the most important principles that Scotland should follow in future agriculture policy. We should determine what is best for Scotland and, once we have the ammunition, take the argument to the European Commission and to other member states, as the member suggests.

The cabinet secretary will be aware that, in the discussions on the future of single farm payments, there has also been considerable interest in the future direction of less favoured area support scheme payments. Does he agree that future LFASS criteria will be crucial to sustaining agricultural activity in remote and rural communities such as Orkney? What assurances can he give farmers and crofters in my constituency that the particular disadvantages that are faced by those in island areas—particularly in smaller, outlying areas that lie two ferry journeys away from their key markets—will be fully reflected in the criteria that are set for both LFASS and single farm payments?

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Farming (Regulatory Burden)

Progress has been made on a number of fronts. The Scottish Government has rationalised the number of inspections and continues to encourage proportionate auditing of the common agricultural policy so that regulation is appropriate to the risk. Scotland’s environmental and rural services partnership continues to improve the experience of service delivery for farmers and other rural land managers. Since its launch at the Royal Highland Show in 2008, SEARS has rationalised inspection activity, reduced charges, tackled bureaucracy, listened to customers and improved access to services. However, I accept that we should not rest on our laurels, as there is a lot more to be done.

5. To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in reducing the regulatory burden on farmers. (S3O-10010)

I thank the minister for that encouraging response. In 2007, the Scottish Government made a firm commitment to a policy of one in, one out when it comes to regulations on farming. Can the minister tell us how many new regulations have been introduced since 2007 and how many have disappeared?

As the member will be aware, given the CAP and European Union regulations it is often difficult to keep up to date with the number of regulations that we have to implement in Scotland as we take forward some of these policies. However, I hope that I can assure the member that we have delivered on our promise to tackle red tape and bureaucracy where that is within our control. Of course, we are also continuing to try to influence external forces. As I said in my opening answer, there are many examples of the progress that we have made.

That said, I take the member’s point. There is a lot more to be done and we have to continue to make our arguments, in particular to the European Union, given that a lot of the more nonsensical regulations that we get come from EU policy.

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Commonwealth Games 2014 (Environment)

6. To ask the Scottish Executive what opportunities the 2014 Commonwealth games provide to promote environmentally beneficial measures. (S3O-9985)

I thank the member for his comments. I know that he has been very interested in the games’ long-term benefits, particularly for his own constituents. Of course, the village itself, which, as he knows, will be built on mainly vacant and derelict land, will provide a transformation. The Government and its partners are also involved in a number of other projects to encourage people’s connection with the environment. I do not know how many of those projects the member is aware of, but they include work by the Forestry Commission on planting an arboretum and creating in and around Glasgow a network of Commonwealth community forests that will focus on areas of economic deprivation. There will also be work to improve walkway and riverbank access to the Clyde. If the member is concerned that certain specific areas are not being worked on in the way that he would like, he should write to me and I will attempt to get back to him with more detailed information.

The 2014 Commonwealth games provide an excellent opportunity to promote environmentally beneficial measures, and the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council are working together with our games delivery partners to deliver environmental benefits both during the games and afterwards. In particular, the games can act as a catalyst for the regeneration of large parts of the east end of Glasgow. In addition, the 2014 environmental forum continues to provide advice to and to challenge the 2014 games partners on the games’ sustainability and environmental aspects.

I support the measures that the minister highlighted in her response. A key benefit of the games will be the opportunity to transform the visual environment, and one way of doing that will be to engage local communities. What processes are being put in place to ensure that local residents, who for generations have had to live with former industrial sites and blighted land, enjoy a visual transformation that is fit for and worthy of the 2014 Commonwealth games?

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Flood Protection (Aberdeenshire)

Last month, officials had a brief telephone discussion about the council’s plans for proposed measures at Fettercairn.

I am sorry, but you must ask your question.

—but not the Carron. Will the system be rolled out to ensure that flood risks are dealt with on more rivers?

SEPA is working with Aberdeenshire Council to see what can be achieved on the River Carron. It is difficult to make predictions for very small catchment areas such as the Carron, but SEPA has advised that a number of measures might be able to be put in place to help the situation, and I am happy to tell the member about them.

As the member knows, the Government has taken the view that setting up an independent inquiry is not required. A very wide-ranging review has taken place with all those involved in the aftermath of the floods, which we feel will be more effective in changing ways of responding to such incidents than the kind of inquiry the member has asked for. However, lessons are being learned. Indeed, as each incident takes place, we learn more lessons and try to apply them to future incidents.

7. To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with Aberdeenshire Council on the development of flood prevention measures. (S3O-9964)

The minister will be aware that, in the aftermath of last November’s flooding in Stonehaven, there were calls for an independent inquiry into how the emergency had been dealt with and the preparedness of local authorities and other agencies to deal with the situation. What progress has been made in establishing such an inquiry? How will it be demonstrated that lessons will be learned from the incident?

I ask Maureen Watt to keep her question very, very brief.

I am sure that the minister will join me in warmly welcoming the launch at the start of the month of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s new flood detection and warning system in the north-east. The system will affect the Don, the Dee and the Deveron—