Plenary, 25 Jun 2009

Meeting date: Thursday, June 25, 2009

Official Report 688KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Health and Wellbeing

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Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill (Childhood Smoking)

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill will have on the number of children taking up smoking. (S3O-7526)

Some 15,000 children and young people start to smoke each year in Scotland, and the potential impact on their health is frightening. It is difficult to be precise on the bill's impact on the number of children taking up smoking, but our modest calculations suggest that banning the display of tobacco products alone could result in 700 fewer smokers from the 60,000 children born each year.

Is the minister aware that the number of cigarette brand variants has increased by 44 per cent since overt tobacco advertising was outlawed? Does she agree that that demonstrates that the tobacco industry will seize on any ambiguity that it can find in legislation? Can she assure the Parliament that regulations accompanying the bill regarding cigarette storage in shops will not leave loopholes for the tobacco industry to exploit in its continuing attempts to replace smokers who have passed away as a result of using tobacco products?

Yes. I am aware of those statistics and of the tobacco lobby's constant attempts to recruit new customers for its product. Obviously, the Scottish Government is determined to reduce its opportunity to do that. On regulations on the display of tobacco products, we are working with retailers, particularly small retailers, to find a way that will meet the aims of the policy but not put undue cost burdens on small retailers. The discussions are going very well indeed. We will continue to keep the Parliament informed of the outcome of those discussions.

The bill will not make an impact unless it is enforced. Will the minister ensure that adequate resources will be available to local authorities to ensure that they can test purchase at a level that will prove to be a deterrent to those who would sell to young people?

I am sure that Rhoda Grant is aware that we have already increased the resources substantially, in the shape of £4.5 million over three years for enhanced tobacco sales enforcement. I hope that Rhoda Grant welcomes that, because it is important that, in our partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the local authorities, we continue to make progress on test purchasing and to make progress with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs on tackling illicit sales of tobacco. We have put in the additional resources to enable that to be done; I hope that the member welcomes that.

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National Health Service Volunteer Drivers

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will offer to national health service volunteer drivers to continue to give their time, in light of a reduction in overall mileage rates. (S3O-7561)

The Scottish Government appreciates the tremendous support that volunteers give to the NHS in Scotland. The guidance that we issued in February on the payment of out-of-pocket expenses for volunteers follows the Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs recommendation on the appropriate non-taxable mileage allowance payable to volunteer drivers. That recommends 40p per mile, which covers fuel costs and includes an element to cover motoring costs for the first 10,000 miles in the tax year, and 25p per mile thereafter. In addition to the mileage allowance, the guidance sets out day subsistence rates.

I thank the cabinet secretary for clarifying the amounts.

In my constituency, and in other rural constituencies, there is concern that the impact on volunteers could be quite severe. Drivers will now lose out once they exceed 13,000 miles. For someone travelling between Wishaw general and Leadhills, the round trip is 82 miles. Volunteer drivers play an important role. What else can be done to support them? What will be the impact on the Scottish Ambulance Service if volunteer drivers begin to withdraw their services?

Karen Gillon makes fair points. As I said, we value highly the work of volunteers. Their contribution to the Scottish Ambulance Service in particular is known to all members.

I hope that Karen Gillon appreciates that we have to strike a balance and find a fair system of recompense. That is what we have tried to do with the new guidance. We have tried to ensure that it is fair to volunteer drivers while ensuring that people do not fall into the category of recompense that would incur tax liability. That is why we have followed the HMRC recommendations.

At the previous health and wellbeing question time, I told John Scott that we would keep the implementation and the impact of the guidance under review. It is important to me that volunteers in the national health service, including volunteer drivers, feel valued and are not out of pocket as a result of their contribution.

As Karen Gillon knows, in 2007 we commissioned Volunteer Development Scotland to develop a three-year volunteering strategy. That strategy action plan will be important over the medium to long term, so that we can continue to support volunteers and their excellent contribution.

In written responses to me, the cabinet secretary confirmed that information on the total mileages for individual volunteers, and on the average lengths of their journeys, was not known by the Government. The previous mileage rate was uncapped and was not prejudicial, but the new mileage rate is capped and is prejudicial. I am told that the new policy is not being applied in England and Wales. Will the cabinet secretary reconsider before damage is done to the overall volunteer contingent? After listening to representations from volunteers who do large mileages, I very much fear that damage will be done.

As I said to Karen Gillon, and as I have said to Jackson Carlaw's colleagues before in the chamber, we will keep the issue under review. Despite the valid points that members are raising, I hope that all members appreciate that we all value the contribution of volunteers. Nobody wants volunteers to be discouraged from making their contribution.

I cannot speak about the situation in England and Wales; my responsibility is for the situation here in Scotland. The Government does not hold centrally the information that Jackson Carlaw mentions, but that does not mean that the information is not held at health board level.

We are anxious to ensure that volunteers are properly recompensed for their work and for their out-of-pocket expenses, but we must ensure that they do not incur tax liability. That is why we have followed the HMRC recommendations. All that I can do is repeat again that the Government and the Scottish Ambulance Service will monitor the situation closely. I want to ensure that people in Scotland feel able to volunteer and feel valued.

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Multiple Sclerosis (National Health Service Support)

To ask the Scottish Government what support in the community the national health service provides for people affected by multiple sclerosis. (S3O-7530)

Progressive conditions such as multiple sclerosis require close collaboration at local level between health and social care services. Community health partnerships have a clear role in promoting that integration. That is recognised in our long-term conditions action plan, which was published last week.

The multidisciplinary team model, developed in NHS Tayside, includes a specialist care manager, responsible for assessing the care and welfare needs of people with MS. We would wish other boards and their local planning partners to follow that example.

I thank the minister for her answer. Recently, I met members of the Cumbernauld and district branch of the MS Society, and they informed me of their intention to establish a drop-in centre for local people who are affected by MS. Does the minister agree that that type of initiative has an important role in community support for people with MS and their families? What support might be available to assist with the initiative? Will the minister agree to visit the drop-in centre with me when it is established?

I will be happy to visit the drop-in centre when it is established. It sounds like a good development, and I encourage the group to talk to partners such as the local authority and the local health board about what support is available and about ensuring that services can be integrated. I will be happy to continue to talk to the member about that.

Question 4 is withdrawn.

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In Vitro Fertilisation

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to guarantee that all national health service boards offer three cycles of NHS-funded in vitro fertilisation treatment to those who are eligible. (S3O-7557)

As I indicated to Parliament last month, we are funding Infertility Network Scotland to work with NHS boards across Scotland, concentrating in particular on boards that do not fulfil the recommendations in infertility guidance, including current recommendations on the number of cycles offered to patients.

I am pursuing this question on behalf of constituents of mine who have been critical of the two courses of treatment that they received, feeling that they did not constitute full and fresh treatment. I will pursue the matter with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, but I would be grateful if the minister could indicate the timescale for persuading the health board to deliver three cycles. Such a move would offer some hope to my constituents, who are considering having private treatment that they can ill afford.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde includes in one cycle of treatment the transfer of frozen as well as fresh embryos, which, in effect, means that patients in that health board area receive more chances for treatment than those in the many other areas where boards allow only two fresh transfers and one frozen transfer. I am sure that the member will understand that point.

As far as timescales are concerned, I have already informed Parliament of our intention to establish this summer the expert advisory group on infertility services, which will consider the draft action plan and some of the changes that will be required. As Margaret Curran will acknowledge, these are long-standing problems that were probably not given the attention in the past that they deserved. Indeed, that is why we are moving forward with the expert advisory group. We are very determined to pay attention to those issues and to ensure that people, no matter where they live in Scotland, are not disadvantaged.

Against the background of the work that is being done and, indeed, of Helen Eadie's members' business debate last month, will the minister examine the varying age limits and body mass index levels that are used to exclude women from IVF treatment to ensure that there is a consistent approach across Scotland?

The upper age limit should be 39 years inclusive, which means that, in effect, the woman should not have reached her 40th birthday.

With regard to BMI levels, I have to say that at the moment a woman's weight is not one of the access criteria for infertility treatment. Because clinical decisions are involved, we expect clinicians to follow the relevant clinical guidelines such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on fertility. I am sure that the expert advisory group will be able to consider the issue, but the fact is that, wherever the age limit is drawn, people will still fall outside it. As these matters are finely balanced, we have to seek expert advice. That is why we have set up the group, which will meet over the summer to come up with advice and conclusions for ministers.

Question 6 is withdrawn.

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NHS Grampian (Public Engagement)

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being introduced to encourage engagement between the public and NHS Grampian. (S3O-7522)

Following the commitment that I gave during the stage 3 debate on the Health Boards (Membership and Elections) (Scotland) Bill to undertake alternative pilots at the same time as the direct election pilots, I announced on 17 June that NHS Grampian had been chosen as one of the alternative pilot areas for improving public engagement and involvement.

Given the range of folk in the Grampian area who could contribute to such a pilot, what specific steps might be taken to ensure that it will involve the widest possible range of people?

I am more than happy to discuss such matters with Nigel Don and other members from the Grampian area as we develop the pilot. The two alternative pilots, the second of which will be in NHS Lothian, will take different approaches to improving public engagement. In Grampian, for example, that will involve the number of executive board members being reduced from the current seven to five. It will also involve working with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland to look at different ways in which we can improve the public appointments process, the purpose of which is to encourage a much greater diversity of candidates to come forward for appointment to the health board.

As I said at the start, I am more than happy to continue to discuss the details with Nigel Don and others.

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NHS Dumfries and Galloway (Consultation)

To ask the Scottish Government what the current position is on the independent scrutiny panel reviewing the consultation process in NHS Dumfries and Galloway. (S3O-7495)

The independent scrutiny panel was established to carefully consider NHS Dumfries and Galloway's clinical strategy proposals in advance of the board undertaking formal public consultation. The panel is awaiting a final submission from NHS Dumfries and Galloway to inform its deliberations and I understand that it is expected by the end of June.

Will the cabinet secretary give further clarity on what impact that will have on the likely timescale for what might be rather far-reaching changes to service provision in the region? What role, if any, is there for the Scottish Government in assessing the proposals that come out of the consultation process after the independent scrutiny panel has completed its work?

I thank Professor Frank Clark for the work that he is doing in leading the independent scrutiny panel. Obviously, the timescale for consulting on and then making changes lies with NHS Dumfries and Galloway. The member is aware that following the independent scrutiny panel's conclusions, the board will require to go to formal public consultation, for which the expected timescale is 12 weeks. The purpose of the independent scrutiny panel report is to inform the public during that consultation and to assure them that the assumptions and information that were taken into account by the board in reaching its proposals are robust and accurate.

Derek Brownlee asked about the Government's role. Once all the proposals for major service change have been through the ISP and the public consultation process, they come to me for formal approval or otherwise. As a result, it is probably best that I do not say too much more at this stage about the proposals that are on the table.

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Pharmacies

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the procedures for considering applications for new pharmacies. (S3O-7512)

I announced to Parliament on 21 May our intention to undertake a review beginning this summer, and a formal consultation in the autumn.

I thank the minister for her answer and indeed for the assurances that she gave in the members' business debate last week.

The minister is aware of concerns in my constituency about the reapplication for a pharmacy in Leuchars, where there is currently a dispensing general practitioner practice, which covers the Balmullo and Leuchars communities. The concern is that although the application was rejected both by the local pharmacy committee last December and on appeal by the national appeals panel in May, a fresh application was made quickly afterwards.

I would be grateful for the minister's assurance that NHS Fife will follow the guidance in the new regulations that will come into force on 1 July to have public consultation on that new application and that, when the review takes place, it will look at the issue of reapplications and whether there should be a time bar before new applications can be considered.

I am happy to take up that issue with NHS Fife, which I expect will follow the new procedures on consultation that will come in on 1 July, as the member rightly pointed out.

During the members' business debate on the subject, I think that I gave an assurance that reapplications would be part of the review; I am happy to give that reassurance to the member again.

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Delayed Discharges

To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to ensure that delayed discharges from national health service hospitals are kept to a minimum. (S3O-7517)

The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that no patient is inappropriately delayed in hospital once treatment has been completed. For the second year running, NHS boards, working with their local authority partners, recorded no delays of more than six weeks at the April census point.

Officials are working closely with partnerships to ensure that that position is sustained. The joint improvement team has also provided intensive support to a number of partnerships to help reduce delays.

I congratulate the minister on achieving those standards, but can she assure me that if we have a second wave of swine flu, especially if it is in a more virulent form, any delayed discharges will not have an adverse impact on our hospitals' capacity to deal with it?

The preparations for pandemic flu have been developed over a number of years, and the expectation of what boards will have to do has been well set out. We do not know what the impact will be. We do not know whether there will be a second wave; if there is, we do not know what difficulties and challenges it will mean for the health service. Everything is being done to minimise any disruption to the normal flow of patients. We will have to take it one step at a time, once we know the full scale of any challenge that a second wave might bring.

I thank the minister for the detailed replies—pandemics were what I wanted to address. The reduction from 2,000 delayed discharges to zero last March is excellent, but will the minister ask the joint improvement team to examine the length of time for which individuals are in hospital below the six-week level? The average number of days is creeping up, and in pandemic planning that is clearly very important.

That is something that the joint improvement team, along with partnerships, is addressing. Six weeks is the maximum length of time, and we hope that people will be discharged from hospital as quickly as possible—and, of course, as quickly as is safe. We do not want people to be readmitted unnecessarily.

All of that work is proceeding. As Richard Simpson will acknowledge, people have complex needs in some cases, and it can take more time to ensure that the right services are in place for them. That can sometimes take a little time, and such things must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. We are having active discussions in that regard with our local partners and at a national level.

What is being done to reduce the number of emergency admissions to hospital among elderly people, for whom delays can often lead to a loss of confidence and independence?

Mary Scanlon will be aware that that issue is of great importance to the Scottish Government, and we have already put a lot of effort into reducing the number of emergency admissions. That involves getting services right locally: it is about good local partnership working; having the right home care services to allow someone to remain at home; telehealth; telecare; and ensuring that preventive services are in place.

We will strive to do more around that agenda, as it is critical to reduce the number of unnecessary admissions to hospital. The evidence tells us that, when an elderly person is admitted to hospital, their chances of returning home diminish as they lose their independence, skills and confidence. That is of the highest priority for the Government.

Question 11 was withdrawn.

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Affordable Housing (Consequential Funding)

To ask the Scottish Executive how the consequential funding of £31 million for affordable housing will be allocated among local authority areas. (S3O-7573)

The £31 million of additional funding will be used to accelerate and sustain investment in new housing developments for affordable rent and to kick-start and unblock private developments to help deliver homes for mid-market rent and low-cost ownership. We are maintaining flexibility in the precise allocation of the funding to ensure value for money for Government and to maximise opportunities to meet housing need and to sustain jobs in the construction sector.

I understand the merits of flexibility. Nonetheless, the minister will recall that, when he distributed £25 million in kick-start funding just a couple of months ago, he was unable to find any funding for the £2 million bid for affordable housing from the Aberdeen City Council. Is he aware that a resubmitted bid has been made by the council? Will the minister ensure that, when he comes to make the allocation on this occasion, the real need for affordable housing in Aberdeen will be recognised? Will he ensure that his Government will provide fair and full funding to meet that need?

As the member knows, we are working with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to allocate the rest of the first £25 million that is being made available to kick-start council housing.

That £25 million compares with the zero sum that the previous Administration invested in council housing. The member will be delighted to know that, in addition to any moneys that we make available to Aberdeen City Council to kick-start council housing, this year we are starting a record number of 256 new houses in Aberdeen city, through the housing associations and the Devanha programme.

Will the minister ensure that local authorities such as West Lothian Council, Midlothian Council, Fife Council and Aberdeen City Council, which received a smaller total from the affordable housing investment programme this year than they received last year and which have displayed a good record of building new affordable housing through partnerships, receive a good share of the consequentials? When will the announcement on the division of the consequentials be made?

We will announce decisions on the consequentials fairly soon.

With regard to the specific areas that Mary Mulligan mentioned, we will take into consideration all factors and allocate resources on the basis of need. I was hoping that the member would welcome the fact that this year we are spending a record amount—£675 million—on affordable housing in Scotland, £90 million more than the record under the previous Administration.

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Local Employment Partnerships

To ask the Scottish Government what role it envisages for local employment partnerships between national health service boards and other agencies during the current economic climate. (S3O-7537)

The majority of NHS boards and local authorities have signed or are committed to signing local employment partnership agreements with Jobcentre Plus. I hope that all public sector organisations will work constructively with Jobcentre Plus during the current economic climate and in the future.

I am glad to hear the cabinet secretary recognise the crucial relationship between employment and health. I will give one example of the success that a cross-agency approach to the issue can have. As of March this year, NHS Lanarkshire's pathways to work partnership with Jobcentre Plus had helped 3,000 people to return to work. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the already important role that employment partnerships play in addressing the health and income inequalities that result from decades of neglect of Scotland's poorest communities will become even more crucial in light of the increase in ill health that can be expected to result from rising unemployment caused by Gordon Brown's recession? Will she encourage NHS boards to step up their activities in the area as part of the Government's strategy finally to tackle Scotland's shocking record of health inequality?

I thank Christina McKelvie for raising an important issue. Like all members, I agree that the public sector has a big role to play in helping back into employment those who have traditionally been quite distant from the labour market. The NHS has a proud record in the area, although there is still work to be done.

The member will be aware that, since 2004, NHS Scotland has been developing, funding and implementing a range of pre-employment initiatives in several boards across the country. NHS boards now have well-developed pathways for the provision of pre-employment training and work placements to individuals who have been quite far away from the labour market. The really good news is that, in the majority of cases, the training that NHS boards can give results in sustained employment. At the moment, retention rates are between 70 and 80 per cent. That is good news both for the individuals who are getting the opportunity to work as a result of the programmes and for the NHS, to which those people bring valuable skills.

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Affordable Housing <br />(Single Regional Developers)

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the single regional developer model for affordable housing. (S3O-7568)

Last December we consulted on proposals for reform to our procedures for investing in affordable housing. We received more than 200 responses to the consultation. We have considered them carefully and discussed their implications with stakeholders, including the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and Homes for Scotland. Today I will issue a statement setting out revised proposals for taking forward that agenda.

I thank the minister for that response, although I am not quite sure whether it confirms my understanding of the issue. Perhaps I can probe a little more. After 17 months, which included two consultations that showed significant opposition to the idea of a single developer model and a vote in Parliament opposing it, I understand that the minister has finally said that the policy has been dropped. Perhaps he can confirm that.

When the minister reports in more detail on the issue, will he comment on the impact of that significant change in policy? Will he confirm that the Scottish Government now accepts, in relation to the community-controlled housing association movement, that bigger is not necessarily better, that there are diseconomies of scale as well as economies, and that a one-size-fits-all model makes no sense in relation to housing and community regeneration?

I am surprised that Johann Lamont is not up to date. Last December, when we published this consultation, we said that we did not propose single regional developers and that, in fact, there was the possibility of more than one developer in any one region. We confirm that in a statement today. We will not impose a lead developer on any part of Scotland, although a number of lead developers are, in effect, already operating on a consensual basis, decided from the bottom up in consultation with relevant councils and housing associations. I agree with Johann Lamont that bigger is not always more efficient and that smaller is often the best way forward. We will encourage housing associations the length and breadth of Scotland to become more efficient, irrespective of their size.

Does the minister agree that housing associations are best placed to deliver affordable homes? In view of the fact that by 2030 there will be an estimated 81 per cent increase in people over 85, will he tell me what is being done to allow housing associations to deliver the extra provision needed for the increasing number of elderly clients? For example, what will he do to encourage the very sheltered housing concept that housing associations now envisage?

Jamie McGrigor will be glad to know that, after I leave the chamber, I am having a meeting with the three housing associations that specialise in the provision of housing for the elderly, and I will be having detailed discussions with them on that very point. I agree with Jamie McGrigor that we need to ensure that the right quantity, quality and size of housing is available for our ageing population.

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Mental Health

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent research findings that people materially affected by the recession were up to eight times more likely to have sought treatment for the first time for a mental health problem, what actions it will take to ensure that the current financial crisis does not develop into a mental health crisis. (S3O-7546)

Services are already in place to address the range of mental health problems that may be linked to the recession, including increased access to psychological therapies, the breathing space telephone advice line, self-help materials and medication. We and national health service boards will keep services under review in light of demand.

Will the minister give me her assurance that waiting times for mental health services will be addressed in line with waiting times for other health services?

We are working to develop the waiting time target for children and adolescent mental health services. For the first time, we have begun to make progress with that. The member will agree that that is a good start, given that mental health services did not previously come within the waiting time guarantee. Is there more that we can do? Yes, there is. We will keep those matters under review to see how far we can go. I hope that the member will recognise the Government's commitment to doing so.

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Food Content and Labelling Powers

To ask the Scottish Government what importance for the nation's health it considers that the current powers for making decisions concerning food content and labelling have. (S3O-7527)

This is a complex matter. The Parliament has some powers in relation to food content and labelling, but there are also reserved matters involved.

Has the minister considered the potential effects of the transfer back to Westminster, as proposed by the Calman commission, of on our ability to create a healthy food policy in Scotland?

Transferring any of those powers back to Westminster would be a retrograde step. In fact, it would make more sense for us to have the whole range of those powers at our disposal in Scotland, as I am sure the member agrees.

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Affordable Housing (Borders)

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting the building of affordable housing in the Borders. (S3O-7496)

For this financial year, the Scottish Government is supporting the building of affordable housing in the Scottish Borders with £7.2 million of affordable housing investment programme funding. That is a 29 per cent increase on the budget that was announced last year. The accelerated funding of £1.16 million that the Scottish Government announced last year for the Scottish Borders helped not only a number of local contractors but to provide much-needed additional affordable housing.

There is a great shortage of affordable housing in the Borders and in many other rural communities throughout Scotland, but there is also great frustration in smaller communities about the housing allocation policy. Local people are finding it hard to get accommodation in their own communities. Often, they have to live in inadequate accommodation or move many miles away because of the shortage of local accommodation. That can have a destabilising impact on many small communities. Does the Government plan to do anything to address those concerns?

The member makes a valid point, which relates not only to small communities in rural areas; the difficulties can cause problems in urban areas as well.

We are currently reviewing the allocations guidance that we issue to local authorities jointly with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. We hope to consult on that guidance later this year. I hope that the member will feed into that review so that we can take into account any particular problems that small communities in rural areas face.

Given the difficulties that people are experiencing in accessing mortgages and the particularly high demand for rented accommodation, what proportion of affordable housing investment in the Borders should be for housing for rent rather than for low-cost home ownership?

We do not plan on the basis of a fixed percentage of investment for housing for rent or home ownership, particularly because some of the programmes that we operate are very flexible—they give as much choice as possible to the person who is seeking a house. Obviously, the shared equity programme operates in the Borders and elsewhere, and there is investment in housing for rent. The key points are that the mix should be determined by demand and need in the area rather than by a formula or share that we allocate nationally, and that we meet as far as possible the need and demand for the different types of low-cost provision not only in the Borders but throughout Scotland.

The minister will be aware of the forward-looking relationships that all of the registered social landlords in the Borders have. Earlier this year, Mr Lamont and I met the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing to discuss the best way forward to deliver social housing in the Borders. Will the minister confirm that a single developer model will not be put in place in the Borders and that an approach that involves the Borders consortium of housing associations working closely with developers, the private sector and the council will be permitted to proceed? That would be a positive way forward.

We will not only permit that approach—we will encourage it. Obviously, the arrangement in the Borders is proving to be successful just as similar but not identical arrangements in many other parts of Scotland are proving to be effective in delivering affordable housing. I am delighted to endorse Mr Purvis's comments.

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National Health Service Dentists <br />(Aberdeen South)

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of adults and of children in the Aberdeen South parliamentary constituency are registered with an NHS dentist. (S3O-7514)

At 31 December 2008, 30.8 per cent of children and 15.3 per cent of adults were registered with a national health service dentist in the Aberdeen South parliamentary constituency. A new four-dentist NHS practice is due to open shortly in the south of Aberdeen city. The dentists in that practice intend to register between 3,000 and 6,000 patients under NHS arrangements, which will increase the percentage of people who are registered with an NHS dentist in Aberdeen South.

The figure for children who are registered in Aberdeen South appears to be fewer than one in three, and the figure for adults is fewer than one in six. Can the minister confirm that those are some of the worst figures not only in Scotland but in the entire United Kingdom? Is there a target for improving that situation during the current session of Parliament? If not, will the minister urgently consider introducing one?

The situation has, of course, not suddenly occurred during the past two years. As Nicol Stephen was a minister in the previous Executive, I would have thought that he would recognise the long-standing problems of access to NHS dentistry in certain parts of Scotland, including in his own constituency.

We recognise the problems, and we have been working extremely hard to increase the number of dentists, which we have achieved. I hope that the member welcomes the fact that we have delivered the Aberdeen dental school on time and that it is working well. There is more to do, and we will continue to work with the profession to ensure that access to NHS dentistry improves throughout Scotland. I hope that the member welcomes that and will work with us to achieve it.