East Ayrshire Council (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when it last met East Ayrshire Council and what matters were discussed. (S4O-04508)
Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of all Scottish local authorities, including East Ayrshire Council, to discuss a wide range of issues as part of our commitment to working in partnership with local government to improve outcomes for the people of Scotland.
I thank the minister for that answer. In light of the Scottish Government’s commitment to undertake an inquiry into historical child abuse, does the minister welcome the progress that has been made on implementing the standards for residential childcare, recognising the clear link between a qualified workforce, safe care and better outcomes for looked-after children in East Ayrshire and elsewhere in Scotland?
I welcome the progress that has been made so far to implement the residential childcare level 9 qualification, which was introduced by Aileen Campbell in 2014. The qualification will be phased in from 2016, with an expectation that all existing workers will be qualified to that level within 10 years.
We are working actively with the centre for excellence for looked after children in Scotland, and the Scottish Social Services Council is working actively with the sector, to make that happen. There is broad support for the initiative, which recognises the very positive impact that a qualified workforce will have on outcomes for our looked-after children.
Neurological Alliance of Scotland (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the recent ministerial meeting with member organisations of the Neurological Alliance of Scotland. (S4O-04509)
I met representatives of the Neurological Alliance of Scotland on 18 June 2015. At that meeting, I reiterated that I welcome proposals from the Neurological Alliance as to how it can be involved in improving services for people with a neurological condition. I have asked officials to follow up that offer with the Neurological Alliance.
I thank the minister for that response. The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Sport said this morning that she wanted to put the voluntary sector centre stage, so why is the minister ignoring the views of every single neurological voluntary organisation in Scotland, including MND Scotland—which I know the cabinet secretary and the First Minister respect very much—and the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre Lothian in my constituency, of which I am patron? Indeed, it is not just those organisations that he is ignoring. Will he listen to the Scottish Neurosciences Council and to the managed service network for neurosurgery, which has praised the neurological voices group that the Neurological Alliance established?
Why will the minister not use a mere £35,000 of the £210,000 that I am sure he will mention in his next answer to maintain the Neurological Alliance? Does he want Scotland to be the only country in the United Kingdom that does not have a neurological alliance?
Let me be clear. I do not want Scotland to be the only country in the United Kingdom that does not have a neurological alliance. The Scottish Government has not withdrawn funding from the Neurological Alliance; the funding that had been agreed has ended. I accept that that may be a moot point—[Interruption.]
Order.
The important point is that such funding is for a specific time period, and that time period has ended.
However, as Malcolm Chisholm pointed out, £210,000 has been set aside to support work that will improve outcomes for people with a neurological condition. That is a significant increase on funding for similar purposes from last year, and I would presume that members across the chamber would welcome that. However, I did not hear Malcolm Chisholm welcome that significant increase in funding, which is in addition to the range of other funding that we have.
The Scottish Government is in regular conversation with members of the neurological community to ensure that any funding is spent to best effect. The money is available for project support to improve outcomes for people with a neurological condition. The Neurological Alliance could benefit from that, and that is exactly what I committed to my officials discussing with the alliance in due course.
Police Scotland (Professional Standards)
To ask the Scottish Government when it last discussed Police Scotland’s professional standards with the chief constable. (S4O-04510)
I meet regularly with the chief constable to discuss a range of issues regarding Police Scotland. Professional standards are a matter for the designated deputy chief constable.
I thank the cabinet secretary for his reply. Following reports that the chief constable of Police Scotland has criticised the ruling of a sheriff relating to the trial of a police officer last year, does the cabinet secretary agree that the chief constable should respect the independent role of Scotland’s judiciary?
Any complaint about the chief constable would have to be investigated by the Scottish Police Authority’s complaint and conduct sub-committee. That would be the appropriate body to investigate any concerns that have been raised about the chief constable’s conduct in the matter.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of the low morale in Police Scotland at this time. Has he discussed that with the chief constable? How does he propose that that should be addressed, given the importance of a highly motivated police force to the people of Scotland?
I discussed morale with the chief constable in the past half hour. Police Scotland is taking forward a survey of its staff’s view of how Police Scotland is performing and the areas in which performance can be improved. Once Police Scotland has the results of that survey, it will look at how it can improve and address some of the issues and concerns that the staff raise.
I am sure that the member will recognise that any major organisation that goes through a period of significant restructuring will see an impact on staff morale. Police Scotland and the chief constable have been clear with me that they are determined to address the issue. The first survey of its type in relation to Police Scotland will be published later this year and will help to take that work forward.
Food Poverty (Mid Scotland and Fife)
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address food poverty in Mid Scotland and Fife. (S4O-04511)
The Scottish Government is doing what it can with the resources and powers that it has to tackle poverty and food poverty. From 2013-14 to 2015-16, we are investing around £296 million in anti-poverty measures to mitigate the impact of welfare reform, which the Trussell Trust has suggested is a contributory factor in the increasing demand for food banks. That funding includes our £1 million emergency food action plan to help to combat food poverty in Scotland. The funding also supports 26 projects across 17 local authority areas, including in Mid Scotland and Fife.
Today’s “Poverty in Scotland” statistics show that 22 per cent of children—210,000 children—in Scotland remain in relative poverty after housing costs, and many of their families seek support from food banks. It is a year since the Scottish Government launched its emergency food fund. The minister mentioned Mid Scotland and Fife. How much support went to organisations in Fife? How much money will be available to the fund in the coming year?
I am aware of two projects in Fife and Clackmannanshire that receive money from the fund. The East Neuk Recovery Group Initiative receives funding, and funding was awarded to The Gate.
We want to address the issues that cause food poverty. The report from the Trussell Trust recommends that the actions that we require to take to reduce poverty include increasing people’s benefits and income. That is what we propose to do and is why we have launched the consultation on the new social security power. The fairer Scotland consultation is a nationwide consultation to look at how we can address the issue because we cannot just mitigate, mitigate, mitigate.
Gypsy Traveller Community (National Halting and Permanent Site Network)
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to establish a national network of halting and permanent sites for the Gypsy Traveller community. (S4O-04512)
Local authorities are responsible for taking decisions about the provision of Gypsy Traveller sites in their areas, based on their assessment of local accommodation needs. We therefore have no plans for the Scottish Government to establish a national network of sites.
The minister will understand that councils find it difficult to establish sites because few places are in public ownership. Councillors are naturally reluctant to support approved sites as Travellers are always perceived as bad neighbours, even though we know that many of them cause little trouble. Could the Government use its national planning powers—or at least consider doing so—to provide a national network of halting and permanent sites, because that might enable such a network to happen?
The Government’s position is that decisions about the provision of Gypsy Traveller sites are best made by those who have local knowledge and accountability. A decision on whether to provide a Gypsy Traveller site is therefore one for the relevant local authority. Local authorities could choose to work together to create a national network of sites.
We funded Planning Aid for Scotland to carry out a project on planning and the Gypsy Traveller community. It has now produced guides for councillors and council officials on Gypsy Travellers and the planning system. Those are useful documents that have information on the Gypsy Traveller community and local authorities’ legal duties.
Vandalism (Fife)
To ask the Scottish Government what action Police Scotland is taking in light of reported increases of vandalism in Fife. (S4O-04513)
We take any reported increases in vandalism very seriously, and any reports of that nature would be a source of concern. However, according to Police Scotland, real progress is being made in Fife. The latest figures show that crimes of vandalism in Fife in 2014-15 have reduced by 11 per cent over the previous year. Although I am aware of local reports of vandalism in Fife, for example at Craigtoun country park and in Burntisland, I can say that over the first 80 days of this year vandalism charges in Fife fell by 4.5 per cent.
As in other areas in the country, Police Scotland has developed a partnership approach with local community groups to develop a range of interventions to reduce the impact caused by antisocial behaviour and vandalism in communities. Police Scotland is using proactive intelligence to tackle vandalism in Fife and high-visibility patrols in identified hotspots, deploying mobile closed-circuit television and dome-hawk cameras and reacting as quickly as possible to reports of vandalism or antisocial behaviour.
There is concern in Fife among police officers about the balance of their redistribution across community functions, local response teams and national specialist teams. That is coupled with the fact that recent figures reported to the Scottish Police Authority show that police controllers are taking up to three minutes to answer 999 calls and up to 11 minutes to answer more routine calls.
Does the Scottish Government recognise that local control over resources is essential for quick and effective responses to crimes such as vandalism?
The effect of vandalism is felt locally in communities across Scotland where it occurs. The importance of having good, local, ward-level plans for policing operations is recognised by Police Scotland. In Fife, the development of local ward plans is well advanced.
On the calls issue that Jayne Baxter raises, we should not lose sight of the fact that 90 per cent of 999 calls are answered within 10 seconds, with the majority of 101 calls being answered within 40 seconds. We recognise that there have been challenges in delivering the 101 service—I know that Jayne Baxter, Alex Rowley and other members are conscious of that. We are doing what we can to tackle the challenges; Police Scotland takes the issue very seriously.
I would be happy to engage with Jayne Baxter if there are particular issues in Fife that she wants me to take forward.
Council Tax Reduction Scheme (Glasgow)
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the council tax reduction scheme has had in helping people in Glasgow on low incomes. (S4O-04514)
The Scottish Government’s latest council tax reduction statistical publication shows that there were more than 97,000 council tax reduction recipients in Glasgow in March 2015.
Our commitment, in partnership with local government, to mitigate the 10 per cent cut in funding from the United Kingdom Government to council tax benefit successor arrangements has meant that over 35 per cent of all chargeable dwellings in Glasgow received a reduction in their council tax liability through the council tax reduction scheme in March 2015.
In light of the deeper cuts coming from the heartless Tory Government, how will the Scottish Government continue to ensure that those people who suffer most from increasing austerity—including many of my constituents—are supported and protected from further cuts to their income?
The member is right to highlight the further cuts that are still to come. Suggested additional cuts to the welfare budget include: freezing working-age benefits, tax credits and child benefit for two years; lowering the benefit cap; and removing automatic entitlement to housing benefit for 18 to 21-year-olds. That would account for only a fraction of the £12 billion reduction of welfare spend that the UK Government has said that it will introduce. That will make it much more difficult for the Scottish Government to tackle poverty.
We are committed to creating a fairer Scotland, ensuring that people are provided with the opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty through fairly paid work. We will continue to mitigate the worst aspects of welfare reform, but there is a genuine limit to what we can do in the face of such severe cuts.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (NHS Grampian)
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Grampian for children and adolescents who need to access mental health services. (S4O-04515)
I have spoken to the chief executive of NHS Grampian to obtain assurances that the health board is doing all that it can to achieve the target. As a result of that discussion I have written to the board asking for a detailed recovery plan by 3 July.
NHS Grampian has done significant work in service redesign to increase its capacity to meet the child and adolescent mental health services target on a sustainable basis. As a result of redesign, NHS Grampian has already identified where it needs to increase capacity.
Given that the Lowit unit in Aberdeen was providing important services for young people with mental health needs, concerns have been expressed to me about its closure. Can the minister assure me that young people who are affected by the closure of the unit will be asked for their views on whether the service redesign is working? Will the redesign be affected by the reduction nationally in the number of beds that are available for young people who require mental health treatment?
Taking the last point first, I point out that we are actually increasing the number of beds in the specialist estate. On Richard Baker’s specific point, I generally agree: it is important that we hear the voice of service users. I will undertake to raise the point directly with NHS Grampian and come back to Richard Baker on that.
Does the minister agree that workforce levels in mental health services are at record levels in Scotland, with the child and adolescent mental health services workforce having risen by 45 per cent since 2008? Does he agree that the Scottish Government commitment to invest £100 million of funding to improve mental health services in the next five years is very welcome in the north-east and throughout Scotland?
I can confirm that the CAMHS workforce has increased from 645.3 whole-time equivalents in September 2008 to 980.6 whole-time equivalents in March 2015. That is an increase of 51 per cent and up from the December figure of 942.4 whole-time equivalents. I certainly agree that the additional £100 million that we have invested in mental health services for the next five years is very welcome.
Potential Oil Reserves (Exploration)
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the exploration for potential oil reserves in the Clyde, off the west coast and in the Atlantic basin. (S4O-04516)
Exploration for oil and gas is a reserved matter. The primary levers for promoting exploration of oil reserves are reserved to the United Kingdom Government. However, we welcome the work that is being led by the University of Aberdeen to explore the potential for commercial oil production west of Scotland, which is involving a range of international energy companies including OMV, DONG Energy, JX Nippon Oil & Energy, and Statoil. I discussed that work at a recent Natural Environment Research Council conference in Edinburgh.
The Scottish Government has argued strongly that the UK’s new fiscal regime should incentivise exploration, and we will continue to work with industry and with the UK Government to achieve that goal.
The minister will know that, after years of investigation, I hold a copy of an outline BP production licence—PL262—for drilling south of Arran that was issued in 1983. I also hold a copy of last year’s statement from Michael Heseltine, who was Secretary of State for Defence at the time, in which he said that he had stopped the drilling for special defence circumstances.
Will the minister seek to ensure that the full report of the team that is currently analysing the opportunities for oil in the Clyde and in the Atlantic basin does not suffer the same fate of denial as happened to the McCrone report in the 1970s?
For my part, the answer is yes. I am aware that Mr Brodie is known for doing his own exploration work, as it were.
Of course, when people first said that there was oil in the North Sea, everybody scoffed, particularly down in the London Government. They said that there was not any oil, and then they said that it would run out. They said that it would run out in the 1990s; then, that it would run out in the noughties; and then, that it would run out in the current decade, but it did not.
If they are wrong as they have been so many times before, and I include the Office for Budget Responsibility’s estimate that oil would be $102 a barrel right now, then I believe—to answer the question—
Thank you, minister—I would like to get to question 10.
We need to explore every opportunity.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government when it will next meet the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde board and what matters will be discussed. (S4O-04517)
Ministers and Government officials regularly meet representatives of all health boards, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to discuss matters of importance to local people.
Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on the accident and emergency department at the Royal Alexandra hospital in Paisley?
As George Adam will be aware, when the RAH A and E department was not recovering as quickly as possible from the pressures of winter, we deployed an expert support team from 16 February for a two-week period.
The support team agreed a number of interventions, which have borne fruit for the hospital. The team continues to liaise with local staff and to monitor progress.
The most recent published data for the week ending 14 June shows that the RAH A and E department has seen 91.2 per cent of people within the four-hour target. That reflects the hard work of all staff in the hospital. The challenge now is to sustain and improve that performance even further.
Before we move to the next item of business, members will wish to join me in welcoming to the gallery His Excellency Dr Martin Eichtinger, the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Austria. [Applause.]