General Questions
Nigg Yard
Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Development International continue to engage with KBR and with agents for the Wakelyn trust. The situation is moving forward and further discussions are planned. HIE and SDI are continuing to work with the objective of achieving a successful outcome for all parties that will bring the Nigg yard into full use.
The continuing delay is deeply frustrating, both for my constituents and for me. Does the minister agree that, as time goes by, we are in danger of losing the skills that we have in Easter Ross and east Sutherland, and that the yard has a huge future not just in renewables fabrication but with regard to existing oilfields in the North Sea, where more work needs to be done?
Yes, indeed. We are highly conscious of the high strategic importance of Nigg to Scotland. It was recently emphasised in the national renewables infrastructure plan. I also share the member’s view that the opportunities there are a blend of work from new renewables and from oil and gas, which has many years to go and many other dimensions to move into, including west of Shetland and on the Atlantic margin. I can assure the member that HIE and SDI are continuing to pursue a successful outcome.
Given that competitors are snapping at our heels to develop offshore renewables, and given the 18 months of reluctance on the part of Highland Council to begin a compulsory purchase order to liberate Nigg, when and how many times did Highland Council and HIE contact the Scottish Government to discuss a way forward for Nigg?
I am afraid that I cannot give the member a detailed answer as to how often they did so, but I will do that in writing. SDI and HIE have briefed Highland Council officials on the matter frequently and throughout the process. That is part of the on-going teamwork that SDI, HIE and the Highland Council are involved in with regard to Nigg. I have been involved on several occasions, meeting representatives of KBR in Inverness—as well as a wide group of allies and stakeholders—and across in Houston, Texas.
Animal Welfare
The Scottish Government considers animal welfare to be of considerable importance. The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 increased the penalties for animal cruelty, imposed a duty of care on animal keepers and gave inspectors the power to seize animals in danger of suffering.
Is the minister aware of the increasing body of scientific evidence on the matter, including a recently published report by the faculty of veterinary medicine of the University of Cambridge, which concludes that snaring is an unacceptable method of pest control, because of its extreme effects on animal welfare? Is he further aware that the consultations that have been carried out have consistently shown an overwhelming majority of respondents to be in favour of an outright ban? Given that, will the minister undertake to introduce an amendment to the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill to ban snaring?
As the member is well aware, we have taken steps to regulate snaring. We have to strike a balance between animal welfare and the interests of the countryside. She will be aware that, as well as laying the Snares (Scotland) Order 2010, which came into force on 11 March and contains a number of new regulatory measures, we are progressing two changes to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 through the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill. They will say that all snares must be fitted with identification tags and that there must be compulsory training for those who wish to set snares.
Scottish Investment Bank
Work on the Scottish Investment Bank is progressing well and is currently focused on developing the Scottish loan fund. The loan fund will operate under the auspices of the Scottish Investment Bank, alongside the existing equity-based funds that are currently operated by Scottish Enterprise. On-going tasks include a public procurement exercise to appoint an independent fund manager and continuing discussions with private sector financial institutions to secure additional funding for the Scottish loan fund.
It is going well, Presiding Officer. Apparently, the Scottish Investment Bank has been going well since April 2009, when the First Minister announced its establishment. When will the Scottish Investment Bank lend any money that was not available before its establishment?
I note the member’s position and his comments. We are doing this in an exceedingly challenging climate. The Scottish Investment Bank will be open for business and operating from January 2011.
Scottish Coal (Opencast Coal Reserves)
I regret that the information is not held centrally.
That kind of shoots my fox. Thank you, Mr Mather. In light of that, I suspect that I will get a similar answer to my follow-up question. Will the minister ascertain the information and write to me at a later date with it? Also, who would receive any royalties resulting from the extraction of the said coal? For example, would the Scottish Government be a beneficiary? What could be the impact of the extraction of the said coal reserves on the Government’s carbon emissions reduction targets? I fully recognise that the minister will not have his answers to hand.
I understand the member’s frustration that I do not have the data to give him. I also understand his desire to see royalties, but minerals policy is, of course, a reserved matter. I can tell him something that might be quite interesting and point a way forward. Russell Griggs, who heads the regulatory review group and sits on the Scottish Enterprise board, has run a couple of interesting events recently, one of which happened at Powharnal in East Ayrshire. He spoke to the community and wider interests there about the economic, environmental and social impact of coal. On the back of that, he was asked to hold a two-day session on carbon capture and storage—he has now completed it—in which he brought together all the stakeholders in a Shell scenario-type planning session, which may end up having global significance. Others across the world are looking at it with some interest. That may be the route to doing something together that might allow us to take forward the member’s suggestion. Perhaps we can talk further about that.
In light of the draft electricity generation policy statement that was published last week, can the minister confirm that 2.5GW of new, efficient thermal generation would satisfy all of Scotland’s security of supply needs? Will he further confirm that there is therefore no need for an increase in current thermal capacity and that the basis of the decision on each application for thermal electricity generation new build, such as at Hunterston, will be the economic, environmental and social merits of the application?
I have to agree with that. It is a sound analysis of what is in play. Equally, Scotland is pressing ahead with looking to consolidate the demonstrator at Longannet and the carbon capture and storage potential that could be a huge new industry for Scotland, which could have a disproportionate impact on and benefit for our country.
Business Start-up Rate
The Scottish Government has always been clear about the importance of creating a supportive business environment to both stimulate start-ups and grow existing businesses. We have introduced policies specifically to improve the business environment in Scotland, such as the small business bonus scheme and the transfer of the business gateway to local authorities.
I thank the minister for his reasonably comprehensive answer. In relation to the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland underperforms on new business creation, and the UK performs poorly on that metric compared with many other nations. This is not a new issue. I appreciate that it did not start with the election of this Government. However, what additional measures is the Government considering to boost the start-up rate, given that business start-up is the main way in which we will increase employment and growth in this nation?
Just yesterday, the business gateway announced statistics showing that the total number of private businesses increased by 1.9 per cent in the year to 2009 and that, in the period 2002 to 2008, start-ups in Scotland increased by 15.2 per cent against a lower increase of 11.4 per cent down south.
Local Authority Housing Allocation
The Scottish Government launched a consultation on a draft social housing allocations practice guide for social landlords in August. The guide does not introduce a new allocations policy, but clearly sets out the legal framework and the flexibility that landlords have when allocating their houses. We expect to issue the final practice guide in early 2011. In February 2002, the Scottish Government also provided a guide on the statutory provisions for housing lists and allocations under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.
The minister will have received my letter about my constituent in Braemar who has been refused affordable housing within the village for which there has been little demand, even although three generations of his family live there and he has secure employment locally. What will the minister do to help people like my constituent to secure affordable accommodation so that they can remain and work in rural communities of their choice? What advice will he give to local authorities and housing associations about granting priority status to such people when considering housing allocation in rural communities?
I have two responses to make, the first of which is on the framework that the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government set for housing allocations. Under the framework, priority must be given to categories of people such as those who live in below-tolerable-standard housing or overcrowded conditions. Beyond that, it is the responsibility of the local authority to set the allocations policy. The second response is on rural areas, about which Nanette Milne raises a very fair point. If they so wish, local authorities in rural areas are entitled to use local lettings initiatives—effectively, separate allocations policies. I suggest that she takes up the matter with the local authority, which can apply a policy to tackle the situation.
I would never argue against a local authority’s statutory duty to house the homeless and those in priority need. However, many of my constituents who are financially excluded from the property market are not considered in priority need for council housing, which creates great demand for affordable housing in my local area. Does the minister accept that, for the sake of mixed, balanced and sustainable communities, we need to be able to accommodate hard-working families and individuals who do not necessarily have social problems? Does he further agree that local authorities need to have flexibility in allocating houses? If so, should that not be reflected both in regulation and in law?
Angela Constance raises a very valid issue. I have two responses to make. First, as I have just outlined to Nanette Milne, local authorities have very wide flexibility in their allocation policies. For example, I think that I am right in saying that West Lothian Council has an allocations policy of 50 per cent to homeless people and 50 per cent to other categories. The second response is on the supply of housing. We recognise that there will be increased demand as a result of the difficulties in the mortgage market. Initiatives such as the national housing trust will provide some housing at mid-market rent. Many of the people who previously would have been in the first-time-buyer market, but who cannot get a deposit to get a mortgage, may well now end up in the mid-market rental market. I accept that a sector of people will find it difficult to get high up the social housing allocation list. Nevertheless, there are mid-market properties in both the private rented sector and the social sector that may be more appropriate for some of them.
Local Food Sourcing (Public Bodies)
The Scottish Government is committed to promoting sustainable food procurement across the public sector and one of the outcomes of our national food and drink policy will be guidance to the public sector to support that commitment.
What action will the cabinet secretary take to improve the procurement process to the benefit of smaller local producers, particularly given the differing levels of local food sourcing across public bodies in Scotland? Surely we should expect to source well over a third of food—that is one of the suggested targets that I have seen recently—from within a 100-mile radius.
I totally agree with the member’s sentiments. Over the past few years, huge inroads have been made in persuading public authorities to source their food, particularly fresh produce, more locally. Indeed, Stirfresh, which is based just outside Montrose, now supplies between 4,000 and 5,000 tonnes of fresh produce a year to Scotland’s schools and hospitals. As I said, we will update our guidance for public authorities early in the new year to encourage such sourcing.
Equine Welfare
My officials have regular and frequent contact with equine welfare organisations. The head of the Scottish Government animal welfare branch attended the annual conference of World Horse Welfare on 11 November 2010, and on 6 November the deputy chief veterinary officer and I spoke at the Scottish equine welfare conference, which was organised by the British Horse Society Scotland.
Will the minister join me and the international charity World Horse Welfare in calling for an end to the inhumane long-distance transportation of horses intended for slaughter in Europe, given that tens of thousands of horses every year suffer needless exhaustion, dehydration, illness and injury as they are transported for days without proper rest, food or water when they could be slaughtered closer to home and transported as meat?
I can respond very positively to that question. Members may wish to know that horses are not transported from the United Kingdom in that fashion, but there is considerable concern about horses imported to the continent with journeys of up to 100 hours, which is absolutely unacceptable. The European Union says that it is unacceptable and we strongly support the campaign to ensure that the regulations are fully complied with.
Question 9 has been withdrawn.
M8 Baillieston to Newhouse (Upgrade)
The reporter’s report on the public local inquiry into the M8 Baillieston to Newhouse upgrade was received by ministers in October 2008.
How can a Government that is apparently committed to speeding up the planning process possibly justify leaving a report on the most important motorway link in Scotland lying unattended to on a minister’s desk for more than two years?
The member will be aware that it is a matter of general practice, when such reports are received, to address the issues raised within them and, in particular, on schemes of this kind, to work with local interests to ensure that any modifications to the scheme can proceed with minimum difficulty.
In terms of local interests, does the minister have any idea of the anger and frustration among my constituents about the delays to this vital road improvement project?
We are making best progress on the matter. As I say, we are working with local interests and we expect to make an announcement soon.
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