SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Strategic Transport Projects Review
To ask the Scottish Government how many projects were removed by ministers from the recommendations of the strategic transport projects review prior to publication. (S3O-6044)
None. Ministers considered the recommendations from the strategic transport projects review following the completion of the detailed appraisal.
In view of the importance that completion of the Inverness trunk link route has for the city, is the minister willing to facilitate the establishment of an independent stakeholder group to explore the transport and development issues affecting the Caledonian canal and its relationship to the west of the city at Tomnahurich and Muirton, with particular regard to ensuring the free flow of traffic over the canal?
It is clear that partnership working will be an important part of delivering the trunk link route. I visited Tomnahurich on Monday and saw the circumstances of the western part of the connection. The British Waterways Board, for which I am responsible in Scotland, has to be a key partner, as does the council, which, when the Scottish National Party was part of the administration, provided the financial cover to allow the project to move forward.
If the minister is saying that no projects were removed by ministers, how many were added? If none was added, does that mean that the minister took what the civil servants gave him hook, line and sinker?
The important point about the strategic transport projects review is that it comes in two parts. The first and fundamentally more important part is the setting of a framework from which one can derive the projects that will be undertaken over a couple of decades. That is the point at which ministers were most involved. By setting that framework with political involvement and the involvement of wider stakeholders, we depoliticised the choice of projects and made it an analytical process, which ministers reviewed and participated in. The process will endure and continue, and I hope that members will recognise that the three priorities for roads—safety, maximising the use of the network and making sure that we support economic development as funds become available—provide a way that commends itself not only to the Government but to members right across the chamber.
Diabetes (Insulin Pumps)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in increasing access to insulin pumps for people with type 1 diabetes. (S3O-6019)
National health service boards continue to make steady progress on making insulin pumps available. There are now 407 people with type 1 diabetes who are being supported in their use of a pump. The Scottish Government is committed to making sure that people in Scotland with type 1 diabetes who meet the criteria have access to insulin pump therapy.
The minister will be well aware of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines that were issued last year, which recommended insulin pump therapy as a treatment option for adults and children over the age of 12 who have type 1 diabetes. As the minister is aware, there are major differences in health board performance on the provision of insulin pumps. What plans does the minister have to monitor health boards' progress to avoid a postcode lottery for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes?
I recognise the member's long-standing interest in the matter. NICE's technology appraisal 151 of July 2008 has been approved by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland. The member asked about the monitoring of health boards' implementation of the recommendation. We continue to monitor progress on making insulin pumps available on a board-by-board basis and to encourage boards to maintain the current momentum. I will take a close interest in that. We will also continue to emphasise the importance of the issue in revising our diabetes action plan. I suggest to the member that there is potential for him and others to get involved in taking forward that revision.
Clostridium Difficile (Royal Alexandra Hospital)
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths there were at the Royal Alexandra hospital in 2007 and 2008 where Clostridium difficile was a factor, and whether those figures differ from the figures published where Clostridium difficile was listed as the cause of death. (S3O-5997)
That information is published on the General Register Office for Scotland website. Once published, it cannot be amended. Data for 2007 confirm that there were 19 Clostridium difficile-related deaths at the Royal Alexandra hospital. Data for 2008 will be published by the GROS in August.
I thank the minister for that but, in addition to cases in which Clostridium difficile was recorded as the reason for death, there are cases in which it was a factor in the cause of death but something else was listed as the main cause of death. A number of my constituents have approached me because they are concerned that their relatives were affected by Clostridium difficile but it was not listed as the cause of death. There is concern that the problem is wider than is recorded and admitted. Will the minister accept that there needs to be full publication of cases in which C diff was a contributory factor, and an investigation into just how serious the problem is at the RAH?
I agree with Hugh Henry that wherever Clostridium difficile or any other hospital infection is either the underlying principal cause of death or a contributory cause of death, that should be recorded on the death certificate, and that will be done routinely. Obviously, as members appreciate, the completion of death certificates is a matter for the clinical judgment of the clinicians responsible. However, there is no doubt that accuracy and consistency in recording causes of death are of the utmost importance, which is why the chief medical officer in Scotland will shortly issue guidance to medical practitioners about the completion of death certificates. Once information is recorded on a death certificate, the GROS is responsible for collating it nationally and ensuring that it is published.
Mary Scanlon.
Thank you Presiding Officer, but my question has been answered.
I am pleased to hear it.
International Markets (Assistance)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to assist companies in exporting to potential new markets. (S3O-6037)
Our international trade and investment arm, Scottish Development International, provides a range of guidance and assistance for Scottish businesses that are looking to grow by entering new international markets through exporting or other internationalisation routes. That includes helping companies as they prepare to enter new markets; assisting companies to develop international strategies; assisting companies to discover and take advantage of new opportunities overseas; providing country and industry market information; and encouraging companies to participate in international exhibitions and outward missions.
The minister will be aware of the recently published Scottish Council for Development and Industry Scottish manufactured exports survey, which recorded a 2.4 per cent drop in export sales by Scottish companies. However, looking to the future, the survey highlighted Asia, identifying China and India as the top areas for potential new market growth. Is there a need to review the China plan and consider whether it should be altered as a result of the economic downturn? When the minister brings forward the India plan, will he ensure that it takes full account of the economic downturn, so that it can maximise the potential of our export market there?
I appreciate that question. The SDI report reflects the global downturn but pinpoints reasons to be optimistic by showing that key sectors are holding up, such as food and drink, energy and transport. The non-electronic element is actually up by 8 per cent. That said, I take on board what the member says. The China plan has been refreshed to reflect Scottish priority industries such as the life sciences and renewable energy, which reflects what our customers in China want. Similarly, the Government is considering its role in strengthening links with India. We are working closely with SDI and, next week, Michael Russell and I will sit down to ensure that we take the India plan to the next level.
Local Government Funding Distribution Formula (Review)
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it will not act on the findings of the review of the local authority funding distribution process, which are expected by the end of October 2009, until after the 2011 elections to the Scottish Parliament. (S3O-6057)
The current settlement was agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities as part of the concordat and COSLA has agreed that the review will feed into the next three-year settlement, which starts in 2011-12. Decisions on that will be taken well before the 2011 elections.
Can we be sure not only that decisions are taken before the 2011 elections but that they are published, implemented and processed before then? The minister will know that Aberdeenshire Council gets 13 per cent less funding than the average for local authorities in Scotland, which works out at about £64 million less a year. We desperately need change in Aberdeenshire. Until now, we were getting 10 per cent less, but we are now getting 13 per cent less. We are looking forward to early implementation of the findings of the review, as we are sure that that will be helpful.
As I said in my original answer, the implications and decisions arising from the review of the distribution formula, which we expect to receive by the end of October 2009, will be applied to the financial settlement in 2011-12. That will commence before the 2011 elections—unless Mr Rumbles plans to push for an early election. That might be part of his reckless plan, but it is certainly not part of the Government's plan.
Is the cabinet secretary aware of the feasibility study that is under way on proposals for city centre regeneration in Aberdeen, which focus on Union Terrace Gardens? If the study produces recommendations for action before 2011, will the Scottish Government provide funding to assist with that regeneration project?
The Government remains in contact with all local authorities on relevant issues, and we would consider any proposal emanating from Aberdeen. Nevertheless, I say two things to Lewis Macdonald. First, the Government has already set out the spending settlement for 2009-10 and that has been communicated to Aberdeen City Council, which has taken its decisions accordingly. Secondly, there is considerable uncertainty over the financial provision for 2010-11 because of the swingeing cuts in our budget that are proposed by the United Kingdom Government. Those cuts will be a major factor with which we will have to wrestle in 2010-11.
Town Centre Regeneration Fund (Fife)
To ask the Scottish Executive how the new town centre regeneration fund will benefit the people of Fife. (S3O-5984)
As this is my maiden answer, I take the opportunity to thank members from all sides of the chamber for their kindness and congratulations on my appointment.
The minister will be aware of the high expectations for the fund, with a number of towns in Fife, such as Glenrothes and Leven, already starting to make a case. I appreciate that he plans to make an announcement in March, but can he say when the fund will be available and when it will start to be spent on town centres?
As I have said, the fund will be available during the next financial year. I expect that we will receive requests from members of all parties and from all parts of Scotland who have pet projects for the fund. It is quite right that members should promote the areas that they represent. Nevertheless, we must first make strategic decisions about where in Scotland the fund can have the greatest impact. One of our endeavours will be to ensure that we adopt a fair approach to the distribution of the fund and maximise the economic and social impact that it can have.
The minister may be aware that Glenrothes town centre is wholly privately owned, which means that we do not have a high street as such. When the minister draws up the criteria for the funding, will he consider the situation of town centres, especially in our new towns, that were sold to private companies by both the Tory Government and Labour local authorities? Will he consider what areas such as Glenrothes town centre can do to benefit from the regeneration fund?
As part of our consideration of the criteria, I am prepared to listen to representations from all members on what they think those criteria should be. At this stage, I can make no commitment on any individual town or city or on any individual application. However, I have an open mind on the criteria that we should apply.
Does the minister agree that local communities in urban areas such as Maryhill, Possilpark and Milton would also benefit from such investment? Will he ensure that the criteria that he sets reflect the ambition that those areas have for regeneration? Also, in the fullness of time, will he commit to making funds available to Glasgow to allow such schemes to go ahead?
One of the first decisions that we will have to make concerns the definition of "town" for the purposes of the town centre regeneration fund. We will also have to define what is meant by "town centre". My colleague Bob Doris, from Glasgow, has already made the point to me privately that Patricia Ferguson makes to me publicly. We are in the early stages of working up our proposals, but I am prepared to listen to representations from members on the criteria without, at this stage, making any commitments on either the criteria or the final recipients.
Homelessness (2012 Target)
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the ability of individual local authorities to meet the 2012 homelessness target. (S3O-5988)
We are currently updating the 2012 modelling work in conjunction with local authorities, and we will work with local authorities over the course of this year to assess progress in meeting the 2009 interim targets. That will include a qualitative analysis of factors affecting progress as well as statistical information.
In welcoming Alex Neil to his new post, I tell him that he has an opportunity to make a name for himself by ensuring that we are on course to meet the 2012 target by the end of the current session. However, the City of Edinburgh Council has no chance whatever of meeting that target with its current level of resources. As his first good deed, will he ensure that sufficient additional resources are given to the City of Edinburgh Council to make it possible for Edinburgh to meet that historic and internationally acclaimed target?
I say to Malcolm Chisholm that I am already making a name for myself because, in the budget for affordable housing next year, I will spend 15 per cent more than he did when he was the housing minister.