SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Schools (Information Technology)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in ensuring that information technology in schools is up to date. (S1O-3317)
In its first year—1999-2000—the national grid for learning programme secured a 25 per cent increase in the number of modern computers in our schools. We have already achieved an internet connection for every secondary school and for more than two thirds of primary schools. We have also announced £40 million of additional funds over the next two financial years to sustain and update information and communications technology provision in our schools. We are committed—in "Working Together for Scotland: A Programme for Government"—to bringing the benefits of fast broadband networking to all our schools.
I thank the minister for his reply. Can he guarantee that, in keeping IT in schools up to date, the Executive will retain its aims of the pursuit of equality and the elimination of poverty?
I can give a very quick answer to that question: yes, we are committed to those aims. Indeed, one of the key considerations in relation to broadband connection is to ensure that every school in every part of Scotland, including rural areas, has access to such connections. As I said, our commitment is to achieve a roll-out of modern computers to all our schools. We have a target of four computers per classroom in every primary and secondary school in every part of Scotland.
Are we also up to date on the implementation of protection mechanisms for child users of the internet? I appreciate that the Executive launched "ClickThinking" to empower users, but what measures will be put in place to protect users—especially child users—from pornography and paedophilia?
Gil Paterson is correct. "ClickThinking" was accepted as an extremely good document when it was published, but IT is a fast-moving area and he and other members have pressed me on this matter several times in the chamber. We are looking to update the advice; this is a matter on which further action will be required at Scottish and UK levels.
Prisons
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review its contractual arrangements with Premier Prison Service regarding Bowhouse private prison in Kilmarnock. (S1O-3289)
There are no plans to review contractual arrangements regarding Kilmarnock prison.
That is a disappointing reply. Is the minister aware that the chief inspector of prisons, Clive Fairweather, has described Bowhouse prison as an "expensive failure", that the Scottish Human Rights Centre has expressed concerns about prisoners' safety in Bowhouse and that, at the recent Scottish Trades Union Congress conference, a resolution was passed unanimously condemning Kilmarnock prison as "morally repugnant"? Is not it time that the minister addressed those concerns?
Obviously, I am aware of a number of concerns that have been expressed about Kilmarnock prison. I am also aware of the fact that the chief inspector of prisons has held up some aspects of that prison as examples of good practice. Prisoner safety is clearly an important issue for the Executive and Mr Neil will be aware that there are, on a range of issues, contractual obligations on Premier Prison Service regarding the operation of Kilmarnock prison.
Does the minister also accept—given his comments about the good points that were made in Clive Fairweather's report—that it has been recommended that elements of what has been established at Kilmarnock prison should be implemented in the Scottish Prison Service?
Mr Gallie is right to reflect on that. It is also fair to say that there were some people in, as it were, the public sector of the prison service who felt that their good practice was being ignored. I take this opportunity to say that there are also very good examples of good practice in the public sector.
Trunk Roads (Management and Maintenance Contracts)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reply to my letter of 22 December 2000 to the then Minister for Transport and to subsequent correspondence regarding trunk road management and maintenance contracts. (S1O-3310)
I wrote to Dennis Canavan on 20 April about the new trunk roads maintenance contracts. I am still considering whether further steps can be taken on the pensions of those employees who transfer to the new operating companies under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations. I will write to Dennis Canavan once I have concluded how to proceed.
Is the minister aware that her reply to me earlier this week does not even mention my letter of 22 December, which means that I have been waiting for 125 days for a reply to a letter? Is not that an unacceptable standard from any Executive? Although the award of the contracts to the private sector is now water under the bridge, will the minister give more urgent consideration to the pension rights of transferred employees, some of whom have spent virtually their entire working lives in public service and deserve a firm ministerial commitment that there will be no reduction in their pension rights?
The letter that I wrote to Mr Canavan last week was intended to reply to the points that he made in his letter in December and other contacts that he has made since. We are looking at the matter with the greatest urgency and, when I have a response to make, I will ensure that those members who have written to me—I have answered the other points that they have made on the trunk roads contracts—will get a reply on this issue.
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met members of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and what issues were discussed. (S1O-3299)
I call Angus MacKay. I am sorry for the delay, but I was distracted for a moment. It is nothing personal.
No offence taken, Presiding Officer.
You must have been distracted by the minister's scalping, Presiding Officer.
The important point about the guidance and the scheme is that they present the opportunity to give immediate and important relief to hard-pressed businesses that are trying to cope with the consequences of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Although there are areas in Scotland where foot-and-mouth has impacted more heavily—those are the areas in which the 95 per cent Executive-supported relief scheme will operate—all of Scotland is covered by a rating relief scheme with at least 75 per cent support from the Executive. That represents a comprehensive range of support.
Will the minister assure me that he will take no lectures from Kenny Gibson or any of his colleagues on improving public services? Can the minister clarify which party was in power on Perth and Kinross Council when, rather than build new schools with a private finance initiative programme, it built a new office complex along with a car park for local councillors?
I am happy to reassure Paul Martin on his point about taking lectures from Kenny Gibson. I may invest in a pair of earmuffs for future contributions from Kenny Gibson—I will not be taking lectures from him.
Was the subject of council waste management plans brought up at the meeting with COSLA? When will the plans be made public?
Mr Harper may be aware that local authorities in Scotland are bundled into groups—I think that there are 11 of them—which are working closely with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to develop a comprehensive waste management strategy for all of Scotland, something that has not previously been successfully implemented. I am sure that, when that review is complete, the Executive will be commended for the thoroughness of its approach and the forward-looking nature of the policy. The matter was not raised at the meeting with COSLA, but it is something in which, as Minister for Finance and Local Government, I take a close interest.
NHS 24
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been spent to date on work by private consultants on NHS 24. (S1O-3285)
To date, NHS 24 has spent £647,329 on private consultants to provide the detailed technical and specialist support that was necessary to establish NHS 24 and its systems and was unavailable from internal Government sources.
Does the minister believe that that is the best use of NHS money that could instead have paid for many urgently required operations or for magnetic resonance imaging scanners that would treat thousands of cancer patients every year? Members of the medical profession throughout Scotland have criticised the spending. Does she agree with the Scottish Executive insider who said that they thought that people would be sickened when they saw where their taxes were going?
I will put the expenditure and efforts in context. NHS 24 will represent one of the most radical developments in the NHS in Scotland for decades. It will fundamentally transform the extent of people's access to advice, services and support, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. In the next three years, we will spend £36 million on developing the service. We would fail in our duty if we did not employ people with the right skills or use the right support to ensure that the service is developed effectively.
Victim Notification Scheme
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14302 on 3 April 2000 by Mr Jim Wallace, whether it will amend the victim notification scheme so that victims of sexual abuse and serious assault will be notified when sentences are appealed against and notified of the outcomes of such appeals. (S1O-3288)
We gave a commitment in the Scottish strategy for victims to offer all victims of crime better information. As part of that review, consideration will be given to notifying victims of sexual abuse and serious assault of the outcomes of appeals.
I welcome the minister's response, and I give him a relevant example. An individual who was convicted of serious sexual assault against two young boys was sentenced to three and a half years in prison. Unbeknown to his victims, he appealed and his sentence was reduced to 18 months. Nine months later, he was back on the streets. The first that one of the victims knew of that was when he had a face-to-face encounter with him.
Mr Gallie has pursued the issue assiduously. The fact that he has had to pursue information through parliamentary questions underlines the need to improve the situation all round. The current arrangements to notify victims when a custodial sentence of four years or more is imposed were introduced in 1997, when that was thought to be the priority. We must make improvements. We are trying to do that.
Commission for Racial Equality
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the Commission for Racial Equality in Scotland. (S1O-3283)
The Executive has regular meetings with the commission. The most recent meeting took place with the Deputy Minister for Social Justice on 6 March 2001.
Is the minister aware of the document entitled "Modernising Local Racial Equality Work", which was published by the CRE? That document will result in the abolition of all the racial equality councils in Scotland. Does she support the work that is conducted by organisations such as the Central Scotland Racial Equality Council, which has an important role in central Scotland in tackling racism, as have the many other racial equality councils in other parts of Scotland? Does she recognise that the councils have a continuing and important role in tackling racism in Scotland, or does she support the CRE's wish to abolish them?
That was a lengthy question, but I will attempt to give Michael Matheson an answer. My understanding is that the CRE is engaged in an exercise not to cut provision but to review the racial equality councils and to make them more effective and efficient. That consultation has directly involved the racial equality councils and their funding partners to ensure that we have the best service for the future. As far as I know, the CRE's review is internal. However, as we are keen for practical action to be taken to tackle racial harassment and violence, my officials are taking an active interest in events.
I accept that the restructuring of the racial equality councils is an internal matter for the CRE, but does the minister agree that there would be serious concerns—not only in Mr Matheson's party but across the chamber—if restructuring led to the loss of valuable local community services? Those services raise public awareness, provide victim support and, over the years, have built up important community networks.
I have a great deal of sympathy with the point that Keith Raffan has made, but the matter is an internal one for the CRE. However, we are keen to see a structure develop that reflects the fact that we live in a multicultural society and that emphasises that we reject all forms of racial harassment and violence and are engaged in positive publicity and awareness-raising campaigns.
Drug Rehabilitation
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the system of funding for drug rehabilitation in the light of the funding position of the methadone programme in Glasgow. (S1O-3297)
There are no plans for the Executive to conduct such a review. It is for Glasgow City Council, the agencies involved in delivering all aspects of drug rehabilitation and the greater Glasgow drug action team to determine how to use the additional resources provided by the Executive to develop the methadone programme in Glasgow.
Is the minister aware that around 40 per cent of Scotland's drug deaths and drug-related hospital admissions are in Glasgow and yet the Greater Glasgow Health Board receives only 21 per cent of Scotland's drugs money? Considerable fears have been expressed, most recently last week in the press and media, about the fact that the funding situation of the methadone programme means that it is full up. Does he agree that that background and those stark figures suggest the need for additional funding, particularly for Glasgow, so that the dreadful drugs outbreak in the city can be dealt with effectively?
It is important to acknowledge that the debate in Glasgow about the methadone programme and its development is taking place simply because close to £9 million in additional resources is being provided over the next three years and more will come from parts of the £100 million package that is still to be allocated. Although treatment resources in Glasgow have increased by 10 per cent, we acknowledge that that will not be adequate to fund the 7,000 places that the methadone review indicated might be the demand. The agencies that sit around the Glasgow drug action team table must work together to improve the integration of the pathways that people use to move on from the methadone programme. The local council also has additional resources for rehabilitation. Taken together, all that will create opportunities for others to take up the service that the methadone programme provides.
Robert Brown is right to say that extra money should be given to Glasgow. I have a general question, which I hope that the minister can answer. I appreciate that the methadone programme has a stabilising effect, but I am concerned about the long-term use of methadone. Is the Executive putting any measures in place to help long-term methadone users towards long-term rehabilitation?
I make the point again that we have significantly increased resources for drug treatment and rehabilitation in Glasgow. I expect that a significant proportion of that money will improve integrated working, so that, after being stabilised on the methadone programme, people will have opportunities to move on, particularly into training and employment.
Hospitals (Delayed Discharges)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in reducing the level of delayed discharges in Scotland's hospitals. (S1O-3316)
Latest census results show that 6 per cent fewer people were waiting for discharge in January this year than in September last. That improvement, when winter pressures on the NHS and on social services were at their height, reflects the high priority that we have given to reducing delays.
I welcome the fact that delayed discharges appear to be dropping. Does the minister agree that effective collaborative working between the health service and local authorities is essential in that regard? Given that, is he able to endorse initiatives such as that established by Fife Council social work services and the Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, which have established an initial response team and assigned two liaison social workers to the Queen Margaret hospital in my constituency, which has led to a considerable drop in the level of delayed discharges? Should that model be followed in other areas?
I agree that there has been excellent work in Fife on joint working. That work was especially targeted at keeping people at home, but I note that Fife also put some of the additional money into extra nursing home places. Over the winter, we gave £34 million specifically for delayed discharge, over and above what was already the largest increase in the health budget for many years. Fife, like many other areas, has made good use of that money.
I thank the minister for those comments, but given that one in 10 NHS beds remains blocked; that the latest figures show only a marginal reduction; that the net cost to the NHS of delayed discharges is some £80 million a year; and that the minister's party has been in Government for two years, can he indicate when we might expect a significant reduction in the problem of delayed discharges?
We are certainly not complacent, but it is remarkable and possibly unprecedented for delayed discharges to be reduced over the winter. We take that seriously, which is why we have established for the first time a census of those who are waiting in hospital for discharge. The median wait over the winter period declined by 10 days, which is highly significant. There is a long way to go, but Nicola Sturgeon ought to acknowledge the progress that has been made.
Much is said about delayed discharges of the elderly, and we welcome what the Executive is doing, but does the minister acknowledge the problems in psychiatric hospitals? Patients must wait for four weeks to be put on a list for delayed discharge. Does the minister agree that more than 30 patients waiting in New Craigs hospital in Inverness is too many?
Mary Scanlon is right—we attach great importance to the elderly. However, mental health is also a priority for the Executive. While progress has been made on that, I acknowledge that much more must be done. More money has gone into mental health in general over the past year—I think it increased by 7 per cent in the NHS sector—and, while I accept that there is still a lot to do, that progress ought to be acknowledged.
I welcome the unprecedented reduction over the winter, especially against a background of higher activity within the health service. However, will the minister now give consideration not to the numbers involved, but to instituting definite time limit guarantees to people who are affected by delayed discharges? In my constituency, a delay of up to two years can occur. Will he consider giving a guarantee similar to those under the NHS plan for in-patient waiting times?
Richard Simpson is right to highlight those who are waiting for the longest period—that is a serious problem. There are sometimes particular reasons why people wait for a long time in hospital and I undertake to consider that issue in detail. We would like to reduce the maximum waiting time for people in hospital.
Public Bodies Review
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on its review of public bodies. (S1O-3309)
I will be making a statement on the review in June.
I am sure that the Parliament recognises the Executive's commitment to reviewing the quality of democratic accountability. Does the minister agree that the role of public bodies that are funded by the Executive is to deliver the Executive's priorities and that, in their operation, they must be truly accountable to the Parliament? Further, will the minister assure the Parliament that, to ensure that we make a quality decision, there will be a thorough and analytical review of non-departmental public bodies and not simply a numerical review of quangos?
Pauline McNeill makes a number of important points. As part of its remit, the review that is being conducted will consider the overall number of quangos or NDPBs in Scotland. It will also seek to address questions of accountability, openness, value for money and effectiveness in the way in which those regimes operate. We want to be sure that, where there is a case for a quango or an NDPB—we should not be ashamed to say that there are solid cases for some of them—those organisations operate, as we would expect them to, to the highest standards.
I ask specifically about the review of the Scottish Tourist Board. Will a separate and much earlier ministerial statement be made, in the light of the events of the past 10 days? If so, will that statement be made by the First Minister or by the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning? If the lunch-time reports that the Scottish Tourist Board has spent £200,000 on a worldwide competition, the first prize in which is a stay at a hotel in Perthshire that is apparently both closed down and up for sale, prove to be accurate, will there be a review of the senior management of the Scottish Tourist Board?
I suspect that, within the next month, the only thing that may be closed down and up for sale is the SNP, after it has had a good cuffing in the general election.
I know that the minister was rendered mute in his previous attempt to address the chamber on the matter of quangos, and I understand his being a little coy about coming forward with his report. However, I am slightly disappointed that that report is not to be made available until June, because I think that we all expect some fairly radical proposals in it. Is the reason for his coyness something other than the general election?
I am not quite sure to what Annabel Goldie is alluding. She should not be too disappointed. We had originally pencilled in a date of 31 May for a report on the review. If that spills over into early or mid-June, I hope that she will be able to hold her interest for the short period that it will take to reach the outcome of the review.
Foot-and-mouth Disease
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it has introduced to alleviate the economic impact of the foot-and-mouth outbreak in Dumfries and Galloway. (S1O-3286)
The Executive has already announced a number of measures and is making available significant resources to help alleviate the immediate hardship and distress that is being experienced by individuals and businesses as a result of the current foot-and-mouth outbreak. As David Mundell will be aware, those measures include support being made available to affected businesses and individuals, including farmers, and the setting up of a local farmer-led steering group to advise on recovery issues that affect agriculture. There are additional resources for visitscotland to tackle misconceptions in key markets about the outbreak, as well as rates relief and help for businesses. Agrimonetary compensation and a welfare slaughter scheme will be brought forward. We appreciate fully that the foot-and-mouth outbreak has had a particular effect on Dumfries and Galloway, and we are ensuring that Dumfries and Galloway is benefiting fully from all the additional help that has been provided.
I thank the minister for that answer. I would not say that I am disappointed that he responded, but I had hoped that Ms Alexander might respond. I wonder whether Ross Finnie will undertake to clarify some remarks that Ms Alexander made when the £13.5 million measures were announced on 28 March. In that debate, when calls for additional funding for Dumfries and Galloway were made by Mr Finnie's party colleague, George Lyon, Ms Alexander said:
As members will know, I have been asked to conduct a number of interesting roles, but answering on behalf of Ms Alexander has never yet been one of them.
Not yet.
However, as any loyal member of the coalition knows, one puts oneself at the disposal of the First Minister.
The question is specifically about Dumfries and Galloway, so I will call only Alasdair Morgan from the list of members who have asked to speak.
Does the minister recognise that there is an urgent short-term need for a fund that can be targeted at individually assessed individuals and companies, especially those who may not pay domestic rates, such as agricultural contractors and others? Does he agree that the last thing that some of those businesses need—but which is what they are being offered—is a visit by a consultant from Scottish Enterprise?
One should be cautious about dismissing that. A number of businesses have had such a visit and have said that it has been helpful in their circumstances, because the individual who was visited by the consultant had no real skill in assembling financial information in a way that would allow a bank or other institution to take a sympathetic view of their circumstances, or to make the appropriate application for relief from taxation to the Inland Revenue and other authorities. I would not dismiss the assistance that that advice has given in a number of individual cases.
Offending on Bail
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to deter offenders from committing further crimes while on bail. (S1O-3291)
We are reviewing the effectiveness of the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1995, which relate to re-offending while on bail. Those provisions made available tougher or "aggravated" sentences for such offenders.
I thank the minister for his answer. Does he agree that it is very demoralising for the police force and for the victims of crime when the police catch criminals only for the courts to release them time and again?
Commission of any crime is unacceptable. I accept that the victims of crime feel especially aggrieved when the offender is on bail. That is why we are examining the effectiveness of the current provisions, which mean that if a person is convicted of an alleged offence committed while on bail, the court can impose an additional fine of up to £1,000, or an additional six months imprisonment. It is important that the effectiveness of that is examined.
I call Johann Lamont.
My question has been answered.
Motorola
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has held regarding the future of Motorola in West Lothian. (S1O-3314)
Motorola's announcement on Tuesday that it is consulting on the closure of the Easter Inch facility is extremely disappointing. As we discussed yesterday, in recent weeks my department and Scottish Enterprise have been in constant contact with the company here and in the United States. The First Minister has also contacted the company, and so have many senior figures in the UK Government, throwing their full weight behind our efforts to save the facility.
I thank the minister for that response. I advise the minister that this morning, along with my colleagues Mary Mulligan, Robin Cook and Tam Dalyell, I met the local authority and Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian to discuss the response to the situation. I say first that the response, as announced in the minister's statement yesterday, was warmly welcomed.
Order. We must have questions, not a speech.
I am asking the minister to consider two areas.
All right, but please do so briefly.
Secondly, will the minister consider the location of further public sector jobs in West Lothian, noting that the area currently has a lower than average share of such jobs in Scotland?
Livingston has increasingly become the beneficiary of high-tech research and development jobs, which will continue. The closure will change the position of unemployment in West Lothian. One of the factors that the Executive takes into consideration when it examines job dispersal is local unemployment in that particular community. The expectation that West Lothian's position will change substantially in the coming months will be reflected in our considerations.
Will the minister assure me that, as part of the discussions on the economic strategy, she will speak to her ministerial colleagues and the local authority to address any gaps in infrastructure provision in West Lothian that might deter other companies moving into the area?
Yes.
It should be noted that all the high-powered, high-profile contacts by this Government and others failed, unfortunately.
It is true that we failed to save the Bathgate plant. When we entered negotiations, we were determined that Scotland should remain the strategic hub of Motorola's operations, and it was important that we tried to secure the future of the planned research and development facility at Livingston and the planned Dunfermline plant.
Tourism
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional action is now being taken to assist the tourism industry. (S1O-3296)
Tourism businesses throughout Scotland will benefit from the £13.5 million emergency package of measures that my colleagues Angus MacKay and Wendy Alexander announced on 28 March. A medium to long-term recovery plan for the industry is in preparation.
The Crofters Union has still not signed up to "The Comeback Code", because of the issue of open grazing. Forest Enterprise still has "Keep Out" notices up, and throughout the Highlands people have downloaded "Keep Out" posters from the Highland Council website and pasted them on public rights of way. As a member of the Crofters Union, will the minister talk with that union, Forest Enterprise and Highland Council to ensure that we send a clear, unequivocal message to ministers? Furthermore, will he confirm who is responsible for keeping people off public rights of way?
I happily put on record that I have been a member of the Crofters Union for some 10 or 12 years. The lead minister on the foot-and-mouth issue, Ross Finnie, and his officials are in daily contact with the Crofters Union and the National Farmers Union of Scotland.
Many people feel that the access forums should be given more clout so that they can twist the arms of recalcitrant landowners who keep their estates closed for insufficiently good reasons. Will the minister indicate whether there is any way to give such forums more teeth?
There is no doubt that the behaviour of private landowners will inform much of the debate surrounding the land reform bill that will be introduced by the Deputy First Minister and my colleague, Iain Gray. I make the plea to private landowners that there is absolutely no room for selfishness in this matter and that it is their responsibility and duty to take the signs down.
Before we begin First Minister's question time, I invite members to welcome to the VIP gallery the Leader of the House of Lords, the Rt hon Baroness Jay of Paddington. [Applause.]
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