Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, April 26, 2012

Official Report 1075KB pdf

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Scottish Executive Question Time

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General Questions

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Air Ambulance Service (Orkney)

1. To ask the Scottish Executive when details of the new air ambulance contract will be announced and whether it expects the contract to include an Orkney-based aircraft. (S4O-00909)

The new air ambulance service contract will be announced next month. As I am sure the member will appreciate, it is only at that time that details can be provided of the location and configuration of the aircraft that will provide the service.

I welcome the fact that the announcement will be made next month, although the contract will not come into effect until next year, as I understand it.

When I raised the issue with the cabinet secretary back in January, it followed the tragic death of a constituent on the island of Shapinsay. I was grateful for the sympathy that Ms Sturgeon expressed on that occasion and her offer to convey my concerns and those of my constituents to the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS Orkney. She will not be surprised to hear that I believe that it is imperative not only that the new air ambulance contract contains provision for a locally based aircraft in Orkney but that an interim solution is found. Despite receiving numerous assurances in recent months that such a solution is being agreed, I am concerned that nothing has been announced yet.

Will the cabinet secretary make inquiries, establish the timeframe and write to me with a firm deadline for putting in place arrangements that will give my constituents, particularly those on the smaller islands, confidence that they will have a service that more fully meets their needs?

I acknowledge the concerns of people in Orkney and the interest that the member has shown in the issue. He is right to say that, although the contract details will be announced next month, the contract will run from 2013.

I am more than happy to make the inquiries that Liam McArthur suggests and to write to him in the manner that he has requested.

Without going into any of the details that will be announced next month, as that would not be possible or appropriate, I say to Liam McArthur that the Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS Orkney are well aware of the concerns of people in Orkney and are working hard to ensure that they can be addressed. However, I will ensure that he gets a fuller written response from me as soon as possible.

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Power Cuts (Islay)

2. To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on concerns raised by residents of Islay regarding the frequency of power cuts on the island. (S4O-00910)

Islay residents, who are supplied by Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution, have suffered a series of power outages since September 2010, most of which were not caused by the severe weather events of the past year. Some outages were caused by faults on the cable that connects Islay to Jura and ultimately to the mainland, and the cable has now been replaced at a cost of £8 million. Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution is also investigating the possibility of further engineering work around the cable to reduce the heavy erosion that is caused by the fast-flowing tides in the Sound of Jura. It is estimated that that work would cost £3 million.

Other faults have been caused by the condition of overhead lines—both those on the mainland that supply the subsea cable and those on Islay itself. Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution has already refurbished the 33kV overhead line feeder between Port Ann and Lochgilphead at a cost of approximately £800,000, which will help to secure supplies to the island, and it is about to embark on a schedule of refurbishment work on the island that will cost about £1.8 million. That scheme will directly address the problems that have been experienced over the past two years.

I hope that that comprehensive programme of engineering work will alleviate the concerns of the member and his constituents on the island of Islay.

I thank the minister for his detailed answer. Nonetheless, is he aware that Islay, particularly the Portnahaven and Port Charlotte end, is still suffering from power cuts? The most recent was last weekend, and it cannot be blamed on the weather. Will he make strong representations to Scottish and Southern Energy on the matter? My constituents in the area are understandably losing patience. Islay is hugely important to our economy, so I am sure that the minister agrees that it deserves a proper electricity infrastructure.

These are important issues. Jamie McGrigor acknowledged in his response to my initial answer that a number of steps are being taken by Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution, which is responsible for the issue, to ensure continuity of supply to his constituents on Islay.

Clearly, the tourism and whisky sectors, as well as local residents who are not involved in those sectors, depend extensively on power supplies. I will ensure that the concerns that have been raised in Parliament today are drawn to the attention of Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution. It is fair to acknowledge that the company has invested heavily in trying to improve the infrastructure of electricity supply to the islands and it will wish to ensure that continuity of supply is guaranteed to the residents of this important community.

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Tourism Strategy

3. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made with the refresh of the Scottish tourism strategy. (S4O-00911)

The refresh of the Scottish tourism strategy is being undertaken on behalf of the industry by the tourism leadership group. I understand from the chair of that group, Stephen Leckie, that it has made good progress and that it expects to launch a refreshed strategy by the end of June.

I am pleased that the Scottish Government is taking further action to improve tourism in Scotland, but concerns have been raised with me about the lack of representation of sports governing bodies on the tourism leadership group. As I am the convener of the cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, I fully understand the huge part that sport has to play in any future tourism strategy. What steps are being taken to ensure that sports governing bodies are being afforded a say on the tourism strategy?

The tourism leadership group’s effort is to undertake a wide consultation and discussion with all sectors of the tourism economy to ensure that the strategy that emerges reflects the issues and aspirations of all elements of the tourism economy in Scotland. I can certainly assure Mr McMillan that the group will go to extensive lengths to ensure that it has dialogue across the board. If particular sectors wish to make further representations, I know from my discussions with Stephen Leckie that he is keen to ensure that he hears all relevant representations. We all have at the heart of our interests the growth and development of the tourism sector in Scotland, and it is clear that sport tourism and adventure activities opportunities form a major part of the opportunities to enjoy Scotland’s tourism industry.

I note that Joan McAlpine is not in the chamber to ask question 4, and I have not received any indication that she was withdrawing it.

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Territorial National Health Service Boards (Meetings)

5. To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the chairs and chief executives of the territorial NHS boards and what issues were discussed. (S4O-00913)

I meet chairs and Scottish Government officials meet chief executives of all national health service boards on a regular, monthly basis. During those meetings, we discuss the Scottish Government’s priorities for the NHS in Scotland and a range of matters that concern the health of the population.

I want to see whether we can get any greater clarity on bonus point payments to NHS consultants than the First Minister was able to give the other week, when he deliberately confused merit awards and bonus points. What instructions, if any, were issued to health boards on bonus point pay awards for consultants? Did the cabinet secretary order that, apart from payments that have to be made under prior contractual agreements, no new or additional bonus payments should be made? If that was the case, why were 250 new bonuses and 650 additional bonuses paid out? That made the public sector NHS pay freeze apply only to workers who earn over £21,000, except for those 900 consultants and a considerable number of managers, whom I will come back to at another time.

The First Minister did not confuse the two schemes. He explained very clearly the position around the two schemes, which I will do again.

Let us consider the distinction awards scheme first. It now seems that Labour members think that they do not like that scheme very much, but Labour presided over it in every single year in which it was in government. I am the first health secretary to seek to reform that scheme and to freeze distinction awards so that we no longer have a budget for distinction awards that is rising, as it was under the previous Government.

I turn to the local schemes that Richard Simpson talks about. As he will be aware, they are part of the contractual entitlement of doctors, and I point out they were in place under the previous Administration as well. I have made it very clear that I want those schemes and the distinction awards scheme to be reformed, which is why we were instrumental in securing the Doctors and Dentists Review Body investigation. I hope that the DDRB’s report will be published sooner rather than later. We can then move to a position in which we have reformed schemes in place that meet the needs of the NHS across Scotland in all its various forms.

Given the recent disappointing statistics on childhood obesity at primary 1—in the Borders, the level remains static at around 10 per cent while, worryingly, in Midlothian, the figure for obesity has gone up to 12.6 per cent and for severe obesity has gone up to 7.8 per cent—will the cabinet secretary tell us whether she is aware from her discussions with NHS boards that the issue is raised at antenatal and neonatal clinics? As the previous Health and Sport Committee reported to Parliament, that is the stage at which a child’s palate for sugary and heavily salted foods—the basis, of course, of junk food—can develop.

Given the levels of obesity in Scotland—in particular, as the member pointed out, the levels of childhood obesity—Christine Grahame raises an extremely important question. I am happy to write to her in some detail on efforts to tackle child obesity, especially about the opportunities provided by antenatal and postnatal visits, which she raised, to get across the right messages about child nutrition.

More generally, Christine Grahame will be aware of our preventing obesity action plan, which is a whole-society approach aimed at changing the environment to make it easier for people to make healthy choices about nutrition and the food that they eat, to take regular exercise and so on. As part of that, we are investing £2.4 million in increasing the amount of physical education in schools and we are also carrying out work with the NHS in Scotland to support the delivery of healthy weight interventions for nearly 15,000 children between the ages of 2 and 15. A range of initiatives to tackle obesity is under way but, as I have indicated, I am happy to write to Christine Grahame in more detail to inform her of those various initiatives.

I wonder whether, when she next meets the board of NHS Ayrshire and Arran, the cabinet secretary will discuss its decision to terminate the licence of the general practitioner dispensing practice on the Isle of Cumbrae, despite the fact that her colleague Michael Matheson wrote to health boards to make it clear that they should not necessarily follow that course of action. Does she share my concern that within hours of the decision being confirmed, the individual who had been awarded the new dispensing practice on the island put it on sale, demonstrating that he was interested in making a profit, not providing a service?

As Jackson Carlaw knows, such matters are for local NHS boards and, with regard to decisions on dispensing practices and whether community pharmacies should be allowed to dispense, local circumstances have to be taken into account. As we have just had a Conservative-led debate on the importance of localism in such matters, I am sure that the member will agree that it is important for health boards to take these decisions.

The important issue is ensuring that, regardless of who provides the dispensing services, the people who rely on them have as full a service as possible. If Jackson Carlaw has any particular concerns about the process undertaken by NHS Ayrshire and Arran, he should write to me with them and I will be more than happy to raise them with the health board.

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Small Business Bonus Scheme (North East Scotland)

6. To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in north-east Scotland have received support from the small business bonus scheme. (S4O-00914)

In the four years since its introduction by this Government, the small business bonus scheme has reduced business rates taxation for Aberdeen city, Aberdeenshire and Moray businesses by a total of £40.6 million. Moreover, we are committed to maintaining the scheme for the lifetime of this Parliament and many, many thousands of north-east Scotland businesses will continue to benefit in the current and future financial years.

I thank the cabinet secretary for outlining the huge amount of money that businesses in the north-east have saved.

A number of businesses have contacted me with concerns about comments made by a number of Opposition politicians about attaching additional caveats to the small business bonus scheme. Will the cabinet secretary reassure those businesses and the chamber that there will be no such caveats and that the scheme will continue to benefit businesses in its current form?

The small business bonus scheme was designed to directly assist small companies the length and breadth of Scotland and to provide them with an opportunity to invest in their business and support the development of their organisation in a fashion appropriate to their circumstances. The Government is happy to confirm its intention not only to maintain the scheme in the years to come but to do so on the basis on which it was formulated to Parliament. Indeed, when I go round the country, many small companies make it absolutely clear to me how central the assistance has been to the maintenance of effective town-centre communities the length and breadth of Scotland and I am very pleased with the results that the initiative has delivered for the Scottish economy and communities throughout our country.

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Prison Visiting Committees

7. To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its further consultation on prison visiting committees. (S4O-00915)

I will lay a section 14 order to replace the prison visiting committees under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 at the end of May. The draft order and an explanatory document will be published on the Scottish Government website for consultation. That will provide a further opportunity for the Government to seek a broad range of views on the proposals.

Will the cabinet secretary confirm that he is aware of the comments of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Brigadier Monro, that he was not consulted on the decision to disband the visiting committees and replace them with an advocacy service? He has recorded his real concern that Scotland’s prisons must continue to be regularly and effectively monitored by an independent service. Will those comments carry some weight in the consultation process?

He was consulted. I meet the brigadier and inspector of prisons regularly, and I met him a few days back to discuss his latest report on Cornton Vale. I assure the member that my officials and I are in full discussion with him and he is quite content with the proposals that we will outline very shortly.

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Welfare Reform

8. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the United Kingdom Government on welfare reform and what impact this will have on people in Scotland. (S4O-00916)

We have made clear to the United Kingdom Government our concerns about the effect of its deep and damaging cuts to benefits and services, cuts that the Department for Work and Pensions itself estimates will reduce benefit receipts in Scotland by £2.5 billion by 2015 and which will impact on some of our most vulnerable people. We have had regular discussions with the UK Government at ministerial and official levels regarding the impact of its welfare reforms, and we will continue to do so as we prepare for the implementation of the changes.

In my constituency of Midlothian North and Musselburgh, around 8,000 residents who are already on low incomes will be adversely impacted as a result of the imposition of Westminster’s welfare reform. An estimated £9 million will be lost to the local economy, threatening the viability of some local businesses. The matter is reserved and Westminster cuts constrain what can be done. Will the cabinet secretary advise whether there are any steps that the Scottish Government can take or has taken to help shelter the lowest-income segment of society?

I thank Colin Beattie for his question. He is absolutely right to point out the impact on some of the most vulnerable people in his constituency and right across Scotland. We should remember that the most vulnerable to poor outcomes and least able to cope with these changes will be lone parents, people who live in deprived areas, pensioners and disabled people. They will be disproportionately affected by the benefit cuts that the UK Government has announced. Colin Beattie is also right to say that the matter is reserved, but through the actions that we have already taken and actions that we will continue to take, we will do everything in our power to mitigate the worst effects.

Colin Beattie will recall the announcement made by the First Minister just last week that the Scottish Government, in partnership with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, will not pass on the cut to council tax benefit that would hit very hard some of the most vulnerable people in society. As we continue our work on passported benefits around the successor arrangements to the social fund, we will look for every opportunity to protect vulnerable people in Scotland.

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Child Poverty (West of Scotland)

9. To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to tackle child poverty in the west of Scotland. (S4O-00917)

The child poverty strategy for Scotland sets out our approach to tackling child poverty. Our first annual report on the child poverty strategy, which we published on 22 March 2012, sets out a range of measures that we are taking across Scotland to tackle child poverty and includes updates on actions we have taken to drive change through local partners.

In addition, we intend to establish a ministerial advisory group on child poverty, to help us to reflect on the first annual report, to identify priorities and actions that we can take on board for future reports, and to formulate strategies as the cycle moves towards publication of the next report in March 2014.

In my local authority area, child poverty has remained static for the past five years. The SNP-led Renfrewshire Council has failed to report on the progress of the anti-poverty strategy, although it set out to report every year. Does the minister agree that we need a national focus to reduce child poverty and that single outcome agreements are failing children in Renfrewshire?

The obligation to report on an annual basis is one for the Scottish Government, which is why we laid the report a few weeks ago. It updates members on the progress that we are making.

The Government is clear about its commitment to ensuring that we tackle child poverty, but the reality is that child poverty is very sensitive to financial changes and changes in the benefits and taxation systems. Until this country has control over those powers, we will continue to struggle to tackle child poverty successfully.

Before we come to First Minister’s question time, members will wish to join me in welcoming to the gallery the high commissioner of Singapore, His Excellency Mr Jasudasen. [Applause.]