British-Irish Council (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government what issues were discussed at the last meeting of the British-Irish Council. (S4O-03391)
At the successful British-Irish Council summit that was held in Guernsey on 13 June, we discussed the economic situation with a consensus that there was cautious optimism but a need to look at the nature of recovery and the sustainability of growth. We discussed the importance of good transport links with a strong case for changes to air passenger duty, the reduction of which will allow Scotland’s airports to become more competitive in attracting new direct routes and will improve our international connectivity. We also considered various workstreams including spatial planning. Copies of the communiqué and the BIC annual report are available on the British-Irish Council’s website.
At a recent meeting of the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly in Dublin, which I attended, the chief executive of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, described air passenger duty as a “mindlessly insane” policy of the United Kingdom Government in that it taxes tourists before they arrive. Can the cabinet secretary explain what the further benefits to Scotland and the rest of these isles will be after a yes vote, when the Government reduces and then scraps air passenger duty, as the Irish Government has already done?
At the British-Irish Council, there was extensive discussion of air passenger duty. It was indicated that Ryanair has said that it will deliver an additional 1 million passengers as a direct result of the Irish Government’s decision to abolish its air travel tax from April 2014. We also shared with the British-Irish Council information from the York Aviation study that was commissioned by Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, which found that, by 2016, £210 million per annum less will have been spent in Scotland by inbound visitors than would have been spent if APD had not risen as it has since 2007. There is clearly a strong case for more powers for the Parliament to ensure that we make the difference for our economy.
Commonwealth Games (Disruption in Dalmarnock)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the recent reports of significant levels of disruption to residents in Dalmarnock because of the Commonwealth games. (S4O-03392)
I am grateful for the patience that has been shown by local residents and, in particular, by the Dalmarnock community. Preparation for the games has led to some unavoidable disruption. Planning has taken place among a wide range of bodies, including Glasgow City Council, the organising committee and the emergency services, to ensure that the effects on the community are minimised as we come ever closer to what will be a hugely successful games for Glasgow that will bring long-term benefits to the city, particularly the communities in the east end.
When a resident in Springfield Road leaves their house, they pass through a small garden and on to the pavement, and there is then an 8-foot fence immediately in front of them, which is not particularly attractive and will sit there for three months. The residents accept that there will be long-term benefits, but will the minister encourage some recompense or at least an acknowledgement of the fact that the local residents have been put out somewhat?
I am aware that the security fencing, in particular, has caused concern among local residents. That is inevitable, given the close proximity of the venues to the local community. Security is of paramount concern, and the security planning has ensured the best overlay of security to ensure that we deliver a secure games. However, that has meant placing security fencing in close proximity to some residents’ houses.
I acknowledged the disruption that has been caused in my previous answer. John Mason will be aware that discussions are going on between Glasgow City Council, the organising committee and local residents about how recompense might be provided. He has been active on the issue and has made a number of suggestions, including the issuing of free tickets. Those discussions are on-going, and the Scottish Government would certainly support the organising committee recognising the disruption through, perhaps, the granting of free tickets and support for community events among other measures. Those discussions will continue, I hope, to a successful resolution.
National Health Service (Complaints)
Absolutely. I totally agree with Aileen McLeod. Every day, I am inspired by the excellent quality of care that is provided by our dedicated and hard-working NHS staff, and I deplore some of the recent attacks on the staff, such as those on staff at the neonatal unit in Wishaw.
Yesterday, I visited the Golden Jubilee hospital, which now has the fastest turnaround time for dealing with heart attacks of any hospital anywhere in the United Kingdom. The target for turnaround from arriving at the hospital to getting initial treatment is 30 minutes, but the Golden Jubilee is doing it in 21 minutes, which is unmatched by any other hospital in the whole of the UK. That is something to be celebrated. If we sometimes heard as much from Opposition parties about the successes of the NHS, which far outweigh any potential challenges that we face, I think that morale in the health service would be a bit higher.
If I may, I will very gently point out to the cabinet secretary a small correction: north-east England has more GPs per head than Scotland, as he will see from the four countries report.
The whistleblowers telephone line was eventually introduced by the Scottish Government two years after the English line came into being. We were promised an evaluation at some point of the feedback to individuals. We have had an initial evaluation but not the evaluation of what the people who have complained feel about the responses. When is that going to happen?
First of all, the north-east is not a country—I know that that might be news to a no campaigner, but there we go.
The evaluation that the member asked about will be available next year. Clearly, the helpline is fairly new. In fact, it is widely used by people from south of the border. We will extrapolate whatever lessons we can learn about their health service as well as extrapolating lessons for our own. We will publish a very robust evaluation in due course.
To ask the Scottish Government what the reason is for the 13 per cent increase in complaints about hospital and community health services and the 36 per cent increase in relation to family health services between 2011-12 and 2012-13. (S4O-03393)
The official national health service complaints statistics for 2012-13 were released by ISD on 24 September 2013. “NHS Complaints Statistics: Scotland 2012/13” was the first NHS complaints statistics report since the introduction in April 2012 of the right to give feedback, make comments, raise concerns and make complaints about healthcare, which was introduced by the Patient Rights (Scotland) Act 2011. Numbers were expected to rise in the short term, as a result of people’s increased awareness of their right to give feedback or make a complaint. We expect the NHS to demonstrate that it is listening, learning and making improvements as a result of those complaints.
The cabinet secretary suggests that the increase in complaints is simply a short-term rise, but page 5 of the bulletin reveals that the rise in hospital complaints is a long-term trend. Can he demonstrate to Parliament that he understands not just why the good parts of the NHS are working, which we all know about, but why the bits of the NHS that are not working are doing so badly?
We are using information on complaints as part of the management information in boards. In some boards, such as Tayside NHS Board and Grampian NHS Board, every complaint is treated as an adverse event, which means that very thorough investigation is carried out into why something has gone wrong so that lessons can be learned to prevent it from going wrong again.
With the roll-out of the patient opinion medium, which is readily accessible in hospitals to patients, visitors, carers, family members and, indeed, staff, we expect further complaints to come through. As that is being rolled out, we are seeing not only an increase in the number of complaints but a very substantial increase in the number of compliments that are being paid by patients and others. I point out that the most recent British social attitudes survey shows that, over recent years, there has been an increase of more than 20 per cent in people’s satisfaction with the NHS, which we should be proud of.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that the British Medical Association’s conference is taking place in Harrogate today. This morning on “Good Morning Scotland”, Dr Hal Maxwell from Ayrshire highlighted the BMA’s concerns about falling general practitioner numbers in Scotland. What is the cabinet secretary doing to address the concerns of Dr Maxwell and the BMA about the lack of available GPs?
Dr Maxwell is from Ballantrae, which is, of course, a fairly remote rural community in South Ayrshire. There is a particular problem with recruitment and retention in rural communities across Scotland, which I have spoken about many times in the Parliament. On behalf of all the health boards in Scotland, NHS Highland is leading on tackling the issue. It has been given £1.5 million to work with its own people and the rest of rural Scotland to try new initiatives to attract and retain GPs in particular in rural areas.
I should point out that, since 2007, we have increased the number of GPs in Scotland by 5.6 per cent, and that we have by far the largest number of GPs per head of anywhere in the British isles. I state categorically that, even though we are the best in terms of numbers, we are by no means complacent. I recognise—particularly given the increasing complexity of the conditions that people are presenting with in GPs’ surgeries—that we need to put additional resources into the primary care sector. That is why I have instructed health boards, as part of this year’s local delivery plans, to increase spending in the primary care sector.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that the 20 per cent increase in public satisfaction with Scotland’s NHS in the past decade is testament not only to the hard-working NHS staff, but to the approach of the Government in supporting and protecting our NHS as a key public service that is free at the point of delivery, in contrast to the creeping privatisation of NHS services that Westminster is presiding over south of the border?
Fisheries (Sanctions on Faroe Islands)
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the European Commission’s proposal to lift the Faroe Islands’ herring sanctions that are in place to deter unsustainable fishing practices. (S4O-03394)
The European Commission has unilaterally judged that the reduced catch limit for herring that the Faroe Islands has set itself for this year satisfies the criteria for lifting the current trade measures. I acknowledge the downward shift in the catch limit, but it remains above the share that was set aside for the Faroese by the other parties in March this year. In my view, lifting the trade measures now may be premature and could be seen as rewarding poor behaviour.
The statement from the Commission that the current share does not form a commitment to a permanent share going forward is of course encouraging, but it raises concerns about the process by which this position has been reached. I therefore intend to write to the United Kingdom Government to raise my concerns in advance of the discussion on this issue in Brussels at the end of July. My firm position is that shares should be agreed between all parties with an interest in the fishery, and I will seek to ensure that sensible decisions are taken and that Scotland’s interests are protected.
Does the cabinet secretary share Scottish pelagic fishermen’s genuine concern that the Commission, without consulting European Union member states, is sending out completely the wrong message by proposing to remove the sanctions even when the Faroese have unilaterally set a herring quota that is double the figure that they should be allocated under the previous coastal states agreement? Further, what is he going to do to ensure that there is a level playing field for pelagic fishermen when the discard ban is introduced in January, because Scottish skippers face having a huge amount of control and monitoring equipment on board their vessels while the Faroese and Norwegians fishing alongside them off Shetland will not have any restrictions?
I think that I indicated in my previous answer to the member that I share to an extent the Scottish industry’s views on how the Commission has handled the trade sanctions for the Faroe Islands. However, we should also recognise that progress is being made and we should welcome that, because it is in everyone’s interests that there is an agreement on the future of the herring stock.
I have made the strongest recommendations to the UK Government that it must deliver a level playing field between the Scottish pelagic sector and other countries that fish in our waters after the introduction of the discard ban for pelagic stocks in a year or so. We cannot have control measures on Scottish vessels that fish alongside other vessels that have fewer control measures. Therefore, I am making the strongest representations to the UK Government. An internal debate is going on between the Scottish and UK Governments on the issue at the moment. I hope that Jamie McGrigor will support the Scottish Government’s position on that.
Medical Certificate of Cause of Death
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to inform doctors about the medical certificate of cause of death that is expected to be introduced in August. (S4O-03395)
A revised paper medical certificate of cause of death—MCCD—or form 11, will be introduced after midnight on 5 August 2014. To support the changeover, significant work has been and is being undertaken to ensure a smooth transition from the current form to the new one. The chief medical officer signalled the change in a letter of 20 March 2014 to all national health service chief executives and medical directors, for cascading to all staff, including general practitioners. A second, more detailed, letter from the chief medical officer is to be issued to the same recipients this week. The changeover will be discussed with health boards’ nominated lead officers at a meeting on 15 July. Additionally, NHS Education for Scotland is developing educational and awareness-raising materials for dissemination to and use by all NHS boards before the changeover date.
I thank the cabinet secretary for that comprehensive reply. I am pleased to hear about how much work we have done on the issue, but what have we done to inform funeral directors of the new MCCD?
The medical certificate of cause of death form is not normally made available to funeral directors, so there will be no change to the current funeral arrangements from their perspective. Nevertheless, the National Association of Funeral Directors, which represents 80 per cent of funeral directors in Scotland, is a key member of the overarching certification of death national advisory group and has responsibility for informing its members of all relevant changes connected with the work. That includes confirming that the revised MCCD will have no impact on its members at this time.
“Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities”
To ask the Scottish Government what opportunities the proposals in “Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities” could bring to Arran and Cumbrae. (S4O-03396)
I have visited Arran and Cumbrae to discuss the measures that are set out in “Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities”, nearly all of which will apply to each of Scotland’s 93 inhabited islands. Proposals to benefit Arran and Cumbrae include revenue from the sea bed, an islands provision in the interim constitution, an islands minister and top-up support to island beef farmers, which is of particular interest to Arran.
I thank the minister for that positive reply. I am pleased that the proposals apply to all Scotland’s islands and will benefit Arran and Cumbrae significantly. The prospectus recommends that local authorities set up islands innovation zones. If the communities on Arran and/or Cumbrae wish to set up such a zone, would that be actively considered?
Yes, the Scottish Government can consider that proposal. Arran is an excellent example of a place where communities and stakeholders come together to promote that which is best about the area. We look forward to seeing those proposals. Like every other island in Scotland, Arran will benefit from the opportunities that can be unlocked through independence to empower Scotland’s islands.
Affordable Housing Supply Programme
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the progress of its affordable housing supply programme. (S4O-03397)
Our target is to deliver 30,000 additional affordable homes during the current session of Parliament. Two thirds of those will be for social rent. Excellent progress is being made as, three years into the period, we have delivered 19,903 affordable homes, with 72 per cent of them being for social rent.
Many of my constituents who are unable to secure good-quality housing are families. Sustainable communities need a mix of housing. Although councils across the country are working hard to ensure that their local housing strategies meet community needs, more needs to be done. Some of the issues were covered in yesterday’s debate on the Housing (Scotland) Bill, but what steps is the Government taking to support councils, housing associations and developers to ensure that the housing stock in each area is appropriate for communities and that we have enough family housing? Also, how will the situation be monitored?
As the member will be aware, it is up to each local authority to set its local housing strategy and housing plan. The Government supports all tenures of housing in the sector. We have a wide range of schemes, from mid-market schemes to social rented housing, to supporting ownership through the help to buy scheme. The Government will continue to do that and to work with our local authority partners. However, at the end of the day, it is up to local authorities to determine the type of houses that they require for their areas. Each local authority knows best what is needed in its local community.
I can squeeze in question 8, if Ms McTaggart and the minister are brief.
Homophobic Hate Crimes
In February this year, we launched the speak up against hate crime campaign to raise awareness of what hate crime is and how to report it. We will build on that work with partners from all the relevant organisations, many of which said when the statistics were published that the rise was due partly to increased confidence in reporting such crimes and the third-party reporting centres that help people to do so. However, we are not complacent, and we will do what else we need to do.
Before we move to the next item of business, members will wish to join me in welcoming to the gallery His Excellency Dr Pribicevic, the ambassador of the Republic of Serbia. [Applause.]
Members will also wish to welcome the delegation from the network of parliamentary committees on economy, finance and European integration of the western Balkans. [Applause.]
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in response to the reported 22 per cent increase in homophobic hate crimes in the last year. (S4O-03398)
The Scottish Government will continue to work closely with public and third sector organisations to address the causes of hate crime, to encourage victims to report hate crime and to improve the service that is offered to victims.
In the past 12 months, there has been a 12 per cent rise in disability hate crime and a 3 per cent rise in racial abuse. In light of those worrying statistics, what action is the Government taking to reverse the trend and ensure that prejudice and discrimination are eradicated in every community in Scotland?