Commonwealth Games Visitors
The year 2014 is a momentous one for Scotland and we look forward to welcoming visitors from around the world for the Commonwealth games, the Ryder cup and homecoming.
As the minister may know, Glasgow airport in Paisley will welcome many of the athletes and spectators, in effect making Paisley the gateway to the games. How are the Scottish Government and games organisers working with the airport to ensure a smooth journey for all users of the airport during the games?
The Scottish Government very much recognises that Glasgow airport is one of the key arrival points for the Commonwealth games. For that reason, we have been working closely with Glasgow Airport Ltd and the games organising committee throughout the planning phases of the games. I am happy to write to the member to provide him with more detail.
Discretionary Housing Payments
The latest figures available for expenditure on discretionary housing payments were published earlier this month and cover the period 1 April 2013 to 31 January 2014. I have noted that, on those figures, some local authorities had not yet spent their full allocation.
The minister will recall that when we last debated this, on 13 March, she appeared to suggest that there may be an opportunity to use the DHP underspend to wipe out the debt accrued by tenants struggling to pay the bedroom tax this past year. Would she care to confirm that now?
What I said then was that we were looking at what the total underspend would be for the year, what funding we had made available to 2014-15 and whether that funding could be better targeted at those who need it. We are aware that the DHP allocations do not match the areas of need; therefore the top-up does not match that either. That is why we need to get the cap on DHPs removed. However, we are very clear that any additional funding that the Scottish Government has committed to the financial year 2014-15 will be fully used to mitigate the effects of the bedroom tax and we are looking at ways of doing that.
Public Transport (Renfrewshire)
Following completion of the Glasgow airport strategic transport network study, I have asked Transport Scotland to work with Glasgow airport, Renfrewshire Council and Glasgow City Council in considering further the feasibility of a tram/train link from Glasgow airport to Glasgow Central station.
I understand that the minister recently met the RailQwest group regarding the Glasgow crossrail project. RailQwest believes that the project would not only benefit Renfrewshire, Ayrshire and Inverclyde but have national benefits by linking those areas to central and east Scotland by train. Will the minister tell us what the Scottish Government intends to do following that meeting? For example, given the project’s potential to have regional and national importance, will he commit to working with RailQwest to carry out a feasibility study so that we can take crossrail forward?
It was indeed an interesting meeting with RailQwest but the outcome was for me to say to RailQwest that if it wants to take that proposal forward—as it is not one of the priorities currently being pursued by the Scottish Government—it would have to work with the regional transport partnership. That would be the relevant body to take the project through to the next stage, which would perhaps be a Scottish transport appraisal guidance study, and to give any serious consideration to the project.
Living Wage
The Government takes low pay seriously and we are leading the way by doing all that we can to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from the living wage. Our commitment to support the Scottish living wage for the duration of the parliamentary session is a decisive and long-term commitment to those who are on the lowest incomes.
It has been brought to my attention that some Scottish Government directorates and non-departmental public bodies are subcontracting jobs that used to be supported directly, which is creating a low-pay loophole. We know from a Daily Record story last year that the living wage was not being paid for subcontracted Scottish Government cleaning jobs at Atlantic Quay. Given that paying the living wage should be a priority, will the cabinet secretary commit to an urgent review of all jobs that are subcontracted by the Government’s agencies before stage 3 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill?
The Government takes the issue seriously. Aspects of work that is carried out in the Government’s areas of activity are the subject of contracts in which individuals do not become part of the public sector pay policy. Mr Kelly made that distinction in his question.
Does the cabinet secretary agree that raising the statutory minimum wage is the real long-term answer to low pay, rather than a voluntary living wage?
A statutory minimum wage at a higher level is a way of enshrining the principles of the living wage campaign. The Scottish Government made it clear in “Scotland’s Future” that our proposed fair work commission will ensure that the minimum wage rises at least in line with inflation. If that had happened in the past five years, that would have boosted the pay of the lowest earners by more than £600.
Local Planning Decisions (Appeals)
The Scottish ministers wish to see the right developments in the right places. Reporters from the directorate for planning and environmental appeals, acting on the Scottish ministers’ behalf, are required to make their decisions on the basis of the case’s planning merits and in accordance with the area’s development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. We are content that reporters are making decisions on planning appeals on that basis.
Figures that the Scottish Government recently released show that the number of such decisions is rising in my constituency of East Lothian, where anger is also increasing about the decisions that reporters take on ministers’ behalf, against local people’s wishes. The latest example involves Beveridge Row in Belhaven. In correspondence, the planning minister refused my request for him to meet the local community council or the public to discuss the issue, because the case was live. However, he also rejected any responsibility for the decision, because it is being taken by a reporter.
I am a bit surprised by Iain Gray’s question, given that he served as a minister in the Scottish Government and is familiar with the arrangements around planning legislation. Indeed, the planning legislation under which we operate was fundamentally put in place by the Administration prior to this one, in 2006-07. I am therefore a bit surprised by the tone and nature of Iain Gray’s question.
The word “anger” is an understatement of the emotions that were felt in the Broughton area of my constituency when the reporter this week approved a planning application for a housing development alongside a primary school playground against the wishes of the council. Is it not the case that, over the past seven years, the planning minister has withdrawn from being involved in certain planning appeals that previously the minister would have had a role in deciding?
The same point applies. Existing planning policies and development plans in particular localities drive the planning decisions. Those decisions are taken on an evidence base. They are not taken because of particular priorities of ministers or authorities; they are based on planning policies. I quite understand that local communities can often be concerned by decisions, but they are taken on that basis. Whether they are taken with ministerial involvement or on the stance of reporters, the same considerations and conditions have to be assessed by whoever takes the decision.
Winter Sports
I am sure that all members will be aware that the all-Scottish team GB curlers in the men’s, women’s and Paralympian teams returned with medals from the winter Olympics in Sochi. In recognition of that fantastic performance, sportscotland and Stirling Council recently announced that they will work in partnership to deliver a multimillion-pound investment in Stirling sports village. That will significantly enhance curling facilities for both performance athletes and community use, and it represents a further boost for the sport in Scotland.
I think that we all warmly welcome those commitments. However, given that, as part of the United Kingdom, Scotland currently benefits from access to over £7 billion of sports funding and 1,300 elite athletes currently receive direct financial support, can the minister tell members how much financial support would be available in an independent Scotland to support our Scottish sportsmen and sportswomen?
The total investment in the winter Olympic and Paralympic performance programmes by Scotland has been in the region of £3.75 million to £4 million. That is over and above the funding that is provided through sportscotland to the sports’ governing bodies. Of course, we pay in and contribute to UK Sport and therefore we would be entitled to our share of that resource. In addition, the lottery moneys that currently go to sport through sportscotland would continue. We have fantastic state-of-the-art sports facilities that are more than adequate to ensure that our athletes continue to perform with the best on the world stage.
Waiting Times (NHS Grampian)
I am aware that the board has been experiencing capacity difficulties in delivering the waiting-time guarantee and standards, which is why we have invested £18 million to increase capacity by building new theatres and employing more doctors, nurses and support staff. That additional capacity has just come on stream and should enable a significant reduction in waiting times, with the 12-week legal treatment-time guarantee being delivered during the quarter ending September 2014. My officials continue to work with the board to support the delivery of waiting times.
Yesterday, we learned that NHS Grampian is not meeting waiting-time targets for cancer treatment. I wrote to the cabinet secretary after 20 consultants in NHS Grampian complained of chronic underfunding of services. Is he giving a guarantee that, because of the resources that he has outlined, waiting times for cancer treatment will definitely be met by the end of this year?
The issue has not been gross underfunding, as Mr Baker suggests. There is a shortage of particular types of cancer specialist, and the north of Scotland, particularly Grampian, has been affected by that. I am sure that the member is aware of the challenges in attracting people to the Grampian area, given the high cost of housing and other issues.
Question number 8, in the name of John Lamont, has not been lodged. The member has provided me with a satisfactory explanation.
Taylor Review
The Scottish Government is currently working on its response to Sheriff Principal Taylor’s “Review of Expenses and Funding of Civil Litigation in Scotland” and will publish it as soon as possible.
I do not know whether that moves us much further forward. One of the recommendations of the Taylor review is to look at the regulation of claims management companies, as happens in England and Wales. Is the cabinet secretary minded to accept that recommendation and, if so, will he elaborate on how that would be done?
I was grateful for Sheriff Principal Taylor’s response on that and I have discussed it with him at a meeting. We have to reflect on that recommendation, but I give the member an assurance that we will publish our response to the review as soon as we can and, clearly, our comments on that issue will be part of that response.
Capital Investment Projects (Scottish Government)
On 17 March, we published a report detailing progress on delivery of our infrastructure investment plan. In 2013, projects worth £625 million were completed. In addition, our published updated project pipeline is a comprehensive overview of all major infrastructure projects that are on-going or under development.
It is clear that the Scottish Government continues to invest in capital projects; that supports employment and makes a huge difference to the lives of people across Scotland. That is despite the cuts that have been imposed by Westminster. Does the cabinet secretary agree that only with the full powers of independence can even more investment be made in Scotland’s infrastructure, which will make a substantial difference to our economy in the short, medium and longer term?
Yes, I agree with the member. The full powers of independence would of course provide us with greater flexibility to manage capital investment and to determine our priorities according to the needs of the Scottish economy. Independence presents us with an opportunity to invest more and, ultimately, to invest in a way that enables us to create a more successful and prosperous Scotland. I would have thought that members across the chamber would support that.
Before we move to the next item of business, members will wish to join me in welcoming to the gallery His Excellency Dr Dominik Furgler, the ambassador of Switzerland. [Applause.]