General Questions
Driving Licences (Drug Misuse)
In 2008-09, there were 312 disqualifications for convictions for driving while unfit through drink or drugs, which resulted in an average disqualification of 22 months. In the same period, there were 51 disqualifications for convictions for being in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs. The average disqualification was for 18 months. We do not hold data on how many of those convictions related to drugs.
The minister is aware that a fatal accident in my constituency inspired my question. I am concerned that the number of people who lose their licence and are convicted of drug-driving offences is the tip of the iceberg. What liaison has the Scottish Government had, and what liaison will it have, with the United Kingdom Government on the development of a breathalyser-style test for drugs? Is he content with the established processes that police officers currently use in trying to ascertain whether a drug-driving offence has taken place? My concern is that, in the absence of a test, those processes are underdeveloped.
I am aware of the background case to which Margaret Smith refers. It is plainly an offence to drive while impaired by drugs. If the police believe a driver to be impaired, they can require him or her to submit to a preliminary impairment test. If a driver fails it, he or she will be arrested and taken back to a police station, where blood and urine will be taken for analysis.
Council Tax Collection
Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to collect council tax, and they have a wide range of measures at their disposal to help them to do so. The Scottish Government encourages local authorities to use those measures in order to maximise their collection rates.
The minister may not be aware that the Greenock Telegraph recently ran an article that claimed that some £600,000 of council tax was unpaid by council staff and another that claimed that some £22.5 million of council tax had been unpaid in Inverclyde since 1993. I fully accept that there will be many legitimate reasons for non-payment of council tax, and I would not expect anyone to keep council tax records that went back five, 10 or 15 years. However, is there a mechanism whereby best practice can be disseminated to local authorities, either by the Scottish Government or through the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, with a view to bringing in higher levels of payment of council tax, or whatever form of local authority tax will be in place in the future, on an annual basis?
Whether we are talking about Inverclyde Council or any other council in Scotland, local authorities have a range of measures at their disposal to assist with the collection of outstanding arrears of council tax, including the ability to offer individual payment terms, to use summary warrants and sheriff officers or to make arrestment from wages, benefits and bank accounts. It is obviously not in the interest of any local authority to fail to collect council tax, as that would have a significant impact on its ability to finance local services.
Does the minister agree that many of those problems would be obviated if we could find a way of collecting such revenue directly from people’s salaries? Perhaps we could call it a local income tax.
I entirely agree with Alasdair Morgan. A local income tax would obviously be a much preferable system for Scotland to adopt.
Road Safety
“Scotland’s road safety framework to 2020”, which was launched in June 2009, sets out our road safety commitments for all, including young people. They include continued funding for Road Safety Scotland to develop new innovative road safety education resources; a commitment to influence young people’s attitudes to road safety and future driving behaviour before they get behind the wheel; and support for the implementation of the safe road user award qualification. We also intend shortly to undertake a national debate with young drivers, their parents and guardians and representative groups to explore young driver issues and concerns.
Is the minister aware of the plans by South Lanarkshire Council to reduce the school crossing patrols in Lanark at St Mary’s and Lanark primary schools? Does he agree that safe crossings near school are an important part of instilling good road safety practices among children and young people, and that such council decisions should be taken only after full consultation, ensuring that the safety of children is not put at risk?
I had not previously been aware of, but have had my attention drawn to, the campaign that the children at St Mary’s primary school have initiated. I very much welcome the engagement of those most directly affected by the withdrawal of lollipop ladies and gentlemen. It is of course a matter for the local authority, but I take a close interest in the issue as the legislative framework is created by the Government. I wish the pupils at St Mary’s primary school every success.
Will the minister outline what exactly that legislative framework is, on what basis school crossing patrols should be in place and whether there are criteria for the development of such crossings?
This is an area in which there is a crossover between reserved and devolved powers, which creates some difficulties. I have made some minor changes to the environment. If there are specific proposals that people feel we should pursue, I will be happy to engage on the issue. At the moment, we are not actively considering any changes.
Asylum Seekers (Detention)
Scotland has been leading the way on ending the detention of children and families, and we are working with the UK Border Agency and Glasgow City Council, in particular to develop the family returns project, which has been very promising.
The end to detention of children at Dungavel will be very welcome, but I doubt that any member wants to see the people huckled off instead to Harmondsworth or Yarl’s Wood, as has been the case in the past. Will the minister impress on the UK Border Agency and the UK Government the importance of providing alternative accommodation in the communities that people have been living in, so that they can have the emotional support of classmates, friends and neighbours and, crucially, the legal support of their own lawyers? If asylum seekers do not have access to their own lawyers, there can be no justice in the asylum system.
I agree with the member that the detention of children is thoroughly wrong and should not have continued for as long as it did. The move by the coalition Government is welcome and long overdue. Other ministers of this Government and I regularly spoke to ministers of the previous Labour Government but, although there were often warm words, there was no action. It is action that counts.
When the minister speaks to the UK agencies, will he raise the subject of MSPs representing asylum seekers in Dungavel and outwith? When I phoned the Home Office about a case yesterday, the officials told me that they do not deal with MSPs and hung up the phone. The issue is causing great distress to the asylum seekers whom we are representing. Will he raise that subject?
I raised the issue in my previous post, and I can confirm to the member the thoroughly up-to-date piece of news that Fiona Hyslop, who is now the relevant minister, will raise it with her Westminster counterpart this very afternoon, refreshed and invigorated, I am sure, by the member’s urging on the matter.
English as an Additional Language (Glasgow)
The Scottish Government provides local authorities with funding through its local government settlement. For the period 2008 to 2011, that funding will be £35 billion. The proportion of the funding that goes to Glasgow City Council is determined by a funding formula that has been agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and takes into account a variety of factors. It is then for Glasgow City Council to determine how best to meet the needs of the children and young people with English as an additional language who are enrolled in its educational establishments.
The minister will be aware that deprivation is one category that COSLA and the Government have recognised as relevant to the formation of budgets for local authorities. However, many of the migrants from the European accession countries are unable to qualify for certain benefits and therefore do not show up in the deprivation statistics that apply to the city. Given that Glasgow City Council employs some 130 of the 203 teachers who are specially qualified in the subject, and given that the cost to Glasgow is of supporting not just those young people but their families by providing interpreters for school events and other meetings, will the minister consider the issue in light of the fact that Glasgow’s settlement this year is not the one that most of us would wish it to be?
Of course, the local authority settlement is considerably better than previous settlements under previous Administrations, so I am sorry that the member remains dissatisfied.
Library Services
The provision of library services is a matter for local authorities. The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 places a duty on all local authorities to make adequate provision for library services within their area.
Is the minister aware of the threat to library services that is posed by the pressures on local government? For example, is she aware of the proposed closure of four public libraries in Angus, of a move to term-time employment of librarians in certain areas and of a sharing of school librarians in others? How will the minister know whether a library or local authority has failed to deliver an adequate service? At that stage, how will she intervene to ensure that authorities discharge their statutory responsibilities?
The Government will continue to monitor the position of libraries through SLIC. In Angus, I understand that a mobile library service has been extended and that the books from the part-time libraries in Letham, Friockheim and Newtyle are being gifted to local primary schools. There are challenges, but we will continue to support local libraries. During the recession, attendance and activity at libraries have increased, so it is important that local authorities support their local libraries.
Congestion (Inverness)
We support Highland Council’s ambitious plans for growth in Inverness and the surrounding area, and we are working in partnership with it to take forward the strategic transport projects review joint action plan for continued investment. In addition, Highland Council’s current single outcome agreement includes provisions relating to green travel planning and the need to increase both public transport provision and use, and active travel.
The main reasons for congestion in Inverness are the need for a bypass and long queues on the Kessock bridge. Could the minister give an update on progress on the Inverness bypass? How can congestion on the Kessock bridge be alleviated, given that Highland Council’s plans do not include provision for a park-and-ride facility at Tore and the council cannot guarantee that such provision will be included in future plans?
Quite properly, the member identifies that responsibilities in this area are shared between Transport Scotland and Highland Council. There have been a number of meetings. Highland Council has a stakeholder group involving the council, British Waterways, Historic Scotland and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency especially to consider the difficult issue of how to cross the Caledonian canal and complete the link between the A82 and the A9. The group’s most recent meeting took place on 11 May. I will next speak to Highland Council’s leader about the subject on 16 June.
From Mary Scanlon’s question, the minister will be aware that there is acute traffic congestion in Inverness at peak times on the Kessock bridge. That will graduate to traffic gridlock in 2012, when the Kessock bridge is resurfaced, effectively losing half its capacity. Will the minister support a mitigation package, including permanent park and ride, expansion of the Kessock roundabout and a temporary ferry service between North and South Kessock, to boost business and tourism and to aid the local community?
One reason why we rescheduled the resurfacing of the Kessock bridge to 2012 was that we recognised the substantial difficulties that could be created when that essential work is done. We are considering a range of options, especially traffic signal control at the roundabout on the approach to the Kessock bridge from the south. We are giving consideration to all the member’s suggestions and are alive to the issue.
Rail Services (Aberdeenshire)
Consideration of the business case for a station at Kintore will take place when the technical feasibility of a station has been established. That is currently being considered through the study of proposed improvements to the Aberdeen to Inverness line.
The minister will recognise that there was widespread delight in Laurencekirk when a previous transport minister announced funding to reopen the station there in 2006. As he begins his final year in government, will Stewart Stevenson create a similar lasting legacy for Kintore from his time as transport minister?
I look forward to being around to see many of the projects that the Scottish National Party Government will initiate delivered in its second term. Railway stations are a complex subject. It is important that we understand the technical feasibility of proposals. At Kintore, we have a choice between having a station that serves the current single-track line and one that can serve a dualled line. It is important that we do the technical work before coming to the conclusions that, hopefully, will lead to a station at Kintore, as the member anticipates.
When does the minister expect the Department for Transport’s new passenger numbers model for anticipating usage levels at proposed new stations to be completed? Does he believe that it will make the business case for a station at Kintore more robust?
The model that we use in Scotland, which we share with the Department for Transport, has consistently underestimated the patronage that has resulted from the opening of new stations. Work between us and the Department for Transport is continuing. I expect that later this year we will be in a position to explore whether that delivers the expected results.
Before we come to the next item of business, I know that all members in the chamber will wish to join me in welcoming to the gallery the New Zealand high commissioner, His Excellency Derek Leask. [Applause.]