General Questions
Remploy Stakeholder Group
Due to parliamentary business, the meeting of the Remploy stakeholder group was short. We discussed the announcement of the closure of the Aberdeen and Edinburgh sites and concern was raised about the delay to the announcement on the Springburn site. I have raised those concerns with Esther McVey, the recently appointed Minister for Disabled People in the United Kingdom Government. Ms McVey has agreed to meet MSPs on 22 October, and I hope that all MSPs who have raised concerns about the matter with me in recent months will attend that meeting.
I am grateful to the minister for his answer and for the work that he has been doing in this regard. As he will be aware, the long-awaited decision on the Springburn factory, which we had expected from the UK Government, has not materialised and workers now face a further delay as they wait to hear their fate.
I recognise the great interest that Patricia Ferguson has taken in the matter. She has pursued it in the chamber and elsewhere in the Parliament. I also recognise the similarly appropriate actions by MSPs from many other parties. The matter is extremely serious, as Patricia Ferguson said.
The minister will be aware that the Netherton factory in the Central Scotland region was given a reprieve in 2007, having previously been earmarked for closure by the Labour Government. It is now marked for closure with the loss of 24 jobs, 20 of which are held by disabled workers. Given that the most recent figures show that North Lanarkshire’s unemployment rate is above the national average and that Jobcentre Plus reports that 14 people are chasing every vacancy in the area, what support will the Government give to those who are facing unemployment following the closure of the factory?
I recognise Claire Adamson’s concern and the work that she has done on the matter. Partnership action for continuing employment is delivering support to the employees, with personal caseworkers assessing their needs and developing specialist, tailored support to help them in their search for work. I am considering whether any other support can be offered. I remain hopeful that those who wish to find new employment will be able to do so.
Question 2 has not been lodged. Richard Baker has provided no explanation to the Presiding Officers.
Nuclear Weapons
The Scottish Government is firmly opposed to the possession and threat of nuclear weapons. We are in contact with the Norwegian authorities to secure further information on the conference.
I am glad that my question was answered by one of the—I think—four members of the Scottish Government who are members of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. Does the minister agree that the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons would be exactly the same whether they were based at Faslane, Milford Haven or wherever? Will the Scottish Government therefore join the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons in proposing a global treaty for their eradication? If we did that, perhaps his party would not need to bother debating whether to join a nuclear alliance.
Perhaps the member wants to pay more attention to his party than to my party—that might be in his interests. I am here to answer for the Scottish Government. We note the role that humanitarian law has played in the banning of landmines and cluster munitions, for example. It is right to focus attention on the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons, which Patrick Harvie mentioned. We support the work of the Norwegian Government and others in seeking to build the political support that is needed to secure binding treaties on the reduction and ultimate withdrawal of nuclear weapons.
Rail Links (West Scotland)
At present, we have no plans to introduce new rail links in the west of Scotland, but we have announced the £30 million Scottish stations investment fund and we will consider any proposals that are affordable and demonstrate value for money.
The Minister for Local Government and Planning believes that there should be a rail link to Renfrew. Does the Minister for Transport and Veteran Affairs agree with that and will he guarantee the funding for that?
I understand that, as the local MSP, the Minister for Local Government and Planning will meet his local council to discuss the issue. That shows ambition on both sides.
Will the minister describe the process for local campaigners, such as those in my constituency who want rail halts at Woodilee, Woodhill and the Allander, to input their thoughts into the bid process?
The stations investment fund will start in April 2014. Before then, I recommend that local campaigners work with their local authorities, regional transport partnerships and developers in some cases. We have said that the £30 million that is available can be best used if it is spread among as many stations as possible. If we can access money from regional transport partnerships that are keen to have a station, or if—as in the two cases, at least, of which I am aware—stations can be built entirely with developers’ contributions, that makes more sense. At this stage, it is appropriate to ensure that campaigners engage with local authorities and regional transport partnerships.
Electricity Grid (Access Charges)
We welcome the progress that is being made to reduce the scale of charges that mainland generators in Scotland face, but we still face a fundamental problem for Scotland’s islands, and we continue to press the UK Government for a solution.
Does the minister agree that the subsidy to developers in the south-west of England offshore energy park that is embodied in the charging regime from the Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets places development constraints on the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters scheme, which the UK Government announced this summer? Does the UK scheme have any union dividend for Scotland, which has the strongest wave, tidal and wind energy potential in the north?
I agree that the Scottish islands are at a huge disadvantage. We want the offshore renewables potential to succeed in England, as we do in Scotland, but unfortunately the financial penalties for Scotland’s islands are massive at present. We are determined to find a successful solution, and I hope that we will be able to convene the cross-government group so that the Scottish Government, the UK Government and the islands can meet to find a solution to the problem, which has remained unresolved for far too long.
Will the minister confirm that the potential changes to the charging methodology under Ofgem’s transmission charging review are being further developed through the CUSC—connection and use of system code—panel, and that, following that work, findings and proposals will be presented to Ofgem in spring next year so that it can make a decision on whether to approve or reject any new charging regime? No final charging figures have yet been agreed as a result of the process, despite all the current speculation.
Mary Scanlon is correct that matters currently rest with the CUSC panel. It is also correct to point out that, after that process of expert analysis is concluded, the UK Government has powers under section 185 of the Energy Act 2004 to put a cap on the amount of charges for the islands or for individual island groups.
Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements (Assessments)
The location and type of accommodation for offenders are an important part of the environmental risk assessment process. Those operational matters are fully discussed by all the agencies involved in the management of offenders and decided on a case-by-case basis. Guidance for agencies on assessing and managing housing-related risk under multi-agency public protection arrangements can be found in the Scottish Government’s national accommodation strategy for sex offenders.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that there have recently been calls in the media to close a guest house in the Longstone area of my constituency that was used to accommodate Kevin Rooney, who was convicted of the horrific murder of an elderly local resident. Given that Rooney had 36 previous convictions spanning a decade, had a sexual offences prevention order placed on him in 2007 and was on bail at the time of the murder, can the cabinet secretary outline the responsibilities of local authorities and other agencies for the safety of the local community in placing such offenders in unsupervised premises?
First, I put on record our sympathies and feelings for the family of Mrs Sutherland, and I thank those who were involved in the ultimate successful prosecution of Mr Rooney.
Credit Unions (Proposed Bankruptcy Bill)
The Scottish Government acknowledges the challenges that many Scots are facing in relation to their personal finances, and recognises the valuable role that credit unions play in providing financial services to a wide range of customers. We will continue to work with representatives of credit unions to ensure that we are doing all we can to support and promote them.
In a recent answer to a parliamentary question, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth revealed that the total amount of individual debt held in Scottish Government payment programmes has reached a staggering £170 million. Given that shocking figure, will the minister embrace the power of credit unions to help people to budget and to borrow free from the dangers of legal loan sharks? If so, what will he do to support their growth?
Everyone in all parties will agree that credit unions perform an invaluable service in Scotland. The country has 113 credit unions, which have a total of 250,000 members and £200 million of savings, £170 million of which is currently out on loan. They play a massive role and we all want them to play a greater role. We are very keen to work with the United Kingdom Government to ensure that they do even more to help the enormous number of people in Scotland who at the moment are under very difficult financial pressure.
What assurances can be given to credit unions about the proposed bill after a number raised certain issues at the Accountant in Bankruptcy roadshow and workshops and at the recent Association of British Credit Unions Limited Scotland conference?
Credit unions have raised a number of issues with us. The forthcoming bankruptcy bill will seek to address many of those. In the interim, however, the Accountant in Bankruptcy will continue to engage with the credit unions to ensure the best return for all creditors, including credit unions themselves, by balancing the rights and needs of those in debt with the rights and needs of creditors and businesses.
Remploy Aberdeen
I share the member’s concern and disappointment at the latest United Kingdom Government announcement that the Remploy factories in Aberdeen and Edinburgh are to close. It follows, of course, last month’s closure of the Remploy factory in Netherton, Wishaw, which Clare Adamson mentioned. I am deeply concerned at the impact of the move on the employees affected and their families and we will look to support them in every way possible. Through our partnership action for continuing employment initiative, we have been working with the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver a package of support that is tailored to meet the needs of the employees who face redundancy. A disability employment adviser will be appointed to provide support to each employee.
Does the minister agree that, by inviting Remploy Aberdeen to submit a best and final offer only to then reject it, the UK Government has in effect led these people up the garden path and shown a total disregard for and lack of understanding of the work that is being done on site to develop a social enterprise hub? Although I welcome the earlier announcement of a future chamber debate on Remploy and although I intend to be at the meeting with Esther McVey, I wonder whether the minister is happy to meet me and other interested members to look at how not only the individuals but the social enterprises on the site can be supported in future.
Yes, I am happy to meet Mark McDonald and other MSPs. It would be sensible to ensure that we have every appropriate opportunity to allow that to happen and, given that a great many MSPs are concerned about this issue, I will ensure that it happens for all of them.
I very much welcome the minister’s offer of a meeting. Has he had any engagement in the discussions with social enterprises and the council? If he is aware of the detail of those discussions, what conclusions has he reached?
I have engaged extensively with social enterprise bodies and have had four meetings of the stakeholder group, which includes the trade union representatives, to whom I pay tribute for their dedicated work on behalf of the workforce.