SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Community Prison Facilities (Aberdeen)
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement on 24 August 2007 that it intends to replace the prison in Peterhead and close Craiginches prison in Aberdeen, what plans it has to establish new community prison facilities in Aberdeen. (S3O-5754)
Following detailed evaluation of numerous sites, we have decided that the most suitable site for the construction of a replacement facility is at the existing Peterhead prison. The new prison will be community facing and is a new initiative in the accommodation of prisoners from the north-east of Scotland. The facility will have huge benefits across the whole area: it will meet the needs of a full range of prisoners and avoid the necessity for most females and young offenders to be held at Cornton Vale and Polmont respectively in the central belt. Instead, they will be located considerably nearer their homes in the north-east.
The cabinet secretary's deputy, Fergus Ewing, rightly said in The Press and Journal on 27 November 2008:
As I made clear, it is significantly easier to get to Peterhead from Aberdeen than it is to get to Stirling, where Cornton Vale is located, or to Polmont, where the young offenders institution is located.
Has the cabinet secretary discussed the impact of there being no community prison in Aberdeen with local social work agencies and the police? Is he aware of the police's security concerns about the 40-mile journeys for prisoners to the courts and the impact on the rehabilitation of prisoners who are placed further away from key services and their families?
As the member will be aware, I have numerous meetings with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, local police representatives and the Association of Directors of Social Work, all of whom are supportive of the Government's direction.
Social Rented Housing
To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses for social rent it expects to be completed in 2008-09 and 2009-10. (S3O-5705)
We expect to complete around 4,700 houses for social rent in 2008-09. The planned completions for 2009-10 will be announced as part of the programme announcement for that year in due course. In 2007-08, we completed 4,241 social rented units; the estimate of 4,700 for 2008-09 reflects an 11 per cent increase.
I am astounded by the minister's complacency as he must be aware that 600 fewer social rented housing units were completed in the first six months of 2008-09 than in the same period in the previous year. Will he tell us how an additional cost for housing associations averaging £10,000 per unit—which lenders seem very reluctant to pick up—will assist in housing completions in 2009-10 meeting the Government's targets, let alone the urgent and increasing demand for housing?
Perhaps the member should have listened to the answer before asking that supplementary question. We expect an increase this year of approximately 11 per cent in the number of social rented units that will be completed—the number will go from 4,241 last year to 4,700 this year. To make that absolutely clear, that is an increase of 11 per cent.
Order. That is enough sedentary intervention.
It will be £531 million if the Labour Party carries on with its irresponsible behaviour. The total amount of money that would be lost to housing in the affordable housing investment programme, in private housing and in a range of other areas—including the regeneration programmes—is about £135 million. That is the real impact of Labour's irresponsible behaviour on people throughout the country.
How will the Scottish Government assist organisations in building new affordable housing in the Western Isles?
I am glad to report to the member that, using part of the third tranche of accelerated money that was brought forward to this year—and which is therefore exempt from the impact of the Labour Party's irresponsible behaviour—we have managed to bring forward two projects in the Western Isles: at Lews Castle school in Stornoway and at Vatersay croft. Both of those were land acquisitions, and we hope to provide 25 new affordable houses on that land.
I have been contacted by a housing association that has been given Scottish Government approval for a scheme along with a grant of £88,000 per unit, but only if the rest of the balance can be obtained from the local authority. Meanwhile, a neighbouring housing association has been assessed and awarded a grant of £107,000 per unit. Is the minister aware of that? Can he tell me why such varying grant levels apply in two neighbouring parts of the west Highlands and whether he supports that?
I support the provision of the appropriate level of grant for a particular project. I cannot speak about those individual projects, but I imagine that the difficulties in terms of geography and land that might affect a project could result in differences in the level of grant. We have stated clearly—despite claims by the Opposition—that the grant level can vary depending on the individual project, and the member has just proved that point.
Is the minister aware that it looks as though the Government has an extra £33 million? Perhaps he could persuade the Government to put that money into affordable housing in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Is he satisfied that there are a sufficient number of tradesmen to carry out the work that he has outlined?
I am glad to say that both Edinburgh and Glasgow benefited from the third tranche of accelerated money for affordable housing that was announced this week. I would be delighted to spend the additional money to which the member refers on affordable housing, but that is, of course, a matter for negotiation between the various parties.
Schoolchildren (Physical Activity)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage physical activity among schoolchildren. (S3O-5734)
Physical activity, physical education and sport are key elements of the health and wellbeing subject area of the curriculum for excellence. That will require schools to make provision for every young person to participate in those activities during and beyond the school day and is explicitly reflected in guidance to support the new three-to-18 curriculum. Taken together, the experiences and outcomes for physical education, physical activity and sport will underpin a pattern of daily physical activity, which research has shown is most likely to lead to sustained physical activity in adult life.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that, during a recent evidence session of the Health and Sport Committee, a witness from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education stated that if a report for an inspected school made no mention of physical education one could assume that there was no cause for concern. That is in spite of the fact that only a tiny minority of schools have achieved the target for two hours of PE a week, five years after it was set.
I am aware of the Health and Sport Committee's evidence session. Every inspection team will ask about progress towards the target of two hours of PE and about wider physical education activities. HMIE was reminded as recently as two weeks ago that that should be the case. In schools where the provision of physical education has been highlighted as an issue, the inspection team will explore that rigorously, and if it concludes that provision is insufficient or of poor quality, that will feature in the inspection report. Good practice will, of course, also be highlighted. I take on board the points about transparency in the reporting system, and I will pass them on to HMIE for it to reflect on.
Would that problem be allayed if the General Teaching Council in Scotland considered assisting the training of new probationer teachers in outdoor education as well as in specialist PE activity?
I appreciate the member's interest in that general area—physical activity includes outdoor education. The new training and continuous professional development that is provided for existing primary teachers can certainly do that, but we need to ensure that the probationers who are going into education are well grounded in all aspects of physical activity, as that will make a big difference in improving the activity levels of our young people.
Nuclear Weapons
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by the working group on Scotland without nuclear weapons. (S3O-5730)
The working group on Scotland without nuclear weapons is progressing with its work plan within the remit that has been set. The minutes of each group meeting are placed on the Scottish Government website.
Will the working group commit to work with those at an international level—such as President Obama's Administration—who have called for work to halt the progress of nuclear proliferation? Does the minister agree that recent press reports about the huge annual cost of maintaining Trident, and the reports from senior military officials who have called it "irrelevant", make the case for a new generation of nuclear weapons very weak indeed?
I agree with the member—the case for a new generation of nuclear weapons is extremely weak. Trident was recently denounced by Field Marshal Lord Bramall, the former head of the armed forces, who was backed by Generals Lord Ramsbotham and Sir Hugh Beach. They described it as "irrelevant" and "completely useless", and referred to its influence and effectiveness as a deterrent as a "fallacy". They went on to say:
Has the group identified the redeployment of all 11,000 people who depend on Faslane for employment, particularly given the current economic climate? Does the minister accept that Alex Salmond's promise of a Scottish navy—all seven frigates—related to Rosyth and not Faslane, which would mean that the whole base would close?
We should be careful not to scaremonger over numbers on such a serious issue. We hear the figure of 11,000 continually from Jackie Baillie, so I will tell members what a United Kingdom minister said not that long ago in answer to a Scottish National Party member in the UK Parliament:
Schools (Biometric Technology)
To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on analysing the responses to the consultation on draft guidance for local authorities on the use of biometric technology in schools. (S3O-5739)
My officials are currently considering all the responses to the consultation, and we aim to publish a report on our analysis of the responses next month.
Is the cabinet secretary aware that the East Dunbartonshire parent council forum recently voted unanimously for a moratorium on the installation of biometric fingerprinting programmes in schools? Most parents had been unaware that the local authority was embarking on biometric fingerprinting. Does the cabinet secretary believe that parents have the right to know before such systems are introduced?
The short answer is yes. The East Dunbartonshire position has been brought to my attention. When it is published, the revised guidance will set out our position on the implementation of any such systems, which is that if an authority decides to use biometric systems in its schools we will expect it to follow the best practice, which will be set out in the guidance, and to consult parents. I hope that East Dunbartonshire Council will consider fully consulting parents on the use of those technologies in schools, but ultimately it is an issue for the council and the parent council forum to resolve.
Fatal Accident Inquiries <br />(Armed Services Personnel)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an update on what progress has been made with the United Kingdom Government on allowing fatal accident inquiries to be held in Scotland for Scottish armed services personnel and others killed in accidents overseas. (S3O-5718)
Elements of allowing such inquiries are reserved, and questions on those elements should be addressed to the United Kingdom Government. However, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Defence on 19 November 2008 to propose a way to resolve the issue. Following a subsequent exchange of letters—one from the Minister of State for the Armed Forces to me, dated 15 January 2009, and my reply to him, dated 22 January 2009—the Lord Chancellor confirmed to the Westminster Parliament on 26 January that the UK Government intends to table amendments during the passage of the Coroners and Justice Bill to provide for inquiries to be held in Scotland.
Will the cabinet secretary continue to impress upon those with whom he is obliged to work on the issue the urgency of a satisfactory and rapid resolution, especially given the recent tragic deaths of a number of forces personnel based in Scotland—not only those who were Scottish but all those based in Scotland, predominantly those from 45 Commando in Arbroath—and the opportunity that a solution provides to alleviate the continuing suffering, stress and anxiety of the bereaved families of such personnel?
Absolutely. I am aware of Keith Brown's interest in the matter. The Government and the Lord Advocate have made it clear that looking after the interests of grieving relatives must be at the heart of the matter, which is why we are working with the Government south of the border to ensure that the pragmatic solution we suggested some while ago can be introduced and that such matters can be resolved with as little inconvenience as possible being added to the trauma that the families suffer.
HMP Peterhead (Replacement)
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated completion date is for the replacement of HMP Peterhead. (S3O-5749)
The Scottish Prison Service is currently preparing to apply for outline planning permission from Aberdeenshire Council for the construction of the new prison at Peterhead. Subject to planning consent, the SPS will then conduct a procurement exercise for the prison's construction. It is estimated that planning, procurement, construction and commissioning will take a minimum of four years.
The First Minister said in August 2007 that he was ending the uncertainty and indecision about the prison. That seems long ago, as nearly a year and a half later an application for outline planning permission has still not been lodged. Will the cabinet secretary explain why the delay has occurred and what is behind the current uncertainty?
I am unaware of any delay or uncertainty. We moved swiftly to make it clear that the new prison for the north-east of Scotland—which, as I said to Mr Rumbles earlier, will serve Aberdeen and Peterhead—would be in Peterhead. That announcement ended the uncertainty and was welcomed by the prison officers and their families there.
Eighty-five per cent of adult male prisoners at Craiginches are from the city of Aberdeen, as are the vast majority of the women and young offenders from the Grampian area who are currently in prison. Can the cabinet secretary offer any explanation for his decision to replace Craiginches with a new prison in Peterhead rather than in Aberdeen?
As was made clear in my reply to Mr Rumbles, and as Mr Macdonald will know if he was in the chamber and listening, the new prison will be community facing and will hold youngsters who would otherwise be sent to HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont and women who would be sent to Cornton Vale. As a former minister, Mr Macdonald will probably recall numerous instances of female prisoners being sent around Scotland in Reliance vans in great discomfort; they will now be able to go the short distance from Aberdeen to Peterhead. It seems to me a significant improvement for female prisoners and young prisoners from the north-east of Scotland to be dealt with there and not shipped down to the central belt in a Reliance van.
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