General Questions
Glasgow City Council (Recycling)
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding recycling. (S3O-10290)
I have just got my card into the console in time.
Scottish Government waste officials have met Glasgow City Council on a number of occasions to discuss recycling. The most recent meeting was in mid-March, when officials discussed issues including the zero waste plan and Glasgow’s plans to improve recycling performance.
Glasgow City Council has been criticised for having a poor recycling record, but that record is improving, with an additional 25,000 bins for glass collection and 40,000 bins for organic waste collection. Given that a factor in reaching its targets is the high number of tenement properties, which make collection difficult, what financial account has the Scottish Government taken of that in order to help Glasgow to have better targets so that every house has access to recycling facilities?
The Government recognises the challenges that Glasgow City Council faces in increasing its recycling and compost uplift. I do not think that anybody wants to minimise the extent of those challenges, nor do I want to minimise the extent of the ambition in the council.
Considerable support is available to local authorities to improve their performance, which includes the advice and guidance that Glasgow currently receives. Glasgow City Council gets its share of the total local authority budget and has to decide how it applies the funds. Other types of support are also being developed. I think that Pauline McNeill will find that Glasgow is getting as much help as it is possible to give it in the circumstances, and we hope that that will result in increased recycling levels in that council area.
It is a fact that Glasgow City Council has the worst recycling rate in Scotland and it is projected that it will spend £13 million in landfill tax alone, an issue that is reserved to Westminster, as we all know. Have any representations been made to the United Kingdom Government to ask it to consider suspending landfill tax, which could deliver capital spend of £130 million in Glasgow?
I am not aware that any such approaches have been made by anyone in Government in recent months. There is a new approach to defining municipal waste, which means that Scotland has already met the revised 2013 landfill directive target, so we are making considerable progress.
I reiterate that we accept that Glasgow City Council faces significant and particular challenges in maintaining and increasing its levels of recycling, and we want to do everything in our power to help it to overcome those challenges.
Schools (Indiscipline)
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address indiscipline in schools. (S3O-10305)
The Scottish Government is supporting local authorities and schools to promote positive behaviour and relationships and to create peaceful learning environments. Curriculum for excellence provides opportunities for a broad, flexible and individualised curriculum that contributes significantly to keeping children and young people motivated and engaged in relevant and enjoyable learning.
The Government provides support to local authorities and schools through funding the positive behaviour team with £600,000 a year and the pupil inclusion network Scotland with £50,000 a year. Strategies and techniques supported by the positive behaviour team include nurture, restorative practice, solution-oriented approaches, staged intervention, cool in school and the motivated school.
“Behaviour in Scottish Schools 2009” research indicates that overall perceptions of positive behaviour, low-level negative behaviour and serious indiscipline and violence have improved across the board, particularly in secondary schools.
Last week, the schools minister rightly highlighted the value of outdoor learning in helping pupils to become more enthusiastic and self-disciplined. Will the Scottish National Party deliver in this parliamentary session its 2007 manifesto commitment to five days of subsidised outdoor education for children from our most deprived communities?
Substantial progress is being made towards that goal. Indeed, at the event in Aberdeenshire to which Elizabeth Smith referred, an online resource was announced that will give schools much easier access to outdoor learning. In the past, one of the major obstacles to outdoor learning was the fact that, because of fears about health and safety issues, because of cost or just because of availability, some teachers were not sufficiently aware of the opportunities. The online resource that we have produced should help to address those issues and contribute towards achievement of the target.
Child Protection Strategy
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of various recently reported high-profile child protection issues, whether it has reconsidered its overall child protection strategy. (S3O-10284)
The Scottish Government is constantly working to improve Scotland’s child protection system. We are nearing the end of a major review of national child protection guidance and will issue draft revised guidance for consultation in early June.
Last year, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education completed its first round of multi-agency child protection inspections, with every local authority area in Scotland visited. That has given us, for the first time, a comprehensive picture of how child protection services are performing across the country. We are now well into the second round of inspections and are looking for improvement in every area. We are also implementing the getting it right for every child approach, which emphasises early intervention, taking action to improve children’s lives before serious child protection concerns arise. Every child death is a tragedy. Where things go wrong, we must learn and improve, but the overall system is sound and improving.
As I am sure the minister is aware, a range of respected professionals in Scotland think that there are significant societal problems that are beyond the reach of any one service and that our failure to respond is causing concern in our communities about our care system and the impact that such problems are having on our society in general. The minister mentioned the comprehensive review that is under way. Will he take on board the concerns of genuine professionals that a response is beyond any one service and that it may be time for us to take a more universal view of what will genuinely protect children in Scotland?
I agree with the sentiments that Mr McCabe expresses. Professionals’ concerns are focused on children who are affected by parental substance misuse. That is a key issue with which we must grapple and to which we must find solutions. A number of initiatives are on-going on that front, especially as part of the getting it right for every child approach. A pathfinder scheme in Angus is focusing on the problem of children who are affected by parental substance misuse. I reassure Mr McCabe that we are conscious of the need to find solutions in such areas and are not complacent in any way.
Staff working in child protection do a difficult and sensitive job. Although all of us are shocked and disturbed by the high-profile cases of children who tragically fall through the net, those are not the norm. We do not hear about the many cases in which children are successfully protected and families are supported. Will the minister reaffirm the Scottish Government’s support for the dedicated staff who work in such difficult circumstances?
It is only natural that we remember in particular the minority of child protection cases that have a tragic outcome. When children are not kept safe from harm, we must look carefully at what has happened and learn from that. However, we must not forget the thousands of children who are supported and kept safe by our child protection services and the thousands of families who are given the help that they need to provide the right environment for their children. We do not hear about those cases. The First Minister and I have said many times that child protection practitioners do a difficult and vital job. On the whole, they do it well. They deserve our support and thanks, and should not be singled out as scapegoats and blamed for the crimes of others.
Tax Havens
To ask the Scottish Executive what bodies for which the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth is responsible, apart from Caledonian MacBrayne, have subsidiaries based in tax havens. (S3O-10270)
David MacBrayne Ltd is the only national, devolved public body for which the Scottish ministers are responsible that has established an offshore subsidiary company.
I assure the cabinet secretary that I thought carefully before lodging my question and I am not asking him to answer for previous Administrations. However, given what he and the Scottish National Party said in opposition, does he not think that it is quite wrong for a body for which he has responsibility to be tax dodging? Will he think again and get that changed?
Lord Foulkes referred to the decisions of previous Administrations, to which I need to refer to put my answer in context.
The previous Administration took the decision that the establishment of an offshore crewing company in 2006 was necessary to avoid putting Caledonian MacBrayne at a competitive disadvantage in relation to potential bidders for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services contract. The arrangements were cleared by the then Scottish Executive and Her Majesty’s Treasury. They are part of an industry approach that is designed to avoid competitive disadvantage and are not unique to the Scottish jurisdiction—they are United Kingdom arrangements. National insurance concessions have been agreed with the Treasury to reflect that, into the bargain.
The “Scottish Public Finance Manual” states clearly that the motivation for undertaking a change of this type cannot be tax avoidance. The motivation behind the arrangement is to enable Caledonian MacBrayne to compete effectively and to ensure that it can provide the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. Most members took that position in advance of the change of Government in 2007.
Domestic Aviation
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports an increase in domestic aviation between Scotland and other mainland United Kingdom airports. (S3O-10310)
The Scottish Government does not support an increase in domestic air services where practical and more environmentally friendly alternative forms of transport exist.
That is encouraging. I have lost count of the number of times that the minister has told me in glowing terms of the statistics for his travel choices and his desire to reduce his reliance on domestic aviation. Why, then, is his neighbour in the ministerial tower, Jim Mather, responsible for an agency—VisitScotland—that is placing adverts in English newspapers that tell people to fly to Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen for a day trip to Scotland? The adverts will either increase domestic aviation, in which case they are incompatible with the minister’s previous answer, or they will not do so, in which case they are a waste of money.
My colleague Mr Mather is most vigorous, energetic and successful in promoting Scotland’s economic development. I look with great interest at the work of High Speed Two Ltd, part of whose remit is to consider the case for extending sustainable transport—high-speed rail—to Scotland. If that key initiative is pursued, hundreds of flights per week will be taken out of domestic aviation from Scotland, to be replaced by effective, environmentally friendly means of transport. The Government is utterly committed to that; would that some others were.
Notwithstanding the thrust of Patrick Harvie’s question, will the minister examine how we can increase the number of domestic flights in and out of Wick airport, which has spare capacity? As a matter of priority, will he ask the enterprise network and his transport officials to examine how we can maximise that opportunity?
Wick airport is one airport where practical, more environmentally friendly options are substantially more limited, therefore it is an important part of the transport infrastructure for the far north of Scotland. I note, in particular, that take-up of the air discount scheme is lower in Caithness and the north of Scotland than elsewhere. I encourage people to register for the scheme, as that will reduce the cost of air travel and make journeys more effective. I talk regularly to the airlines that serve Wick, and we are supporting their operations. I will continue to talk to them and I have taken note of the issue that the member raises.
Notwithstanding Patrick Harvie’s views, I trust that the minister recognises the valuable contribution that Prestwick airport makes to the economy of Ayrshire, and, indeed, the equivalent contribution that I am sure airports make to other areas. I hope that the Scottish Government will continue to do everything possible, wherever and however it can, to support the development of Prestwick airport and the local jobs that rely upon it.
Prestwick airport is clearly an important part of the economy of the area that the member represents.
It may be appropriate to take the opportunity to thank airport operators for their substantial contribution to ensuring that transport continued to operate in a way that limited the damage that was done to transport choices recently when there was ash over the United Kingdom. They did a very good job.
A96 (Inveramsay Bridge)
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made to upgrade the A96 at the Inveramsay bridge. (S3O-10306)
We are progressing options to upgrade Inveramsay bridge with Network Rail as part of the wider priority of improving the Aberdeen to Inverness rail line. Once that work is completed, consultation on a preferred road alignment for the replacement Inveramsay bridge will take place as part of the upgrade of the A96.
I am somewhat disappointed that the minister is still not saying when we can expect to get rid of the bottleneck at Inveramsay, as promised by Alex Salmond in his 2007 election leaflet. People in Gordon expected action during this session of Parliament. With just a year to go and no road works yet in prospect, they are justifiably feeling a bit let down by the party in which they put their faith. When can we realistically expect action on the bridge? Are we looking at another broken promise?
The first and only action that has ever been taken to address the issue of Inveramsay bridge stems from the personal intervention of the member for Gordon. People in that constituency very much welcome the fact that we included the project in the strategic transport projects review. We have engaged in looking at the three options for road interventions. It is clear that working with Network Rail, in the context of our improving rail services for people between Aberdeen and Inverness, is likely to be the most effective way forward. We expect to get information from Network Rail on the options and the alignment. We are making the kind of progress that was never even contemplated by any previous Administration.
Freedom of Information
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains committed to freedom of information. (S3O-10311)
The Scottish Government is, and always has been, fully committed to freedom of information, as set out in the six principles on freedom of information that we published back in 2007.
It is one thing for the Scottish National Party to waste its own money on spurious court actions, but why does the SNP Government not stop wasting public money and drop the appeal in the Court of Session that is trying, on spurious grounds, to block the release of information? Will the minister at least put in the public domain a list of the requests for information that the Government is currently blocking? What has the Scottish Government got to hide? Is it trying to block the release of information until the expiry of its term in office?
I recognise Robert Brown’s deep and long-standing commitment to freedom of information, but I say to him that only a small proportion of requests were rejected as invalid following the court decision. After further consideration, some of those were subsequently accepted as valid. The vast majority of requests have been dealt with as normal. In the last quarter of 2009, the Scottish Government released some or all of the information requested in two thirds of cases.
On the court decision, there is a genuine difference of opinion between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Information Commissioner regarding the implications of a complex legal judgment. That difference of opinion has largely been resolved and we now disagree on only one fairly small technical point. It would not be appropriate to comment on that technical point, as we may need the Court of Session to clarify it. However, we can say that it is a relatively small technical point that is likely to affect only a very few FOI requests.
Following the “Panorama” programme on the abuse of older people in their own homes and the exposé in The Herald on neglect in residential care, I asked for details of discussions within the Scottish Government and discussions with the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, to establish whether what ministers were saying they were doing in relation to this serious matter was actually being done. Does the minister agree that it is entirely inappropriate to use a court ruling to prevent that information from coming into the public domain, given how important it is to give people confidence that older people are protected wherever they are cared for?
Johann Lamont has raised a point that is obviously very important to her. The minister concerned will have heard her pleas, but I assure her that, on all occasions, the Scottish Government is fully committed to the intention behind the freedom of information principles.
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