SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
A9 (Ballinluig Junction)
To ask the Scottish Executive when the report on the surveillance of the A9 at Ballinluig junction will be published. (S1O-4170)
A draft surveillance report has been prepared by BEAR Scotland, and my officials are awaiting comments from interested parties before it is finalised. We aim to place a copy of the finalised report in the Scottish Parliament information centre by mid-January 2002.
I thank the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning for his reply and congratulate him on his new portfolio—and for keeping his head while all about him others were losing theirs.
The member will be aware that Sarah Boyack, the former Minister for Transport and Planning, recently met the constituency member, John Swinney, representatives of the local community council and other interested parties. We will continue to keep in touch with all those with an interest in the matter. I await BEAR's report with interest, and will then decide whether a further visit to the site is required. In any case, we will be guided by that report on the actions that we feel to be necessary.
I congratulate the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning on his appointment. He is the fifth transport minister with whom I have had the pleasure of raising the A9 Ballinluig junction problem, and hopefully the last—I hope that we get some action quickly.
We will consider critically the evidence given by all parties that are commenting on the results of the surveillance, but I stress that the surveillance is being carried out for a purpose, which we are broadly satisfied has been achieved—measuring the traffic movement at the junction to find ways to improve safety. We have installed a new camera, as the members who have an interest in the matter will know, and we have again moved the location of the camera facing the southbound carriageway in order to increase its effectiveness. I believe that the surveillance report will be comprehensive and will give us a good indication of the options. I await it with interest and will act upon it.
I am sure that the minister is well aware of the on-going difficulties of the A9 to the north, and of the much needed improvements that are required over the road's total length. I draw the minister's attention in particular to the North Kessock junction—
I am sorry, but you cannot do so. You cannot ask a supplementary question that is wider than the main one, which is about the Ballinluig junction only.
Could I then ask the minister when we might expect the much needed improvements to the A9?
Mr Munro has broadened the question, but I am happy to answer that we are considering a number of options for the A9, and that a review of the A9 route action plan is under way. Another proposal that we are considering is the establishment of an A9 road safety group, to participate in which we would invite persons and parties with an interest in road safety matters concerning the route. We have commissioned a detailed accident analysis for the road, and expect that report very shortly.
Question 2 is withdrawn.
Sustainable Development
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that sustainable development is a primary consideration within all its policies and programmes. (S1O-4210)
The ministerial group on sustainable Scotland—MOSS—is the vehicle for ensuring that sustainable development is taken to the heart of policy making in the Executive.
Is the effective implementation of the partnership agreement, in particular of a strategic environmental assessment for all policies and programmes, one of the minister's top priorities? For example, will he ensure that the somewhat delayed transport delivery plan will be subject to such an assessment?
I assure the member that the group will report on sustainable development in a reasonably short time scale. Thereafter, the intention is that every policy that would require a strategic environmental assessment would fall within that ambit.
In effect, the Ministry of Defence has a veto on wind farm development in the south of Scotland. How does that fit in with the Executive's policies?
As the member may be aware, the Executive has had discussions with the Ministry of Defence. We are concerned that the MOD's policy could come into conflict with ours. The Executive continues to have those discussions and is acutely aware of the difficulties that could arise.
Will the MOSS minutes in future be more substantial than those of the last two years? I hold in my hand the entire minutes of MOSS. Will things such as environmental and outdoor education and organic targets feature at the next meeting of MOSS?
The member seemed to have two questions. The first was surprising, in that most people call for Executive brevity, but Robin Harper appears to be calling for there to be somewhat more information. I hope that the minutes will be adequate.
North Lanarkshire Council (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives from North Lanarkshire Council. (S1O-4174)
Last week.
I thank the minister for that short answer. Does the minister agree with Charles Gray, who is the convener of education on North Lanarkshire Council, who said that he has reservations about the use of public-private partnerships for the construction of public buildings. He stated:
Many councils in Scotland are embracing PPP because they see the advantage of developing new facilities for parents and children. North Lanarkshire Council is among that group of councils. I understand that North Lanarkshire is proposing some £150 million of investment. The people of North Lanarkshire would be shocked to know that, simply on ideological grounds, the SNP would seek to deprive young people of new schools and new facilities in its constituencies.
Does Mr Peacock's department liaise with others on transport issues? For example, two of the serious problems that North Lanarkshire faces are the possible improvement of the A8 and of the A80. What co-operation is there between Executive departments to deal with such problems?
Those matters were raised when I met people from North Lanarkshire Council last week. I shall advise the new Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development of the points that were raised during that meeting. Suffice it to say that I know that the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning will give those matters close attention once they are raised with him.
New Deal
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have participated in the new deal self-employment programme since the new deal's inception. (S1O-4163)
More than 850 people in Scotland have participated in the new deal self-employment programme.
I thank the minister for that response. Figures released today show that that is a relatively small proportion. Is the minister aware that, for applicants to the new deal self-employment programme, restrictions apply to the procuring of new funding to maintain the continuance of their business? Does the minister agree that it might be sensible to allow that restriction to be lifted, so that new-start businesses might have a better chance of success?
We are always willing to look at ways in which we might improve the rules that relate to new-deal provision. It is fair to say that one of the reasons that there has been a lower uptake of the new deal for the self-employed in Scotland is because the training for work scheme, which is operated by local enterprise companies, allows entry at the six-month period for support for setting up a business, rather than the slightly longer entry period for the new deal. Over the past two years, the training for work scheme has picked up almost 300 people in Scotland who want to start in self-employment; however, that does not preclude the need always to be willing to look at the provisions of the new deal.
Is the minister aware of the new extension to the new deal, called set-up? Will she be making any representations to the Government down south concerning the regulation that anyone who does not take set-up will lose their benefit? Is this not a case of a stitch-up rather than a set-up?
I am happy to say that the set-up programme will create opportunities for the very hardest to help. Those who participate will be guaranteed to qualify for a full-time job, paid at the national minimum wage. Indeed, one of the pilots is in east Ayrshire. I hope that the member, who is from that part of the world, will welcome it.
Nurses
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the recently announced additional resources for nurses' recruitment and retention are used effectively. (S1O-4198)
The Nursing and Midwifery Convention held on 19 November was extremely constructive and generated many ideas that require careful consideration. At the event we announced £1.5 million of immediate investment to help attract more nurses to and keep them within NHS Scotland. A report reflecting delegates' views and setting out the most effective ways to target that investment will be made widely available next week.
I am a former enrolled nurse. Does the minister agree that a measure that would assist nurse recruitment and retention would be the reinstatement of a fast-track system, similar to enrolment, to accommodate those who may not wish to pursue the academic route to a nursing career?
At the convention last week, there was a great deal of common ground on the kind of initiatives that we need. As I indicated, there will be more information on that next week. There will be proposals on issues such as flexibility, leadership, education and training.
Does the minister agree that it is of great concern that recent research has shown that our nurses are among the unhappiest in the world—because of long hours, low morale and poor wages? Does he further agree that the rise in waiting times across Scotland, announced today, will do little to boost nurses' morale? Will he tell us when he and his Government will stop failing nurses, patients and the rest of the health service?
A great many nurses were at the convention. There were also union representatives and people employed by trusts. There was good feeling and a lot of common ground. The initiatives that we have already announced, and will announce again next week, are attracting a great deal of support.
Will the minister give details of incentives that are available to nurses returning to a nursing career?
There has been a lot of discussion of return-to-practice courses. Before the convention, we announced that we would have three pilots up and running in the next three months, to do with paying for nurses who are out of the work force to return to practice. At the convention I said quite specifically that the issue was how we would do that, rather than whether we would do it. In the next few months, there will be important developments to do with nurses returning to practice.
Bus and Rail Services
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to facilitate the integration of bus and rail services. (S1O-4193)
The Scottish Executive is supporting a number of multimodal interchange projects across Scotland through the Public Transport Fund.
Is the minister aware of plans to run a bus service between Airdrie and Bathgate that would offer through ticketing between Airdrie and Edinburgh by linking with the rail service? Can the minister assure me that he will do everything in his power to ensure that Strathclyde Passenger Transport, the Strategic Rail Authority and Scotrail work together to provide an integrated transport system that would be of great benefit to my constituents?
I am aware of the proposal and of the application, which, I understand, has passed the prequalification stage for support from the Strategic Rail Authority. However, the SRA is seeking clarification from Strathclyde Passenger Transport on several points. I expect to meet the chief executive of the SRA shortly and I will encourage him to seek early progress on that project and several others.
Given that buses travel on roads and trains travel on rails, if the minister is trying to integrate them, would not it be sensible for him to have the same control over the railways as he has over roads? Would that not be common sense?
It is worth pointing out to Andrew Wilson that the proposal—as Karen Whitefield has described—is for a bus link between railway stations. That recognises the fact that we need effective integration of different modes of public transport. We will encourage that to go ahead by promoting partnerships among the public authorities involved.
Local Government Elections
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce proportional representation for the local government elections in 2003. (S1O-4180)
The Executive is committed to making progress on electoral reform and to producing urgently a timetable for further progress.
I am delighted to hear that there is lots of progress. If there is an intention to introduce legislation, will it be enacted in time for the 2003 local government elections, or is it Labour party policy to continuing running from local democracy in Scotland for as long as possible?
In our programme for government we indicated that we want to make progress on electoral systems. Proper consideration should be given to the issue—it should not be approached with undue speed and haste. Clearly there are several problems, for those who administer them, relating to the organisation of the 2003 elections. We would not want to rush in without consultation.
Will the minister tell Parliament what progress the ministerial working group on electoral reform in local government has made in the last year?
The ministerial working group will be meeting very soon. [Members: "Oh."] It has met in the past. I am now a member of that group. The First Minister and the Deputy First Minister have spoken frequently on such matters and the Deputy First Minister has made assurances to the chamber. That is what is important about partnership—we are working together to deliver the electoral reform that we all desire.
I have been making progress through this vale of tears for more than 53 years—I hope to go on making progress for another 53 years. Will the minister assure me—a lifelong supporter of PR—that the Executive's progress towards PR in local government will come to a successful conclusion before I come to a final stop?
I hope that we reach that conclusion before John McAllion comes to a final stop. However, there are other important issues in the portfolio—issues about real people, real services and the workers who deliver them: street lighting, road maintenance, potholes and so on. We need to progress on all those issues, as well as electoral reform.
Solar Heating
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to offer financial support for the installation of solar heating. (S1O-4192)
As funding for renewable energy is a reserved matter, we have no such plans. The Executive continues to back Scottish solar energy projects, which continue to benefit from the significantly increased funding available at UK level.
Does the minister agree that, with so much attention rightly being paid to wind farms and so on, there is a danger that solar heating will become the Cinderella of the sustainable energy world? Does the minister recognise that the initial cost of installation is off-putting to people who might consider it? I encourage the minister, with other colleagues in the Executive, to consider publicity campaigns to make people better aware of things such as the VAT reduction that was introduced by Westminster. Will the minister consider establishing substantial pilot projects, perhaps in partnership with local authorities or particular developers, to raise awareness on the matter and move towards having a critical mass of installations? That would help to reduce the cost to those who install solar heating and provide evidence that it is an effective source of energy.
I will take the 14th question last. There is a serious point. Ian Jenkins is not wholly correct to say that solar power is an Aunt Sally, because if a distinction is drawn between solar energy and solar heating, it is found that there is a considerable investment programme to promote photovoltaics. That is the key to driving forward solar energy.
Is the minister aware that the Scottish Renewables Forum estimates that a modest programme of investment of around £10 million over the next 10 years would deliver 30,000 new solar heating systems in Scotland? Does he accept that that would have the benefit of creating 400 jobs, tackling fuel poverty, and reducing Scotland's carbon dioxide output by about 60,000 tonnes? Does not he wish that he had the power to do that himself?
Bruce Crawford made an important point when he said that solar-powered heating would tackle fuel poverty. However, the difficulty with the present solar technology for those sectors of the population who are seeking alternative and cheaper forms of energy is obvious. Those people want a system that can maintain the heat in main living areas at a constant temperature. In its present form solar energy does not do that, so it does not meet the test. As I said in my reply to Ian Jenkins, there is an investment programme in solar energy. That is the right technology to pursue, and we will see benefits from that investment.
Does not the minister recognise that the Scottish Executive has the opportunity to advance solar heating systems through the much vaunted central heating programme for the elderly? Has the Eaga Partnership been instructed to install some solar heating systems where opportunities allow?
I reiterate to Phil Gallie that the central heating programme is designed with a number of conditions and the specific objective of ensuring that we deliver a heating system that performs at a level that maintains the heat in main living areas at a constant temperature. I repeat that the present state of solar technology does not meet that objective.
Prison Service
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure provision of a world-class prison service. (S1O-4160)
At the end of last year the Scottish Prison Service launched a new, five-year vision committing itself to the pursuit of correctional excellence, thereby contributing to the Executive's commitment to a safer Scotland.
Has the Minister for Justice noted that on 22 November the First Minister said:
I visited Peterhead prison in February, and I give proper credit to the work that is done there and to the commitment of the staff. Indeed, I am surprised that in the long list of things that Stewart Stevenson read out he omitted to mention that Peterhead prison has been awarded beacon site status. That is welcome. It is a tribute to the efforts of the staff in the pursuit of excellence at Peterhead prison.
Is the Minister for Justice aware that the number of prisoners in Scotland has increased sharply in 2001? That applies particularly to women prisoners in Cornton Vale prison, which is still overcrowded, despite the reopening of Skye hall. On Friday 23 November, 250 women were in that prison. Is he also aware of the concerns about the situation, particularly the recent suicides, in Cornton Vale? Will he say when Labour will fulfil its 1998 commitment to
As an eminent member of the Scottish bar, Roseanna Cunningham will know that the number of people in prisons is not entirely within the Executive's remit, given that the sheriffs who sentence them are not ministers. However, the Executive has made considerable efforts to ensure that alternatives to custody are available to sheriffs in the courts. The drug courts, which started this month, can make a contribution to that and the ministerial working group on women offenders, which has been under the chairmanship of my colleague Iain Gray over recent months, will make its final report in December.
Will the Minister for Justice say when the prison estates review, which is eagerly awaited throughout Scotland, will be published?
I had hoped that the prison estates review would be published by now. However, as Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has perhaps noticed, there has been a change of First Minister so it is only right that the proposals and the detail that goes with them should be brought to the new Cabinet.
Community Police
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to ensure that there are adequate numbers of community police. (S1O-4187)
Police officer numbers in Scotland have reached record levels, but determining how to deploy them is an operational matter for chief constables.
If the minister will excuse the pun, his answer that the matter is up to the chief constables was a bit of a cop-out. Is he aware of the concerns of members of the public and the police—which were put to me when I was given a tour of Maryhill police division—about the numbers of community police officers and the fact that they are often deployed elsewhere, which leaves no coverage in the community? Will he look into those concerns and provide adequate resources to ensure that numbers of community police officers are adequate?
I will begin with Sandra White's first point. It is not a cop-out but a fundamental principle of constitutional law that ministers should not direct local police operations. That is an important point. How officers are deployed is a matter for chief constables. The Executive made a substantial amount of extra money available so that we reached a record number of police officers. That number is being sustained. We are also trying to ensure in other ways—for instance, by increasing the number of support staff—that police officers have to undertake fewer administrative duties so that they can be deployed on front-line operational duties.
Is the minister aware of current problems of police recruitment in my constituency of Midlothian? Will he meet me to discuss the problem?
I am always delighted to meet Rhona Brankin, although I am sure that she would get a more immediate answer from the chief constable. Forces have been recruiting. I am aware that there has been significant recruitment in the Lothian and Borders area. I was not aware of specific problems in Midlothian, although, having mentioned them, Rhona Brankin will no doubt be able to identify what they are. There has, of course, been significant recruitment; if there had not been, we would not have been able to reach the record number of police officers. I understand that the police continue to recruit.
Scottish Football Partnership
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by the Scottish Football Partnership. (S1O-4203)
The Scottish Football Partnership held its first board meeting on 22 November at Easter Road stadium, the home of Hibernian Football Club. I understand that its members departed in rather better humour than I did from the same venue following the CIS Insurance cup-tie on Tuesday evening.
I thank the minister for his answer and congratulate him on his appointment. Can he confirm that junior football clubs, such as those in my constituency, will have access to the education, training and resources that are at the partnership's disposal? Will he assure me that information about the kind of support and assistance that is available will be disseminated to junior clubs?
I am pleased to say that the reputation of Ayrshire junior football goes before it. It has a long and proud tradition. Junior football will benefit from the work of the Scottish Football Partnership, because the partnership aims to help at all levels of football throughout Scotland. Although the partnership will decide what information it sends out, I will arrange to draw its attention to the member's comments about junior football.
Nutritional Standards
First, I ask the Parliament to welcome members of the Edinburgh branch of the United Nations Development Fund for Women—UNIFEM.
Order. The member must proceed with her question.
I thought that there was precedent for that, but I apologise.
Go straight to the question. No preliminaries are permitted.
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to raise nutritional standards. (S1O-4205)
As Susan Deacon said last week, we are taking forward the Scottish diet action plan "Eating for Health" in a number of areas to improve diet throughout Scotland. For example, we have appointed the first Scottish food and health co-ordinator, we have injected substantial resources from the health improvement fund and we are committed to developing nutritional standards for school meals.
I thank the minister for his response and congratulate him on his appointment. Does he agree that it is important to promote good nutritional habits early through initiatives such as breakfast clubs? I do not expect him to agree that universal nutritional free school meals are the way forward, but does he agree that we cannot wait for the outcome of that debate before taking steps to tackle nutritional inequalities, especially as a clear link exists between health and educational achievement and therefore equality of opportunity? Will he supply the details of the recently announced breakfast club initiative, which I hope will apply in Coatbridge and Chryston?
I do not agree with Elaine Smith. Providing free school meals to the better-off is not a good use of resources. However, I agree that raising food standards in schools and throughout our society needs to be considered.
I welcome the new minister to his post. I was delighted last week to hear that the Scottish Executive had accepted—albeit belatedly—the SNP policy of regulating the nutritional value of school meals. Will the Scottish Executive consider another SNP policy—making fruit available to every primary school child? Does the minister accept that that would be a welcome way of improving nutritional standards in Scotland?
Considerable progress has been made on providing free fruit in schools and a major initiative is under way in Glasgow. I am sure that we will learn many lessons from that and, where possible, apply them throughout Scotland.
That was marvellous. The minister talked about learning lessons from Glasgow. Will he learn the lesson of this week's announcement that Glasgow City Council is to provide free breakfast for every child—not just the poorest—who attends a primary school in Glasgow? Does he accept that that is an enlightened way forward and that it is about time that, instead of means testing and stigmatising children, we had universal provision of healthy, nutritious meals?
Tommy Sheridan highlights a good example of a Labour-controlled authority using its resources to best effect. I am sure that he agrees that appropriate decision making at council level is best left to councils. We will scrutinise the exercise in Glasgow and see what lessons we can learn.
Holiday Homes
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its decision not to confer upon local authorities the power to remove from owners of holiday homes the 50 per cent council tax discount to which they are presently entitled. (S1O-4165)
We will consider any recommendations on the matter that arise from the Local Government Committee's inquiry into local government finance.
Will the minister explain why those who can afford to maintain more than one home should have a 50 per cent cut in their council tax? I ask him to cast his mind back to the days when he was the independent convener of Highland Council. Does he recall that Highland Council's policy is to remove that discount? Is he right now or was he wrong then?
Highland Council is a very distinguished council with a very distinguished former leader. The leader of a council represents the views of that council.
Mental Health
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to ensure that people diagnosed with a mental illness receive the appropriate services and resources. (S1O-4175)
Mental health is a priority for the Scottish Executive and the national health service in Scotland and it has attracted record spend on services in the past year. That priority is further supported and informed by the on-going visits and published reports of the Scottish Health Advisory Service and the mental health and well-being support group.
The minister will be aware that the resources that have been allocated to health boards for mental health services are often subject to cuts and reallocation at local level. Given the minister's well-known commitment to mental health issues, what measures will he introduce to ensure higher-quality mental health services throughout Scotland? Will those measures include ring fencing?
First, I welcome people who are here from Ayr Action for Mental Health. I think that it is in order to say that at this point.
Is the minister aware of the deep concerns on the isle of Skye about the time that it takes for a team to come to Skye from New Craigs hospital in Inverness to deal with a patient facing a mental health crisis? That can take as long as 18 hours. During that time, the patient is usually in the care of the local police officer. Will the minister undertake to look into the situation, as the current arrangements are clearly detrimental to the patient's welfare?
I will certainly undertake to look into that. Circumstances are particular to local areas, but waiting times for mental health patients are important, as they are for patients in other parts of the health service. In October, we announced a new addition to the mental health framework—psychological interventions. That is one of the areas that we are determined to expand. We want to reduce the waiting time for psychological interventions, which are an important part of mental health services.
Is the minister concerned about the number of patients with mental illness who are assessed as needing care in the community but who have their discharge delayed from psychiatric hospitals because councils cannot fund their care? The figure for Inverness alone was 40 patients. Will he ensure that councils make mental health a clinical priority?
Mary Scanlon flags up the crucial issue of delayed discharges. That is as important in the treatment of mental health as it is in other areas of the health service. We have taken a series of initiatives, but I accept that those have not yet brought the reductions that we wish to see. However, I assure Mary Scanlon and other members that tackling delayed discharges—and, indeed, other delays in the journey of care—will be a top priority for the Scottish Executive in the coming period.
Modern Apprenticeships
To ask the Scottish Executive what actions it is taking to promote female participation in modern apprenticeships. (S1O-4218)
We will be working with the enterprise network and national training organisations to maximise modern apprenticeships in sectors that have traditionally had less of an apprenticeship tradition and that typically have higher female employment rates.
One area of concern is occupational classifications such as engineering and technology, in which few women have traditionally participated. What steps is the minister taking to promote female participation in those areas?
Over the past year a pilot has been running, in East Ayrshire in particular, to encourage school pupils from second year upwards to consider taking up a career in the manufacturing or engineering industries. The purpose has been to encourage women in particular to consider taking up a career in engineering and manufacturing. A lot of work is being done in construction. I especially commend the video made by the Glasgow direct labour organisation to encourage young women into decoration and other construction trades.
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Deputy Presiding Officer