SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
Royal Hospital for Sick Children
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received concerning the proposal to relocate the royal hospital for sick children, Yorkhill. (S1O-1452)
I have received representations from one member of the public about the possible relocation of the services that are provided at Yorkhill hospital.
I thank the minister for that answer. Is she aware of the views of many people who are concerned that the closure of Yorkhill hospital will undermine the state-of-the-art service that is provided? Is she further aware of the views of those who are concerned by the lack of direct transport links to Southern general hospital, which is the proposed site for the relocation?
I make it clear that I understand the concerns of local people and—for that matter—local elected representatives who want to ensure that hospital and other health services are of the highest standard and that they meet the people's needs.
Does the minister agree that Yorkhill children's hospital—which is a specialist hospital that serves mothers, babies and children—represents the children's voice in the debate? Will the minister listen to the experts who say that when it comes to health services, children are different?
I would like to stress that the review processes in Glasgow and in other parts of the country are local review exercises. The views of local communities and individuals rightly ought to be submitted to and considered by local health authorities as part of their planning processes.
Coastal Erosion
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it is currently spending to combat the effects of coastal erosion and how much it has spent in each of the past three years. (S1O-1469)
Direct spending by the Scottish Executive to combat the effects of coastal erosion comprises both grant payments to councils for their coastal protection capital works schemes and also grant in aid towards councils' revenue expenditure on coastal protection.
I thank the minister for that reply. Will she respond to the challenge that such spending levels are totally inadequate? Will she comment on the fact that Troon Community Council has written to me asking for help to secure funding to repair the esplanade wall of Troon south beach and stabilise the sand dunes, because the financial constraints on South Ayrshire Council will not allow both Ayr and Troon beaches to be defended? Will she make additional funding available, so that we can defend more than half of our coastline?
The process is that the Scottish Executive provides assistance on the basis of applications from councils. There are at present no schemes before Scottish ministers for approval. I know that a number of schemes are being prepared by councils, where they have identified projects that they may wish to promote. It is for councils to decide on their priorities in line with the needs of their areas.
Football Clubs (Supporter Involvement)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make an announcement about supporter involvement in football clubs following the deadline for responses to the leaflet, "New Mutualism—A Golden Goal". (S1O-1460)
The Scottish Executive has invited the views of the main football bodies in Scotland, including the Scottish Football Supporters Federation. I have also held meetings with other interested parties on the issue with a view to formulating our position, which I hope to announce in the near future.
I thank Rhona Brankin for her response. Does she recognise that this is one area where football supporters in Scotland might benefit from following the English example, by giving fans more of a say in the running of their clubs, as is being done through Supporters Direct south of the border? Does she recognise that holding the Scottish cup semi-final between Aberdeen and Hibernian in Glasgow at 6 o'clock on Sunday evening is a further example of the need for fans to have a greater say in the running of the game?
The Executive is sympathetic to the idea of more supporter involvement in football clubs. We are aware that a unit is to be formed to help establish supporters trusts in England. We are keeping in touch with those developments.
I join Lewis Macdonald in urging the minister to consider the experience in England, where money is apparently available from the Football Trust, for start-up grants to enable football fans to establish mutual trusts, which in turn enable them to have representation on the boards of football clubs. Will the minister ensure that such money is available from the Football Trust for Scotland, bearing it in mind that the Football Trust has, over the years, had considerable sums from Scottish football supporters and pools punters?
As I have said, the Executive is aware of the developments in England. We are seeking the views of the football bodies in Scotland.
I do not want to suggest that the footballing academies are not a welcome development, because I accept that they are welcome. However, does the minister accept that a small financial input into supporting and developing the concept of football trusts would ensure that football clubs developed at community level?
We are sympathetic to the idea of more supporter involvement in football clubs. Fans are the lifeblood of the game, so it is important that their views are known and taken into account.
Health Promotion
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote physical activity among young people in order to improve their general health. (S1O-1454)
The curriculum framework for children aged three to five already emphasises the importance of physical activity and development for young children. Sportscotland is promoting a number of youth sport programmes, including a pilot active primary schools programme. We are developing a national physical activity strategy for Scotland. Our aim is that 50 per cent of 11 to 15- year-olds will be taking vigorous exercise four or more times a week by 2010.
Does the minister agree that it is vital that young people's physical activity is promoted, particularly given recent research showing that today's teenagers are less fit than teenagers were 30 years ago?
I agree; as I said in my statement to Parliament last week, we must get better not only at treating ill health but at preventing it. One way in which we can reduce the incidence of cancer and coronary heart disease in Scotland is by improving children's health. I was delighted to be able to announce last week a major investment of £26 million in public health and health improvement; improving children's health will be at the core of that work.
Perhaps this question is as much for the Minister for Transport and the Environment, but does the Executive have plans to protect the steadily decreasing green spaces available to children?
I am assured by the Minister for Transport and the Environment that planning policy guidelines are being looked at that will include that issue.
Rural Housing
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to exclude from the proposed extension to the right to buy those rural communities where social housing provision is already at a very low level. (S1O-1446)
As part of the rural partnership for change initiative, which I announced on 11 March, we are considering whether provision needs to be made in the forthcoming housing bill to designate a specified period for pressured rural areas during which new tenants would not be able to exercise the right to buy. Any such power of designation, which would replace the current but rarely used power, would apply solely to new tenants and would not affect the rights of existing tenants in any way.
Is the minister aware that the authoritative 1997 Shelter report suggested that 35 per cent of rural council housing has been sold off? In Aberdeenshire, that figure is over 50 per cent and in my own constituency it is even higher. Does the minister accept that the proposals as they stand will cause real problems in rural communities? Will the minister give a guarantee that the availability of socially rented housing in rural communities will not fall below a specific level?
The right to buy is popular with tenants. The level of sales has fallen to a third of what it was 10 years ago. The proposed extension to the right to buy is estimated to mean 120 additional sales per year. This year, we are promising to build 1,570 new homes in rural Scotland. That, combined with the power to designate, will allow us to increase the supply of socially rented housing in rural Scotland.
Does the minister agree that significant changes to national planning policy guidelines and in the approaches of many local authority planning departments are needed if we are to see socially provided housing stock replaced in Scottish rural communities?
David Mundell raises an important point that applies to all housing in rural areas. That is why the rural partnership for change will look at land assembly, land designation and development powers in such areas, to allow both socially rented and low-cost ownership houses to be more easily built.
Railways (Electrification)
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it intends to make to the strategic rail authority regarding electrification of railways in Scotland. (S1O-1466)
Provision has been made in the UK Transport Bill to enable the Scottish ministers to issue directions and guidance to the strategic rail authority in relation to rail services that start and end in Scotland. Those directions and that guidance will be concerned with matters such as service levels and fares policies. It will be up to the train operating companies and Railtrack to provide the necessary infrastructure.
Thirty-eight per cent of the UK rail network is electrified, but only 23.6 per cent of the network in Scotland is electrified. When does the minister think that we will have reached the UK average, and what lines does she propose to electrify to ensure that we get up to that average?
I am not prepared to accept Mr MacAskill's simplistic analysis of how we need to improve the railway network in Scotland. The east coast main line, for example, does not end in Edinburgh, and new proposals that are being made by both Virgin and Great North Eastern Railway refer to tilting trains. Electrification is not the only way in which to improve services in Scotland. Tilting trains and the network improvements that are currently being carried out will also do that.
What plans does the minister have to make representations to the rail regulator about redefining the east coast main line as stretching from Aberdeen to London, rather than Edinburgh to London?
We aim to ensure that when the franchise process takes place we retain at least the level of service that we have at the moment. In discussions with the strategic rail authority, my intention will be not just to maintain the existing service, but to expand and improve on it. That is not just about extending the east coast main line, but about integrating it with the ScotRail services that also run on the line.
Will the minister confirm that the so-called McLeish settlement gave the Scottish Executive powers of direction, instruction and guidance? Will she explain why in her answer to Kenny MacAskill she omitted the word instruction and say why that was significant? Does she believe that the McLeish settlement is still intact in its entirety?
The answer that I gave Mr MacAskill was technically correct in relation to the UK Transport Bill. I do not think that it is significant that the word instruction does not appear in the bill. We are delivering the McLeish settlement, both through the work that we are doing in Scotland and through the Transport Bill that is being considered at Westminster.
National Health Service
To ask the Scottish Executive what NHS per capita expenditure in Scotland will be compared with England and Wales and compared with the European Union average, following the Chancellor of the Exchequer's budget announcement. (S1O-1486)
Following decisions taken by the Scottish Cabinet on Tuesday, Scottish expenditure on health will be £1,057 per head from 1 April. The comparable English figure is £890. Comparable figures for Wales and the European Union for 2000-01 are not available.
I welcome the continued additional investment in Scotland's health service compared with the rest of the United Kingdom. How does the minister intend to work in partnership with NHS staff to use the additional investment to improve Scotland's record on cancer, stroke and coronary disease?
It is more than significant that we are, without question, channelling record amounts of investment into the NHS in Scotland. As I have said before in the chamber—and I say it again—it is important that we do not just spend more, but spend better. That means that we must ensure that investment is targeted on change—on improving and developing services and making a difference to patients by reducing waiting times and making treatment more responsive.
On the subject of spending per head of population, the minister is always keen to highlight the fact that Scotland receives 20 per cent more per head than the rest of the UK receives. Does she agree that that is entirely justified by the additional costs of providing services for rural communities and of dealing with historical deprivation? Will she give an absolute guarantee that over the next four years the 20 per cent differential will be maintained?
Members may call me naive and optimistic, but I would have thought that, after the many debates and exchanges that we have had over recent weeks, the SNP might have come up with an original question and one that made more sense.
Lip-reading Tutors
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is given to people wishing to train as lip-reading tutors. (S1O-1462)
Lip-reading tutors may receive assistance from the Scottish course to train tutors of lip-reading based at Donaldson's College in Edinburgh. In addition, where there is local demand, help may be delivered through local authority community education services and through colleges of further education. The Scottish Executive awards a specific grant for social work training to local authorities, which can use it to train social work staff in lip-reading according to their assessment of local needs.
Given that 737,000 people in Scotland suffer from hearing impairment, what will be done to set up a Scotland-wide service to ensure that people with acquired hearing loss are given the opportunity to attend lip-reading classes, and are not just provided with a hearing aid and then sent home to cope without support? Will the minister consider giving financial support for people who wish to train as lip-reading tutors and for people who wish to attend classes?
I thank Mary Scanlon for pointing out just how many people are affected by deafness or difficulties with hearing. It is important to ensure that a variety of approaches to enable people to communicate with others are provided, because different approaches are appropriate in different cases. There is considerable variation around the country in what is required and how requirements can be met. Therefore, the best way of matching need and availability is through the voluntary sector and local authorities, which understand needs. A couple of years ago, ministers increased section 9 funding by £150,000 over two years to facilitate training in sign language and lip-reading. Organisations such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and Deaf Blind UK benefited from that funding.
Is the minister aware that many people who experience hearing loss during their lives—as opposed to those who are born deaf—are not directed towards lip-reading support when they are diagnosed as having lost their hearing? As a result, such people may become very isolated, which is a particular problem for elderly people. Will the minister raise with his colleagues the importance of examining that issue and discussing it with people who are involved in health and social work services, as part of our broad and important social inclusion and equal opportunities strategy?
I agree that it is extremely important that professionals consider the full range of their clients' needs. It is an issue that Ms Lamont raised with me a couple of weeks ago. I have asked for information to be sent to her on that matter.
I add my entreaties to those of Johann Lamont. Does the minister agree that a benchmark might be for each ear, nose and throat unit in Scotland to identify a qualified lip-reading tutor? The number of people who become deaf in later life is increasing. Rather than leave it to a local response, therefore, we should accept that we need a national strategy. Perhaps we could start by asking each ENT specialist to identify one lip-reading tutor.
That is a constructive suggestion—I hear what Margo MacDonald is saying. It seems that the demand for lip-reading tutors is relatively recent. Indeed, one of the problems is that the need has not been well quantified; there is a lack of information. Following on from Ms Lamont's question a couple of weeks ago, I have asked for some information to be gathered. I take Ms MacDonald's suggestion in the spirit in which it was intended.
District Courts
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the future operation of the district court service. (S1O-1448)
Court arrangements in Scotland, including those for the district courts, are kept under regular review.
Are there any plans to extend the work of the district court to cover the areas that are at present the remit of the sheriff court, as has already been alluded to by Lord Cullen in a previous report?
Such matters are kept under review, although there is no specific proposal at present to make any change.
Planning
To ask the Scottish Executive what detailed plans it has to improve the planning system to increase public participation and ensure decisions reflect the principles of sustainable development. (S1O-1491)
Public participation is a cornerstone of the planning system and there are already significant opportunities for the public to be involved. We will address the issue of how the planning system can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development in the revision of national planning policy guideline 1.
In the light of the recent report of the Transport and the Environment Committee, will the minister act urgently to bring the erection of telecommunications masts under full planning control, ensuring that situations such as that in the conservation village of Carlops cannot be repeated?
On the member's first question, I will spend time looking at yesterday's report from the Transport and the Environment Committee on telecommunications masts. The Executive has been considering that matter, particularly in relation to our own proposals for prior approval. I will read the report, I will consider its implications and, further to that, I will take action as it is deemed appropriate.
I refer the minister to the Edinburgh Evening News of 27 March, which announced that a 50 ft by 50 ft hole has opened up in the proposed route for the A701. It is believed to be redundant mineworkings or an old landfill site. Will the minister explain what happened to the 447 objections lodged against the plans for the road, which drew attention to such problems in advance? Now that this hole has appeared, will she halt the development, pending a public inquiry, or will she merely be looking into it?
Having decided not to call in that planning issue, the matter is now for Midlothian Council to pursue as it sees fit. It will have to consider the matters to which the member refers.
While I support the sentiments of Ian Jenkins's question, does the minister agree that it is imperative that we tackle a significant educational agenda: the understanding of the term sustainable development?
I am happy to agree with the points that Sylvia Jackson has made. It is important that we increase our understanding of sustainable development. I hope that the work that Sylvia is doing with the European Committee in considering the sixth environmental action programme will help us to broaden and deepen that knowledge.
Tax-varying Powers
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions there have been in its Cabinet regarding the implementation of the tax-varying powers. (S1O-1475)
The Scottish Executive has already stated that it will not implement its power to vary the basic rate of income tax during the lifetime of this Parliament.
I wonder whether the minister will go into more detail and tell us whether the Executive has had any recent discussions on this subject. During the visit of the Prime Minister to this Parliament, many of us were struck by the strong stance that was taken by the Deputy First Minister when he called for Gordon Brown to abandon his 1p cut in income tax. I was further delighted to see the Deputy First Minister trooping through the lobby in the House of Commons on Monday night to vote on exactly that point. Have there been recent discussions, or have the Liberal Democrats lost the argument within the Executive?
Mr Swinney disappoints me: I thought that he had asked his question with the intention of announcing a second U-turn in SNP policy in recent months, following the U-turn last year on the policy on independence.
Assisted Areas
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government on the need to conclude and agree the assisted area status map so that public sector agencies across the United Kingdom will be permitted to invest more than the paltry minimum €100,000, or £63,000. (S1O-1456)
Members ought to read the exact question in the business bulletin.
The Scottish Executive continues to work closely with the Department of Trade and Industry on the review of the assisted area status map. Map proposals are subject to European Commission approval and we hope that discussions with the Commission will be completed quickly and a new map approved soon.
Does the minister agree that any further delay in resolving the issue will seriously jeopardise any major new employment creation initiatives in Scotland and the UK, especially in places such as Inverness, Nairn and Kinlochleven, where thousands of people are about to be made redundant? What precise links does the Executive have with the DTI? Will the minister make a specific and detailed report to the Parliament and to the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee on the precise barriers that prevent the issue from being resolved?
I do not agree with the central proposition of that supplementary question. The assisted areas map is being dealt with in Europe—it is with the Commission. It is important to stress that that does not jeopardise in any way inward or indigenous investment in this country.
Local Government (Electoral Reform)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains committed to progress on local government electoral reform following "The Report of the Commission on Local Government and the Scottish Parliament" and what time scale it envisages for such progress. (S1O-1485)
In July of last year, we announced a commitment to set up a cross-party renewing local democracy working group to be chaired by Richard Kerley. The group is due to report in the spring. We look forward to receiving the report and to considering its recommendations.
Will the minister give a commitment that there will be legislation—this year, next year, or whenever—on the voting system for local government? We must have a commitment for a date for that legislation.
We are committed in the partnership agreement to having progress on electoral reform. It would be premature, while we await Kerley's report, to consider its recommendations. When the report is published, the Executive will be able to examine it and make recommendations that may meet Mr Gorrie's aspirations.
As part of the discussions on local government, does the Executive have any plans to reorganise existing local government boundaries?
I am not sure that that is relevant to the question.
We have no such plans.
Thank you.
Is it not time for the Executive to give a clear commitment to introduce proportional representation at the next local government elections? Why is the minister unwilling to condemn the reactionaries in the Labour party who are willing to split the coalition to preserve their local government political power base? Why will the minister not tell the chamber his personal views on the subject?
I will leave the condemnation to the rhetoric of Kenny Gibson. We await the Kerley report. It is important that we consider the whole of that report. Richard Kerley and his cross-party committee are also considering critical issues such as the representation of women and young people in local government, and the roles and responsibilities of elected members, in which there has been no substantial change for the past 20 to 25 years. When we talk about the modernisation of local government, I hope that we do not regard that as a single issue but as a range of issues that are concerned with enhancing local democracy, where appropriate.
Railways (Electrification)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Railtrack to discuss the completion of the electrification of the east coast main line. (S1O-1453)
I met the chief executive of Railtrack on 13 March. We discussed a wide range of matters, including the east coast main line.
Does the minister agree that the aspiration of a genuinely integrated railway infrastructure in this country will never be realised so long as Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness and the north of Scotland are excluded from the benefits—including environmental benefits—of electrification? If Railtrack continues to refuse to complete electrification on the ground that it is not profitable for it to do so, what steps will the Scottish Executive be prepared to take, in partnership with the Westminster Government, to instruct Railtrack—or to force it, I do not mind which—to make the required investment on social grounds? Surely, in the new Scotland, people should always come before profits.
On all those issues, I assure Mr McAllion that we are working with a variety of rail interests, including Railtrack, to try to get more investment into our railways.
The minister rightly mentioned integrated transport, as did John McAllion. Eurostar was also mentioned. What discussions has the minister had with her counterparts in the European Union about the furtherance of integration between the European and British, as well as Scottish, rail networks to help further Scotland's export interests and to ensure that our goods get to market as soon as possible?
The work that we are doing through our freight facilities grant is intended to give the opportunity for fast, good rail networks that will allow people to export their goods to Europe. The work that we are doing, which involves £6.1 million each year over the next three years, will enable us to do precisely that.