Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, May 30, 2013

Official Report 905KB pdf

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General Question Time

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Geese (Economic Impacts)

1. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to minimise the negative economic impact on farmers and crofters of the presence of large numbers of geese in the Outer and Inner Hebrides and the northern isles. (S4O-02185)

As the member may have seen on the recent television programme, “Hebrides: Islands on the Edge”, geese can be a wonderful spectacle. However, I recognise the impact that geese have on farmers and crofters in certain areas of Scotland. I have met farming representatives from Islay to discuss their concerns, and a Scottish Natural Heritage project officer is currently undertaking research on Islay to evaluate options for management of the impact of geese on the island.

We are working with stakeholders including farmers, crofters and their representatives, as well as environmental non-governmental organisations, to achieve a long-term balance between our conservation obligations, the needs of sustainable agriculture and value for money.

The Scottish Government funds a number of goose-management schemes and other initiatives in the affected areas. We have committed more than £1 million in 2013-14 to support management of geese, and we are developing a number of initiatives, including trialling adaptive management techniques.

I agree with the minister about the wonderful television programme that he mentioned. I am sure that he shares my concern that it was not broadcast to a wider audience across the whole United Kingdom.

The minister will be aware that farmers are reporting problems in use of steel shotgun pellets, which often wound rather than kill geese, and otherwise merely scare geese from one farm to another, and that they would, therefore, prefer to use conventional lead pellets. Can the minister suggest any solutions to that problem?

I accept that we need to avoid merely scaring geese from one farm to another or, worse, shooting and merely wounding birds.

When problems with steel shotgun pellets were first reported, Scottish Natural Heritage organised a workshop with local farmers to explore the problem. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation was commissioned to provide a report on the practicalities of non-lead alternatives. The report concluded that, although it is reasonable to use steel shot at shorter distances, longer ranges require that steel shot be used with specialised shotguns, or that more expensive alternatives such as tungsten, bismuth, HEVI-Shot or lead shot loads be used when that is legally permitted, as would be the case on non-wetland sites. SNH subsequently commissioned BASC to organise a practical workshop with local farmers and shooters who are participating in the pilots, to explore their capacity to use alternatives to lead and steel shot. That will be undertaken before the next pilot starts.

I have recently chaired meetings in Shetland with the agriculture industry, Shetland Islands Council and environmental bodies including RSPB Scotland, all of which agree that the population of geese in Shetland is growing too rapidly and needs to be addressed. Will the minister ensure that the agencies for which he is responsible bring their energy to bear on the issue so that we can find a proper way of reducing the goose population to a level that does not have the kind of economic effect that he mentioned in his earlier answer?

I am certainly happy to engage my officials in considering the particular problems that exist in Shetland, and to engage with Tavish Scott on them.

The minister will be aware of the extent of the concern in the crofting counties. Will he pledge to meet the Scottish Crofting Foundation and NFU Scotland on the subject?

I have already met the NFUS, but I am happy to do so again, and to meet the Scottish Crofting Federation, if that will be of assistance to its members.

The minister will be aware of the meeting that I organised between his predecessor and the Orkney branch of the NFUS in spring last year, as a result of which an adaptive management scheme was put in place, albeit that it was a little later than was hoped for.

At that time, the possibility of using decoys was discussed, as well as the potential to sell the meat of at least some of the geese that are killed. Can the minister update Parliament on either or both of those aspects?

Jamie McGrigor will be aware that we have put in place measures in Orkney to tackle the greylag goose population and that we have authorised the lethal control of 5,000 greylag geese in the Orkney islands. We are engaged in discussions on how we will deal with the carcases. I am aware that there is great sensitivity about the perceived waste of the carcases that are left after such control measures have been taken.

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Independence (Benefits to Edinburgh)

2. To ask the Scottish Government what benefits would accrue to Edinburgh as the capital city as a result of Scottish independence. (S4O-02186)

Independence offers benefits not just to Edinburgh as the capital city of an independent country, but to Scotland as a whole. The best future for our country, including its capital city, can be achieved only with the transfer to Scotland of the levers that we need to make the right decisions to generate economic growth and a fairer society for all.

Edinburgh is currently home to just 11 international consulates, whereas Dublin hosts 61, with more than 300 accredited diplomats and hundreds of local staff all employed by other governments contributing tens of millions of euros in wider economic impact. Does the minister agree that the likely expansion of the consular corps in Edinburgh could mean an economic windfall for the city, as well as making the capital even more outward looking on the global stage?

Marco Biagi makes an excellent point. The consular corps in Scotland does an excellent job, wherever staff are based, and I record my thanks to them.

A number of consulates have been in Scotland for a long time. The Danish consulate recently hosted a reception to mark its 250th anniversary and the Norwegians have had a presence here for 200 years. The number of consulates has been increasing, with recent additions including the permanent Romanian consulate, which was set up in December 2012, and an honorary Croatian consulate.

We expect that, with independence, we will see a significant expansion in the number of diplomatic missions and the scale of diplomatic representation in Scotland. The benefit to the Scottish economy of the creation of those additional jobs is likely to be incredibly significant.

If we have brief questions and answers, we will get through everyone’s questions.

Does the minister agree that the small number of extra diplomats—which would be matched by the expense of Scotland having to pay for diplomats abroad—would be far outweighed by the threat to financial services, among other jobs in Edinburgh, as a result of independence?

Whether in respect of the economic levers that could help to protect us against damaging United Kingdom policies such as the bedroom tax, or the economic levers for growth that would, for example, allow us to reduce corporation tax to incentivise businesses to come to Edinburgh, I encourage Malcolm Chisholm to look on the bright side of life and to see the glass as being half full, as opposed to half empty.

Edinburgh relies heavily on financial services. When will the Scottish Government’s plans for financial services regulation be published?

There will be a white paper on financial services regulation later this year.

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Lothian NHS Board (Discussions)

3. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Lothian. (S4O-02187)

Scottish ministers and Government officials regularly meet representatives of all national health service boards, including NHS Lothian, to discuss a wide range of matters of current interest to local people.

Is the cabinet secretary concerned about the serious capacity issues at the Royal infirmary of Edinburgh, where in March one in five patients waited for more than four hours in the accident and emergency unit? Given that the ERI could, due to staff shortages, soon be taking in extra patients from St John’s hospital, what assurance can the cabinet secretary give that the staff, who are working flat out, will be given the resources that they urgently need in order to serve patients to the best of their ability?

We are not only concerned but have taken action, along with NHS Lothian, to deal with the accident and emergency situation throughout the NHS Lothian area. Additional consultants and nurses have been recruited, which will continue. The fundamental strategic problem with capacity issues in NHS Lothian is a result of the fact that, when the previous Administration planned the construction of the Royal infirmary of Edinburgh, it grossly underestimated growth in the population of Edinburgh by 20 per cent. We are now having to deal with failures resulting from decisions that were made when Sarah Boyack was a minister.

Has the cabinet secretary discussed with NHS Lothian or any other health boards the recent shortage of liothyronine, on which many thyroid patients in Lothian and throughout Scotland are dependent for survival? Will he look into the reasons why one company has a monopoly on supply of the drug, at what happened to stop the drug’s production and at why the NHS is, it seems, being charged a massively inflated price compared to the price abroad?

Elaine Smith raises a very valid point. As she knows, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is the responsible body for the safety, equality and efficacy of all United Kingdom-licensed medicines. On 21 May, it issued advice to healthcare professionals regarding alternative arrangements for a continued supply of triiodothyronine, or T3. The issue is very much a reserved matter, particularly in relation to pricing, but I share Elaine Smith’s frustrations about the inflated prices. We are taking up the issue with the relevant authorities at United Kingdom level.

In his discussions with NHS Lothian, did the cabinet secretary make it clear that any proposal to reduce 24/7 doctor-led accident and emergency services at St John’s hospital will be completely unacceptable to the people of West Lothian?

We have invested in St John’s and I have made it clear—and Tim Davison, who is the chief executive of NHS Lothian, has made it clear—that we are totally committed to 24/7 good-quality services. I absolutely deplore the scaremongering by Neil Findlay and his Labour colleagues about the future of St John’s. It is highly irresponsible of them.

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Public Procurement Contracts (Small and Micro Businesses)

4. To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that public procurement contracts are open to small and micro businesses. (S4O-02188)

As part of our drive to achieve sustainable economic growth, we have quite significantly increased the ease of access to public sector contracts, especially through the introduction of the public contracts Scotland service, which provides suppliers with free access to Scottish contracting opportunities.

In 2012, the PCS service issued more than 11,500 contract opportunities. Of the businesses that won contracts through the PCS service, 82 per cent were registered as small and medium-sized enterprises. Information from the service indicates that the percentage of suppliers that were awarded contracts and which are registered as either small or micro businesses has increased from 55 per cent in 2011 to 61 per cent in 2012.

I am pleased to hear the cabinet secretary’s enthusiasm on the issue and I welcome that progress, but it is important to focus on the value, rather than the number, of contracts that are going to small companies. I am concerned that recent answers to my parliamentary questions suggest that, although the number may have increased, the value of public contracts going to small and micro companies fell from 26 per cent to 18 per cent between 2010 and 2012. What action is the cabinet secretary taking to ensure that that decrease does not become a trend? Can she advise whether, within European Union rules, the Scottish Government can set an aspirational target for small-business procurement?

I welcome Alison Johnstone’s support on the issue and I reassure her that a key objective of our procurement reform agenda is increased access to opportunities for Scottish businesses, in particular for small, medium-sized and micro businesses.

In my answer I quoted some statistics from the PCS service, but let me also give some statistics from our spend data, which comes from the procurement information hub. I am also happy to provide more information in writing on this.

If we look at micro businesses, small businesses and medium-sized businesses, we see that about 46 per cent of the approximately £9 billion annual spend on public sector procurement goes to SMEs, which account for about 37 per cent of Scotland’s turnover. I am not standing here saying that we are doing well enough—particularly for micro businesses, whose share we want to increase—but our performance already compares well with the United Kingdom figure of about 25 per cent. That gives us a good base to build on; I assure Alison Johnstone that build on that is exactly what we intend to do, which is why we are taking forward such an ambitious programme of public procurement reform.

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North Sea Prawn Landings (Decline)

5. To ask the Scottish Government what the reasons are for the reported sharp decline in North Sea prawn landings. (S4O-02189)

There is, as yet, no conclusive explanation for the reduction in the availability of prawns in the North Sea. Scottish Government scientists advise that the reduction may either be part of a longer-term trend or is being affected by short-term factors, including the recent cold winters.

Given the £82 million value of the nephrops catch to the Scottish fishing fleet and the importance of the species within Scotland’s marine environment, the recent reduction is clearly a concerning development. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the fishing industry to assess the impact of declining landings and the wider significance of the apparent decline in prawn numbers for the marine environment.

It is clear that the North Sea nephrops fishery is well managed and sustainable. However, with prices for whole trawler-caught prawns at around £4,000 per tonne, which is 17 per cent below 2012 prices, what can the Scottish Government do to encourage new marketing initiatives aimed at consumers in the United Kingdom, given the reduced demand from the southern European market?

Angus MacDonald is right, and the people of Scotland should have the opportunity to buy fresh high-quality Scottish seafood right on their doorsteps. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment met industry representatives only two weeks ago to discuss the issue, and agreed to build on the work that is already under way.

Since April 2012, the Scottish Government has invested more than £0.5 million in ways to promote our seafood. That support has included £90,000 for the UK food services project to develop our seafood service sector—which is a completely untapped market—and to map the opportunities in the sector, to develop networks with buyers and to provide support and educational programmes. We have also provided £360,000 to support the new and emerging markets project in order to maximise opportunities for seafood in emerging markets, and £25,000 to support a market intelligence project. Since April 2012, we have supported with £100,000 the seafood in schools project, which teaches children about the benefits of eating seafood.

We should not forget the work of the Scottish seafood partnership, which the cabinet secretary established last year. It seeks ways to add value to the seafood supply chain, and is due to report later this summer.

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Independent Television Production Sector (Assistance)

6. To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it provides to the independent television production sector in Scotland. (S4O-02190)

Creative Scotland has announced the commencement of its £4 million film and television funding programme for 2013-14, which is now open for applications.

Other assistance has included on-going advocacy by the Scottish Government in relation to raising the level of network production in Scotland, which translates into increased opportunities for the independent television production sector. From a low base in 2006 in which 2.6 per cent of network production was sourced from Scotland, the sector now produces 4.9 per cent of the television content that is watched on screens throughout the United Kingdom.

The minister will be aware that I have raised that question on a number of occasions with the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs.

I am still of the opinion, through conversations with people in the independent television sector, that there is not enough support for the sector. That is certainly the view that the sector has put to me, and its representatives have also raised issues about their ability to access information on funding through Creative Scotland.

I note the commencement of the new £4 million film and television production fund, but I would be interested to know what proportion of that fund will be available specifically to the television sector.

As Patricia Ferguson knows, that fund is open to the independent sector for applications.

I agree that more can always be done. The cabinet secretary’s announcement last week on assistance for a possible film studio—which would be of great benefit and use to the sector—was broadly welcomed. Furthermore, I assure Patricia Ferguson that, following the hoped-for new appointment of the chief executive of Creative Scotland, that project will be a priority for the organisation.

I am happy to keep Patricia Ferguson updated on further developments, particularly on the film studio project, which will be a welcome and encouraging step in the right direction to support the independent television sector in Scotland.

Question 7 has not been lodged, and an explanation has been provided.

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Group B Streptococcus Screening Programme

8. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will introduce a group B streptococcus screening programme for pregnant women. (S4O-02192)

The Scottish Government is given independent advice by the United Kingdom national screening committee. In November 2012, the NSC undertook a review of the policy for group B streptococcus, using all the available medical evidence on the risks and benefits of screening all pregnant women. The committee agreed that a national screening programme for group B streptococcus should not be introduced. The NSC will continue to keep screening for group B streptococcus under review, and will consider the policy again in 2015-16—or earlier, if significant new evidence emerges.

Is the cabinet secretary aware of the tragic case of baby Lola Young from Kilwinning, who died after Crosshouse hospital failed to pick up the fact that she had a group B streptococcus infection?

It is estimated that, in the United Kingdom, 340 babies will develop early-onset GBS infection each year, and one in 10 will die. I hear what the cabinet secretary says with regard to the fact that the decision has been taken and the issue will be kept under review. However, routine testing for streptococcus B is carried out in America and Australia.

The member must come to the point.

Given that a test costs approximately £15, will the cabinet secretary at least consider whether NHS Scotland should offer the option of a test to pregnant women, to ensure that no other family has to endure the loss of their baby from streptococcus B? Will the cabinet secretary meet me and the baby’s parents to discuss the matter?

I am always happy to meet a member to discuss a constituency case. Obviously, I am aware of the case that Margaret McDougall cites and all our thoughts are with the family.

The concerns that the NCS raised regarding screening of all pregnant women followed the submission of many hundreds of pages of evidence, as well as consultation of experts and the clinical community throughout the UK. Its conclusion was that national screening would not prevent all deaths and disability from EOGBS. The potential harm that could be caused by administration of antibiotics to many thousands of pregnant women was a major factor in its decision, given the very low risk of harm from the disease.

The NCS has considered the matter in a great deal of detail. The balance came down in favour of not screening all women, because that would not be appropriate.

I am obviously happy to meet Margaret McDougall to discuss the issue and to fill her in on any more details that would be helpful to her and her constituents.