SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
Disclosure Scotland
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to reform Disclosure Scotland. (S2O-7329)
We monitor the performance of Disclosure Scotland closely. Since September, Disclosure Scotland has consistently exceeded its target of processing 90 per cent of all valid applications within 10 working days. Our response to Sir Michael Bichard's recommendations following the Soham tragedy will involve Disclosure Scotland and we will of course consider what changes might be required.
Is the minister aware of the problems that are encountered by individuals who work with children across a range of agencies? Such individuals have to go through a disclosure check for each organisation. I recently received representation from an outdoor instructor who has undergone nine disclosure checks this year because of the range of organisations with which he works. In addition, I learned recently that social work students, who have to undergo a disclosure check before they are accepted on their course, have to undergo further checks before they can attend placements during their training. Will the minister acknowledge that there is a need to amend the system to ensure that we reduce the undue bureaucracy that it is creating, while continuing to protect children?
As I indicated in response to a similar question from another member during general questions last week, I acknowledge that a number of issues to do with multiple disclosures have been raised. We are trying to make children's safety a priority and adults who want to work with children might sometimes have to put up with a bit of bureaucracy if we are to protect children. However, I have given a commitment to investigate the possibility of streamlining the process and preventing the problem whereby multiple checks take place, often over a short time.
I welcome the minister's comments, but can she confirm that everyone who is currently working in child care has been disclosure checked to the best of our knowledge?
I am not in a position to be able to speak about every individual case. However, it is the responsibility of the employing organisations to ensure that the appropriate checks are under way and I expect those organisations to have done that.
Events (Economic Impact)
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact major events such as T in the park and the Edinburgh festival have on the economy. (S2O-7345)
Major events bring significant benefits to Scotland's economy. For example, research on Edinburgh's summer festivals that was published earlier this year found that the festivals are worth more than £125 million to the city's economy.
In Edinburgh we are well aware of the economic impact of the festivals, which also bring social and cultural benefits to the city and its residents. Will the minister say what work has been done on the wider, regional impact of festivals such as the Edinburgh international festival? Will she also say what scope there is for spreading those benefits not just throughout the region but throughout the year, in relation to the promotion of tourism?
Ms Boyack is right to emphasise that the festivals are not just advantageous to the towns and cities in which they take place. If my memory serves me correctly, I think that about 28 per cent of the people who visit the Edinburgh festivals spend at least one night outwith Edinburgh. We very much want to develop the possibility of using Edinburgh, Glasgow and our other major cities as a gateway to the rest of the country. That is part of our tourism strategy. VisitScotland and EventScotland work closely together when major events are planned to ensure that all the benefits that such events can bring can be realised.
Will the minister acknowledge that the activities of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland bring an estimated £250 million to the economy of Scotland every year? Will he assure us that a compromise that is satisfactory to all parties will be reached in the planning of the Edinburgh airport extension?
I think that the member presumed that his question was for a different minister. Not only do I not deal with the specifics of the matter that he raises, but I am certainly not a "he". It is important that events such as the royal highland show should be able to operate, but it would be best to raise such issues through the consultation that is going on elsewhere.
Licensing (Scotland) Bill (Licensing Boards)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the licensing boards proposed in the Licensing (Scotland) Bill will adequately represent community interests. (S2O-7365)
Yes. Licensing boards will continue to be made up of local authority councillors who, as we know, have a democratic legitimacy in their own right. In addition, boards will receive input from the new licensing standards officers and directly from communities themselves. That will happen first through the new local licensing forums, which will require to be consulted on boards' policies, and secondly through the right of any person to submit an objection.
The minister will be all too aware of recent problems with pub violence in Hamilton—the town that we both represent—where the licensing board felt it necessary to introduce temporary licence removals. What assurances can the minister give that the proposed changes to licensing boards in the Licensing (Scotland) Bill will provide sufficiently effective and robust powers to tackle those premises that continually prove to be hotspots for violence and other forms of antisocial behaviour, and become no-go areas for the majority who wish to socialise in a safer community atmosphere?
There are a number of assurances. There is far greater community involvement in the system. If there are community concerns there is a far more comprehensive system to allow them to be expressed, and there are facilities for immediate closure if the police and boards feel that that is appropriate. Therefore, if disturbances at locations are causing particular concern to the community, the bill provides that effective action can be taken to address those concerns.
Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004 (Powers)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all local authorities and police forces are now utilising the powers available to them under the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004. (S2O-7362)
A number of local authorities and police forces are blazing the trail in using the provisions of the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004, which has brought relief and respite to their communities. Monitoring systems for the use of the act are being put in place to ensure that the provisions are used effectively throughout the country.
Will the minister join me once again in commending the actions of Fife constabulary and other agencies in Fife for their innovative implementation of the act? What steps are he and the Executive taking to ensure that best practice in Scotland is disseminated widely?
The agencies in Fife are to be congratulated on their efforts. It is clear that they have brought relief to some hard-pressed communities. The public response shows just how much they appreciate what has been done. I invite anyone who wants to know how the act can be used effectively to look at Fife and other areas in Scotland that have successfully used the new powers.
National Concessionary Travel Scheme
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the national concessionary travel scheme will be introduced in April 2006, as announced by the Minister for Transport on 22 December 2004, and whether the scheme will include the use of the smart-card system. (S2O-7317)
Yes.
Does the minister—who I welcome to his new responsibilities—agree that the smart-card machinery that was intended to be used will not be available; that no financial modelling was done; that local authorities will find it difficult if not impossible to collate the details of the estimated 1.2 million qualifying people; and that Scots in rural areas where there are no bus services will have no benefit from the scheme? Does the minister agree that his new leader has bequeathed him a bit of a boorach?
I fear that Mr Ewing exaggerates the problem and is obsessed with finding problems where we are determined to solve problems. We are working with bus operators to pay for and install new electronic ticketing machines with smart-card readers on all buses in Scotland. I would have thought that Mr Ewing would welcome that.
I draw the attention of the new Minister for Transport and Telecommunications to the fact that the concessionary fares scheme will not reach all the people of Scotland, as many of them live in rural areas. What solutions does the Executive have in order to implement its inclusion policy and to guarantee that services will be supplemented, perhaps by voluntary sector buses, dial-a-bus schemes and so on? Will the Executive itself get involved in that process?
The concessionary scheme is a national scheme. It will build on existing local arrangements. If Mr Davidson wishes to highlight specific examples, I would be more than happy to consider them. However, we are determined to ensure that, in conjunction with general Executive policies relating to solving the difficulties of exclusion, we adopt a national approach.
G8 (Role of Scottish Universities)
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it envisages for Scottish universities in addressing some of the issues to be discussed at the G8 summit, particularly in relation to Africa. (S2O-7351)
Scottish universities have an important role to play in this area, for example in the development of education programmes and through their expertise in research and innovation. The universities of Glasgow and Abertay Dundee are currently hosting academic conferences that are considering G8 issues, and many Scottish universities are already active in Africa. Concept notes seeking support from the Scottish Executive's international development fund include proposals from several Scottish universities for work in sub-Saharan Africa.
I invite the minister to join me in congratulating in particular the University of Dundee on its work in Africa on tropical disease research, health care education and training and expertise in the critical fields of energy, mineral and water law. Mercy scholarships for Rwandan women are just one example of the university's work. Can the minister assure me that recognition and support will be given to those important initiatives, which have now been extended to a number of Scottish education institutions?
Marlyn Glen is right to draw the Parliament's attention to the very good work that Scotland's universities are doing on development in Africa, preceding the G8 summit and undoubtedly succeeding it. We are considering proposals for international development funding that include projects to deliver direct assistance overseas, applications for administrative resources based here in Scotland and funding for activities aimed at exchanging knowledge or raising awareness. We will consider applications for projects based in or linked to sub-Saharan Africa and areas that were affected by the Asian tsunami. Additional weight will be given to projects that are based wholly or partly in Malawi, which we wish to prioritise.
Rape and Serious Sex Offences
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of rape, or serious sex offences, were reported to the police in the last two years and how many of these led to convictions in the High Court. (S2O-7352)
There are two available sources of information about rape statistics. Police information on reported crime is kept by calendar year. In 2002 and 2003, 2,176 serious sex crimes were recorded by the police, 1,539 of which were rapes. In that period, 106 people were convicted in the High Court of serious sex crimes, 73 of whom were convicted of rape.
The Solicitor General will know from those figures that Scotland has one of the worst conviction rates for rape and other sex offences in Europe. Can the Solicitor General tell me why no sustained analysis has been carried out of the number of cases that are dropped or marked "No proceedings"? When will women police surgeons be appointed? Will the Solicitor General consider the introduction of specialist prosecutors for sex offence cases?
The conviction rate for rape is not at all good, but it is apocryphal to suggest that Scotland has the worst conviction rate in Europe. The problem is worldwide as concerns rape, which is one of the most difficult crimes to prove, given its very nature.
Question 8 has been withdrawn.
Olympic Games (Mountain Biking)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give its full support to Fort William to host the mountain biking events at the Olympic Games in 2012 if the United Kingdom's bid to host the games is successful. (S2O-7312)
London 2012 has already decided—and proposed in the candidate file that it submitted to the International Olympic Committee—that the mountain biking event should be held in the Weald country park.
I thank the minister for that response, but I am sure that Fort William will still come out top of the bidding.
As the member will no doubt be aware, such matters are for the local health authority and, ultimately, for the Minister for Health and Community Care. However, I can point out that, so far, the possibilities of medical cover do not seem to have been an influencing factor for Fort William, given that the town staged the world mountain biking championships this year and last year and is due to host the 2007 world championships, which will take place before the qualifying stages for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Road Safety (A9)
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve road safety on the A9. (S2O-7333)
The Executive is constantly looking to improve safety and a full accident analysis of the route has just been completed. The results will be used to direct the future roads programme for the route, which will be aimed at improving overtaking opportunities, junction layouts and reducing driver fatigue. That is over and above some £40 million-worth of work that is programmed to be carried out on the A9 over the next three years.
I welcome Tavish Scott to his new ministerial post, in which he can look forward to the A9 issue being raised as frequently with him as it was with his predecessor.
I can certainly give a commitment to look closely at the issues that Mr Swinney has raised about why the projects for those two sections of the A9 have not proceeded as quickly as might be desired by the member, his constituents and all who use the road. I am happy to look into that and I will respond to him as quickly as I can.
Does the minister consider that the only long-term solution for improving the A9's accident record is to dual the complete length of the road? Only by doing so will we be able to ensure that the many visitors to Scotland who tend to drive on the wrong side of the road drive on the right side, which we know is the left side.
Mr Arbuckle is seated beside me, but I make it clear that I had no advance warning of that question.