Plenary, 30 Jun 2005

Meeting date: Thursday, June 30, 2005

Official Report 840KB pdf

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First Minister's Question Time

Resumed.

We now continue with First Minister's question time. I am grateful that the First Minister has stayed with us.

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G8 (Climate Change)

To ask the First Minister what contribution the Scottish Executive will make to the G8 summit's discussions on climate change. (S2F-1772)

I want to start by expressing my regret to the schoolchildren who were waiting for me to present prizes to them in Our Dynamic Earth this afternoon. In recent months they have done a great deal of work on climate change. Ross Finnie is currently deputising for me, but I will try to see the schoolchildren before they have to leave to return to their communities. [Applause.] Perhaps they, too, will have learned a lesson today about the importance of democracy.

The Executive recognises that climate change is the single most important long-term threat that faces our planet. The G8 summit is an opportunity to progress the debate on climate change at the highest political level, and to help to forge a common vision. We want to lead by example, so I am pleased to clarify our position ahead of the G8 summit. I can announce that we will establish climate change targets in areas of devolved responsibility. We will do that in our strategy, which will be published later this year.

I welcome the First Minister's very strong commitments. Many of us fear that the G8 might not make the radical breakthrough that the world needs, so I particularly welcome the First Minister's new commitment today on setting targets to tackle climate change in Scotland.

I ask the First Minister to take early action so that Scotland takes a lead on climate change, as he desires. I suggest that he might start with energy efficiency and renewables, particularly in urban Scotland, where we might deliver both social and environmental justice, as well as tackling climate change.

We have an obligation and an opportunity here in Scotland. The time is right for us to set targets in appropriate areas. When we publish our strategy, those targets will be based on evidence and proper analysis and they will be realistic but challenging. The targets will, of course, include both energy and renewables.

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Caledonian MacBrayne (Employees)

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Executive has had with Caledonian MacBrayne regarding the status of its employees. (S2F-1769)

Our officials have discussed the status of CalMac's employees with representatives of CalMac's management on a number of occasions.

Does the First Minister agree that it is extraordinary that a company that is owned by the taxpayer and which is to a large extent funded by the taxpayer is aiming to offshore its employees to avoid payment of national insurance? Does the First Minister not see the irony of a publicly owned company operating in a manner that would—if the company were privately owned—be greeted with howls of protest from the Labour benches behind him?

It is extraordinary that the party that used to support competition believes that CalMac should not be allowed to compete. That is really extraordinary, but it shows—as Eleanor Laing showed earlier this week—the utter contempt for the company and its services that the Tories have shown in the past.

Caledonian MacBrayne is a very important part of the fabric of our public sector in Scotland. The services that it provides are vital for island communities, but it needs to be able to compete with other shipping companies and to be as efficient as it possibly can. With or without the tendering exercise that we are currently discussing with the European Commission, we want to ensure that Caledonian MacBrayne is as efficient as possible and that it is able to cut its costs. The United Kingdom Government has a regime in place that is designed to ensure that there are more British people employed on ships as a result. Caledonian MacBrayne should certainly be taking up that opportunity.

Will the First Minister confirm that, if the Scottish Executive decides that the tender of the Clyde and Hebridean ferry services must proceed, and if CalMac were to lose that tender, CalMac's pension fund would have to close, and will he confirm that the actuarial valuation of the cost of closing the fund is, at present, £24.8 million? Does the First Minister accept that, in those circumstances, the Government would have to pay that amount, and does he accept that that amount is vastly in excess of any conceivable savings that might possibly derive from the decision to go ahead to tender? Does the First Minister agree that to proceed to tender those services would be utter folly?

I suspect that the question will be part of an attempt by Mr Ewing to scaremonger among CalMac employees. We have made it absolutely clear that, regardless of the outcome of the tendering exercise, CalMac employees will retain their current pensions rights. We also make it absolutely clear that questions that are being asked about the tendering exercise will be answered properly.

It is not automatically the case that the Government would have to pay the sum to which Mr Ewing referred. He will receive a full and proper answer from the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications when we have the information that he requires.

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Young Sportspeople

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Executive is supporting the development of talented young Scottish sportspeople. (S2F-1782)

We are investing in provision of high-quality facilities for training and competition, which will complement lottery investment in athlete support, the Institute of Sport network and performance coaches. I take this opportunity on behalf of Parliament to congratulate Andy Murray on his outstanding performances at Wimbledon last week. [Applause.] Two years ago, I visited Wimbledon for the first time in my life and was told that all the best young tennis players in Britain were Scots. I was genuinely not sure whether to believe that, but it is clearly the case. Andy Murray is a fantastic talent for the future and deserves the support and patience of the Scottish and British public. If he gets those, he may very well succeed.

The members' business debate that should have been held over lunchtime is a casualty—

On a point of order, Presiding Officer. From your experience in another Parliament, you will recall that if any arrogant and self-indulgent individual were to try to obstruct the democratic work of that Parliament, their feet would not touch the ground. Will you take steps to ensure that you get the power that you require, and that the Parliament's security staff and police get the training and powers that they require, to ensure that nothing like what happened today ever happens again?

I have already applied the maximum sanctions that are within my powers. However, I have no doubt that colleagues in the Parliamentary Bureau will want to discuss with me the matter that Mr Home Robertson raises.

I apologise to Mr Arbuckle, who was a casualty a moment ago. The process is slightly back to front, but we will now take a supplementary from Mr Arbuckle.

I concur with the First Minister's congratulations to Andy Murray, but I point out to him that the present policy of concentrating on supporting core sports and excluding other sports, such as tennis, is wrong. Could that policy be reconsidered?

Over recent years, there has been a considerable amount of investment in Scottish tennis—not just in talented individual athletes such as Andy Murray and his colleagues, but in facilities including the planned new national indoor facility, which will expand next year at Stirling to include other courts. Those new facilities and the individuals who are receiving support are demonstrating through results that support can work. We need to keep under constant review whether the support is being targeted properly and whether any additional support is required.

As I said, the members' business debate falls as a result of the disorder that we had earlier. Under rule 7.4.4 of standing orders, I have the power to make any necessary alteration to the daily business list as a result of suspensions. I rule that the members' business debate will be taken at 6 pm tonight.