SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE
General Questions
I raised with all business managers before and following the recess the issue of the manner in which I expect questions to be asked, and the business managers should have informed their members of that. In the interests of fairness to all members, and in order to allow for as many questions as possible to be asked, I repeat that I expect members to keep their questions brief and in the form of a question, rather than a statement. In addition, I do not expect multiple questions to be asked. Although I have no desire to do this, should members fail to adhere to that guidance, I may be forced to stop the questioner. I also expect ministers to respond accordingly.
Alcohol Policy (Student Organisations)
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with student organisations regarding alcohol policy and binge drinking in particular. (S3O-4619)
The Scottish Government has been engaged in a wide public consultation on its proposals to change Scotland's relationship with alcohol. As part of the consultation, the Minister for Public Health met representatives of the coalition against raising the drinking age in Scotland and the National Union of Students Scotland on 26 August.
Is the cabinet secretary aware of the existence of Carnage, an annual event that is aimed at students? In essence, the event is a giant pub crawl, which students themselves have questioned. One event is planned for my constituency this week. When such an event was held in Dundee, there were eight arrests. Does he agree that companies that might be seen to promote binge drinking should be included in the classification of irresponsible promotions in the context of tackling alcohol misuse? Will he agree to consider that matter?
Absolutely. I am happy to look at that. The issue is one of reconfiguring Scotland's relationship with alcohol. Pauline McNeill and I, and others who have been students, are well aware of the fun times that students have, but it is a matter of balance. It is clear that some aspects are totally irresponsible, and those who promote and suggest them should be brought to heel. I am more than happy to take on board the points that Pauline McNeill has raised. We are seeking to allow students to enjoy student life without endangering themselves or blighting the lives of others.
What discussions has the Scottish Government had with residents groups and others whose lives have been rendered intolerable by binge drinking and associated disturbance?
I am grateful for that question. We have asked people to contribute their views on those issues to the consultation. I have met residents groups in my constituency, and I also had the opportunity, as did my ministerial colleague, to meet people in communities where action has been taken, such as Stenhousemuir, Armadale and Cupar, where there has been a substantial reduction in antisocial behaviour as a result of pilots to restrict the ability of people between 18 and 21 to buy alcohol in off-sales.
The cabinet secretary will be aware that student organisations oppose his plans to raise the age at which alcohol can be purchased from off-licences from 18 to 21, as does this Parliament. When he cannot even persuade chief police officers in Scotland and 48 per cent of delegates at the Scottish National Party conference that the policy is a good idea, surely it is time that he showed some humility as a minister and agreed to withdraw the policy.
As Mr Fraser is aware, we are engaged in a consultation and we will respond shortly. I recall that earlier this year, NUS Scotland complained bitterly that student unions were facing collapse because students were preparing to fuel up—that seems to be a recent concept that has arisen since I was a student—and were buying their alcohol from off-sales. We have met NUS Scotland and CARDAS, but we do not forget that CARDAS in particular has taken funding from alcohol companies, which perhaps tempers how we view matters.
Police Response Times (Non-emergency Calls)
To ask the Scottish Government what efforts are being made to shorten police response times to non-emergency calls. (S3O-4618)
In September 2007, Audit Scotland, in its report "Police call management—An initial review", recommended that police authorities should regularly receive and scrutinise reports by chief constables on the effectiveness of local call management arrangements. My officials have written to the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Scottish police authorities conveners forum encouraging forces to make information on non-emergency response times available to boards. Forces and boards both confirm that the subject is actively considered by boards.
The cabinet secretary knows of the public's lack of confidence in and scepticism about the call management system because of the delays in responses, which can occasionally occur days after a problem was reported. I welcome what he said about information being brought together.
Statistics are one factor. We seek to ensure that chief constables can meet their operational requirements. Police boards represent their communities and challenge chief constables and hold them to account on the operation of police forces. The role of the trident's third part—the Government—is important to funding and resources.
Harris Tweed Industry
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of further job losses at Scotland's largest Harris tweed mill, Kenneth Mackenzie, and the potential impact on home weavers in the islands, what action the Scottish Government can take to save this old-established industry for the Western Isles. (S3O-4585)
Job numbers are a commercial decision for the company. Our enterprise agencies are in close dialogue with Harris Tweed Scotland, which owns the former Kenneth Mackenzie mill, to assist in any and all ways possible.
Does the minister share the concern of businesspeople who are involved in the tweed sector that the industry's present structure and position are not conducive to attracting private equity? Given the importance of Harris tweed to the livelihood of many weavers in Lewis, and given the social aspects, will he reconsider the industry's demands for extra funding for the Harris Tweed Authority and a strategy to deal with mill financing needs that exceed what is available from private sources?
I thank Jamie McGrigor for his supplementary question. We are working with the Harris Tweed Authority on marketing and promotional activity and on a range of initiatives to promote Harris tweed. We are working hard with the Harris tweed industry liaison group to bring the industry together more cohesively. We have three mills, which represents an advance. The skills and training audit will commence on 10 November. The Harris tweed investment fund is being discussed in detail; it might receive match funding from Harris Tweed Hebrides, which would be Shawbost in partnership with the Government. Sub-groups will meet on 4 November to consider fully the fund and other options. A new level of cohesion has been reached. We are keen to foster that and to work intensively to achieve the result.
What representations will the Scottish Government make to Her Majesty's Government about the failure of the benefits system to recognise that weavers who are left without work as a result of the downturn in the industry are unemployed? As a result of that anomaly, they cannot claim relevant benefits.
I have made representations to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about enabling weavers who are adversely affected by a seasonal downturn in demand for Harris tweed to be eligible to claim unemployment benefit. I will continue to make such representations and I will keep Mr Allan updated on the outcome.
Transport Scotland (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet representatives from Transport Scotland. (S3O-4576)
Transport Scotland is part of the Scottish Government and internal meetings take place in the normal course of its business.
I draw the minister's attention again to the temporary traffic lights on the A7 at Branxholm in my constituency, which have been in place for two years. When I previously raised the issue with him, he said that reasonable progress was being made to take them down. Despite that, the traffic lights remain. What does it say about the Scottish National Party's Scotland when temporary traffic lights on a major trunk route can stay in place for more than two years?
I am pleased to say that we expect the work to take place before the end of the year, which will allow the traffic lights to be removed. That contrasts markedly with temporary traffic lights on the A82 on the other side of the country that were there for well over a decade under the previous Administration. We are doing rather better than our predecessors.
Scottish Enterprise (Project Reviews)
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects Scottish Enterprise to complete and publish details of any reviews of major projects that it is carrying out. (S3O-4665)
Scottish Enterprise has a robust monitoring regime for all its major projects. It publishes a considerable volume of study and review material, which includes—when appropriate—the output of reviews and major projects.
It will come as no surprise to the minister that my concern is about the Ravenscraig project. Is he aware that shareholders in that project are close to deadlocking it legally, thereby scuppering the development, 3,500 homes, 12,000 jobs and an investment of £1.2 billion from the private sector? What steps is he taking to facilitate the project's expeditious progress?
In the middle of our major event on planning this week, I took time out to meet the Capella Group's chief executive, Jim Fitzsimons, to discuss in detail the Ravenscraig project and that company's role in it. At that meeting, I agreed that we would bring together all the main stakeholders to discuss the way forward and consider all the proposed options.
Police Services (Charging)
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the requirements of core policing are not compromised by the practice of private hire of police personnel. (S3O-4574)
Yes—I am satisfied that the requirements of core policing are not being compromised by police forces charging for their services in appropriate circumstances. The police's primary duty is to protect the public and to ensure the safety of our communities. They also have a duty to ensure that local taxpayers are not called on to subsidise policing operations that do not benefit the wider community. That is why I consider it right that they should recover the costs of policing highly significant commercial events such as major sporting fixtures, pop concerts and film shoots. We are committed to increasing policing levels in our communities and we are supported in that by all Scotland's chief constables and police boards.
I am still a little puzzled. I think that the cabinet secretary has told me that it is all right to police a pop concert if it is in the general community's interests, but I would have thought that that is not in the general community's interests and that security firms are much better qualified to do such work than are off-duty policemen, whose recreation time is eaten into, or policemen who are transferred from other core policing jobs.
I am not sure whether there was a question, but the cabinet secretary might wish to comment.
Such matters involve a balance. We want events such as pop concerts and football matches to pay for policing because they are commercial. Equally, the police should go to remembrance Sunday, Boys Brigade and other events to ensure that the community provides benefit.
HM Treasury (Meetings)
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with HM Treasury. (S3O-4581)
Scottish Government officials met HM Treasury officials on 24 October 2008 to discuss a variety of issues.
That is a cryptic reply. I understand that interesting discussions have taken place on my favourite subject—a local income tax. Is it the Government's understanding that more people in Scotland will have to file an annual tax return under the local income tax than is presently the case?
As Mr Brownlee will know, the Government is considering the contents of the consultation exercise on the local income tax proposal that we carried out earlier this year. When we have taken decisions on that consultation, we will set out proposals to Parliament and allow it to judge them. At that stage, I am sure that Mr Brownlee will get a detailed answer to the question, if that is required.
National Health Service (Cleaning and Catering)
To ask the Scottish Government what benefits it believes may be derived from the phasing out of private cleaning and catering contracts in the NHS. (S3O-4645)
We believe that NHS clinical services should be provided by the NHS. Cleaning and catering services are regarded as core to the delivery of our clinical services, and as such are better provided directly by NHS staff.
Will the minister outline in a bit more detail how the initiative might improve the patient experience in the NHS?
I am happy to do so. It is clear to us that when cleaning and catering services are part of the NHS, it is easier to have control over them and they can be better integrated. That adds up to better patient care, a more seamless joining up of services and the ability to vary services within hospitals, particularly cleaning services, when required. Such services are better delivered as part of the NHS.
House Repossession
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to help home owners facing repossession. (S3O-4621)
We are building on the existing mortgage to rent scheme to develop a new home owners support fund, with a budget of £25 million over two years. Mortgage to rent helps people who have little or no equity to stay in their homes. A new mortgage to shared equity scheme will be launched early in 2009 to help home owners who have built up a level of equity in their properties. We are also launching a new awareness-raising campaign for the national debtline in November, to encourage people to take action at an early stage to address their debt problems.
In a recent news interview, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing said that people who are in negative equity could apply for the Scottish Government's mortgage to rent scheme. Will the minister confirm that such people would need to find the money to make up the gap in the equity and that that could amount to hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds?
It is correct that people who unfortunately find themselves in negative equity can still apply for the mortgage to rent scheme. Some of the press comment about that was incorrect. Such people can negotiate their remaining debt with their lender to find a repayment package that suits. In some cases, lenders have written off the debt when it has been reasonably small, but in other cases people will have to find a way of paying the debt over a period. They took on the debt and it will remain with them. The major advantage of the mortgage to rent scheme is that the vast majority of people's debt can be paid off and they can stay in their home, which is very welcome.
What action will the Scottish Government take to put the onus on the courts, rather than individuals, to ensure that repossession is a last resort, especially given that individuals who exercise their rights under the Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Act 2001 do not normally have access to legal aid?
The Mortgage Rights (Scotland) Act 2001 provides significant protection for those who are at risk of repossession. Owners have the right to ask a sheriff to give them time to pay off arrears and lenders are obliged to comply fully with Financial Services Authority regulations.
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