Chamber and committees

The recent press claims that the 2018-19 local government finance settlement will be reduced by £86 million were completely untrue. Not a single penny was removed from the provisional local government finance settlement that was issued for consultation on 14 December 2017. The total amount of funding provided to local government remained unchanged.

COSLA, on behalf of local authorities requested adjustments to the provisional individual local authority allocations but within the same total sum. I agreed to COSLA’s request and the revised figures were issued to COSLA and individual local authorities on 23 January. Since then I have announced an extra £170 million for local government as part of Stage 1 of the Budget Bill debate held on 31 January.

Cancer Screening:

We are committed to taking forward the Detect Cancer Early Programme (DCE), in which we have invested £41m with a target of increasing the number of cancers detected at the early stage of disease. The DCE programme aims to improve survival for people with cancer in Scotland to amongst the best in Europe by diagnosing and treating the disease at an earlier stage, with a particular focus on those living in the most deprived areas. In 2018, the programme will place further focus on the overall benefits of early detection for all cancers through a new pan-tumour awareness campaign and it will further encourage anyone with concerns to visit their GP.

Participating in the cancer screening programmes is one of the best ways to detect cancer early and we are investing up to £5m under the cancer strategy Beating Cancer: Ambition and Action 2016 to tackle inequalities in access to screening services. We have already funded a number of NHS Board and Third Sector pilot activities and work is underway to set up an Inequalities Network to develop innovative strategies and share learning to increase participation amongst those least likely to take part in the cancer screening programmes.

 Heart Disease: 

Prevention of heart disease, including championing work focused on inequalities and people at high risk of developing heart disease, is one of the six priorities in our Heart Disease Improvement Plan.

NHS Information and Statistics Division (ISD) statistics published on 30 January 2018 show a downward trend in incidence and mortality rates from coronary heart disease (CHD) across all deprivation groups. The gap in inequalities in mortality rates has closed – with a higher reduction in deaths in the most deprived communities than the least deprived in the last decade (36% and 31%).

These figures show that our strategy for tackling heart disease is delivering real results for patients. But we recognise that CHD is higher in more deprived areas and health inequalities remain. Reducing health inequalities is one of the largest challenges we face. We are taking action focussing on addressing the underlying causes of health inequalities – tackling poverty, fair wages, supporting families, and improving our physical and social environments – and to support people across Scotland to live healthier lives.

The recognised rail industry standard for the industry in Great Britain is the Public Performance Measure (PPM). This measure counts all trains planned to run, which run and arrive within five minutes of their scheduled arrival time. Trains which are cancelled, either in full or in part, or which do not stop at stations at which they are meant to stop, are counted against this measure. The equivalent PPM for the trains arriving at Markinch, is 67.6 percent for the year ended 6 January 2018.

There are occasions when train services need to allow more time to allow those with disabilities or impairments, or parents with prams, to board the trains. With this in mind, the PPM measure offers a balanced and sensible view of train performance.

You may be aware that ScotRail has appointed a railway industry expert to undertake an independent review of train service performance across the network and propose steps for improvement.

I welcome this independent review as part of ScotRail’s recovery measures. The sooner performance can be addressed the sooner customers can enjoy the level of service they desire and deserve.

In addition ScotRail is developing a plan to identify actions targeted towards delivering improved performance in the areas which have particularly contributed to the recent problems with performance.

Representatives of community councils gave written and oral evidence to the independent planning review panel; responded to Places, People and Planning, our consultation paper published in January 2017; and took part in and contributed to the associated working groups supporting the programme.

Community councils already play an active role in the planning process both in development planning and development management. Our proposals on local place plans and enhancing engagement at both development planning and development management stages will allow community councils a more active role in the planning process.

The Scottish Government has proposed an income tax policy which both improves progressivity and raises additional revenue to fund public services and invest in the Scottish economy. Taxpayers resident in Scotland should pay Scottish income tax. Scottish taxpayer status is determined by UK legislation, the Scottish Parliament has no power to change this.

Pay policy and living allowances provided to armed forces personnel are similarly a reserved matter.

Despite the reserved nature of telecommunications in the UK, the Scottish Government has chosen to take action to improve broadband and mobile coverage across Scotland, rather than wait for the UK Government to act. We do not have any formal role in the delivery of DAB radio coverage, which is being taken forward by the UK Government, local radio multiplex operators and the BBC. However, Ofcom produces a yearly report on digital radio, and the 2017 report can be found at https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/tv-radio-and-on-demand/radio-research/digital-radio-reports.

Our Mobile Action Plan – the first of its kind in the UK – outlines the steps we are taking with industry and other partners to improve mobile coverage across Scotland. In July 2017, we made changes to planning regulations to make it easier for mobile network operators to deploy new or upgraded infrastructure. We are piloting a scheme to trial non-domestic rates relief for new mobile masts in non-commercial areas; and we will shortly begin the procurement for the Scottish 4G Infill Programme. This will see up to £25 million invested to deliver new masts in selected areas affected by mobile notspots. We will announce more details later in the year.

Our investment through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme has seen substantial improvements to broadband access in Mid Scotland and Fife. As at 31 December 2017, over 118,000 additional premises in the region had access to fibre broadband, thanks to DSSB, with over 105,000 of those able to access speeds of 24 megabits per second (Mbps) and above.

We recognise that more needs to be done and this is why the Scottish Government recently announced a £600 million investment in the initial phase of the R100 programme, which will extend superfast broadband access to 100% of premises by the end of 2021. This is the biggest public investment ever made in a UK broadband project; and underpins the first universal superfast programme in the UK. Of course, of this £600 million, the UK Government is contributing a mere £20.99 million - just 3.5% of the total investment - and I would hope that I can rely on your support in seeking a fairer, more substantial contribution from your colleagues in Westminster.

Procurement to deliver this investment is underway. It is expected to last around 12 months, and we will announce plans for delivery in early 2019, once contracts have been awarded.

We support the contribution that our planned and under development new settlements in Scotland, including for example Shawfair and Tornagrain, will make to providing essential homes and services for their local areas.

New towns are not a new solution or the only solution. We expect local authorities to take a lead in saying where development should take place based upon local requirements and capacity for growth and for that to be reflected in local development plans.

Fife College received a real terms increase in funding from the SFC in 2017-18. The SFC provide the budget allocations to College Regions, indicative allocations have yet to be published, however in 2018-19 we will deliver a real-terms increase in funding for colleges. The College reviews its curriculum to ensure that it meets the demands of the economy and needs of current and prospective students.