Contents
- General Question Time
- First Minister’s Question Time
- Electric Shock Training Collars
- Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Repeal) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
- Presiding Officer’s Statement
- Decision Time
General Question Time
Rail Travel (Fife Circle)
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address reports that rail travellers on the Fife circle face poor journey experiences and that there are consistent failures of service. (S5O-01694)
I completely understand the frustration that customers can experience as a result of poor performance and recognise that ScotRail has faced a number of challenges in recent months, which I fully expect to be addressed immediately. Alex Hynes, the managing director of ScotRail Alliance, has instigated an independent review that is being taken forward by Nick Donovan as part of ScotRail’s recovery measures, which I very much welcome. The sooner the performance challenges are addressed, the sooner passengers can enjoy the level of service that they desire and deserve.
My officials at Transport Scotland continue to closely monitor and challenge ScotRail’s performance and will work with it as it develops and implements the actions to improve performance over the coming months and years.
I am pleased that the minister understands the frustration that is felt. I am sure that he understands how frustrating it is when someone who is standing on a platform, waiting for the train to come, sees the train going right past them. People can be left waiting for an hour, which results in their being late for work.
The Dunfermline Press has launched a crush hour campaign—the name speaks for itself. Masses of rail users in Fife are horrified at the service that they are getting. Will the minister agree to meet me, so that we can go through the detail of all the problems?
People have been patient, but they have waited long enough. We need action. Will the minister consider taking the railways back into public ownership so that the profits can be invested in the railways and we can address the unacceptable situations that occur on the Fife circle rail route?
I am sure that Alex Rowley understood from my answer that I was in no way dismissing the concerns. I completely understand them, and I have been keeping up with the coverage of the issue in the Dunfermline Press.
I will try to wrap some context around the issue. For most of 2017, until the autumn months, there was a significant improvement in Fife rail services, with performance running at about 90 or 94 per cent. However, the services have not coped well since the autumn months, which is the reason for the independent review. I have been contacted by many MSPs from across the chamber who represent Fife, including Shirley-Anne Somerville, Annabelle Ewing, Jenny Gilruth and Liz Smith.
I spoke to Alex Hynes this morning about this issue and others. I am more than happy for my office to facilitate a meeting between Alex Hynes and the MSPs who have contacted me and others from Fife, including Alex Rowley. I would also be more than happy to meet Alex Rowley individually. However, because it is a matter for ScotRail, I think that a meeting with the managing director would be the appropriate measure, and my office will facilitate that meeting if that would be helpful.
As the member probably knows, there will be an upgrade in the rolling stock later in 2018 or early in 2019. Nevertheless, people in Fife should not have to wait for that to get an improvement in their service; therefore, the immediate priority is getting that improvement in performance.
On Mr Rowley’s latter point, I understand his ideological position but I gently remind him that it is the Scottish National Party Government that has allowed a public sector bidder to bid for the railways for the first time—something that was denied by successive Labour Governments at Westminster.
The issue of skip-stopping, which we are discussing, is a problematic one, because a skipped stop is treated only as a partial cancellation, which means that no financial penalties result from it. Does the minister agree that skip-stopping must be identified in the new franchise and that financial penalties need to be applied to it?
I reiterate that, when a stop is skipped, it counts as a public performance measure failure and, of course, ScotRail is held to account for those.
With regard to the issue of financial fines, the service quality incentive regime—SQUIRE—is probably the best auditing regime of any railway in the United Kingdom. That has been borne out by the fact that ScotRail has been fined quite substantially when it has failed to meet the extremely high criteria that we set for it.
I will reflect on Mark Ruskell’s point when considering future franchises, but, before we get to the franchise endpoint, we should continue dialogue with ScotRail to minimise a practice that is unhelpful. When I became the transport minister, I told ScotRail that I expected it to minimise the skipping of stops, particularly during peak hours. That has happened, but it is clear that the autumn and winter months have been challenging for ScotRail, and that is unwelcome.
Good Food Nation
To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made towards Scotland becoming a good food nation. (S5O-01695)
Our plans for Scotland to become a good food nation are continuing. The Scottish Food Commission recently submitted its recommendations for the proposed good food nation bill, and they are currently being considered across the Scottish Government with a view to a consultation being held this year. The consultation will inform the content of a good food nation bill that will be introduced during this parliamentary session.
I stated recently in the chamber that that piece of legislation has the potential to be one of the most exciting and important bills that the Parliament will pass in this session. Given the number of sectors that the bill will cover and the amount of interest that there is likely to be in it, how long will the consultation process last, when will it commence and how will we make sure that everyone—not just stakeholders and industry experts—gets a chance to respond?
The consultation will be launched later this year and will be open for 12 weeks. We are investigating ways to inform the public about it. The legislation will be slightly different from the norm, and I aim to get the maximum involvement, as Gail Ross has rightly suggested. We fully recognise the importance of involving as many people as possible in the promotion of Scotland as a good food nation.
Given that funding for the food and drink strategy has remained unchanged at £5 million a year since 2014, will funding to support the proposed good food nation bill come from that allocation or will separate funds be found?
I am sorry that the Tories have introduced that monetary note. The promotion of Scotland as a good food nation will be about how we carry and promote ourselves and about promoting good nutrition, attracting more people to Scotland to enjoy the high quality of our natural larder and encouraging young people to learn how to prepare food. It will not be all about money. I hope that, at some point, the Conservatives will get that.
Mental Health (Schoolchildren)
To ask the Scottish Government how schools identify and support children with mental health problems. (S5O-01696)
Education authorities and all those who work in our schools have a responsibility to identify, support and develop the mental wellbeing of pupils, with decisions on how to provide that support being taken on the basis of local circumstances and needs.
Every child and young person should have access to emotional and mental wellbeing support in school. Some children will be provided with access to school-based counselling, while others will be supported by pastoral care staff, and there will be liaison with the educational psychological services and family and health services for specialist support when that is required. A mental health link person is available to every school. That has been achieved in a variety of ways, using various models that work to meet local needs.
As part of the Government’s mental health strategy, we are undertaking a national review of how personal and social education is delivered in schools, which will include an assessment of how the teaching of mental wellbeing is being delivered. The review will be completed by the end of this calendar year.
The cabinet secretary will be aware of the findings of a Scottish Association for Mental Health survey of teachers that showed that two thirds felt that they had insufficient training in mental health to carry out their roles. Seventy-three per cent of the teachers who were surveyed had low levels of confidence in their resources to respond to a pupil who raised concerns about mental health. On the basis of those results, will the Scottish Government commit to ensuring that teachers receive adequate training on a continuing basis? Will the cabinet secretary commend North Ayrshire Council for leading the way in offering pupils access to mental health counselling after starting a new counselling service across its secondary schools?
I welcome North Ayrshire Council’s approach, which I expect to be reflected in a variety of ways around the country in different local authorities. The service will not be delivered identically in other parts of the country, because other local authorities will consider how best to meet the needs of young people as effectively as they can.
I am very aware of the findings of the SAMH survey and take them seriously. We recognise the significance of the issues, which is why they must be reflected on by our initial teacher education providers and feature in the continuing professional development of the teaching profession.
I am in and out the schools of Scotland weekly—I was in a school this morning, before I came to the Parliament—and I see very good work being undertaken to address the mental wellbeing of young people. Health and wellbeing is one of the three fundamental aspects of curriculum for excellence that were part of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education’s guidance to education authorities in August 2016, which must inform curriculum delivery in all areas of Scotland.
Loneliness and Social Isolation (Third Sector)
To ask the Scottish Government how the proposals in its draft strategy to tackle loneliness and social isolation could help to promote the third sector. (S5O-01697)
In our draft strategy, we are clear that third sector organisations have an important role in reducing social isolation and loneliness. To support that, we have protected the core third sector budget at 2016-17 levels.
Volunteers are central to this effective work, and in 2016-17 our investment in the volunteer support fund resulted in 3,505 new volunteers being recruited from disadvantaged backgrounds. Engaging people with that experience, and those who are older, remains a challenge, so our commitment of £3.8 million to that fund from 2017-18 onwards is important.
We want to do more—we have made clear our commitment to do more with that investment—so our draft strategy focuses on community-led work, what more needs to be done and what we as a Government can do to enable community-led initiatives to flourish.
The minister will agree that there are already many examples of great things being done by the third sector to tackle loneliness and social isolation. My constituents in Stevenston have benefited from working with Centrestage Communities’ raise your voice Ardeer project, which brings people together with musical memories and family nights under its theme of fun, food and folk. What is the Scottish Government doing to encourage such organisations to respond to the consultation to ensure that existing best practice is learned from and taken into account as the strategy develops?
As an MSP in a neighbouring constituency, I am well aware of much of the work that Centrestage undertakes in my area. In Cumnock, along with the Robertson Trust it has developed work with women on that theme, and now has the very successful heart and soul initiative and a community cafe. The key characteristics of that organisation—and the other organisations that members spoke about in last week’s debate—are that it is rooted in and led by the community in which it works. Those aspects are central to our strategy.
We have encouraged third sector interfaces in each local authority area to circulate information through their networks about how to respond and to encourage responses to us. Over the coming weeks and months, we will host a number of engagement events across Scotland in order to encourage responses to our consultation, and for my officials and I to hear directly about work that is being done, but also what more work needs to be done. I look forward to hearing from Centrestage, the Robertson Trust, Age Scotland and a myriad of other organisations and people in their communities about how our strategy can be improved. We will do all that we can to encourage their participation.
As I alluded to in my speech last week on loneliness and social isolation, I am pleased that social prescribing will form part of the strategy. How does the Scottish Government intend to monitor and select pilot projects in communities that can be recommended as models to be used elsewhere?
I welcome Annie Wells’s support for that element of our strategy and, indeed, her support last week for the strategy as a whole. Our consultation includes organisations giving us their views on those matters. We will return to Parliament with our final strategy and provide detail on our proposition on how to progress some of those issues.
The minister will be aware that the Government’s budget proposes cuts that will affect the third sector’s ability to help communities to be more sustainable and tackle loneliness. Surely a real-terms cut of £400,000 to central third sector funding, the £4.4 million cuts to regeneration programmes and more cuts to local government undermine the good intention of the loneliness strategy, which we all support.
I always find it sad when colleagues in the chamber refuse to hear what ministers say or to read documents that are there for them to read. I repeat: we have protected the third sector budget and the equalities budget is up.
As I said in last week’s debate, it ill behoves my colleagues across the chamber to misrepresent not only what the Government has in the draft budget but what our colleagues in the Scottish Parliament information centre have confirmed is in it. I am sure that if Labour members have their proposals for the budget ready, my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution will be more than happy to discuss any constructive proposals they may have.
Erasmus+ Scheme
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the Erasmus+ scheme on the third sector, the further education sector and youth work in Scotland. (S5O-01698)
Erasmus+ receives on-going evaluations that are undertaken by the projects. A full impact assessment report is not due until 2020. However, feedback from stakeholders and projects illustrates the difference that the initiatives are making. The Erasmus+ programme has played a significant role in broadening Scottish young people’s educational experience, developing their cultural awareness and increasing their employment prospects. Since 2014, more than 15,000 people have been involved in nearly 500 Erasmus+ projects across Scotland. The flow of people to and from Scotland supports the development of the skills, experience and global outlook that are necessary for Scotland’s society and economy to thrive.
Two weeks ago, the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee heard at first hand about the benefits of Erasmus+ not only to university students but to young volunteers, apprentices and further education students. Will the minister join me in backing the keep Erasmus+ campaign, which is led by YouthLink Scotland, Leonard Cheshire Disability Scotland and other organisations, and call on the United Kingdom Government to ensure that Brexit does not destroy that vital scheme?
The Scottish Government is absolutely clear on the value of Erasmus+ and the risks that Brexit poses to it so, yes—I heartily support the campaign that Joan McAlpine mentioned. As I said in my original answer, the programme has played a significant role in broadening educational experience, developing cultural awareness and increasing employment prospects. As Ms McAlpine correctly points out, that applies not only to university students. In fact, often the young people who are the furthest away from higher education benefit the most, as they have been able to take part in international exchanges that they might not otherwise have been able to take part in. Brexit and the loss of membership of the single market and of freedom of movement threaten all that. The Government will do all that it can to ensure that it protects Scotland’s young people from the worst effects of the hard Brexit that the UK Government continues to pursue.
Holocaust Educational Trust
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving to the Holocaust Educational Trust. (S5O-01699)
We must never forget the Holocaust and the people who continue to suffer because of genocide and intolerance, racism and bigotry.
Since 2009, the Scottish Government has provided the Holocaust Education Trust with funding for the lessons from Auschwitz project. The funding began in 2009 with £214,000 per year and has since risen to £296,000 per year in 2017-18. That is a total of £2.25 million over the period. That illustrates the Government’s commitment to providing opportunities for Scotland’s young people to develop as responsible citizens, which is a key element of our curriculum. To date, the project has reached more than 68 per cent of Scotland’s schools, with 3,200 Scottish students having participated in it along with more than 500 teachers.
The Holocaust Educational Trust plays a leading role in promoting Holocaust memorial day, which is on Saturday and on which Bill Kidd has a question in First Minister’s questions in a few moments. Holocaust memorial day falls on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, which the Deputy First Minister visited with Scottish schoolchildren recently.
It was my honour to open our Parliament’s annual Holocaust memorial day debate earlier this month, which this year focused on the theme of the power of words. Will the Scottish Government stand with me and with every member of this Parliament who spoke in that debate in pledging to remember the unique horror of the Holocaust and thanking the Holocaust Educational Trust for its invaluable work in ensuring that we will never forget? [Applause.]
I agree unreservedly with the remarks that Mr Tomkins made in his question. The events of the Holocaust must be forgotten by nobody, and as we look at the troubled and uncertain world in which we live today, there is even more requirement for people to be reminded of the horror of the Holocaust.
As Mr Tomkins said, I accompanied Scottish school pupils to Auschwitz-Birkenau in November. Despite my having extensively studied that period of modern history, nothing prepared me for what I witnessed. The experience for our young people, of whom I was enormously proud—they were much younger than me but were able to handle with great dignity, care and understanding the events of that trip—indicated to me that the investment that we make in the work of the Holocaust Educational Trust is vital to ensuring that we sustain among our young people that understanding and their appreciation of those terrible events.
The First Minister represented the Government at a Holocaust memorial day event last night in the city of Glasgow, which was run by our schools and was another fine tribute to the excellence that exists within Scottish education, and to the deep understanding of the significance and horror of the events that Mr Tomkins raises in Parliament today.
Before we turn to First Minister’s questions, I welcome to the gallery Dr Meher Taj Roghani, the deputy speaker of the Pakistan Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. [Applause.]