Plenary, 06 Dec 2007

Meeting date: Thursday, December 6, 2007

Official Report 701KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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General Questions

We move to the comparative serenity of general question time.

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Schools (Funding)

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated for schools in the recent spending review statement. (S3O-1542)

Details are given in chapters 22 and 27 of the "Scottish Budget Spending Review 2007". Direct investment by the Government in schools policy will be £409 million in total from 2008-09 to 2010-11. Most public sector expenditure on school education is channelled through local authorities. As such, it is important to recognise our partnership with local government and the increased resources and flexibility that it has been given to enhance education in schools throughout Scotland.

Given the recent announcement about the Glasgow Commonwealth games, what additional resources will be made available to Glasgow City Council in particular to improve the level and range of sports activity in schools? Given that children from poorer economic backgrounds are 65 per cent more likely to develop obesity, and given the commitment, which all members share, to the success of the Commonwealth games, does the minister concur with her colleague, Fiona Hyslop, who said in January 2006:

"there must be significantly more investment in physical education in our schools"?

Does the minister support Glasgow City Council in making every school in the city a school of sport? Will she provide it with the tools to do the job and the resources that it needs?

In taking forward the concordat with local government, the Scottish Government will engage with every local authority on single-outcome agreements. I have no doubt that the issue will arise when we discuss the matter with Glasgow City Council.

What plans does the Scottish Government have within its share of the education budget to improve pupils' reading, writing and arithmetic skills?

The member will be aware of the good work that is being done by all local authorities to increase attainment in literacy and numeracy. That is a matter of continued discussion with local authorities.

On 13 September, the Minister for Schools and Skills told Robert Brown that education ministers had made a funding bid to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth to implement in full the promise to reduce class sizes in primary 1 to primary 3 to a maximum of 18. Will she place in the Scottish Parliament information centre a copy of that request and a statement of how much she got?

The member fails to recognise how matters have moved on since September. We now have the historic concordat with local government and ring fencing has been removed from many areas. Local authorities can decide how best to spend the money in their areas.

When can we expect an announcement on the Scottish futures trust? In particular, is the Government committed to continuing Labour's school building programme? Will the Government match that programme brick for brick, as the minister promised during the election campaign?

Significant extra funding has been placed with local authorities. An increase of £40 million has already been allocated this year for school capital programmes. There is £115 million of extra capital in the first year for local government, which can be invested in schools. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth will make an announcement on the work of the Scottish futures trust when the information is available.

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Armed Services Veterans

To ask the Scottish Government what proposals it has to review and improve services to armed services veterans. (S3O-1497)

We are committed to supporting veterans in Scotland and are working in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and the veterans community to identify their needs and to ensure that mainstream services are sensitive to those needs or, when appropriate, that specialist services are available. On Monday, I met Derek Twigg, the Minister for Veterans in the Ministry of Defence, to discuss how we might work more closely together to ensure that veterans can access the services they need, when and where they need them.

The minister will be aware of the continuing and, indeed, increasing problem of homelessness among ex-service personnel. Recent evidence suggests that between 6 and 8 per cent of all those who are homeless are drawn from the ex-services community. He will also be aware from his work with the housing supply task force that a major problem for organisations, including charitable organisations, that seek to provide housing for ex-service personnel is land supply and the affordability of land. I heard about that first hand from representatives of Whitefoord House, which is directly across the road from the Parliament, this week.

Given the Ministry of Defence's substantial landholdings in Scotland and the huge number of disposals that have already taken place, will the minister undertake to write to the Secretary of State for Defence to request that any future land disposals by that department should include provision for charitable organisations seeking to provide accommodation for ex-service personnel, whether that is by the direct transfer of such land at no cost or by legal obligations on successful bidders or developers to provide a proportion of the land sold for those purposes?

We are aware of the small but significant number of veterans who leave the armed forces and, unfortunately, end up homeless. People who are vulnerable as a result of having been a member of the armed forces are afforded priority under Scottish homelessness legislation, and they are entitled in the main to permanent accommodation if they are homeless.

MOD officials have advised that there is no priority for veterans and/or veterans organisations in obtaining surplus MOD land, but I am happy to write to the MOD to seek clarification of its position on its surplus land. Surplus land, whether it is from the MOD or anywhere else in the public sector, should be closely examined. That is what the housing supply task force will be doing in the next few months, with the intention of bringing as much of it into use as possible so that we can increase the number of houses available for all our citizens, including veterans.

I recently asked the minister about representations to the MOD and NHS Scotland on the recruitment of medical specialists and ancillary staff with the most appropriate medical skills to treat service personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The answer was that the Government had made no representations or had any dealings with the MOD and the national health service on that matter.

Will the minister seriously consider talking at least to the NHS in Scotland about the essential specialist services that are needed to treat the personnel who are returning with specific medical needs and wounds from peacekeeping missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere?

As I made clear, we are keen to work with the MOD, NHS Scotland and other partners to improve access to structured care and support that reflects the priority of need among veterans. It is only reasonable, right and proper that those specialist services are part of the overall NHS supply to people in general, although there are clearly particular difficulties for those who are returning wounded from overseas.

Specialist services are available in some parts of England—that information came up in conversation with Derek Twigg this week. I am happy to look at the situation again and to speak with the MOD in England to see whether those services can be rolled out in Scotland. Clearly—and unfortunately—this is a reserved matter for the United Kingdom Government, but I will make representations to ensure that there is equal access to such services for Scottish veterans, whether they are here or elsewhere.

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Broadband Connections

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making towards the provision of broadband connections to homes and businesses currently out of reach of broadband. (S3O-1566)

We are making considerable progress after announcing a new open procurement exercise that aims to bring broadband to all the homes and businesses that notify us of access problems. The procurement, worth up to £3.5 million, has proceeded as quickly as possible, and we have just shortlisted potential suppliers. They have now been asked to submit their proposals for solutions.

We have also launched a press and radio marketing campaign to increase awareness of our procurement and to encourage everyone with access problems to register for inclusion in our project.

Is the minister aware of the recent development, involving Faroese Telecom, of the laying of a fibre optic cable connecting Faroe, Iceland, Shetland and the Scottish mainland? Does he agree that that project has the potential greatly to improve broadband connections in those island areas, and will he undertake to speak to British Telecommunications about the roll-out of its 21st century programme, which, as he knows, businesses and homes in the islands will not benefit from until 2011? Will he undertake to see what can be done to improve and increase the speed of that roll-out?

I welcome the Faroese opportunity and the first fibre link to the northern isles. We have liaised closely with Faroese Telecom and local parties, and we are encouraging others to consider how the opportunities can be best explored. We understand that BT has signed a deal to lease cable capacity, but I can confirm that we are in conversation with BT on the 21st century networks and accelerating the roll-out across Scotland.

Does the minister agree that it is unacceptable that my constituents in Arran have had to wait more than a month to have a major broadband fault not even repaired, but surveyed? What discussions will the minister instigate to ensure that that state of affairs is not repeated?

I share the member's consternation, but repair times of broadband connections are a matter for consumers' internet service providers in conjunction with BT. The responses to such disruptions are required to be handled by them. If the repairs are not being properly addressed by the ISP, consumers may complain to Otelo—the Office of the Telecommunications Ombudsman—and to the Office of Communications, the regulator.

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Edinburgh South Suburban Railway

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will welcome and endorse petition PE1080 by the Capital Rail Action Group, calling for the Edinburgh south suburban railway to be reopened as an effective and environmentally friendly way of easing congestion problems in the Edinburgh South constituency and the city as a whole. (S3O-1564)

The City of Edinburgh Council is refreshing its business case for the scheme and carrying out an appraisal under Scottish transport appraisal guidance of all potential solutions to the transport problem. I welcome that approach and will consider the report through the strategic transport projects review.

Given the considerable public transport investment in other parts of the city and that more than £8 million of funding for the project has already been secured by E-Rail—more than 45 per cent of the total costs—can the minister offer my constituents an equally environmentally friendly and cost-effective plan to ease south Edinburgh's congestion problems?

The member will know that the reworking through the STAG process is in part to address the relatively poor return on investment that has so far been identified. He will also be aware of the work that is successfully being concluded at Waverley station to upgrade its capacity from 24 to 28 trains per hour, but that the four additional trains per hour are already committed for other purposes. We have to work out whether there is capacity, in particular in the corridor between Waverley and Haymarket, but I remain on board to look at what the council brings forward.

I welcome the minister's commitment at least to consider the project in the context of the strategic transport projects review. What he said about capacity constraints actually makes the case for the project being included in the review. Many of us believe that a further upgrade at Waverley station is essential. Will he commit to consider that in the context not just of a south suburban railway but of improving rail services across south-east Scotland generally? Will he consider that as an urgent priority? It is something that Scottish National Party candidates talked about during the election campaign and that we in the Labour Party have been committed to for some time.

I am sure that the member will recognise the commitment and enthusiasm for railway travel that I share with her—I have made some 30 railway journeys in the past two months on my own account; I am an enthusiastic rail user—but substantial problems remain in trying to increase capacity at Waverley. I am open to looking at how capacity could be increased, but the fundamental constraints between Waverley and Haymarket are likely to be a considerable barrier to forming a complete loop. However, there may be other options for delivering benefits to Edinburgh.

Too many conversations are taking place around the chamber.

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Railways (Glasgow-Shotts-Edinburgh Line)

To ask the Scottish Executive what the fastest possible end-to-end journey time was on the Glasgow to Edinburgh via Shotts rail line during the Executive's recent examination of the case for electrification of the line. (S3O-1532)

The plans for faster diesel services would reduce the journey time to around 67 minutes. That includes time for some intermediate stops. Electrification would reduce the time by a few minutes more, subject to detailed timetable planning.

Will the minister ask Transport Scotland to investigate whether further improvement to the electrification option could come from combining that work with the re-laying of the track and the resignalling of the line?

The member makes some reasonable points. Some 22 miles of the line remain unelectrified. At the moment, the service that leaves Glasgow Central at 6 in the morning takes 55 minutes. As we introduce new diesel-based rolling stock, we will see improvements.

Electrification of the whole line would create the opportunity for further improvements. We have not yet considered the re-laying of the line, but I would be happy to engage with my officials to examine what scope there might be for that in the middle of the next decade, after the control period for which we have recently put in the higher-level output specification. That could play an important role in improving communications in central Scotland and in addressing the climate change agenda. It would therefore deliver significant benefits.

The minister will be aware of the proposed price rises for rail travel, which will result in the price of a journey between Glasgow and Edinburgh rising to £17. That link is vital to the economy of both cities and of Scotland as a whole. Does the minister share the public's concerns about the price rises? Will he meet me to discuss those concerns?

I am afraid that that question was not relevant to the question that was lodged.

Does the minister agree with my constituents that, irrespective of whether the line is electrified or whether improvements are made to the diesel service, the line must be improved to speed up the service?

The rail link between our two major cities must be improved to provide a high-speed service. If the economies of North Lanarkshire and West Lothian are to improve, and if residents are to benefit, transport links for those areas must also improve. Does the minister agree that, when the line is improved, there will have to be limited stops in Shotts and Livingston?

The member will be aware of the four lines that connect the west with the east and of the very substantial investments that this Government has committed to in order to improve journey times. We will look for improved rolling stock for the line, and we hope that it will be delivered in 2009.

As I said to Mr Gordon, I am of course prepared to engage with my officials and consider what benefits may derive from the re-laying of track on the line. Should Ms White wish to pursue the matter that she raised, I would of course be happy to meet her to discuss any matters of interest.

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Universities (Funding)

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next meet representatives of universities to discuss funding. (S3O-1531)

I will meet Universities Scotland for the first meeting of the joint future thinking taskforce on 20 December 2007.

Following her meeting with university principals last month, the cabinet secretary said that the Cabinet was sympathetic to universities' needs and that extra funding might be available to them at the end of this financial year. How much will the universities now receive, and when? Will the cabinet secretary name all the other, numerous, organisations that the SNP Government has promised to give extra funding to from the very same source?

The joint statement issued by the Scottish Government and Universities Scotland indicated that Universities Scotland was committed to providing more detailed information to the Scottish Government on the issue. I expect to see that on 20 December. I do not recall the member complaining about the previous Administration's similar settlement, as a share of national spend. This Government is providing a slightly higher share of national spend for our universities.