Contents
- Scottish Parliament Wednesday 10 February 2010
- Time for Reflection
- Question Time
- Ure Elder Fund Transfer and Dissolution Bill: Preliminary Stage
- Control of Dogs (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
- Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2010
- Business Motions
- Parliamentary Bureau Motions
- Decision Time
- The Bike Station
Question Time
Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
Chamber Tickets
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what consultation was undertaken with MSPs and their staff prior to the decision to introduce changes to the chamber ticketing procedures. (S3O-9559)
The SPCB regularly reviews the system to enable members of the public to watch business in the Parliament. That falls within its statutory remit. The SPCB did not formally consult members on changes to the current ticketing system.
Ticketing to watch proceedings in the chamber has proved to be very popular with the public, especially the 11.40 am to 12.30 pm slot on Thursdays, which includes First Minister's question time. Demand for tickets for that frequently outstrips supply. The SPCB's decision to introduce adjustments was taken following feedback from members on the difficulty of getting tickets for constituents. By changing the maximum number of tickets that an individual member can book in advance and shortening the booking period, the SPCB aims to enable a wider cross-section of constituents from throughout Scotland to get access to the chamber.
Is the SPCB aware that the reduction in the block ticket allocation will exclude schoolchildren from my constituency? We have always needed to take the full allocation of 25 tickets and to split the group into two. Will the SPCB agree to consult fully on all the implications before implementing such radical changes to a service for members in the future?
The SPCB will always listen to members and take on board their feedback when they raise issues. I recognise the problems with groups of 25 to 30, in particular, which Elaine Smith has raised. However, it is up to individual members to make arrangements with their constituents and guests in line with the ticketing arrangements that are set out by the SPCB.
The system that is operated is designed to ensure that the maximum number of tickets are used, including those that are returned at the last minute. For example, visitor services staff contact members' offices before each plenary day to inquire whether reserved tickets are still required. If they are not, they are put back into the system for reallocation to other members' guests. There is also a ticket collection cut-off time to ensure that pre-booked tickets are not wasted. That arrangement is also in place to help members. The advance booking period has been changed from 13 weeks to eight weeks and dates are publicised to members. That means that tickets are released on a shorter cycle, which will reduce the booking times.
We understand that there are pressures on members, particularly when they want to bring large groups of people to the Parliament, but there are 129 members and a limited number of tickets. The SPCB is trying hard to ensure that the maximum number of people from throughout Scotland get the opportunity to come into the Parliament. The vast majority of tickets that are given out, particularly for the 11.40 am to 12.30 pm slot on Thursdays, are for members themselves.
Although I understand the particular problem that Elaine Smith highlights, I say to her that the changes were made in response to a number of members approaching the corporate body to say that they simply could not get any tickets for month after month. We will always look at the system, but I believe that it essentially works well. We have tweaked the system around the edges, but if any member, including Elaine Smith, has concerns about it, they should feel free to approach the corporate body and we will look at it again.
10:10 Campaign
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will sign up to the 10:10 campaign to cut carbon emissions by 10 per cent in 2010. (S3O-9561)
The SPCB has signed up to the 10:10 campaign to demonstrate its commitment to reducing our carbon emissions. By March 2010, we will have reduced our carbon footprint by just under 10 per cent from a 2005-06 baseline. We are developing a five-year carbon management plan with a target to reduce emissions by at least 20 per cent by 2015.
It is comforting to know that we have every chance of meeting the deadline by March, although the baseline has been set rather far back. Does the SPCB recognise how important it is to involve parliamentary staff and members if we are to meet the deadline? Perhaps we should see by how much we can exceed it. There are several ways in which to involve members. One is—
I do not want to hear several ways, Mr Harper. You are asking a question.
I am sorry. Does the SPCB acknowledge that it will be important to involve staff and MSPs in taking the commitment forward and that it will affect lift use and so on?
The corporate body fully acknowledges that it will require the assistance of everyone, staff and members alike, to ensure that the building is run more efficiently. We see opportunities to reduce energy consumption through more efficient use of resources including, for example, the use of less hot water and efficiencies that will take place in information technology, heating systems and lighting systems in the Parliament. We will take an inclusive approach and we will require everybody to work together to achieve the objectives.
Publicity
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much was spent on publicity in each of the last two years. (S3O-9560)
One of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body's key priorities is to promote public engagement in the Scottish Parliament's work. A wide range of activities is carried out across a number of offices to make sure that the Parliament's work is transparent and visible to the public; to increase awareness and understanding of its role; and to build confidence that it is easy to engage with members and the Parliament as an institution. Those activities include publications, the website and the televising of parliamentary business. There is no central publicity function.
There are two main ways in which the Parliament proactively pushes out—through the print, broadcast and internet news media and advertising—information to the public about current business and engagement activities. First, the media relations office is responsible for promoting the work of the Parliament to news and photographic media. The total annual cost of that function was £596,000 in 2008-09 and £577,000 in 2007-08.
Secondly, the Parliament currently uses the Scottish Government marketing services framework to advertise public engagement activities. In 2008-09, the Parliament spent £166,000 on advertising its engagement activities and part of its tenth anniversary, and in 2007-08 it spent £54,000.
I want to get to the root of the figures that Tricia Marwick has given, because there is some confusion about what is being spent on publicity in the Parliament. It would be useful if the SPCB could pull all that together.
According to the figures that we have received today, there seems to have been a decrease of roughly £19,000 between 2008 and 2009. Is that trend likely to continue or is the Parliament likely to spend more money on publicity?
Like every other public body, the SPCB will be looking very carefully at its budgets over the next few years. We will certainly scrutinise every avenue of parliamentary services, including the publicity and press budget.
One of the ways in which MSPs publicise what they do is through their work with their constituents, which obviously involves communicating with them. We know that budgets are tight but, in this first year of capped budgets for postage and stationery, will the SPCB—in setting next financial year's budget—take into account the fact that, in April, first-class postage will increase by about 7 per cent and second-class postage by 11 per cent?
The Parliament will always look at members' representations about any of the allowances. As Kenneth Gibson knows, the budget is capped and the SPCB will, of course, consider whether allowances need to be uprated in the coming financial year. I invite him to make the representations that he has made this afternoon directly to the SPCB. I am sure that when the allowances are set we will look at what he has said.
Blood Donation
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether parliament staff are offered the opportunity to donate blood at private or organised group sessions and whether staff continue to be paid while taking time to donate blood. (S3O-9556)
Parliament staff are given the opportunity to donate blood during working hours when the mobile blood transfusion unit visits Holyrood park. We will have to get the exact figures from the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, but we think that about 30 people take advantage of that service. I have further information on the issue that I will not read out at the moment, but I am happy to pass it on to the member.
Given that most donor sessions tend to take place on Monday when MSPs and their staff are out of the Parliament, what steps is the SPCB taking to encourage those people to give blood? Is it, as I asked in my initial question, making the facility available at no cost to staff?
Yes—the facility is available at no cost to staff: they get time off to go and give blood. To be honest, never having given blood here, I was not aware that it is done only on a Monday. We could perhaps look at that because most MSPs and their staff are not here on a Monday, and I am sure that a lot of them would want to donate blood. I would like to encourage more people to donate blood when the SNBTS is here. I will take that up with the necessary official and find out whether we can get the SNBTS to come on a Wednesday or Thursday at some point in the future.
Access Audit
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what progress has been made regarding the access audit that it agreed to carry out of the area between the main hall and the garden lobby. (S3O-9558)
Marlyn Glen will be aware that I was at committee when her colleague Elaine Smith raised the issue. We took that seriously, and an access audit has been commissioned to assess the adequacy of the route between the main hall and the garden lobby. The audit will also identify any options for improving the access and a draft report, to include such budget costs as might be, will be available on or around 31 March for consideration by the SPCB.
It is important that access is improved, particularly for wheelchair users on sitting days. I thank the member for giving a definite date for the report.
Will there be an opportunity for comment to be made on the findings?
Yes. There will be once we get the report. I did say that we would get it on or around 31 March—not actually on that date. We hope to get it by then. The SPCB will obviously consider it, and I am sure that we will be more than happy to make the findings public, if anyone is interested. However, at the end of the day, the SPCB will have to make the decision and, as I am sure the member is aware, it will depend on exactly how much it costs: budgets are extremely constrained at present.
Videoconferencing
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what progress has been made in upgrading the Parliament's videoconferencing facilities. (S3O-9557)
A project to replace the current videoconferencing facilities within the Parliament with more modern, high definition equipment has been defined and financial resources for this project will be requested in the financial year 2010-11. The project will proceed if the resources become available.
What progress has been made in assessing the benefits to members and the public of the new generation of videoconferencing systems, which are known as telepresence systems? Does Mr Johnstone share my view that it is important that Parliament should join the new revolution in communications technology?
The corporate body is aware of the benefits offered by that type of technology, and encourages wider use of it where appropriate. We have no current plans to implement telepresence facilities because the current facilities meet requirements. However, to ensure that we can, if required, purchase such facilities in the future, Parliament officials are participating with the Scottish Government to let a contract.
I apologise to the member whom I did not call earlier. I thought that we were going to be struggling for time, but these things are notoriously difficult to predict. In fact, we have some time in hand. I therefore suspend the meeting until 14:20.
Meeting suspended.
On resuming—