Category Archives: Parliamentary Questions

Claire calls for consumers’ interests to be put first with new food standards committee

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In Parliament yesterday I questioned the Minister for Public Health, Michael Matheson, on Scotland’s new food safety body.

This Ministerial Statement was on the back of the current horse scandal – which I have talked about previously http://www.clairebaker.org/?p=361 – and an announcement in June of last year that a new food body would be created in Scotland.

The Scudamore report which recommended a new food standards agency reported in April 2012 and the Minister announced he would take this forward in June of that same year so it is unfortunate that it has taken a scandal to force our Government into action.

The horse meat scandal has also brought to light that the FSA in Scotland underspent its budget by 10% and that meat inspectors have halved since 2008 raising questions on just how robust our food regulatory system currently is.

A video of the statement can be found below along with a copy of my question to the Minister and his reply.

Taken from the Scottish Parliament Official Report.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): As the minister will know, the number of meat inspectors has halved since 2008. While that is partly due to a reduction in the number of premises requiring inspection, there has been a move towards lighter-touch regulation, with a reduction in the number and frequency of inspections.

Only today, we hear news of banned mechanically separated meat being used in the UK to count towards meat content. Will the minister respond to Unison Scotland’s warning against the introduction of a new body that promotes lighter-touch regulation? Will he give an assurance, particularly given what we now know about the food chain, that the new system, with a robust regulatory framework that puts consumers’ interests first, will prevent future scandals of this nature?

Michael Matheson: I hope that the member has been reassured by my statement that the primary focus and overall objective of the new food safety body in Scotland will be consumer protection.

The member asked about the number of meat inspectors. Meat inspectors are provided at a UK level and operate throughout UK, rather than specifically through the Food Standards Agency in Scotland. Their numbers have changed for a variety of reasons. For example, the number of abattoirs has reduced. In addition, during incidents such as the BSE and foot-and-mouth outbreaks, inspectors were put into premises but, once the restrictions that followed those incidents were reduced or removed, the number of inspectors that had to be present in those premises also reduced.

The new food body in Scotland and the review group that I have set up give us the opportunity to look at what we have at the moment. Are there ways in which we could do things better? Do we need to look at how we can improve the inspection and regulatory regimes to get them fit for purpose in a way that best suits Scotland’s needs?

There is no intention of having a lighter touch with existing regulation, but we need to make sure that we have a proportionate, intelligence-based system that uses the best science and evidence to support its work.

Fife home owners getting a bad deal from the Scottish Government

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Statistics released to me in answers to parliamentary questions that I laid down show that Fife is suffering above average cuts to the Home Owners Support Fund. The Scottish Government must do more to support home owners in the Kingdom.

During 20011-12 the Fife Council Area has suffered cuts of 56% in the total amount paid out to those under threat of losing their home compared to a national average cut of only 28%, this is despite a 9% increase in applications in Fife.

Therefore, whilst the number of applications is increasing, there has been a reduction in the amount of people receiving support from 55% in 2010/11 to only 22% of those who applied in 2011/12. Further cuts to the Home Owners Support Fund are due in 2012-2013.

With the ever increasing cost of living and the pressures households are feeling across the Kingdom many people are finding themselves one pay check away from being unable to pay their mortgage.

I meet recently with the Fife Citizen Advice Bureau in parliament and they highlighted that the struggle to make mortgage payments is one of the biggest issues facing households across the Kingdom.

It is vital that during these harsh economic times the people of Fife are giving all the help and support that they need to ensure they are able to stay in their own home.

I am disappointed that these figures highlight the bad deal that Fife seems to be getting from the Scottish Government and I will be raising this issue at the earliest opportunity in Parliament.

The Home Owners Support Fund should be there to help people that are on the verge of losing their homes but these continuing Scottish Government cuts, disproportionately falling on Fife are resulting in a drop in successful applications and could potential force people out into the streets.

The Home Owners Support Fund aims to help those in danger of having their home repossessed to continue to stay in their homes through a mortgage to rent and mortgage to shared equity scheme.

The mortgage to rent scheme will see a successful applicant’s home being bought by the council or housing association, however they will continue to live there as a tenant. With the mortgage to shared equity scheme the Scottish Government takes a financial stake in the applicant’s home, however ownership will still remain with the applicant.

Cost concerns over court changes

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Last week in Parliament I raised my concerns over the proposed changes to Scottish courts to the Justice Secretary during General Questions. These changes include closing Cupar Sheriff Court with business moving to Dundee, and the reorganisation of Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court with jury trials moving to Dunfermline.

I have concerns that the Scottish Court Service has not published a robust cost benefit analysis for the proposed changes that could lead to the closures and reorganisation not realising significant savings whilst at the same time significantly reducing access to local justice.

There seems to be growing evidence that what has been proposed in Fife will not only fail to result in significant savings but may actually lead to an increase in costs.

I asked the Cabinet Secretary Kenny MacAskill if he shared my concerns that the Court Services has failed to recognise the potential for increased costs as a result of their proposals. I was disappointed in his response indicating that he does not.

The Scottish Court Service has failed to publish a robust cost benefit analysis. They claim this is a money saving exercise yet it is increasingly clear that increased travel costs, along with the reduction in access to local justice, means the proposals for Fife are seriously flawed and short-sighted.

The consultation had no indication of the extra costs that will be incurred by the proposed changes and decisions of this magnitude should not be made blindly. It is vital that the Scottish Government is open and honest with the people of Fife.

The consultation, which closed just before Christmas, is on the back of the Scottish Government’s draft budget which will see the Scottish Court Service’s budget cut by £10.9 million over the next two years.

I have submitted a response highlighting my opposition to the closure of Cupar Sheriff Court, the removal of jury trials from Kirkcaldy and the amalgamation of Kirkcaldy Justice of the Peace into Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court.

Claire calls for action over Proxy Purchasing

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Last week in the Scottish Parliament I lodged a question for General Questions on Proxy Purchasing, which is the purchasing of alcohol by someone over the age of 18 on behalf of someone underage.

I asked the question after meeting with local organisation Clued Up in my office in Kirkcaldy, who highlighted their concerns that proxy purchasing is still a problem in Fife.

I asked the Justice Secretary how many convictions there had been in Fife since 2009 for proxy purchasing with Kenny MacAskill answering that there had been 22 in total in the Fife Police Area out of a total of 301 across Scotland.

I have concerns  that the conviction rate seen across Fife does not reflect the true extent of the problem and proxy purchasing remains a major factor in underage drinking.

Bottle marking has been piloted in Fife and is now being tried in Dundee and I would ask the Cabinet Secretary to look again at including that as part of a package to combat the problem.

I have been highlighting the concerns around proxy purchasing since I was first elected and the Scottish Government must accept that it is a problem and a challenge for all parties to address.

Claire questions Ministers about Biomass and Air Quality

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This week in Parliament Claire questioned Fergus Ewing and Paul Wheelhouse about biomass and air quality in Scotland. A full transcript of the questions and answers can be found below.

 

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): I acknowledge that the subsidy has been removed from electricity-only stations. Is the minister aware, however, of concerns that the proposal to define good-quality CHP plants across the United Kingdom as those having a 35 per cent efficiency level, which is considerably lower than the European Union directive, which states a level of at least 70 per cent for industrial applications, will create a loophole for inefficient biomass generation, and does he agree that we should be seeking to increase the level of efficiency at which subsidies can be claimed?
Fergus Ewing: The member makes a reasonable point. The consultation proposals—I stress that it is a consultation, so, by definition, we have not prejudged any outcome—suggest a different approach from that which I believe is being proposed down south. We have proposed that a 10MW threshold should apply to the use of biomass to produce only electricity and that, above that threshold, the biomass plants should be capable of providing electricity and heat.
In reaching that view, which we have put forward for consultation, we have taken account in particular of the views of all members of this chamber who have put them to me, including Mr Biagi, and those of the traditional timber sawmilling sector, which has pointed out that timber is a finite resource, that it has a call on it, which we recognise, and that the sector provides a great deal of employment in many rural communities.

 

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): Given that the failure to meet the European Union air quality directive targets can result in fines, what consequences does the Scottish Government believe that it will face if we continue to miss the targets?
Paul Wheelhouse: I agree with Claire Baker that it is important that we meet our targets under the air quality directive. In partnership with Transport Scotland, SEPA, local authorities, the United Kingdom Government and others, the Scottish Government is working on a range of measures to ensure full compliance as soon as possible. Those measures are set out in detail in the UK’s application to the European Commission for a time extension to adapt to the targets.

Claire Baker questions Minister on missed Climate Change target

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The Minister for Environment and Climate Change Paul Wheelhouse has made a statement to Parliament explaining why the Scottish Government has failed to meet its first target for reducing carbon emissions.

Speaking after the statement, Claire Baker MSP, Shadow Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, said:

“Despite offering every excuse under the sun, including the lack of sun in Scotland, the reality is that the Scottish Government failed to meet the first Climate Change target due to their own actions.

“It is telling that whilst the Government accepted all the plaudits upon the passing of this Act there was not one single member of the Scottish Cabinet present during the statement.

“Confidence is being lost in this Government to meet future targets and Scotland is sadly on course to miss all but one annual emissions reduction target between 2010 and 2022. On Thursday voters from all over Scotland will arrive at Parliament to demand the Government makes the step change needed and it is paramount that the Government listens.”

Claire’s reply and question to the Minister can be found here

Paul Wheelhouse’s statement can be found here