Duncan McNeil: I thank the cabinet secretary for his answers so far. He has covered the incident in a lot of detail. I ask the cabinet secretary not to underestimate the scale of the incident, although I am sure that he does not. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde books 20,000 appointments a week, and a large number of people have missed appointments, although many others have not. In the interest of not wasting...
Duncan McNeil: 5. To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice last met the chief executive of the Scottish Court Service and what was discussed. (S4O-02406)
Duncan McNeil: In the past three financial years, offenders in Scotland have received a staggering 450,000 warning letters for defaulting on their fines. On top of that, 200,000 court citations and 90,000 arrest warrants were issued for non-payment between 2009 and 2012 and, in my constituency, three offenders have amassed nearly 100 unpaid fines among them. Does the cabinet secretary accept that those...
Duncan McNeil: Will the minister take an intervention?
Duncan McNeil: 5. To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing last met the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and what was discussed. (S4O-02376)
Duncan McNeil: As the cabinet secretary will be aware, in August 2011 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde published its property asset management strategy, which showed a maintenance backlog bill in Port Glasgow health centre of £240,000, one in Gourock health centre of £20,000 and a staggering bill in Greenock health centre of £900,000, which surely puts it beyond repair. What can the cabinet secretary do to...
Duncan McNeil: Oh!
Duncan McNeil: The creative industries are, indeed, an opportunity for Scotland and Inverclyde. We have made some real progress there. Will the minister clarify that the new Scottish film studio that the Government and its agencies are considering will not focus simply on Glasgow? Will Inverclyde have an opportunity to bid for the location of that studio?
Duncan McNeil: It has been a long day and I thank all the members who have been able to stay behind and, of course, all those who signed the motion. In 1973, the Scottish committee of Action on Smoking and Health, as it was originally known, was established by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. It operated from a small backroom in the RCPE buildings with just two part-time staff—its medical...
Duncan McNeil: After the visit, I freely accept that, far from being sceptical, I became optimistic about what could be achieved. I was, if members like, converted on the road back from Dublin. My efforts to get on board were not always welcome. My amendment to the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill to change the minimum legal age for buying tobacco to 18 did not get off to the best start. ASH...
Duncan McNeil: I, too, express my thanks and appreciation for all those who allowed us to do our job in support of the Justice Committee in considering the bill, with a particular focus on the national confidential forum. It must be said that the process was not without challenges, because people did not see the split in responsibilities. It is worth noting that the justice aspects of the forum posed some...
Duncan McNeil: Whether we call it a person-centred approach or the right thing to do, or say that it is not before time, action is necessary. We support the bill at stage 1.
Duncan McNeil: The cabinet secretary has said that he is not aware of the use of zero-hours contracts in public procurement, but he cannot say that about the awarding of grants to companies that use zero-hours contracts, can he?
Duncan McNeil: The committee has produced a very interesting report and should be commended for it. It challenges the Parliament to come together and look at the changing nature of employment and work, how people can be gainfully employed and how they can derive from that not just economic benefit but the social interaction that we all—certainly people of my age—grew up with. It was good to have an...
Duncan McNeil: There have been massive shifts, with deindustrialisation over the piece that the Government has supported, but I would never sneer at or criticise somebody who goes out and works for the minimum wage, because that is not my choice to make. People go out there and accept such situations and conditions, despite having a trade union or other people to represent them, because they need to support...
Duncan McNeil: I say to Mike MacKenzie that we cannot absolve ourselves. This is happening right under our noses. It is not just in the private sector that people are being exploited. We in the Parliament are creating conditions that enable the subcontracting of caring responsibilities by our local authorities for cheaper rates of pay. We have people cleaning ministerial offices who do not get the living...
Duncan McNeil: I would need to be convinced that, under this or any future Government, such powers would be used on behalf of the workers. I do not know whether there is any evidence—I have not seen any—that that would be the case because, right under our noses, we see women workers being contracted out of local authorities and being asked to work with poorer conditions and fewer holidays. That is...
Duncan McNeil: 2. To ask the Scottish Government when the Cabinet Secretary for Justice last met the chief executive of the Scottish Court Service and what issues were discussed. (S4O-02096)
Duncan McNeil: Did the cabinet secretary discuss the recent progress in enabling SCS to access information held by the Department for Work and Pensions and other Whitehall departments in order to pursue Scotland’s 150,000 defaulters on fines? Does he agree that, in order to make real progress, we need to increase the number of dedicated fines enforcement officers to pursue the nearly 6,000 people who need...
Duncan McNeil: A lot has been said about the change in demographics, which it is noticeable was referred to by all my colleagues on the Health and Sport Committee as well as by others. One of our greatest challenges—whether that be under the current budget or under an increased budget to meet increased demand—will be how we manage that change. What is surprising, though, is that we did not discover that...
