Keith Raffan: In view of the very high unemployment in Clackmannanshire and the representations that were made in last week's debate—which, unfortunately, I was unable to attend because I was in hospital—will the minister press for Clackmannanshire to be included in the redrawing of the objective 2 status map, so that it becomes eligible for those European funds?
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that, as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review, Scottish expenditure on devolved matters will increase more slowly than expenditure on the equivalent matters in England and Wales over the next three years.
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the percentage increase, in cash and in real terms, by which Scottish expenditure in each devolved area will increase over the next three years and the comparable figures for equivalent matters in England and Wales.
Keith Raffan: The minister spoke about the overseas promotion that is being done in conjunction with the BTA, but the STB has the right to promote Scotland independently of the BTA. Will the minister talk about the budget for that? I ask because spending per head by overseas visitors to Scotland is much higher than spending per head by UK visitors.
Keith Raffan: I agree with Mr Gallie that drugs are an extremely serious problem in prisons. I recently visited Saughton prison and saw just how serious the problem there is. Does he agree that we must ensure that prisoners who have the guts to try to get off drugs in prison have counselling, full support and rehabilitation and that the various fellowships, such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics...
Keith Raffan: Does Ms Cunningham agree that it makes no sense to send drug addicts who are guilty of minor offences to prison, where drugs may be more easily available than they are on the street? It makes much more sense to send them to treatment centres—if the beds are available. It is a scandal that there are only 120 residential beds in Scotland at the moment. After treatment, users can return to the...
Keith Raffan: Rather than this neanderthal approach, which is so typical of the extreme right-wing attitude of his party now, and rather than making silly personal attacks that are not worthy of the chamber, will Mr Young explain the appalling record on home affairs and law and order of his party in government—which was not so much a Greek tragedy as a Feydeau farce—and then, eating humble pie, tell us...
Keith Raffan: I saw the light.
Keith Raffan: Duncan McNeil made a fair point. I was going to start by apologising to the chamber and the minister for not being here at the beginning of the debate. I apologise for that unintentional discourtesy. I was in the middle of preparing a speech for this afternoon's voluntary sector debate and I did not realise—until I saw and heard the minister on the monitor—that he was going to talk so...
Keith Raffan: At least I am honest about my dubious past. With the support of every party in the House of Commons, the act increased the maximum sentence for trafficking in class A drugs from 14 years to life. That was important. I played a lesser part in passing the Drug Trafficking Offences Act 1986, which deals with the law and order side of this matter. In policy and thinking, I hope that I have...
Keith Raffan: I want to finish making this point. We need new visitors facilities at Craiginches, because the current facilities make it difficult for the prison to keep drugs out. The governor estimates that 70 per cent of the people in the prison are there for drugs-related offences.
Keith Raffan: That is a commendable ambition. However, when Mr McLeish had responsibility for this issue as a member of the UK Government, he brought sniffer dogs into prisons. At Saughton, the deputy governor informed me that dogs had been in the previous day but had not found anything. An hour later, a prison officer found a lump of cannabis wrapped in plastic and covered with Bovril. The prisoners are...
Keith Raffan: I am about to. The deputy chief constable said that voluntary agencies working in this field had to be streamlined. That was reported as meaning that they should be culled, which would be a disaster. We need better co-ordination of the voluntary agencies—I may have more to say about that this afternoon—but we should not lose people who have built up a huge amount of expertise and...
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive what is the current position in regard to the establishment of the council of the isles. (S1O-354)
Keith Raffan: Will the minister clarify why the council of the isles is being transmogrified into the British-Irish council? Was that done under pressure from the Irish Government as a result of its concern to have links at a Westminster level and to include the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly as well?
Keith Raffan: Will the minister agree that the council could have great value not only in producing harmonious relationships between the different parts of the islands, but as a forum to discuss matters of mutual interest, such as transport links and European Union issues? Would it not be a good idea to set it up at least in part, perhaps with the Irish joining us later? That would be particularly...
Keith Raffan: Stability of funding is crucial to the sector. I welcome the Executive's commitment to three-year funding. The problem is—as I said in the Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee last week—that we need a similar commitment from local government and health boards.
Keith Raffan: I will restrict my remarks almost entirely to the funding issue, but first let me say that the Scottish Liberal Democrats join the other parties in recognising the central role that the voluntary sector plays in Scottish life. In some ways, it is different from the voluntary sector south of the border. Scotland has a lot of smaller organisations—which brings some problems, especially in...
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for discussions with the Parliament and the Finance Committee on its strategic spending priorities for the financial year 2000-01, and what is its deadline for those discussions.
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its preliminary draft budget for the financial year 2000-01.
