Dave Petrie: I congratulate Linda Fabiani on securing this important debate. I want to start by discussing a bit of background. As we all know, the documentary "Cathy Come Home" had its 40th anniversary in December. Because of that, the Scottish Council for Single Homeless—which I will call SCSH from now on—launched a campaign to raise awareness of homelessness among teenagers and teachers. In 2006,...
Dave Petrie: I thank the minister for mentioning Culloden, which is, coincidentally, the subject of my question. Can the minister confirm whether any battlefields such as Culloden moor are likely to be victims of wind farm developments?
Dave Petrie: I hasten to add that I was not invited to be Santa Claus either. Although, like other members, I welcome the bill, I fear that pre-election haste is in danger of undermining its honourable aims and objectives. Sadly, the circumstances leading to the introduction of the bill are not wholly dissimilar to Dunblane—legislation is often driven by tragic events. The aim of the bill is to create a...
Dave Petrie: I agree. In July 2004, the Education Committee found Disclosure Scotland application delays of up to 12 weeks. In September 2002, a backlog crisis in England and Wales caused thousands of children to be sent home from school as staff were unable to work. Unvetted staff were then ordered to start work immediately while the backlog was cleared. The system is clearly under strain. It is vital...
Dave Petrie: I thank Margaret Jamieson for bringing the issue to the chamber and I join her in congratulating the north-west Kilmarnock primary care neighbourhood services centre, which provides a wide range of services from a single point in a highly deprived area. The centre results from a successful partnership between East Ayrshire Council and Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board. Margaret Jamieson has...
Dave Petrie: Will the minister give assurances to patients in the Western Isles that such enhancements as have been mentioned will offset some of the frequently documented problems with NHS Highland and NHS 24?
Dave Petrie: The minister has not mentioned class sizes. The Executive's target was to have maximum class sizes of 20 for maths and English by May this year. Would he care to comment on the progress in that regard?
Dave Petrie: I live in and represent the Highlands and Islands and I am only too aware of alcohol-related crime in the region. Alcohol-related disorder is rarely out of the headlines in the media and I congratulate Maureen Macmillan on giving us an opportunity to debate this alarming issue. It is appalling but unfortunately not surprising that there has been a rise in alcohol-related crime. The binge...
Dave Petrie: I pass on our condolences to Cathy Peattie and her family. I congratulate the committee on a comprehensive report. This has been a good debate that has clearly illustrated how attitudes to the disabled have changed. There was a time when disabled people felt marginalised and largely dependent on others. Now, with our inclusive society and modern technologies, they are performing key roles in...
Dave Petrie: Will the First Minister join me in condemning this move and undertake to do everything in the power of his Executive to protect the increasingly fragile economy of the Highlands and Islands and the rest of rural Scotland?
Dave Petrie: This is quite a straightforward question, so I hope that I will get an answer to it—I am optimistic about that. I turn to the acknowledged council tax collection problems. Does the minister agree with the Burt review that the inclusion of water and sewerage charges in council tax bills has an adverse effect on collection rates, which are only 93.3 per cent in this country in comparison with...
Dave Petrie: The figures that the minister has given concern me and, I hope, many others. Is the minister aware that, in October this year, the waiting lists for dental care in the Highlands and Islands reached more than 29,000 people and that although dentists in the region are eager to take on new patients it is nigh impossible to do so because of those tremendously long lists?
Dave Petrie: Will the member give way?
Dave Petrie: I will try to be swift. Poverty at any level is tough and can be a struggle, and child poverty often has even worse manifestations. Children cannot influence the situations in which they find themselves, nor can they take any responsibility for them. They are in a vulnerable period when their needs and welfare are paramount for their progression. It is therefore highly regrettable that in one...
Dave Petrie: I had a major dispute with Argyll and Bute Council, which tried to alter the mileage limit for school bus travel from two miles to one mile. Would it be possible to actively encourage a fixing of the mileage limit for free bus travel, if not to put it on a statutory base?
Dave Petrie: I thank Alex Neil for initiating this worthwhile debate. School bus safety for our primary and secondary students is sometimes overlooked, but it is extremely important. The Education Committee refers safety concerns to the Department for Transport time and again because the means to effect safety are reserved, but as school bus safety becomes a more pressing issue in local authorities it...
Dave Petrie: This has been a good debate, with two significant outcomes. Although the bill has general cross-party support, members have asked whether it is really necessary or whether existing legislation could be amended accordingly. I agree with Shona Robison, who asked who the bill will protect, because that is not clear at all. However, the minister was right to say that individuals' wishes must come...
Dave Petrie: Listening to the Queen's speech yesterday, I was pleased to hear that a planning bill will be included in the forthcoming session at Westminster. It is good to see that, where Holyrood leads, Westminster follows. I am sure that Westminster will know where to come for expert and up-to-date advice on such legislation. For many years, our party has called for improvements to the planning system...
Dave Petrie: I will add to what David McLetchie said. How much more will we land our businesses with? They pay massive water charges and massive business rates and now we are to ask them to pay for BIDs. The system should be voluntary; as Fergus Ewing said, such a system works perfectly well up north. Also, there is no question but that either the tenant or the owner, but not both, should pay. Finally, as...
Dave Petrie: To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the Western Isles constituency have been placed on a waiting list for installation and assessment work under the Executive's central heating programme and warm deal scheme as a result of the transition of the contract from Eaga Partnership to Scottish Gas. (S2O-11061)
