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New College, Kilwinning
4. Mr. Brian H. Donohoe (Cunninghame, South): When he plans to conclude the contract for the new college in Kilwinning. [76308]
The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Donald Dewar): I am not a party to the contract for the new college in Kilwinning. The board of management of James Watt college of further and higher education will sign the contract, and I understand that it expects to do so soon.
From 1 July 1999, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
Mr. Donohoe:
That is excellent news. Does my right hon. Friend agree that access is one of the biggest problems in higher education, particularly for the handicapped and the disabled? Is my right hon. Friend aware that, by virtue of the Scottish National party's policies, people are likely to be deprived of access to higher education in north Ayrshire, and the building of the new college in Kilwinning would, at the very least, be delayed, if not cancelled, were its policies to come to fruition?
Mr. Dewar:
Kilwinning college is an important addition to the educational facilities in north Ayrshire, and I hope that it flourishes and does well. I thank my hon. Friend for what he said about the importance of widening access. We have an agenda in that area, and I can announce today that disabled student allowances will be extended from this autumn to part-time students studying at least 50 per cent. of a full-time course. Furthermore, the fee waiver scheme introduced last May for low-income or unemployed part-time first degree students will be extended to include students at higher education institutions on higher national certificate or higher national diploma courses. Steps will also be taken to introduce consistency for comparable students in further education colleges.
That means that £6 million will be channelled to benefit at least 6,000 part-time higher education students a year who are on low incomes or unemployed, and £1.5 million to benefit 250 disabled students each year during the next three years. That is an important and welcome extension of access for a group of students who have potential and capacity, but are often held back by personal circumstances.
Mr. Desmond Swayne (New Forest, West):
Is the new college in Kilwinning also likely to be awash with money, or will it be constrained at least by the fact that in Ayrshire there has been a reduction in the education budget of as much as 15 per cent?
Mr. Dewar:
The hon. Gentleman, with whom I have a slight rapport--[Hon. Members: "Why?"] Because he is always extremely entertaining. As the hon. Gentleman has no doubt done his homework, he will know that an additional £41 million has been allocated to the further education sector next year, which has been very widely welcomed--I use these terms properly--right across the further education sector. There will be something like £241 million, in addition to the expected plans, by the end of the comprehensive spending review. The hon. Gentleman has struck a happy note in reminding me just how much is being done in further education at the moment.
5. Mr. Russell Brown (Dumfries):
What plans he has to increase parental involvement within the Scottish education system. [76309]
The Minister for Education, Scottish Office (Mrs. Helen Liddell):
Parental involvement in children's education is crucial if young people are to realise their potential. Our plans for increasing parental involvement in the Scottish education system are set out in our recent White Paper "Targeting Excellence: Modernising Scotland's Schools", which was published on 27 January.
From 1 July, this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
Mr. Brown:
I thank my hon. Friend for her answer and for her recent visit to Dumfries, when she met educationists and discussed the White Paper, which I believe was well received.
My hon. Friend is fully aware of the excellent parental involvement in Maxwelltown high school in Dumfries, which is taking forward the whole concept of community schools and, despite not having achieved any additional funding as a pilot community school, the parents are continuing to work hard within the school and the community. Will my hon. Friend offer support for that project and pay the school a visit when the opportunity arises?
Mrs. Liddell:
I very much enjoyed my visit to Dumfries some 10 days ago. If I have an opportunity, I should like to visit Maxwelltown because I know of the project undertaken there under the parents' guidance. My hon. Friend is aware that there are to be 60 pilots of new community schools, an exciting new development in Scottish education which puts the child at the heart of the education system. We are the only party that refers to education in relation to its impact on children. Before the end of this month, I plan to announce our decisions on the new community school plans, and I know that Maxwelltown high school has made a bid to be a new community school.
Mr. Nick St. Aubyn (Guildford):
On Monday, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment announced plans to assist highly able children in England and Wales, and we all know how the parents of those children want more to be done for them. What are the Government's plans for highly able children in Scotland, and how will Scottish Office Ministers respond to the criticisms of the half-baked scheme that has come from their colleagues in the Department for Education and Employment?
Mrs. Liddell:
The hon. Gentleman is obviously not aware that the Scottish education system is significantly different from that in England and Wales. He asks about able children. The new advanced higher--which is part of the reforms, known as higher still, that are being introduced from August--is specifically aimed at encouraging able young people in our schools. It will also assist those of all levels of ability to maximise their ability fully. That, together with the £1.3 billion extra that is being put into our schools through the comprehensive spending review, will help not only the very able, but all young people who benefit from a good Scottish education.
6. Mr. John Home Robertson (East Lothian):
If he will make a statement on progress towards the reopening of the export market for Scottish beef. [76310]
9. Mr. Tim Boswell (Daventry):
If EU inspectors have been invited to Scottish farms since the lifting of the beef export ban was announced. [76313]
The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Donald Dewar):
Substantial progress has been made since the principles of the date-based export scheme were agreed in Brussels last November. The Government's chief veterinary officer has invited European Union inspectors to visit the United Kingdom in the week beginning Monday 12 April to assess our plans for implementing the date-based export scheme. I remain optimistic that Scottish beef can begin to regain its rightful place in the export trade in the course of this summer.
Mr. Home Robertson:
We have come a long way since the ridiculous beef war in which the right hon. and learned Member for Sleaford and North Hykeham (Mr. Hogg) tried to play the role of the neighbour from hell in the European Union. Now that the Labour Government have implemented all the requirements of the Florence agreement--step by step and without any need for extra taxation in Scotland to pay for it--will my right hon. Friend make leading Scottish beef back into the export market in June a priority for the Labour Administration in the Scottish Parliament? As First Minister in the Scottish Parliament, would he like to arrange a Scottish beef barbecue in Brussels to celebrate?
Mr. Dewar:
I am not a great barbecue man myself, but, on this occasion and following such a beguiling invitation, I might reconsider my position.
I am encouraged by the fact that progress has been made, and that can be traced directly to the feeling across the European Union that, under this Government, the United Kingdom is involved and pulling its weight. We still have many disagreements, but at least we are involved and there is a feeling that we are prepared to talk and do business. That has resulted in the progress that we have achieved.
It is difficult to move from the agreement in principle through to the practical reassertion of Scottish beef's proper place in the European market, but I am glad that my ministerial colleague, my noble Friend Lord Sewel, was encouraged by his reception when he visited northern Italy only a couple of weeks ago and talked to people involved in what had been an important export market. I hope that we can build on his visit and on the other steps that we are taking, in close co-operation with the National Farmers Union of Scotland.
Mr. Boswell:
Given the size and importance of the beef industry in Scotland and given that BSE has always run at a lower level in Scotland than in the rest of Great Britain, is the Secretary of State not rather surprised that, several months after the Prime Minister declared the end of the beef war with a flourish, the inspectors are not coming to Scotland for a further three weeks? There are direct flights, I believe. However, not a single tonne of Scottish beef is available for export to Europe.
Mr. Dewar:
I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman has taken that ungracious attitude, because he is often rather knowledgeable and reasonable in this area. We have never pretended that the agreement in principle on the date-based export scheme meant that we could immediately restart exporting. Clearly, there had to be tracing and slaughtering of offspring of all BSE cases born after 1 August 1996, and a completely new database had to be erected to establish eligibility checks. There was a great deal of work to be done, and it is being pushed on with considerable energy.
I have kept closely in touch with the National Farmers Union of Scotland. I welcome the fact that the chief veterinary officer has been able to arrange for 12 April a visit by the inspectorate from the European Union, and I hope that that goes well. However, the idea that, if we had just raised an air fare, the whole thing could have been settled four months ago not only defies imagination, but is unworthy of the hon. Gentleman.
Rev. Martin Smyth (Belfast, South):
I welcome the progress that has been made and wish the Secretary of State success, but he will recognise that it will take a long time to build that export market again. Might one of the disagreements between the Scottish farmer and Europe be its possible introduction of a permanent ban on beef on the bone?
Mr. Dewar:
No, that was not one of the areas to which I referred. The beef-on-the-bone ban is in place because of the very clear medical and scientific advice that has been offered to the Government of the United Kingdom. I need hardly say that, if that advice changed, or if the very clear indications of an element of risk were removed, we would be happy to see the end of the ban.
Dr. Liam Fox (Woodspring):
I welcome any progress in the beef industry, but, given the fact that the Secretary of State has basically told us that not a single carcase has yet been exported from Scotland, despite all the rhetoric, how many slaughterhouses does he expect to be approved by the end of April? If the hon. Member for Falkirk, East (Mr. Connarty) is right in saying that the Scottish Office is awash with money, could the Secretary of State perhaps use some more of it to alleviate the suffering of those in the agriculture sector in Scotland?
Mr. Dewar:
I never cease to marvel at the hon. Gentleman's courage. Against the background of the record of the last Conservative Government and his record in the business, he criticises us. It is a little too much. I cannot predict what will happen, because it depends on the visit on 12 April. I hope that that goes well and that we can satisfy the European Union inspectorate that such a move is part of the necessary process. As the hon. Member for Belfast, South (Rev. Martin Smyth) has said, it is a slow business. We have always known that, but we are ensuring that every possible step is taken as quickly as possible. We are spending a lot of time and taking a lot of trouble to re-establish the contacts that will be necessary if we are to get our beef back into the European market. The results of those contacts are, on the whole, encouraging. A little support and backing from the Opposition, who constantly declare their interest in helping, would be appreciated.
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