Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 09 March 2011
09 Mar 2011 · S3 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
“Report on preventative spending”
Mr Welsh said that this was his last scheduled appearance in a parliamentary debate as convener of the Finance Committee. As finance secretary, I am always a bit nervous when there is speculation about an unscheduled appearance by the Finance Committee convener in the remaining days of the parliamentary session. However, as a longstanding colleague and neighbouring constituency member of the Scottish Parliament to Mr Welsh, I place on record my appreciation for his contribution to parliamentary life, in the House of Commons, where I had the privilege to serve with him, and here in the Scottish Parliament, where he has made a distinguished contribution to public life—no more so than in his final speech this afternoon on such an important subject.
I welcome the debate on preventative spending. I welcome, too, the Finance Committee’s inquiry report, which has brought together a wealth of evidence and understanding. It has demonstrated that there is substantial agreement about the importance of undertaking preventative spending. I hope that we can take the opportunity to build on that in the course of the debate.
I will set out a number of areas of activity that the current Administration has taken forward on preventative spending. I am struck by the fact that many of those interventions were priorities that were taken forward by our predecessor Administrations. There is wide acceptance across the political spectrum that many of the deep-seated problems to which Mr Welsh referred, which were discussed at length in the participative session in Parliament last Friday, at which the Minister for Children and Early Years represented the Government, will not be readily solved in a parliamentary session. However, they require sustained and continuous commitment regardless of the political colour of the Administration. This Administration has willingly accepted the need to build on many of the programmes and initiatives that were established by our predecessors.
The Government has provided a written response to the inquiry report, exploring the issues that were raised by the Finance Committee. I want to set out some of the areas of activity in which preventative action is significantly entrenched in policy making in Scotland. The Government has presided over the introduction of the early years framework, which is aimed at pre-natal to eight years of age, with the overarching intention of ensuring that each child has the best start in life, regardless of his or her circumstances.
We have put in place the equally well framework, which sets out the need to address the underlying causes of future ill health and other negative social outcomes. We have also put in place “Achieving Our Potential: A Framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland”, which is designed to encourage the public, private and third sectors to work together to tackle poverty and income inequality. The three frameworks have been important building blocks of the Government’s policy response on many aspects of these areas of activity.
That response translates into a range of other programmes. The Government, in partnership with our local authority partners, the third sector, health boards and other organisations, will allocate resources to tackle some of the major issues with which all members of the Parliament are familiar. I refer to our work on smoking cessation, on shifting emphasis on to anticipatory care, on tackling alcohol abuse, on screening, on crime and offending, on tackling the corrosive impact of domestic violence on households, and on putting in place state support for older people at the stage in life at which they require it. The Government and its social partners are involved in delivering active intervention in many areas. That work will continue.
The process was reinforced yesterday, when the Minister for Children and Early Years launched the £6.8 million early years early action fund, which will enable national voluntary sector organisations to work with Inspiring Scotland and local projects to help local people and local communities to create better lives for themselves and their children. That is just one practical example of how we intend to deploy our resources to support early intervention.
The committee noted that the earlier in the life of a child an intervention is made, the greater the return on the investment. The Government accepts that. The committee went on to question whether the early years framework should be more focused on the birth to three years old age group. Members will see from our written response that we recognise the importance of that period, which is at the core of the early years framework and underpins our approach to maternal services. Nevertheless, we think that the zero-to-eight age group coverage of the framework is right. It was well supported by the experts who were involved in gathering evidence on the issue and reflects an appropriate time span in a child’s development.
The frameworks that the Government has introduced have been developed in a way that is intended to draw together the work of all public agencies: Government, local authorities, other agencies, health boards, the third sector and the private sector. The frameworks have helped to give structure and focus to many aspects of the work that the Government wishes to undertake, which is broadly supported by all parties that are represented in the chamber.
In the past four years, we have shifted fundamentally the focus of policy making away from monitoring processes and inputs to agreeing outcomes with local partners. One clarion call that has been made around many aspects of this area of public spending concerns the necessity of focusing on outcomes, to guarantee that all of us are able to see that the impact of public expenditure and public policy has been to make a difference to the quality of life of individuals in our society and to deliver better outcomes in all circumstances. The performance framework that the Government has put in place enables its activities and those of the public sector in general to be monitored against the achievement of those outcomes.
I welcome the debate on preventative spending. I welcome, too, the Finance Committee’s inquiry report, which has brought together a wealth of evidence and understanding. It has demonstrated that there is substantial agreement about the importance of undertaking preventative spending. I hope that we can take the opportunity to build on that in the course of the debate.
I will set out a number of areas of activity that the current Administration has taken forward on preventative spending. I am struck by the fact that many of those interventions were priorities that were taken forward by our predecessor Administrations. There is wide acceptance across the political spectrum that many of the deep-seated problems to which Mr Welsh referred, which were discussed at length in the participative session in Parliament last Friday, at which the Minister for Children and Early Years represented the Government, will not be readily solved in a parliamentary session. However, they require sustained and continuous commitment regardless of the political colour of the Administration. This Administration has willingly accepted the need to build on many of the programmes and initiatives that were established by our predecessors.
The Government has provided a written response to the inquiry report, exploring the issues that were raised by the Finance Committee. I want to set out some of the areas of activity in which preventative action is significantly entrenched in policy making in Scotland. The Government has presided over the introduction of the early years framework, which is aimed at pre-natal to eight years of age, with the overarching intention of ensuring that each child has the best start in life, regardless of his or her circumstances.
We have put in place the equally well framework, which sets out the need to address the underlying causes of future ill health and other negative social outcomes. We have also put in place “Achieving Our Potential: A Framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland”, which is designed to encourage the public, private and third sectors to work together to tackle poverty and income inequality. The three frameworks have been important building blocks of the Government’s policy response on many aspects of these areas of activity.
That response translates into a range of other programmes. The Government, in partnership with our local authority partners, the third sector, health boards and other organisations, will allocate resources to tackle some of the major issues with which all members of the Parliament are familiar. I refer to our work on smoking cessation, on shifting emphasis on to anticipatory care, on tackling alcohol abuse, on screening, on crime and offending, on tackling the corrosive impact of domestic violence on households, and on putting in place state support for older people at the stage in life at which they require it. The Government and its social partners are involved in delivering active intervention in many areas. That work will continue.
The process was reinforced yesterday, when the Minister for Children and Early Years launched the £6.8 million early years early action fund, which will enable national voluntary sector organisations to work with Inspiring Scotland and local projects to help local people and local communities to create better lives for themselves and their children. That is just one practical example of how we intend to deploy our resources to support early intervention.
The committee noted that the earlier in the life of a child an intervention is made, the greater the return on the investment. The Government accepts that. The committee went on to question whether the early years framework should be more focused on the birth to three years old age group. Members will see from our written response that we recognise the importance of that period, which is at the core of the early years framework and underpins our approach to maternal services. Nevertheless, we think that the zero-to-eight age group coverage of the framework is right. It was well supported by the experts who were involved in gathering evidence on the issue and reflects an appropriate time span in a child’s development.
The frameworks that the Government has introduced have been developed in a way that is intended to draw together the work of all public agencies: Government, local authorities, other agencies, health boards, the third sector and the private sector. The frameworks have helped to give structure and focus to many aspects of the work that the Government wishes to undertake, which is broadly supported by all parties that are represented in the chamber.
In the past four years, we have shifted fundamentally the focus of policy making away from monitoring processes and inputs to agreeing outcomes with local partners. One clarion call that has been made around many aspects of this area of public spending concerns the necessity of focusing on outcomes, to guarantee that all of us are able to see that the impact of public expenditure and public policy has been to make a difference to the quality of life of individuals in our society and to deliver better outcomes in all circumstances. The performance framework that the Government has put in place enables its activities and those of the public sector in general to be monitored against the achievement of those outcomes.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Alasdair Morgan)
SNP
The next item of business is a debate on motion S3M-7994, in the name of Andrew Welsh, on the Finance Committee’s “Report on preventative spending”. I call A...
Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP)
SNP
This will be one of the last speeches that I will make as an MSP, and it is my final scheduled contribution as convener of the Parliament’s Finance Committee...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab)
Lab
I know that the debate is supposed to be consensual, but will Andrew Welsh comment on the abolition of the health in pregnancy grant?
Andrew Welsh
SNP
Such questions are better posed elsewhere. I am relaying to Parliament a positive report, rather than the usual negativity that is produced in debates. I say...
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth (John Swinney)
SNP
Mr Welsh said that this was his last scheduled appearance in a parliamentary debate as convener of the Finance Committee. As finance secretary, I am always a...
Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD)
LD
I heartily endorse the cabinet secretary’s comments, but does he recognise that the committee found it difficult to establish what baseline information on ou...
John Swinney
SNP
Mr Purvis goes on to fascinating and complex ground in all of these areas. With Scotland performs, we have tried to identify a set of indicators that will pr...
David Whitton (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased to speak for Labour in support of the Finance Committee’s report. I associate myself with the remarks of the cabinet secretary on our convener, ...
Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank the committee clerks, and the witnesses who gave evidence to the inquiry. I also thank Andrew Welsh for his time as convener of the Finance Committee...
Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD)
LD
This is an important debate, which is why I am particularly sorry that I will have to leave before the end of it, as I have a meeting regarding my constituen...
Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
As a member of the Finance Committee, I, too, was very pleased to take evidence in the inquiry into preventative spend and to help to compile the report.Ther...
Malcolm Chisholm (Edinburgh North and Leith) (Lab)
Lab
I start by paying tribute to Andrew Welsh for chairing the Finance Committee in a model, non-partisan way for the past four years, and for the contribution t...
Joe FitzPatrick (Dundee West) (SNP)
SNP
I associate myself with the words of tribute for our convener, Andrew Welsh. As Malcolm Chisholm said, Andrew has always convened the finance committee in an...
Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab)
Lab
I trust that I will not change the tone of the debate too much.I am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate. As the first person to spea...
Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD)
LD
As a non-member of the Finance Committee, I thank Andrew Welsh for his contribution to the Parliament, and the committee for its very useful report.The commi...
Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
I congratulate the committee on its work on this report. I am not on the committee and have not been intimately involved in the process, but even a rudimenta...
Linda Fabiani
SNP
Not that many.
Jamie Hepburn
SNP
It seems plenty to me. I also gently point out that Mr Welsh had represented Angus for five years before I was born, although I am not sure whether he will t...
Elaine Smith (Coatbridge and Chryston) (Lab)
Lab
I do not often get excited by the work of the Finance Committee, important though it is. However, its report on preventative spending is excellent, and I com...
Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD)
LD
The debate has been interesting and, by and large, consensual. Like several members who have spoken, but not the majority, I do not serve on the Finance Comm...
Derek Brownlee
Con
Ross Finnie raised an important point about the outcome basis. Although there has been a shift in rhetoric in Parliament about moving towards an outcome basi...
Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab)
Lab
I place on record my thanks to Andrew Welsh for his contribution to the Parliament and its workings. I also thank the Finance Committee for its report.Having...
John Swinney
SNP
It is not often that I can follow Mr Kerr in a debate and agree heartily with many of the sentiments that he has expressed. I particularly agree with his sta...
Tom McCabe (Hamilton South) (Lab)
Lab
As others have done, I acknowledge Andrew Welsh’s service. I will not repeat all the plaudits. I simply say to him that he should be proud of his public serv...