Donald Dewar: I wish to make a statement on the current disruption to fuel supplies in Scotland. As members know, the current situation in Scotland, as in the rest of the United Kingdom, has become serious—and I stress the word serious. It is affecting fuel supplies to most of the population and affecting emergency and other services. It has been caused by lorry drivers, farmers and others threatening to...
Donald Dewar: That is a fundamental question, the importance of which I appreciate. There is no reason why fuel should not move out of Grangemouth, and other refineries up and down the United Kingdom. That is not happening for one central reason: I am told that drivers are very reluctant to move fuel because they feel that there is intimidation. I have inquired into that matter to the best of my ability. I...
Donald Dewar: That is a legitimate worry, and staff are undoubtedly having difficulties in a number of key areas. We are dealing with a fast-developing situation, which has effectively been running for only 48 hours. The speed with which our essential services are affected when fuel dries up is astonishing. Consideration is being given to ensuring that some of the designated filling stations will be able...
Donald Dewar: The powers that we have taken do come under the Energy Act 1976, and they are limited. As Roseanna Cunningham will no doubt know, there has been discussion about whether earlier statutes should come into play, but I think that, for good reasons, we want to proceed down the road that we have chosen. That gives us certain powers, for example to designate filling stations, but the solution is...
Donald Dewar: Transco will certainly be doing all it can. Obviously, the longer the situation lasts, the more difficult it becomes. However, we are confident at this stage about the continuance of gas supplies. In my statement, I used the term "satisfactory". Transco is of course monitoring the situation, but we believe that maintenance crews are still able to get to any difficulty that may arise, and that...
Donald Dewar: No, I cannot give John Young a figure, and I think he would be surprised if I could. All I can say is that we have had contact with a number of companies that are talking in absolute terms about closing down production. Clearly, that would mean the laying off of a large number of jobs. We have also been in touch with the Confederation of British Industry (Scotland), the Scottish Trades Union...
Donald Dewar: There is nothing ordinary about Donald Gorrie, which is perhaps fortunate. He asks an important question. At present, the 350 designated stations are in a position to help motorists other than those in the authorised user groups. The groups are still being defined. We may—I say that because it is still at the planning stage—get a further designation, as well as ring-fencing of a group of...
Donald Dewar: Not at this stage. One of the things about the protestors—this is not a complaint; it is simply a remark—is that it is extremely difficult to discover exactly what their demands are, apart from a general discontent with the price of petrol and diesel fuel. The protestors are not an organised body. They have no formal structures. I therefore do not think that it would be appropriate or...
Donald Dewar: The pledge is to freeze them with no inflation factor.
Donald Dewar: I was merely remarking that I have read John Swinney's speech to the Scottish Grand Committee. The point that I was going to make is that most of the protestors probably would not see the SNP's action as adequate. The protestors' requirements are ill defined at present.
Donald Dewar: Emergency arrangements of this kind are always rough and ready. We would hope that the concept of the essential user would extend to most of the groups of individuals and workers that this chamber would regard as being involved in essential services. However, I cannot, at this stage, give blanket assurances. The tragedy is that if we get a situation in which fuel does not move, inevitably, in...
Donald Dewar: The food industry will be taken into account in any arrangements. However, I have no doubt that, on the edges, there will be difficulties—of course there will be. We want food processing and food supply services to be preserved and protected in these difficult circumstances. We have to look for an immediate solution—a short-term solution—that allows us to get fuel moving again.
Donald Dewar: I am astonished by what Alex Neil has just said. I covered those points in my opening statement. I made it clear that I did not believe that there was any cause to fear that there would be intimidation; and I made it clear that there had been a civilised relationship—at a certain level, at least—between the various parties involved. I drew from that the clear conclusion—which I hope...
Donald Dewar: I now know Chief Constable Andrew Cameron of the Central Scotland Police extremely well. We have spent a great deal of time together, one way or another, over the past 48 hours. I have also had the opportunity to discuss with the honorary secretary of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, Sir Roy Cameron, some of the issues that have arisen. The police have given a great deal...
Donald Dewar: I would say to Dennis Canavan that the arguments have been well rehearsed. I said that we cannot consider this matter in isolation. In France, for example, they have road tolls, to which Mr Canavan is strongly opposed, I think. They have vehicle excise duties that are very different from ours. The question is much more complex than people, on occasion, suggest. It is interesting that, as I...
Donald Dewar: I cannot give a specific answer on that, but I take the point. Clearly, where there has been a death and a funeral is in prospect, that is a traumatic and difficult situation. The troubles would be multiplied many times over if there were difficulties in getting the funeral completed. A great deal of thought has been given to whether it is possible to draw up a comprehensive list of essential...
Donald Dewar: I shall consider all aspects of the relationship between Ministers and the SQA in the light of the review of the authority which was announced on 6 September.
Donald Dewar: No. The Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning has responsibility for tourism.
Donald Dewar: The six-fold increase in the number of parliamentary questions being answered by the Scottish Executive since devolution has placed significant pressures on the organisation and some answers take longer to be processed than we would wish. We are constantly seeking to improve our performance in this respect although the number of parliamentary questions being tabled continues to increase.
Donald Dewar: Really.
