08/08/2013 Reporting Scotland

Tourist attractions and hotels report a boost in visitors thanks to

the sunshine. July was the second hottest since record-keeping began,

with rising numbers out enjoying it. Passenger numbers are buying 14%. --

are up by 14%. My wife has been in a bikini in Scotland if you can

believe it! Also tonight: A new coalition. A fresh campaign against

the so-called bedroom tax, as councils warn rent arrears are going

up. Scotland's population is the highest ever with more people moving

into the country from overseas. And a surprising portion of the

population of Perth will be here at Mick Dermot Park tonight. Good

Evening. July was the second warmest on record in Scotland, according to

the Met Office and it appears to have brought tourists out in force

across the country. Cal Mac carried 100,000 more passengers on its

ferries last month compared to the year before. Tourist attractions and

hotels are reporting big increases in visitors, as people opt for

staycations. Tonight, our reporter Catriona Renton is at Greenock on

the Clyde coast and Kevin Keane is at Crathes in Aberdeenshire. First

let's cross to Catriona. That is right. We did not imagine that

really beautiful spell of weather. The second hottest July since

records began. It is a gorgeous night tonight above the Firth of

Clyde. As you were seeing, Cal Mac Ivars some statistics today. There

is the test takes are up 14%. 100,000 more passengers in July

alone. This morning I decided it was a good idea for me to go to Rothesay

and get down the water myself. It is all aboard the ferry. For

day-trippers and holiday-makers it is a lovely day for a trip down the

Clyde. It is beautiful, we are just enjoying every minute of it. We are

here to enjoy the weather and enjoy the views. My wife has been in a

bikini. It is beautiful.It is lovely when the weather is like

this. It is evidence that more of us are having a staycation this year.

We have carried a next 100,000 passengers in July. We are very

happy with that. -- an extra 100,000 passengers. On dry land the sunshine

seems to have been a boost for the local economy. We have sold more ice

cream this year and we hope the youngsters will continue to come

back to the island. The weather must continue because things smiles to

everyone's faces, including mine. The guaranteeing sunshine abroad

largely put paid to people holidaying at home by could the

sunshine we have had this year increased the numbers staying at

home? We have had a lovely fish and chip lunch and have got brochures to

find out about the motels, we will probably come back again. Tell me

why you like it? Because it is beautiful. There are lots of

flowers. It really does seem a shame that we now have to get the very

warm. It is not just the West of Scotland that has been feeling the

coolers, my colleague is in Aberdeen. No sunshine here, good

Scottish weather and it is raining like mad year at the moment. In the

north-east you the tourist industry is known for two things, whiskey and

these things. The National trust reports a 33% increase in people

through the door is in June and July this year. That trend has been

repeated in all of its properties across Scotland. It is not just the

castle is doing well, I have been to one of the more unusual attractions.

It has been of a detail future for Scotland's tourism industry. The sun

and lack of rain has allowed attractions like this one to thrive.

The storybook glen near Aberdeen has seen a 30% rise in visitor numbers.

We are all in a better humour. They are smiling and they stay longer

because obviously they are not getting soaked or cold. Even if you

get a good spell in April or May it reflects directly on how many people

come. Safely delivering visitors is by no means a given but this year

that has been a very happy man. Tracking these are just what the

parents are happy for. When it is funny you can do a lot more things

that don't costs or March. Trips to the beach and the parks. The kids

run around for ages and it tires them out. It is lovely to come and

spend a day. It would not BBC misfit was raining but in the sunshine it

is just Claudius. I think eggs would be having a more enjoyable time

today if they were here because it is still raining quite hard. -- just

Claudius. -- I think eggs would be having a more enjoyable time. --

pigs. This year it seems everyone is winning, apart from me! Thank you

both. It looks like our satellite is breaking up there. And I'm joined

now by our weather presenter Gillian Smart. So, Gillian, just how did

July shape up and is this the kind of summer we can expect more of in

the future? It was certainly a scorcher Sally. It was warm and

sunny. The second warmest on record. We had 50% more sunshine than normal

above the winner torrential thundery downpours during the latter part of

the month. Rainfall was close to the seasonal average. Temperatures were

we, wee up on what we would expect for this time of year. We recorded

just under 16 hours of sunshine on one day. Can we expect more of this?

Apparently not, future summers in the UK are expected to be Saudi --

soggy and wet. The temperature of the Atlantic ocean rises and falls

in cycles and it is thought that can have some influence on the position

of the jet stream which we know in turn influences our weather. I

pressure dominates the settled and dry conditions and when it slips to

the south of us like it did during the latter part of July low pressure

can take precedence. It is thought those changes in ocean temperature

are causing the Jetstream to slights or more wet weather. But before you

shoot the messenger, that is just one the day. Find you, Gillian. That

has taken the weather right out of our sails! It's now four months

since the UK Government's changes to housing benefit took effect. The

so-called bedroom tax means many tenants deemed to have spare

bedrooms receive less benefit. Today, a new campaign group was

launched to fight the changes. Here's our local government

correspondent Jamie McIvor. This couple moved to the specially built

house after he was badly injured in an industrial accident. The house

has four bedrooms but the family are deemed to only need to know. Since

the housing benefit changes came in they have lost money, �43 every

month. To make up the difference we are having to cut down on shopping,

mop the heating on so much, we are having to do our best but it is

really having a big impact. While we hear plenty of individual stories

about the so-called bedroom tax, piecing together the overall impact

across Scotland remains challenging. Some councils are taking steps to

minimise the impact on the tenants. There are up to 30 eight households

with in our pipeline at the moment where we would like to declassify

the extra bedroom because they are using it to store disability

furniture. Today a new campaign group was launched to try to reverse

the changes. There there's a real disparity in terms of what Scottish

councils are doing in terms of mitigation. Using the full extent of

discretionary housing payments and some are not doing it at all.

see there is help for the vulnerable. �3.5 million of extra

money was given to local authorities in Scotland who expressed a need for

that support. If they do not talk to the government, how can the

government now? Judging the impact beyond individual stories like this

family is difficult. You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC.

Still to come on the programme: How Edinburgh Festival shows are dealing

with the topic of independence. In sport: St Johnstone take another

shot at European glory tonight and I'm hear to preview it with a Saints

star from days gone by. We'll also hear from the England manager about

next week's game with Scotland and Andy Murray's thoughts on the man

who called him boring. All that litre. A fancy dress float,

featuring men dressed as the disgraced TV presenter Jimmy Savile,

has been described as distasteful by the local MSP. The float was taking

part in a parade following the Lauder Common Riding celebrations in

the Borders. Cameron Buttle reports from Lauder. There is a huge amount

of right here. It is a spectacular event that dates back hundreds of

years. The fancy dress but they'd is part of the civic celebrations. This

year there has been considerable controversy over one entry into the

fancy dress parade. On the float, one man is dressed as Jimmy Savile,

the disgraced former TV presenter. Other men are dressed as young

schoolgirls. Following the publication of photographs in the

local newspaper there has been angry reaction. Some say it is an

appropriate and in poor taste. They'd certain topics that are not

suitable for a public parade with families. This is one of them. There

may indeed have been people there who had themselves been vet terms. I

think they should reflect on that as well. There is disappointment and

anger over the float and over the media coverage it had received. The

Lauder Common Riding committee said it did condemned the float. It said

it is up to the individuals and their conscience about how they

represent themselves. It said, this year it did not receive a single

complaint about any of the entries. Scotland's population has reached a

record high. At the end of June last year, it stood at more than 5.3

million - that's up 18,000 over Census Day in 2011. There were more

births than deaths, but the rise is mainly due to people moving into

Scotland. Our social affairs correspondent joins me now. The

population's been moving upwards steadily over the past few years,

hasn't it? Yes, and it is gathering pace. If you look at the figures

from the 2001 census, we had a population of just over 5 million.

That caused some concern. Jack McConnell launched a campaign to

make sure Scotland's population kept growing. In 2011, the next census,

we saw that the figure had in fact risen to just under 5.3 million. The

latest figures, from the middle of last year, show that it has gone up

further, to 5.31 3 million. There are a few reasons for that. There

are more births than deaths. That is probably because of the health

advances we have had, but also more people are coming into Scotland than

are leaving the country. People have always left Scotland. More people

are coming in. What we are finding is that the people are coming in and

are coming from outwith the United Kingdom. They are coming from

overseas. However, the rates of them coming is slowing and that is

concerning because we need 24,000 extra people each year to keep up

our economic performance. It is confirming a trend that we have been

aware of. Scotland is getting older. Absolutely. Figures were published

showing a 14% increase in the number of people aged 75 and over. A 16%

increase in the age group below that. And a 14% increase in the age

group before that, 45-59. That is worrying because we are also seeing,

in the younger age groups, a decrease in the order of 6% in under

16-year-olds. And a decrease of 9% in the age group 30-44. That means

there will be fewer people able to afford to pay the pensions or the

older population, however the number of under five-year-olds is on the

rise. The number of serious allegations

made against doctors in Scotland has risen by almost three-quarters in

five years. Last year, the General Medical Council looked at 126

allegations of misconduct, compared to 69 in 2007. They resulted in 54

tribunals, with eight doctors struck off. The General Medical Council has

heard cases about two surgeons practising in Aberdeen.

Edinburgh's festival season is in full swing, with every topic under

the sun being debated. But only a handful are about the particularly

hot subject of Scottish independence, and most of those are

by non-Scottish companies. Our arts correspondent Pauline McLean

reports. You don't have to look far to find people mulling over the

subject of Scottish identity. There are only a handful of shows about

independence. Most of those are buying non-Scottish companies. This

show is the work of an English company who have asked performers

from both sides of the border to build a ballot, night by night, over

the festival. It feels like a very lively, funded eight. I do not think

anyone feels like they are being hit over the head with any agenda or

manifesto. It really is, how about this as an idea? It is fun. Some,

like Finland, have direct experience of the independence debate and share

that ensures like this one. messages, remember, you are human.

Whenever you are, take care of yourself and your friends and I

think yourself, you make the decision. Perhaps it is just too

soon for Scottish performance to nail their colours to the mast. It

could be next year before the debate really gets going. This time next

year, you will not be able to throw a rock without hitting a show about

independence. The beauty of the Edinburgh fringe is the

unpredictability of the zeitgeist. At the moment, there are a lot of

work from both sides of the border about protest, about dissent. As we

get closer, it will crystallise until the fine points, the satire,

the clear stories are covered. You lack this time next year, expect

independence to be the topic on everyone's list. -- lips And there's

more from Pauline on the festival's take on independence in Newsnight

Scotland at 11, over on BBC Two Scotland.

A support group is being set up in Aberdeen for those affected where

baby ashes may have been disposed of without their parents' knowledge.

The City Council is facing legal claims from a number of those

involved. But the authority says it has yet to find evidence of any

wrongdoing. A woman suffered serious head

injuries after falling 40ft down cliffs at Hawkcraig Point in

Aberdour in Fife last night. Emergency service crews, including a

specialist rope rescue team from Lochgelly, helped get the injured

woman to a waiting ambulance. A 17th-century mansion saved from

ruin has won a national restoration prize. Kinross House was named

winner of the Historic Houses Association and Sotheby's

restoration award. Scotland's first neo-classical Palladian mansion and

its gardens were restored to their former glory by owner Donald

Fothergill, who bought the property in 2011.

A farmer in Blackford has taken ownership of a new herd of Wagyu

cattle - the kind that makes the famous Kobe beef. Now the largest

Wagyu owner in Britain, Mohsin Altajir, is breeding the Japanese

animals with Scottish stock in the hope of creating a new line of hardy

cattle with marbled meat. Wagyu meat can fetch up to �250 a kilo. And

there are more stories from your area - and all the latest news, 24

hours a day on BBC Scotland's website.

The UK's biggest indie computer games festival is underway in

Dundee. Around 10,000 people are expected at the event.

Here in this giant marquee in Dundee, scores of students have

spent the last few weeks working on computer games, hoping there's might

be the next big thing. The next Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. This Dare

ProtoPlay one Festival is the games designers chance to show off their

ideas for the first time to the public. It is also a showcase for

new and established independent studios. How important is this event

for the UK gaming industry? It is important in different levels.

The contestants have been selected by the industry to take part. They

will be judged by the industry and it is also a kind of celebration for

the industry that something good is happening at entry level in the UK.

Also here is Ian Livingston, the creator of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

What do you think of the talent you see on display? I am really

impressed. Dundee has a rich history of supporting the games industry.

The games industry is a booming industry, it is mass-market

entertainment. With smartphone devices, everyone is playing

entertainment on buses and trains on the Underground. You can see that

small studios can now reach global audiences. Away from the computer

screens, delegates will discuss the later development thinking pewter

gaming. Events like this have helped make this city a centre of the UK

gaming industry. It is time for sport. Are you

accompanied by the dulcet tones of Neil Diamond?

The announcer seems to like Sweet Caroline. You can see McDermott Park

filling up nicely. There are loads of fans here already, one hour to go

until kick-off. You can see the goalkeeper is out there doing their

pre-match warm up. I am nice and warm here. I am due to preview a big

night for St Johnstone and they take another shot at European glory. By

which I mean a place in the final qualifying round of the Europa

League. St Johnstone, who've already seen off Norwegian champions

Rosenborg, take a 1-0 advantage into the second leg of their qualifier

against Minsk of Belarus. I have got a Saints star of yesteryear, Allan

Preston. How big an occasion is this? It is as big as it gets. They

have a 1-0 lead after their first game in Belarus. In the last round

they were one - zero up going into the second leg. They just squeezed

through. This time are you expecting a similarly tense and anxious even

in tonight? You'll I am. But St Johnstone had a brilliant result

last week and tonight they are the home side, the onus is on them to go

and attack. I do not think they will sit back. They will attack and try

to get an early lead. I always ask my guest for a quick

prediction. I think St Johnstone will win 2-0. Thank you. There is

another big match coming up next week. Scotland play England at

Wembley. Excuse me while I fiddle about with my script. The Scottish

national team will get their first taste of goal-line technology. The

new Hawk-eye system has been installed at Wembley ahead of

Wednesday's friendly. The England squad was named today and it

features Wayne Rooney, despite him currently being injured. It is a bit

naive to think that with the little football he has played, he will be

able to play for 90 minutes. We are aware of that. But we are in

agreement that it is good he comes here and we will have to make a

judgement call on how sensible it is to play him, and if we do play him,

for how long will it be sensible to let him play.

Tonight, Andy Murray takes on a man who not so long ago called him and

the other players in the world's top four ''boring''. The Wimbledon

Champion plays Latvia's Ernest Gulbis in the third round of the

Rogers Cup in Canada. Murray is more concerned with his opponent's style

on court. He will use drop shots and come to the net, but he can also

make quite a few errors, so it is tough to get into a rhythm against

him in terms of what he says, sometimes he is fairly outspoken,

but then when you see him the next day he is really nice to you. It is

a slightly strange one. That is it for tonight. You can listen to

tonight's match on BBC Radio Scotland. Their role also be updates

on Motherwell's match. Thanks. Let's go back to Gillian for

the weather forecast. the weather forecast.

No record breaking temperatures but I can promise you sunshine tomorrow.

We have got some rain to get through first, we have got a weather front

pushing in from the Atlantic bringing outbreaks of rain and that

is already well in across the Western Isles, the West Highlands as

well. That cloud and rain spread right across to all parts and the

rain will be heavy at time, especially for Argyle. Quite a misty

and murky condition, especially some hill fog. Milder than last night.

Temperatures holding up at 11 to 14 Celsius. There will be a

southeasterly breeze. Tomorrow it is cloudy and damp start, rain will

hang on in the north-east, but elsewhere across the country it will

clear up. Skies will brighten and we will see sunshine getting through,

albeit with a scattering of showers. At 4pm, still some sovereign cloud

but some sunshine getting through. -- stoppered cloud. Some cloudy

conditions for Orkney but it should brighten up. Shetland will hold onto

cloud with some rain and temperatures just 15 Celsius as a

result. Some rain hangs around on the coast, but inland,

Aberdeenshire, should see sunshine. Across central and southern

Scotland, we might see the best of the sunshine. Temperatures getting

up to 19 or wealthy Celsius. -- 20 Celsius. Very little changes

tomorrow. As we head into the weekend, for Saturday we have still

got that westerly airflow and it will continue to bring in some

servers. Mainly for western Scotland, where again some of them

will be heavy. -- some showers. Temperatures are a notch down on

what we have seen. The extent or 18 Celsius. For Saturday night, a