02/04/2014 Reporting Scotland

brightness between the clouds. The outlook is mixed. Thank you.

Tonight, on Reporting Scotland: Tributes to the 12-year old girl

killed when a wall collapsed on her at school. Keane Wallace-Bennet's

family say she could have been Prime Minister or a beautician - as people

lay flowers in her memory at Liberton High in Edinburgh. Keane

was a lovely girl. An excellent pupil. Very popular with the staff

and her peers alike. Everyone is very distressed, the pupils are very

distressed. The Education Secretary says he is absolutely certain local

authorities across Scotland are checking school building safety.

Also on the programme: Thousands of used syringes are being discarded in

parks and streets across Scotland. How the Commonwealth Games will stop

the traffic in Glasgow. Organisers plan road closures across the city.

New voters - just over three quarters of 16 and 17-year-olds

register to have their say in the independence referendum. She will be

spending tonight safely in her a very.

And back on her perch at last - Gandalf the Vulture returns to

Cumbernauld after a flying visit to the Inner Hebrides.

Good Evening. The family of 12-year-old Keane

Wallis-Bennett, who died after a wall collapsed at her school in

Edinburgh have paid tribute to her tonight. In a statement they said

she was their princess, who'd dreamed of being Prime Minister.

Investigators have spent the day at Liberton High, trying to find out

what happened. Edinburgh council says it's also examining similar

walls at other schools in the capital. Morag Kinniburgh reports.

Keane's mother brought flowers for her daughter. A private message

written inside. The grief over a young life lost is -- felt over the

community. Keane Wallis-Bennett is described as a popular girl who

loved music and Dan June. She died yesterday when a wall collapsed on

top of her. Her friends have written a statement saying: Liberton High

School has had serious structural problems before, a survey is

underway as investigators try to work out what went wrong. Keane was

a lovely girl, an excellent pupil and very popular with staff and her

peers alike. Clearly everyone is very, very distressed. The pupils

are very distressed. The last two days we have been working alongside

psychological services to provide support for those who need it. Amid

the tears and tributes there is growing concern and outrage, could

this tragedy have been prevented and our other schools at risk. They knew

the wall was wobbly, there was a lift shaft in their couple of years

ago, what else is to happen. It is horrendous. OK, they can make them

watertight, as the saying goes, but there are some repairs that need to

be done for the safety of the children. The wall that collapsed

was built to give privacy to those changing in the PE changing rooms.

Many questions have been raised about the safety and maintenance of

school buildings. Morag is at Liberton High School

tonight. What reaction has there been locally? There has been praised

the way the emergency services responded. But the questions keep

growing and the anger is mounting. Did the school know this wall was

weak? Or more have been done to ensure pupils are safe. There are

wider questions, how safe are Scotland's school buildings,

questions the authorities are being pressed to answer.

The Education Secretary, Mike Russell, says he expects that every

local authority in Scotland will be checking school buildings after

yesterday's tragedy. But he says that most of the school estate is of

a good standard and improvements continue to be made.

Our Education Correspondent Jamie McIvor is here and can tell us more.

The accident at Liberton was a unique event but parents are bound

to be asking questions now about how safe their children are at school.

Away from any immediate concerns there are three fundamental

questions here. The overall state of school buildings. Whether routine

repair and maintenance work is being done properly. And what should

happen if a problem that could cause a serious accident comes to light?

A shiny new school of the sort the government is proud of. This one in

Aberdeen got a personal visit from the First Minister himself. Of

course, students in brand-new buildings are a lucky minority, but

the proportion in a school that is deemed to be in a satisfactory

condition has gone of significantly. I think we have had 463 schools

built or refurbished since 2007. There is a great deal of work being

done and a lot of new schools. That will continue to be the case. The

last survey said 84% of pupils were in a building that was good or

satisfactory. That is up from 61% in 2007. But it means one in six

children are in a school building, which by implication, is not good

enough. There are a number of schools that are in a complete state

of disrepair, which can barely survive. In addition to that there

are a number of schools that require daily maintenance to keep them up to

scratch, but are being squeezed in terms of the availability of a

budget to do the maintenance. Six years ago, this was the state of

Falkirk high school. It has since been replaced. What about ordinarily

repairs and maintenance across the country? Unions fear there is a risk

that pressure in budgets could lead to stop gap repairs.

But even if the budget is stretched or a school isn't in good condition,

nobody would accept that as an excuse for anything dangerous. When

repairs are prioritised by councils the top priority goes to dealing

with anything that might cause an accident or making buildings wind

and watertight. And if, for instance, part of a school building

was found to be dangerous, then it should be closed off until it's made

safe. A retired detective inspector has

told the Elaine Doyle murder trial that covering her body with a

blanket was a potentially catastrophic blunder by police.

76-year-old James Goldie was a senior police officer at the scene

in Greenock where Elaine's body was found. 49-year-old John Docherty

denies murdering Elaine and has lodged special defences of alibi and

incrimination including a list of 41 names and says one of those people

could be Elaine's killer. Members of the public have reported

nearly4,000 discarded needles in Scotland's largest towns and cities

in just two years. The figure was revealed after Freedom of

Information requests were made by BBC Scotland. Our health

correspondent Eleanor Bradford reports.

If you thought discarded needles were a problem of the 80s and 90s,

you are wrong. According to the data we have gathered, this street is one

of the hotspots for discarded needles. We have only been here a

few minutes and already we have found one. There was drug-taking

paraphernalia here. Around the corner, another needle with blood on

it. Passers-by said this had been reported, but further down this

backstreet, there word two more. BBC Scotland at the local authorities

are many needles were found by members of the public over two

years. More than 3900 were reported. More than half of these were in

Glasgow. 500 were found in Aberdeen. Dundee told us we did not collect

the data, but we found out more than 400 were found in 12 months which

would make it the second most needle littered city. And Kirkcaldy

reported the next highest number of needles. If you want to find out how

close to you, needles were found, you can search our interactive map.

Although Glasgow has the biggest problem, the number of discarded

needles is falling. Individual kits. I met with a lead pharmacist and

said many were unused so they stop handing them out in bulk. Someone

can take a couple of kits and then come back. We have increased the

number of outlets that are, so there are lots of places for people to

return use needles. A traffic warden told us to head here, James Watt

Street, jury is because this is where the Glasgow office sits on. We

found two needles right beside the government building. A spokesperson

told us it wasn't their land and was a matter for the council.

You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come: Gandalf

the missing vulture is re-captured and on her way home to Cumbernauld.

Is Scottish football creating a golden generation capable of great

things? I will explain the strange porting

is going on in Dunoon. Businesses in Glasgow have been sent

details of road closures and travel restrictions planned for this

summer's Commonwealth Games. But the plans have led to fears of major

disruption for the city's commuters. Here's our Commonwealth Games

reporter, Lisa Summers. This is the beauty athletes will get

as they had to the Commonwealth games venues. They will have access

to a special lane, but for everyone else getting to the city, it will be

a challenge. The worst of the problems are expected to be around

the Kingston Bridge. A taxi driver should know how the city will cope.

Anything to do, they can shut any lane, will be a problem. Getting

into the city from the south and the West will result in the most

disruption. There will be no access from the Clyde 's head Expressway

and there will be restrictions around the rest of the city. As Ms

got their first look at transport plans today. We have been asking for

transport information as one of the most important components business

leaders need to plan for deliveries during that time. We are delighted

to see that transport information beginning to come through. The

council promised the city would be open for business while the

Commonwealth Games is on but that has been criticism over some of the

information available. We have 118 days left to go to the, what games,

we want to see the city moving and vibrant and allow businesses to

operate. I still believe we have plenty of time in that respect. Like

the Olympics, extra security measures will mean restricted fly

zones. Hosting the Premier -- Commonwealth Games is like putting

on Old Firm matches every day for a fortnight. It is vital they get the

Commonwealth Games right. A look now at other stories from

across the country. An independent school in Aberdeen,

which has been at the centre of an investigation, is to close this

summer. Last month the Care Inspectorate said it had received

complaints about staffing and the care of children at the Waldorf

school's Kindergarten. The school council said the decision followed a

review of its financial position. A salmon-netting firm which was

planning to cull seals at a prominent North East colony has

withdraw its application for a control licence. The Scottish Wild

Salmon company had asked Marine Scotland for permission to shoot

seals on the estuary. Plans for tackling a notorious

hairpin bend on the A9 have been published. The trunk road drops more

than 400 feet as it enters a valley at the Berriedale Braes in

Caithness. Transport Scotland has asked people living locally to

comment on the plans ahead of a final decision later this year.

The artist Peter Howson has set off from Aberdeen on a walk across

Scotland to raise awareness of autism - a condition both he and his

daughter have. He hopes to change attitudes to the condition through

the 300-mile walk. It is stigmatised at the moment and it has been for

many years. The situation is a lot better than it was 20 years ago when

90% of GPs did not even recognise the condition. But now it is getting

better, we just need more awareness from the public.

BBC One's school-based drama, Waterloo Road, is to be axed after

its tenth series. The programme, filmed in Greenock, was launched in

2006. Three quarters of 16 and 17 year 's have signed up to have their

say in the independence referendum. Voting registration is the highest

it has ever been. But does more have to be done to make people aware of

their vote? Our Referendum Correspondent Laura Bicker has this

report.But does more have to be done to make people aware of their vote?

Our Referendum Correspondent Laura Bicker has this report. The piece of

paper being handed out is vital if these pupils want a say in

September. Here, they do. We can change the election. It is our

future. Instead of us watching our future being decided by adults, it

gives us a bit of a chance. Around three quarters of 16 and

17-year-olds have signed up to vote, but some believe that is not enough.

Any procedure that is designed to try to ensure that all those who are

eligible to vote are indeed franchised and can exercise their

vote if they want to, only getting 75% is frankly not enough. So far,

around 4.1 million voters have registered, an increase of about

60,000. That means there are still around 400,000 missing from the

registrar. Still work to do. These students illustrate why. Ie

registered? Yes. I don't think you are sure about that. No. Is it

important? Yes, I will vote. Will you get around to register in

question When does it have to be done by? September two. I don't

know, I'm quite busy. You have to be registered at an address. This looks

as if it has come as news to you. I've not voted before. September is

tricky, students are moving into new halls or flats and some are aware

that they need to register at an address. Don't leave it until the

last minute. You have until September the 2nd to register your

vote. Let's get the latest sport now from

David. Scotland's top young football talent

will grace the major tournaments of the future. That's the confident

assertion of the SFA performance manager who today brought together

the 50 best young players in Scotland. It's all part of nurturing

our very own golden generation. Jonathan Sutherland reports. Meet

the young footballers that the SFA hope will take Scotland back to a

major tournament. These players are highly motivated. They had gifted.

We are giving them the opportunity and I believe it will be the case.

Over two years, there has been 56 identify the best 50 layers at under

14 level. They are honing their skills together. Other countries

like Belgium have systems to foster their own golden generation. The

plan is to force cuts and to have something similar. It is a new

concept. 75% are training and practising every single day. It is

not such endurance, it is ball control. It has improved. The

technical side is good, the coach is more informed as to what they want

to do and teach us. The project to get Scotland back to the top table

of world football is under way and there are signs of progress. It is

not that we have the holy grail here, no one owns the truth of

football. There are many ways to be successful. We think this is a good

system, together, we will get it right.

Now, a look at what else is happening across Scottish sport.

Their win over Hibs on Sunday delayed it, but Hearts will be

relegated to the Championship if they don't beat Aberdeen tonight.

But they're more concerned with the fight to avoid liquidation. The

biggest battle is about the club still being here, that has not

changed. Aberdeen will go back to second place in the Premiership if

they beat Hearts - something they haven't been able to do so far this

season, losing twice. It is a game that we want to win, if we can go

and win it, we would get asked the question again.

And you can listen to the match on BBC Radio Scotland 810 medium wave,

online and on digital. Motherwell are the team currently in

second spot - Henri Anier and Iain Vigurs scoring for the Steelmen in a

2-1 win away to Inverness Caley Thistle last night.

Scotland's cricketers Tollcross is preparing to host the

Scottish Swimming Championships which get underway tomorrow. And

this swimmer, Dan Wallace, is hoping to make a splash. The Championships

double as trials for the Commonwealth Games, so achieving the

qualifying times is on every swimmer's mind. The dream is to race

here and do the best I can in front of a home crowd. This summer, I will

be up there on the podium if everything goes to plan. More on all

those stories and more on the BBC Sport Scotland website.

Now I'm all for promoting new sports on Reporting Scotland - even if they

are a bit, well, unusual, but if you like what you're about to see you'll

be able to watch the first Scottish Championships later this month in

Dunoon from where Phil Goodlad reports.

The start of the golf season is almost upon us. Suffice to say, this

is not. This is footgolf. Playing off to tease, and bigger

holes, footgolf is aimed at more than just golfers. It is more

difficult than it looks. You are thinking that you can stand there

and smash the ball up the fairway, but you have to knock it 50 or 60

yards, keep the ball as straight as you can. Good fun. Not everybody has

warmed to the golf -- footgolf. Despite green keepers finding 22

inch holes on their Greens, there are big plans for the sport. In five

years time, we'll have numerous courses all over Scotland. Hopefully

Scotland will embrace the World Cup like other countries and we may

qualify for a World Cup! In the year when the World Cup is in Brazil and

the Ryder Cup takes place at Gleneagles, it could be that the

moon is about to steal the show. -- Dunoon.

After going missing for ten days, Gandalf the vulture has turned up on

the Isle of Islay, 100 miles from the bird of prey centre in

Cumbernauld where she escaped from. She's now been brought back to the

mainland but, as Julie Peacock reports, she didn't seem too pleased

to be back in captivity. After ten long nerve wracking days,

Gandalf and her owner were finally reunited. That is quite gentle,

she's not being. How does it feel question It is great to have her

back. We were getting so worried. The man who caught, a retired

ornithologist travelled from the Isle of Islay to bring her back

home. Yet been contacted by a local farmer who had seen Gandalf on his

land. -- he had. He phoned me up and said, it is April one, but there is

a vulture on my farm. I just had to go and pick it up. En route, we

stopped at the local shop and bought some chicken pieces and when we got

home we fed them to her which she enjoyed.

Then it was time for the final leg of the journey.

No one knows where Gandalf has been, but strong winds would have helped

fly the 100 miles to the Isle of Islay. After a trip to the vet,

Gandalf was back home in her a very, but safe and well. Gandalf is

not giving up any secret about what she has been up to, but needless to

say everyone here is relieved to know she will be sent -- spending

the night safely tucked up in her avery.

How it to settling in? As you can see, up in the corner there, there

is Gandalf asleep, her head is tucked under her wing and she is

enjoying a well earned rest. I am joined by the owner here. Are you

going to have let Gandalf out again? She will hopefully be out again by

the Easter holidays. And that'll be doing displays, so people can come

and see her. She will be flying in the displays, yeah. Yellow that you

will be nervous about that, surely? Very nervous. Will you be taking

precautions? We are looking at having a new tracking system. She

has done it twice in eight years, so it is not too bad. You must have

started to get worried because this has been the longest that she has

disappeared for. It was nearly ten days. If people had not phoned, we

would have been panicking by now. A lot of people are talking about

being quite worried, any cause to be worried question No, she is not

dangerous to people. As you can see, she's having a well

earned rest and everybody here is breathing a huge sigh of relief.

Thank you for that, Julie. Good evening. Quite a changeable few

days on the cards. Thankfully, we will lose the mist from the East. We

still have weather fronts going over the country for the next 24 hours or

so. Finally, the wind starts to come from the South West, lifting all of

the mist from eastern Scotland. We still have that mist and murk to

content with across eastern Scotland tonight, some folk in coastal parts.

There will be some drier interludes. It will not be wall-to-wall rain.

Dry on the Northern Isles. Temperatures falling to six

Celsius. Tomorrow morning start on a cloudy night with outbreaks of rain

in places. It is hit or miss weather you will see the rain, there will be

dry spells. Some brightness across the north-west Highlands and

initially. Come the afternoon, a cloudy picture for the inner

Hebrides, the South West, but I think between the bands of showery

rain, so murky conditions. Some bits and pieces of drizzle in Angus. Some

really showery rain affecting places at times, but as I mentioned still

some drier weather to come. Highest temperatures in the north-west,

potentially 15 Celsius. Shetland will probably fare best. As we head

into the evening, we hold on to light winds foremost, a bit of a

breeze in the south-west. We will start to see persistent rain coming

across the country on Thursday night. Friday starts on a cloudy,

wet night with the mist and murk across eastern Scotland, but the

rain then moves northwards and drier conditions feeding. For the East,

temperatures will rise and we will see more sunshine for southern and

eastern Scotland. Temperatures will rise here.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news: The family of 12-year-old

Keane Wallis Bennett, who died after a wall collapsed at her school in

Edinburgh, have paid tribute to her tonight. In a statement, they said

she was their princess, who'd dreamed of being Prime Minister.

Investigators have spent the day at Liberton High, trying to find out

what happened. I will be back with a headlight at 8pm. -- the headlines.