03/02/2016 Reporting Scotland

Tonight on reporting Scotland, MSP is reject a cross-party call for a

1p increase to protect public services.

The Scottish ambulance is forced to postpone plans to downgrade certain

types of 999 calls. Claims that Police Scotland tries

to avoid paying compensation for road accidents

involving its officers. In my experience, they do everything

that is in their power to do the right thing and avoid paying

compensation. Celtic take on Aberdeen in the top

of the table clash that MSPs have rejected an increase

in Scottish income tax from April. Labour had called for a penny

increase in tax at all levels, But in a vote at Holyrood a majority

of MSPs said no to that - and backed the Scottish Government's

budget plans for the year ahead. Sums and choices. Kezia Dugdale

editor Brian Taylor. Sums and choices. Kezia Dugdale

chooses a penny on income tax at all levels, mostly to fund education.

The proposals levels, mostly to fund education.

strip hundreds of millions of pounds out of vital public services from

strip hundreds of millions of pounds schools, 50% of what our councils

do. I'm not prepared for the next schools, 50% of what our councils

generation of kids to pay the price for Tory austerity.

generation of kids to pay the price outside Holyrood, trade union

members, the other wing of outside Holyrood, trade union

council job losses. In the middle of it all, the finance secretary. John

Swinney says Labour's plan would punish public sector workers and

pensioners while he wants to shelter them. I want to say to the teachers

and to the public service workers at the length and breadth of this

country, who have had to endure pay constraints because of the austerity

programme of the United Kingdom Government, that I value the

sacrifices they have made and the last thing I am going to do is put

up their taxes. A helping hand from Nicola Sturgeon. Scottish ministers

plan to extend the living wage to social care workers and others. Stab

at this Midlothian Centre already received that higher rate of pay,

at this Midlothian Centre already but no increase to standard rate

income tax, not now, not next year, when Holyrood should have greater

flexibility to vary tax. I don't think an increase in the basic rate

of income tax is the right thing to do. Labour's Taxman this involves a

rebate, with councils handing back ?100 the lowest paid, including

low-income pensioners, but Scottish ministers have branded that plan

unworkable, possibly illegal and say those payments should be taxed.

Labour's Jackie Baillie insisted the plan had been thoroughly checked.

The Liberal Democrats back 1p on tax by education and said new cuts

should be blamed on Scottish ministers. He is imposing the kind

of budget that he has previously condemned. The people of Scotland

will know that his refusal to act means that every single cut to

public services in Scotland is a John Swinney cut. But John Swinney

received decidedly ironic support in resisting tax increases from the

Conservatives. It Klatten is my Tory heart to hear

the so-called political progressives arguing so vigorously and

passionately against increases in taxation. We are happy to be better

together with the SNP on this issue. To the votes tonight. Are we all

agreed? Not by a long shot. Labour's increase was rejected.

It's emerged that the deadline to try and strike a deal

between the UK and Scottish governments on how new tax powers

for Holyrood would work, could be breached.

Our correspondent David Porter is at Westminster for us tonight.

These talks on the so-called fiscal framework have been long, they have

been very detailed, and too many they have been torturous. But

tonight it appears at least the UK Government is taking

tonight it appears at least the UK measures because it thinks that the

deadline imposed by the Scottish Government for these talks to be

concluded after the 12th of February might now slip. Coincidentally in

the House of Commons MPs this evening have been debating public

spending in Scotland. It gave the Scottish Secretary David Mundell a

chance to lay out his position, and the way the UK Government seems to

be moving towards thinking that deadline may not be met. He said

that it was better to get a deal that was right than to rush it. Keen

as though I am to have a warm and supportive relationship with the

Scottish Government, I have never felt the same Valentine's Day date

had much relevance to this process. I'm willing to keep continuing

working towards a deal for as long as that takes and as long as we can.

Fiscal agreement is vital, as Lord Smith himself said, it is

fundamentally important in making Scotland's new powers work. It is

fundamentally important in making the final piece in an interlocking

jigsaw, and we could not agree more with that. So what seem to be the

missing pieces in the negotiation jigsaw? This really goes down to the

nitty-gritty, it goes down to money. In future when Scotland is able to

raise its own taxes, what that will mean for the amount of money that

Westminster provides through the rock grant, and whether Scotland

would be disadvantaged or not compared to the rest of the UK. The

Smith commission says there should be no detriment and it should be a

deal that is fair to both Westminster and Holyrood. At the

moment there are differences of opinion between the UK Government

and the Scottish Government as to what that means and how it can be

achieved. There will be more talks in Edinburgh next week. This one

will go to the wire. But they're now does seem an acceptance, certainly

from those in Whitehall, but actually the deadline may be

breached. But they remain, they say, it is better to get it right than to

rush something as important as this. Thank you.

How much time does it take to potentially save a life?

The Scottish Ambulance Service was planning to downgrade certain

kinds of 999 calls, which meant crews were given longer to get

there - but now those plans have been postponed

following the intervention of the chief medical officer.

Our health correspondent Eleanor Bradford is here.

Eleanor, what kind of calls were affected

The Ambulance Service has hundreds of categories of calls, but they are

classified either category A, B or C depending on how fast an ambulance

is needed. Ambulance bosses wanted to change some types of call in

category eight two category B. That affects how quickly you would need

to respond to them. By making the changes it meant paramedics would

have 90 minutes to respond to these new category B calls rather than the

eight minutes they had previously. They included chest pains with

abnormal breathing, chest pains with a history of heart attack or angina,

being not alert after falling. So those plans are now on hold was the

Chief Medical Officer satisfies herself that all this is safe.

Different categories of patient need herself that all this is safe.

a different kind of response, these codes are quite old, they are 30

years old. In fact our treatments and our response times have of

years old. In fact our treatments perhaps now time has

years old. In fact our treatments actually look in more detail,

years old. In fact our treatments because we want to sustain the best

outcome with our current treatment. Why were those

outcome with our current treatment. considered in the first place? It

all depends on how you look at it. Opposition politicians and some

paramedics have said Opposition politicians and some

that it should get to 75% of category a calls within eight

minutes. Last year it only reached 66% of the calls within that time

frame. However the Ambulance Service itself says that it's doing it for

medical reasons. It has looked at six months worth of data, and that

this is not only clinically safe but the unions are in agreement that

this should be done. As you heard the Chief Medical Officer say, the

whole system is the Chief Medical Officer say, the

data, quite an old system. In Wales they've gone even further, been more

radical and done away with target times altogether. What they have

started to look at is simply whether or not the ambulance get there

quickly enough for the patient to You're watching Reporting Scotland,

and still to come on tonight's In sport, it's the

toe to toe. We are on the shop floor with the part-time football is

hoping to pull off the greatest of cup upsets.

Scotland's third biggest bank - the Clydesdale Bank -

has become independent again, for the first time

It's being sold off by its owners - the National Australia Bank.

Here's our business correspondent David Henderson.

It's had a place on Scotland's high streets since the 1830s.

It's had a place on Scotland's high For years its owners, National

Australia Bank, have wanted to sell it off, so they've taken off

billions of pounds of clients tell's debts, leaving the Scottish bank

largely free from the burdens of the past. We have independent and what

that really means is that we will be able to make investments in our

customers based on what they need as opposed to having a third party

forming of you. We listen to our customers, decide what they want,

and deliver. Having independence to customers, decide what they want,

the dude that is a huge part of our strategy -- independence to do that.

By the time these headquarters were built, it was already helping to

fund the rapid growth of the Empire's second city. The bank broke

down barriers by offering lending to women. These days Clydesdale bank is

a big player with 121 branches in Scotland, and its partner, the

Yorkshire bank, has 154 in England. Between them they'll serve almost 3

million UK customers. So they are Between them they'll serve almost 3

the biggest of the so-called challenger banks, ready to take on

giants like RBS. Historically banks have benefited from inertia, people

just haven't wanted to change current accounts. The rise of the

Internet as well facilitates being able to look round and see better

deals. We all have a place that means something to us. With that in

mind Clydesdale is keen to boost its mortgage lending and grow its

business that way. Competition for customers might be heating up.

The police are there to help us when we're wronged -

but what happens when police are at fault?

One of the country's most experienced lawyers in personal

injury claims has accused Police Scotland of doing anything

to avoid paying compensation after incidents where its officers

Suzanne Allan has this exclusive report.

There's nothing left of Leona Rice's car which was a present from her

grandad. Four years ago, with her family inside, she was involved in a

collision with a police car. I was pulling out of the junction and I

was turning right, and the police came along, no silent all lights on.

I had internal bleeding in my leg, cracked wrist, and suffered panic

attacks after the crash. The police charged her with driving without due

consideration but it was found not proven in court. Her solicitor says

Police Scotland will try anything to avoid paying compensation after

accidents like this. When a police officer is involved in an accident,

and it is their fault, they do not seem willing to do the right thing,

to stand up and say that we need to make just recompense for what

happened. They circle the wagons, and in my experience of these

things, they do absolutely everything they can that is within

their power to avoid doing the right thing. In the past three years

Police Scotland have paid out over 61130 ?3000 in compensation. But

that is dwarfed if you look at the London Metropolitan Police. In just

one year they've paid out over ?1.8 million. Although they are a bigger

force. Patrick McGuire says the police are slow at settling claims.

Unlike organisations of a similar size. Looking at other bodies and

how they react in terms of the Fire Service, NHS, even the post office.

Other organisations are more akin to the attitude of insurers when

involved with members of the public, the police force just stand apart.

Leona is angry police haven't taken the blame. I'm disgusted in the way

that the police have been about the whole thing. I just want them to

admit liability because it's been proven in court that it wasn't my

fault. And I would like my compensation. Police Scotland gave

us this statement. A look at other stories

from across the country. A fourth person has died following a

crash on the M9 last Friday. 37-year-old Sajjad Ahmad

was the driver of a Mercedes which was involved in

the collision in West Lothian. His wife, Saadia, was

pronounced dead at the scene and their nine-year-old

daughter, Ayesha, died on Saturday. The driver of the other vehicle -

42-year-old Mark Hansen - Two boys, aged ten and 14,

remain in a serious condition. Seven members of the executive

committee of Scotland's biggest

mosque have resigned after they and their families

were allegedly subjected to threats and abuse by opponents

within the Muslim community. In a joint statement,

they said that their efforts to improve

the representation of women and financial transparency

at the mosque No one from the mosque has been

available for comment. Police Scotland have confirmed

they are investigating the matter. Two women have been

charged in connection with an assault at

a care home in Fife. The women, aged 57 and 61,

were arrested following allegations of an assault at the Chapel Level

Care Home in Kirkcaldy. said it had suspended

a number of staff. A man has been arrested

and charged in connection with a fatal fire

in Fraserburgh 18 years ago. Gordon Graham died in the blaze

in the town's High Street The 42-year-old man is due to appear

at Peterhead Sheriff Court tomorrow. Plans have been unveiled

for a new section The stretch east of Inverness

includes proposals to bypass the town of Nairn and contains

a separate 18-mile pathway for walkers, cyclists

and horse riders. It's the first part of the Scottish

Government's commitment to dual the entire route

between Inverness and Aberdeen. Work is about to start

on a complete restoration and extension of one of Europe's

most historic cinemas. Details of a ?2.5 million contract

to re-open the Picture House and the cinema should

reopen next spring. It's another giant leap

for Scotland in space. A rocket from the Hebrides missile

range in the Western Isles has become the first to be launched

into space from UK soil. But the achievement -

which happened last year - Our science correspondent

Kenneth Macdonald has this report. It was the military exercise almost

in passing. There was a large naval exercise run by Nato and as part of

that they were doing some missile intercept operations. So for the

first time they launched a missile from a kinetic operated range, it

went up and into space. That's the first time any object has been into

space from the UK. This is what it looked like. But there will be no

place in a museum for the American-made rocket because the

point of the exercise was to blow it to bits over the North Atlantic.

Nonetheless, a first for the to bits over the North Atlantic.

a first for the Hebrides Missile range. That's where my family is

from, so great to see some real spacecraft going up into orbit from

Scotland. That could happen soon. Prestwick and Campbeltown are among

the six sites mind to be the first UK spaceport. It would handle

horizontal take-offs like those by virgin collect it. So there could be

space tourism up there and for the rest of us down on planet Earth.

Police will come to see space launchers. People go to Cape

Canaveral to see rockets launched. They even go to Ross well in New

Mexico to look at a plastic alien because they are so interested in

space. Half a million people just go to a bar to look at a plastic alien.

Scotland to a bar to look at a plastic alien.

sector. This cube to a bar to look at a plastic alien.

from Kazakhstan, so a vertical launch site here could

If it takes a couple of it to the launch site in South

America, that is a long it to the launch site in South

could build it in Glasgow and launch it to the launch site in South

it here, put it in the vehicle, get it into space

it here, put it in the vehicle, get you are really compressing that time

period. The company that runs the Hebrides range for the MoD said they

had no plans to use it for a commercial spaceport although they

do say they have the commercial expertise to support a Spaceport

anywhere in the UK. And the next port of call... Sorry!

The Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes says his team face their toughest

task of the season tonight when Premiership leaders

As you can see, just six points separate the teams

But after tonight's match, there will be 14 games left

and the difference could jump to nine points

This is the third meeting of the top two sides this meeting. It is

This is the third meeting of the top with Aberdeen the winners last time

Pittodrie was the venue. with Aberdeen the winners last time

always a tough challenge for us, with Aberdeen the winners last time

for any team in the league, with Aberdeen the winners last time

always the toughest fixture but for with Aberdeen the winners last time

us, it is also the fixture that gives us the most opportunity to

us, it is also the fixture that against them and to inflict, you

know, some damage on them as well. We have already beaten Celtic,

know, some damage on them as well. would be nice to do it again and

that is what we hope to do. Smiles from Ronny Deila yesterday after

picking up manager of the month for January, which is slightly

picking up manager of the month for to Sunday, after the league cup

defeat from Ross County. Celtic's travel hopes potentially in

smithereens again! Very disappointed at the weekend, all of the players

and everybody, but it is three days at the weekend, all of the players

later and a very important game again and we can put ourselves in a

very good position, so we have everything to go for up there at

Pittodrie and get three points, get nine points clear, that is very good

if we can do that. Aberdeen are unbeaten in their last ten league

games, while Celtic have lost only three domestic matches all season.

The question is, whose impressive statistics will be enhanced tonight?

And full coverage of the match is on BBC Radio Scotland,

The radio programme is underway already.

The Rangers manager Mark Warburton says he's not concerned

about what his Championship rivals are doing, after watching his team

retain their eight-point lead at the top.

Andy Halliday was the goal hero for Rangers in a hard-fought win

Nearest challengers Hibernian kept up the chase with the same scoreline

at Morton - recent loan signing Anthony Stokes the man

After Celtic's top of the table Premiership match against Aberdeen

they face an altogether different challenge.

The Lowland league side East Kilbride

If the part timers from South Lanarkshire win,

it would be the biggest upset in the world of football.

It would also make them ?5,000 per man richer.

While he is doing this... They are doing that. And when he is doing

that... He is doing this. Such is the life of a part-time footballer.

This is where I work during the week, from quarter past six until

quarter past two on back of the road from Monday to Friday and there in

the nights, and on a Saturday. Not this weekend. Anton and team-mate

Jordan are playing on a Sunday, when East Kilbride face Celtic. We are

trying to embrace it, really, because it is a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity. The kitchen company they work for is promising to pay

every East Kilbride layer 5,000 pounds if they beat the Scottish

champions. -- player. Money shouldn't be an incentive, you are

champions. -- player. Money into football to enjoy it and get as

high as you can. Football is a funny game, 11 against 11 at the end of

the day, you never know what can happen. And East Kilbride win may be

fanciful but in the town, there are some believers. We are playing

Celtic, but we will see. It is a one off, but let's hope they win, Celtic

playing rubbish. I think 2-0. Even if they pull off the biggest upset

in the history of Scottish football, come Monday morning, Anton and

George Jordan will be back making kitchen units.

Some new sports pundits there, get them on!

An unfinished documentary about the Highlands -

begun in the '50s - is to be completed and and given a premiere.

It was made by a group of film-makers who ran out of money,

but 60 years on, it will, at last, be shown on the big screen.

Our arts correspondent Pauline McLean reports.

Lost Treasure examines the changing face of the Highlands in the 1950s.

The most ambitious programme to date for a film collective based in

Glasgow. Just a sheep farm, a bog... But the film was never finished, the

project abandoned when the group ran out of money and forgotten until

film Festival director Matt Lloyd contacted the Scottish film at grid

archive. Not only did they have all of that footage sat there that as

far as we know hadn't been used in any form, they also had the original

script. So, really, I was really keen to bring this film and footage

to the light of day. The script meant they could not only edited the

film but create a new soundtrack. You can guess what mood they were

after and although that mood might involve using different music now,

it does give you a pointer towards the sort of tone that they would

like to have had over that particular part of the script. It is

like a sort of phantom director that is not in the room with you but is

in the script to help you along and guide you. And while the original

film-makers may not be around to see the premiere and live score, it is

hoped some of their families will. Maybe there are children and

grandchildren that we can contact or might hear about this and come out

of the woodwork and maybe there was more footage that was shot. As far

as we know, this is all the footage we have but there may be more reels

in someone's garage somewhere. And maybe there is a sequel to this

aptly named Lost Treasure. Now here's Andrew Kerr

with details of Scotland 2016. We will have expert analysis on

today's budget debate as the fight rages over proposed tax hikes.

European arguments escalate in the House of Commons, we hear from those

in favour of in and out. And up, up under way, more on the story of the

space rocket. That is Scotland 2016 tonight.

A nicer day for some of us weatherwise, here's Gillian

Hopefully you made the most of the sunshine, that is all I will say.

Good evening, it was a lovely day the most of us compared to what we

have had, lots of scenes like this one sent in by one of our weather

Watchers, but it is set to go downhill. Most of us are starting

the night dry, temperatures falling away quite rapidly, a few wintry

showers for the Northern Isles and into the wintry air, a weather

front, so turning wintry. For central and southern Scotland, the

snow mainly confined to the hills but for Perthshire Northwoods, we

could see some wet snow is, and accumulations on higher level roads.

It could be short lived because we are pulling in milder air and by the

end of the night, up to five or six Celsius on the West Coast and it is

an indication of what is to come because during tomorrow, the warm

front works its way steadily eastwards, introducing milder air

but also introducing a lot of cloud and outbreaks of rain. Most of it

will be light and patchy, but certainly amounting to a grey day

compared to what we had today. So this is the picture

around three o'clock, drizzle for the southern uplands, the central

belt and up into the central highlands. Quite persistent at this

stage for Aberdeenshire and the North Highlands, with Shetland

bearing best in terms of weather, fine day here. Temperatures more

like four or five Celsius. Into the evening, the rain does get up to

Shetland and elsewhere across the country, it stays cloudy and damp

and the rain is most persistent across western Scotland. Another

relatively mild night but then we head into Friday and it is all

change once again as this cold front works its way across the country, so

eventually it will turn colder through the day and we will also see

some heavy rain with this one, particularly for West and south-west

Scotland and a yellow warning from the Met Office, meaning be aware,

because it could lead to issues with localised flooding and hazardous

driving conditions, becoming windy with the wind is touching Gale force

around the coast. The rain clears the Saturday with a bright start,

wet and windy for the south-west later on. That is the forecast.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news.

MSPs have rejected an increase in Scottish income tax from April.

Labour had called for a penny increase in tax at all levels,

But in a vote at Holyrood a majority of MSPs said no to that -

I'll be back with the headlines at 8-- and the late bulletin just