23/03/2016 Reporting Scotland

The former first minister Alex Salmond says it's time to look

again at currency options for an independent Scotland.

While Mr Salmond still favours using the pound, he believes

independence arguments need to be "refurbished" so they can't be

"gazumped" by opponents in any future referendum.

Our political correspondent Glenn Campbell has the story.

In the referendum debates, questions over what currency

an independent Scotland would use were crucial.

You can't tell it what currency will have. I want what is best for

Scotland. What is best for Scotland is keeping the pound sterling.

Alex Salmond's government said Scotland could keep the pound

in a formal currency union with the rest of the UK.

It is clear to me, I could not as Chancellor recommend that we could

share the pound with an independent Scotland.

18 months on, the figurehead of the Yes campaign

wants his successor, Nicola Sturgeon, to revise

I think Nicola is quite right to want to look at the essential case

for interdependence and do some refurbishment and re-presentation to

make it appropriate for the new age. Should that includes looking again

at currency options for an independent Scotland? Yes, the

ultimate virtue of got to put forward is one that can withstand

any argument put forward by your opponent. This summer, the SNP will

embark on a new initiative to build support for independence.

The intervention comes after Nicola Sturgeon promised

Those who led the No campaign are not impressed.

I think Alex Salmond has a bit of a cheat 18 months after the fact

acknowledging that his currency case was always flawed. People in

Scotland have been well served by the pound, they have been well

served as part of the United Kingdom, particularly with all the

shocks and instability we have seen over the last years in the world

economy. The competing claims over currency

were never put to the test, because Scotland voted

"no" to leaving the UK. But this debate over the pound

still matters because the argument over independence has not gone away

and many in the Yes movement would put money on there

being a referendum re-run sooner Police investigating the murder

of 15-year-old Paige Doherty near Glasgow say they're

looking for people who were in the area on Monday,

the day her body was found. Paige was last seen on Saturday

on her way to work. Paige Doherty was last seen

here at 8.20am on Saturday morning buying a roll on her way to work

The owner of the shop next door knows her family well,

he is thought to be one of the last people to speak to Paige

before she disappeared. At about quarter past eight on

Saturday morning, outside the shop and I said, hello, you worried? She

put her hand up and she went into the deli shop and after that I never

saw her. When I heard the news that she had been found murdered I was

devastated. I can't say much more. I hope they find her killer.

Paige would then have walked along here to get her bus to work.

Police want to know if anyone was seen acting suspiciously in this

She was on her way to her part-time job as a junior

Her mother reported her missing after she failed to arrive at work.

Paige's body was found here on Monday at about 12.45pm.

This is the A82 Great Western Road, the main road into Glasgow .

Today, police appealed for what they describe

This is a very busy road and the area is also popular

Police are asking people to cast their mind to Monday.

They are asking people to come forward who saw anyone acting

Today, Paige's parents made this appeal for justice.

Tonight, police say they are working round the clock

Any piece of information, no matter how small,

They say they are encouraged with the response so far

since they launched the murder inquiry.

A deal which could save Lanarkshire's Clydebridge

and Dalzell steel plants is said to be close.

Negotiations with the likely buyer Liberty House are continuing

It looks like the end of an five months ago the owners of

Scotland's last big steelworker announced plans to close them. It

dealt a hammer blow to the workforce and marked the end of a chapter in

Scotland's industrial history. But now, there could be a fresh start.

All the signs look set to change, Tata Steel want to sell up to an

international metals firm, Liberty house. But how can basic seed where

Tata failed? Across Europe and America, the still industry in

crisis, the market is swamped with cheaper Chinese steel. Liberty

House's tactic is to undercut this opposition by recycling some of the

millions of scrap steel exported from the UK every year. We have a

different business model, we are looking at basically, reset our

costs, we are looking at using slabs which are more competitive.

Eventually we are looking at making those clubs ourselves. It has been a

hard winter for the workforce as all destroyed up, most have been laid

off. But the 270 workers in place last day, just 50 are left. Among

them, a union wrap Ross Clark. We have to sit down, we have to get the

place operation, we are to secure have to sit down, we have to get the

customer base and make this place profitable and sustainable still

customer base and make this place interested. Still making was one

Scotland's biggest industrial employer and it is dominated

Motherwell for decades. People here want these plans saved. It was a big

loss to the area, the whole of Lancashire suffered when that

colleagues. -- Lanarkshire. A lot of jobs have been lost through it. It

needs to be kept. As far as I'm concerned, the town is dead and

buried without the steel industry. But now, a tap the limit deal is

close. A deal has not yet been done. The key sticking point is the cost

of electricity, it takes huge amount of energy to heat up all that steel

until it is red-hot. Liberty House want to keep those down now and into

the future. Their sumps -- there are some tough talking ahead.

At Holyrood, MSPs gathered for the final time before heading

Scotland goes to the polls on May 5th.

Today was a day for emotion, for farewells and for a bitter

political dispute over tax and spending.

This from our political editor Brian Taylor.

A public book of condolence have now been made available. Holyrood

history, Tricia Marwick providing for the last time this term. Nicola

Sturgeon facing her final question session before the election. And on

the throne, King Robert the Bruce, proudly recoding Scotland passed for

passing MSPs. In the chamber though, they are focused on the future. The

SNP have said they won't alter tax rates in Scotland for now. This

first most who has campaigned for years on the match that more powers

means your cuts now refuses to use the powers to stop the cuts. The SNP

will revive a planned tax cut for higher earners but Nicola Sturgeon

said increasing the very top rate could backfire. If both moved and

avoid the tax cuts Scotland's revenue. It says right now it could

actually reduce the amount of money we have to invest in our National

Health Service is an public services would not be radical, it would be

reckless. It would not be daring, it would be daft. The Liberal Democrats

said Scottish education would suffer as a consequence. The opportunity to

said Scottish education would suffer transform education is missed. It

means nursery education targets will be missed. The attainment gap in

schools will keep being missed. The First Minister said the fiscal

framework would mean Scotland would be recompense for the UK tax plans.

That would generate tax for services. Land reform was champion.

We have large culture that is of land ownership in Poland and that

needs to change. And see Stuart McMillan plays Burns' great anthem.

Watching from the gallery, Sheena Wellington that sang that Berry song

on Parliament's opening day in 1999. A change of tune and party leaders

like the paper out of the chamber, down the corridor towards the garden

lobby. There, they gather, those who are departing and those who hope to

return, handshakes, hugs, even the occasional stealthy. -- selfie. And

from this happy scene, straight onto the street. Ruth Davidson takes the

Conservative election message out and about. They don't believe we

should put a sign of the border saying higher taxes here. It puts

job investment, we don't think people and Scott should have to pay

more tax. Labour prepares its election pitch, and front tax and

spending. The SNP must said election candidates. He will win? That is

your choice. Some use coming into us this

evening. The bodies of a man and a woman had been recovered in the Ben

Nevis area this evening. Formal I did -- identification is taking

place. Well, it's over to Kawser now

with the weather outlook for tonight It has been quite a cloudy day so

far. As we had through the rest my, we will see some clear spells

gelding. Under these clear skies, cabbages falling to allow a touch of

frost. The next weather system approaching the west and bringing

with it some outbreaks of rain. Some strengthening winds as well, Gill

full swing for the Western Isles. Pepita stopping for around 45

Celsius. A cloudy, wet start for the day. Tomorrow morning, around eight

o'clock, quite a wet morning commute for Dumfries and Gallery, Glasgow as

well, further east it will be drier. The rain like an patchy and the wind

is still quite strong across the Western Isles, the Northern of the

work, tempers around six or seven Celsius. That same weather band will

bring heavy rain across Northern Ireland, England and the south-west

of the country for England as well. The south-west, 13 degrees were

still some drier weather. The same weather band will continue to spread

further eastwards as we had through the day, allowing some brighter

cells to develop for more northern parts of the countries. There will

be some scattered showers, possibly witchery over the hills. As we had

through tomorrow night, it will become drier and clearer so for Good

Friday, a good dill of some turnaround, especially for southern

and eastern parts of Scotland. Further towards the north-west,

another band of rain approaching. Good Friday does look to be the

better day of the long weekend in terms of dry weather, and afraid

this is the picture of the Saturday. A good dill of wet and windy weather

in store. Feeling cool under that Hal, temperatures eight or nine

Celsius. Bright spells and scattered heavy showers on Easter Day and

remaining unsettled for Easter Monday.

Our next update is during Breakfast at 6.25am tomorrow morning.

But from everyone on the late team, goodnight.