24/03/2017 Reporting Scotland

So it's goodbye from me. And on BBC One, we now join

Tonight, on Reporting Scotland? Facing cancer fears -

this offshore worker and his colleagues have been

exposed to radiation on a North Sea platform.

We are just hoping that somebody will step forward and take hold of

the situation and start doing the right thing, rather than just try

and sweep it under the table. A former youth football

scout is arrested as part of the investigation

into historical sex abuse. IVF treatment - patients

could now qualify for three cycles of treatment,

instead of two, under new NHS rules. How to deal with a housing

shortage in one of the most And doing something funny for money

- we look at one of the projects An offshore worker has called

for action after he and colleagues were exposed to radiation

on a North sea platform. Rigging supervisor Steve Innes says

he has struggled to find work since raising concerns -

and now faces cancer The operator of the Thistle

platform, Enquest, says its put in place additional precautionary

steps since the incident Rebecca Curran has

this exclusive report. Steve Innes has worked offshore for

nearly 30 years. He has spent the last four months at home. He and

five Wood Group colleagues were working on the Thistle platform when

they were exposed to alpha radiation. We can only go and look

at our permit, and look at the necessary PPE. You can only do your

job well if they use prepare you for it. And they didn't prepare as well

for it. In fact they got it totally wrong. Thistle is operated by

EnQuest. Steve has not had work since December. He fears he is being

shunned for speaking out. The Unite union say they have no direct

evidence of blacklisting, but the threat of it prevents workers from

reporting such incidents. It does happen, we know it does happen. An

incident like this, if it is ongoing, it is unlikely they would

want people back while the investigation is ongoing. How are

the men now? Worried, worried for investigation is ongoing. How are

their future, for their health. They have not had any support which would

help them through that. They've got a very uncertain future going ahead.

One thing is certain - Steve and his former colleagues now face tests

every six months for the rest of their lives. Exposure to alpha

radiation could have no impact at all on their health, but possible

effects can be severe, including cancer. Some of us can't go to work,

he is on medication, he is not sleeping, he's worried about it. He

has been sent for whatever tests, waiting for the results to come

back, like we all are. And we're just hoping that somebody will step

forward and take a hold of the situation and start doing the right

thing, you know? Rather than just try and sweep it under the table.

EnQuest say additional precautionary steps have since been taken.

And Rebecca Curran joins me now from Aberdeen.

What other companies involved saying about this? Well, Wood Group, which

employed the contractors, say their health and safety of their workers

is always their top priority. After the incident, they took the men off

the platform as a precaution and sent them for medical tests. An

investigation was then launched with the operator of the platform,

EnQuest. EnQuest say that the level of radiation the men were exposed to

was less than 1% of the level which would have meant they needed to

report the incident to the Health and Safety Executive. However, the

Health and Safety Executive were told at the time. They say

appropriate protections hasn't already in place, but since the

incident, further precautionary steps have been taken. The Health

and Safety Executive say that none of the workers involved raised

concerns with them so they did not carry out any investigation. It

should be pointed out that although we are being told that the level of

radiation these men were exposed to was very low, they are now facing a

lifetime of blood tests and uncertainty. And they say they

should never have been put in this position in the first place.

A former youth football scout has been arrested by police

investigating allegations of historical sex abuse.

Harry Dunn worked for Rangers, and also Chelsea and Liverpool.

Our home affairs correspondent Reevel Alderson reports.

This arrest follows the announcement last year that Police Scotland was

amongst almost 20 forces across the UK which had launched investigations

into allegations of child abuse within football. Harry Dunn worked

with the Rangers youth side in the 1980s. In a statement, police said

an 84-year-old man had been arrested and charged with a number of

non-recent sexual offences. Earlier this year, Jim McCafferty, a four it

man and coach at Hibs, Celtic and Falkirk, now 70, was remanded in

custody in Northern Ireland charged with sexual activity with a boy

under 16. He will be tried later this year. The Scottish Football

Association has launched an investigation following reports from

high-profile players of abuse within the game. They include allegations

against SFA match official Hugh Stevenson and John Hart, Partick

Thistle's trainer. They are both now dead. Police Scotland is

investigating more than 130 referrals after a hotline was set up

last year. Patients referred to the NHS

for fertility treatment could be eligible for three full cycles

of IVF treatment from next month. The Scottish Government

is to increase the number of cycles for women under 40,

following recommendations It's exhausting being in the public

eye. A photocall for these little ones with a government minister.

This one is almost three months old. His mum and dad had fertility

treatments to have him. It took us between two years and two-and-a-half

years to get where we are now. We are grateful that we have him. We

were offered two cycles. Third time lucky. And this they be will be six

months old on Mother's Day. It's hard going, very hard going, very

emotionally draining. And it feels like a bit of a never rating process

at times. But worth it? Absolutely worth it, worth every minute of it.

We are inside a fertility lab here at the Edinburgh royal infirmary.

One in seven couples have difficulty when it comes to conceiving a child,

and 2% of babies are born as a result of some sort of fertility

treatment. That now means over 2 million babies that have been born

worldwide. From the 1st of April, up until their 40th birthday, eligible

women in Scotland will be entitled to three full cycles of IVF on the

NHS. Those between 40 and 42 will be offered one round if they fit

certain additional criteria. In England, the provision depends on

where you live. In Wales they are entitled to two cycles, and in

Northern Ireland, one on the National Health Service. The move is

expected to cost the NHS in Scotland around ?1 million a year. That is

what the Nice clinical guidance says, that couples should have three

cycles. We have always wanted to make sure that there is fair access

for couples who are having trouble conceiving. We believe this is the

right thing to do, it is on the back of investment that we have made over

the last five years, and we want to continue to enhance the provision

across the country. Both families we met today think this news will give

hope to many couples. It is disheartening when they keep saying

to you, you are not pregnant, keep trying again. You are physically

tired. But when you get the news that you are pregnant, it is the

best thing ever. NHS Grampian has apologised

after an air ambulance was sent to Shetland instead of Orkney

to pick up a sick baby. The Scottish Ambulance Service plane

was despatched last Friday night. Only on landing in Shetland did

the crew discover that the infant The baby eventually arrived safely

at Aberdeen Maternity Hospital nearly ten hours after

the initial call. NHS Grampian says it was

an isolated mistake. Civilian staff at the Faslane and

Coulport naval bases on the Clyde, home to the UK's fleet

of nuclear Trident submarines, have begun a series

of strikes, in a dispute with Babcock Marine

over workers' rights. The Unite union said a continuous

overtime and on-call ban, and staggered periods of strike

action, would affect Babcock Marine said

it was "disappointed and perplexed by Unite's actions" and remained

committed to finding Students from other EU countries,

who start university courses here next year

will still get free tuition - even though they won't finish

their studies until after Britain The Education Secretary,

John Swinney, announced Our education correspondent Jamie

McIvor is at Glasgow University. Jamie - why has the Scottish

Government taken this decision? Well, just to remind you, the

Scottish Government sees free choice and the Scots as one of its biggest

achievements. European law means that EU students have to get free

choice in, too. Just to set the scene, we are not talking about

students who are here for a few months, we are talking about

students from other EU countries who have chosen to come to Scotland for

the whole of their degree. There are some 15,000 of them in Scotland at

the moment. John Swinney has now offered for some certainty for those

hoping to start in 2018, saying they will be able to conclude their

studies here without paying tuition fees. Obviously, the impact of

wrecks is significant, and students are affected by this. The Scottish

Government wants to make it Chris talk later EU students that if they

come to Scotland in 2018, their fees will be paid by the Scottish

Government for the entire duration of their course. We hope that that

will help give certainty and clarity where there is a lack of certainty

and clarity under the Brexit process. Certainty and clarity, but

does it make sense? Well, certainly as far as the decision for students

starting in 2018 is concerned, that will be broadly welcomed by many

within universities. But there is concern that uncertainty could deter

applicants. Longer term, I think there could be questions over

whether free tuition for EU students is still a good idea or not, if,

come 2019, Scotland is outside the European Union, and was still

voluntarily providing free tuition for EU students, would it prove to

be politically acceptable or not? I think that is a debate which we

could see over the coming months and years.

It's six months to the day since the RAF gunner

Corrie Mckeague, vanished after a night out in the Suffolk

Today, police gave an update on their search of a landfill site

Detectives also confirmed that they have been joined on site

by a team from the Health and Safety Executive.

The police are now three weeks into this search, which they say could

take up to ten weeks. The officers involved are specially trained and

have already been through more than a 845 tonnes of material, as they

hunt for signs of comment. It is a massive operation. Working alongside

the team are officials from the Health and Safety Executive. Both

the police and Corrie's mother say they believe he will be found here.

If and when that discovery comes, the health and safety team on site

will need to start their own detailed work, going back

step-by-step through every stage of the system, when that waste was

picked up in Bury St Edmunds and placed in landfill 35 miles away. To

answer the obvious question, why wasn't Corrie detected, and to make

sure that something similar cannot happen in the future. This posture

was always one possible line of inquiry, but at the start of this

month, it became the main focus, with fresh data confirming that the

wait of the waste collected was heavy enough to have contained

Corrie. Suffolk police today spoke about the thousands of hours of

investigative work which have already been completed. Yet six

months since this young airman vanished, the agonising wait for

answers continues. You're watching BBC

Reporting Scotland. This offshore worker

and his colleagues have been exposed to radiation

on a North Sea platform. How shipping containers

are being used to solve a housing shortage in one of the most crowded

parts of Glasgow. There are around 3500 people with

Down's syndrome in Scotland. According to a report, there is a

significant gap in their NHS care provision. The report also

highlights negative attitudes from health professionals and poor

communication with their families. Can you see past Jamie's Down's

syndrome? Can you see past Kasey -- that is what Down's

syndrome Scotland want you to do. Mother Taylor has first-hand

experience. The doctor sat us down and said don't expect your daughter

to walk or talk or anything and just left us. I was 16 when I had her.

Don't expect her to walk or talk or do anything. They just threw a load

of old leaflets at us. This is the ABC class. Achieving better

communication. That is done through singing ink. This kind of

specialist service is vital for their development. -- signing. There

is a lack of understanding or a lack of availability of information. We

knew nothing about Downs syndrome. We don't know where to turn. There

is a lot of negative stuff out there. Again, it depends where you

live. Even down to the individual health professionals. The report

recognises that many families have had good experience with the health

service and that attitudes have changed considerably over the years

that there is still a long way to go. There are a lot of myths that

still float around society. People with Down's syndrome cannot read or

write or go to mainstream schools. People with down syndrome die when

they are young. Lots of those things are not true. The average life

expectancy today is around 60. Lots of those things are inaccurate. That

makes people afraid of the condition. The Scottish Government

says it will take the recommendations from the Down's

syndrome Scotland report forward and hopes other boards across Scotland

will as well. The way police and prosecutors

in Scotland deal with New guidelines have been agreed

in the light of government plans to widen the definition

of what constitutes domestic abuse. A protocol launched today

by the Crown Office and Police Scotland will do more

to protect victims of domestic abuse,

particularly children. We are now much more aware of the

rights and interests of children full stop it is important that in

this protocol we explicitly make clear to police that they should

attend to the safety and well-being of children at a domestic abuse

incident. And also take account of children, if children have been

present or witnessed abuse. A new housing development

is rapidly taking shape When it's finished, it'll provide

a comfortable home to more But what's unusual is that it's

built from shipping containers. Our business correspondent,

David Henderson has been Now it's home to these

seven storey buildings. And it's all happened fast,

because these are no They're both from

shipping containers, they are bought from road

from Southampton up to Glasgow and a very large crane is used

to load them onto the site, much like you or I would have loaded

Lego when we were very small. In less than ten weeks,

this site's been transformed Each of the containers

is already fully fitted. When it's finished, this grand

design will include a helter-skelter As well as a wardrobe,

there is an ensuite bathroom. Around here, we've got

an oven, kitchenette area, This is about as far

from old-style traditional student Off-site, building is more common

small building than might think. The Commonwealth building

village was made that way. This architect still

need offers good value The application is made from student

accommodation to modular components of commercial buildings

in hospitals, hotel accommodation, a whole variety of different

applications of domestic There's a huge opportunity

for that type of technology. With Scotland facing a huge shortage

of affordable homes, some think this could help

solve the problem. It's like children's building

blocks on a grand scale. An elderly sheepdog has been rescued

from a gorge in the Highlands, Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team

were alerted by someone on a train, who spotted Nell

yesterday near Roybridge. Rescuers had to use ropes to access

the gorge and then coax the reluctant Collie out -

apparently none the worse Depeche Mode, Sparks and The Jesus

and Mary Chain are among the bands appearing at the BBC 6 Music

Festival in Glasgow this weekend. Depeche Mode play the Barrowland

Ballroom for the first All 2,000 tickets were snapped up

within minutes with secondary ticket sites offering them at vastly

inflated prices. Depeche Mode are really popular

band. Demand will be really enormous. This is their first gig

since 2013. The first time here since 1984. They will be a hot

ticket, no matter what. What we did with our terms and conditions is to

try to ensure people understood what they were buying into. If people

resell tickets, they might not get into the venue because we will be

checking IDs. Funds raised from people doing

something funny for money last time have been distributed around

the world, including to 167 Aileen Clarke has been along to see

one of them in Glasgow. Were you the bigger man? From

inch to Springburn, Libby McArthur was much loved as Jena in River

city. She is sharing not just drama skills but life skills with these

boys, who come along to the Shine group. It is a chance not to sweat

the small stuff. It is a chance to bond. It is a chance to find a place

where you can be yourself. There is not an expectation. Special guest

today is Jamie, who plays either in Still Game. I have got a nice

overcoat you could use if the weather is bad. The sessions with

the boys here are free and look good fun. Behind it lies the aim of

making these youngsters more confident and I hope is they will

then become involved in the mainstream drama group the project

runs. Most actors I know are really shy and were really shy as kids. The

reason why you want to get into acting is because you want to be

someone else. I love putting a wig and glasses on and I can immerse

myself in a different person. These 12-year-olds are nearing the end of

the ten weekly sessions they are coming to. Comic Relief has given

?100,000 over three years to fund the workshops. A variety of a group

of youngsters are taking part. They would all benefit from the intense

support to make them shine. It is a very small group. That means it's

easy to socialise. I get really anxious and stuff. It helps my

confidence. It has helped me to improve to do a lot of things.

Basically, you think you are in a box and there is no escape. When you

come to speak, you get rid of the box. It is not there. You can share

anything with them. It makes me happy coming here and seeing my

friends. The boys here are certainly very grateful for the money this

project gets from Comic Relief. We are turning to notch up for the

weekend. Some lovely spells of sunshine with high cloud spelling in

and turning the blue skies a wee bit milky at times. Over the next few

hours the cloud will be in an break, leaving it clear and cold for most.

Across the far north, the Northern Isles, some bigger cloud will stay

with us. A few spots of rain for Shetland. The breeze in the West and

south-west. Temperatures flirting roundabout freezing. That means it

is a chilly start to the day tomorrow but a bright and sunny one

of the back is all thanks to high pressure which is staying with us

through the course of the weekend. Around the northern flank of that

high, there will be thicker cloud and a few spots of light rain

particularly for the Northern Isles. South of Inverness it will be bright

and dry and sunny. The winds will be light and temperatures on the up. By

mid-afternoon we are into the teens, 14, 15 Celsius for many. For many,

it will feel quite pleasant indeed. Across the north-east, 16, 17

degrees as possible. Further east, you can see the cloud. Under the

cloud it will be cooler, 10-12 C. If you are hill walking or climbing,

fantastic conditions on the hills and mountains. Certainly across the

northern ranges it will be windy but the winds will tend to ease down by

the afternoon. On the eastern ranges similar conditions. Modric tomorrow.

There is a chance of light sunburn. Fantastic visibility of your heading

for the hills. The rest of the afternoon, into the evening and

overnight, dry with lovely sunshine to end the day. Clear and cold

overnight. Also, overnight, the clocks will spring forward one hour

as we head through to Sunday morning. An hour less in bed Sunday

morning but plenty of such I to help you get up and out and about. Sunday

is another cracker of a day. Plenty of Son for most of us. Perhaps more

cloud in the east by the afternoon. A bit cooler here. In the north-west

16, 17 once again cloudy for the Northern Isles for the next week and

we have no pressure out in the Atlantic which will edge its way

into try to spoil the party roundabout midweek. Till then,

largely dry. This weekend it is looking good. That is the forecast.

Now, a reminder of tonight's main news...

Police say they've made two more significant arrests

as they try to establish whether the man who launched

the attack on Westminster was working alone or with others.

And a call for action after this man and his colleagues

were exposed to radiation on a north sea platform.

The operator says it has put in place additional

precautionary steps since the incident in December.

I'll be back with the late bulletin just

Until then, from everyone on the team - right