29/01/2013 Reporting Scotland

Tonight on Reporting Scotland: Clashes at Holyrood over climate

change targets. The Government says it is a national priority, but

opponents say not enough is being done.

The Scottish housing market, where's hot and where's not. We

look at the latest figures. With the scheme, we were able to put

down an 5% deposit, which was a great help. We were able to save

enough to move out. Also on the programme: 60 years

since the UK's worst peacetime shipping disaster. We meet one man

who cheated death by a twist of fate.

And Dundee United are to name Jackie McNamara as their new

And a very windy night to come right across the country, storm-

force winds in excess of 80 mph for Environmental campaigners have

reacted with dismay to the Scottish Government's latest plans to tackle

climate change. They say they will not do enough to ensure Scotland

plays its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. But

ministers insisted the issue is being treated as a national

priority. Our environment correspondent David Miller reports.

Generating the electricity we need to power our homes. Deciding how we

get the kids to school. Choosing whether to fight abroad for

holidays. Climate change policies affect almost everything we do.

Today, the Environment Minister has been spelling out how the Scottish

Government plans to hit its climate change targets. And facing

questions about its failure to cut greenhouse gas emissions quickly

enough. Is it right that those excess emissions are going to be

compensated by some unspecified policies, at some unspecified time

between now and 2027? Should and last year's failing result in

action this year and next? It is important week take account of the

emissions. I assure him that I am very much conscious of our

responsibilities Notley in terms of these annual targets but to deliver

a report that shows it is meeting the cumulative emissions.

environmental campaigners fear the plans will mean Scotland continues

to miss its emissions target in the years ahead. We are very

disappointed and what we have heard. We were looking for the Government

to come up something ambitious, to meet their targets in the future.

What we have got is something that does not appear to deliver anything

new, but continues to rely on things that might happen rather

than actual policies that will make things happen. No one said the

journey to a low carbon future was going to be easy. But delivering on

their climate change promises is proving harder than many MSPs had

feared. David joins us from Holyrood now.

David, what exactly is the Scottish Government planning to do to make

sure we hit these targets? Well, some of the initiatives

outlined today include a new target for electricity generators, they

will have to cut the cover and emissions by more than 80%. There

is also a renewed focus on home energy. There will be extra help

for Scots who want to insulate their homes. That is something

which should visit -- reduce emissions, and energy bills. Worth

pointing out that we will get the next report card on climate change,

as it were, from the independent scientific advisers, in the spring.

We will know then how much progress is being made on these targets.

Scotland's house prices fell slightly over the past year,

according to official figures. However, the number of homes being

sold continued to rise. It has prompted calls for more to be done

to help people by their own home. Our business correspondent David

Henderson is here with the details. Well, the property market remains

sluggish, with prices down slightly, down by 1.5% over the year. That

leaves the cost of an average home at just under �155,000. And as ever,

there is huge variation. You can expect to pay much more in East

Dunbartonshire, it is now the most expensive part of Scotland. And at

the other end of the scale, East Ayrshire is among the most

affordable places. But although more homes are being bought and

sold, many families are still struggling to buy, because they

cannot get the mortgage they need. If you want the keys to a new home,

you have to unlock the Finance. That was the challenge for Lindsay

at her partner, Stephen. They could afford a mortgage, but did not have

a big deposit. So hop came along to a new government-backed scheme. It

allowed them to buy without having to save for years. With this scheme,

we were able to put down just at 5% deposit, which was a large help,

and we did not have too long -- to wait long and to we were able to

move out. This is the main bedroom. As Lindsay and Stephen settle in,

others are buying their homes in the same way. But this help only

applies to new homes, not the ball for properties which are up for

sale. Some are warning that more needs to be done to kick-start a

housing market. We are all for them, they certainly help first-time

buyers. The new-build market only represent a small percentage of the

total market. The rest of the market is left behind. What we

would like to see is more incentives for first-time buyers,

buying existing properties, which polices as seller to move up the

ladder and releases a lot more transactions. And while the number

of homes being sold is creeping upwards, it is still far below the

level of five years ago. The impact of the credit crunch is still being

felt. The Scottish Government insists it is doing what it can be

to help would-be homeowners. It is a new scheme so we do not have the

figures yet but there is a lot of interest and that was in terms of

the shared equity scheme, we have already assisted 5,000 people over

the last four years. That is significant, given the housing

market. So, where now for anyone looking to

buy? Well, that fall in average prices may be down to sellers being

more willing to negotiate over price. And first-time buyers may

benefit the most, because flats were down in price last year by

over 5%. That is more than any other type of home. But as long as

mortgage finance remains in short supply, it is going to be a

challenging market. The parents of missing financial

adviser Lynda Spence have both said they were warned not to go to the

police about her disappearance. Miss Spence has not been seen since

April last year and her body has never been found. Her father, seen

here at an earlier police news conference, told the High Court in

Glasgow she appeared to owe several people large sums of money. He said

he only reported his daughter missing when police arrived to

question her about fraud allegations. The case continues.

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

programme: We join the excitement of

Shetland's Viking fire festival, Up Helly Aa.

And in sport, Dundee United have a new manager. We will have reaction

to that. And flying the flag, the Scotland rugby team's newest kilted

More people accused of crimes will that have to pay towards the cost

of their legal representation under a new system of means-tested

contributions. -- will now have to pay. The changes, which are

designed to cut the legal aid bill, were approved by MSPs in the last

hour, despite a last-ditch protest by leading lawyers. From Holyrood,

here is our political correspondent, Glenn Campbell.

Unhappy lawyers came to Holyrood to make their case to Scotland's

lawmakers. They are against criminal suspect having to pay

towards the cost of their defence, to help cut the legal aid bill.

working poor will pay for the savings to the criminal justice

system. The profession will be left having to recover these

contributions from the poorest people in society. There will be a

result of delays to the criminal justice system, the Germans, an

increase in people representing themselves. In Parliament, the

Justice Secretary said his changes were the fairest way to make

savings. We face a situation of the second highest legal aid bill on

record. We require to make sure that the balance it and balance it

by making those who have the ability to make a contribution to

do so. The Government's says criminal offence contributions well

on the be sought from accused people with at least �82 per week

in disposable income. And that 88% of criminal legal aid applicants

will not have to pay a penny. 62. No, 53. When it came to the

vote, MSPs uproot the overhaul of legal aid, which should save

several million pounds a year. The changes will take effect these

summer Abbey's lawyers say they will continue to protest by the

king at ways to challenge the effect of the new law in the courts.

So, there is at least one sense in which legal aid reform may make new

work for lawyers. Now let's take a look at some other

stories from across Scotland this Tuesday:

Police have renewed their appeal for information on a man who's been

missing for almost a month. George McDonald was last seen outside his

home at Hillpark in Alloa on Hogmanay.

Two women have been taken to hospital in Edinburgh, suffering

from severe smoke inhalation. They escaped from a burning tenement in

the Fountainbridge area this morning.

Police investigating the death of a man at Port Appin in Argyll are

trying to establish if he was struck by lightning. He's been

named locally as oceanographer Dr Tim Boyd, who worked at the

Scottish Association for Marine Science near Oban.

Campaigners say they're furious that plans to restore an outdoor

swimming pool at Macduff in Aberdeenshire have been put on hold

while a further review's carried out. This pool has been here since

the 1930s, but began to four at the fashion from about the 1970s

onwards. In recent years, thousands of local people have been involved

in a campaign to try and save it. Dundee University's work on medical

research is being recognised with a prestigious award from the Queen,

to mark her Diamond Jubilee. The title of Regius Professor will be

bestowed on the Department of Life Sciences, whose work is deemed to

be outstanding. A team of bird experts is trying to

capture an eagle owl after two men claimed to have been attacked. This

man says the bird swooped on him twice. It had a wingspan of about

five feet. I got a fright, obviously! It might have been a

child who could have been injured. And there are more stories from

your area, and all the latest news, 24 hours a day on BBC Scotland's

website. The nationalist premiere of Quebec

has held talks with Alex Salmond in and abrupt, on the agenda was the

ambitions of both leaders for constitutional change. The French-

speaking province of Quebec has held? Independence referendums, one

in 1980 and one in 1995, which the nationalists lost by 49%-51%.

Raymond Buchanan has this report. And nationalist arrives at the

Scottish Parliament, having won the election, but with no majority to

deliver independence. Her story sounds familiar. It is just like

that of Alex Salmond's first term in Government. Are you going to

discuss tactics? It is not a nationalist summer. Maybe I could

talk about my experience, about the difficulties we have. Her party

narrowly lost out during the last referendum in 1995. She says one

western Mr Salmond might take from that experience is not to allow his

side to be about spent. The Premier says in the campaign, they could

not financially compete with other Canadian provinces and the federal

Government. It was very difficult for us. Because we did not have any

control. And maybe we should have has - and we should have said that

we were rich, because that is the case. A new to the, Alex Salmond

did not agree to let television cameras captured a meeting. This is

the only photograph record. His office says that is because it is

just a courtesy visit. Good time by members to join me it will come to

the gallery, the premier of Quebec. She was guest of honour as MSPs

cast their votes this evening. She hopes to hold a vote as well, the

third independence referendum, but unlike Alex Salmond, does not yet

have the numbers to deliberate. -- It was the Uk's worst peace time

shipping disaster. 133 people died when the Princess Victoria ferry

sank in the Irish sea between Stranraer and Larne in January 1953.

60 years on, a crewman who missed the voyage through a twist of fate

has been telling our reporter Willie Johnston his story for the

first time. 87-year-old George Jamieson had been on the ferry the

previous night and began by describing what conditions were

like. I opened the galley door from the inside and the wind whipped the

door right out of my hand and pulled me out and Harold me against

a lifeboat. He had been due to work on the last fateful voyage but he

did the previous night shift instead so that he could look after

his sick son. Many sealed to their deaths on a vessel George says

should never have left port. I did not think she would set out the

next morning but unfortunately she did. It was a big loss for this

area. The crew was half Larne and a half Stranraer. All the officers

were from Stranraer. I lost a lot of friends that day. His son was a

small boy a whose illness caused his father to stay behind. I asked

him what -- when he first heard the story. This is the first time.

never talk about it. It is amazing that my dad was involved. Are you

proud that you saved his life? was just as well. Many names and

wanted him including the man who took his place. John Roberts was

the man who did my shift. I felt pity for him. I told his wife. She

said do not forget you have two sons yourself, it could have been

you. I thought for a minute and I said yes, fate for one, fatal for

the other. That is life. To sport now and hot news from Dundee, David.

Dundee United have a new manager. He is the former Celtic and

Scotland defender, Jackie McNamara. The 39 year-old has been in charge

of Partick Thistle since April 2011. He replaces Peter Houston who left

the club on Monday. From Tannadice, here is our reporter Jim Spencer. -

- Spence. Three candidates were interviewed last week. And the

directors were highly impressed with each of the candidates. But

what impressed them about this man is his youth, his style of play and

his ability to pluck players from the lower echelons of Scottish

football. He has done a good job there. Coming up to Tannadice he

has a bigger job to fulfil, I think. He is one of the bright young

things of Scottish football. The United board are highly impressed

by what he has done on a shoestring budget at Partick Thistle. It was a

difficult choice between the three candidates but Jackie McNamara is

the new Dundee United manager. There's Premier League action

tonight in sport sound. -- or there was due to be. One match was

cancelled at teatime. Rangers could be stripped of previous league

titles. A three-man panel of legal experts, led by Lord Nimmo Smith,

will deliberate for around one week following an investigation into

allegations players were paid using so-called side contracts. Here is

our senior football reporter Chris McLaughlin. This man bought the

club that was debt ridden for �1 but trouble would follow. It turned

out some players had been paid using funds from a special trust.

HMRC said the club should have been paying tax on it. An independent

commission was formed to decide if the club had broken football rules

by paying players with contracts not properly declared. The issue of

tax was separate from whether any SPL rules had been broken. This is

the man who will lead the commission, Lord Nimmo Smith, he

will look at the evidence and suggest a punishment. You meet

people and you talk about the good old days when the won desk or won

that, those are brilliant memories for me. I worked hard for

provincial clubs. If it is all swept away of course that is going

to affect me. The club with a record 54 league titles is once

more in the dock. There's one cap and a couple of high profile

recalls in the Scotland rugby team for a match against England on

Saturday. This fellow, Johnnie Beattie, returns to the back row

after a year-and-a-half in the international wilderness. Meanwhile,

the hooker Dougie Hall makes his first start for Scotland for six

years. But it's the new boy who is getting most of the attention. New

Zealand-born Sean Maitland who will play on the wing against England

has been talking up his Scottishness. Here is our Six

Nations reporter, Phil good lad. Scotland, a bit battered and a bit

faded, in need of freshening up. Today we learn that Scott Johnson

feels the same about the national side. These are the players charged

with the task of giving Scotland the kiss of life. This is the

headline grabber. The key week by birth knows where his roots lie

thanks to a at Scottish family. grandad and dad used to watch Six

Nations with me, I did not know that 20 years later I would be here

representing Scotland in front of my family. After 18 months in deep

international wilderness things can change. When you have low days They

are not nice. It is strange to be out of the game for so long.

surgeon is quite a good nick name. I have been called worse, trust me!

Let's hope we do not hear what at Twickenham this weekend. And if you

hunger for more on the build-up to this year's Six Nations rugby,

we've got just the thing tonight. A Sport Nation special. It's on BBC

Two Scotland at 7 o'clock. The Up Helly Aa fire festival, the biggest

event in Shetland's long dark winter is well under way. The

climax of the celebrations will take place later this evening with

the torchlight procession through the streets of Lerwick and then the

burning of the Viking longship. John Johnston reports. The 21st

century Norse men taking Lerwick by storm. Bringing the Viking past to

life again. It is the culture that is in Shetland here, it brings the

community together to celebrate. It makes for a fantastic day, evening

and rounds off the end of January for us. This year's squad of

Vikings includes five members from the other side of the world.

have come here four or Up Helly Aa. Even teddy bears get a makeover for

the day. Many have arrived in the island to watch the spectacle.

have come from Cyprus. The pipes are very stirring, very moving.

can see how medieval Europe shuddered at the thought of them

are. The festival reaches its fiery climax tonight when nearly 1,000

people dressed in costumes will parade through the streets of

Lerwick. Then they will burn the replica Viking galley. Within

minutes it will disappear into a sea of flames. The party ends at

breakfast time tomorrow. Traditionally the rest of the day

is a public holiday to allow everybody to recover. Somehow I do

not think the weather will hamper the celebrations in Shetland but

there is a wind to watch out for? Absolutely. A strong winds

elsewhere. So much so we have an amber wind warning for much of the

country. It is all courtesy of this area of low pressure, you can see

the isobars tightening. Winds of 80 mph or so into the Hebrides. Also

the lower yellow warning in central area is for winds of 60 mph.

Certainly not a cold night thanks to that wind. As we head into

tomorrow morning it will be a cold start. The yellow warning in force

for much of the day. The winds will continue. Some showers in the

central belt. There will be some sunshine around. Feeling rather

cold in the wind. The wind will still be strong, gale-force at

times by the early afternoon. Rain will continue for much of the day

in the north. Strong to gale-force gusts continuing until after dark.

Generally dry apart from in the far north. Further rain will push him

towards the Thursday from the West. That will work in for a thirsty

pushing its way in across the country, falling as snow over high

ground in the Cairngorms and central parts of the Highlands. The

aim will tend to fade away further north. By Friday the wind will be

from the north so a much colder field to D-Day. There could be

sleet and perhaps even snow. -- a strong field to the D. The number

of troops is to rise for Africa. Lawyers representing a Accies want

a public inquiry into abuse by British troops in 2003. There were

allegations at the High Court in London of brutality. Campaigners