07/02/2013 Reporting Scotland

Tonight, on Reporting Scotland: Research suggests higher alcohol

prices lower death rates. The drinks industry disputes a new

Canadian study, but health campaigners say it proves minimum

pricing works. The number of patients dying from alcoholic liver

disease continues to remain high eight, above rates in England and

Wales so targeting price restriction on these products would

be beneficial. Our health correspondent assesses

the research. Also: More jobs to go on high streets here.

More than half of Scotland's HMV stores are closing.

The cyclist involved in this is near miss it goes Dutch to learn

what Scotland can be cut from Amsterdam's bike routes.

And Gordon Strachan on his successful debut as manager and his

There's fresh evidence suggesting higher alcohol prices are directly

linked to a significant drop in the death rate for the heaviest

drinkers. The research, from Canada has been pounced upon by health

campaigners here as proof the Scottish government's plan for

minimum pricing works. But the drinks industry says the analysis

is flawed. Here's our health Correspondent, Eleanor Bradford.

Evidence of the extreme end of Scotland's drinking is not hard to

find, but until now it was unclear what effect minimum pricing would

have won hard drinkers and alcoholics. But has researched over

the pond in Canada given us more of an insight? In the state of British

Columbia, the government has been setting alcohol prices for years

and research suggests price rises have a dramatic effect on death

rates. The link is so strong, they say, that a price rise of 10% would

lead to a fall in the number of deaths linked to alcohol of 32%.

Longer term illnesses like liver sclerosis and cancers would fall by

10%. Plans for minimum prices for alcohol in Scotland are on hold

because of a legal challenge by the Scots Whisky Association which

disputes the research. It doesn't save life, minimum pricing. It is a

process of taking frigates, protesting - -- projecting them

forward and figuring -- fiddling with statistics and suggesting

lives will be steep -- saved. It is meddling. But one specialist is in

no doubt that increasing prices will reduce his workload.

patience we are seeing with severe liver disease are generally taking

cheap, highly alcohol products such as cider, high volume Sydow, and

these patients experience significant liver problems despite

their has been a clattering in the level of deaths as a whole, the

number of people with alcoholic liver disease remains high.

Alcohol-related deaths are already falling in Scotland ironically. If

there is a link between affordability and harm the

recession may have left us with more money in our pockets -- less

money in our pockets and done the job already.

The ban on cigarette vending machines and tobacco displays in

large stores will come into force on 29th April. Smaller shops will

have until next year to prepare for the change in the law.

Implementation was delayed because of legal action. The aim is to

prevent young people from taking up Scottish councils have begun the

process of setting their budgets for the coming year. But tonight

the union that represents many council workers is warning that,

although thousands of jobs have already gone, the worst of the cuts

in local services is still to come. Our local government correspondent,

Jamie McIvor, is with us. Jamie. Thank you. There is no doubt for

the need for austerity in councils and that means hard choices. Since

the financial crisis in 2008, there has been a big drop in the number

of council workers - some 35,000 staff have gone. No one is

pretending they have not been plenty of controversial decisions

to cut spending, even with their hearts choices, many choices are

producing budgets which talk about investing in local priorities and

say they are trying to protect the public from the worst cuts. How do

you square that circle? Fixing the roads in West End Barton

share and helping to fix them is a new recruit. I know how hard it is

to get a job. I was employed -- unemployed for eight months so I am

grateful for the opportunity. is more money to help people like

him get money -- jobs in this year's local budgets. France for --

grants is being doubled in some areas. It is not an easy thing to

do. We have had to look at every single service, at any waste or

duplication. Savings agreed this year are not always too painful

even if some disagree. Closing to under-used bowling greens and cut

into in a tea chest grants. This art class for toddlers is run by

the council and mums are well aware there have been cuts but have a fat

bum personally? When you have a nappies and things to deal with...

I haven't felt anything at the moment. Unions argue some cuts

across Scotland may have gone under the public's radar -- Stealth cuts,

if you life -- like. Or jobs simply not being done. It takes longer to

get an appointment to see a money adviser or a social it -- social

worker and these all build up. Tonight's news from largest council

in Scotland. These protesters outside the budget meeting were

fighting plans to close a pool. There is also talk of investment in

primary school, extra support for carers and a blitz on pot balls. --

pot holes. Some might argue they are genuine efficiency savings or

with the council tax frozen, services are becoming better value.

But come more of the really tough choices be put off for much longer?

The administrators at HMV have announced that they're closing 11

of the company's stores in Scotland. Our reporter Rob Flett is outside

one of them in Princes Street in Edinburgh. It's not the only one to

That's right. This flagship store here in Princes Street is just one

of five HMV branches in Edinburgh which will shut within the next few

weeks. That will leave the capital without a single HMV branch - the

nearest will be in Livingston. In Glasgow, three are closing, but the

company's administrators are keeping the Buchanan Street branch

open. There's also bad news for Kirkcaldy, Falkirk and Dumfries.

The Lloyds say a total of 10 stores will remain open. However, it seems

three Fopp stores in Edinburgh, which are also owned by HMV, are

How many staff does this effect? Around 900 staff around the UK. We

understand in Scotland that means around 170 jobs are under threat.

The company says that all the stores closing are loss-making and

this increases the chance of survival for the rest of the group

in the longer term. But this is the last big retailer on the High

Street and it is clear its presence will be missed. Looking at social

media sites this evening, it has provoked a lot of comment from many

people who seem to value these stores even if they haven't shopped

in them for a while. The big question being asked here tonight

is with all Stade -- five stores closing down over the next few

weeks, could one not stay open to turn a profit? You're watching

Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come: A Lanarkshire man

whose son died in mysterious circumstances on the Costa del Sol

says he feels betrayed by Spain's And why doctors and nurses are

treating robots for a range of Gordon Strachan's take on his first

match as Scotland manager. And we will hear about the ambitions of

Scotland has won a contest to take a leading role in Europe's search

for new medicines. Academics at Dundee University working with a

reset centre in Lanarkshire has won a bit to run a facility where

companies can test potential new cures.

Finding the next big thing in medicine? For these receptors it

takes a lot of trial and error. Big pharmaceutical firms are going back

on their efforts and that is why this plant closed two years ago.

But with the equipment staying, it has been reopened and will win new

research work. It is a deep-frozen Chemical Library. What we will have

is a 500,000 collection which will be stored in places such as these.

We will store the compound in leg temperature and an inert atmosphere

so they will say -- stay stable. The successful bid was being

discussed today. It is a boost to a sector providing 17,000 quality

jobs in Scotland. It brings together a huge cluster of

companies, academia and pharmaceuticals so that Scotland

will become the centre of a Europe- wide consortium in drug discovery.

40 jobs are being created with over �20 million of backing from the

European and Scottish governments. There is such a demand for this.

This process in itself, we believe, will be a magnet for attracting

further companies and investment. This is an industry going through

big changes globally. It is looking for new ways to discover new

medicines. There are jobs with this project and more are expected as

Scotland's skills prove they can compete with the best

internationally. A man whose son died in mysterious

circumstances while on holiday in the Costa del Sol for says he feels

this break -- betrayed by their Spanish justice system. He is

disgusted that an investigation into the case has been stopped.

Harry Lindsay's son Chris died 16 months ago whilst on holiday in

Spain. Police promised a full investigation but Mr Lindsey says a

judge has decided there is not enough evidence. A I feel betrayed

by the Spanish justice system. is devastating for myself and my

family. There is a lot of worry on your shoulders when we thought

everything was fine. Chris went missing on a night out. He was

found collapsed on the street the next morning. His wallet and

passport were missing. There was heavy bruising around his middle

and the nurse who treated him is convinced he had been attacked.

had signs of violence. He had breezes on the abdomen. It looked

like he was hit. When Harry Lindsay went is the Spanish police last

September he was told they would investigate but that has come to

nothing. Today, he asked the Scottish justice secretary for help.

We will do what we can to speak to British authorities who have direct

links with Spanish authorities but there are formal channels we can

investigate as everyone wants to see justice done. The family fear

that unless there is a high-level intervention, any chance of

bringing someone to justice will be The Minister of an Aberdeen church

and its members have become the latest to leave the Church of

Scotland in protest at the Kirk allowing the appointment of gay

ministers. The church is Gilcomston South in the centre of the city,

and its minister Dominic Smart. He says he'll be preaching before a

new congregation next month. The Church of Scotland say talks have

been cordial but they're saddened at what's happened.

Let's get some more stories from around the country. Human remains

found at Loch Lomond have been identified as those of a missing

teenager who died with her father in a boating accident in 2005.

Holly Buchanan, who was 13, and her 45-year-old father Angus, died

after being thrown from their rigid inflatable boat.

The remains found on the loch's Inchmoan Island in November have

since been confirmed as Holly's. There are plans to ensure that

Edinburgh residents who are over 60 will travel free on the city's

trams. The council is looking at ways of extending the concessionary

bus travel scheme to the tram network when it is up and running.

The rail operator Scotrail has had more than 2,000 applications from

people wanting to be train drivers on the new Borders Railway. That's

despite just 18 trainee posts being advertised. The �300 million line

linking Edinburgh Waverley with the borders is due to open in 2015.

Scientists in Aberdeen are working on a new type of MRI scan which

could detect diseases earlier and in more detail. They're being given

a grant of almost a million pounds to develop the project.

We are particularly interested in using the scanner to detect

neurological diseases such as Parkinson's and dementia which

could allow it drug companies to develop new treatments. This is not

really possible at the moment. second Gaelic school is to open in

Glasgow to meet increasing demand for bilingual education. Work on

the �800,000 building in Pollokshields will begin in

September. And there are more stories from

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

Cycling campaigners say the Scottish Government must increase

investment in new bike routes if it's to meet its goal of ensuring

one in ten journeys are made by bicycle. Meanwhile, the transport

minister is to visit Amsterdam to see how they've achieved record

cycling levels. Our transport correspondent, David Miller got

there first. The school run, Amsterdam style.

The bicycle is more popular than the car because of the vast network

of cycle paths. It is a long way from the streets of Glasgow where

this man records his daily commute. The Scottish government wants 10%

of all journeys to be made by bicycle. The figure here already

stands at 60%. What lessons can we learn? This man has come to

benevolence to see the facilities here for himself. This bridge cost

more than �6 million. He is clearly impressed by the Dutch approach.

You see small children out cycling on the roads often by themselves

and it would never happen in Edinburgh or Glasgow. They have

what to see how they can design it to feel safe and it feels safe for

everybody. It takes a that of money to get there but cities like this

show that it is possible. It all comes at a cost but Dutch cycle

campaigners say that investment actually saves cash. It saves a lot

of money for public transport which is much more expensive for the City

than cycling. The Scottish government says it is working to

improve cycling facilities but says it has to meet competing demands.

We are doing a lot in a constrained financial situation. Cycling should

be part of that but we also have to keep an eye on the massively

increased demand for trains will stop if Scotland is to go Dutch it

will require political will and investment. Cycling campaigners say

they are prepared to argue for the both. To sport now and a successful

night's work for the new boy David. Gordon Strachan says his debut as

Scotland manager was "emotional, exciting and nervy." But it was

also a winning start as his side beat Estonia 1-0 in a friendly

match at Aberdeen's Pittodrie stadium. And Strachan says he has

plenty of food for thought ahead of next month's World cup qualifier

against Wales at Hampden - what will be his first competitive game

in charge. Emotional, exciting, nervous at

times but I really enjoyed it. There were things that I liked and

really liked. Things that you think that might need work. It is great

to get a victory. Everyone feels that way. If they get into a

settled routine they will go from strength to strength. There are

lots of people who perhaps three weeks ago you could not see them

playing in the Wales game but now you do it. So the new Scotland boss

is off to a winning start, meanwhile another Scots managerial

big hitter has told us that he would like the job one day but not

for a while. It's the Everton manager Davie Moyes. In an

exclusive interview he also says he'd like Celtic and Rangers to

play in the English premier League where he currently plies his trade.

He's been speaking to Kheredine Idessane. Goodison Park - the

domain since 2002 of one of Scotland's best exports. He is the

third longest serving manager in the English Premier League after

Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. This is where he regularly holds

court. Everton's training academy. After more than a decade in

England's top division does he have any thoughts of returning north of

the border? Some the I would like to be the manager. If I could be

fortunate enough to be asked, I would be more than happy. I think

they would be a great addition down here. It would be great for

football and for Scotland itself and possibly those two teams all

the other teams might not. If it happened I think both sides would

become much more interesting to a lot of people. They deserve a lot

of credit for getting through. Celtic will have a chance. It is

sad where it has gotten to and where Rangers have ended up. I hope

they recover because the agree football club and the attic part of

Scottish football. Tomorrow, the accent will be on rugby ahead of

the second match. They're life-like robotic patients

and they're being used by Scots doctors and nurses to practise

their clinical skills. The robots suffer from a range of problems

including asthma, heart attacks and severe infections, and staff at

Forth Valley Royal hospital can film themselves treating the robots

to see how they do. John has been in a car crash and is

struggling to breed. These doctors are trying to figure out what to do.

-- believe. These dummies are different being controlled by

computer reacting to treatment second by second. We are taught

from books what to do in certain situations but that is different

when you have equipment in hand. There is the added stress so this

is a great way to run through real- life scenarios. There are other

robots as well. This man has a heart beat and can escape his

symptoms. Over here is a woman and even a baby. It is not the only new

technology here. In service corridors, robots are on patrol

picking up and delivering tea and coffee. They have revolutionised

the hospital pharmacy cutting out human errors and allowing staff to

concentrate on the patients. One of the first thing we are achieving in

investing in robotics as that the routine tasks can be done much more

safely and reliably and can free people up. Back in the virtual A

and D, his lungs have collapsed but may have saved his life.

To the weather now and Christopher To the weather now and Christopher

Sometimes the weather is a bit of a waiting game and we have been

waiting for the rain today. There is still a yellow warning for are

ACE in force. The rain is slowly moving eastwards. In behind the

sleet and snow, the ground will be wet with temperatures dropping.

Temperatures between around zero and two Celsius. The rain will

still be up along the east coast but moving away. The good amount of

sunshine through the after noon tomorrow. Farther west, there will

be some light outbreaks of rain. Orkney and Shetland will be

generally dry and bright and in the evening, rain and cloud will work

its way towards the West. On Saturday, the rain is still down

the west side of the country. Generally dry and cloudy and

temperatures close to average. Sunday has some question marks with

some early warnings for snow. It is not straight forward because of

this weather front moving in from the Atlantic which is likely to

fall as snow. Perhaps as much as 10 centimetres of snow. The computer

models are not in agreement with some saying it will be rain and

others snow. On top that uncertainty, the computer models

are not entirely sure what will happen. It could be further west or

says so it could even be dry. We will know more tomorrow once the

will know more tomorrow once the computers have a think about things.

Or it could be a heat wave! Now, a reminder of tonight's main

news in brief. Research suggests high alcohol prices and lower death

rates. Health campaigners say it justifies plans for minimum pricing.

Scottish councils are setting their budgets for the coming year with

warnings that the worse cuts are still to come.

The ex-wife of Chris Huhne has told a court she had no choice but to

take his speeding points. And that's Reporting Scotland. I'll