:00:00. > :00:00.rise. That is all from the BBC
:00:00. > :00:10.Tonight, on Reporting Scotland, the startling cost to you, the taxpayer,
:00:11. > :00:12.of NHS fraud. Every year, around ?800 million is lost through
:00:13. > :00:23.deceptions like forging prescriptions to charging for
:00:24. > :00:28.un-needed treatment. I'm ashamed, as a dentist, that any dentist could
:00:29. > :00:31.behave in this manner. We're asking what's being done to stop this
:00:32. > :00:34.public money leaving the NHS. Also on the programme... Scotland's two
:00:35. > :00:38.biggest parties jump into bed to counter the spare-room subsidy, but
:00:39. > :00:41.it's still not clear how the money will get to those affected. How this
:00:42. > :00:45.internet search engine for travellers has doubled its turnover
:00:46. > :00:51.in one year. Ripe for redevelopment, or best left alone? A special report
:00:52. > :00:54.into Scotland's green belt debate. And just two weeks before the start
:00:55. > :00:57.of the Commonwealth Games the world's top athletes compete in
:00:58. > :01:14.Glasgow, but will that meeting have a better line up?
:01:15. > :01:21.Good evening. Fraud in the NHS is costing the taxpayer ?800 million a
:01:22. > :01:26.year. It's being carried out not by organised criminals but by doctors,
:01:27. > :01:30.nurses, dentists and patients. And it's a growing problem. A BBC
:01:31. > :01:36.Scotland investigation has found in the past five years fraud has risen
:01:37. > :01:47.by 42%. The sum lost could pay for 37,000 nurses. Fiona Walker has this
:01:48. > :01:53.exclusive report. Fraudsters are ripping off the NHS, using every
:01:54. > :01:56.imaginable form of deception. We found everything from theft of
:01:57. > :02:02.hospital equipment to forging prescriptions. And, as in this
:02:03. > :02:08.case, over cleaning by dentists. This person 's teeth... Were being
:02:09. > :02:11.damaged. By the dentist carrying out what wasn't necessary. Then you have
:02:12. > :02:17.an onward spiral of doing more and more treatment to the deterioration
:02:18. > :02:22.of the patient. And we are told each time he did this it made him more
:02:23. > :02:26.money. This is the dentist he's talking about, Stuart Krieg. Not
:02:27. > :02:31.only was he struck off, but he was convicted for fraud against the NHS
:02:32. > :02:37.in court last year. For claiming the cost of gold crowns when he actually
:02:38. > :02:45.fitted cheaper ones. I'm ashamed, as a dentist, that any dentist could
:02:46. > :02:49.behave in this manner. The fraud was officially recorded at just over
:02:50. > :02:56.?2000 by the court and the health board. But the NHS actually believe
:02:57. > :03:00.he conned them out of ?750,000. They are now pursuing the money. So what
:03:01. > :03:04.is recorded as fraud isn't the whole picture. A leading expert says his
:03:05. > :03:10.calculations show us the true scale of this kind of crime. We currently
:03:11. > :03:13.have 15 years of data covering 14 different types of health care
:03:14. > :03:18.expenditure. We are finding just under 7% on average of that
:03:19. > :03:28.expenditure is lost to fraud. Of the whole of the NHS budget in Scotland?
:03:29. > :03:31.That's what I will expect to see. By tobacco that ?800 million a year.
:03:32. > :03:38.Enough to paper 37,000 new nurses or six new hospitals. The consequence
:03:39. > :03:44.of stealing from the NHS is poor care for all of us when we are sick,
:03:45. > :03:47.just when we needed most. So behind the scenes it is the job of these
:03:48. > :03:52.investigators not only to catch fraudsters but to put them off
:03:53. > :03:57.before they do it. We are focussing on deterrent, so people don't commit
:03:58. > :04:02.fraud in the first place. That's a more cost-effective way and it
:04:03. > :04:05.protects the health service. The NHS says Stuart Krieg hasn't paid that
:04:06. > :04:12.the penny of the three quarters of ?1 million they say he owes them. We
:04:13. > :04:15.discover he has moved property out of his name and he hasn't responded
:04:16. > :04:16.to our letters. And you can see Scotland's NHS Thieves tonight at
:04:17. > :04:23.10.35pm on BBC One Scotland. The SNP and Labour have tonight
:04:24. > :04:26.struck a deal to provide funds which should counter the full impact of
:04:27. > :04:29.the so-called bedroom tax in Scotland. After days of
:04:30. > :04:34.negotiations, the two parties agreed a ?15 million package. But it's
:04:35. > :04:38.still not clear exactly how the money will be allocated. Our
:04:39. > :04:43.political editor, Brian Taylor, joins us from Holyrood. Brian, first
:04:44. > :04:50.things first, MSPs have now backed the Scottish budget for the year
:04:51. > :04:57.ahead? That's a good point. There's been controversy about the bedroom
:04:58. > :05:03.tax, a package of some 15 million in total with ten #12 million still to
:05:04. > :05:08.be allocated. But there's more than 30,000 million, ?30 billion. That is
:05:09. > :05:12.money for the health service, education, transport and all the
:05:13. > :05:15.rest. John Swinney is allocating some ?8 billion to capital
:05:16. > :05:18.investment over two years, but says he's doing it within tight
:05:19. > :05:25.constraints from Westminster. There are some goodies in there.
:05:26. > :05:29.Childcare, they've got the Liberal Democrats on board tonight. Goodies
:05:30. > :05:34.on free school meals, but the controversy remains open mitigating
:05:35. > :05:39.the impact of the so called bedroom tax. On the spare room subsidy, they
:05:40. > :05:44.haven't worked out yet how they are going to fund its impact and who is
:05:45. > :05:48.going to be eligible. It's a good point. Benefits are reserved to
:05:49. > :05:52.Westminster. The Department for Work and Pensions have announced their
:05:53. > :05:54.some discretionary housing payments to mitigate the impact for tenants
:05:55. > :05:58.who lose benefits as a consequence of having a spare room. The Scottish
:05:59. > :06:02.government has topped that up initially by 20 million. Now they
:06:03. > :06:06.say it's 22 million. They want to clear the whole impact of this
:06:07. > :06:09.potential tax in Scotland. They say it needs another 12 million of
:06:10. > :06:15.money, with the money already allocated. They say they need that
:06:16. > :06:19.go-ahead from the UK Department for Work and Pensions. They say, no you
:06:20. > :06:23.don't, you can find other ways of doing it. Maybe so, says John
:06:24. > :06:27.Swinney, but we have to look at that in great detail. He said he would
:06:28. > :06:31.announce to the chamber tonight, if he didn't get the go-ahead from the
:06:32. > :06:35.UK Government, he will find ways of using that money to counteract
:06:36. > :06:39.evictions of tenants who land in trouble solely, and this is the key
:06:40. > :06:43.point, as a result of the bedroom tax. One way or another, John
:06:44. > :06:47.Swinney is determined to mitigate the impact of that UK Government
:06:48. > :06:50.policy. The Business Secretary, Vince Cable, has predicted that an
:06:51. > :06:59.independent Scotland would be forced to adopt its own currency. In
:07:00. > :07:02.evidence to the Commons Business, Innovation and Skills committee, Mr
:07:03. > :07:05.Cable said that, under independence, sharing the pound with the UK would
:07:06. > :07:09.be "extremely difficult" and that it would be in the interests of both
:07:10. > :07:12.sides to have their own currency. The Scottish Government said it
:07:13. > :07:15.would be "absurd" if a currency union was not agreed. You're
:07:16. > :07:18.watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC. Still to come on tonight's
:07:19. > :07:27.programme... Half-grass, half-fake, but a full ?1 million. Why Scottish
:07:28. > :07:30.rugby is tearing up its turf. In sport, some of the world's best
:07:31. > :07:34.athletes are coming to Glasgow in the summer, but not all of them for
:07:35. > :07:37.the Commonwealth Games. Details later. And we talk to the Livingston
:07:38. > :07:39.skater who's one of Britain's best medal hopes at the winter Olympics
:07:40. > :07:46.in Russia. Scotland is on its way to developing
:07:47. > :07:50.its own global technology brand. It may not yet be a Google or Facebook,
:07:51. > :07:53.but Skyscanner, a search engine for travellers, is growing rapidly and
:07:54. > :07:58.today it published its results for the last year. It's now at the heart
:07:59. > :08:01.of a cluster of new technology firms growing up in Edinburgh. Our
:08:02. > :08:11.business editor, Douglas Fraser, reports. Taking off for a global
:08:12. > :08:16.market. If you are booking a flight, hotel or car hire, this Edinburgh
:08:17. > :08:19.company is becoming a big player as an online search engine. Skyscanner
:08:20. > :08:23.is a new type of workplace, a magnet for young people with technology and
:08:24. > :08:27.language skills where the competition isn't all about market
:08:28. > :08:32.share. The company results from last year showed revenue nearly doubled
:08:33. > :08:36.to ?66 million. It's getting 25 million people using its website or
:08:37. > :08:40.app each month. It already employs 400 people and plans to recruit 200
:08:41. > :08:45.more this year at offices around the world, with online traffic in Asia
:08:46. > :08:50.and the America's growing fastest. I always loved the idea of building
:08:51. > :08:56.the billion dollar internet company from Scotland. I think we've
:08:57. > :09:01.achieved that. We can do much better over the coming years. We are in a
:09:02. > :09:05.great position. That is just over ten years since Skyscanner started
:09:06. > :09:10.out, cutting a lonely figure in Edinburgh. The dot-com bust had
:09:11. > :09:13.wiped out quite a few internet economy companies. But now I see it
:09:14. > :09:19.as a very strong advantage. We've got some really wonderful
:09:20. > :09:23.universities with great computing science departments. Skyscanner is a
:09:24. > :09:27.flight carrier for new Scottish technology firms. It is particularly
:09:28. > :09:31.important in this part of the Scottish capital, where Edinburgh
:09:32. > :09:34.University is spinning out ideas, and it also has the graduates
:09:35. > :09:38.necessary for these recruiters. There are now around 100 technology
:09:39. > :09:43.companies clustered around this hope, with Skyscanner setting an
:09:44. > :09:47.example. The way they've approached staff development, the aggression
:09:48. > :09:50.with which they've approached the business is incredibly healthy and
:09:51. > :09:55.gives an excellent role model for people stopping businesses, and also
:09:56. > :09:58.to bring people into this area will stop Near the university, this is
:09:59. > :10:03.one of the integrators for baby companies, but they found out big
:10:04. > :10:05.investment by Skyscanner by an American technology fund last year
:10:06. > :10:11.brought a lot more attention to the capital. It has shown such a light
:10:12. > :10:14.on what is happening here that investors want to get in early to
:10:15. > :10:19.grow the next generation of great companies. And if this cluster of
:10:20. > :10:23.companies continues to grow in the capital, it is quality of life as
:10:24. > :10:27.well as work which are seen as vital to attracting more talent. As the
:10:28. > :10:30.economic recovery continues, more developers are expected to submit
:10:31. > :10:33.plans for houses on fields, or empty land around the outskirts of towns
:10:34. > :10:40.and cities. But so-called green belt developments are often highly
:10:41. > :10:47.controversial. Here's our local government correspondent Jamie
:10:48. > :10:56.McIvor. The green outskirts of Edinburgh, but should this land be
:10:57. > :11:03.built on? The company that owns the land has big plans. 3500 homes, a
:11:04. > :11:08.school and more. Opinion is divided. I feel that this particular proposal
:11:09. > :11:17.is inappropriate when it is on the green belt in prime quality land.
:11:18. > :11:22.I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing. I'm not in favour of this
:11:23. > :11:26.development. But the developers believe the new homes are badly
:11:27. > :11:30.needed. There's a lot of housing need in Edinburgh. People need to
:11:31. > :11:35.understand that need. We need them to understand how we can bring the
:11:36. > :11:41.developer and forward without impacting too much on their
:11:42. > :11:46.communities. A decision on this scheme is still a long way off, but
:11:47. > :11:51.for councils across Scotland there is always a difficult balancing act.
:11:52. > :11:55.We have to balance it out between EPP wrap's desire to grow and the
:11:56. > :12:00.feeling of local residents, to try and preserve what they see as a
:12:01. > :12:05.green space. It's a similar element in other places. Developers have
:12:06. > :12:09.hoped building a new community near new Lanark for years, but its land
:12:10. > :12:14.where the council normally isn't keen on development. Meanwhile, near
:12:15. > :12:18.Stonehaven, a plan for up to 8000 new homes is proving less divisive.
:12:19. > :12:22.Yet even here there are concerns about the strain this could place on
:12:23. > :12:27.the local health service. So what are the rules? Basically, every
:12:28. > :12:30.council has a plan for what they would or wouldn't want built in
:12:31. > :12:33.particular areas. Some land is protected. That means it's much
:12:34. > :12:39.harder to get planning permission to build there, but not impossible.
:12:40. > :12:44.Back in Edinburgh, the formal planning application for this site
:12:45. > :12:53.may be made later this year. It's a local debate echoed in many
:12:54. > :12:55.communities. A man has appeared in court accused of raping a
:12:56. > :12:58.24-year-old woman in Aberdeen. Daniel Walsh is also charged with
:12:59. > :13:01.abduction and assault following the incident near the city's beach on
:13:02. > :13:05.Monday evening. The 22-year-old made no plea and was remanded in custody
:13:06. > :13:08.after appearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. Civilian workers at the
:13:09. > :13:12.Faslane nuclear naval base on the Clyde are to go on strike over a pay
:13:13. > :13:14.dispute. The Unite Union said staff at Babcock Marine will take
:13:15. > :13:17.industrial action after rejecting a below-inflation offer. The dispute
:13:18. > :13:19.involves a range of employees, including submarine maintenance
:13:20. > :13:30.teams, cleaners, and radiation level monitors. Now let's have a look at
:13:31. > :13:34.other stories from across Scotland. A doctor has been struck off for
:13:35. > :13:39.failing to provide good clinical care to a patient who died of a drug
:13:40. > :13:44.overdose. The doctor was working at Castle Craig Hospital's drug and
:13:45. > :13:48.alcohol dependence clinic in 2005 when 20-year-old Kieron Mickel was
:13:49. > :13:52.found dead. The medical tribunal found the treatment provided by the
:13:53. > :13:56.doctor felt he was the book # below expected standards. Reports are
:13:57. > :13:59.being prepared which could lead to criminal cases being brought
:14:00. > :14:03.following the outbreak of legionella, which killed four people
:14:04. > :14:06.in Edinburgh in 2012. Details are being sent to the Crown office,
:14:07. > :14:11.which has a new specialist branch dealing with health and save the
:14:12. > :14:14.issues. Experts in forensics and human anatomy have created a new
:14:15. > :14:21.artist 's impression of a man whose body was found in the sea on sky
:14:22. > :14:25.last September. He was seen walking near the bridge the day before his
:14:26. > :14:28.body was found. The death is not being treated as suspicious. A
:14:29. > :14:31.newsagent in Aberdeen has become the first in Scotland to be banned from
:14:32. > :14:37.selling tobacco. The city council applied for the banning order
:14:38. > :14:42.against Tony's newsagents after the owner was caught selling cigarettes
:14:43. > :14:45.to underage customers. These are extreme circumstances. The vast
:14:46. > :14:50.majority of traders comply with the law. They rarely fail a second time,
:14:51. > :14:55.they learn the lessons of the first failure. This is an extreme example.
:14:56. > :15:01.The culling of mink in the Western Isles, which began 13 years ago, is
:15:02. > :15:03.almost complete. Research by Scottish natural Heritage and
:15:04. > :15:07.Aberdeen University predicts the mink, which originally escaped from
:15:08. > :15:11.their farms, will be extinct in three years. The Hebridean Project
:15:12. > :15:16.was established to eradicate the non-native mink, which prey on
:15:17. > :15:23.ground nesting birds. The Royal Society of Edinburgh has appointed
:15:24. > :15:27.its first female president. Dame Jocelyn Bell Brunel is an
:15:28. > :15:32.astrophysicist credited with one of the most significant scientific
:15:33. > :15:35.achievements of the 20th century. Scotland's national rugby stadium is
:15:36. > :15:40.to get a ?1million make over with the installation of a hybrid pitch.
:15:41. > :15:43.It follows fears the existing surface wasn't good enough for
:15:44. > :15:47.professional games. The new turf will be made of grass, reinforced by
:15:48. > :15:50.synthetic fibres. It's already proved successful for Twickenham -
:15:51. > :15:59.but will it stand up to the Scottish climate? Phil Goodlad reports. It
:16:00. > :16:07.has played host to Scottish rugby's greatest moments. Memories that will
:16:08. > :16:12.live for ever. But the hallowed pitch is being consigned to history.
:16:13. > :16:18.Because of parasites that attack the turf. Despite fighting back with
:16:19. > :16:26.weapons such as guard explained, ground staff have admitted defeat.
:16:27. > :16:29.Time for a new strategy. It will go artificial, although not like the
:16:30. > :16:41.Sample stand at the local garden centre. A hybrid pitch, have grass.
:16:42. > :16:48.-- half-grass. It is a mixture of natural and synthetic fibres. The
:16:49. > :16:53.synthetic fibres support the natural grass during times of struggle and
:16:54. > :16:59.stress, often during the winter. Scotland played Ireland on a hybrid
:17:00. > :17:02.pitch just last weekend. The Murrayfield pitch used to be
:17:03. > :17:08.regarded as the best international pitch. Three Grand Slam tapping on
:17:09. > :17:25.that surface. But it is probably the right time for it to go. -- three
:17:26. > :17:31.Grand Slams have been won. Parasites is an issue, the benefit of
:17:32. > :17:35.synthetics is that, whilst you might lose a high percentage of grass
:17:36. > :17:43.cover, visually and performance wise, the pitch will still hold up.
:17:44. > :17:48.As for the more difficult task, getting things right on the pitch.
:17:49. > :17:53.A make-over for Murrayfield. But not to be outdone, Hampden's in the
:17:54. > :17:57.headlines too. Yes. The Glasgow 2014 Games won't be
:17:58. > :18:01.the only show in town this summer. It won't even be the only athletics
:18:02. > :18:04.event. There could be more big names at a prestigious Diamond League
:18:05. > :18:08.meeting to be held at Hampden two weeks before. But is there a danger
:18:09. > :18:11.that could steal the thunder of the Commonwealth Games? Here's our Games
:18:12. > :18:17.reporter Jane Lewis. The diggers have moved in. Sometime next month
:18:18. > :18:23.the stadium will look more like this, all set for the Commonwealth
:18:24. > :18:35.Games. Just before, a world elite will compete on the new track. Yes,
:18:36. > :18:43.you seem Usain Bolt may run. But there will be other big names.
:18:44. > :18:54.American Olympic medallist, Justin Gatlin. European champion,
:18:55. > :18:57.Christophe LaMaitre of France. They will be at the Diamond league
:18:58. > :19:04.meeting, but not the Commonwealth Games. There are no medals to be won
:19:05. > :19:10.at the Diamond league. The Commonwealth Games in the Olympics
:19:11. > :19:17.mattered most to athletes. It will not take the shine from the
:19:18. > :19:20.Commonwealth Games. Hampden has stepped in as a replacement venue
:19:21. > :19:28.because of the Olympic Stadium in London is being refurbished. Glasgow
:19:29. > :19:34.2014 welcome the announcement, saying:
:19:35. > :19:45.the meeting will take place on July 11-12.
:19:46. > :19:48.A few days away, The Winter Olympics gets under way this week in Sochi
:19:49. > :19:52.and 18 Scottish athletes have been picked in the 56-strong Great
:19:53. > :19:56.Britain team. One of the high hopes for a medal is Elise Christie in the
:19:57. > :19:59.short track speed skating. But could she be in line to win even more?
:20:00. > :20:05.David McDaid has this report form Russia. This is the skating palace,
:20:06. > :20:12.and this is Elise Christie from Livingston. She won bronze at the
:20:13. > :20:19.world champions last year and is a genuine medal hope that these 11 X.
:20:20. > :20:27.This is her second games. Vancouver did not go well. She now feels
:20:28. > :20:32.better equipped. I understand the Olympics are a lot more now. I am
:20:33. > :20:37.preparing to try and go out and perform. Last time I was just going
:20:38. > :20:46.out, thinking, I just happy to be here. Her most successful distance
:20:47. > :21:01.is at 1000 metres. She is hopeful of performing well also in the 501,500.
:21:02. > :21:08.-- the 500 and 1500. I hope to do my best and all of them. I am not
:21:09. > :21:13.focusing on just one. I think she can get a medal in every distance.
:21:14. > :21:19.She has the capability. But so do others. Really, can she handled the
:21:20. > :21:26.pressure? She is not red-hot favourite, but one of them. I was
:21:27. > :21:31.reading her biography. She said, winning is psychological. Certainly,
:21:32. > :21:38.psychology will play a big part for her. So, she could leave Russia is
:21:39. > :21:47.Britain's most successful ever winter and nine. -- winter Olympian.
:21:48. > :21:50.Now for a look at the rest of the day's sport. One wee bit of signing
:21:51. > :21:53.news: St Mirren have signed a former Manchester United player. It's the
:21:54. > :21:56.Cameroon International Eric Djemba Djemba. The 32-year-old is out of
:21:57. > :22:03.contact after leaving Partizan Belgrade in Serbia. He's signed till
:22:04. > :22:06.the end of the season. Police are investigating allegations that Neil
:22:07. > :22:11.Lennon was verbally abused and had a coin thrown at him as he watched the
:22:12. > :22:17.game between Aberdeen and St Johnstone will stop the league have
:22:18. > :22:22.apologised to the Celtic manager. We are reviewing CCTV footage and have
:22:23. > :22:35.apologised to Neil Lennon acid was a game under our auspices. -- as it
:22:36. > :22:39.was. The decision to hold a semifinal at Celtic Park has not
:22:40. > :22:48.been warmly welcomed by Inverness supporters. I would have preferred
:22:49. > :22:58.Ibrox as it has more atmosphere. But, hey Ho. Paul Hartley has been
:22:59. > :23:04.appointed at Dundee. This will be another step going forward in his
:23:05. > :23:08.career. A group hoping to take control of Kilmarnock has withdrawn
:23:09. > :23:12.its interest. The consortium say that a deadline for their offer to
:23:13. > :23:17.be accepted has passed. More on our website.
:23:18. > :23:33.And now the weather. More of the same, wet and windy. But
:23:34. > :23:39.the rain should ease as should the strong winds. That is because of
:23:40. > :23:43.this low-pressure overhead today. You can see the band of rain wrapped
:23:44. > :23:50.around it. It continues moving eastward tonight. By the end of the
:23:51. > :23:58.night, largely dry. Just some showers peppering the West Coast.
:23:59. > :24:04.Towns and cities, rural Aberdeenshire, just a touch cooler.
:24:05. > :24:10.Through the morning, towards the afternoon, showers becoming confined
:24:11. > :24:18.to the north-west. Mid-afternoon, largely dry. At times, one or two
:24:19. > :24:26.showers. Temperatures similar to today. The best of the sunshine
:24:27. > :24:32.across the East Coast. Certainly compared with the last 24 hours. One
:24:33. > :24:38.or two showers in the north-west could be happy with the risk of
:24:39. > :24:42.thunder. The rest of the afternoon, we hold onto the showers for a time.
:24:43. > :24:48.Then it is all change going into Friday. Here is why. The pressure
:24:49. > :24:56.chart showing a glancing blow to the East Coast. It means the eastern
:24:57. > :25:01.part of the country on Friday will be cloudy with the best of the
:25:02. > :25:07.sunshine in the West. One or two light and scattered showers.
:25:08. > :25:13.Saturday, that low swings its way in. Wet and windy. And there could
:25:14. > :25:20.be snow on lower levels. Keep your ion that over the next couple of
:25:21. > :25:22.days. The rain works to the north, in behind, showers, feeling chilly,
:25:23. > :25:29.and windy. Now, a reminder of tonight's main
:25:30. > :25:35.news. A BBC investigation has found that fraud in the NHS is costing the
:25:36. > :25:38.taxpayer ?800 million a year. It's being carried out not by organised
:25:39. > :25:45.criminals but by doctors, nurses, dentists, and patients.
:25:46. > :25:48.The UK government is providing an extra ?100 million to deal with the
:25:49. > :25:51.aftermath of the severe storms. Tonight the main railway linking
:25:52. > :25:55.Cornwall to the rest of the country has been cut by floods and villagers
:25:56. > :25:58.in Somerset have been told to evacuate their homes.
:25:59. > :26:00.And that's Reporting Scotland. Good evening. Goodbye.