:00:00. > :00:00.rain. A reminder of
:00:00. > :00:10.On tonight's Reporting Scotland: A damning verdict of mistakes, lies
:00:11. > :00:12.and institutionalised failure. A report into this council-run
:00:13. > :00:15.crematorium in Edinburgh finds parents of babies whose ashes were
:00:16. > :00:33.discarded will never know their child's final resting place.
:00:34. > :00:40.I never expected to be sitting here. I loved that baby. I still love him.
:00:41. > :00:43.And they have done me wrong. Some baby ashes were left and mixed
:00:44. > :00:46.with adult remains the next day, others were dumped by a skip. We'll
:00:47. > :00:49.have a full extended report. Also tonight: The SNP's policy to
:00:50. > :00:53.tackle anti-social behaviour by increasing the price of drink is
:00:54. > :00:56.delayed up to two years by Europe. The ability of primary school
:00:57. > :01:01.children to count has dropped significantly in just three years.
:01:02. > :01:02.And the full story of why black grouse are thriving in the
:01:03. > :01:21.Trossachs. Good evening. The parents of babies
:01:22. > :01:24.whose ashes were disposed of by staff at the Mortonhall crematorium
:01:25. > :01:28.will face a 'lifetime of uncertainty'' about their child's
:01:29. > :01:38.final resting place. That's one of the conclusions of a highly critical
:01:39. > :01:41.report into the scandal. The inquiry found staff lied to bereaved parents
:01:42. > :01:44.for years thinking they'd be ''too distressed'' if they knew the truth.
:01:45. > :01:47.They scattered the ashes of more than 250 babies without telling
:01:48. > :01:51.families. Some may even have been dumped by a skip.
:01:52. > :01:56.Some have waited decades for answers.
:01:57. > :02:03.He was born alive, the most beautiful boy.
:02:04. > :02:11.Fraser lived for five minutes. I loved that baby, I still love him.
:02:12. > :02:15.And they have done me wrong. His parents, like hundreds of
:02:16. > :02:21.others, were told there would be no ashes from babies so small. That was
:02:22. > :02:32.a lie. In fact, staff at the council-run Mortonhall crematorium
:02:33. > :02:38.dumped some ashes by a skip. The report said staff felt it would be
:02:39. > :02:42.to distressing to tell parents what had happened. The investigation
:02:43. > :02:51.found ashes were mixed with those from adults.
:02:52. > :02:57.I just think babies have been treated so differently from adults
:02:58. > :03:04.and why? Things have changed, they have moved forward, why did someone
:03:05. > :03:09.not say no, we have to do this differently because this has caused
:03:10. > :03:12.so much distress to families. Edinburgh Council which runs
:03:13. > :03:18.Mortonhall accepts it is to blame and has repeated its apology.
:03:19. > :03:25.Parents were not told the truth and were given false suits about the
:03:26. > :03:30.remains of their babies. That is completely unacceptable. It is
:03:31. > :03:35.appalling for parents to have to revisit the distress of losing a
:03:36. > :03:38.child. The council does not in any circumstance condone that behaviour
:03:39. > :03:41.and will not accept it in the future.
:03:42. > :03:47.The report concludes huge reform is needed, not just at the crematorium
:03:48. > :03:56.but it NHS funeral directors as well. There are cases in Glasgow,
:03:57. > :04:00.Aberdeen and five. Many hundreds more bereaved families might not
:04:01. > :04:03.know what happens to their bereaved families.
:04:04. > :04:06.One of the parents, Madelaine Cave, had wanted to scatter her daughter's
:04:07. > :04:14.ashes in the hills but now she thinks she'll never know where her
:04:15. > :04:21.remains were disposed. I help my baby and I kissed her and
:04:22. > :04:28.I stroked her here. And I held her hands and I told her how much I
:04:29. > :04:32.loved her. I cared for her and my family cared for her until the very
:04:33. > :04:38.last second that we could. And then we passed her into the care of
:04:39. > :04:45.Mortonhall. I will never ever know what happens to my baby's ashes. I
:04:46. > :04:59.will never know her final resting place.
:05:00. > :05:06.She died suddenly at 15 days old. She had a bad heart defect. It is
:05:07. > :05:08.cruel that there is nothing left. We asked why that was and
:05:09. > :05:14.cruel that there is nothing left. We that with a baby as young as Megan
:05:15. > :05:20.was, there are no ashes. You hand your child over to them to take care
:05:21. > :05:29.of and to respect your wishes and to respect your child and Mortonhall
:05:30. > :05:36.did neither. They didn't respect are wishes, they lied to us.
:05:37. > :05:43.And now there is an additional pain of having to live the rest of my
:05:44. > :05:48.life without my child but also not knowing what happened to her
:05:49. > :05:57.remains. Well, Morag Kinniburgh is at
:05:58. > :06:00.Mortonhall crematorium tonight. A deeply emotional day for the
:06:01. > :06:07.families. What will happen now, Morag?
:06:08. > :06:14.The families still want a public inquiry and for the police to reopen
:06:15. > :06:21.their investigation. Some are chasing compensation. No charges
:06:22. > :06:25.have been brought against anyone in connection with what has happened,
:06:26. > :06:38.no one has resigned, no crematorium has shut down, although the report
:06:39. > :06:41.says any crematorium still operating that says ashes cannot begin to
:06:42. > :06:48.bereaved parents is not allowed to do this. There will be a report in
:06:49. > :06:52.the next few weeks and the tougher guidelines that will come out of
:06:53. > :07:02.this once just apply to crematorium staff here at around the country and
:07:03. > :07:04.to midwives and funeral directors in the hope that babies and their
:07:05. > :07:09.families will be treated with more respect in future. It could be
:07:10. > :07:13.almost two years until the SNP's proposals for minimum prices for
:07:14. > :07:17.alcohol can be implemented. That's because Scottish judges have
:07:18. > :07:21.now referred the matter to a court in Luxembourg to rule on whether it
:07:22. > :07:31.complies with European Union law. Our Home Affairs Correspondent,
:07:32. > :07:34.Reevel Alderson reports. An international symbol of Scotland
:07:35. > :07:43.and one of our most important industries with annual experts of 4
:07:44. > :07:49.billion. The government wants to increase the price of these products
:07:50. > :07:52.to register drink fuelled violence, disorder and alcohol-related
:07:53. > :08:00.illness. But as this policy passed by Holyrood only two years ago legal
:08:01. > :08:03.under EU law? Is caught in Luxembourg is being asked to decide
:08:04. > :08:08.whether the Scottish Government can bring in minimum alcohol pricing.
:08:09. > :08:13.We do recognise this will take another 16 months before we get the
:08:14. > :08:16.opinion from Luxembourg and then it will go back to the Court of Session
:08:17. > :08:20.and they will make a final decision but at least that decision will be
:08:21. > :08:25.made in Scotland on the basis of the opinion received from Luxembourg.
:08:26. > :08:32.The government has accused fodder who brought the court case is trying
:08:33. > :08:42.to block a democratic society 's and -- a democratic decision.
:08:43. > :08:46.We always said it would be found illegal under EU law and we are
:08:47. > :08:49.delighted the day in court now has the opportunity to take a view on
:08:50. > :08:54.that. Scotland continues to have it
:08:55. > :08:58.damaging relationship with drink. Campaigners say further delays will
:08:59. > :09:04.mean for the people will suffer until the changes implemented. The
:09:05. > :09:10.bottom line is that good alcohol policy saves lives and bad policy
:09:11. > :09:15.kills Scottish people. Many people are being admitted to
:09:16. > :09:19.hospital on a daily basis due to alcohol and this policy would save
:09:20. > :09:22.lives. But the government says it is
:09:23. > :09:26.important that a definitive ruling is made as several other European
:09:27. > :09:37.countries are waiting to introduce their own pricing controls.
:09:38. > :09:40.As numbers go, the figures aren't good. An official study of thousands
:09:41. > :09:43.of Scottish school pupils has found the number of children doing well at
:09:44. > :09:46.maths has dropped. Here's our Education Correspondent, Jamie
:09:47. > :09:56.McIvor. Making maths engaging and relevant.
:09:57. > :09:59.At this school, one thing they do is mix calculation with financial
:10:00. > :10:03.education. We had to plan a party and decide
:10:04. > :10:09.what things were the most relevant and we got a budget. One way or
:10:10. > :10:14.another, everybody needs maths at some point in their life because it
:10:15. > :10:21.is something you cannot avoid. It is what adults have been brought
:10:22. > :10:24.in to explain. We have had a pilot, an architect and a banker rotten and
:10:25. > :10:32.that has made maths relevant and they can see how they can use it in
:10:33. > :10:46.the future. -- a banker brought in.
:10:47. > :10:57.76% of primary brought pupils -- primary for pupils reached 76%.
:10:58. > :11:06.The primary force and primary sevens, two thirds are doing well or
:11:07. > :11:11.very well against the standard but we do recognise there is a depth in
:11:12. > :11:15.performance. The figures also show that there is an increasing number
:11:16. > :11:23.of people doing higher marks. There is to be more government money
:11:24. > :11:33.but ensuring youngsters do better in maths isn't as straightforward.
:11:34. > :11:36.The Electoral Commission says it will make sure all those campaigning
:11:37. > :11:39.in the independence referendum abide by the rules on spending limits. A
:11:40. > :11:42.number of groups have registered to campaign for a Yes vote and some
:11:43. > :11:46.within Better Together believe this is being used as a front to boost
:11:47. > :11:49.the Yes side's spending power. Our Referendum Correspondent Laura
:11:50. > :11:57.Bicker is here to explain a bit more.
:11:58. > :12:04.This road is about perceived fairness. Yes Scotland get ?1.5
:12:05. > :12:12.million to spend. Other groups have registered to campaign. The CBI will
:12:13. > :12:20.no longer be campaigning for the No vote. But there is also the No
:12:21. > :12:27.Borders Campaign. These groups are involved in the Yes campaign.
:12:28. > :12:38.The benefits of all of this is that each group will get ?150,000 to
:12:39. > :12:43.campaign with. That is allowed and they are even allowed to work
:12:44. > :12:46.together but what is not allowed is for someone to find multiple
:12:47. > :12:51.campaigns and Somerton better together they are this may be
:12:52. > :12:54.happening. Yes Scotland say they are adhering to strict guidelines but
:12:55. > :13:01.what with all this mean anyway? What difference would it make?
:13:02. > :13:11.The votes will be determined by the weight of argument or the many
:13:12. > :13:15.issues, but rather by who spends the most.
:13:16. > :13:20.The commission has responded and said that his spoken to grips to
:13:21. > :13:30.make sure they are aware of the rules and they will be watching this
:13:31. > :13:33.very closely. A look at other stories from the
:13:34. > :13:36.across the country: Health inspectors have identified numerous
:13:37. > :13:38.problems with elderly patient care at Glasgow's Southern General
:13:39. > :13:41.Hospital. They found some patients with cognitive impairment were being
:13:42. > :13:44.moved from ward to ward, against hospital policy, to help cope with
:13:45. > :13:47.new admissions. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it was addressing the
:13:48. > :13:50.concerns highlighted. Fishermen at a small harbour south
:13:51. > :13:53.of Aberdeen have been given two weeks to remove their boats. The
:13:54. > :13:58.owner of the Cove shore says he wants to improve the land where the
:13:59. > :14:01.vessels are moored. A petition organised by the fishermen has so
:14:02. > :14:06.far received more than 1000 signatures. The land owner has
:14:07. > :14:10.refused to comment. My grandfather fished here, my
:14:11. > :14:13.father first year and I fish myself. My grandfather fished here, my
:14:14. > :14:16.I think it is such a shame. My grandfather fished here, my
:14:17. > :14:26.going to take this beetle plays away.
:14:27. > :14:29.-- beta full place. Salmon catches on the River Dee in Aberdeenshire
:14:30. > :14:31.are significantly down this month because of the mild winter,
:14:32. > :14:35.according to fisheries managers. The warmer climate confuses the fish
:14:36. > :14:38.into swimming straight to the middle reaches of the Dee, leaving some
:14:39. > :14:41.beats with hardly any fish. The owner of a Land Rover is
:14:42. > :14:44.expected to try and retrieve his vehicle from the sea off Lewis after
:14:45. > :14:46.causing a major search yesterday evening. The operation on Tolsta
:14:47. > :14:59.causing a major search yesterday vehicle to get help, but it was
:15:00. > :15:03.taken out on the high tide. The SNP has launched its campaign
:15:04. > :15:06.for the European Elections - with a promise to put Scotland's interests
:15:07. > :15:09.first. At the launch in Edinburgh, the First Minister Alex Salmond said
:15:10. > :15:12.that independence would enable Scotland to play an active, positive
:15:13. > :15:14.role in the European Union. This from our Political Editor, Brian
:15:15. > :15:19.Taylor. They knew is this research Institute
:15:20. > :15:24.near Edinburgh. It gives Scottish and European funding for its work on
:15:25. > :15:32.animal welfare. and European funding for its work on
:15:33. > :15:39.Other than party conference, our political leaders seldom
:15:40. > :15:45.Other than party conference, our bloodsuckers but Nicola Sturgeon
:15:46. > :15:51.Other than party conference, our surveyed a parasite. The First
:15:52. > :15:56.Minister was nominated but declined. I will pass on that, I get queasy on
:15:57. > :16:08.these things. But he was resolute about the what is facing Scotland.
:16:09. > :16:15.An independent Scotland would be welcome in Europe at we could be
:16:16. > :16:24.dragged out against our well unless we take matters into our own hands.
:16:25. > :16:29.The SNP topped the polls in the last elections in Scotland. They
:16:30. > :16:36.currently have two MEPs and hope to add another one. We are putting
:16:37. > :16:43.Scotland's interests first. We have now divided loyalty. That is
:16:44. > :16:47.what we go for, to speak for, to vote for Scotland's best interests.
:16:48. > :17:01.No doubt the voters will scrutinise that and competing claims.
:17:02. > :17:03.Time for the sports news. They'll be defending their
:17:04. > :17:08.Commonwealth Games Gold medal later this year, but the All Blacks rugby
:17:09. > :17:10.sevens team are already in Scotland. The New Zealanders are here for the
:17:11. > :17:14.second last round of the World Series but it seems in one respect
:17:15. > :17:20.they may have met their match. Jonathan Sutherland reports.
:17:21. > :17:25.Everybody loves the all Blacks and the all conquering sevens side. And
:17:26. > :17:30.we are trying to get these kids in love with rugby. There will be
:17:31. > :17:35.scrums of a different time this weekend as it is the penultimate
:17:36. > :17:38.round of the World Series. New Zealand top the table and they are
:17:39. > :17:45.hoping to be smiling after losing out to South Africa last year. If we
:17:46. > :17:52.hoping to be smiling after losing beat South Africa, in the final it
:17:53. > :17:58.could be revenge. This usually sends fear into the Hearts of opponents,
:17:59. > :18:03.but this version was more of a welcome. The all Blacks are back
:18:04. > :18:08.later in the year and they are always keen to spread the rug the
:18:09. > :18:14.message. It is a great opportunity to come and bring rug be here. We
:18:15. > :18:22.are learning a lot about it. When you see a celebrity in your school,
:18:23. > :18:29.it is autographs. Does it make you want to play rugby? Yes. It is
:18:30. > :18:35.hoping getting this close to the all Blacks should live long in the
:18:36. > :18:43.memory and 15,000 supporters will flock to watch the game.
:18:44. > :18:45.The Scottish Professional Football League is taking no further action
:18:46. > :18:48.over allegations Kilmarnock falsified a player's signature. The
:18:49. > :18:51.claims were made by a former employee of the club. The SPFL says
:18:52. > :18:54.all the relevant documentation has been examined.
:18:55. > :19:00.Now, a look at what else is happening across Scottish sport.
:19:01. > :19:04.Neil Lennon may be on the short list to become Norwich to the's new
:19:05. > :19:09.manager but one Celtic player does not want him to go. We hope he stays
:19:10. > :19:14.because he has been brilliant to Celtic. Fingers crossed he does
:19:15. > :19:21.stay. Hearts are appealing against the charge of Miss conduct face by
:19:22. > :19:26.Jamie Hamill. He is charged with barging into Ross County manager
:19:27. > :19:30.couple of weeks ago. The last representative of Scotland
:19:31. > :19:35.at the snooker world championship is out. Alan McManus lost out to Mark
:19:36. > :19:38.Selby. Megan Dawson has had a shoulder
:19:39. > :19:45.injury, ligament damage in her arm and a kidney infection. All systems
:19:46. > :19:49.go now bow. I am hoping that is me with my
:19:50. > :19:53.problems and I can concentrate on training and racing for The Games.
:19:54. > :20:03.The final place in the boxing team has gone to Lewis Henson from
:20:04. > :20:09.Edinburgh. That is him in lieu. And there is lots more on the BBC
:20:10. > :20:15.sport Scotland website. -- him in blue.
:20:16. > :20:19.What motivates cyclists when they're half way through a 100-mile training
:20:20. > :20:22.session? It seems the possibility of competing in a home Commonwealth
:20:23. > :20:26.Games is up there. Our Games reporter Jane Lewis spent the day
:20:27. > :20:28.with a couple of cyclists who're hoping it's all worth it.
:20:29. > :20:34.They are fuelled up and the route is being mapped out. For one cyclist,
:20:35. > :20:38.the gruelling training will be worth it if it leads to a fourth
:20:39. > :20:43.Commonwealth games. It is my inspiration to keep going with these
:20:44. > :20:47.last four years after Delhi. Another has only been competing for three
:20:48. > :20:52.years and is hoping to make the team for the first time. I am getting
:20:53. > :21:05.into the sport quite late, but I think it is to my advantage. I am
:21:06. > :21:08.motivated to train hard. My background is in bike touring. I did
:21:09. > :21:14.some testing with the Institute of sport which tests your power output
:21:15. > :21:20.and I passed all of the benchmark figures. I have been riding bikes
:21:21. > :21:25.since I was a kid. It has given me everything I have got in my life and
:21:26. > :21:32.now I do it as a job and I get the chance to represent Scotland at our
:21:33. > :21:38.home, wealth games. Without a doubt it is hard training. It would mean
:21:39. > :21:46.the world to me to get to the Commonwealth Games and compete for
:21:47. > :21:50.Scotland. It would mean everything. You have to keep your eyes on the
:21:51. > :22:02.prize. Before you know it it will be the opening ceremony.
:22:03. > :22:05.That is all the sports. The rare black grouse is now
:22:06. > :22:09.thriving in the Trossachs, according to conservationists. The success is
:22:10. > :22:12.being credited to a huge project to restore woodland in an area the size
:22:13. > :22:15.of Glasgow. Our environment correspondent, David Miller,
:22:16. > :22:21.reports. 5am on an April morning. It may be
:22:22. > :22:26.early but these male, black grouse only have one thing on their minds.
:22:27. > :22:33.Attract a mate. They are strutting their stuff in front of their rivals
:22:34. > :22:36.hoping to impress the females. It is an iconic species. It symbolises
:22:37. > :22:42.amazing things in Scotland. Often in very wild places but it is a good
:22:43. > :22:47.indicator on how the woodland are doing and the moorland habitat as
:22:48. > :22:52.well. Black grouse numbers here in the Trossachs are up by 15%. It is
:22:53. > :22:57.the decision to restore native woodlands across a vast area which
:22:58. > :23:04.is seen as key to that success. This is a 200 year project, but take a
:23:05. > :23:11.look at the Hillside behind me. You can see the Trossachs are already
:23:12. > :23:18.changing. It is huge landscape, 16,500 have those, which is 22,000
:23:19. > :23:24.football pitches. This was a huge sheep farm only 20 years ago. Today
:23:25. > :23:32.this project is linking and restoring woodlands here in an area
:23:33. > :23:37.up to Loch Lomond. Many people think of a forest and they think of a
:23:38. > :23:42.blanket cover of trees. We are looking to get a complete mosaic of
:23:43. > :23:48.open woodlands, dense woodland, wet habitats, working together. These
:23:49. > :23:52.accounts are not complete but the numbers of black grouse are
:23:53. > :23:59.promising. But it will only be in the years ahead if we discover the
:24:00. > :24:01.recovery here can be sustained. Time for the weather now and what a
:24:02. > :24:14.difference a day makes! It was pretty wet across most of the
:24:15. > :24:19.country and this evening it is staying cloudy and wet. This is the
:24:20. > :24:25.current rainfall radar. Heavy showers cropping up across Ayrshire.
:24:26. > :24:29.This is the main body of the rain. Overnight it stays cloudy and wet.
:24:30. > :24:35.Clearer skies up towards the Northern Isles. Yes, white flecks as
:24:36. > :24:46.well, some snow but above 500 metres. Potentially sleet overnight.
:24:47. > :24:51.It will feel cold tomorrow morning. Damp and cold and the breeze will
:24:52. > :24:55.make it feel like the 1st of March rather than the 1st of May. In the
:24:56. > :24:58.Northern Isles it will be chilly and in the afternoon, the rain will
:24:59. > :25:03.fizzle and fade but there is a legacy of cloud. Because we are in
:25:04. > :25:10.the cold air, temperatures seven, eight degrees so quite chilly
:25:11. > :25:14.indeed. Further north, some sunshine and light showers. Because it is
:25:15. > :25:19.colder, the temperature is not responding well. Nine, 10 degrees
:25:20. > :25:25.but with blue skies it should feel better at least. The rest of the
:25:26. > :25:28.afternoon, into the evening and overnight, we say goodbye to the
:25:29. > :25:35.last of the rain and that means a chilly night. It is courtesy of high
:25:36. > :25:38.building in from the North but with the high comes the cold air mass we
:25:39. > :25:44.have been talking about. Right across the UK as we head towards
:25:45. > :25:49.Friday. It will be a chilly day on Friday. They chilly start as well,
:25:50. > :25:55.potentially frosty. But on Friday, the weather is dry, better, sunnier.
:25:56. > :25:59.Maybe one or two light showers around as well. For the weekend,
:26:00. > :26:04.Saturday isn't bad, dry, bright and sunny for most. Still a bit chilly
:26:05. > :26:07.and clouding over in the West. Sunday will be chillier than
:26:08. > :26:16.Saturday but Monday will be wet. Now, a reminder of tonight's main
:26:17. > :26:19.news: The parents of babies whose ashes were disposed of by staff at
:26:20. > :26:22.Edinburgh's Mortonhall crematorium will face a lifetime of uncertainty
:26:23. > :26:25.about their child's final resting place. That's one of the conclusions
:26:26. > :26:29.of a highly-critical report into the scandal involving the scattering of
:26:30. > :26:30.the ashes of more than 250 babies. And that