17/12/2015 Reporting Scotland

That's all from the BBC News at Six, so it's goodbye from me

and on BBC One, we now join the BBC's news teams where you are.

Two years after a BBC investigation, a former Catholic monk accused

of sexually abusing children at a Highland school

My experience of having brought this to the attention of the Scottish

judiciary and to the police has been, quite frankly, awful, and I

can see why so many men decide not to bother.

opposition parties claim the budget cuts will damage education,

but the First Minister says the Government will protect schools.

we reveal the most popular babies' names in Scotland.

The Celtic and Rangers managers agree

that expanding Scotland's top flight could benefit the game.

And it may look like a dinky donkey derby,

but it's actually the Grand National for Shetland ponies.

A former Catholic monk who taught at the Fort Augustus Abbey school

in the Highlands, is set to be extradited

from Australia to face charges of child sex abuse.

The move by the Crown Office to bring Father Denis Alexander

back to face trial in Scotland comes after a two-and-a-half-year inquiry,

which was sparked by a BBC Scotland investigation.

The development follows criticism by alleged victims that

Our investigations correspondent Mark Daly,

who broke the original story, has this exclusive report.

Tucked away in the Highlands, Fort Augustus Abbey should have been a

safe place for children to learn. Run by Catholic Benedictine monks,

the school closed its doors in 1993 amidst whispers of a dark past.

Allegations of decades of child amidst whispers of a dark past.

sexual and physical abuse were finally made public by a BBC

Scotland investigation in June 2013 which led to a major police inquiry.

Two and a half years after which led to a major police inquiry.

told police about his alleged abuser, Hugh told me this week that

he had been ready to give up. My experience of having brought this to

the attention of the Scottish judiciary and to the police has

been, quite frankly, awful, and I can see why so many men decide not

to bother, and why so many men decided is -- decided is just not

worth the effort. It feels as though, if I am held at bay long

enough, the matter will just go away. I interviewed Hugh on Tuesday.

That same day he said he was told by his Crown liaison there was no news

about his case. On Wednesday, yesterday, I put to them the claim

that prosecutors were dragging their heels over his case. Today a major

development - the Ground has told the BBC that it has started

proceedings to bring the man back to Scotland to face trial. A spokesman

told us: can I speak to you, please? I tried

to interview the alleged abuser in Sydney in 2013. This morning, a BBC

colleague did so again. He denied the allegations and said the matter

was being looked at by Archbishop. One other former Fort Augustus Monk

has appeared in court on charges of assault. A further seven cases

remain under consideration. The final decision to extradite will be

up to the Australian authorities, but it now seems likely that Hugh

Kennedy will get the chance to face his alleged abuser across a

courtroom. The First Minister has come under

fire at Holyrood for Opposition leaders claimed

it would damage education. But Nicola Sturgeon said the SNP had

a plan in place to protect schools and challenged her critics to say

how they would fund their proposals. This from our political editor,

Brian Taylor. Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged that

the revenue budget for councils was tough, a ?320 million cut next year.

But she insisted there was new money for social care and for school

attainment. Desi Dugdale said the overall cuts were bound to hurt

education. -- Kasia Madera. Councils are central to education, but the

budget pulled out the rug from under them. The Labour leader set out a

plan to give head teachers ?1000 for every people from a deprived

background, taking in once Holyrood had more flexible income tax raising

powers. Now any increase has to be across-the-board, so where, said the

First Minister, would the money come from? Is she saying that in this

trapped budget the Scottish Government, she thinks the Scottish

Government should put up the basic rate of income tax? That is a simple

question, let's hear the answer. She's sidestepped the question,

Labour would not change tax next year, but they want a commitment for

future years. What is more credible, no plan for the future, like this

government has? The Lib Dem leader joined in. The biggest thing that

councils do is education, and they have been hammered in this budget.

She clings onto this attainment fund while she butchers school budgets.

All good news and all without independence, so since it is the

season of goodwill, I would wonder if the First Minister could find it

within herself, just once find it within herself, to accept that she

and her colleagues got it wrong. In the spirit of Christmas... With

heavy irony, the First Minister offered thanks for a vote of

confidence in her government. Several councils say they'll need

to make bigger cuts next year Councils have been weighing up

the details of what yesterday's Nationally, it's being claimed

the cut in their finances is equivalent to the

loss of 15,000 jobs. Our local government correspondent

Jamie McIvor is with me. Well, I think there is a large

degree of hyperbole in that figure. But some non-SNP councils

are certainly angry and feel they're taking

too much of the pain. Most councils are still going

through the numbers but some are now saying just

how they think they'll be affected. Highland is expecting to find

?40 million of cuts and savings next year - that's more

than they'd already anticipated. They're looking

at voluntary redundancies and also giving staff

the option to cut their hours. it'll get ?5 million less

cash than expected. And in the Central Belt,

South Lanarkshire is expecting so they'll be looking

at how to make that saving. These councils will be looking

urgently at making savings, and I am sure we will have more details about

how that will affect local services in the next few weeks. Why can't

councils just raise more money through council tax?

The reason is that councils have little practical choice.

If any did put it up, it would have to be by a substantial

amount as they'd lose some government money as a result.

I think the Scottish Government is definitely taking a gamble

They're gambling that voters won't blame them for any unpopular cuts

to local services, and some of these decisions on cuts

will come in February, just as the election

You're watching Reporting Scotland from the BBC.

Still to come on tonight's programme:

We take a look behind the scenes at Aberdeen Art Gallery,

which is being refurbished to reveal some hidden treasures.

In sport, the managers of two of Scotland's biggest clubs

agree on the possible benefits of league re-structuring.

And they're off, we're on London for an unusual equestrian event.

A 47-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the alleged

attempted murder of an 81-year-old man in South Lanarkshire.

The victim was stabbed at his home in Larkhall yesterday afternoon.

He's said to be in a stable condition.

is expected to appear at Hamilton Sheriff Court tomorrow.

Officials in Vietnam believe they have located the body

of Scottish botanist Jamie Taggart, who has been missing in the country

Mr Taggart, from the village of Cove in Argyll and Bute,

failed to return from a plant-hunting trip

in the northern mountainous region in November 2013.

were later found at a guest house in the town of Sapa.

A working group to consider the amount of financial support

which should be paid to victims of contaminated NHS blood products

has recommended they receive higher payments.

It follows the findings of the Penrose Inquiry

The group has suggested that those with HIV or advanced hepatitis C

Bereaved spouses will also get a pension.

but others have welcomed the proposals.

The difference could be enormous. Money will never bring back people

balls loved ones or indeed where people are suffering really serious

health problems. It won't bring back their health. But it will at least

enable them to live rather more hopeful lives, particularly in the

case of widows, and that is one of the most important elements of this

review, for those who have been left behind as a result of this disaster.

It's understood that workers involved in the construction

of the the Queensferry Crossing who had walked out after

a pay dispute have struck a deal with their employers.

Around 50 employees downed tools this afternoon to raise concerns

Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors and the workers union'

Plans to turn the old Royal High School building in Edinburgh

into a luxury hotel have been rejected.

The decision was reached after more than seven hours of debate

Steven Godden is in Edinburgh for us tonight.

This development was always pretty controversial, wasn't it?

Yes, it was, Sally. Behind me as one of the most distinctive buildings in

Edinburgh. The problem for the last 50 years or so has been finding a

use for it. Ever since pupils moved out in the 1960s, all sorts of

proposals have come and gone, it was spoken about as a possible site for

the Scottish Parliament. This latest proposal was hugely controversial.

What developers wanted to do was to turn it into a hotel using the

Hamilton building as the centrepiece and building two wings either side.

The developers say that the ?75 million investment would help create

jobs, it would boost the economy, but there were strong objections

from local residents, from conservation groups, and from

politicians. Council planning officials recommended rejecting it,

saying that there was simply too much building proposed for what is a

sensitive side, and today they ran through the arguments at the city

Chambers. Councillors debated for more than seven hours, and in the

end they reached that same conclusion, rejecting it by one

vote. Not the only new development to have

caused controversy, is it? It is not, no, I think it feeds into

a wider debate about a need for balance between conservation and

development in Edinburgh. This site sits in the middle of a UNESCO world

heritage site, and reflected in the debate were concerns about what

happens here and also at other developments, such as the St James

Centre at the road, about whether that might in any way jeopardise

that status. As I say, those concerns reflected in the debate. As

for what happens here, I do not think this is the end of the story.

The developers have the option to appear, and that may end up in the

hands of the Scottish Government. They say they are disappointed and

are considering their options. A look at other stories

from across the country now. A man with two previous

drink-driving convictions has admitted killing a woman in a crash

while he was over the limit Darren Ferris, who's 24

and from Motherwell, lost control of his Ford Mondeo,

which hit 44-year-old Linda Carson in the town's

Muirhouse Road in September. Ferris admitted causing her death

by dangerous driving. Sentenced was deferred,

and he was returned to prison. A law banning smoking in cars

with children The legislation is designed

to protect children from A similar ban was introduced

in England and Wales in September. We found that 60,000 children every

week in Scotland were being exposed to second-hand smoke in this

confined space. We know the dangers for that child, no option but to go

to the car, and parliament has backed my bill to protect those

children. Nearly three-quarters of pupils are

now off sick at an Angus primary school, after an outbreak

of the so-called 329 pupils are absent

from Langlands Primary in Forfar, Angus Council says action has been

taken to get rid of the bug. A new civilian search-and-rescue

helicopter base Bristow Helicopters -

on behalf of the Coastguard - are taking over the service

currently operated by the Royal Navy The service begins operations

on January 1st. It is a very significant day for

Prestwick, a significant day for the United Kingdom, as this completes

the handover of search and rescue from the military, who have done

sterling service over he is, to this new contract, with 22 new aircraft,

new facilities, to deliver state-of-the-art service with

state-of-the-art aircraft. Three neighbouring schools

in East Ayrshire have been evacuated after a chemical scare

at a science laboratory. A strong-smelling liquid

leaked onto the floor after a bottle was broken in

the chemistry department The school was evacuated

as a precaution, along with nearby

Annanhill Primary and Park School. A look behind the scenes

at Aberdeen Art Gallery - which is being refurbished -

has revealed some hidden treasures. The museum shut in March

for the ?30 million redevelopment. Our reporter Fiona Stalker

has been for a keek. This Victorian exhibition space is

now seven months into a two-year refurbishment. Wars have come down,

scaffolding has been put up, all of the hundreds of works of art were

painstakingly taking down and put into storage, and so far the work as

a blown up some surprises. For example, behind as there is curved

arches that we have found, obviously part of the original 1885 building.

We have removed the freeze that we had around the central corridor,

based on the Parthenon. What was really exciting was to find, behind

that, the names of the trades men who had installed it back in 1904.

The grand old age of the building meant it was an urgent need of

repair, inside and out. The new design will almost double that of

exhibition areas and to link the gallery with a concert hall next

door. We will be able to display the collections in a much better way,

with the new flooring, we will be collections in a much better way,

able to get much better expeditions -- exhibitions. The thing that

complicated the design most was the copper clad roof, described as a

tactician and iconic. But there was still around nine foot ?5 million of

a ?10 million funding raising target to be met -- nine and a half million

pounds. I think people of Aberdeen want this to happen and we are in a

difficult time in terms of the oil industry but there is a lot of

personal wealth in the city and our forefathers contributed and I think

the current well. The new gallery will be unveiled to the public at

the end of 2017 and no doubt, that will spark a passionate debate, but

it is art, and it is meant to. Overnight to our star exhibit for

the sport. The managers of Celtic and Rangers

agree that expanding Scottish football's top league

could benefit the game Mark Warburton is strongly

in favour of a 16-team league, Celtic's Ronny Deila

believes it might also But he says a bigger league they

create space for young talent to develop. -- may create space.

It's part of an ongoing debate as to how to improve the game here,

Recent disappointment on the international front has got us

football and even more recently in Europe has sharpen the focus on the

state of the game here. Among the questions being raised, would a

bigger Topley helped lift standards? When you have less teams in the

league, it should be higher quality and when you add more teams into the

league, it is easy for talents to grow up and get a chance. You get

spread out over the whole country to get games, so everybody gets to see

Celtic or the big teams coming to their place, so it is positive and

negative, both things. The pros and cons have been debated long and hard

over many years. The principal obstacle to a bigger league means

that you have fewer games, which in turn leads to a dropping gate money

and General match their income and in an already tight financial

climate, many clubs just won't take the risk. Sometimes it is short-term

pain for long-term gain and right now, it is not working. I keep being

told there are problems with the national game and radical measures

are needed, so there may be short-term pain. You look at the

league and I know Gordon and his staff, I am sure, are looking at how

to improve the quality players coming through. Changes to the

League Cup format have recently been announced but altering the league

setup again is more complex and even by summer, it would require 11 of

the top 12 to change. The Rangers director Paul Murray

says the ?5 million loan owed to Sports Direct will be repaid

as soon as the paperwork He says the money has been lodged

with the club's solicitors. Murray also said that Rangers

will still spend whatever is required to ensure promotion

to the Scottish Premiership. He says they need to find around ?20

million but it won't necessarily come from the chairman, David King.

I don't think anyone would come into the club unjust but ?20 million into

a bank account. Some would say, that is going back to what you did

before. The chairman did say he would put in whatever is required.

And he has done that so far, we still think that is the number that

is required to rebuild the club back to the top level.

Hibernian have been successful with an appeal against John McGinn's

red card from Saturday's draw with Falkirk.

Although the referee sent the midfielder off for this tackle,

a disciplinary panel has decided it was only a yellow card offence.

He's now free to face Queen of the South and league leaders

It's that time of year when everyone gets terribly excited.

That's because the PDC World darts championship begins

Scotland's Peter Wright faces Keegan Brown, before the reigning

champion Gary Anderson plays Andy Boulton or Per Laursen.

Anderson - originally from Tranent - won last year's title for the first

time and he's been speaking about life as the champion .

It has been fantastic. Like I say, Glasgow, my first return after

reading it, I haven't heard anything like it. -- after winning it. I

didn't want to go out, I was shaking, every hair in my body was

standing up, I felt sick and didn't want to walk through the curtains, I

have never Now to the London International

Horse Show, where a Scots teenager is taking part in an event which has

been a springboard for riders who've gone on to successful

careers as jockeys. It's the third time Rebecca Fraser

from Shetland has competed in it - and it's definitely one of the more

unusual equestrian events. The jockeys are perhaps smaller than

you were expecting. So, are the horses? For this is the

Shetland pony Grand National. Away they go. I have been three

times and it is so amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It

is so good. Cute, yes, but these ponies are no pushovers. Rebecca's

is called Coffee Night Idiot. He is hard to control -- easy to control

that can be hard sometimes. A dozen races take place over the next week

or so and it is more than just a sporting curiosity. It started 30

years ago and since then, we have produced a lot of national Hunt

jockeys, including Tristram Hunt, and it has been phenomenal. Rebecca

didn't win this race. No matter, there are 11 more for her and Idiot

between now and Christmas. I think you enjoy that, sadly.

I did, great fun. And we continue with the small people theme.

Jack and Emily are the most popular names for babies born in Scotland

The annual list of baby names was published this morning

There is a world to explore out there and maybe a future desire to

become a name to remember. Although there is something familiar about

this year's chart. Meet Emily, representing the 368 born in

Scotland this year. And she seems to fit her personality. She hates being

the centre of attention, obviously. But she is a little giggle, she

likes a good laugh. SNEEZES.

Bless you. Jack has held the top spot for three years in a row, but

despite the top two staying the same, there is much more diversity

in the name changes over the last decade. Jack accounts the 2%, Emily

accounts for 149%. Instead, names like Jackson, Cooper and Aria are on

the rise. Rubin and Sony are new entries, as our Kali and Harriet.

Meet twins axel and thin, popular names in Scandinavia but just one of

the 7,000 choices here -- Finn. Finn is outgoing, he cares about the

place, Axle is more calm but still causes quite a bit of trouble.

Across the country, there are regional differences. They prefer

Amelia in Aberdeen and in Glasgow, Mohammed tops the boys' list. But

while parents agonise over it and the kids must live with it, there is

no time to worry about your name when you have superhero things to

do. Just before we go to the weather...

pretty strange places this week - even the penguin pen

The keepers there reckon their penguins sound like

a certain Wookie from a galaxy far, far away.

What do you reckon? It is certainly know whether the

Penguins, I can tell you that much. Good evening, yes, very mild across

the whole of the country today and tonight. In fact, we got up to 15

degrees at Kinloss earlier. The average at this point would be

closer to seven. We are still a way of the record, that record for

December is 18. The picture tonight is a lovely sunset and there will be

some clear skies around tonight but also a number of showers and once

again, very mild indeed. Those showers in the West are edging their

way eastwards, driven in on a fresh, occasionally strong around the coast

south-westerly wind but the showers I hit and miss and will fade away by

the end of year. Tomorrow gets off to a reasonable start, reasonably

dry and brighter and some sunshine across the Northeast, Inverness

towards Aberdeen and further south, but through the day, the cloud will

thicken and the rain arrives, marching in towards the central

lowlands and further north and quite heavy across the West and

south-west. You can see the Greens and yellows indicating the rain. But

once again, temperatures in double digits, 12 or 13. To the north and

east of high ground, the borders, reasonably dry. Elsewhere, wet and

quite breezy around the close line, but mild -- coastline. In the

evening, the rain quite heavy in the south-west, anywhere from Argyll

counterpart of Dumfriesshire, the Met Office weather warning in force.

Saturday remains unsettled, low pressure with tightly packed

isobars, it will be windy come Saturday, but

isobars, it will be windy come bad. After a cloudy and damp start,

some bright weather around and look at the temperatures, 14 or 15, you

won't be cold trudging around the shops if you are doing some last

won't be cold trudging around the minute Christmas shopping. Sunday,

bright and breezy, a bit cooler, highs of ten.

That is the focus. A reminder of the main news. A former Catholic monk

who taught at the main news. A former Catholic monk

Abbey School in the Highlands is set to be extradited from Australia

Abbey School in the Highlands is set face charges of child sex abuse. The

move by the Crown face charges of child sex abuse. The

Father Denis Alexander back to face charges of child sex abuse. The

Scotland comes after a two and a half year inquiry. And that is

Reporting Scotland. I will be back with the headlines at a PM and just

after the Ten O'Clock News. Have a good evening.