10/01/2017 Reporting Scotland

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

The helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, grounds all of its S92

aircraft after an incident on a North Sea platform last month.

Confusion in the Labour party over immigration with mixed messages

on the free movement of people from the EU.

Families coping with the effects of Type 1 diabetes call for more

research to find a cure for the condition...

It was an absolute poster because we had no history of this in our family

and we knew very little about it. Also on the programme,

Could a change in the format of the World Cup improve Scotland's

chances of reaching And it's hoop dreams

for the Glasgow Rocks basketball team as they bid for cup glory

and try to inspire the young. Good evening. Offshore helicopters

were grounded today after urgent safety checks were ordered. It

follows an incident on a North Sea platform.

Our reporter Rebecca Curran is at Aberdeen Airport

The skies above the north-east have been unusually quiet as much of the

helicopter fleet has remained on the ground but there's been an awful lot

of work ongoing in the hangers behind me as engineers undertake

mandatory safety checks. It is expected those checks will be

completed by midday tomorrow. It is hoped that in the next 24 hours the

aircraft will return to the skies. Going nowhere fast. Every S 92

helicopter around the world spent most of today on the ground. The

manufacturer issued an alert over concerns about the tail rotor

following an incident in the North Sea when an estimated two

experienced a technical fault. Nobody was injured but it left

significant marks on the deck. Operators were told to take out

immediate safety checks before the helicopters could return to service.

It will cause concern given the history of helicopters. I think the

delays must be accepted for what they are, precautionary measure to

ensure it is safe. I'd rather put up with the delay. We've got to make

sure the aircraft are safe. Oil and gas UK cannot say how many workers

have been affected by the delays but have described the restrictions as a

precautionary measure to ensure the safety of them workforce. The safety

group met in Aberdeen and say they will keep in touch with the

operators at the manufacturer for any further updates. As these safety

checks have been ongoing, in the background the investigation into

exactly what happened on the platform on the 20th of December is

also ongoing. In the last half an hour, the Maritime and coastal

organisation have issued an update. They've confirmed that they are back

in operation and they say the rest of the fleet is expected to fly

soon. There's confusion tonight

over Labour's position In a speech this afternoon,

the UK leader Jeremy Corbyn said Labour wasn't wedded

to the principle of free movement But he also said he

wouldn't rule it out. Our political correspondent

Andrew Kerr has been It's the first day back after the

break at Holyrood. Coffee counter is doing a roaring trade as people look

a New Year pick me up. The Ricoh. Jeremy Corbyn is looking for a

boost. He attempted relaunch with a major on Brexit. He was due to say

that his party is not wedded to freedom of movement, hardening his

stance, hoping to appeal to traditional Labour voters. This

morning, no new restrictions on immigrants. Undercutting payment

restrictions and the directive... In the speech there was a caveat. We

are not wedded to free movement of the EU as a point of principle but I

don't want to be misinterpreted, nor do we rule it out. So, not wedded to

and not ruling it out. Jeremy Corbyn may have been hoping to make clear

his stance today. As you've seen, perhaps there needs to be some more

clarification. Scottish Labour are setting out their own position. We

believe the freedom of movement in Scotland is good for Scotland but we

understand concerns when they cannot get a house and they cannot get an

appointment. The answer to that is not to blame free movement of people

but to invest in public services. Opponents seized on the

contradiction. Jeremy Corbyn is saying he is not sure whether he's

in favour of freedom of movement or not but is in favour of the single

market. You cannot be in the single market without freedom of movement.

Back at the coffee shop, maybe Jeremy Corbyn is having his cake and

eating it, wanting to mix it up on immigration but not change his

views. Political parties should be fined

if they fail to ensure just under half of their candidates at general

elections are women, Less than a third of MPs

are female and representation Our Political correspondent

Nick Eardley reports. The Prime Minister and First

Minister, two of the most important politicians and Age UK. But are

there enough women in politics more generally? Kirsty Blackman was

reprimanded for taking her kids to a committee meeting. It feels very

male dominated. We've got that committee meeting. It feels very

female as a figurehead but you don't see her kicking around the House of

Commons, she's not in there with MPs most of the time. Less than a third

in the House of Commons are women. The figure is slightly higher for

MPs representing Scottish seats. The main parties had more men standing

than women. A proportion would help improve gender balance. If there is

not significant progress at the next general election, made major parties

be required to have 45% of their candidates as women, then we believe

there could be fines for parties. The Scottish Parliament fears only

slightly better for gender balance. Campaigners said some parties have

made efforts to address that what they want legislation at Holyrood as

well. We only make up 35% of women MSPs and councillors and there is a

long way to go. I think people see politics as guys in suits. It's not

something I woman would naturally go far but personally, I would rather

have got it on merit and got it because they needed a female to fill

a role. That's a view shared some at Westminster. They think the best

candidates should be chosen regardless of their gender. Even

those who support S92 admit it won't solve the problem. But those on the

committee think this is an important first step -- quotas admit it won't

solve the problem. We are increasingly familiar with

the problems with type two diabetes. But in Scotland we also face a major

battle with Type 1 diabetes which is an auto-immune condition

not caused by lifestyle factors. We have the third highest rate

of the Type I in the world, and today families and people

affected have been taking their case to Parliament to press for more

to be done to find a cure. Here's our Health

Correspondent, Lisa Summers This girl was diagnosed with type

one diabetes when she was three years old. I check the CGM quite a

lot to make sure my levels. Nobody in the family had any history of the

disease and learning to live with it has been a roller-coaster for the

family. Being that young, the insulin was too large so she was

spiking. At night she is unaware so if she drops then she will not

spiking. At night she is unaware so up. For two years we did not get it.

Now she uses a pump and the monitor known as a CGM. It will connect to

my phone so when she is at school, even though I know school take care

of her, I can see what her levels are. They had to fight for it to be

funded by the NHS. We would like everybody to be given access to this

funded by the NHS. We would like technology, it is fantastic and I

would like other parents to not go through the struggles we go through

to get them. 30,000 people in through the struggles we go through

Scotland have type one diabetes and the number is growing every year. It

is not clear why Scotland has such a high prevalence of type one

diabetes. It is up there with other North European countries. Charities

believe Scotland is well placed to find a cure. We need to see some

funding behind fellowships so we can attract the best researchers here.

They were joined by families and people in parliament to press their

case. We've put investment to help people cope with it but we will work

with groups and people who have type one diabetes to make sure if there

are further improvements we will see where we can make them. Technology

has been vital to her quality of life. Her family hope it will not be

too much longer before there's a cure.

It's been just over a week since the first families

received their baby boxes - the scheme where new parents receive

a package of essential items from the Scottish Government.

The initiative is costing six million pounds -

but critics believe the money could be better targeted.

Our reporter David Deldy has been finding out what parents think

in one of the pilot areas for the scheme, Orkney.

Little over a week old but already with plenty possessions. This baby

and parents are the first to benefit from a baby box. Changing mat which

is always handy. We've got clothes in all sizes, newborn, 0- three,

3-6, 6-9. Over 50 items are included, from clothes to nappies

and much more. We've got books, we've got a play mat. Things that he

will use. And Alicia who is three and a half still loves a good toy in

the bath. When this stuff has been cleared out of the box one of the

main ideas is that the baby can sleep in it. But if that something

main ideas is that the baby can parents in Orkney have been making

use of? For this baby it is an old but it is a different story for

Cameron. She slept in hers as everyday. The parents said the box

itself has been handy but they won't use everything. For first-time mums

there is a lot of things they will need but this is my fourth baby so

there's a lot of stuff that we don't necessarily need. If they were

giving it to parents that already had children they would need to have

a scheme that you could return items they don't need. It is estimated it

will cost ?6 million a year to run the scheme. The government say it

will give every child and equal start but critics claim there are

many parents who do not need this level of support. I would like to

see the money targeted at those most in need. I understand the problem

with stigmatising certain families but we need to be more imaginative

how we deal with that, can we look at ways where accessing some kind of

extra support doesn't involve lots of difficult form filling are being

interrogated? What do new mums and dads think? It is for the child, not

for the mums and dads, I think every child should get it.

You're watching BBC Reporting Scotland.

The helicopter manufacturer, Sikorsky, grounds all of its S92

aircraft after an incident on a North Sea platform last month.

When Old Macdonald had a farm, I bet his cow didn't

We look at the growing use of technology in agriculture.

Pioneering research carried out at St Andrews University could lead

to a new generation of medical devices which prevent infection

It involves coating them in a powder which can be

loaded with antibacterial and healing agents.

Here's our science correspondent, Ken MacDonald.

Sometimes trying to make you well can make you ill. Science is

fighting a constant battle against healthcare acquired infections. They

have a new weapon, metal organic frame works or Mofs. This is what it

looks like. It's full of holes, that's a good thing. The microscopic

holes can be filled with substances that fight infections. They can take

a healing gas where a gas couldn't otherwise go. They are metal organic

frame works. They are porous materials. You can think of them as

being sponges. What I can do now, I can put inside these a gas. It's by

logically active gas. We would open this valve here. It changes colour.

Solid with a gas inside can fight infections in new ways. These

coatings will make a huge difference to people who use medical devices

which are prone to infection, healthcare acquired infections and

people with chronic and slow to heal rules. The delivery from the

products will reduce these infections and increase healing

routes. The company has been spung out from St Andrews University. It

won an award and a big new investment to take it to the next

stage. W-he are the first company who used this technology in the

healthcare market. We are excited about this. This has got our

investors excited well. They can be loaded with pay loads to turn back

the tide of healthcare acquired infections.

An amateur sailor, who grew up in Scotland, has been awarded

the Yachting Journalists' Association Yachtsman

of the Year Award after rescuing five crew from a stricken vessel

28-year-old Gavin Reid was taking part in a Round the World Yacht Race

Despite having no previous sailing experience and being deaf,

he swam to help rescue four crew from the vessel and a fifth

who had been trapped in the rigging for nine hours.

you could be looking at its effects in a whole new light

when you discover cows are being given something similar.

That's because their walking activity has a direct corrolation

It's another example of how technology is increasingly

Our rural affairs correspondent, Kevin Keane, can tell us more.

After the Christmas excesses none of us wants to put on an activity

monitor. This is being higher. It's a better heat. This is about more

than fitness. It tells the farmer when she's ready to be artificially

inseminated. A text to his mobile phone tells him when the cow is

ready and how long he's got. For me, when building my c o ow numbers up,

I couldn't justify to have a bull about. So this way was a lot more

efficient for the way I was working things. A lot more cost effective

and a better management tool. Two years on and he is less reliant on

and a better management tool. Two it. The neck collars provide lots of

helpful data. My activity monitor is worn around my wrist and told me I

have done 3,000 steps today. With these animals, it's much more

sophisticated. It's on this strapped device here, the data is contained

in this and they wear it around the neck. She's actually due to be

served... The technology is more widely used in the dairy sector

where the animals are kept indoors widely used in the dairy sector

in a controlled environment. They are like the Usain Bolt's of the cow

industry. Every technology we can are like the Usain Bolt's of the cow

use to maximise and Ute lice the genetic potential in these cows, the

more advantage for us. The technological potential doesn't just

stop at pedometers according to those promoting what is available.

The temperature... Drones, satellites, virtual fencing and

robots are being used to help the farmers. Not replace them. With the

next generation of farmers coming along, most have a smartphone in

their pocket. They are able to use apps and orbits of kit that helps

them until their daily job. I think we will see a shift. There will be

more of this technology used in the future. All of this is down to the

bottom line, but the technology is getting cheaper and that is seeing

uptake increase, albeit slowly. For Scotland football fans who dream

that maybe, one day, the national team could join those

greats holding the World Cup there From 2026, Fifa is to expand

the finals from 32 to 48 teams. It's been welcomed by the SFA,

but what effect might it have Alasdair Lamont has

been finding out. At Fifa's headquarters today the

first changes to the makeup of the World Cup in almost 20 years were

agreed. The new format means an expansion from 32 to 48 teams. That

will mean 16 Groups of three teams each. A minimum of two games per

country. So what is the likelihood of one of those countries being

Scotland? Well, Europe is likely to get an additional three places. That

would take the total number of spots on offer to European nations to 16.

Currently Scotland are ranked 33rd in Europe, which suggests it will

take more than tournament expansion to lead to a World Cup return for

the Scots. Nonetheless, the move has been welcomed here at Hampden. The

SFA's Chief Executive For Scotland to make an impact on

the world stage again, further changes appear necessary. There has

been a lot of mistakes made over the years and, hopefully, now, they have

a job to improve this aspect of developing the game, hopefully that

will happen. I think a lot of good young players are there and they

need to be brought along in the right fashion in order to develop

them to the tlaefl you need for the highest level of football, which is

both at World Cup and European level. Few Groups have missed that

level of competition more than the Tartan Army. Do fans view this as a

favourable move? On the surface, from a Scotland perspective, good

news, more chance of qualifying. It comes with caveats. Those caveats

are with that expansion there is potential only to travel far

distance for only two games. A cost implication there for fans. The

bigger picture here is that, what is going on at Fifa in terms of the

politics. Critics of world football's governing body say

today's decision is about power and money. Others feel tl dilutes the

tournaments quality. Fifa believe it's a fairer deal for improving

nations, many of whom have left Scotland in their wake.

The Glasgow Rocks basketball team has reached the final

of the British Cup, they play arch rivals Newcastle for

But as well as excelling on the court, the Rocks are hoping

to play a valuable part off the court too, helping young people

Getting ready for one of the biggest games of the season. But when the

day job is over, Glasgow Rocks mentor school children and

vulnerable young people in themes which can be life saving. We will be

here talking to you guys about healthy eating, staying away from

smoking and drinking in order to become a combood athlete and also

bouncing back from bad situations, all right. It can be school, home

sport, I will talk anything. To you about not smoking and the effects it

could have on your body from smoking. This is tar. Not a pretty

sight at all. Disgusting. Terrible. Making a mistake is a bad thing true

or false? Positive messages for our children. The Rocks head coach

places great value on his players' work in communities. Because you

learn from your Mistakes. Excellent. It's very important. I think with

the amount of time our professional athletes have in a day, things like

that put them in positions to be role models for these young kids. I

think if you do that, that role models for these young kids. I

them going in the right direction and us as an organisation as well.

Who can tell me what alcohol is? Yeah. A drug. Yeah. Antidepressants.

Right. Dangerous depressant. Definitely. One of the most

important thing the Rocks said to me today is about drinking. If you

drink you can't do a lot of sports. That's how I've learnt today. I will

never drink. They tell us not to give up and some things are hard,

you pick yourself up and bounce back. We come in here with 100%

effort and mentality. We come here to have a positive change on what is

going on and the kids react to us in such a way they want to give us a

medal. Them feeling that, you know strongly about us, thatst poive way,

I think that's the light we want to shone. The Rocks will look for more

medals in Sunday's BBL Cup final. What an inspiring bunch. I wonder

how #24e they will deal with the weather forecast, Christopher? Not

much to cheer about. It was OK today, wasn't it? Cloud and rain,

reasonably mild. The calm before things turn wintry and windy. This

air will bring a cold snap as we head through the latter stages of

Wednesday into Thursday. Warnings out for the strength of the wind and

the risk of snow. Let us start with this evening, we have rain west to

east, pushing through quickly and gone by midnight replaced by showers

and the wind gusting to gale force, severe gales in the far north.

Wintry really only over the mountains at this point.

Temperatures around zero to four Celsius. Those high winds will mean

tomorrow morning likely to be disruption on the bridges and

potentially the ferries as well. It will be a windy day for all. The

showers will be frequent. For most, the showers will be of rain, perhaps

sleet or wet snow mixed in, certainly on the higher ground.

Brightness with them at times, the best of which around the east coast.

A windy showery day all today. Temperatures lower than today, four

or five Celsius generally. As the showers come through the temperature

will drop and add on the wind it will feel cold. Best of anything

dryer and brighter around the east coast, East Lothian to Aberdeen. The

showers will be frequent. Around the coast they will be of rain, inland

more likely to be wintry. That is when it starts to bite. As we head

through Wednesday evening those showers increase in number, as does

the intensity. We will see snow to lower levels and higher parts of

these roads likely to see a covering at times too. The heaviest of the

showers will drive the snow down to sea levels. The showers nowhere the

snow will occur, that's the tricky bit. Thursday, another windy and

showery day. The warnings still in force. It will be cold, bitterly so,

with the strength of the wind. That's the forecast for now. Jackie.

That's us all terrified. Thank you very much, Christopher that's

Reporting Scotland. We will be back with the headlines at 8.00pm and the

jurs after the Ten