:00:07. > :00:11.Half ?1 billion of investment to tackle the jobs crisis in the
:00:12. > :00:25.north-east. Joint investment from Holyrood
:00:26. > :00:31.and Westminster to bring new jobs Underpaid, unemployed
:00:32. > :00:37.and under-represented The reality for people
:00:38. > :00:42.in Scotland who're not white. And the row over Google's tax bill
:00:43. > :00:45.moves to Europe as the SNP calls After months of relentlessly bad
:00:46. > :00:59.news for the North Sea oil and gas sector, which has lost nearly one
:01:00. > :01:03.in seven of its workforce since 2014, today,
:01:04. > :01:05.some room for optimism. More than half a billion pounds
:01:06. > :01:09.pledged from Holyrood and Westminster, to invest in jobs
:01:10. > :01:13.and infrastructure in the north-east It's far less than the ?2.9 billion
:01:14. > :01:18.city leaders asked for but the hope is it will kick start up to ?2
:01:19. > :01:21.billion of additional funds to the region
:01:22. > :01:23.from the private sector. Our Political Editor
:01:24. > :01:35.Brian Taylor has more. The UK and Scottish governments have
:01:36. > :01:39.squabbled over the cause, extent and the jubilation of the decline in
:01:40. > :01:45.North Sea oil and gas. It seems they are both now collaborating and
:01:46. > :01:51.competing over the remedies. 1975, her Majesty the Queen starts oil
:01:52. > :01:57.flowing from the giant 40s field in the North Sea. If we use it right,
:01:58. > :02:01.this energy can, without doubt, much improve our economic well-being. For
:02:02. > :02:08.decades after that, oil and Aberdeen help to bankroll Britain. Drink
:02:09. > :02:12.those decades, Aberdeen's economy boomed but passing time, falling oil
:02:13. > :02:18.prices have left the people of Aberdeen anxious. And it's not just
:02:19. > :02:22.oil. This life sciences company says the city needs help. Staff face high
:02:23. > :02:30.property prices while the boss says she has to count her perceptions,
:02:31. > :02:33.remote, and poorly served by transport. There is a perception we
:02:34. > :02:39.are out in the north and not very connected to the rest of the
:02:40. > :02:43.country. Today's city deal signed in Aberdeen combines council investment
:02:44. > :02:45.with funding from the Scottish and UK governments. The cash will
:02:46. > :02:51.improve infrastructure to boost private investment. The great thing
:02:52. > :02:55.about this deal as it can leveraging lots of other money which might
:02:56. > :02:59.total about ?2 billion coming from other public sector sources and the
:03:00. > :03:03.private sector so I believe it'll make a real difference to the
:03:04. > :03:07.economy here in Aberdeen in the north-east. The deal includes
:03:08. > :03:10.expanding Aberdeen Harbour to help the city compete for oil
:03:11. > :03:15.decommissioning work but the package extends beyond the city into
:03:16. > :03:19.Aberdeenshire. SMP backbenchers have criticised the city deal as
:03:20. > :03:25.inadequate and short of expectations. Aberdeen deserves more
:03:26. > :03:27.from the UK Government than the ?125 million they have allocated,
:03:28. > :03:34.particularly considering that the Treasury has benefited from over
:03:35. > :03:43.300,000 million pounds of North Sea oil revenues that have flowed from
:03:44. > :03:45.Aberdeen to London. And, so, in addition, the Scottish government
:03:46. > :03:52.announced that new investment in rail will form part of a ?254
:03:53. > :03:55.million package over 5-10 years. The First Minister was concerned we
:03:56. > :04:00.should go further than the city deal. These projects identified by
:04:01. > :04:04.the councils in the area, so they are rooted in what the local
:04:05. > :04:09.community says is important to it. It takes us beyond the city deal. We
:04:10. > :04:12.are contributing half of the money as a deal between ourselves and the
:04:13. > :04:17.UK Government and councils and we think it is important to go further.
:04:18. > :04:20.Glasgow already benefits from a larger city deal involving eight
:04:21. > :04:28.local authorities. One beneficiary is this life sciences company in
:04:29. > :04:32.Lanarkshire. 20 acres, 130,000 square feet of labs and offices.
:04:33. > :04:35.This building wasn't being used at the current time and without the
:04:36. > :04:40.funding it would not have come alive for another couple of years so for
:04:41. > :04:45.us it has been transformational, I think. Glasgow and Aberdeen might
:04:46. > :04:53.follow with a city deal for the Inverness city area. ?20 million has
:04:54. > :04:56.been pledged. As he met apprentices, the prime ministers said this city
:04:57. > :05:04.deal added to attack us in centres could kick-start the economy. How
:05:05. > :05:08.about all the money that Aberdeen has generated? In the last budget,
:05:09. > :05:13.we had a tax cut for the oil industry worth ?1.3 billion, when
:05:14. > :05:17.you take into account all the things we were putting on the table. And
:05:18. > :05:22.this city deal comes on top of that. I would make the point that this
:05:23. > :05:26.demonstrates the broad shoulders of the United Kingdom can get behind
:05:27. > :05:31.the oil industry, including the oil industry here in Scotland, when it
:05:32. > :05:36.faces difficulties. Generally, it's hoped private growth will follow
:05:37. > :05:37.this public investment and that, in future, Aberdeen's oil links remain
:05:38. > :05:38.more than a memory. A little earlier from Aberdeen,
:05:39. > :05:41.I spoke to Edel Harris, who's president of Aberdeen
:05:42. > :05:52.Grampian Chamber of Commerce. It's not nearly as much investment
:05:53. > :05:54.as city leaders were hoping for but presumably welcome nonetheless. What
:05:55. > :06:03.are your members hoping to get from this? Well, all the members of
:06:04. > :06:07.Aberdeen Grampian Chamber of Commerce welcomed the announcement
:06:08. > :06:12.today of the investment in this region from both the UK and Scottish
:06:13. > :06:16.governments. And you're quite correct, it wasn't the full amount
:06:17. > :06:21.that was requested as part of the city region deal, but it is a
:06:22. > :06:25.significant investment, and what we're really hoping is that, while
:06:26. > :06:28.it demonstrates that this is a vibrant economy and one that is
:06:29. > :06:35.worth an investment and an economy that a future, a region that has a
:06:36. > :06:39.bright future, and the money will be used to leveraged further investment
:06:40. > :06:44.into the region, and all the initiatives that are part of this
:06:45. > :06:49.city region deal. What are the priorities? Transport links?
:06:50. > :06:53.Affordable housing? What our members tell us is the biggest weakness in
:06:54. > :06:57.terms of business competitiveness is our infrastructure here in the
:06:58. > :07:02.north-east of Scotland. Our members, I know, will be particularly pleased
:07:03. > :07:07.about the investment being both the physical infrastructure, the rail
:07:08. > :07:11.line between us and the Central belt, the road network, but also the
:07:12. > :07:14.digital connectivity which our businesses in the north-east have
:07:15. > :07:19.been crying out for for some time. That I know will be hugely welcomed.
:07:20. > :07:23.Alongside the investment in housing, and many of the businesses in the
:07:24. > :07:28.north-east of Scotland have problems with recruitment. There is very low
:07:29. > :07:33.unemployment here, despite the economic climate. And living here,
:07:34. > :07:38.the cost of living, when the average salary is so high, creates problems
:07:39. > :07:43.for some businesses that are not in the oil and gas sector, so the
:07:44. > :07:47.investment in affordable housing will be welcomed by many members. A
:07:48. > :07:51.lot of people that are employed in the oil and gas sector need help
:07:52. > :07:56.now. This investment is for the next ten years. What are the effects you
:07:57. > :08:00.are seeing in the here and now in smaller businesses who might be part
:08:01. > :08:07.of the supply chain affected by all of this? Well, of course, this is
:08:08. > :08:13.good news today but we cannot deny the difficult economic environment
:08:14. > :08:17.we find ourselves in because of the low oil price and the announcements
:08:18. > :08:22.we've heard recently about hundreds of job losses in the industry, and
:08:23. > :08:25.many of the oil and gas sector businesses are member of the
:08:26. > :08:31.Chamber, but there is also a hall network of businesses that are
:08:32. > :08:37.direct or indirect suppliers to the industry, and some of them are also
:08:38. > :08:41.feeling the pinch at the moment. So businesses such as hotels, legal
:08:42. > :08:45.firms, training companies, recruitment agencies, and it is
:08:46. > :08:51.inevitable that if there is less disposable income, then businesses
:08:52. > :08:55.such as retail and taxis, all those types of businesses will inevitably
:08:56. > :09:02.start to feel challenged. As I said at the big inning of this interview,
:09:03. > :09:05.it is good news. I think it demonstrates confidence in the
:09:06. > :09:10.economy in the north-east, it sent out a clear message that we have a
:09:11. > :09:13.future, and, of course, we are continuing to invest in the oil and
:09:14. > :09:17.gas industry. Some of the money will be used for an oil and gas
:09:18. > :09:21.technology Centre, and what we are hoping to do, although there might
:09:22. > :09:25.be less operational activity in the next ten years to really harness all
:09:26. > :09:29.the expertise that we have in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire that goes
:09:30. > :09:33.alongside the oil and gas industry, and make sure it is a hub of
:09:34. > :09:37.innovation and make sure it is recognised internationally as a
:09:38. > :09:40.place to go to for that expertise and skills. Thank you.
:09:41. > :09:43.If you're not white in Scotland, you're more likely to be unemployed
:09:44. > :09:46.or in low-paid work than someone who is, and you're less likely
:09:47. > :09:50.That's even though people from ethnic minorities largely do
:09:51. > :09:53.better in education than white Scots.
:09:54. > :09:56.In a moment, I'll be talking to two young Scots about their experience,
:09:57. > :10:14.If you come from an ethnic minority, you're more likely to be low paid.
:10:15. > :10:22.You're also more likely to be unemployed. No surprise, then, that
:10:23. > :10:26.you're also highly unlikely to be a senior manager. Those are just a
:10:27. > :10:29.couple of the findings of a six-month investigation by
:10:30. > :10:33.Holyrood's equal opportunities committee into the buyers faced by
:10:34. > :10:37.ethnic minorities in accessing training and employment in Scotland,
:10:38. > :10:42.even for those lucky enough to be in the work the hurdles can be pretty
:10:43. > :10:52.steep. In the week we celebrate Robbie Burns, how do others see us,
:10:53. > :10:56.and how do we see them? With an Asian person here, they thought they
:10:57. > :11:01.can work with people of her kind. They just thought all Asian
:11:02. > :11:09.landlords were rogue landlords, crooks. It is just an assumption
:11:10. > :11:15.made all the time. In ploy is would look positively at me, being Polish.
:11:16. > :11:19.Having said that, the very same employer also assumed I'd be able to
:11:20. > :11:23.work for less and didn't want to pay minimum wage. It's just small
:11:24. > :11:28.everyday comments. How long will you be here? When you go back to Poland?
:11:29. > :11:35.There's so many of you, why don't you go back home? The equal
:11:36. > :11:40.opportunities committee at the Scottish Parliament says there is an
:11:41. > :11:43.ethnic penalty on some young Scots which needs to be challenged. It
:11:44. > :11:48.urges the Scottish government to use public sector judgment open up jobs
:11:49. > :11:52.to get public what is to offer more work experience and to raise
:11:53. > :11:57.awareness on racial equality and diversity in public organisations.
:11:58. > :12:03.Joining me now from our London studio is the model, and with me
:12:04. > :12:08.here is a criminal defence lawyer. Welcome to you both. You have a good
:12:09. > :12:13.job as a criminal defence lawyer but this report says people from ethnic
:12:14. > :12:24.minorities are underrepresented in senior roles. Do you see that? I do.
:12:25. > :12:29.I was lucky in the sense that when I graduated I ended up in a firm with
:12:30. > :12:33.senior partners that value diversity so I was very lucky but I have many
:12:34. > :12:38.friends and colleagues and people that I studied with who faced
:12:39. > :12:44.faculties. And they advised me that when they were out looking for work,
:12:45. > :12:50.their white friends at university would have the same type of CV and
:12:51. > :12:53.in certain situations, they would have better academic qualifications
:12:54. > :12:57.and experience, yet they wouldn't find themselves in a job their white
:12:58. > :13:06.friends would. So they felt confident enough it must boil down
:13:07. > :13:10.to race? I know that no firm is going to say were not giving you the
:13:11. > :13:14.job because of the colour of your skin, but they felt that was the
:13:15. > :13:20.reason based on their experience. In terms of my observations, on a daily
:13:21. > :13:25.basis, I travel the country up and down and I go into Sheriff Courts
:13:26. > :13:29.and I feel like there is something I am concerned about. When I walk into
:13:30. > :13:35.a court, that aren't many criminal defence lawyers from an ethnic
:13:36. > :13:39.background. And I think out of the 142 sheriffs, only four or five of
:13:40. > :13:44.them are from an ethnic background. Out of the 34 senators of Justice,
:13:45. > :13:50.none of them from an ethnic background which is very concerning.
:13:51. > :13:54.Let me bring in Eunice in London. As a model, do you find your race plays
:13:55. > :14:00.a part in the sorts of jobs that you get don't get? Yes, I do,
:14:01. > :14:05.unfortunately. I think it is an issue. It isn't just an issue in
:14:06. > :14:11.Scotland or UK, but in wider Europe. What I tend to find is that women,
:14:12. > :14:15.particularly women of darker complexion, seem to have a much more
:14:16. > :14:21.difficult... It is more difficult for us to get certain jobs. There
:14:22. > :14:29.does seem to be a preference for a lighter skin, which is used to
:14:30. > :14:35.represent the black community. And, I mean, if I talk with my friends
:14:36. > :14:39.who are perhaps soft mixed background, they like to identify
:14:40. > :14:43.with the two different parts of their identity, not just one side.
:14:44. > :14:49.So it isn't quite right to represent in this way. I'd do think this is
:14:50. > :14:54.part of wider social economic environmental issues that go back
:14:55. > :15:01.quite far in history. Is it more of a problem in Scotland, do you think?
:15:02. > :15:06.In Scotland, I think the way... The ideology of Scotland, the way that
:15:07. > :15:13.Scotland is seen, it is still very much a Caucasian country, but it is
:15:14. > :15:17.a huge ethnic diversity in Scotland. Certainly in the main cities of
:15:18. > :15:22.Glasgow and Edinburgh. For some reason, that's just not represented.
:15:23. > :15:26.And I do think that might be to do with the fact that perhaps the
:15:27. > :15:31.people who are in positions of power have been the same for a long time.
:15:32. > :15:37.You can find all of the UK it is different. In the southern part of
:15:38. > :15:41.the UK, you see a lot more black and ethnic minorities in front of the
:15:42. > :15:45.camera, in magazines and so on, but not much more. And I do think
:15:46. > :15:50.they're just does need to be a bit of a change in Scotland. And for
:15:51. > :15:54.those that do talk about a out loud, they shouldn't be seen in a negative
:15:55. > :15:55.way, but they should be seen as people trying to bring committees
:15:56. > :16:04.together. This report says that ethnic
:16:05. > :16:09.minorities largely perform better academically -- academically than
:16:10. > :16:12.white Scots, but it says the still significant barriers. Why do you
:16:13. > :16:18.think that is? I think a lot is to do with in the
:16:19. > :16:22.last ten years we have become very complacent, and deviously we have
:16:23. > :16:28.had acts of Parliament passed, and I think the attitude has been we have
:16:29. > :16:43.done what we have to do and that's that. -- previously. But in the last
:16:44. > :16:47.few years the perception from ethnic minorities is the bad press has
:16:48. > :16:50.contributed towards them not now getting so jobs in certain
:16:51. > :16:56.positions. I also think that you can have
:16:57. > :17:02.situations where ethnic minorities come to the UK, they do not
:17:03. > :17:05.necessarily have those family roots long-standing to build upon, so they
:17:06. > :17:12.are coming into positions where buyer in some cases they might have
:17:13. > :17:16.the qualifications but they don't have those infrastructures or
:17:17. > :17:22.necessarily be coming through the typical route. So I think that in
:17:23. > :17:25.combination with the lack of role models is really quite difficult
:17:26. > :17:28.because you are coming into a situation whereby you might be the
:17:29. > :17:34.only person and you might genuinely feel quite alienated, not able to
:17:35. > :17:43.communicate what your issues are. I think in the UK we have much more of
:17:44. > :17:45.an issue, and in Scotland, with discussing the cultural and
:17:46. > :17:50.significant events that have led us to this: moment in time. Because
:17:51. > :18:02.what happens in the past does influence in the future, so I think
:18:03. > :18:07.this is important in education. I think we need to discuss these
:18:08. > :18:14.matters, and I think there is a wider problem. And in my experience
:18:15. > :18:19.what I see genuinely is in cities like Edmund -- Edinburgh and Glasgow
:18:20. > :18:26.we have growing groups of ethnic minorities. I am an ad Boro boy,
:18:27. > :18:33.there is no a big community -- Edinburgh. I would like to see
:18:34. > :18:39.solicitors of all different ethnic minorities representing clients. And
:18:40. > :18:43.sadly, it is a tragedy, and embarrassing that when I go into
:18:44. > :18:48.Edinburgh Sheriff Court IC may be one or two macro criminal defence
:18:49. > :18:52.lawyers from an ethnic background and that needs to be sorted.
:18:53. > :18:55.Thank you both for coming in and talking about this tonight.
:18:56. > :18:58.The controversy about Google's tax bill refuses to go away.
:18:59. > :18:59.Today the EU's Competition Commissioner confirmed she's
:19:00. > :19:01.considering how to respond to a letter of complaint
:19:02. > :19:04.from the SNP about the company's ?170 million tax deal
:19:05. > :19:09.Google denies it's a "sweetheart deal", saying it is paying the full
:19:10. > :19:11.amount of tax HMRC agrees it should pay.
:19:12. > :19:13.As Andrew Black reports, this has all reopened the debate
:19:14. > :19:16.into what the UK economy needs more - the Big Business
:19:17. > :19:36.Google is one of today's most recognised brands, a multi-billion
:19:37. > :19:39.pound company whose services are used by people all over the world.
:19:40. > :20:09.But the amount commissioner said she is willing to
:20:10. > :20:12.investigate Google's tax arrangements.
:20:13. > :20:18.If we find there is something to be concerned about, if someone writes
:20:19. > :20:22.to us and says this is maybe not as it should be, we will take a look.
:20:23. > :20:24.And someone did write to her, the SNP Deputy Leader.
:20:25. > :22:18.I are Katherine Trebeck
:22:19. > :22:22.31 countries signed an agreement in and Peter Geoghegan.
:22:23. > :22:27.31 countries signed an agreement in Paris yesterday to stop companies
:22:28. > :22:29.like Google using complex tax arrangements to avoid paying
:22:30. > :22:34.corporate tax. Do you think will make a difference?
:22:35. > :22:37.What was signed was basically country by country reporting and
:22:38. > :22:42.sharing, it is saying if you make of it in a company or do business in a
:22:43. > :22:46.country you have to declare it and say how much tax you pay.
:22:47. > :22:51.And the fact that this deal is being heralded as something that will have
:22:52. > :22:58.a big black shows how broken our global tax system is.
:22:59. > :23:03.There is still so much more to do, and lots of people are saying what
:23:04. > :23:06.is coming out of Google at the moment is a paltry amount. Even
:23:07. > :23:12.Rupert Murdoch has been tweeting, this is a paltry amount. Google's:
:23:13. > :23:18.investors say they should pay a decent rate of tax. He has linked it
:23:19. > :23:22.to the benefits from state services that Google gets, saying that tax is
:23:23. > :23:29.not something to be shirked or planned a way, this is the price of
:23:30. > :23:34.citizenship. Google's put out a robust defence
:23:35. > :23:37.today of its position, saying it is paying everything it is being asked
:23:38. > :23:42.to pay, that most of their corporate tax is paid in the US, over $3
:23:43. > :23:48.billion last year. Is that not fair enough, Peter, we would pay more
:23:49. > :23:55.than we were at to pay? -- asked. George Osborne said we've
:23:56. > :24:00.done this great thing, we never got so much tax out of them before, this
:24:01. > :24:05.will be ?130 billion. And then you look and said that as 30 million a
:24:06. > :24:10.year, look at the revenue Google generates in the UK, and people will
:24:11. > :24:15.say, look at all the infrastructure Google uses, the state aid it gets,
:24:16. > :24:18.is it paying its way forward? Look at the revenue they are generating
:24:19. > :24:24.here. This has been rumbling on for a few
:24:25. > :24:27.days, is for the Government? For the Government and for the
:24:28. > :24:31.company. If somebody opens you crumbs, it
:24:32. > :24:38.means somewhere they have a low. -- offers you.
:24:39. > :24:43.-- loaf of bread. I think people will start to make the connection
:24:44. > :24:49.between the enormity of Google and is really fairly paltry amounts of
:24:50. > :24:51.tax they are paying. And people are increasingly
:24:52. > :24:57.concerned about an equality, and we cannot make a dent in that if we do
:24:58. > :25:01.not take a robust stance against the extent of tax evasion and avoidance.
:25:02. > :25:07.More criticism of the offensive behaviour that food all. This
:25:08. > :25:11.article Ady's player was charged with allegedly posting a sectarian
:25:12. > :25:16.remark about a Rangers fan. -- a Celtic Lady's.
:25:17. > :25:21.You have been critical of this law in the past. What is your problem
:25:22. > :25:26.with it? What is the point of this law, is it
:25:27. > :25:32.to get rid of sectarianism in Scotland, which by most academic
:25:33. > :25:36.assessment is dwindling, is an attitudinal thing. It is not -- the
:25:37. > :25:40.parity has been reached in employment, there is not the same
:25:41. > :25:46.sense that Catholics in employment have been done down. If this is to
:25:47. > :25:51.get rid of the last vestiges of sectarianism, how is that going to
:25:52. > :26:01.work? You are creating a law that punishes football fans for singing
:26:02. > :26:05.songs that is unenforceable, but it is also failing in its own job
:26:06. > :26:10.because it is not getting rid of sectarianism, if anything it is
:26:11. > :26:13.inflaming fans. In my own experience, sometimes people are
:26:14. > :26:15.more likely to sing the songs because they are seen as
:26:16. > :26:23.inflammatory. This trial ongoing, talk about it,
:26:24. > :26:26.but in general are a bit too easily offended.
:26:27. > :26:31.If you believe in freedom of speech should you be allowed to post what
:26:32. > :26:37.you like on Facebook? There is an almost fetish around
:26:38. > :26:42.free speech sometimes. But the reality is we do not have free
:26:43. > :26:48.speech in this country, quite appropriately we have laws that
:26:49. > :26:52.protect against racial vilification or hatred, but also social norms
:26:53. > :26:55.that constrain people from needless and out right hatred or inciting
:26:56. > :27:02.people to anger. The tricky bit is knowing where to
:27:03. > :27:05.draw the line, and that is the job of politicians, not somebody like
:27:06. > :27:11.me. Barbie has had a makeover. Her
:27:12. > :27:14.manufacturer has announced that she will now be available in a range of
:27:15. > :27:20.sizes and designs to reflect diversity.
:27:21. > :27:24.We are saying there is not this narrow standard of what a beautiful
:27:25. > :27:31.body looks like. When I look at the line now, one is
:27:32. > :27:36.taller than original Barbie, one is more petite, and one is curvier.
:27:37. > :27:42.What do you think, is this progress or just clever marketing?
:27:43. > :27:46.I didn't grow up with Barbie, I thick it is a bit of both. A
:27:47. > :27:53.recognition that we live in a world where body shape and racial
:27:54. > :27:58.diversity has been recognised, but obviously the manufacturers seem to
:27:59. > :28:01.think there is money to be made. We are still kind of in the
:28:02. > :28:10.21st-century with these really gender oriented toys. Maybe that is
:28:11. > :28:13.the next phase, they can create a gender neutral ploy.
:28:14. > :28:17.I was proud of my own daughter's reaction, she threw her Barbie are
:28:18. > :28:24.in disgust. Our parents becoming more conscious
:28:25. > :28:31.of gender stereotype toys? Eyed and have Barbie growing up, I
:28:32. > :28:35.had cricket bats and a Barbie doll. -- I didn't have. It is good there
:28:36. > :28:38.is now a petite blonde, and she can wear flat shoes and not high heels.
:28:39. > :28:46.I have now reached that age. We leave you tonight with remarkable
:28:47. > :28:54.footage of a fox and an eagle fighting over a deer
:28:55. > :28:56.carcass in the Trossachs, captured by the BBC's
:28:57. > :29:44.Winterwatch programme. about things that make you
:29:45. > :29:48.uncomfortable.