05/05/2017 Scottish First Minister's Questions


05/05/2017

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Good afternoon. Two as the First Minister what engagements she has

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planned for the rest of the day? Engagements for the government of

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Scotland. At the weekend, her predecessor was asked on television

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while one in five children with primary school illiterate. And the

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reply was it was just one statistic. It is not. It is those and is of

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lives. An 10 euros on from this SNP government taking charge, Keynes was

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being asked to run the schools tomorrow, it is perhaps worth asking

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the First Minister about some more statistics. Why is it that between

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2011 and 2015, the proportion of children performing in numerous fell

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in P4 and P7? I have made absolutely no bones about my determination to

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raise levels for numerous, literacy, across-the-board. That is why we

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have established the National improvement framework, the

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attainment challenge and the attainment fund. As we have talked

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about, it is now channelling additional resources directly to

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headteachers in order so that they can decide the ways in which to base

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reads attainment. It is also why, and we will get the latest figures,

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in the same vein as those cited shortly, sample surveys, I am not

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dismissing them but it is one of the reasons why we have taken the

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decision to start publishing comprehensive school by school,

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local data. Authority so that we know how the schools are performing,

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but crucially we know what is wanting, so that we can drive

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attainment. We remain focused on something vitally important for

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young people and parents across the country. The First Minister talks

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about the intention to improve, but absolutely no knowledge meant that

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the failures are on her watch. We can take another statistic. In

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science, the Sutton Trust reported on the decline of performance, under

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the SNP. Over the last decade, since the SNP came to power, it said this

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decline is equivalent to around an entire year of schooling. The First

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Minister is going to stand and cancer, telling me that everything

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will be sorted, but can she tell me, why has this drop in standards

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happened on her watch? I do not dismiss any of the statistics, but I

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think Ruth Davidson does a disservice to pupils and teachers.

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As we have set out before, we now see record numbers of higher and

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advanced higher passes. And also recognised gross, positive

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destinations. More young people going into employment, product

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education, training, has ever been the case. We are far fewer pupils

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seeing from deprived communities leaving school without any

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qualifications. And we are starting to see a narrowing of the gap

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between the least and most deprived areas in terms of access to

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university. It is not a case of standing here, telling you my

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intentions, will be absolutely solid, continuing to make

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improvements. But I can point to the improvements we have already made.

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We will invest the money, conducting reforms, supporting teachers and

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headteachers to make sure that we can continue to improve attainment

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for young people across the country. I stand next to know one, but what

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they do, it is work under guidance, described as quote, self evident

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lunacy. That is what is coming out of the government. This is what

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parents think. This SNP government has presided over following

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standards, we do not have enough teachers in the classroom to change

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that situation. Another statistic. 4000 fewer teachers, in Scotland,

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and 2007. We know that 16% of training places for English

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teachers, unfilled, a quarter for maths, unfilled. Possible solutions

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to this, we have councils in some rural communities, the north-east

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and payment is wanting more flexibility to tackle disgraces

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themselves. Sitting the circumstances. But they are having

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to stand around, because John Swinney's answer to governance has

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been delayed. It is a problem of SNP's meeting. Councils want to fix

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this, but the Education Secretary has said let me chew on this. Why is

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this? In terms of the government 's review, the recommendations that we

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are taking will be published shortly, once we have properly

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analysed as it is correct to do, all the submissions made. And one thing

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that is absolutely certain if past experience is anything to go by, as

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soon as we set out the direction of travel, the other parties in this

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chamber who have been calling on us to do this, will suddenly decide

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that they oppose everything that we are going to do. I would absolutely

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put some bets on that. But this is part of our wider package of reform.

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The attainment challenge, attainment fund, introduction of standardised

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assistance. Labour used to support that, but when we decided to do

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that, they decided to oppose. The publication of local authority

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figures, so that we can track got back exactly. The Liberal Democrats

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oppose those reforms. What we have time and again, seen, opposition

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parties calling for things to be done, and when they are done, they

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decided to oppose that. We will take the action, backed by investment,

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delivering improvements in schools, and will continue to deliver

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improvements. I am sorry but jam tomorrow does not cut it. With this

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SNP government, it is not one statistic, it is the ten year of

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failure. Record it is leaving the situation, according to the

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architect of Curriculum for Excellence, the schools can no

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longer be classed as world leading. Tomorrow, the only whose job it is

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to support schools, and the SNP has said it is the top priority but does

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the ten years of failure not tell a different story? Weevil go to the

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local elections tomorrow, pointing to the improvements made, and the

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?120 million of additional resource, and I am standing here wondering why

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it is the case that education was of any priority to the Conservatives,

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they are putting out around the country leaflets... I got this one.

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It mentions me, the SNP, independence, a grand total of 43

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times. It mentions... Nine times. Ruth Davidson, the Conservatives,

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nine times. One of those, her signature. It mentions the policy on

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education, not once. In this election, the Conservatives have not

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put forward a single policy on schools, social care, roads,

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transport, anything. They have a constitutional session. I am going

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to get on with raising standards in schools.

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What engagements does the First Minister have planned for the rest

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of the week? Even more engagements, the government's programme for

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Scotland. In 2015, the First Minister said she supported the 50p

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top rate of tax for those earning more than 150,000, but in 2016 she

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changed her mind. In 2017, without any sense of irony, she claims to

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support this again. Does she expect people to believe this thing? Kezia

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Dugdale should listen more carefully. In 2015, I said I

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supported that across the United Kingdom. In 2016, I said if we only

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did that in Scotland, to tackle tax avoidance, the advice that we had

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taken was that that could potentially lose revenue. I do not

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think anybody in this chamber would seriously stand up and argue that we

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should put up a tax if the advice says it would lead to a reduction in

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revenue. We're going into the United Kingdom wide election, and we will

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publish the manifesto. But of course, this is Kezia Dugdale. The

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leader of the Labour Party, just a few weeks ago, publish the local

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government manifesto saying that the council tax freeze had crippled

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local government. Yet, reading eight Labour authorities, promising to

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freeze the council tax. Perhaps Kezia Dugdale would comment on that

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before asking me about taxation. The First Minister spent ten years, two

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elections, promising to scrap the council tax. And I have just heard

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the First Minister, saying we should not bother to tax the rich, because

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they will find some way around that. The truth, the Scottish National

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Party have voted against the 50p top rate of tax no less than eight

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times. So much for stronger for Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon has spent

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her entire career campaigning for more accurate to stop cuts to public

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services, but now that she has got the power, she refuses to do that.

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The ridiculous situation, the nationalist First Minister says that

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she wants to tax rich, but only if England does that first. Nicola

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Sturgeon has plenty of principles when campaigning, but nothing but

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excuses when in power. What I actually said, the problem

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was that we do not have the powers in this Parliament to stop the

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wealthiest potentially avoiding a higher rate of tax. I want these

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powers. Kezia Dugdale argues to keep these powers in the hands of a Tory

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government at Westminster. That is the difference between me and Kezia

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Dugdale. And, you know, is your Dugdale cannot really expect to be

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taken seriously on the issue of tax, because she has come here week after

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week saying that I should raise taxes, not just on the rich but on

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ordinary working people as well. She has come here week after week saying

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the council tax freeze is wrong, and yet going into an election tomorrow

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with eight local authorities across this country promising to continue

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to freeze the council tax, and each and every one of those councils is a

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Labour led council. How can Kezia Dugdale have a single shred of

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credibility on tax? I think voters tomorrow will make their own

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judgment on Labour right across this country. The council tax is unfair

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and regressive. How do we know that? Because the SNP have been telling us

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that for ten years! And there we have it, just another excuse as to

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why she won't ask the richest people in society to pay a bit more tax.

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What a shame, it is the same thing the Tories have been saying for

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years. She claims to back a 50 be tax rate but she will not increment

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one here in Scotland, when she has the power to do so. She plans to be

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protecting the NHS while local services across the country face

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cuts and closure on her watch. And she claims that education is her

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number one priority and then spends every waking minute plotting how to

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force another independence referendum. Does Nicola Sturgeon

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feel any guilt, any guilt at all, touring the country, warning against

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austerity, when it is her government that has cut ?1.5 billion from

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council services? Look, I will continue to do what I have done for

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the past few years, which is to argue against austerity at source.

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That's what I will be campaigning for in this election. The difference

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between me and Kezia Dugdale is, she doesn't want to scrap austerity, she

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wants to transfer the burden of austerity onto the shoulders of

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low-paid people right across this country. And why is that? Because

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she prefers to allow a Tory government at Westminster to take

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the big decisions about our economy, rather than have them made here. Is

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your Dugdale is wrong in what she says about the NHS and about council

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services. The NHS budget is more than ?3 billion higher today than it

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was when this government took office. The number of NHS staff is

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10% higher almost than it was when we took office. We have got the best

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of forming A departments anywhere in the UK. We've got ?120 million

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going into the hands of head teachers. I will come back to the

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central question. Kezia Dugdale, albeit wrongly, is accusing this

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government of short-changing local authorities. The question remains -

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why is it only Labour councils going into this election, missing to

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freeze the council tax? Why are they not doing what SNP councils are

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doing, choosing raise revenue for schools and social care? Kezia

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Dugdale has no credibility on this issue, and I think from looking at

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her, she knows it. There is one constituency supplement reborn

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that's come the First Minister offer any hope for my constituents having

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to endure a very lengthy orthopaedic waiting lists, in contrast to what

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she has just said about the NHS? One man was told he was to have a knee

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operation at the Golden Jubilee, only for funding to be withdrawn by

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the NHS. He is virtually unable to walk and is in constant pain. Can I

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ask the First Minister why, at the start of the financial year, when

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patients are in severe pain and waiting times have been badly

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breached, why are Greater Glasgow And Clive rationing treatment and

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denying patients the opportunity to have the treatment at another NHS

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hospital? And what action will she take to ensure that Mr Howie and

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others like him can get treatment he deserves? NHS boards right across

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the country are investing to make sure that we have got short waiting

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times. Waiting times today are much shorter than they were when this

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government took office. We are focusing on making sure those

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waiting longest get priority in terms of treatment. I would say that

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what she has outlined is something I want to know the detail of. The

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Health Secretary has told me that she has written this morning I think

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to the chief executive of Greater Glasgow And Clyde, and once we have

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the detail of that, I will ask John Robertson to write to the member

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with the full details. To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will

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next meet. Tuesday. The First Minister accuses opposition parties

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of demanding changes on education, and then complaining when the

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Scottish Government increments of those changes. The greens have never

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argued that standardised testing of reviews of Governor structure are

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the root of the problem. And the greens have never supported the

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stripping of local authorities of their power to make decisions about

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these matters. What we have consistently argued is that

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resources are at the core of the question. And if we want to

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recognise the thousands of teachers that have been lost in Scotland, the

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hundreds of support workers, school librarians, classroom assistants and

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the lack of resources which are available to our local authorities,

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isn't it very clear that that has to be the core of the solution, if that

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is what has been causing the problem? The Scottish Government...

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Isn't it clear that those cuts have to be the beginning of a change

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which puts resources back into our local authorities, so that they are

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able to support the professionals doing the job around the country?

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Patrick Harvie and I have something of a disagreement when it comes to

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education reform. I do think it is education reform. I do think it is

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important not that we strip local authorities of their

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responsibilities come about is not our intention, but that we do give

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greater flexibility and autonomy and control to local schools. Because

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much of the evidence about how you drive improvements in education says

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that that, along with the capacity and quality of teachers and the

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quality of learning, is how you do that. So that's why we are doing

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those reforms. I also think it is vital that we have more rigour

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around both how performance is assessed, but also how that is

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reported publicly. That's why we are introducing standardised

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assessments, to inform teacher judgment, so that there is more

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rigour around that. And then we want to make sure that there is

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transparency around the performance of schools. For the first time ever,

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we are going down a road where we are publishing not sample surveys

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but preventive school by school data, so that we can properly assess

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how they are performing. And I think the white reforms. And I will

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continue to carry on with it, because I believe they're essential

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to getting that improvement in our schools. However, where I do have an

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agreement with Patrick Harvie is on the issue of resources. We have also

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said that resource in the hands of head teachers is a vital part of our

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attainment drive. That's why I've said already on a couple of

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occasions that there will be ?120 million going direct to

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headteachers. Headteachers are then free to decide how that money is

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invested. If they want to invest that in staff, that is up to

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headteachers. That ?120 million is part of the wider attainment fund,

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which totals ?750 million across this Parliament. So, yes, sources

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and investment is crucial, but I believe we need a couple that with

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reforms which will allow us to drive improvements faster, and I make

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absolutely zero apologies for that. I'm afraid I still do not think the

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Scottish Government has yet countered the concern that

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standardised testing will end up here and used for the same purposes

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as league tables, if they were caught that. I also don't accept

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that teachers want to be managers, or that headteachers want to be

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chief executive is or chief financial officers. I think they

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want to focus on what they are passionate about and talented at,

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which is teaching and education and the life chances of young people.

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But if we want to reverse that decline, 4000 teachers lost, if we

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want to reverse that in these other important professions, librarians,

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classroom assistants, the overall level of resource needs to go

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higher. Over successive years, we need to be resource in local

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councils to make those decisions. The Scottish Government is willing

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to cap council tax rates at national level without legislation, they're

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willing to tell England and Wales what their income tax rate should

:22:20.:22:24.

be, but not willing to change them in Scotland more than an inch. Isn't

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it very clear that we need to reject this Tory notion of Scotland has a

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higher tax part of the UK, make people like the First Minister and

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myself pay a bit more tax into the pot to produce the resources to

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going to education, which will make a difference in the life chances of

:22:43.:22:45.

every child in this country? Because of the decisions that we've taken,

:22:46.:22:51.

higher rate taxpayers are paying a bit more than higher rate taxpayers

:22:52.:22:58.

elsewhere in the UK. These are the right, balanced tax decisions which

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I think it is appropriate to take. At a time when inflation is rising

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and living standards are under pressure, I don't think it is right

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to increase income tax for those on the basic rate. Again, people are

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free to take a different view but that is my view. On the issue of

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education and local government funding, in the financial year that

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we are now in, there is available to local services additional spending

:23:25.:23:28.

power of ?400 million. As Patrick Harvie Whiteley said, some of that,

:23:29.:23:33.

down to discussions which his party and my party had leading up to the

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agreement of the budget. So, there is more resource in local

:23:38.:23:43.

government. And specifically in education, there is more resources

:23:44.:23:47.

going to headteachers. Let me assure Patrick Harvie, we have no intention

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of seeing headteachers become bureaucrats. The point is allowing

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them to be the leaders of learning that they need to be in order to

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drive improvement and to put into their hands the resources that they

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need in order to do that. These reforms I think will lead to

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improvements in our schools. I think it is right that we have rigorous

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debate about these things, but I am determined to take forward these

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reforms, and we will be held to account on them. Which is why the

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publication, people like to dismiss it as league tables, that is the

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information parents have access to, to know how the schools are

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performing, it is information which people in this Chamber have access

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to, to hold me and this government accountable. It is right and proper

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that we continue to make sure that it is available. Last night, on STV,

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Ruth Davidson repeated the fiction that under the new two-child cap for

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child tax credits, a woman only has two White Hart Lane in a box to

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prove that they have had a subsequent child as a result of rape

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- is this true? It is not true, and Ruth Davidson knows it is not true.

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We had a very powerful and at times very emotional debate on the brief

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child tax rate cap just a couple of weeks. I find it quite hard to

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believe that Ruth Davidson could have sat through that debate and

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listened to the letter read out by Kezia Dugdale and still gone on

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television last night and say that it was just about ticking a box. I

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think that's disgraceful. And more importantly, what it demonstrates,

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or at least what it gives the impression of ADI will choose my

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words carefully, what it gives the impression of, because I hope this

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is not the reality, is a complete lack of empathy for the emotional

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trauma that any woman in these circumstances would have to go

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through, of having to declare to a third party that their child had

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been conceived as a result of wake. A woman that probably is determined

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to do everything in her power to protect her child from ever being

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aware of those facts. So, I think it is really important that whatever

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disagreements we have around policy on this, and it beggars belief that

:26:08.:26:15.

anybody can defend the rape laws, it is indefensible, in my view, and I

:26:16.:26:18.

think that is why the Tories are struggling so badly to defend it,

:26:19.:26:22.

but for goodness' sake, when it comes to support four of the most

:26:23.:26:26.

vulnerable people in our society, a bit of empathy and compassion and a

:26:27.:26:32.

bit less of a dismissive attitude I think would go down well from the

:26:33.:26:33.

Tories. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The

:26:34.:26:49.

BBC have reported a response, from Freedom of Information Act, the

:26:50.:26:56.

number of serious assaults and robberies increasing in Scotland.

:26:57.:27:01.

The information that the BBC has been reporting, it is management

:27:02.:27:04.

information. It is important to stress that. It is not official

:27:05.:27:10.

figures. That could reflect the information reported, but it is

:27:11.:27:13.

important that we point out the fact that some things that cannot be the

:27:14.:27:22.

case. Figures can fluctuate, and what we have been seeing in

:27:23.:27:26.

Scotland, for something, it is a long-term reduction, in non sexual

:27:27.:27:36.

violent crime. We have seen that for something. 52% reduction, from 2006,

:27:37.:27:48.

and in 2015, 16, the latest statistics are available, the number

:27:49.:27:52.

of homicides in Scotland was at its lowest level since comparator will

:27:53.:27:56.

read cuts began in 76. We always have to make sure that we are

:27:57.:27:59.

supporting the police, to make sure that we keep all sorts of crime now,

:28:00.:28:07.

but we have the production, continuing to do everything

:28:08.:28:12.

possible. That is one of the reasons why we have supported the police,

:28:13.:28:18.

when 20,000 police officers have been lost south of the border. We're

:28:19.:28:23.

going to continue to support the police, across the country. Does the

:28:24.:28:31.

First Minister support the 10,000 people, probably more, who have

:28:32.:28:36.

signed a petition against the imposition of the ?2 drop off fee at

:28:37.:28:42.

Glasgow Airport? Does the First Minister agree it is not going to

:28:43.:28:47.

reduce congestion, and we do not have great transport links to

:28:48.:28:51.

Glasgow Airport, so a rail link may have made a difference, families

:28:52.:28:56.

going on holiday are going to be forced to pay. It is not going to

:28:57.:29:04.

reduce congestion, because it is a smaller area and they are going to

:29:05.:29:11.

block drivers in. The First Minister has to condemn this. It is a

:29:12.:29:14.

moneymaking venture, it has nothing to do with congestion. Genuinely, I

:29:15.:29:20.

am raising this genuinely, public fury at this, I think the public

:29:21.:29:26.

would appreciate at least your understanding, they do not think

:29:27.:29:31.

this is justified. Of course, I understand the concern of members of

:29:32.:29:36.

the public whenever a change like this happens. I understand that.

:29:37.:29:40.

Many of my constituents, in common with MSPs will use Glasgow Airport

:29:41.:29:49.

regularly. I constituency is one of the closest geographically. I

:29:50.:29:53.

understand that many people will have concerns. This is a matter for

:29:54.:29:57.

Glasgow Airport. It is incumbent on them, to make the case why this was

:29:58.:30:05.

necessary. To have that scrutinised. Pauline also raised the issue of the

:30:06.:30:12.

air link. Certainly, at the parliament before this we had

:30:13.:30:16.

debates about the Glasgow Airport rail link, and for good reasons we

:30:17.:30:21.

decided not to proceed. But what Pauline should also be aware of,

:30:22.:30:29.

being funded, these councils have the ability to have access projects

:30:30.:30:39.

to Glasgow Airport. I certainly will wait and see who is going to be in

:30:40.:30:42.

charge of these councils after tomorrow. Does the First Minister

:30:43.:30:53.

not understand that the plans for the publication of school league

:30:54.:30:57.

tables can result in teachers teaching to the tests rather than

:30:58.:31:03.

concentrating on teaching the children, and that this could have

:31:04.:31:09.

opposite effect than she intends? I say this insincere and the, if you

:31:10.:31:18.

intended properly what we intend to publish, you would not have asked

:31:19.:31:22.

that question. The premise of the question, it is wrong. It is not the

:31:23.:31:27.

test scores being published, it is the performance of young people,

:31:28.:31:31.

against the required level of Curriculum for Excellence. Judged by

:31:32.:31:39.

teachers, informed by the tests. Why is that important? Because it makes

:31:40.:31:47.

the judgment more rigorous, but secondly, it avoids the narrowing to

:31:48.:31:52.

the tests because it is not only be standardised test score taken into

:31:53.:31:58.

account. The teacher will look at all performance. In all sincerity,

:31:59.:32:03.

people across this chamber, we can't have these debates, but come to

:32:04.:32:07.

these, informed with the facts of what we're doing, rather your

:32:08.:32:14.

prejudice. Then, we will have meaningfully, meaningful debates. To

:32:15.:32:24.

assess the First Minister what is the Scottish Government's response

:32:25.:32:27.

to the population rising to an all-time high of 5.4 million? We

:32:28.:32:32.

welcome the news that the population is growing. Stimulating population

:32:33.:32:39.

growth, it is sustainable economic growth. It also underlines the role

:32:40.:32:45.

that migration has got to play, to grow the population. Robust evidence

:32:46.:32:50.

that confirms the long-standing view that migrants inside of the European

:32:51.:32:58.

Union contribute, mostly young, economically active and qualified.

:32:59.:33:03.

Scotland benefits from the contribution of people across the

:33:04.:33:06.

world, choosing to live and study here, with expertise, helping to

:33:07.:33:11.

underpin economic growth. We should take every opportunity to tell them

:33:12.:33:17.

that they are welcome. Thank you for the answer. In a half-century before

:33:18.:33:21.

the millennium, more than 2 million Scottish people emigrated, and

:33:22.:33:25.

Scotland once had the lowest population growth of any nation or

:33:26.:33:31.

nails. That left us with an economy, overtaken by others. -- on earth.

:33:32.:33:36.

Does the First Minister agree that will be population is growing, there

:33:37.:33:46.

is cause for concern, and the Brexit stopping the movement of people will

:33:47.:33:48.

not only stop the population growth, but also need to skills shortages

:33:49.:33:54.

and damage the economy? I feel as though I should start by thanking

:33:55.:34:02.

the Presiding Officer. I better not. The latest estimates published, have

:34:03.:34:05.

shown that the population increase has been driven by migration. That

:34:06.:34:13.

is why I make this point, continued inward migration, and I will be

:34:14.:34:18.

scanned the controversial, but it is critical to maintaining population

:34:19.:34:23.

growth, driving economic growth. If the current trend continues, and it

:34:24.:34:28.

is projected to be the main contributor to the population growth

:34:29.:34:35.

over the next 25 years, it is find one of the things that should

:34:36.:34:38.

concern all of us about Brexit and the negotiations, any serious

:34:39.:34:42.

restrictions to the ability of European Union nationals to live in

:34:43.:34:46.

Scotland would be deeply damaging to the economy. It is important that

:34:47.:34:52.

across the chamber, and all of us in mainstream politics have the courage

:34:53.:34:58.

to make that argument. If we allow the migration and immigration debate

:34:59.:35:01.

to be distorted, we will damage the economy and society. These latest

:35:02.:35:10.

statistics, stark reminder. Scotland has consistently attracted fewer

:35:11.:35:16.

migrants, relative to other parts of the UK. Why does the First Minister

:35:17.:35:21.

think after ten years of raising the government, Scotland is a relatively

:35:22.:35:27.

unattractive place for immigrants to come? What an utterly disgraceful

:35:28.:35:37.

thing for a member of this Parliament to stand up, in this

:35:38.:35:41.

chamber, and discreet his own country as an unattractive place to

:35:42.:35:50.

live. Murdo Fraser, hang your head in shame. As I have said before, I

:35:51.:35:57.

remember the days, becoming dark, distant days, when you used to be a

:35:58.:36:06.

serious politician, now you aspire to be a figure of fun. Just what the

:36:07.:36:11.

serious point, we have got to encourage people to come here, one

:36:12.:36:15.

of the reason why more migrants will settle in London, is because of

:36:16.:36:21.

geography, anybody with common sense would know that. But we have just

:36:22.:36:25.

had a figures, showing the contribution that migration is

:36:26.:36:32.

making. The real question is not what Murdo Fraser posed. It is...

:36:33.:36:37.

Are we going to make sure that we continue to have the ability to

:36:38.:36:40.

attract people to come and live in Scotland, or are we going to allow

:36:41.:36:48.

narrow minded Tories to put barriers in the way? That is going to be the

:36:49.:36:56.

question for Scotland. To ask the First Minister, if headteachers will

:36:57.:36:59.

require the agreement of the relevant local authority, before

:37:00.:37:03.

decisions are made about the pupil equity fund spent in school? I have

:37:04.:37:10.

been absolutely clear, and the Deputy First Minister, that the

:37:11.:37:15.

funding scheme, the ?120 million will be used at the discretion of

:37:16.:37:20.

headteachers. The national operation guidance on the funding sets out

:37:21.:37:25.

principles to support headteachers and headteachers should work in

:37:26.:37:27.

partnership with each other and local authorities to share good

:37:28.:37:33.

practice and consider the use of funding. It is the discretion of

:37:34.:37:36.

headteachers, the central factor deciding how that is spent. I thank

:37:37.:37:44.

the First Minister for that reply. Quite correct, John Swinney stated

:37:45.:37:51.

categorically on 13th September, under the Scottish Government

:37:52.:37:53.

reforms, the presumption of decision-making at school level.

:37:54.:37:59.

Could I ask, why then from the Scottish Government documents it is

:38:00.:38:02.

clear that it is good to be national guidance and local authority,

:38:03.:38:07.

guidance, compelling headteachers to agree to the use of the pupil equity

:38:08.:38:13.

funding and local authority to be accountable to the local authority,

:38:14.:38:16.

for how that money is the point. We'll headteachers ever have real

:38:17.:38:28.

spin? Autonomy, I think Liz Smith is misrepresenting, not intentionally,

:38:29.:38:35.

the cadence. I can just point to some of the content of the cadence.

:38:36.:38:41.

I know the commission for school reform had wrongly claimed it was

:38:42.:38:44.

prescriptive. The direction in that guidance refers to principles must

:38:45.:38:55.

be additional to the current spend. Who could possibly disagree?

:38:56.:38:59.

Secondly, targeted at closing the attainment gap. Who could possibly

:39:00.:39:04.

disagree? That is what the money is for. It should be based on the

:39:05.:39:10.

evidence of what works. That seems to be sensible. And that parents,

:39:11.:39:18.

children, young people should be involved in planning for equity

:39:19.:39:21.

funding. It is common sense. As I said to Patrick Harvie, evidence

:39:22.:39:27.

that the involvement of parents and young people in these initiatives to

:39:28.:39:33.

drive improvement are important. Of course, headteachers are going to

:39:34.:39:37.

share practice, and with any use of public money, and accountability,

:39:38.:39:42.

not least through the figures. Also the performance of schools. And this

:39:43.:39:48.

money is money to be spent at the discretion of headteachers. Having

:39:49.:39:55.

called for this... I would have thought the chamber would support

:39:56.:40:03.

this, get behind this. Thank you. To as the First Minister, what action

:40:04.:40:05.

will be Scottish Government take to improve access to sanitary products?

:40:06.:40:10.

The Scottish Government is actively considering what support we can

:40:11.:40:14.

provide for women, on low income, to have access to these products, in a

:40:15.:40:21.

dignified way. We have a commitment to tackling poverty, but we know

:40:22.:40:24.

that in this use of these conservative welfare cuts, and

:40:25.:40:29.

posterity, pushing more people into poverty, we have one hand tied

:40:30.:40:34.

behind your back. The bedroom tax, fair food fund, the independent

:40:35.:40:40.

living fund, to name just some of the policies, the mitigation of the

:40:41.:40:45.

bedroom tax, we spent hundreds of millions of pounds every year

:40:46.:40:51.

protecting the most probable in society from the worst excesses. --

:40:52.:40:55.

vulnerable. These are resources we would rather than investing in more

:40:56.:40:59.

anti-poverty measures, not mitigating, not sticking plasters on

:41:00.:41:05.

Conservative cuts. I thank the First Minister for that answer. I welcome

:41:06.:41:08.

some of the states that the government has outlined, because

:41:09.:41:12.

last year when I asked this I was told the government had not done any

:41:13.:41:16.

work and that women could use food banks, but if you but we have moved

:41:17.:41:23.

on. Last year, we debated one period poverty and I have announced my

:41:24.:41:30.

intention to bring forward the bill. Member we have gender inequality,

:41:31.:41:34.

and just last week, the NUS, the youth Parliament, and I go on...

:41:35.:41:40.

Could all of them supporting the proposals. No women or girl should

:41:41.:41:48.

face the indignity, of not having access to these products. Now it's

:41:49.:41:53.

why this should be the case in a progressively wealthy country. Does

:41:54.:41:56.

the First Minister agree that sanitary products are a necessity,

:41:57.:42:01.

not a luxury, and the Scottish parliament should accordingly be

:42:02.:42:04.

taking all the necessary action to ensuring that rate of axis?

:42:05.:42:09.

survey, firstly, and I commend her for taking forward this issue as an

:42:10.:42:19.

important issue? The Government is certainly open to working in

:42:20.:42:22.

partnership as we explore the ways in which we can deal with this

:42:23.:42:27.

issue. I do agree with her, and I think any woman and a lot of men

:42:28.:42:30.

would agree that sanitary products are not a luxury, they are a

:42:31.:42:34.

necessity, and we should not have a situation where women are forced

:42:35.:42:37.

into situations of indignity because they are on income is that can't

:42:38.:42:41.

support the purchase of these products. So, as she has

:42:42.:42:47.

acknowledged, the Scottish Government is exploring a number of

:42:48.:42:51.

ways in which we can help with the issue of period poverty FINA and I

:42:52.:42:56.

know Angela Constance would be happy to talk further with Monica Lennon

:42:57.:43:01.

as our consideration of these issues develops. I hope we can come to a

:43:02.:43:08.

consensus about ways in which we can help full stop and we in the

:43:09.:43:11.

Scottish governorate are keen to do that. Talking about how we help

:43:12.:43:21.

women in vulnerable situations, rather than debating how people in

:43:22.:43:24.

other places are trying to penalise women in voluble situations. To ask

:43:25.:43:29.

the First Minister how the high Court of Justice's decision to order

:43:30.:43:34.

the UK Government to publish its Aleutian strategy impacts on

:43:35.:43:38.

Scotland? The decision relates to the timing of the strategy's

:43:39.:43:42.

publication rather than the content of the strategy, and I understand

:43:43.:43:45.

that the UK Government has now decided not to appeal the decision

:43:46.:43:49.

of the High Court and will consult on the updated plan. The Scottish

:43:50.:43:55.

Government is committed to promoting the equality and the UK action plan

:43:56.:43:59.

will include a contribution from the Scottish Government, setting out how

:44:00.:44:02.

we intend to deliver further air quality improvements in Scotland via

:44:03.:44:09.

our own strategy. Also by establishing Scotland's first low

:44:10.:44:14.

emissions zone. Can I thank her for that response? But I am not prepared

:44:15.:44:19.

to put my family at risk any more on Scotland's polluted streets. This is

:44:20.:44:25.

a public health crisis, 2000 people dying every year, not just in the

:44:26.:44:30.

First Minister's city but across Scotland, from Perth to Aberdeen.

:44:31.:44:35.

The UK Government was relying on dodgy emissions data from car

:44:36.:44:38.

companies while putting off action to save lives today. The Scottish

:44:39.:44:41.

Government has made the same errors and is captured by the same ruling.

:44:42.:44:46.

When will the First Minister step out of the shadow of these toxic

:44:47.:44:50.

Tory plans and urgently review Scotland's clean air strategy,

:44:51.:44:54.

including funding more than just a solitary low emission zone but when

:44:55.:44:58.

I am not responsible for the UK Government's plans. I am responsible

:44:59.:45:03.

for the plans of the Scottish Government. On this, as on any other

:45:04.:45:07.

issue, we are happy to discuss with other parties in the Chamber how we

:45:08.:45:12.

improve the plans that we have in place. But I think it is important

:45:13.:45:17.

to point out that in Scotland, we are meeting both domestic and

:45:18.:45:20.

European air quality targets across much of the country, although there

:45:21.:45:24.

are still hotspots of poorer Arab quality in a number of areas,

:45:25.:45:27.

particularly urban areas. It is an issue which interests me hugely as

:45:28.:45:33.

an MSP representing an urban constituency. All local authorities

:45:34.:45:38.

with air quality management areas now have action plans in place, and

:45:39.:45:43.

the Scottish governorate is working with these authorities, including

:45:44.:45:45.

Glasgow City Council, to help implement the plans and deliver air

:45:46.:45:51.

quality improvements. I think it is important to stress that we have set

:45:52.:45:56.

more stringent quality targets than the rest of the UK has. Scotland is

:45:57.:46:00.

the first country in Europe to legislate for a particulate matter

:46:01.:46:06.

2.5, which is of particular concern for him and health. And we are

:46:07.:46:09.

providing practical financial support to local authorities. So, we

:46:10.:46:14.

will continue to take action to address what I agree is an issue of

:46:15.:46:18.

the utmost importance. The Environment Secretary will be happy

:46:19.:46:21.

to speak to the member if he wishes, in order to take his views about how

:46:22.:46:24.

we strengthen these plans further. We are working with other partners

:46:25.:46:46.

to develop the first low emission zone which will improve health and

:46:47.:46:50.

help create better places to live, to work and for people to visit. The

:46:51.:46:55.

national modelling framework has already been developed and it

:46:56.:47:02.

informs the specific restrictions needed to develop air quality

:47:03.:47:12.

improvements. We look forward to agreeing with local authorities the

:47:13.:47:15.

location of the first zone once new local administrations are in place

:47:16.:47:20.

following tomorrow's collection. Thank you very much. That

:47:21.:47:24.

concludes... A point of order. A point of order. Yesterday, the

:47:25.:47:31.

Scottish Government issued a press release announcing a regeneration

:47:32.:47:35.

project in Glasgow which everyone knows is an SNP target. I have

:47:36.:47:39.

written to the permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government to

:47:40.:47:44.

complain against the first strong possibility that purdah guidance was

:47:45.:47:48.

ignored. Can you advise if there are any grounds to bring the minister in

:47:49.:47:52.

question before this parliament next week to explain how on earth a

:47:53.:47:56.

Government announcement with a clear possibility of influencing party

:47:57.:48:01.

politics was allowed to go out? Can I thank Mr Thompson for the point of

:48:02.:48:06.

order. These sorts of questions are a matter for the ministerial code

:48:07.:48:10.

and should be pursued with the Government directly. That concludes

:48:11.:48:11.

First Minister's Questions. This morning, as Mandy has

:48:12.:48:39.

explained, we're going to be

:48:40.:48:40.

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