18/05/2017 Scottish First Minister's Questions

What engagements does she have planned for the rest of the day? Gil

I have engagements to take the programme the Scotland and I will

take part in the ITV leaders debate which of course, Theresa May is

docking. Ruth Davidson. We don't have enough teachers in Scotland.

Given the fact that all sides accept this, does the First Minister agree

with me that when young people here choose teaching as a career, we

should do everything we can to ensure they stay? As we've discussed

in this chamber before, Scotland, in common with many other countries,

faces a challenge in teacher recruitment. That is why we are

increasing the intake into initial teacher education. Why the General

teaching Council is encouraging more people into teaching. And looking at

different routes into teaching. I suspect Bruce Davidson will next ask

me about each verse. I said I am open-minded to looking to ideas of

how to get more young people into teaching but we have to make sure

these ideas work for Scottish teaching and address the challenges

we face. She raises the issue of teach first and let us have a look

at it. We learned that in the last five years, nearly 400 talented

graduates have left Scotland to teach elsewhere in the UK. That's

because they were attracted by the teach first programme. A very

successful programme which despite versions operating in 40 countries

around the world still hasn't been allowed to set foot in Scotland. 400

and views you stick teachers who could be in our schools right now

but who aren't because Nicola Sturgeon says so. We have heard in

recent days about the huge quality issues surrounding teacher training

here. Given that, can the First Minister give me a single good

reason why she is stopping new schemes like teach first from

running in Scotland and see if they can improve matters? I have met with

teach first and I have discussed with them previously whether it

would be possible to adapt their schemes to fit with Scottish

education. We have a principal in Scottish education that people

teaching in our schools should have a teaching qualification. I think

that is right. I've visited is cool in London that took part in the

London challenge and we look carefully at the London challenge

and incorporated some of its learning into our own attainment

challenge but the headteacher I spoke to, she was quite sceptical

about teach first. One of the things she said about it at the time was

that in her view, I appreciate they will be other views about this, that

it was quite short-term and there was a difficulty often in retaining

those teachers. We will continue to discuss with the teaching profession

and local authorities on how to get the best and brightest teachers into

our schools. The DTC has been looking at different ways of

bringing young people into schools. -- TTC. She doesn't talk about all

the fantastic graduates in Scotland who do go into teaching in Scotland.

And I certainly want to encourage more of them to do so. We will

continue to look at all of these issues as we drive forward with our

determination to drive up standards in our schools and closely

attainment gap between the richest and poorest.

In answer to, give me a good reason why she will not have temp to person

here she said, I'll spoke to someone in London but I might have it. --

why we'll will not have Teach First. Is there a decision anywhere in a

future here? This is a scheme that operate successfully in 40 countries

but not here. I have to say that you have to question whether the First

Minister really understands the problems that we face because we

have 4000 fewer teachers than when she came to power and we're not

recruiting nearly enough trainees to fill the gaps. We have 16% of

training places the English unfilled, and more than a quarter

per maths unfilled. She claims that her government is on top this. Let

me ask this, if she is on top of this what percentage of secondary

schools say there are lack of teachers is constraining the numbers

of subjects they can offer? APPLAUSE

I've been clear about the challenges we take in common around teacher

recruitment. This is why John Swinney has been working with the...

And also why we have increased the intake into it increasing teaching.

As I said in relation to Teach First we had initial discussions about

whether that programme can be adapted for the particular

circumstances of education, so we will continue to look at these

issues in the round and drive forward the plans we are taking

forward. The national improvement framework which is already seeing

the forms around school education, the attainment challenge, the Cayman

fund, the equity fund in particular which as we speak is challenging

into headteachers -- channelling resources into the hands of

headteachers. -- the attainment challenge. Far week after week Ruth

Davidson ask questions about this, this government will get on with

taking the action that finds the solutions.

APPLAUSE What a lot of waffle!

APPLAUSE I am very pleased, the First

Minister thinks it's legitimate for me to ask questions were failing

education system, frankly I think it is my duty to do so. The question I

asked how was what proportion of our schools are constrained in the

subjects they can offer the pupils because of teachers shortages and

the answer is 70%. That was the figure reported to this parliament's

education committee, 70% of schools cannot offer the S for people the

subject they want to because her government has not recruit the

teachers -- DS ball pupils. This week we've seem backslapping of ten

years in power when education has been getting worse. This is First

Minister who has presided over a teacher recruitment crisis. Was born

asleep at the wheel on education. His response of bad test result is

that we should just take Scotland out the tests. And who knocks back

good ideas like Teach First for reasons she cannot explain of a wife

that some woman in London told me. Isn't it time we had our First

Minister in charge she does summing about how mistakes. The

International summit of teaching expats, but the Deputy First

Minister attended just before Easter, recognised there were

teaching commitment challenges right across the world including in

England. The Ruth Davidson to suggest this is a problem unique to

Scotland, I think is unfortunate. Also it is unfortunate that we have

to week she stands appear and rightly points to areas where we

need to improve, but repeatedly fails to talk about the improvements

we are seeing in Scottish education. The fact that in our schools right

now our young people are coming out with record high passes, record

advanced higher passes, we have more young people achieving national five

qualifications, we have record number of young people going into

positive destinations, if they do not go into higher or further

education they go into training or work and we're starting to see a

number of indicators the beginning of the closing of the gap between

the richest and poorest. I'm the to admit there was much more to do, but

Ruth Davidson should stop doing a disservice to teachers and pupils

across this country, by using terms like a failing education system, we

do not have a failing education system in Scotland and Ruth Davidson

should be ashamed standing up here suggesting we do APPLAUSE

. To ask the First Minister what

engagement she has planned the rest of the week? Engagements to take for

the government's proposal for Scotland. Yesterday the First

Minister and I met with the husband of Jo Cox and at that meeting the

First Minister rightly agreed that there was no place for abuse of any

kind in our political debate. A few weeks ago, prominent internet

blogger said of Oliver Mundell, a member of this parliament that he is

the sort of publics eager that make you wish his dad had embraced his

homosexuality sooner. To the First Minister agree with me that there

was no place for homophobia in society like this. Of course. The

Kezia Dugdale to get up here and, I'm being serious about this, to

suggest that anyway shape or form I would condone homophobia I think is

deeply unfortunate. I think on these issues and it was indeed the kind of

issue we'll all discussing with Brendan Cox yesterday, all of us

would make very clear that that kind of language, any form of abuse of

any minority or any politician of that nature is completely

unacceptable. I see abuse on a daily basis being held at me, and my

colleagues, are people on my side of the political spectrum. I do not

hold Kezia Dugdale personally responsible for that. We should all

join together and say that that kind of abuse is unacceptable and at

least have this as an issue on which we have consensus and not division.

APPLAUSE I very much welcome the response

from the First Minister. Of course, this was a remark posted on Twitter

I Stuart Taylor bold and bright for the website Wings Over Scotland. I

called him out on the daily record for his homophobic comment. People

should listen to this if there is serious about tackling homophobia

and abuse in all its forms. Mr Campbell has written to me via his

lawyer to demand a ?10,000 payment for and I quote "Damaged reputation.

" LAUGHTER I stand fairer to my comment I do not count down to a

bully and the Wilmots. Today. There is a catalogue of

evidence that demonstrates the bile that Stuart Campbell appears to

believe that is acceptable so given that we are in a general election

campaign will the First Minister today condemn Wings Over Scotland

and anyone who poisons the political debate in a country. I just have

condemned anyone who indulges in that kind of language that kind of

abuse. I'm not responsible for Stuart Campbell, any more than Kezia

Dugdale is responsible for people who have abuse at me in the name of

being a supporter of the Labour Party. You know what, let's cut to

the chase about what is going on here, Kezia Dugdale is asking me

about this today because she hopes it means I won't be able to remind

her that her colleagues in Aberdeen yesterday voted for a Tory

administration, that. Why think there is we're seeing a political

smoke screen. -- what I think we're seeing here is a political smoke

screen. I can tell anyone who has abuse on social media or anywhere

else and all of us should do that. The abuse I see direct about me on a

daily basis would make somebody's hair curl and some of it does come

from people professing to be supporters of Kezia Dugdale's party.

Do not hold her personally responsible about anything we should

all accept that there are people out there who will do that we should all

in condemning it. -- we should all unite in condemning it.

APPLAUSE When my colleagues do something I

disagree with, I take action. LAUGHTER I'm asking the First

Minister to do the same. She might want my weight we section, the

comment from wings over Scotland was published by an individual who

regularly spots hatred, yet SNP politicians continue to positively

engage with him and allowed their followers to his belief. The RFU SNP

politicians who have called him out, but 44% of SNP M recipes and 50% of

SNP MPs have actively encouraged him a lot. I have the list, here. It

includes ten government ministers, the finance secretary, the Justice

Secretary and the chance bought Minister. Social media can be a

force for good but as leaders we have a duty to stand up when it

becomes an outlet for aggression, intolerance and hatred. I want to

ask the First Minister clear yes or no question, will she today order

her politicians and her own ministers to denounce and Sean Wings

Over Scotland once and for all? And Sean wings over Scotland. I follow

people on Twitter and I am followed by hundreds of thousands of people

on twitter. Is Kezia Dugdale really trying to say, if I was too go do

Kezia Dugdale's tweet all the tweets of member of her group members of

her party, and I came up with the re-tweets that were somehow

unsavoury in some way, is she really saying that she would hold herself

personally responsible for that? This is absolutely ridiculous line

of questioning. I unequivocally condemn abuse of any kind. I've got

a list here of abuse that is been held at me by many people who are

now Tory councillors in Scotland, and had abuse from people who've

been members of the Labour Party, I've been called a fascist and a

Nazi, all my party has by Ian Smart who was a senior member of the

Labour Party. I did not hold Kezia Dugdale responsible. Let's cut to

the chase here, this is a smoke screen being erected by Kezia

Dugdale, today, because her party is in disarray, in Civil War in

meltdown and as leader of the party she is directing this at me to hide

one simple fact, as leader of the Scottish Labour Party she is not in

control of her lame party because she cannot stop our council is going

into Coalition with Tories up and down the country. That is why she's

asking about this today as a smoke screen to protect yourself against

the state of Rome party! APPLAUSE

-- of her own party. I wonder if the First Minister would

join me in welcoming the government's appeal victory against

the judicial review which blocked the offshore wind farms, it is good

news for Scotland and climate change, green nanograms and job

front. Was she also joined me in encouraging those instigated the

original action to except the... And idea very much welcome the judgment,

I think the development of offshore wind is important not just for

environmental reasons but also the economic development reasons in

Scotland. I hope this means these developments will continue.

Obviously, what happens now is a decision for the RSPB, I hope we

will see an end to the court action, but I would say this and hope the

RSPB will listen to this, because protecting the environment is really

important and they know they have legitimate concerns about this so I

would like to say very clearly to them and to others with concerns

that we want to make sure we work in a way that allow the development of

offshore wind for all the benefit it brings but does so with the

protection of the environment very much power month. I hope we can move

forward on that basis. The First Minister may be aware that an estate

agency based in Edinburgh is demanding a buyer 's premium fee and

the sale of property, if prospective buyers do not agree to pay this is

offered to the next day he will. Concern about this has been raised

by me from a constituent who spent 12 years saving for his own flat and

now has to pay buyers age. Do you agree with me that this is an

example of unscrupulous shop practice and will head government

look into this and assess the legality and morality of this

practice, and to the First Minister agree with me that the subject

matter of the estate agents act 1989 should be divulged to that the

parliament has full powers over the acquisition of land and property?

First of all, I'm happy to look into this matter fully. I agree these

powers should be devolved, the regulation of the state agents is

currently reserved matter because it is covered by the Prince Schumer

protection reservation in the Scotland Act. It -- the consumer

protection reservation. I understand the Scottish Government has recently

received one complaint against charging a buyer 's premium, I will

make further enquiries about the point and case there's been raised

by him today. There was an announcement that the NHS can no

longer guarantee surgery within 12 weeks of diagnosis, it is not in a

position to meet the targets, will our government step up to the plate

and provide NHS prompting with the funding it should receive under the

government's own formula. A formula that is now nearly ten years old and

are still not been delivered. We have moved health boards much closer

to parity, as it is called, then was the case when we took office, under

something which replaced the formula we were contained to this. We think

that patients that are waiting for treatment must be seen as quickly as

possible, and it is important that patients with the House clinical

priorities such as cancer patients, for example, are seen extremely

quickly, we are already investing additional resources and be working

with NHS Grampian and other health boards about further investment

which we will announce very soon. That will help boards bring up the

capacity, particularly the elective capacity to make sure that all

patients are treated in timely fashion, we see waiting times in our

health service now lower than nowhere when this government first

took office, but we also see demand on our health service continue to

rise merely due to ageing population so we must continue to work with

health boards and make sure that they have the required resources, so

that they continue to deliver the standard of service that patients

deserve.