03/03/2016 Politics Scotland

A very warm welcome to the Scottish parliament at Holyrood. Earlier

today MSPs were taking evidence from Greg Hands and John Swinney on the

deal that they stroke, the fiscal framework that liberates the

possibility of new tax and welfare powers. It might be matter is

monetary that also arise in questions to the First Minister. It

could be the announcement she made on council tax yesterday.

Let's crossed to the chamber and Glenn Campbell. They are talking

about railways at the moment. Other topics that have come include

fracking, tourism, the islands and also a question on deposit returns

for a fizzy drink bottles. Lots to talk about at Holyrood as we get

under way with First Minister's Questions. A welcome from the

presiding officer to a delegation. The Ambassador of the kingdom of the

Netherlands. Applause for the Ambassador from the

Netherlands. We now move to First Minister --

First Minister's Questions. To ask the First Minister what

engagements she has planned for the day. To take forward the government

programme for Scotland, including meeting people from a primary school

to celebrate world book Dale foot -- world book Day.

For years, the SNP have promised to abolish the hated council tax. It

was in their 2007 and 2011 manifestos. Thousands of leaflets

were delivered, billboard after billboard was plastered with the

promise to scrap the unfair council tax. The only thing she scrapped

yesterday was the council tax freeze. She could have broken her

promise on day one. I did it take ten years?

Since 2007, we have made sure there have been eight years, soon to be

nine years, of a council tax freeze, saving the average band geek council

taxpayer ?1500. Labour have moaned about that every single step of the

way. What we announced yesterday our plans to make local tax fairer. Or

as Professor David Bell described on the radio this morning, certainly

progressive. And we also set out how, with new tax powers, we will

make the funding of council services in the future more closely related

to income. Something that Labour has also opposed for many years. Now we

are doing this in a fair way. A council tax freeze will remain in

place for the next year. After that, the council tax will be capped. We

cannot go back to the bad old days when Labour increased council tax by

60%. The band reforms will mean that people on the highest bands will pay

more with exemptions for those on lower incomes, including pensioners.

Three out of four households will not pay a single penny more. And

lower-income households with children will pay less. Out of that

we will raise an additional ?100 million per year for education.

These are fair, balanced and reasonable proposals, which is

probably why labour oppose them. We will get rid once and for all of

the unfair council tax. The words of the First Minister. And of course

voters should have known that when the First Minister said she would

get rid of the council tax, what she really meant was that she would keep

it. The whole process has been a sham. Here is the SNP formula.

Condemn it, freeze it, order a big report and go ahead and do it

anyway. And it is not just the council tax. The SNP say fracking is

bad and have opposed a temporary freeze. A big report has been

ordered but all the signs are that they are going to go ahead and do it

anyway. Labour would not allow fracking in Scotland. Can the First

Minister give that guarantee? Before we move on from local

taxation, which I am keen still to talk about, unlike Labour clearly.

Order. Let me give Labour some helpful advice. Before Kezia Dugdale

decides to adopt her usual position of whingeing from the sidelines, and

criticise the SNP policy on local taxation, it might be a good idea to

have a policy on local taxation yourself. Labour talk about reports.

Iain Gray is sitting next to Kezia Dugdale right now. In 2009, Iain

Gray, then the Labour leader, set up a commission to decide what Labour's

policy on local taxation was going to be. The outcome of that

commission has never, ever been published. So we still don't know

what Labour's position on local taxes. Before you criticise hours,

please have the good grace to come with one of your own. On the issue

of fracking, Kezia Dugdale has just heard the Energy Minister -- Energy

Minister set out the clear position of this government. We will not

allow fracking. If you don't like -- they don't like the answer but

perhaps they might like to listen. We will not allow fracking in

Scotland because we will not take risks with our environment while

there are still unanswered questions. That is why we have got a

moratorium in place. Her backbenchers do not like her

answer on fracking because they oppose it. All across the country

SNP candidates are telling voters they will be no fracking under the

SNP. The same people who promised to scrap the council tax. People

deserve the truth. We know where the Tories stand. They are for it. The

Lib Dems voted for it at their Conference. The Greens are against

it. I have said where I stand. Scottish Labour will go into the

election with a very clear manifesto commitment. We will oppose fracking.

If Jim Ratcliffe of any us can get a straight answer, why can't the

people of Scotland? Fracking or no? No fracking in Scotland because

there is a moratorium on fracking. That is what a moratorium means. It

ain't allowed to happen because we will not take risks with our

environment while there are so many unanswered questions. That is the

responsible way of proceeding. Of course, Labour stand up your week

after week and say whatever they like about what they would do,

because as we already know from Kezia Dugdale, they are going to

come second in the election. Presiding officer, Jim Ratcliffe

says he has had private assurances from her government that the SNP are

not against fracking. He says, they are being quite clear. What they

have said to us is that they are not against fracking. What does he know

that we do not? The Department of energy plan it is have agreed to

stop limiting conversations on fracking. Her government has

tendered for research into decommissioning on fracking. If she

is not planning to Phrack, why is she preparing for the clean-up? Is

the SNP promised to stop fracking a real promise, or is it just an

election pledge? First Minister, I know that Labour are desperate. And

I know why Labour are desperate. But this really does take the biscuit.

Just for the avoidance of doubt again, there is a moratorium on

fracking. It is clear and simple. There is a moratorium on fracking.

That means no fracking. Question number two, Ruth Davidson.

To ask the First Minister when she will next meet the Secretary of

State for Scotland. I have no immediate plans. This

morning the Defence Secretary announced extra funding to help

support our naval base on the Clydebridge which are welcome. We

First Minister and I have an honest disagreement about the decision to

renew our nuclear deterrence and four remain earning -- integral part

of the UK's defence. We should all be able to agree on one thing. That

if the submarines go, the jobs go. Does the First Minister agri-? No, I

support the continuation of Faslane as a naval base, a conventional

naval base. I do not believe we should be spending ?167 billion and

rising on nuclear weapons that we cannot afford, that are not the

appropriate defence of our country. That kind of money would be better

spent supporting jobs, not just in the defence industry but across

public services as well. The First Minister is flying in the

face of the evidence. The GMB union has said... Order! The Defence

Secretary says thousands of highly skilled jobs would disappear. And

even the local SMP -- MSP, Jackie Baillie, Labour's long-range, admits

this morning that nobody has come up with a credible plan to replace

those jobs. The loss of that employment would devastate my local

community. Perhaps she has in mind Jeremy Corbyn's new position, that

we should build the submarines, keep the jobs but stick the missiles in a

shed. I know the First Minister linked arms with the Labour leader

in London last week, but please tell me she does not agree with him on

that as well? He referred -- he refused to turn up until after I had

left, for some unknown reason! I will leave that to him to explain. I

have to say to Ruth Davidson, when it comes to the point where you have

to call Jackie Baillie, it really should tell you your arguments have

got rather threadbare. On the serious issue of defence jobs, Ruth

Davidson should look at the numbers of defence personnel in Scotland and

what has happened to those numbers under this Conservative government.

We have seen a haemorrhaging of conventional defence jobs. We have

seen the closure of bases. We have seen our forces take a hammering as

a result of Tory austerity. The report done a year or so back on the

question of whether Trident should be renewed, set out very clearly the

price that conventional forces pay through the accession with Trident.

My position is clear. Support our conventional forces, supported

Faslane as a naval base, but let's not spend obscene amounts of money

on obscene nuclear weapons when there is so much more we could do

with it. Colin Beattie. To ask the First

Minister what steps the Scottish government is taking to support the

107 workers in Greggs bakery in my constituency, whose jobs are now

under threat as a result of the company's decision to close this

facility? I was very concerned, as I know the member would have been, to

learn of the situation. I know this will be a very anxious time for the

employees and their families. As soon as the announcement was made,

we immediately contacted the company to offer support for employees.

Fergus Ewing will be speaking with Management today and with union

representatives to explore all possible options for supporting the

Midlothian site and its workforce. We will continue to engage and

monitor the situation closely, and I will ask Fergus Ewing to update the

member after his discussions later today.

Willie Rennie. To ask the First Minister what issues will be

discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet. Matters of importance to

the people of Scotland. Last week the First Minister cut hundreds of

millions of pounds from education budgets. She said she had no choice.

But she would bring those cuts to an end as soon as she had the powers.

This week she announced extra money for education. She did so without

gaining one single additional power at all. The cruel twist for children

is that they will not see a single penny until next year. The First

Minister could have invested this money, this year, why didn't she? As

Willie Rennie will presumably know, because he was here when John

Swinney made the announcement in the budget last week, we are also

doubling the education attainment font, starting in the financial year

about to start. As a result of the announcement made yesterday, from

2017 we will invest an additional ?100 million in education. That, I

think, is welcome investment that will be welcomed by people across

Scotland even if not by Willie Rennie. I know that the Lib Dem

position is that having spent the last five years helping the Tories

cut our budget, they want to spend the next five years hiking up the

taxes of everyone earning over ?11,000 a year. That is not my

position. I will continue to argue for a fair and balanced approach

which gets money into education. Last week, she told us she would cut

education budget, even though she said, even though she said education

was her top priority. Massive cuts for one year. It could set back a

child's chances for a lifetime. Scotland used to have one of the

best education systems in the world. It has now slipped down the

international rankings. The situation is urgent, 1p on income

tax would generate five times as much for education now down her

timid and tardy proposals would next year. Even though she had all the

powers, she still could education budgets last week. Surely the First

Minister can no longer boast education is her top priority.

Willie Rennie is making things up as he goes along. Gross revenue

expenditure on education has increased in each of the last three

years, Council plans show that in this financial year the spending, a

further ?150 million. The finance secretary announced a doubling of

the tame and Bund, I announced plans that results in an extra ?100,000 of

education. A 1p increase on the basic rate, let me remind Willie

Rennie, would hit every single person earning over ?11,000 a year.

I do not think that is the right approach. In terms of world rankings

of education, the desire to see Scottish education being the best in

the world is why we have embarked on a workaround the national

improvement framework. Willie Rennie has opposed us on that every single

step of the way, so instead of moaning from the sidelines as he is

becoming good at, then maybe he should get behind the sensible

policies do improve our education system. To ask the business to what

the Scottish Government has done to encourage people to access modern

apprenticeships. The most recent... We are taking action to ensure that

we are supporting modern apprenticeships. We have a target

we've met every year of 25,000 modern apprenticeships. The fair

works secretary announced we were increasing that the 26,000 on the

way to making sure we reach 30000 by 20 20. Can I thank the First

Minister for her answer? I met with two modern apprentices on Monday.

They have taken on eight modern apprenticeships, with other

apprentices being taken on throughout Scotland. Can I ask how

the modern pension programme contributed to youth employment

levels, which I notice at the highest level in a decade? Modern

apprentice chips are a key element of our approach to economic

development and to youth employment -- apprenticeships. We have seen

them have a big impact on our youth employment rates. You've employment

in Scotland is at its highest level since 2006, and over the last year,

you've employment rate increased by 4%. There was an increased the

number of young people in employment by 19,000, taken it to 360 8000. The

youth employment strategy sets out a seven-year employment plan --

368,000. The seven year action plan you

mentioned includes the equalities plan. Could she update what progress

has been made on that, in helping disabled young people into

apprenticeships? The modern apprenticeships equality plan was

published on the 2nd of December and includes plans to improve modern

apprenticeships, for disabled people and on gender balance. The targets

have been included in each group which have to be achieved by 2021,

and we will report these annually. It is not a change which will happen

overnight, but it is a change we are determined to see happen. Can the

First Minister tell us what plans the Scottish Government has for its

share of the UK Government's apprentice ship levied when it comes

to Scotland? If he can get onto his colleagues in Westminster and get us

the details, we may be able to answer the question. We have been

pressing the Treasury and indeed other ministers and UK Government

and officials to get that information, and we will continue to

do so. When we know what the situation as we will try to make

sure we make get as positively as we can. In light of the third Force

News article by the Scottish children services, indicating 0.4%

of modern friendships start in 2014, this is in stark contrast to the

8.6% of the working population aged 16 to 24 who have a disability.

Could the First Minister outlined the work being undertaken with

employers as part of the action plan to ensure the 2021 target of

increasing the number of modern friendships for those with

disabilities is achieved? Working with employers is part of the action

plan, because it is employers we need to persuade the benefit of

making sure we have a more diverse population in the programme, that is

at the heart of the action plan. The target I have spoken about

challenging targets, they will not be reached overnight, but progress

is already being made following the publication of the action plan. We

have seen some improvement in the proportion of starts from people

reporting a disability. 3% is up on last year, and a slight improvement

on those from a minority, ethnic group. There's a lot of work to be

done, but those figures are promising and the work that are set

out in the action plan gives me confident we will see further

progress in the years to come. If modern apprentices are so important,

can I ask her, why is she could the skills of in Scotland budget in real

terms? Why is she planning a cut of 50% in support for hospitality and

retail apprentices until 2020? Ken McIntire show will know... He will

know we are meeting our targets on modern pensions, we have a record

number, 20 5000. It was announced it will increase to 26,000, and we set

a target to get that to 30,000 by 2020. Instead of this constant,

continual whingeing from the sidelines, can't Labour get behind

us when we are making progress on such an important issue? To ask the

first Minster what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure young

people with new logical conditions receive appropriate care. -- new

logical. -- neurological. An assessment will reflect the clinical

assessment, and evidence of the practice, and we are investing ?250

million in social care partnerships to protect and grow social care

services, and also investing 11.6 million to implement self support,

increasing the availability of social care so more people can stay

at home with their families and friends are doing the things that

give their lives meaning. Can I thank the First Minister for that

response? She will be aware of Sue Ryder's report of young people with

neurological problems being put in all the people care homes because of

lack of care. It highlighted health reports don't know how many people

have neurological conditions, and indeed what their needs. It is

difficult to see how the health and social care spending will impact on.

More than that,... Who are supposed to have mandatory delivery plans for

neurological services have them. What will the Scottish Government

do? Will they show leadership and drive forward a strategy for people

with neurological conditions? I am aware of the report, and I think

they make a lots of very important and indeed very legitimate point in

that report. It is many of the points, including the one Rhoda

Grant highlights, a people under 65, that is driving the work I spoke

about, the review that health care improvements are undertaken about

how quality of care for people with temp... Conditions can be enhanced

in all care settings. As I said, there are clinical standards in

place for neurological services, which were implemented in 2010, but

the review will allow us to ensure they up to date. The extra

investment in social care is pertinent here, because it we invest

properly in social care, we develop the services that enable people,

where ever possible, to stay in and be cared for in their own homes, and

that is an important part. What measures are there in our penal

system to identify and assist those who may be suffering from

neurological conditions. That is a good point, I'm happy to asked the

Justice Secretary to write to Christine Grahame with detail, both

of what we already do in our prison system to deal people with

neurological conditions, and whether there may be more we can and should

be doing. There are a number of people in our prison system who do

need a lot of care and support, because perhaps some of the reasons

they end up in prisons are not properly dealt with in the first

place. I am more than happy to ask the Justice Secretary to write

further to Christine Grahame on that issue. One of the recommendations in

the report was the need for the development of a method for

collecting and presenting data on the prevalence of tempered macro

conditions. Does the First Minister agree on the portals of a copper

retentive database? I do, that was one of the many recommendations made

by Sue Ryder that was important and sensible. I can tell the chamber

that Doctor John Paul Leach was appointed as the new chair to the

national advisory committee for tempered macro conditions, and we

will work with them to improve the methods of collecting and presenting

data -- neurological conditions. That is how we make sure services

are improved on. Having suffered eight haematoma myself to and half

years ago, and been blessed with an excellent recovery after the work at

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, can the First Minister give us an update of

the support provided for that department with which it works

closely, and its treatment of such conditions and inflation to young

people. I know the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has identified local

clinical leaders in the care of younger people, this is to be

commended. I recognise the efforts of clinicians and support staff

across the country in neurology. It is through joint working that we see

between Aberdeen and Inverness and rip primary care that people of all

ages are supported by local clinical teams, addressing any rehabilitation

needs as they return home. Some of the work done in Aberdeen is

excellent, and I'm sure other areas could look to it usefully. I wonder

if the First Minister to tell us the neurological Alliance has in fact

received I'd direct grant. -- a direct grant. How they'd been

funded? I will look into that issue and write to the member with details

on it. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's

bazillion is on the BBC's proposal to introduce a Scottish Six

programme -- position. In some respects, the BBC has to catch up

with those changes and deliver news programme in which reflects the

complexity and bred tea of life in Scotland, so we do welcome proposals

to introduce a new service for BBC Scotland, and I am sure it will draw

on the very best of our journalistic talent to reduce programmes of the

very highest standard. I am interested in the point she has just

made about the most important consideration being in the ability

of BBC Scotland to harness the best talent so it will deliver the

highest possible standards when it comes to reporting UK, international

and Scottish news. Will she also agreed this should be entirely free

from governments and politicians, some of whom have sought to

influence what is broadcast on the BBC? I do. I am very happy to agree

that the Conservative UK Government should stop interfering in the BBC.

As you do quite often. Yes, on a serious note, I do agree with that

point. I think there is a very interesting debate here, but there

is an exciting opportunity. I understand that might be people in

Scotland who don't think this is required, that it is maybe not

something necessary. What I struggle to understand those who argue that

somehow in Scotland, and BBC Scotland in particular, aren't up to

producing a dedicated news programme with a journalistic talent we have.

Of course they are. It would be a great addition, and I am very

supportive of it. Does the First Minister agree the establishment of

a Scottish Six would provide great opportunities for those individuals,

who are currently being trained at college in Aberdeen in broadcast

and, and would allow them to attain your skills in Scotland rather than

having to seek opportunities elsewhere? That is a really good

point. We should be trying to see more opportunities for those who

want to pursue a career in journalism. This is a matter of

great regret to all others, how much difficulty some sections of the

media are in and the pressures that are on the newspaper industry, and

the announcements that have been about redundancies and job losses,

so anything that is about reversing that trend and critic more

opportunities for pride journalistic get on in Scotland is something we

should be united behind. Before I end First Minister's

Questions, can I thank all of the party leaders. An additional ten

backbench members were able to ask the First Minister a question. I

intend to circulate this video to the party leaders. I hope you will

watch it and I hope we will repeat next week. Thank you very much. Some

gentle chiding from the presiding officer to those who occasionally go

on a bit longer. A mixed bag today. From the council tax to fracking, to

Faslane Trident, and the future of the BBC. The First Minister

referring to bright young journalists. 23 isn't bad.

your subsidies? Do you want money from the British government, and

then you can lobby the British government on how they spend