:00:18. > :00:23.Hello, and welcome to Hollywood collide coverage of first Minister
:00:24. > :00:28.'s question Time without the first Minister. Alex Salmond is on his way
:00:29. > :00:32.to the United States for the annual Scotland week celebrations so Nicola
:00:33. > :00:38.Sturgeon, Deputy first Minister, is taking questions today of the day
:00:39. > :00:41.that one of Scotland's's biggest companies weighed into the
:00:42. > :00:46.independence debate, in the week that MSPs and people all over
:00:47. > :00:51.Scotland are reflecting on the tragedy at Liberton high school here
:00:52. > :00:58.in Edinburgh. Let's cross live to the chamber now.
:00:59. > :01:05.Mr McMillan's proposal is interesting, worthy of
:01:06. > :01:09.consideration. The Cabinet Secretary for well-being is meeting and they
:01:10. > :01:12.did clear that we would monitor the situation closely, considering that
:01:13. > :01:17.there is a legal challenge against the bill which was passed through
:01:18. > :01:20.the Welsh Assembly. Once we have had that ruling we will be in a position
:01:21. > :01:28.where we can make an informed position about the most appropriate
:01:29. > :01:33.approach for Scotland. First Minister 's questions, today
:01:34. > :01:39.questions will be answered by the Deputy first Minister.
:01:40. > :01:41.Thank you very much. To ask the Deputy first Minister what
:01:42. > :01:47.engagement she has planned for the day. With your permission, and I am
:01:48. > :01:52.sure on behalf of the entire chamber, can I express my severe
:01:53. > :01:56.condolences to the friends and family of Keane Wallace Bennett? Her
:01:57. > :02:02.death on Tuesday morning at Liberton high school is a tragedy that has
:02:03. > :02:06.horrified all of us. The health and safety executive enquiry is now
:02:07. > :02:12.underway and I am limited in the detail I can share. But I did speak
:02:13. > :02:16.with Edinburgh Council's chief executive this morning, who advises
:02:17. > :02:20.that the council are cooperating fully with the enquiry. In addition
:02:21. > :02:25.they have convened an incident response team and are conducting
:02:26. > :02:30.inspections of all other schools in the area. This has been a difficult
:02:31. > :02:33.time for family, friends, and staff at the school, and I am sure our
:02:34. > :02:37.board and support of people across Scotland are with them today. Later
:02:38. > :02:42.today I will have meetings to take forward the programme for Scotland.
:02:43. > :02:48.Can I thank the Deputy first Minister for that statement, and
:02:49. > :02:51.right across the chamber we share the sentiment at the saddest of
:02:52. > :02:57.times for the family, the school and all concerned. Alex Salmond is off
:02:58. > :03:00.to the United States a game today. I hope he has remembered his trousers
:03:01. > :03:08.this time, the taxpayer should not have to pay for another pair will
:03:09. > :03:12.stop he left the taxpayer's credit card behind because he still has not
:03:13. > :03:17.accounted for his spending on his trip to the Ryder Cup in 2012. I
:03:18. > :03:22.asked why a Freedom of information request about his spending on that
:03:23. > :03:24.trip had not been answered. He said, and I quote, the Freedom of
:03:25. > :03:33.information request will be absent as soon as possible. -- will be
:03:34. > :03:38.answered. He added, it will, why should it not be? Well, the request
:03:39. > :03:45.has not been answered nearly three months on, so can Nicola Sturgeon
:03:46. > :03:51.now tell me, why should it not be? I am quite flabbergasted that this is
:03:52. > :03:56.in the mind of Johann Lamont, the big issue of the day, but
:03:57. > :04:01.nevertheless she is the one who decides the question she asks. All
:04:02. > :04:06.of the relevant information about the trip that she refers to is, as
:04:07. > :04:10.far as I am aware, in the public domain. If there are specific pieces
:04:11. > :04:17.of information that Johann Lamont wants, then she can request them and
:04:18. > :04:22.I will undertake to respond to that. She started her question by
:04:23. > :04:27.referring to the first Minister 's macro trip to begin writing states
:04:28. > :04:32.of America to take part in Tartan week. I think it is worth pointing
:04:33. > :04:36.out a couple of things to the chamber in that regard. The first
:04:37. > :04:41.Minister will be undertaking in the space of five days over a dozen
:04:42. > :04:44.meetings with United States businesses who have an interest in
:04:45. > :04:51.Scotland and that we are hoping will be to the creation of hundreds of
:04:52. > :04:57.new jobs across the country. I would hope that she would imagine that.
:04:58. > :05:01.She also made reference to the government's credit card. It might
:05:02. > :05:08.be interesting to the chamber just to share some of the costs of
:05:09. > :05:13.previous Tartan and Scotland week. Going back to 2005, I won't read out
:05:14. > :05:21.the cost every year, I would just take a couple of examples. In 2006,
:05:22. > :05:28.when the current first Minister was built in office, I believe it was
:05:29. > :05:36.one Jack McConnell in 2006, the bill for Tartan Week was over ?1 million.
:05:37. > :05:44.The bill for Scotland Week in 2013, the most recent year we have
:05:45. > :05:47.available, was ?326,000, so I think the first Minister is right to be
:05:48. > :05:52.from noting the country begin writing states this week, and I
:05:53. > :06:02.think you's right to be doing it and getting much more value for money
:06:03. > :06:06.that was the case before. We know Alex Salmond is the glorious for not
:06:07. > :06:13.answering the question he was asked, but now he and his Deputy first
:06:14. > :06:19.Minister are refusing to answer the question he himself asked. Because,
:06:20. > :06:23.he has not answered the Freedom of information request and he has not
:06:24. > :06:31.answered a series of Parliamentary questions either. The first Minister
:06:32. > :06:36.chose to stay in a $2000 a night provincial hotel in Chicago, far
:06:37. > :06:41.away from the rest of the Scottish delegation. We know that because his
:06:42. > :06:45.own spokesperson told an official briefing of journalists that is
:06:46. > :06:52.where he stayed, and they printed it. Now, the Scottish government has
:06:53. > :06:58.said they cannot tell us where he stayed and for how much for security
:06:59. > :07:01.reasons will stop so since the first Minister's spokesperson has already
:07:02. > :07:07.told us where he stayed, can we now be told how much taxpayers cash Alex
:07:08. > :07:17.Salmond spent on himself in the habitual hotel? -- in the peninsular
:07:18. > :07:22.hotel. Johann Lamont would, no doubt, be standing here criticising
:07:23. > :07:26.the first Minister for not going overseas when appropriate to promote
:07:27. > :07:32.the economic interests of Scotland, but when he does she stand here and
:07:33. > :07:35.criticises him as well. I think we can safely conclude that Johann
:07:36. > :07:38.Lamont will criticise this government regardless of what this
:07:39. > :07:42.government does, and the reason for that is she has no positive
:07:43. > :07:49.programme and no positive ideas of her own to put forward. I can
:07:50. > :07:53.certainly tell Johann Lamont where the first Minister won't be staying
:07:54. > :07:58.when he is in New York, he won't be staying at the Benjamin hotel, which
:07:59. > :08:01.is, I understand, frequented by Paul McCartney and used to be be
:08:02. > :08:08.favourite hotel of Jack McConnell when he attended capital Tartan
:08:09. > :08:20.week. I gave figures earlier on, let me give the 2005 figure. 895,000.
:08:21. > :08:23.2007, ?765,000. Can I said that in no year since this government has
:08:24. > :08:30.been in office have the cost of going to pardon all Scotland Weeks
:08:31. > :08:34.been anything close to the figures I have just read out, so can we not
:08:35. > :08:40.agree that it is right for this first Minister, as it was right for
:08:41. > :08:44.his predecessors, to go overseas to promote the economic interests of
:08:45. > :08:48.Scotland, and can we agree that they have a duty to ensure value for
:08:49. > :08:52.money for the taxpayer, and I think of the figures I have read out this
:08:53. > :08:59.government is better at doing that than the previous Administration.
:09:00. > :09:04.First of all, there is an issue of public trust and accountability in
:09:05. > :09:12.public office. Order, please. Border. Nobody is disputing that
:09:13. > :09:17.there should be busied abroad. You are able to quote figures about
:09:18. > :09:21.previous trips. The point is, we cannot quote the figures for the
:09:22. > :09:30.costs of Alex Salmond to go to the Ryder Cup. Border, please. It is an
:09:31. > :09:33.issue of transparency at Derby first Minister and Deputy first Minister
:09:34. > :09:37.are refusing to answer because the only thing we know for sure about
:09:38. > :09:43.the trip to the Ryder Cup in 2012 is that the Scottish government does
:09:44. > :09:50.not want to explain how much taxpayers cash Alex Salmond spent on
:09:51. > :09:53.himself. When we do get an answer, the number of people on the trip
:09:54. > :10:00.changes, the figures change, but no accounting is given will stop the
:10:01. > :10:07.first Minister went to the $2000 a night headed chiller hotel in
:10:08. > :10:13.September 2012. -- the provincial hotel. In January 2014 he still
:10:14. > :10:21.could not say how much money he spent on himself. In January 2014,
:10:22. > :10:29.the first Minister said the questions about his spending would
:10:30. > :10:38.be absent as soon as possible. He asked, why shouldn't they be? Well,
:10:39. > :10:46.it is now April 2014. The question has not been answered. Why shouldn't
:10:47. > :10:51.it be answered now? This is desperate stuff from the Leader of
:10:52. > :10:57.the Opposition. The key point about Alex Salmond's visit to the Ryder
:10:58. > :11:03.Cup, I would say, was that he was promoting Scotland as a host of this
:11:04. > :11:08.year's Ryder Cup. The second point is, the reason I am able to read out
:11:09. > :11:13.the figures I have read out is because we are transparent about the
:11:14. > :11:17.costs of overseas trips, and about the benefits, the jobs created from
:11:18. > :11:22.overseas trips as well, and also the fact, as I have been able to
:11:23. > :11:28.demonstrate Bobby figures, that we get better value for money than
:11:29. > :11:33.predecessor governments. But I think what Johann Lamont has chosen to do
:11:34. > :11:38.today, not for the first time I die and sure not for the last time, is
:11:39. > :11:46.to indulge in smear and insinuation instead of discussing real issues of
:11:47. > :11:49.the day. It is probably one of the reason is that Labour is in the
:11:50. > :11:56.sorry state that it is in in Scotland today. As was commented on
:11:57. > :12:02.in Holyrood magazine just this week, every second word of Johann
:12:03. > :12:07.Lamont's party speech started with the letter S and ended with the P.
:12:08. > :12:17.She's beaks more about the SNP that she does about Labour's plans for
:12:18. > :12:22.Scotland. I cannot put it any better than Hollywood magazine did. What
:12:23. > :12:28.has happened to Scottish Labour? It seems Hope has been replaced by
:12:29. > :12:31.hate. It condemns its critics and isolates dissenters. Labour has lost
:12:32. > :12:43.its way and Johann Lamont has just demonstrated that today. Johann
:12:44. > :12:50.Lamont. Order! It has been said that you could tell Bobby first Minister
:12:51. > :12:58.is an adjacent to the truth, Nicola Sturgeon's lips are moving. The fact
:12:59. > :13:06.of the matter is... Border, please! In all of that nonsense there, not
:13:07. > :13:10.an answer to a simple full question about spending public money. The
:13:11. > :13:21.public deserve to know. The first Minister spent half ?1 million to go
:13:22. > :13:26.to the Ryder Cup, but he cannot or will not explain what he spent on
:13:27. > :13:30.himself. Was this like his trip to China, where he spent taxpayers
:13:31. > :13:35.money on himself and then only repaid it when there was a freedom
:13:36. > :13:38.of information request? Is that why the first Minister has not answered
:13:39. > :13:45.the Freedom of information request this time because by Craig is that
:13:46. > :13:52.why 1.5 years later ministers still won't answer Parliamentary questions
:13:53. > :13:56.on how much cash he has spent? Has he paid any money back? The first
:13:57. > :14:05.Minister posed the question in January... Order please. The first
:14:06. > :14:09.Minister posed the question in January, why should these questions
:14:10. > :14:14.not be answered as soon as possible? Ie as it is the Deputy
:14:15. > :14:21.first Minister, why shouldn't it be answered now? Johann Lamont's
:14:22. > :14:27.accusations and allegations are simply untrue, but can I say to her,
:14:28. > :14:32.if her proposition is that the money spent on a first Minister going
:14:33. > :14:39.overseas to promote the country is body spent on himself, then I issue
:14:40. > :14:45.she thinks the more than ?1 million spent on Parted Week in 2006 was
:14:46. > :14:57.money spent on Jack McConnell! That her problems the! It is
:14:58. > :15:02.breathtaking. -- the hypocrisy. She can smear the first Minister and be
:15:03. > :15:05.as much as she likes but the real question she will have to answer,
:15:06. > :15:10.and she will have to answer it to her own backbench chills, is why,
:15:11. > :15:15.seven years into this SNP Government, we are still ahead in
:15:16. > :15:21.the polls. She is languishing in the polls. She might not like... She
:15:22. > :15:26.might not like the quotes I have read out from Holyrood magazine, and
:15:27. > :15:31.I can understand why. Here is another, Scottish Labour seems
:15:32. > :15:36.moribund. But she will perhaps pay more attention to the quotes of Len
:15:37. > :15:41.McCluskey, the leader of the Unite union when he says Labour has to do
:15:42. > :15:46.more to show they are on the side of ordinary people, and suggested
:15:47. > :15:49.reason the SNP is in government and Labour is in opposition is that the
:15:50. > :15:57.SNP is more radical at the Labour Party. On today's performance,
:15:58. > :16:03.Johann Lamont is staying in opposition. But I tell you something
:16:04. > :16:19.else, on today's performance, she isn't even fit to be in opposition,
:16:20. > :16:26.let alone government! Order! I would like to also add the thoughts and
:16:27. > :16:32.fears to the family of Keane Wallis-Bennett. To ask the Deputy
:16:33. > :16:35.First Minister when she will next meet the Secretary of State for
:16:36. > :16:43.Scotland. No plans in the near future. Scotland's economy is
:16:44. > :16:47.starting to turn a corner with some of the highest growth rates in the
:16:48. > :16:54.Western world. There have been more warnings about the impact to break
:16:55. > :16:59.up this and would have. Not from politicians but from job creators.
:17:00. > :17:03.The Chief Executive of Weir Group the says that the costs of
:17:04. > :17:08.independence are guaranteed that the benefits are uncertain. It could
:17:09. > :17:14.make Scotland less competitive and not more. Having seen the SNP's
:17:15. > :17:21.plans years voting no. This is affecting Scottish jobs. I see that
:17:22. > :17:26.the Deputy First Minister has upgraded her folder so I am hoping
:17:27. > :17:33.for a simple answer to a simple question. How many Scottish jobs are
:17:34. > :17:38.held by businesses who have broken cover with concerns over
:17:39. > :17:43.independence in the last few weeks? I would start on a note of
:17:44. > :17:47.agreement. I will not last for very long. The Scottish economy is now
:17:48. > :17:53.showing signs of recovery and that is something we should all welcome.
:17:54. > :18:06.Those are in spite of Westminster policy. To the point of comments
:18:07. > :18:14.from the Weir Group... Bear an important company and I welcome
:18:15. > :18:18.their contribution to the debate. I hope I can reassure them on some of
:18:19. > :18:24.the points that have been made this morning. I think it is worth
:18:25. > :18:29.pointing out, not as a criticism, that they were against devolution
:18:30. > :18:36.before the 1979 referendum and also in the 1997 referendum. They warned
:18:37. > :18:44.of consequences that did not materialise. It is also worth
:18:45. > :18:49.pointing out that the company operates in 70 countries around the
:18:50. > :18:58.world. An independent Scotland would form the 71st. Scotland could
:18:59. > :19:01.succeed as an independent country, independence would also bring
:19:02. > :19:07.control to policy-making closer to the people. It would allow an
:19:08. > :19:20.expanded range of economic considerations to be tailored to the
:19:21. > :19:27.values of people. Many of the not so positive comments of Weir Group the
:19:28. > :19:31.are based on an assumption that there would be a separate currency.
:19:32. > :19:35.That is not the position of the Scottish Government. As we know now,
:19:36. > :19:40.it is not the position of the UK Government either. I would end with
:19:41. > :19:54.this comment, of course there would be a currency union. The words of
:19:55. > :19:59.the UK minister. In the words of a colleague, he has no idea how long
:20:00. > :20:08.that would work last four. -- last for. It is clear this has nothing to
:20:09. > :20:14.do with the currency union. Under any currency union, it is likely
:20:15. > :20:21.that an independent Scotland would face increased borrowing costs and
:20:22. > :20:25.significant spending cuts. It would have an impact on businesses and
:20:26. > :20:30.households. But none of that answers the question I asked. The number of
:20:31. > :20:37.jobs. Here is the answer. More than 50,000. 50,000 people employed in
:20:38. > :20:40.Scotland by firms that in the last few weeks have warned of the risks
:20:41. > :20:51.of separating us from our biggest market. That does not include
:20:52. > :20:56.umbrella organisations like Scottish financial enterprise or Scottish
:20:57. > :21:05.engineering, who between them represent more than half a million
:21:06. > :21:10.workers in Scotland. We know the SNP does not listen to these voices. The
:21:11. > :21:20.First Minister dismisses them. Backbenchers shout them down. Can I
:21:21. > :21:33.ask the Deputy First Minister, will she stand apart from all of these
:21:34. > :21:37.negative, angry men? Order! Can the Deputy First Minister stand apart
:21:38. > :21:41.from all of these negative, angry men? What is her response to all of
:21:42. > :21:51.the Scottish farms raising legitimate concerns? -- firms. I
:21:52. > :21:57.underlie to do stand-up and argue the case for Scotland to be an
:21:58. > :22:01.independent country. I did not misrepresent the Weir Group. I read
:22:02. > :22:10.out some positive comments that they had made. I also said that I am
:22:11. > :22:16.looking forward to engaging with Weir Group. I hope I will be able to
:22:17. > :22:23.reassure them on some of the points that they have raised. Ruth Davidson
:22:24. > :22:30.mentioned borrowing costs. She did not mention a recent report which
:22:31. > :22:32.said that even excluding North Sea revenues and independent Scotland
:22:33. > :22:43.would qualify for the highest economic assessments. Let's not be
:22:44. > :22:46.too selective. In terms of the jobs, I am not criticising any company
:22:47. > :22:52.that is speaking out. They have the right to do that. IMC that many of
:22:53. > :22:56.the companies expressing concerns about independence expressed
:22:57. > :23:04.precisely the same concerns about devolution. Those concerns did not
:23:05. > :23:11.materialise. All of the companies are still there and prospering. --
:23:12. > :23:16.here. Scotland as a business friendly country and it will
:23:17. > :23:22.continue to be so. I believe we will be able to make Scotland and even
:23:23. > :23:29.more business friendly country. My last point would be related to
:23:30. > :23:32.angry, negative men. I do not know whether the better together source I
:23:33. > :23:42.am about to quote as a man or a woman. -- is. The source, commenting
:23:43. > :23:48.on a Guardian report, saying there would be a currency union, said that
:23:49. > :23:56.the art completely off their rocker. Tory. Debt is bound to be a Tory. I
:23:57. > :24:08.think that is very unfair to their party. All members must conduct
:24:09. > :24:14.themselves in a courteous manner. I apologise to the constituency
:24:15. > :24:25.members who I have been unable to call one. -- on. To ask the Deputy
:24:26. > :24:29.First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the
:24:30. > :24:38.Cabinet. Matters of importance to the peoples of Scotland. From
:24:39. > :24:40.Sunday, more than several thousand Scottish workers will be pay more
:24:41. > :24:48.tax because the government's decision to raise tax. Next year
:24:49. > :24:55.this will raise again. I have been puzzled by the opposition to this
:24:56. > :25:04.policy, pointers she opposed tax cuts to people on water middle
:25:05. > :25:11.incomes? -- lower to middle. At the point Scotland becomes independent
:25:12. > :25:15.we would act accordingly. What I am concerned about is the overall
:25:16. > :25:23.impact of the Westminster government policies on the most vulnerable in
:25:24. > :25:26.our society. The Treasury's won't publication, looking at the impact
:25:27. > :25:35.on Scottish household, it shows that the average more as 700 and ?50,000.
:25:36. > :25:46.It is the second hardest-hit group in this Scottish population. The
:25:47. > :25:52.overall impact of the policies of the government that Willie Rennie
:25:53. > :25:58.supports is making the poorer in society worse off. I do not agree
:25:59. > :26:02.with that. I am also concerned about the fact that the minimum wage has
:26:03. > :26:12.not kept pace with the rate of inflation. Habit, -- Had it, the
:26:13. > :26:17.purist in our society would be some ?600 a year better off. It is fine
:26:18. > :26:25.to plot individual policies out of thin air but it is better to look at
:26:26. > :26:30.the overall impact. I think she is confused. I have heard her
:26:31. > :26:39.backbenchers say that they do not support it. It was not in the
:26:40. > :26:45.manifesto. On page 119 of the White Paper it is made clear that it would
:26:46. > :26:50.not happen under the SNP. It is even more important because of the UK
:26:51. > :26:57.Government's plan. 130,000 more people are in work. Is she for or
:26:58. > :27:05.against helping lower to middle income workers? I am in favour. I
:27:06. > :27:09.have already revealed to the policy of this government if we had control
:27:10. > :27:15.of the minimum wage to ensure it rises at least in rise with
:27:16. > :27:18.inflation every year. I am in opposition to many of the policies
:27:19. > :27:25.being implemented by the UK Government. Willie Rennie cannot
:27:26. > :27:34.escape the facts. I am pro of the White Paper. I am showing an extract
:27:35. > :27:43.from the Treasury 's own publication. That shows that cuts to
:27:44. > :27:54.the lowest income households are equivalent to 750 ?7. That is the
:27:55. > :27:56.reality. That is what is being implemented. One of the reasons I
:27:57. > :28:01.want Scotland to be independent is so that we have the freedom to
:28:02. > :28:11.pursue policies that will make this country wealthier but theatre for
:28:12. > :28:14.everyone. -- fairer. To ask the Deputy First Minister what the
:28:15. > :28:26.Scottish Government's position is on the Trident nuclear weapons system
:28:27. > :28:31.being based in Scotland. The position is that an independent
:28:32. > :28:36.Scotland would neither host or use nuclear weapons. That is not up for
:28:37. > :28:38.negotiation. It should be removed from Scotland within the first term
:28:39. > :28:46.of an independent Scottish parliament. The Scottish Government
:28:47. > :28:57.would prioritise arrangements for the speediest removal. Thank you for
:28:58. > :29:03.the answer. Some of the opposition front bench think that Trident is a
:29:04. > :29:13.wee thing. But the majority of people in Scotland want rid of these
:29:14. > :29:25.weapons of mass destruction. We want to put teachers and nurses before
:29:26. > :29:27.Trident. Bairns before bombs. The constitution of an independent
:29:28. > :29:32.Scotland will be for the people of Scotland to determine. My view is
:29:33. > :29:36.that I would want to see a written constitution of an independent
:29:37. > :29:43.Scotland banning nuclear weapons from being possessed by future
:29:44. > :29:47.governments. The case against Trident, the existing Trident and
:29:48. > :29:55.the replacement of Trident, as overwhelming. When I dress a rally
:29:56. > :30:09.in Glasgow I will be happy to outline why I want to see an end to
:30:10. > :30:13.nuclear weapons in Scotland. The cabinet secretary yesterday said
:30:14. > :30:19.there would be no restrictions on the freedom of an independent
:30:20. > :30:28.Scotland to tax. Is it not the case that it is trapped in a triple
:30:29. > :30:34.fantasy. Place we would get a shared currency without any concessions.
:30:35. > :30:55.She says there will be no concessions on Trident. Hurry up. I
:30:56. > :31:03.am sorry. Is it not the case that we should keep... The agreement on
:31:04. > :31:11.currency will be based on the economic advantages for Scotland and
:31:12. > :31:14.the rest of the UK. What members of this government have done and will
:31:15. > :31:17.continue to do is set out the advantages of being able to set our
:31:18. > :31:21.own priorities. That is what every other independent country has been
:31:22. > :31:28.able to do and that will be the benefit to Scotland. I believe, deep
:31:29. > :31:39.down inside, Malcolm Chisholm supports it too. Question number
:31:40. > :31:42.five. To ask the Deputy First Minister what the Scottish
:31:43. > :31:44.Government's position is on the Audit Commission report, an overview
:31:45. > :31:52.of local government in Scotland 2014. The Scottish Government
:31:53. > :31:56.welcomes the report. It provides a high-level overview of policy across
:31:57. > :32:03.Scotland and identifies a number of challenges. It has to do with the
:32:04. > :32:13.effects of Westminster's welfare reforms. As the Deputy First
:32:14. > :32:16.Minister not concerned about the findings of the report that reduced
:32:17. > :32:23.council budgets are at a time of demand? Reducing staff numbers and
:32:24. > :32:31.increase charges sure this is not sustainable. Given that the Deputy
:32:32. > :32:36.First Minister and her own SNP council leader does not want the
:32:37. > :32:39.council to lose out from its spending allocations, Wilbur Deputy
:32:40. > :32:45.First Minister tell us how she will use the next two years with her
:32:46. > :32:52.majority in this Parliament to sort out the underfunding of local
:32:53. > :32:56.government services? I'm sure it has not escaped notice that we have been
:32:57. > :33:03.living through a period where our budget has been reduced by
:33:04. > :33:11.Westminster. We have taken steps, in relative terms, to protect the
:33:12. > :33:21.position of local government. I will quote the president COSLA. Of -- of
:33:22. > :33:31.COSLA. Between 2013 and 2016 the revenue support services available
:33:32. > :33:41.increased by 0.2%. Local government funding will increase by 0.7%. We
:33:42. > :33:45.have a very good relationship. It can be difficult at times but it
:33:46. > :33:55.stains from our joint commitment to do whatever we can to protect the
:33:56. > :33:58.position of local government. To ask the Deputy First Minister whether
:33:59. > :34:06.Police Scotland has been subject to sufficient public accountability in
:34:07. > :34:13.its first year of operation. The Scottish police authority is
:34:14. > :34:18.responsible for holding the chief cause to... There as I direct
:34:19. > :34:22.relationship between the authorities. That some 360 councils
:34:23. > :34:31.across Scotland to scrutinise policing and local authorities. For
:34:32. > :34:41.the first time, this Parliament has a direct role in holding services to
:34:42. > :34:44.account. In its first year of operation the new centralised police
:34:45. > :34:49.force has closed local control rooms, removed traffic wardens
:34:50. > :34:52.without proper consultation, closed 60 public counters across the
:34:53. > :34:57.country and reduced community policing. What assurances can be
:34:58. > :35:00.first Minister give us that in its second year of operation Police
:35:01. > :35:04.Scotland will be more accountable to communities into service, will
:35:05. > :35:11.properly engage of local people, rather than dictating from the
:35:12. > :35:14.centre? He slightly misrepresents the position. What Police Scotland
:35:15. > :35:18.are doing is ensuring their resources are focused on protect the
:35:19. > :35:23.public of Scotland. That is why and how we have been able to protect the
:35:24. > :35:29.commitment we made to ensure an additional 1000 police officers
:35:30. > :35:31.across Scotland. There are 214 more local councillors engaged in
:35:32. > :35:36.scrutinising the police service now than was the case riot at the 1st of
:35:37. > :35:41.April. The proof of the pudding in all of this is in the eating. We
:35:42. > :35:47.live in a Scotland now which is safer, crime is down, violent crime
:35:48. > :35:50.is down, fear of crime is down. That is down to the good work of police
:35:51. > :35:55.officers in every single corner of the country and I think it is time
:35:56. > :35:58.this Parliament got behind them and said thank you to them for the job
:35:59. > :36:03.that they do. That includes first Minister 's
:36:04. > :36:07.questions. Questions on everything from policing to the Scottish
:36:08. > :36:11.government's prospectus for an independent Scotland. To recap on
:36:12. > :36:15.the main exchanges, in the absence of the first Minister, who is
:36:16. > :36:21.overseas at Scotland week, Johann Lamont questioned the first
:36:22. > :36:23.Minister's previous spending on an overseas visit and the Deputy first
:36:24. > :36:28.Minister accused her of being hypocritical in doing so because she
:36:29. > :36:37.says the Scottish Government spends less upon Scotland week ban the past
:36:38. > :36:43.Labour led executive. But, of course, Johann Lamont's queries are
:36:44. > :36:48.about a different trip, the first Minister's trip to the Ryder Cup in
:36:49. > :36:51.the United States in 2012. For the Conservatives, Ruth Davidson raised
:36:52. > :36:57.the concerns of the Weir Group which has published research questioning
:36:58. > :36:59.aspects of the impact of Scottish independence. The Deputy first
:37:00. > :37:01.Minister said she will meet the company shortly and hoping to
:37:02. > :37:07.reassure them. That is for another week, in fact it
:37:08. > :37:10.is the last first Minister 's question Time for a few weeks
:37:11. > :37:14.because Holyrood will break for the Easter recess, but there is plenty
:37:15. > :37:24.more politics on this channel is rejoined the daily politics.
:37:25. > :37:33.electricity. Sometimes it is more, sometimes less. Our target for 2020
:37:34. > :37:36.is 30%. On the wind farm side of it, with all of the planning
:37:37. > :37:40.applications approved, we have reached the target. I am personally
:37:41. > :37:44.not a great fan of these wind farm targets. What I want to see is, as
:37:45. > :37:49.you mentioned earlier, energy security. And wind farms cannot
:37:50. > :37:55.please energy security, because of the wind doesn't blow, you have no
:37:56. > :37:56.energy. You need sensible alternatives like nuclear power and