03/04/2014 Politics Scotland

Hello, and welcome to Hollywood collide coverage of first Minister

's question Time without the first Minister. Alex Salmond is on his way

to the United States for the annual Scotland week celebrations so Nicola

Sturgeon, Deputy first Minister, is taking questions today of the day

that one of Scotland's's biggest companies weighed into the

independence debate, in the week that MSPs and people all over

Scotland are reflecting on the tragedy at Liberton high school here

in Edinburgh. Let's cross live to the chamber now.

Mr McMillan's proposal is interesting, worthy of

consideration. The Cabinet Secretary for well-being is meeting and they

did clear that we would monitor the situation closely, considering that

there is a legal challenge against the bill which was passed through

the Welsh Assembly. Once we have had that ruling we will be in a position

where we can make an informed position about the most appropriate

approach for Scotland. First Minister 's questions, today

questions will be answered by the Deputy first Minister.

Thank you very much. To ask the Deputy first Minister what

engagement she has planned for the day. With your permission, and I am

sure on behalf of the entire chamber, can I express my severe

condolences to the friends and family of Keane Wallace Bennett? Her

death on Tuesday morning at Liberton high school is a tragedy that has

horrified all of us. The health and safety executive enquiry is now

underway and I am limited in the detail I can share. But I did speak

with Edinburgh Council's chief executive this morning, who advises

that the council are cooperating fully with the enquiry. In addition

they have convened an incident response team and are conducting

inspections of all other schools in the area. This has been a difficult

time for family, friends, and staff at the school, and I am sure our

board and support of people across Scotland are with them today. Later

today I will have meetings to take forward the programme for Scotland.

Can I thank the Deputy first Minister for that statement, and

right across the chamber we share the sentiment at the saddest of

times for the family, the school and all concerned. Alex Salmond is off

to the United States a game today. I hope he has remembered his trousers

this time, the taxpayer should not have to pay for another pair will

stop he left the taxpayer's credit card behind because he still has not

accounted for his spending on his trip to the Ryder Cup in 2012. I

asked why a Freedom of information request about his spending on that

trip had not been answered. He said, and I quote, the Freedom of

information request will be absent as soon as possible. -- will be

answered. He added, it will, why should it not be? Well, the request

has not been answered nearly three months on, so can Nicola Sturgeon

now tell me, why should it not be? I am quite flabbergasted that this is

in the mind of Johann Lamont, the big issue of the day, but

nevertheless she is the one who decides the question she asks. All

of the relevant information about the trip that she refers to is, as

far as I am aware, in the public domain. If there are specific pieces

of information that Johann Lamont wants, then she can request them and

I will undertake to respond to that. She started her question by

referring to the first Minister 's macro trip to begin writing states

of America to take part in Tartan week. I think it is worth pointing

out a couple of things to the chamber in that regard. The first

Minister will be undertaking in the space of five days over a dozen

meetings with United States businesses who have an interest in

Scotland and that we are hoping will be to the creation of hundreds of

new jobs across the country. I would hope that she would imagine that.

She also made reference to the government's credit card. It might

be interesting to the chamber just to share some of the costs of

previous Tartan and Scotland week. Going back to 2005, I won't read out

the cost every year, I would just take a couple of examples. In 2006,

when the current first Minister was built in office, I believe it was

one Jack McConnell in 2006, the bill for Tartan Week was over ?1 million.

The bill for Scotland Week in 2013, the most recent year we have

available, was ?326,000, so I think the first Minister is right to be

from noting the country begin writing states this week, and I

think you's right to be doing it and getting much more value for money

that was the case before. We know Alex Salmond is the glorious for not

answering the question he was asked, but now he and his Deputy first

Minister are refusing to answer the question he himself asked. Because,

he has not answered the Freedom of information request and he has not

answered a series of Parliamentary questions either. The first Minister

chose to stay in a $2000 a night provincial hotel in Chicago, far

away from the rest of the Scottish delegation. We know that because his

own spokesperson told an official briefing of journalists that is

where he stayed, and they printed it. Now, the Scottish government has

said they cannot tell us where he stayed and for how much for security

reasons will stop so since the first Minister's spokesperson has already

told us where he stayed, can we now be told how much taxpayers cash Alex

Salmond spent on himself in the habitual hotel? -- in the peninsular

hotel. Johann Lamont would, no doubt, be standing here criticising

the first Minister for not going overseas when appropriate to promote

the economic interests of Scotland, but when he does she stand here and

criticises him as well. I think we can safely conclude that Johann

Lamont will criticise this government regardless of what this

government does, and the reason for that is she has no positive

programme and no positive ideas of her own to put forward. I can

certainly tell Johann Lamont where the first Minister won't be staying

when he is in New York, he won't be staying at the Benjamin hotel, which

is, I understand, frequented by Paul McCartney and used to be be

favourite hotel of Jack McConnell when he attended capital Tartan

week. I gave figures earlier on, let me give the 2005 figure. 895,000.

2007, ?765,000. Can I said that in no year since this government has

been in office have the cost of going to pardon all Scotland Weeks

been anything close to the figures I have just read out, so can we not

agree that it is right for this first Minister, as it was right for

his predecessors, to go overseas to promote the economic interests of

Scotland, and can we agree that they have a duty to ensure value for

money for the taxpayer, and I think of the figures I have read out this

government is better at doing that than the previous Administration.

First of all, there is an issue of public trust and accountability in

public office. Order, please. Border. Nobody is disputing that

there should be busied abroad. You are able to quote figures about

previous trips. The point is, we cannot quote the figures for the

costs of Alex Salmond to go to the Ryder Cup. Border, please. It is an

issue of transparency at Derby first Minister and Deputy first Minister

are refusing to answer because the only thing we know for sure about

the trip to the Ryder Cup in 2012 is that the Scottish government does

not want to explain how much taxpayers cash Alex Salmond spent on

himself. When we do get an answer, the number of people on the trip

changes, the figures change, but no accounting is given will stop the

first Minister went to the $2000 a night headed chiller hotel in

September 2012. -- the provincial hotel. In January 2014 he still

could not say how much money he spent on himself. In January 2014,

the first Minister said the questions about his spending would

be absent as soon as possible. He asked, why shouldn't they be? Well,

it is now April 2014. The question has not been answered. Why shouldn't

it be answered now? This is desperate stuff from the Leader of

the Opposition. The key point about Alex Salmond's visit to the Ryder

Cup, I would say, was that he was promoting Scotland as a host of this

year's Ryder Cup. The second point is, the reason I am able to read out

the figures I have read out is because we are transparent about the

costs of overseas trips, and about the benefits, the jobs created from

overseas trips as well, and also the fact, as I have been able to

demonstrate Bobby figures, that we get better value for money than

predecessor governments. But I think what Johann Lamont has chosen to do

today, not for the first time I die and sure not for the last time, is

to indulge in smear and insinuation instead of discussing real issues of

the day. It is probably one of the reason is that Labour is in the

sorry state that it is in in Scotland today. As was commented on

in Holyrood magazine just this week, every second word of Johann

Lamont's party speech started with the letter S and ended with the P.

She's beaks more about the SNP that she does about Labour's plans for

Scotland. I cannot put it any better than Hollywood magazine did. What

has happened to Scottish Labour? It seems Hope has been replaced by

hate. It condemns its critics and isolates dissenters. Labour has lost

its way and Johann Lamont has just demonstrated that today. Johann

Lamont. Order! It has been said that you could tell Bobby first Minister

is an adjacent to the truth, Nicola Sturgeon's lips are moving. The fact

of the matter is... Border, please! In all of that nonsense there, not

an answer to a simple full question about spending public money. The

public deserve to know. The first Minister spent half ?1 million to go

to the Ryder Cup, but he cannot or will not explain what he spent on

himself. Was this like his trip to China, where he spent taxpayers

money on himself and then only repaid it when there was a freedom

of information request? Is that why the first Minister has not answered

the Freedom of information request this time because by Craig is that

why 1.5 years later ministers still won't answer Parliamentary questions

on how much cash he has spent? Has he paid any money back? The first

Minister posed the question in January... Order please. The first

Minister posed the question in January, why should these questions

not be answered as soon as possible? Ie as it is the Deputy

first Minister, why shouldn't it be answered now? Johann Lamont's

accusations and allegations are simply untrue, but can I say to her,

if her proposition is that the money spent on a first Minister going

overseas to promote the country is body spent on himself, then I issue

she thinks the more than ?1 million spent on Parted Week in 2006 was

money spent on Jack McConnell! That her problems the! It is

breathtaking. -- the hypocrisy. She can smear the first Minister and be

as much as she likes but the real question she will have to answer,

and she will have to answer it to her own backbench chills, is why,

seven years into this SNP Government, we are still ahead in

the polls. She is languishing in the polls. She might not like... She

might not like the quotes I have read out from Holyrood magazine, and

I can understand why. Here is another, Scottish Labour seems

moribund. But she will perhaps pay more attention to the quotes of Len

McCluskey, the leader of the Unite union when he says Labour has to do

more to show they are on the side of ordinary people, and suggested

reason the SNP is in government and Labour is in opposition is that the

SNP is more radical at the Labour Party. On today's performance,

Johann Lamont is staying in opposition. But I tell you something

else, on today's performance, she isn't even fit to be in opposition,

let alone government! Order! I would like to also add the thoughts and

fears to the family of Keane Wallis-Bennett. To ask the Deputy

First Minister when she will next meet the Secretary of State for

Scotland. No plans in the near future. Scotland's economy is

starting to turn a corner with some of the highest growth rates in the

Western world. There have been more warnings about the impact to break

up this and would have. Not from politicians but from job creators.

The Chief Executive of Weir Group the says that the costs of

independence are guaranteed that the benefits are uncertain. It could

make Scotland less competitive and not more. Having seen the SNP's

plans years voting no. This is affecting Scottish jobs. I see that

the Deputy First Minister has upgraded her folder so I am hoping

for a simple answer to a simple question. How many Scottish jobs are

held by businesses who have broken cover with concerns over

independence in the last few weeks? I would start on a note of

agreement. I will not last for very long. The Scottish economy is now

showing signs of recovery and that is something we should all welcome.

Those are in spite of Westminster policy. To the point of comments

from the Weir Group... Bear an important company and I welcome

their contribution to the debate. I hope I can reassure them on some of

the points that have been made this morning. I think it is worth

pointing out, not as a criticism, that they were against devolution

before the 1979 referendum and also in the 1997 referendum. They warned

of consequences that did not materialise. It is also worth

pointing out that the company operates in 70 countries around the

world. An independent Scotland would form the 71st. Scotland could

succeed as an independent country, independence would also bring

control to policy-making closer to the people. It would allow an

expanded range of economic considerations to be tailored to the

values of people. Many of the not so positive comments of Weir Group the

are based on an assumption that there would be a separate currency.

That is not the position of the Scottish Government. As we know now,

it is not the position of the UK Government either. I would end with

this comment, of course there would be a currency union. The words of

the UK minister. In the words of a colleague, he has no idea how long

that would work last four. -- last for. It is clear this has nothing to

do with the currency union. Under any currency union, it is likely

that an independent Scotland would face increased borrowing costs and

significant spending cuts. It would have an impact on businesses and

households. But none of that answers the question I asked. The number of

jobs. Here is the answer. More than 50,000. 50,000 people employed in

Scotland by firms that in the last few weeks have warned of the risks

of separating us from our biggest market. That does not include

umbrella organisations like Scottish financial enterprise or Scottish

engineering, who between them represent more than half a million

workers in Scotland. We know the SNP does not listen to these voices. The

First Minister dismisses them. Backbenchers shout them down. Can I

ask the Deputy First Minister, will she stand apart from all of these

negative, angry men? Order! Can the Deputy First Minister stand apart

from all of these negative, angry men? What is her response to all of

the Scottish farms raising legitimate concerns? -- firms. I

underlie to do stand-up and argue the case for Scotland to be an

independent country. I did not misrepresent the Weir Group. I read

out some positive comments that they had made. I also said that I am

looking forward to engaging with Weir Group. I hope I will be able to

reassure them on some of the points that they have raised. Ruth Davidson

mentioned borrowing costs. She did not mention a recent report which

said that even excluding North Sea revenues and independent Scotland

would qualify for the highest economic assessments. Let's not be

too selective. In terms of the jobs, I am not criticising any company

that is speaking out. They have the right to do that. IMC that many of

the companies expressing concerns about independence expressed

precisely the same concerns about devolution. Those concerns did not

materialise. All of the companies are still there and prospering. --

here. Scotland as a business friendly country and it will

continue to be so. I believe we will be able to make Scotland and even

more business friendly country. My last point would be related to

angry, negative men. I do not know whether the better together source I

am about to quote as a man or a woman. -- is. The source, commenting

on a Guardian report, saying there would be a currency union, said that

the art completely off their rocker. Tory. Debt is bound to be a Tory. I

think that is very unfair to their party. All members must conduct

themselves in a courteous manner. I apologise to the constituency

members who I have been unable to call one. -- on. To ask the Deputy

First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the

Cabinet. Matters of importance to the peoples of Scotland. From

Sunday, more than several thousand Scottish workers will be pay more

tax because the government's decision to raise tax. Next year

this will raise again. I have been puzzled by the opposition to this

policy, pointers she opposed tax cuts to people on water middle

incomes? -- lower to middle. At the point Scotland becomes independent

we would act accordingly. What I am concerned about is the overall

impact of the Westminster government policies on the most vulnerable in

our society. The Treasury's won't publication, looking at the impact

on Scottish household, it shows that the average more as 700 and ?50,000.

It is the second hardest-hit group in this Scottish population. The

overall impact of the policies of the government that Willie Rennie

supports is making the poorer in society worse off. I do not agree

with that. I am also concerned about the fact that the minimum wage has

not kept pace with the rate of inflation. Habit, -- Had it, the

purist in our society would be some ?600 a year better off. It is fine

to plot individual policies out of thin air but it is better to look at

the overall impact. I think she is confused. I have heard her

backbenchers say that they do not support it. It was not in the

manifesto. On page 119 of the White Paper it is made clear that it would

not happen under the SNP. It is even more important because of the UK

Government's plan. 130,000 more people are in work. Is she for or

against helping lower to middle income workers? I am in favour. I

have already revealed to the policy of this government if we had control

of the minimum wage to ensure it rises at least in rise with

inflation every year. I am in opposition to many of the policies

being implemented by the UK Government. Willie Rennie cannot

escape the facts. I am pro of the White Paper. I am showing an extract

from the Treasury 's own publication. That shows that cuts to

the lowest income households are equivalent to 750 ?7. That is the

reality. That is what is being implemented. One of the reasons I

want Scotland to be independent is so that we have the freedom to

pursue policies that will make this country wealthier but theatre for

everyone. -- fairer. To ask the Deputy First Minister what the

Scottish Government's position is on the Trident nuclear weapons system

being based in Scotland. The position is that an independent

Scotland would neither host or use nuclear weapons. That is not up for

negotiation. It should be removed from Scotland within the first term

of an independent Scottish parliament. The Scottish Government

would prioritise arrangements for the speediest removal. Thank you for

the answer. Some of the opposition front bench think that Trident is a

wee thing. But the majority of people in Scotland want rid of these

weapons of mass destruction. We want to put teachers and nurses before

Trident. Bairns before bombs. The constitution of an independent

Scotland will be for the people of Scotland to determine. My view is

that I would want to see a written constitution of an independent

Scotland banning nuclear weapons from being possessed by future

governments. The case against Trident, the existing Trident and

the replacement of Trident, as overwhelming. When I dress a rally

in Glasgow I will be happy to outline why I want to see an end to

nuclear weapons in Scotland. The cabinet secretary yesterday said

there would be no restrictions on the freedom of an independent

Scotland to tax. Is it not the case that it is trapped in a triple

fantasy. Place we would get a shared currency without any concessions.

She says there will be no concessions on Trident. Hurry up. I

am sorry. Is it not the case that we should keep... The agreement on

currency will be based on the economic advantages for Scotland and

the rest of the UK. What members of this government have done and will

continue to do is set out the advantages of being able to set our

own priorities. That is what every other independent country has been

able to do and that will be the benefit to Scotland. I believe, deep

down inside, Malcolm Chisholm supports it too. Question number

five. To ask the Deputy First Minister what the Scottish

Government's position is on the Audit Commission report, an overview

of local government in Scotland 2014. The Scottish Government

welcomes the report. It provides a high-level overview of policy across

Scotland and identifies a number of challenges. It has to do with the

effects of Westminster's welfare reforms. As the Deputy First

Minister not concerned about the findings of the report that reduced

council budgets are at a time of demand? Reducing staff numbers and

increase charges sure this is not sustainable. Given that the Deputy

First Minister and her own SNP council leader does not want the

council to lose out from its spending allocations, Wilbur Deputy

First Minister tell us how she will use the next two years with her

majority in this Parliament to sort out the underfunding of local

government services? I'm sure it has not escaped notice that we have been

living through a period where our budget has been reduced by

Westminster. We have taken steps, in relative terms, to protect the

position of local government. I will quote the president COSLA. Of -- of

COSLA. Between 2013 and 2016 the revenue support services available

increased by 0.2%. Local government funding will increase by 0.7%. We

have a very good relationship. It can be difficult at times but it

stains from our joint commitment to do whatever we can to protect the

position of local government. To ask the Deputy First Minister whether

Police Scotland has been subject to sufficient public accountability in

its first year of operation. The Scottish police authority is

responsible for holding the chief cause to... There as I direct

relationship between the authorities. That some 360 councils

across Scotland to scrutinise policing and local authorities. For

the first time, this Parliament has a direct role in holding services to

account. In its first year of operation the new centralised police

force has closed local control rooms, removed traffic wardens

without proper consultation, closed 60 public counters across the

country and reduced community policing. What assurances can be

first Minister give us that in its second year of operation Police

Scotland will be more accountable to communities into service, will

properly engage of local people, rather than dictating from the

centre? He slightly misrepresents the position. What Police Scotland

are doing is ensuring their resources are focused on protect the

public of Scotland. That is why and how we have been able to protect the

commitment we made to ensure an additional 1000 police officers

across Scotland. There are 214 more local councillors engaged in

scrutinising the police service now than was the case riot at the 1st of

April. The proof of the pudding in all of this is in the eating. We

live in a Scotland now which is safer, crime is down, violent crime

is down, fear of crime is down. That is down to the good work of police

officers in every single corner of the country and I think it is time

this Parliament got behind them and said thank you to them for the job

that they do. That includes first Minister 's

questions. Questions on everything from policing to the Scottish

government's prospectus for an independent Scotland. To recap on

the main exchanges, in the absence of the first Minister, who is

overseas at Scotland week, Johann Lamont questioned the first

Minister's previous spending on an overseas visit and the Deputy first

Minister accused her of being hypocritical in doing so because she

says the Scottish Government spends less upon Scotland week ban the past

Labour led executive. But, of course, Johann Lamont's queries are

about a different trip, the first Minister's trip to the Ryder Cup in

the United States in 2012. For the Conservatives, Ruth Davidson raised

the concerns of the Weir Group which has published research questioning

aspects of the impact of Scottish independence. The Deputy first

Minister said she will meet the company shortly and hoping to

reassure them. That is for another week, in fact it

is the last first Minister 's question Time for a few weeks

because Holyrood will break for the Easter recess, but there is plenty

more politics on this channel is rejoined the daily politics.

electricity. Sometimes it is more, sometimes less. Our target for 2020

is 30%. On the wind farm side of it, with all of the planning

applications approved, we have reached the target. I am personally

not a great fan of these wind farm targets. What I want to see is, as

you mentioned earlier, energy security. And wind farms cannot

please energy security, because of the wind doesn't blow, you have no

energy. You need sensible alternatives like nuclear power and