:00:21. > :00:24.Hello and welcome to Politics Scotland. Coming up on the
:00:25. > :00:27.programme: Currency in an independent Scotland. The debate
:00:28. > :00:29.continues as the man who chairs the Scottish Government's Fiscal
:00:30. > :00:42.Commission says the Chancellor's "not serious" in ruling out monetary
:00:43. > :00:44.union. And here at Westminster, consensus and support for the
:00:45. > :00:53.Ukraine, but consensus and support for the
:00:54. > :00:55.our live debate in the chamber this afternoon. The Scottish Government
:00:56. > :00:58.welcome the use of the latest technology in health care, but
:00:59. > :01:02.Labour call for a fundamental review of the NHS. In Edinburgh and London,
:01:03. > :01:06.finance and the economy are once again proving central to the
:01:07. > :01:08.independence debate. In Holyrood this morning, Crawford Beveridge,
:01:09. > :01:10.the chair of the Scottish Government's Fiscal Commission,
:01:11. > :01:13.questioned the Chancellor's assertion there wouldn't be a
:01:14. > :01:16.monetary union after a Yes vote, saying he "wasn't serious".
:01:17. > :01:18.Meanwhile, arguments continue over the economic outlook of an
:01:19. > :01:30.independent Scotland and London's dominance of the UK economy. First,
:01:31. > :01:35.here's Mr Beveridge in committee. In our opinion, economic 's will trump
:01:36. > :01:40.the politics and good heads will prevail in a yes vote. We would not
:01:41. > :01:44.want to talk about an alternative plan, we would say there are lots of
:01:45. > :01:49.options, but at this moment our advice would be to go down the path
:01:50. > :01:55.of recommending to the government that they stick with the monetary
:01:56. > :02:00.union, we will spend some time on the Fiscal Commission working group,
:02:01. > :02:03.trying to help the rest of the UK understand the strong advantage is
:02:04. > :02:09.to that and the strong disadvantages there would be if they went against
:02:10. > :02:13.that. I'm now joined in the studio by the former director of the
:02:14. > :02:15.Scottish Conservatives and now a PR executive, Moray Macdonald, he's our
:02:16. > :02:22.political commentator for the afternoon... Good afternoon. First
:02:23. > :02:26.of all, let us look at what he was saying on the economy committee this
:02:27. > :02:32.morning. Interesting to see that he is going with the line that the
:02:33. > :02:39.Chancellor is bluffing. He is meeting tomorrow with experts. This
:02:40. > :02:49.is the line they will person who. That is the way that the campaign
:02:50. > :02:56.has to go -- per suing. If they are seen to switch tack, it will load
:02:57. > :03:02.very bad and it will look as though they have not thought through their
:03:03. > :03:05.ideas. Their plea is simple, they believe that an independent Scotland
:03:06. > :03:11.would be best to keep the pound and I cannot see that they will change.
:03:12. > :03:17.What happens after the referendum, is different. We are talking about
:03:18. > :03:24.the economic outlook for an independent Scotland. The speech by
:03:25. > :03:28.Alex Salmond in London yesterday was talking about the dominance of
:03:29. > :03:34.London in the UK economy and he called it a dark Star and suggested
:03:35. > :03:42.that Scotland could be the north and lights. What is your view? --
:03:43. > :03:48.norther lights. There is no doubt that London dominates the UK
:03:49. > :03:55.economy. That has always been an issue, not just for Scotland, but
:03:56. > :03:59.the English regions. This is an interesting part of his argument
:04:00. > :04:05.about what he wants to achieve with independence. He wants to try and
:04:06. > :04:09.create an aspirational Scotland, where entrepreneurs and businesses
:04:10. > :04:16.are attracted to something that might allow growth. Thank you. Let's
:04:17. > :04:19.get some political reaction to might allow growth. Thank you. Let's
:04:20. > :04:22.now from the Garden Lobby at Holyrood. I'm joined by the SNP's
:04:23. > :04:27.Christian Allard, Iain Gray for Labour, and from the
:04:28. > :04:31.Christian Allard, Iain Gray for we have Murdo Fraser. Good
:04:32. > :04:36.afternoon. Thank you for joining me. We were hearing from Crawford
:04:37. > :04:45.Beveridge this morning and it looks like it is the first plan all along.
:04:46. > :04:53.Is this a serious line of argument that you are per suing? Is a
:04:54. > :05:03.currency union the best -- that you are going after. Crawford Beveridge
:05:04. > :05:09.with his group have been sitting and looking at alternatives and that was
:05:10. > :05:19.the best option. That is not the language we want to hear. It is
:05:20. > :05:29.better to have one plan. It is the Chancellor who is using plan a and
:05:30. > :05:41.plan B. Perhaps he will have questions to answer. He has not been
:05:42. > :05:44.very cooperative. The governor of the Bank of England needs to speak
:05:45. > :05:53.to the Scottish Government about all the options. You still insist they
:05:54. > :06:00.are bluffing. We all think so. It is common sense, it is not a question
:06:01. > :06:08.of politics, what will prevail after a Yes vote will be common sense.
:06:09. > :06:15.What will prevail after the vote? A currency union might be the best
:06:16. > :06:19.option? After the vote, the Chancellor of the UK will decide
:06:20. > :06:26.solely on the basis of the rest of the United Kingdom. He will do that
:06:27. > :06:31.on the advice of treasury. The Treasury's advice is that we should
:06:32. > :06:36.refuse to take part in a currency union. The current Chancellor has
:06:37. > :06:41.said he would accept that advice and the next Chancellor has said he
:06:42. > :06:46.would accept that advice. The currency union will not happen and
:06:47. > :06:52.simply to stick your fingers in your ears and say we are not listening is
:06:53. > :06:58.an irresponsible response from what is supposed to be a Scottish
:06:59. > :07:09.Government. Murdo Fraser, U2 are joined at the hip on this. -- you
:07:10. > :07:19.two. He said it would be rational -- rational and sensible. What about
:07:20. > :07:24.what happens after a Yes vote? It is not up to just Scotland what happens
:07:25. > :07:29.to the pound. It is up to the rest of the UK. The most interesting part
:07:30. > :07:41.of the evidence was there compelling response from important academics.
:07:42. > :07:52.These are independent academics like David Bell, Angus Armstrong and
:07:53. > :07:57.others, all saying the same thing, that the response
:07:58. > :07:58.others, all saying the same thing, Osborne, Ed Balls and Danny
:07:59. > :08:02.Alexander is understandable Osborne, Ed Balls and Danny
:08:03. > :08:09.attach to the rest of the UK economy Osborne, Ed Balls and Danny
:08:10. > :08:13.Scotland. We need to listen, not to the partisan voices, but to the
:08:14. > :08:18.independent experts who say that George Osborne and company are quite
:08:19. > :08:23.right to say this. The people bluffing IDS MP and the Fiscal
:08:24. > :08:31.Commission. They are putting their heads in the sand and not coming up
:08:32. > :08:38.with a Plan B. Alex Salmond was in London yesterday. He was talking
:08:39. > :08:52.about the dominance of London and the UK economy will stop --. Is a
:08:53. > :09:04.dominant London as successful London and that is good for the rest of the
:09:05. > :09:08.UK? Vince Cable is a dark Star. Vince Cable said that London was
:09:09. > :09:17.taking the light out of the rest of the UK. The First Minister needs to
:09:18. > :09:21.come to London and speak to everyone, not like the Prime
:09:22. > :09:28.Minister. He made it clear that what we would like to be is giving a
:09:29. > :09:35.shining example to the rest of the UK, what the rest of the UK could
:09:36. > :09:40.be. It is not all about London. This is an awkward position for a Labour,
:09:41. > :09:45.because in some ways you want to fight against what the SMP are
:09:46. > :10:03.saying, but norther in England misses out to London -- SNP. Much of
:10:04. > :10:07.our financial services industry in Edinburgh is successful because we
:10:08. > :10:13.are part of the same country as the City of London. To separate those
:10:14. > :10:18.links would damage those industries which employ thousands of people,
:10:19. > :10:27.particularly in the East of Scotland. That is why we are seeing
:10:28. > :10:31.the warning from Standard Life. A lot of their customers are self of
:10:32. > :10:38.the border and want to be part of the same regime in London -- south.
:10:39. > :10:45.They are making contingency plans to leave Scotland and that would be
:10:46. > :10:48.disastrous. Once again, the SNP put their fingers in their ears and say
:10:49. > :10:57.they do not mean what they are saying. It is time they started
:10:58. > :11:02.listening. Murdo Fraser, there was a documentary on BBC Two on Monday,
:11:03. > :11:06.they were talking to Boris Johnson and he said that if there was more
:11:07. > :11:12.jam for London, it would flow out to the rest of the UK. Is London's
:11:13. > :11:19.dominance not good for Scotland and the North of England? The important
:11:20. > :11:25.point is what difference would independence make. Even if you
:11:26. > :11:30.accept the permanent -- premise that London is too dominant and there are
:11:31. > :11:34.different views, how does independence help? If you look at
:11:35. > :11:39.the Irish economy, it is equally affected by the dominance of London
:11:40. > :11:43.despite the fact they are independent. By becoming
:11:44. > :11:45.despite the fact they are independent, we cut ourselves off
:11:46. > :11:51.from some of the economic success that flows from London and some of
:11:52. > :11:57.the benefits of being part of that union which will only exist if we
:11:58. > :12:10.vote Noel in the referendum. What that out the Aberdeen question? What
:12:11. > :12:16.was your reaction to that? It is ridiculous. I do not know if anyone
:12:17. > :12:21.knows about Willie Young, he is not the leader. There is a problem of
:12:22. > :12:31.leadership in that council and I would want to see Aberdeen in the
:12:32. > :12:44.news for another reason. It is a positive destination. Was he an
:12:45. > :12:49.embarrassment to Aberdeen? There has been embarrassment on both sides of
:12:50. > :12:55.this dispute. The First Minister said a letter to them using language
:12:56. > :13:01.which the First Minister should never use. The idea of banning the
:13:02. > :13:05.First Minister from buildings in Aberdeen does not make sense and I
:13:06. > :13:11.believe that is not going ahead in the discussions in the council. We
:13:12. > :13:20.have to leave it there. Thank you all very much. Let's head to our
:13:21. > :13:23.live debate in the chamber at Holyrood now. It's a Scottish
:13:24. > :13:27.Government debate on the use of technology in the health service,
:13:28. > :13:30.saying how that can help people live longer, healthier lives in their own
:13:31. > :13:33.homes. Labour welcome that, but are calling for a full, independent
:13:34. > :13:36.review of the health service to identify pressure points. First of
:13:37. > :13:38.all, let's hear from the Health Secretary Alex Neil... Those digital
:13:39. > :13:44.health leaders agree with me that there is an opportunity to stab up
:13:45. > :13:48.the pace of change and the scale of change and to exploit significant
:13:49. > :13:53.investments made in the core infrastructure. While we are ahead
:13:54. > :13:58.of the game, we need to ensure that we focus our energies and support
:13:59. > :14:05.digital technologies to step up the pace of delivery for our 2020
:14:06. > :14:09.priorities of person centred effective and high quality safe
:14:10. > :14:14.health and social care. Many members will be familiar of the reviews of
:14:15. > :14:17.national health technology programmes south of the border and
:14:18. > :14:24.the astronomical cost with little to show from much of that investment.
:14:25. > :14:30.That unsuccessful approach has failed for many reasons, including a
:14:31. > :14:34.lack of collaboration with service providers and bad public
:14:35. > :14:39.consultation. The Scottish Government recognises the risks. We
:14:40. > :14:43.have taken a consultative approach with patience, made improvements
:14:44. > :14:48.based on clinical leadership and local innovation and we have
:14:49. > :15:04.recognised that the technology is an enabler to achieving a 2020 vision
:15:05. > :15:07.and not an end in its own right. I want to highlight some examples of
:15:08. > :15:10.where technology is delivering for patients in Scotland and where we
:15:11. > :15:13.can do more. In Renfrewshire, people with dementia have been able to stay
:15:14. > :15:17.in their own homes for two years longer than expected. It is an
:15:18. > :15:20.effective use of resources. The project
:15:21. > :15:30.effective use of resources. The has been put back into
:15:31. > :15:32.effective use of resources. The vulnerable people in Scotland
:15:33. > :15:40.received telecare services last year. In east Ayrshire, at Govan in
:15:41. > :15:45.south air share and parts of north Ayrshire has shown that telehealth
:15:46. > :15:52.has reduced emergency admissions by 70%. And GP appointments by 26% for
:15:53. > :15:57.patients with chronic lung diseases. There's more to come. Already over
:15:58. > :16:04.8,000 people have been involved in the initial planning stage of Living
:16:05. > :16:09.It Up, our innovative ?10 million partnership programme with the UK
:16:10. > :16:13.technology strategy board. It uses televisions and smartphones to help
:16:14. > :16:17.people manage their own health and wellbeing at home. I think we would
:16:18. > :16:22.all agree that self management has a big role to play in the future
:16:23. > :16:28.delivery of health and social care. There's clearly a demand for all of
:16:29. > :16:33.these areas of work, but we want to do much more. I want to see it all
:16:34. > :16:37.happen with a greater pace across the health and Sorbol social care
:16:38. > :16:41.sector in Scotland. I'm therefore pleased to confirm to the chamber
:16:42. > :16:46.that an additional ?10 million of funding will be provided to NHS
:16:47. > :16:52.boards to support the expansion of home health monitoring solutions
:16:53. > :16:57.across Scotland as part of an integrated care package. In the will
:16:58. > :17:02.help us deliver real results in telehealth and telecare over the
:17:03. > :17:05.next two years. We must not forget the emerging technologies we are
:17:06. > :17:10.developing with partners to support future healthcare models. I was
:17:11. > :17:15.delighted when thanks to a ?10 million investment from the Scottish
:17:16. > :17:20.Funding Council, the Digital Health Institute was launched last year.
:17:21. > :17:24.This innovative partnership between healthcare providers, industry and
:17:25. > :17:27.academia will create the next generation of technology. I've
:17:28. > :17:32.outlined how patients in Scotland are already seeing benefits from
:17:33. > :17:36.digital technology, but they rightly expect more. In a world where
:17:37. > :17:41.technology allows us to access information at the touch of a button
:17:42. > :17:44.we must also support people electronically to interact with
:17:45. > :17:50.their healthcare services. Today I can also confirm that I am setting
:17:51. > :17:56.the ambitious goal of creating a personalised electronic patient
:17:57. > :18:03.record for every patient in Scotland and every citizen in Scotland by
:18:04. > :18:07.2020 at the latest. This will allow people to digitally access and
:18:08. > :18:11.jointly manage the health and care information that's important to them
:18:12. > :18:16.and their wellbeing. Involving people and co-producing their rods
:18:17. > :18:20.ensures that complex clinical information is explained to the
:18:21. > :18:24.patient. This can bolster the relationship between patients and
:18:25. > :18:28.clinicians and promote patient and pourment. It will build upon a
:18:29. > :18:36.series of building blocks that we already have in place. Award-winning
:18:37. > :18:42.key information summary, Kes, is an excellent example of clinicians and
:18:43. > :18:46.patients working together. It is now supporting more than 76,000
:18:47. > :18:51.vulnerable people to live safe and secure lives. We need to develop an
:18:52. > :18:53.approach to handling information that keeps everyone in whiched,
:18:54. > :18:58.engaged and aware. I've asked for that keeps everyone in whiched,
:18:59. > :19:00.clear and effective risk-based that keeps everyone in whiched,
:19:01. > :19:04.models to be developed to ensure that
:19:05. > :19:07.models to be developed to ensure system. Some of our patients have
:19:08. > :19:09.direct access to online records and advice to support greater
:19:10. > :19:14.direct access to online records and interaction with their clinicians.
:19:15. > :19:20.Take the examples of my diabetes my way, supporting nearly 5,000 people
:19:21. > :19:26.with diabetes and renal patient view supporting over 4,000 people, which
:19:27. > :19:30.were developed by clinicians to support patients to live fully
:19:31. > :19:35.active lives in their own homes. In response to patient demands,
:19:36. > :19:40.technology systems within GP practices are starting to offer
:19:41. > :19:46.online trans transactional services such as online bookings, repeat
:19:47. > :19:49.prescriptions and test results. This service needs to be available to
:19:50. > :19:54.everybody in Scotland as soon as possible. We need individuals to
:19:55. > :20:01.participate in their own health and care, designing solutions that fit
:20:02. > :20:05.their needs. I've had highlighted how digital technology is delivering
:20:06. > :20:09.to patients. There season element which may not be visible to
:20:10. > :20:14.patients, but it is how technology will mean that the NHS in Scotland
:20:15. > :20:18.will be working smarter and more flexibly and cost effectively in the
:20:19. > :20:21.delivery of services. We have to recognise that new ways of working
:20:22. > :20:26.will be required and there needs to be a big shift in embedded cultures
:20:27. > :20:30.and practices. These are tricky challenges to address. But through
:20:31. > :20:35.strong leadership and the commitment of a workforce that's already valued
:20:36. > :20:42.service improvement, we intend to meet these challenges head on. We've
:20:43. > :20:47.already seen how technology advances supports effective service redesign.
:20:48. > :21:03.Take a telestroke service. This has led to a 151% increase the treatment
:21:04. > :21:08.rates for strokes, thrum whole owes is -- thrombosis.
:21:09. > :21:12.We need to support... That was Alex Neil, the Health Secretary speaking
:21:13. > :21:15.in Parliament. Charities have been telling MSPs the
:21:16. > :21:18.growing demand for food banks is linked to the UK Government's
:21:19. > :21:20.welfare reforms. Speaking to the Scottish Parliament's Welfare Reform
:21:21. > :21:23.Committee, the Trussell Trust described the sharp increase in
:21:24. > :21:26.those requiring help as "terrifying". The UK Government says
:21:27. > :21:32.that by offering free provisions, food banks themselves are helping to
:21:33. > :21:40.increase the demand for their use. I think if you consider the facta
:21:41. > :21:47.there was only 5,762 men women and children that utilised the Trussell
:21:48. > :21:54.Trust food bank in Scotland in 2011-2012 and 14,318 in 2012-13 it
:21:55. > :21:58.is terrifying that the number has risen to over 56,000. We are not
:21:59. > :22:01.even at the end of this financial year. We'll know what that actual
:22:02. > :22:08.number looks like by the end of this month. But that's an exponential
:22:09. > :22:11.rise in the demand for emergency food relief. I think there's a
:22:12. > :22:16.number of things that we can take from our statistics that link that
:22:17. > :22:20.to welfare reform. I think one of the things I would like to refer to
:22:21. > :22:25.before that is the Scottish Government report that was released
:22:26. > :22:33.in December. It indicated that providers who participated in the
:22:34. > :22:37.study were in agreementa welfare reform benefit -- recent
:22:38. > :22:41.study were in agreementa welfare driving the recent
:22:42. > :22:45.study were in agreementa welfare me is clear. I have
:22:46. > :22:50.study were in agreementa welfare lunch, an evening meal and cup of
:22:51. > :23:02.tea before go to bed. It is some power if I were to decide if someone
:23:03. > :23:07.eats or are they no gon na, e eat? I was brought up with parents that
:23:08. > :23:15.brought me up to believe that those that can should do for those that
:23:16. > :23:23.can't. Powers that be. It is time we woke up to reality. We don't need
:23:24. > :23:28.meetings to decide, is it benefit cuts, has it got anything to do with
:23:29. > :23:33.food banks. Let's be truthful about the situation. The situation is
:23:34. > :23:41.people are getting penalised for being poor. For no having the
:23:42. > :23:45.ability, through not having a job. Go a food bank.
:23:46. > :23:48.But the Scottish Conservatives have defended the UK Government's welfare
:23:49. > :23:52.reforms, saying they were necessary to tackle the current culture.
:23:53. > :23:56.Scotland's mistake of fostering dependency in many areas has not
:23:57. > :24:00.been good for the people who've been left dependent. As a result, a
:24:01. > :24:10.programme of welfare reform is essential. Moray Macdonald is still
:24:11. > :24:16.with me here in the studio. First of all we are hearing from the Welfare
:24:17. > :24:21.Reform Committee, the welfare reform is proving extremely controversial
:24:22. > :24:25.for the UK Government, the so-called bedroom traffic, the food bank issue
:24:26. > :24:29.and its playing a role in the independence debate as well. Welfare
:24:30. > :24:32.reform is always going to be controversial, no matter which party
:24:33. > :24:37.is in power. One of the interesting things if you look at opinion polls
:24:38. > :24:40.in the UK, but particularly in England, there is broad public
:24:41. > :24:43.support for the changes that Iain Duncan Smith and George Osborne are
:24:44. > :24:48.pushing through. The issue with the food banks is very interesting.
:24:49. > :24:52.There is a real issue here in terms of supply and demand. I think more
:24:53. > :24:56.and more food banks are being supplied by charities, churches and
:24:57. > :25:01.other sources. I think of course numbers are going to rise. If people
:25:02. > :25:05.are being offered free parcels of food, more and more people will want
:25:06. > :25:10.to use them. It is a controversial issue, because it is being used by
:25:11. > :25:18.some perhaps to show that people are living in poverty, but food banks
:25:19. > :25:23.weren't as popular as they were ten years ago. It was hard to find them
:25:24. > :25:28.ten years ago. Their availability increases demand. I think it does
:25:29. > :25:34.increase demand. Yes there are more of them than there were ten years
:25:35. > :25:39.ago. It is a relatively new concept, I think it is good that there are
:25:40. > :25:42.charities who are willing to step in for those needing them. People
:25:43. > :25:46.shouldn't be in that situation but some are. The availability of them
:25:47. > :25:49.is causing issues. If you link this to the referendum debate, where it
:25:50. > :25:56.is interesting is picking up on the comments of the IFS yesterday, where
:25:57. > :26:01.they said yes, the finances under independence could be OK, could be
:26:02. > :26:04.quite good, but it would require John Swinney or whoever is
:26:05. > :26:08.Chancellor after independence to stick to similar fiscal rules that
:26:09. > :26:13.George Osborne has. That will mean we'll have to have similar types of
:26:14. > :26:19.welfare levels that we do have. In some ways that's esoteric isn't it?
:26:20. > :26:27.Stories of people having to walk 12 miles to get to a food bank. It
:26:28. > :26:31.sounds positively voirn. -- Victorian. It does. The Government
:26:32. > :26:36.should ensure that those most in need are able to get it. But the
:26:37. > :26:40.clear point from a referendum angle is being independence won't solve
:26:41. > :26:44.this programme. We'll still have people requiring welfare after
:26:45. > :26:49.independence and people who are very poor. Point the IFS makes is
:26:50. > :26:54.there'll still have to be strict financial controls. Controversy
:26:55. > :26:59.about welfare reforms and about another keynote to Conservative
:27:00. > :27:03.issue, immigration. Stories that the UK Government is withholding a
:27:04. > :27:09.report about immigration which shows that immigration has had no impact
:27:10. > :27:13.on the jobs situation of the UK citizens, which is not something
:27:14. > :27:17.that the Conservatives want to hear is it? No, it is not. The
:27:18. > :27:22.Conservatives made a major pledge as part of their manifesto that they
:27:23. > :27:25.would drastically cut the amount of immigration coming into the UK. That
:27:26. > :27:31.was about trying to protect, as they put it, British jobs. The line,
:27:32. > :27:36."British jobs for British people.". They will be embarrassed by this
:27:37. > :27:41.report. I suspect we'll see it published soon, but the key thing in
:27:42. > :27:45.this report is talking about non-EU immigration. There is an issue I
:27:46. > :27:49.think in terms of if you look at opinion polls, some people,
:27:50. > :27:54.particularly the south of England, do have concerns about immigration.
:27:55. > :28:01.But that's primarily EU immigration, which this report doesn't look at.
:28:02. > :28:06.Nigel Farage was saying the report referred to non-EU immigration. He
:28:07. > :28:11.wants it to look at EU immigration, because he thinks EU immigrants are
:28:12. > :28:16.taking British people's jobs. This is a con stat refrain of his. There
:28:17. > :28:20.is a European election coming up. Clearly he believe this is the
:28:21. > :28:24.fertile ground for him. There is no doubt that in some parts of the
:28:25. > :28:29.country this is fertile ground. There is a feeling, we've seen
:28:30. > :28:33.Romania now has free access to the UK. There is a feeling among some
:28:34. > :28:37.sectors, particularly those likely to vote UKIP, that there is an issue
:28:38. > :28:45.here that needs to be dealt with. Thank you.
:28:46. > :28:48.Let's head back to Holyrood. The Government Government emphasising
:28:49. > :28:54.the use of technology to allow people to live longer and healthier
:28:55. > :29:01.lives in their own homes. We are hearing from Labour now. 2013 showed
:29:02. > :29:07.a patchy response except in the field of implementing video
:29:08. > :29:13.conferencing. I very much welcome the launch in September and October
:29:14. > :29:19.last year of the digitalta Health Institute. Its aim is to establish
:29:20. > :29:26.120 innovative collaborations and release 140 products and services. I
:29:27. > :29:31.wish it well. Empowering patients is essential for self management. This
:29:32. > :29:35.does mean access to things like the key information summary across
:29:36. > :29:40.Scotland. I want to add my congratulations to Dr Libby Morris
:29:41. > :29:46.and her team for their success and winners as the major excellence in
:29:47. > :29:49.healthcare IT awards category in 2013. KISS
:29:50. > :30:00.healthcare IT awards category in records system in Scotland are
:30:01. > :30:05.healthcare IT awards category in indeed a success story. I want to
:30:06. > :30:12.turn to IT. This is an area which promises much, but in Scotland it is
:30:13. > :30:17.fragmented. We have avoided the massive implosion system that was so
:30:18. > :30:25.expensive in England, but we have had problems. The Cabinet secretary
:30:26. > :30:32.did not mention the failure of one project at a course of ?56 million.
:30:33. > :30:37.There is the needle exchange system, developed at the cost of a
:30:38. > :30:43.quarter of ?1 million, which was only used by one area in Scotland. I
:30:44. > :30:48.have an area of personal interest as a previous clinician in our failure
:30:49. > :31:00.to develop a system for drugs and alcohol which I called for in 2003.
:31:01. > :31:05.Now we have a system, but that is ten years later and it is a national
:31:06. > :31:15.system. Glasgow has tried to develop a system and I hope it will be built
:31:16. > :31:20.on. We have undertaken a series of projects in the past six months and
:31:21. > :31:24.this has demonstrated a number of disturbing features. There is only
:31:25. > :31:37.one health board in Scotland which met the standard for IT. Another
:31:38. > :31:41.area has shown not one, but 252 interruptions in IT services over
:31:42. > :31:48.three years. It has shown three health boards, who could not even
:31:49. > :31:53.tell us whether there had been entered up -- interruptions. This is
:31:54. > :31:57.not satisfactory. The recent collapse of the Glasgow IT system
:31:58. > :32:02.with its potential for damaging clinical consequences produced a
:32:03. > :32:07.first report which could not find a cause and that was worrying, but it
:32:08. > :32:11.went on to recommend quite expensive measures and how can that be done,
:32:12. > :32:19.if you do not know what the cause of the original failure was? This is an
:32:20. > :32:24.area crying out for a formal inspection of the resilience of our
:32:25. > :32:29.IT systems across all health boards in Scotland. Devolving most of the
:32:30. > :32:36.IT budgets to 14 different health boards, in my view, following the
:32:37. > :32:40.report by the Nao Chief Executive of Glasgow health board, was an
:32:41. > :32:48.aggregation of the central leadership necessary. It allows the
:32:49. > :32:51.growth of fragmented IT systems. For example, this is from my recent
:32:52. > :32:57.experience, Tayside consultants cannot access lab results for
:32:58. > :33:13.patients in Fife. They see quite a number. The clinical Portal system
:33:14. > :33:17.is only just in place after five years and is not accessible across
:33:18. > :33:21.managed care networks and is only accessible in a cumbersome way in
:33:22. > :33:26.which clinicians have to enter a different systems and they say it is
:33:27. > :33:31.cumbersome. Our only major success which I would not criticise has been
:33:32. > :33:34.cumbersome. Our only major success the radiology system which is
:33:35. > :33:37.world-class. I think younger health professionals
:33:38. > :33:43.world-class. I think younger health I am, by our failure to adopt
:33:44. > :33:49.digital solutions. They use iPads extensively, but they are back to
:33:50. > :33:57.pencil and paper on hospital wards. I saw vast paper records in the
:33:58. > :34:00.wards. There is a lack of a prospective system of ensuring
:34:01. > :34:10.patient confidentiality in IT systems. This is in breach of the EU
:34:11. > :34:13.legal case and is worrying. We had an mother FOIA, which looked at the
:34:14. > :34:25.access to electronic data and this showed that Lothian was reporting
:34:26. > :34:28.700 and 94 breaches in two years, but at least they have a system and
:34:29. > :34:36.they are showing a reduction. The other boards do not have systems or
:34:37. > :34:42.are reporting unbelievable results, Glasgow ten breaches, five reported
:34:43. > :34:49.a rising trend, Dumfries and Galloway has recorded 23 in six
:34:50. > :34:54.months, but I have no confidence in the other boards protecting patient
:34:55. > :34:59.data. The last Secretary made a promise that patients by 2015 would
:35:00. > :35:04.have access to a betrayal of all those who were looking at their
:35:05. > :35:11.clinical data and I wonder if the Secretary would update us on that
:35:12. > :35:19.promise. This is an area the government must get a grip on. Now
:35:20. > :35:22.to Prime Minister's Questions and David Cameron said "no options"
:35:23. > :35:25.should be ruled out in efforts to exert pressure on Russia over its
:35:26. > :35:27.incursion into Ukraine. The Labour leader Ed Miliband said economic
:35:28. > :35:30.sanctions should still be considered. Mr Cameron told MPs
:35:31. > :35:33.there would be no Royal representation at the Sochi
:35:34. > :35:39.Paralympic Games and warned the forthcoming G8 meeting might not go
:35:40. > :35:43.ahead. The whole house and the whole country has been watching events in
:35:44. > :35:50.Ukraine with concern, does the Prime Minister agree that Russia's
:35:51. > :35:55.actions, violating the sovereignty of Ukraine, are completely without
:35:56. > :35:58.justification? Does he further agree that these actions deserve to be
:35:59. > :36:06.condemned across the international community? I agree with him that
:36:07. > :36:11.what Russia has done is completely unacceptable. We should be clear
:36:12. > :36:15.about our national interest and our aim in this, our national interest
:36:16. > :36:22.is that we have a strong interest in the rule of law being upheld, were
:36:23. > :36:28.territorial integrity is protected and we should be clear that our aim
:36:29. > :36:33.is to deter further Russian military action and to de-escalate the
:36:34. > :36:39.situation. The action by the Russian government should be condemned. When
:36:40. > :36:46.he was leader of the opposition in 2008, he said that Russia's elite
:36:47. > :36:50.value their ties to Europe, Russian armies cannot march into other
:36:51. > :36:53.countries while Russian shoppers march into Selfridges, if we do not
:36:54. > :37:00.see the required action from Russia, we could look at asset freezes and
:37:01. > :37:06.travel restrictions, so that Russia is clear about the consequences of
:37:07. > :37:09.its actions? When we look at the diplomatic and political steps we
:37:10. > :37:15.can take, nothing should be off the table. We have taken steps in terms
:37:16. > :37:19.of the Ukrainian corrupt oligarchs and making sure that their assets
:37:20. > :37:24.are properly dealt with including here in the UK, so we should not
:37:25. > :37:29.rule out other things, but as I have tried to explain, there are steps we
:37:30. > :37:33.need to take in respect of the current unacceptable situation and
:37:34. > :37:36.then agree with our European partners and American partners and I
:37:37. > :37:46.will be speaking to President Obama this afternoon and meeting with
:37:47. > :37:48.Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande before the European Council and
:37:49. > :37:52.agree what steps should be taken. Two: Side with the launch on youth
:37:53. > :37:56.unemployment, figures have been published in the library which show
:37:57. > :38:01.us that despite the figures the Prime Minister has quoted that the
:38:02. > :38:06.dole queue for under 25 is reaches from London to Edinburgh, can he
:38:07. > :38:12.tell us, does he think that that reflect success in his policy and
:38:13. > :38:17.will he meet us to discuss long-term solutions about this? Of course
:38:18. > :38:22.there are still too many people unemployed, but the fact is there
:38:23. > :38:28.are 1.6 million new private-sector jobs, 1.3 million more people in
:38:29. > :38:33.work, big cuts in unemployment, big reductions in the claimant count and
:38:34. > :38:38.almost half a million fewer people reliant on out of work benefits.
:38:39. > :38:44.That is what we want to do and we have not forgotten the record of the
:38:45. > :38:49.Labour Party. Female unemployment rose by 24% and youth unemployment
:38:50. > :38:55.went up by 45%. Instead of giving lectures, they should make an
:38:56. > :38:59.apology. It is good use he has resuscitated plans for a recall bill
:39:00. > :39:05.but can he confirmed that he intends to push ahead with a genuine system
:39:06. > :39:16.of recall and not fall back on the widely discredited Bill? It will be
:39:17. > :39:20.difficult to satisfy him. We should proceed, taking the draft clauses,
:39:21. > :39:25.taking them as a starting point for what I think would be an excellent
:39:26. > :39:32.reform, a reform we committed to in our manifesto, -- manifesto. If
:39:33. > :39:36.members of Parliament are seriously in breach of standards and judged to
:39:37. > :39:40.be so, they should not have to wait for a General Election to receive
:39:41. > :39:43.the verdict of their constituents. Let's stay at Westminster now and
:39:44. > :39:47.speak to our correspondent David Porter, he's standing by as usual on
:39:48. > :39:55.College Green for us this afternoon. David... A different feel to
:39:56. > :39:59.Question Time today, because the leader of the Labour Party decided
:40:00. > :40:05.he would use all his questions to talk about the crisis in Ukraine?
:40:06. > :40:15.Prime Minister's Questions. That is what we will be talking about. I am
:40:16. > :40:25.joined by three Scottish MPs. Let me start with you. A different feeling
:40:26. > :40:29.in the Commons, not the political row that everyone realise, Ukraine
:40:30. > :40:35.is hugely important issue, but perhaps one that the UK is not a
:40:36. > :40:40.leading player in? Mines were focused somewhere else today and
:40:41. > :40:47.rightly so. The crucial thing that happens is a de-escalation and it is
:40:48. > :40:53.welcome that Europe is getting involved and sending observers.
:40:54. > :41:00.David Cameron is meeting at the EU tomorrow and we wish him well and we
:41:01. > :41:08.hope the emphasis will be on the escalating the issues and we find a
:41:09. > :41:21.peaceful resolution. There are a lot of meetings going on, there are
:41:22. > :41:28.meetings in Paris, the European Commission heads are meeting
:41:29. > :41:34.tomorrow, but at the end of the day, do we have much way to ask the
:41:35. > :41:40.Kremlin to stop? As the European Union we do. Ukraine is a European
:41:41. > :41:45.country, not many Russians live there. It is not helpful if Ukraine
:41:46. > :41:52.becomes involved in a tug of war between Russia and the EU. Ukraine
:41:53. > :41:56.needs to face both ways. We cannot tolerate Russia using force to
:41:57. > :42:03.impose its will on Ukraine and not allowing Ukraine to play a game
:42:04. > :42:07.where it acknowledges its Russian connections. The Kremlin does not
:42:08. > :42:11.want this and they have to understand if they play hardball,
:42:12. > :42:17.there will be consequences. They have offended every neighbour they
:42:18. > :42:22.have got at some time or another. Ukraine have found that. If Russia
:42:23. > :42:26.thinks they can keep pushing, ultimately Russia will find
:42:27. > :42:33.themselves isolated. We can give and take, but they have to as well. In
:42:34. > :42:38.any negotiations, there has to be give and take, but if Moscow says
:42:39. > :42:44.they will take it, at the end of the day, does the western community have
:42:45. > :42:50.to say, we are not going to give any more, we will impose sanctions? The
:42:51. > :42:54.Prime Minister made it clear that everything is on the table and that
:42:55. > :43:00.would include sanctions, he made that clear. He was pushed on that
:43:01. > :43:07.and he made it clear. Russia has to understand, they have a legitimate
:43:08. > :43:13.right to be in Crimea, but beyond that, that creates a real
:43:14. > :43:17.difficulty. We need people around the table, we need Ukrainian
:43:18. > :43:21.ministers, Russian ministers to get there and hopefully what we will see
:43:22. > :43:25.over the next few days, the discussions that the UK will be
:43:26. > :43:30.involved with, with its partners is to ensure that we get people round
:43:31. > :43:35.the table to discuss where we are going with this and to try and
:43:36. > :43:41.de-escalate the heat in the situation. Vladimir Putin was
:43:42. > :43:45.swaggering yesterday because he is playing politics, but if he takes a
:43:46. > :43:51.long-term interest in Russia, there are economy is not strong, they
:43:52. > :43:58.depend on their ability to trade. Our city is full of Russian money
:43:59. > :44:01.and citizens. It will have an impact on the economy. Vladimir Putin has
:44:02. > :44:07.to decide if he wants to play tough at the expense of his own economy.
:44:08. > :44:08.Russia does not have a good reputation, it is corrupt, a
:44:09. > :44:12.difficult place reputation, it is corrupt, a
:44:13. > :44:21.we have to reduce our dependence on that country if it will not be part
:44:22. > :44:29.of the Family Of Nations. Crimea has a majority of Russians, has Vladimir
:44:30. > :44:37.Putin not got a point, if he wants to protect Russians? I do not think
:44:38. > :44:42.there was a sign of danger. He has been using a lot of excuses. I was
:44:43. > :44:48.in Latvia when a Russian soldier went over the border. This behaviour
:44:49. > :44:53.towards their neighbours is unacceptable. The independence of
:44:54. > :45:01.Ukraine should be respected. This is a matter for the Ukrainians. This is
:45:02. > :45:05.a front and a smoke ring -- smoke screen for swaggering behaviour from
:45:06. > :45:11.Vladimir Putin who seems to be enjoying what is a dangerous
:45:12. > :45:17.situation. We have to keep our focus on de-escalate in this situation. We
:45:18. > :45:23.have seen bravery from Ukrainian soldiers. We have to applaud that.
:45:24. > :45:28.We have to be grateful it has not escalated. We need to encourage
:45:29. > :45:34.others to take the heat out of this and that is the way forward.
:45:35. > :45:40.Vladimir Putin does have form on this, if you think back to south
:45:41. > :45:44.Georgia, he is quick not to mount a full-scale invasion but just to put
:45:45. > :45:50.enough troops in there to think this is serious and then perhaps people
:45:51. > :45:54.negotiate on his terms. Georgia is a divided country, and a very unhappy
:45:55. > :45:59.one. I don't think it would be satisfactory if he does the same for
:46:00. > :46:03.Ukraine. When do we push back? Crimea doesn't have a Russian
:46:04. > :46:10.majority. But that doesn't give him to right to occupy it. Is he saying
:46:11. > :46:18.anywhere there are Russian speakers he has a right to put soldiers in?
:46:19. > :46:22.That's not right. I would argue there are targeted economic
:46:23. > :46:25.sanctions that will hurt Russia and they need to understand this will
:46:26. > :46:30.affect their long-term economic success. If they try to get away
:46:31. > :46:35.with it on that basis they will lose. In a European context here,
:46:36. > :46:39.the key player is going to be Germany and what Chancellor Merkel
:46:40. > :46:43.does. There seems to be a feeling that for economic reasons she
:46:44. > :46:49.doesn't want to go as heavy as she could do. This is all about vested
:46:50. > :46:52.interests. She has real vested interests there, but I think the
:46:53. > :46:57.pressure from the other EU member states and the UK at the forefront
:46:58. > :47:01.of that need to make Chancellor Merkel aware of the fact that this
:47:02. > :47:06.is a David Cameron rows situation. Mr Putin likes to flex his muscles.
:47:07. > :47:10.As Malcolm has said, the situation in Georgia is still there to a
:47:11. > :47:15.certain extent I'm not convinced that the Russianness wants to see
:47:16. > :47:19.the conflict, they want to flex their muscles, to be the big boy in
:47:20. > :47:23.the playground. Reality of it is that we have strength as EU member
:47:24. > :47:28.states to say to Russia, get round the table. This is where you are
:47:29. > :47:34.required to be along with the UK. It is right that the Germans are indeed
:47:35. > :47:39.pivotal. It should be remembered that Mr Putin's first foreign
:47:40. > :47:46.language is German. He spent a lot of time in Leipzig. Gerhard
:47:47. > :47:48.Schroeder is head of Gazprom. He has good connections. Let's hope they
:47:49. > :47:52.can use those connections good connections. Let's hope they
:47:53. > :47:54.de-escalate to that we have good connections. Let's hope they
:47:55. > :47:56.world. A slightly good connections. Let's hope they
:47:57. > :48:00.our discussion today good connections. Let's hope they
:48:01. > :48:07.focusing on a foreign issue, but one that I think most people will regard
:48:08. > :48:12.as not just very important but perhaps critically important. Indeed
:48:13. > :48:15.David. Let's turn our attention to one final point. Labour are raising
:48:16. > :48:21.questions about when David Cameron was told that a senior Downing
:48:22. > :48:26.Street adviser, Patrick Rock, was facing allegations of accessing
:48:27. > :48:30.images of child abuse. Yes this, concerns deputy head of the policy
:48:31. > :48:35.unit at Downing Street who retired from his job last month, I think on
:48:36. > :48:38.13th February. The day afterwards in fact he was arrested by the
:48:39. > :48:43.Metropolitan Police, who were looking at part of an investigation
:48:44. > :48:49.into allegations of images of child abuse. There is have been questions
:48:50. > :48:54.raise raised: Why the arrest took such a long time for Downing Street
:48:55. > :49:00.to reveal details of that. They only did that after a newspaper revealed
:49:01. > :49:05.the story. And secondly, why did it take so long for it to appear in the
:49:06. > :49:09.public domain? Downing Street has perhaps not been more forthcoming.
:49:10. > :49:13.Downing Street says with an issue as sensitive as sh, where an arrest has
:49:14. > :49:19.been made, I must emphasis that no charges have been made at the
:49:20. > :49:23.moment, they can't give a rung commentary. But there are plenty of
:49:24. > :49:31.questions being asked here at Westminster this afternoon. David,
:49:32. > :49:36.A final word with our commentate tore for the afternoon, Moray
:49:37. > :49:38.Macdonald. Let's turn our attention to something we were discussing is
:49:39. > :49:43.at the beginning of the programme, this supposed ban that Aberdeen City
:49:44. > :49:47.Council was going to have on Scottish Government Ministers. It is
:49:48. > :49:50.not going through. Willie Young, the convenor of the Finance Committee
:49:51. > :49:54.was saying it was a slip of the tongue. Aberdeen City Council has
:49:55. > :49:59.been left perhaps with egg on its face this afternoon. It is a bit
:50:00. > :50:03.embarrassing for Aberdeen council as a whole, not just Willie Young and
:50:04. > :50:07.the Labour Party there. It is rather strange for him to have said this
:50:08. > :50:11.was a slip of the tongue. It clearly wasn't. This was a draft motion to
:50:12. > :50:16.go down. The SNP have tried to put down a confidence motion but it was
:50:17. > :50:19.ruled out by the council because it wasn't tabled in time. I find these
:50:20. > :50:24.situations frustrating, because I don't think it wins anyone any
:50:25. > :50:30.votes. A lot of councillors and MSPs enjoy the hustle and bustle of
:50:31. > :50:33.argumentative-style politics and chucking sackisations, but they are
:50:34. > :50:38.not things that matter to you and me, to anyone that's going to be
:50:39. > :50:41.voting. And they don't achieve anything. It is this activity which
:50:42. > :50:49.switches people off politics, because it makes no sense to
:50:50. > :50:52.anybody. Labour's Iain Gray wasn't impress impressed about it. He was
:50:53. > :50:56.talking about silliness on both sides. The Conservatives were
:50:57. > :51:03.initially close to that position but they pulled back. I think the point
:51:04. > :51:06.that Iain Gray made was spot on. He said there's nonsense being talked
:51:07. > :51:12.about on both sides here and it is a ridiculous affair and people should
:51:13. > :51:16.move on. This is from I think the by-election campaign just after
:51:17. > :51:18.summer last year, when Alex Salmond went into a school. And now they are
:51:19. > :51:21.talking about banning went into a school. And now they are
:51:22. > :51:25.Minister and Scottish Government Ministers from schools
:51:26. > :51:25.Minister and Scottish Government government, local authority property
:51:26. > :51:32.throughout Aberdeen. The other thing that's ridiculous is
:51:33. > :51:35.a council picking this type of petty argument with the Government. They
:51:36. > :51:38.have to have good relationships both ways with the Government and with
:51:39. > :51:41.local authority. This kind of activity isn't going to help anyone.
:51:42. > :51:46.I can't imagine Alex Salmond will want to be particularly helpful to
:51:47. > :51:54.Willie Young if he pops up and asks for cash for some emergency project.
:51:55. > :51:59.It was confirmed today that Nigel Farage would debate with Nick Clegg,
:52:00. > :52:04.the Lib Dem leader, on 2ened April. A big European debate. This will be
:52:05. > :52:07.pretty interesting won't it? I think it will be a fascinating debate. One
:52:08. > :52:11.of the things I find interesting about it is that it is a debate
:52:12. > :52:15.between just two parties - UKIP and Lib Dems. From a Scottish
:52:16. > :52:20.perspective the two parties are fifth and sixth in current polling,
:52:21. > :52:26.so you have to wonder in Scottish perspective the relevance of it.
:52:27. > :52:29.They are trying to go on from a pro-Europe and an anti-Europe vote.
:52:30. > :52:34.I think the Lib Dems have probably done a good thing here. This raises
:52:35. > :52:38.people's awareness that they are the pro-European party. Although that
:52:39. > :52:42.might not be a majority of people in the country who support that idea it
:52:43. > :52:45.might demonstrate to people who are pro-European that Lib Dems are the
:52:46. > :52:49.people to go to the they can get the language right on this one. I find
:52:50. > :52:53.it a bit rich of the Lib Dems as well, because Nick Clegg is a man
:52:54. > :52:58.inside the cabinet who is making sure that during his Parliament
:52:59. > :53:03.there isn't a referendum on in or out of Europe but he's happy to have
:53:04. > :53:08.that debate in Parliament. Labour isn't taking part just yet. This
:53:09. > :53:14.signals onward march of UKIP in England at least. Yes. If you look
:53:15. > :53:17.at the opinion polls it looks like it will be difficult for UKIP to
:53:18. > :53:22.gain a seat in Scotland, so you have to question the relevance of this
:53:23. > :53:29.for us. If you want to link it back to Scotland, it will be fascinating
:53:30. > :53:35.to see how the SNP react if as we think will happen UKIP gain a lot of
:53:36. > :53:38.seats in England, they will say for the rest of this country it is
:53:39. > :53:43.different for us. Moray Macdonald, thank you. We'll see you again soon.
:53:44. > :53:47.That's all we have time for this afternoon. We're back at the same
:53:48. > :53:49.time next week, 2.30pm here on BBC Two. Thanks for your company this
:53:50. > :53:54.afternoon. Bye for now.