05/06/2014 Politics Scotland


05/06/2014

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Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. 100 days to go to the referendum and a

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row over a magazine interview with Alistair Darling. Comparing Alistair

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's -- Alex Salmond to the North Korean leader. We will see when it

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-- whether any rhetoric emerges in questions to the First Minister. Let

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us cross to the Holyrood Chamber. In households across Scotland, the

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largest proportion was made up of vacant homes. Given the 4300 vacant

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homes in Edinburgh, what steps is the government taking to encourage

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those long-term empty properties back into use?

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In 2012, we brought forward legislation to allow councils to

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increase council tax charges on empty homes, supported the work of

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empty homes partnerships, and a number of councils employ a

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dedicated empty homes officer to bring properties back into use.

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We now move to first questions -- First Minister's Questions.

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What engagement is that he had planned for today?

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I will be travelling to France today to attend events marking the

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anniversary of the D-Day landings. It reminds us of the sad sacrifice

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of those who died, and the necessity never to forget that sacrifice.

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It is a proud opportunity to commemorate an important time in our

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history. Last week, we found out the First

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Minister does not know what it will cost to set up a separate Scottish

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state, or how to pay for his promises to those in greatest need

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of welfare. Can he reveal what he is going to tell us next week he

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doesn't know? What I can say to Johanna Lamont, as

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we publish the framework of an independent Scotland describing our

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future, if she consults chapters six and ten, she will seek extensive

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information presented on how we would go about producing a modern

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democracy in Scotland. And the arguments why Scotland, as a modern

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democracy will build a prosperous and more equal country.

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Most of us looking at the White Paper found there were lots of

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questions we weren't asking, and none of the real question is

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addressed at all. Last week, my colleague asked a

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simple question. What the childcare policy would cost? We were told,

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independence is the answer, and that is exactly right. We asked for a

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figure and we got back a statement of nonsense. Every single policy

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unveiled to persuade Scotland to vote yes is not costed. He has a

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plan to reduce plans for arithmetic, or he has no plans to deliver

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anything. He cannot deliver what we have now. Still, those promises are

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tumbling from his lips. When is the First Minister going to announce a

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money tree to every garden in Scotland!

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Well, can I remind you of what we have delivered for childcare. 600

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hours of free childcare, and living towards over the next two years, a

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substantial advance -- and moving. So desperate by day to make the

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point this wasn't enough, they were prepared to sacrifice primary school

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meals. We now find that people looking at the considerable advances

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made by this government, within our restricted budget and austerity

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programme from Westminster, you can see a track record of substantial

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success giving people every confidence as we look forward to

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controlling our own finances. We will be able to do even more for the

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families of Scotland. This is a government decided it

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wasn't in the public interest for us to know their policy on childcare,

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what it would cost. Let us listen to some real economists. Institute for

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Fiscal Studies said this week, I quote, Scottish Government ministers

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have not always been as careful as official Scottish Government

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publications when referring to figures. Nicola Sturgeon in

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particular, they say, is bad with figures. It says that the deficit in

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an independent Scotland would be ?1000 more for every person in

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Scotland. But that doesn't stop the First

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Minister. He has a referendum to win. More childcare, increased rail

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fare, but is the next offer? What ever people want and it won't cost

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you. Why? When the IFS says an independent Scotland couldn't afford

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what we have now. Why does he try... When the IFS says... Order,

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order. When an independent Scotland couldn't afford what we have now,

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why does the First Minister tried to dupe the people of Scotland by

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offering things he cannot deliver. Can I remind the Labour Party it was

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Johanna Lamont who said we couldn't afford the social gains of

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devolution, and set up a commission to examine it. I haven't heard from

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Arthur Mack went for a considerable time, but I am fully expecting that

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report to emerge to tell us that free tuition will be sacrifice --

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sacrificed. They were part of the something for nothing society. I

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believe that people saying, seeing this track record, will recognise

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that in this government, we have ambition for Scotland. If you match

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and marry our natural resource to the talent of our people, we can

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create a more prosperous society. It is about having confidence in the

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ability of Scotland to govern its own affairs. It is a recognition

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from the Labour Party that they couldn't run Scotland when times

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were good, so who would trust them now? And a dawning realisation that,

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after almost a century of the Labour Party losing elections, the reason

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they lose it is they have no ambition for the people and the

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country of Scotland. Order. Order.

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A serious question about the cost of his own proposals. And we are

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treated to his greatest hits over the last two years. It is about time

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he was serious about the job he is supposed to be doing. If the symbol

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for the United Kingdom is the pound sign, his symbol is crossed fingers.

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Fingers crossed, not in hope that things might work out well. But in

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hope that the people of Scotland will be daft enough to believe a

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word the First Minister says. Because most people know you need to

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know what things cost. We have childcare, not costed, no attempt to

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find out what the figures would be. Pensions, we have an assertion they

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will be better. Now, welfare. Big, cynical problems to those in

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greatest need and not a clue how to pay for them. Now, I agree with the

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First Minister when he says to the people of Scotland that they are

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talented, ambitious and bright. But where I disagree with him... Order.

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I do believe that the people of Scotland are talented, ambitious and

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bright. Where I disagree with him is the key polity his plans rely on.

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His belief that the people of Scotland are gullible and will

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believe anything he says. Let us have agreement that the

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people of Scotland are talented, ambitious and bright. This site

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believes these people are capable of making a success of running our own

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country. -- this side. I do not think she should have

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described our proposals for welfare in the way she has done. For

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example, the recommendation to increase the carers allowance up to

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?72 40, in Scotland, I think that is a substantial investment in our

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future. The costing of that policy is very important. It is ?32.9

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million a year. I believe we should afford that. Incidentally, a

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research fellow at the IFS was a Member of the expert working group

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on welfare which produced that policy. That commitment and

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recommendation is a declaration of faith in the work done by carers in

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Scotland, which people in this Chamber should support and aspire

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to. It will cost ?32 million but it is ?32 million well spent to help

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those people. I would have a care about the

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company Johanna Lamont is keeping. We know Danny Alexander exaggerated

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the setup cost of an independent Scotland of -- by a factor of 12

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times. They have been running from that reality ever since.

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I have been looking at what Danny Alexander has been saying about his

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allies and that plans. He, earlier this year, said, Labour's new

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borrowing bombshell will pile another ?166 billion of extra

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borrowing on to the debt mountain left by the catastrophic

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mismanagement of the UK economy. Presumably she does not believe that

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Danny Alexander is correct in his assessment of Labour's borrowing

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bombshell, so why should he believe he is correct in his assessment of

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the cost of an independent Scotland. We don't believe it, the Scottish

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people do not believe it. To ask the First Minister whether he

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will meet the Prime Minister? No plans in the near future.

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We know the impartial and independent Institute for Fiscal

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Studies has concluded... It is when it suits the part Sascha Burchert

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the First Minister. Has concluded that Scotland would have a black

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hole in its finances in the first year of independence.

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These are similar findings to work which has been done by other

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impartial bodies such as the Centre for Public Health see for the

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regions. It is part of a trend. On the one hand, expert groups with

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sober analysis of the facts, on the other hand, the SNP with Gloucester.

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So, I am asking, in all seriousness, why does the First Minister think

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that these people are wrong, but only he is right?

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I have a range of quotations of independent experts who make the

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point that Scotland is not just a sustainable country but a highly

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prosperous country, more than the UK in terms of the potential we have.

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That Scotland would qualify for the highest economic assessment even

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without North Sea oil and gas. A characteristic common to the

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assessment with Davidson quotes is they are based on the OBR figures.

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If you base something on the same figures, you come up with the same

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conclusion. The track record of the OBR is such

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that we should have confidence at looking at the oil industry in

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Scotland at present, our estimates in terms of revenues in 2017 are

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more reasonable than those of the OBR, since we don't assume a

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collapse in oil prices to less than $100 a barrel, that assumptions on

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climate energy are correct. We follow the industry estimates in

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terms of the increased investment, which will result in a substantial

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increase in production. estimates, that is a reasonable

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estimates to put forward, as opposed to figures which rely on the

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Department of energy and climate change, but disregard the forecast

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when it comes to price, that is why we put forward a reasonable

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perspective, on which -- but the policies we follow will be the

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policies that will grow the economy, and above all, bring about

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a more equal and just society. I am delighted that the First Minister

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brought up oil and the quote of reasonable estimates, because it is

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not just independent experts to take issue with the First Minister, but

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his own advisers. The professor who wrote the fiscal commission report,

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who is a key member of the First Minister's Council of economic

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advisers, described by the First Minister as the most intellectual

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firepower ever to have tackled Scottish economic underperformance,

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so we know the First Minister thinks he is a big deal, and he reveals

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just yesterday that the First Minister's will figure is wrong. The

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professor wrote that it would be reasonable to expect revenues to

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rise to 5 billion before -- between 2016 and 2020, so let's remind

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ourselves, that after months of stalling, the Scottish government

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claimed that figure would be ?7 billion a year. It is a total farce.

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The First Minister has widely overestimated beyond the expectation

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of any rigorous analysis in order to try and plug the gaping holes in

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this white paper. Your old man says you are ?2 billion out. Is he wrong

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as well? The Conservative Party have been predicting the demise of the

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North Sea oil industry since the 1980s. The professor is voting yes

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in the referendum because he believes in a Scottish economy that

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will be better managed from Scotland. It was pointed out in the

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papers last week, based on the price assumption I'd have spelled out, and

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the investment, they are a great deal more robust than the estimates

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of the OBR. I have got some independent experts. The chair of

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petroleum, someone who knows something about it. An annual

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production of ?600 million. At least 40 years of production was

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significant to find resources which might be added. The professor is

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aware of the production estimates that we are making, which indicates

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the caution of the Scottish Government's forecast and how we

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look forward to seeing the result of that in terms of the economy of

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Scotland. Order. First Minister, can you sit down? Can we please hear the

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First Minister? Everybody needs to be heard in this chamber. First

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Minister. In the Aberdeen chambers, 700 firms in the industry. More of

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these companies believe that independence will benefit the

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industry than those who believe it will not benefit the industry. Isn't

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that why the industry and the people believe that having these huge

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quantities of oil and gas in the economy, that it is an advantage for

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Scotland like it is for any other oil producing country, as opposed to

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the Tory Party has -- as opposed to what the Tory Party has produced?

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There have been calls for the suspension of implants which treats

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pelvic prolapse. Will the First Minister instruct the Secretary of

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health to issue new guidance that would have the effect of suspending

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the use of this product until an inquiry is held into the safety of

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it? The matters are under serious consideration. We tend to move in

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conjunction with the other health departments, but for the Health

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Secretary is more than prepared to do is directly meet with the women

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concerned and explained the consideration that is being given to

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what is a serious issue. What recent discussions regarding the use of

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stop and search... We have been discussing a range of issues,

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including stop and search. The most recent meeting was on the 15th of

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May. Stop and search is an important tool in the prevention of crime. It

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makes a conjured Bhushan to the reduction of the shrub or a

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contribution to the reduction of -- it makes the contribution to the

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reduction of violent crimes and of course we welcome the scrutiny and

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the review of stop and search. Police Scotland have established a

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new units to ensure the consistency of the approach of this report and

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tactic to tackle violent crime and anti-social behaviour. The First

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Minister has been saying that the policy cuts crime. The police

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authority says there is no robust evidence that it does so. Reports

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show hundreds of children aged not even under six have been searched

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here in Scotland. Is it not time for the First Minister to change the

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law? Can he tell me how a child of six can give informed consent to a

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police search? You say there is no arguments to support this policy.

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I'd disagree. More importantly, some of her former colleagues in this

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chamber disagree fundamentally. Robert Brown, the Liberal Democrat

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justice spokesperson, in the last Parliament, said that the single

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thing that deters people from criminal behaviour is the likelihood

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of being caught. The stop and search tactics have been very effective.

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That strikes me as a secure -- significant voice of someone who

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understands the importance of stop and search. The carrying and use of

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weapons, the this has been a major success for the police services of

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Scotland. It is right and proper that we review policy and that the

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Scottish police authority does that, but not to believe that one of the

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aspects of the carrying of weapons by young people was their fear that

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other people were carrying weapons is to neglect the overwhelming

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burden of evidence, the one supported by her former colleague in

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the best of the journey of people who argue for this policy. Above

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all, in terms of the impact of stop and search in the carrying of

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weapons, perhaps she should listen to some of the families of victims

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of violent crime. Lisa McLean, sister of Barry McLean, killed in a

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knife attack in May of 2011, the police get a lot of stick for the

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number of searches they are carrying out, but I am very supportive, if

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they can stop just one person from carrying a knife than it has been

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worth it. My brother's death changed my life irreversibly. At some point

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in this argument, perhaps Alice might face up to the fact that the

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victims of crime, the people who celebrate the fact that nice

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carrying in Scotland has been reduced, the fact that young people

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do not have the same fear that other people are carrying weapons, is a

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substantial advance for justice in this country. Margaret Mitchell.

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There are estimates that the whole process takes approximately 250,000

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police hours per year. As the First Minister think this is a

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proportionate use of police time? Well, I see that the Conservative

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Party is ever moving their aspect on this, but I think the police

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services using proportionate methods in terms of putting forward the stop

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and search policy. I think the numbers should consider that the

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statistics rather speak for themselves. Violent crime, down by

:26:02.:26:07.

almost a half since 2007, crimes of handling offensive weapons, down by

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60% since 2007. When we had this debate in the 2011 elections, or was

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a whole variety of suggestions put forward to arrive at the sort of

:26:19.:26:23.

position that he police service have meant it to arrive at. Some people

:26:24.:26:29.

suggested mandatory gel sentences. -- jail sentences. That caused some

:26:30.:26:34.

confusion in the Conservative Party, which may have resulted in the

:26:35.:26:37.

jailing of people who were carrying garden implements. Order. I've are

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for the Labour Party to be famous interview during the election

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campaign. -- I remind the Labour Party of the famous interview during

:26:56.:27:03.

the election campaign of Richard Baker. How will the First Minister

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respond about Expert Working Group on Welfare? The government has

:27:10.:27:14.

considered carefully the recommendations made by the Expert

:27:15.:27:17.

Working Group on Welfare. These recommendations include abortion,

:27:18.:27:25.

ending a cap on benefits, ending the current work capabilities assessment

:27:26.:27:31.

and establishing a convention and Social Security. We have already

:27:32.:27:36.

taken action on abolishing the bedroom tax. This is a conference of

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report and it indicates that with independent Scotland can chew to

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take its own path on Social Security, rejecting the Westminster

:27:46.:27:52.

system and take substantial strides to building a more equal society

:27:53.:27:57.

which values all of our citizens. As we have heard, I wonder if the first

:27:58.:28:12.

investor agrees that the fact that this measure had to be recommended

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is a damning indictment of the treatment of a sector of society

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that we all owe so much to, a successive Westminster government,

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and shouldn't be Tories and Lib Dems be ashamed that rather than

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inheriting a welfare system, an independent UK will have to create

:28:31.:28:43.

one? -- independent Scotland. This strikes me as a standout of one of

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the immediate and welcome recommendations of this report. I

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cannot see how, and we had a recent discussion on inequity in the

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bedroom tax, and a whole series of demands for this government to

:28:59.:29:02.

provide compensation against a Westminster measure, and we cannot

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have the same majority support for a clear inequity towards Scotland's

:29:08.:29:10.

carers. It is spelled out in the report that the value country should

:29:11.:29:16.

we make to society in Scotland, and I'd hope that any government of an

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independent Scotland brings forward the carrier's allowance proposals

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which are required for us to control social security to bring them

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forward, then they will meet with a resounding majority in this chamber,

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but a resounding chamber -- majority among the Scottish people. When will

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the Vale of Leven inquiry be published? It is a member -- matter

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for the chair. It is an independent public inquiry and has been

:29:55.:29:58.

examining all of the issues in a tragic and serious case. The inquiry

:29:59.:30:02.

is taking longer than anyone would have wanted to know which will be

:30:03.:30:06.

frustrating to many, not least the families who are affected. The

:30:07.:30:10.

responses to the warning letters issued by the inquiry are being

:30:11.:30:14.

considered, and amendments to the report will be made. In keeping with

:30:15.:30:20.

an ax from 2005, the Scottish Government will be advised when the

:30:21.:30:25.

process is concluded. The Health Secretary will provide that. He will

:30:26.:30:37.

he aware that the first death from C. Difficile at hospital macro was

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in 2007. -- Vale of Leven in 2007. Here we are with no sign of

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publication, spiraling costs of almost ?10 billion the -- ?10

:30:55.:31:01.

million. Whilst we want to retain public inquiries, perhaps it is time

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to review how they can operate more effectively, not least so that the

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families can get answers. There is a very fair point about the length of

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time, the number of public inquiries set up under the inquiries act,

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which is eight UK act in terms of the legislation, but she will

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understand the principle behind that act makes the inquiry chair

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responsible for the timing and timescale of the inquiry, and she

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will also understand that in inquiries like Vale of Leven or the

:31:37.:31:40.

inquiry into blood products where people have been casualties were

:31:41.:31:43.

suffered fatalities and deaths of family members, there can be many

:31:44.:31:49.

issues which require a huge amount of scrutiny. Jackie Baillie will

:31:50.:31:53.

know and accept that the fact that the and wiry in terms of looking at

:31:54.:32:00.

these serious issues has not invented serious action in the

:32:01.:32:02.

Scottish health service to reduced hospital acquired infection. The

:32:03.:32:11.

recommendations will be hugely important to the family members

:32:12.:32:15.

concerned. I actually agree that we have to find a mechanism beyond the

:32:16.:32:17.

2005 inquiries act. To ask the First Minister whether

:32:18.:32:44.

the Scottish Government plans to order a public inquiry into the

:32:45.:32:49.

handling of the Emperor trams project. -- Edinburgh Trams. I am

:32:50.:32:55.

sure everyone will be delighted to see that the trams are fully

:32:56.:32:58.

operational and carrying passengers. We cannot lose sight of

:32:59.:33:02.

the considerable public concern over conduct of the project, the

:33:03.:33:05.

disruption caused to households and businesses in the city of Enron, and

:33:06.:33:10.

we therefore recommend a judge led public image -- the city of

:33:11.:33:15.

Edinburgh, and I've therefore prevent a judge led public inquiry

:33:16.:33:25.

into the project. It is important that there are lessons to be learned

:33:26.:33:30.

on the conduct of the Edinburgh trams project, and I'd think the

:33:31.:33:35.

course of action being proposed will be of substantial assistance in

:33:36.:33:39.

doing that. Can I'd take this opportunity to welcome the decision

:33:40.:33:45.

and announcement. All of us opposed -- who opposed the project have been

:33:46.:33:51.

shown to be right daily. Now that the trams are rolling, if there is

:33:52.:33:55.

to be anything from the public in the, management or potential cost

:33:56.:33:59.

estimates for projects like this, we need to know for sure that these

:34:00.:34:08.

mistakes will never be repeated. I welcome that remark. The decision we

:34:09.:34:14.

have made is to have a non-statutory inquiry. We have done that for two

:34:15.:34:21.

reasons. One, what we have just been discussing in terms of timescale,

:34:22.:34:25.

and secondly, the Transport Minister has been assured of full

:34:26.:34:28.

documentation and cooperation of all aspects of the long process of the

:34:29.:34:36.

budget. -- the project. That gives us the opportunity to have a judge

:34:37.:34:41.

led inquiry, which will give us a proper examination and a public

:34:42.:34:45.

account of what has happened to the project. One thing I would say in

:34:46.:34:48.

terms of the importance of doing this, because it is particularly

:34:49.:34:52.

important if projects like this are being considered in the future that

:34:53.:34:56.

lessons are learned, but it is simply not the case at other major

:34:57.:35:00.

public projects in Scotland are running overtime and over budget.

:35:01.:35:05.

The fourth replacement crossing, the biggest infrastructure project in

:35:06.:35:10.

Scotland for a generation, is being built on time and under budget, a

:35:11.:35:15.

total of ?145 million of savings have been made from the project

:35:16.:35:21.

since construction started in 2011, and that would be the case for the

:35:22.:35:28.

completion of the bypass. Huge numbers, public investments in

:35:29.:35:31.

Scotland, which have been completed on time and in many cases under

:35:32.:35:35.

budget, so it is important to see how the and Brad trams object went

:35:36.:35:41.

astray. -- the Edinburgh trams project with astray. We are now

:35:42.:35:49.

moving to member's business. And there we have it. We have come to

:35:50.:35:54.

the conclusion, a rather substantial conclusion, that announcement of a

:35:55.:35:57.

judge led inquiry into the Edinburgh trams, and it will be non-statutory

:35:58.:36:03.

to avoid the problem that was being discussed previously in answer to

:36:04.:36:07.

Jackie Baillie, that if there are statutory inquiries under the 2005

:36:08.:36:12.

acts, they can stretch and stretch, perhaps beyond the tolerance of the

:36:13.:36:18.

public. Some sense of announcement at First Minister's questions, and

:36:19.:36:27.

at one point, the officer had to call for silence. Now it is time to

:36:28.:36:29.

hand you over. in Birmingham, but where are the

:36:30.:36:38.

moderate Muslims who actually need to lead in a different direction?

:36:39.:36:45.

There is excellent work going on in a number of places, and I can give

:36:46.:36:49.

you examples, particularly in London, of programmes which bring

:36:50.:36:52.

youngsters together from all communities and take them through

:36:53.:36:55.

these issues in a very, very explicit way. And it produces

:36:56.:37:01.

remarkable results - remarkable results. A lot more money needs to

:37:02.:37:05.

go into that kind of thing. We would just like to welcome viewers from

:37:06.:37:10.

Scotland, who have been watching First Minister's Questions in

:37:11.:37:14.

Holyrood. Here, we are discussing the Government's anti-extremism

:37:15.:37:22.

agenda. Is it not surprising that things were allowed to get as far as

:37:23.:37:26.

they got in these schools in Birmingham? No, I agree, it is

:37:27.:37:31.

worrying. One does have to recognise, this is not just central

:37:32.:37:34.

government, a lot of this is local government. It is not always easy to

:37:35.:37:41.

get in from central government into the operation. Where the scores are

:37:42.:37:42.

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