:00:19. > :00:25.A warm welcome to the Scottish Parliament. The number one political
:00:26. > :00:31.event today was the Chancellor 's Autumn Statement in the Commons.
:00:32. > :00:34.There is major-league politics and away she and the shape of questions
:00:35. > :00:38.to the First Minister. It is the main substance of today's programme.
:00:39. > :00:43.Let's go over to the chamber to find out what is happening.
:00:44. > :00:48.The First Minister has just two debs and we can cross straight over to
:00:49. > :00:59.the chamber. As members will no we have had gusts
:01:00. > :01:02.of over 100 mph in Scotland. The transport minister is in the
:01:03. > :01:05.transport Scotland control room and will be there until the emergency
:01:06. > :01:10.passes. I can confirm to the chamber there has been one reported
:01:11. > :01:18.fatality, weather-related in Scotland and they have in injuries.
:01:19. > :01:23.None of them yet reported a serious. There's then disruption to road rail
:01:24. > :01:26.and ferry infrastructure. Utility companies have reported many
:01:27. > :01:29.customers are off-line but re-connections have been made and
:01:30. > :01:34.they will be considering throughout the day. In light of the tragedy in
:01:35. > :01:41.The Clutha we have had good reason to play -- paid tribute to our
:01:42. > :01:45.emergency services. That work is on again today as we respond to the
:01:46. > :01:50.ongoing emergency of the weather conditions. Can I thank the First
:01:51. > :01:56.Minister for that update. Our thoughts are with those families who
:01:57. > :02:00.have now in affected by this bad weather. Also with all those brave
:02:01. > :02:04.people in the emergency services and other agencies who are working to
:02:05. > :02:09.get Scotland safe again so people can move about. The First Minister
:02:10. > :02:13.put at the heart of his White Paper for independence, childcare. Can he
:02:14. > :02:17.tell me what the final stage of his plans would cost, how many jobs
:02:18. > :02:20.would be created and what the average salary of those jobs would
:02:21. > :02:27.be if a separate Scotland was going to re-coop the cost of the policy.
:02:28. > :02:34.Forgive me, I thought the policy was a serious one. What the average
:02:35. > :02:39.salary of those jobs would be... Perhaps we can get the answer to the
:02:40. > :02:43.question. How many jobs will be created, what those average salaries
:02:44. > :02:47.would be if a separate Scotland is going to be cut the cost of the
:02:48. > :02:52.policy as the White Paper says it would in income tax. The policy in
:02:53. > :02:58.terms of the first term of office of an independent Scottish parliament
:02:59. > :03:01.with cost ?700 million a year. In terms of additional jobs in
:03:02. > :03:07.childcare, it'd require a doubling of the childcare workforce and that
:03:08. > :03:11.is an increase of 30,000 jobs. One of the great economic benefits is
:03:12. > :03:14.releasing the availability of more women to move back into the
:03:15. > :03:21.workforce, that estimate is just sort of 100,000, assuming we could
:03:22. > :03:26.raise the dissipation raise to the same level as Sweden. The Swedish
:03:27. > :03:35.example is taken from a number of reasons. There is a lot of
:03:36. > :03:42.credibility in it end that it is identical. There is no reason why
:03:43. > :03:46.there should be a 6% differential in women participation in the workforce
:03:47. > :03:52.except for the fact Sweden has such extraordinary supportive childcare
:03:53. > :03:55.arrangements that provide the opportunity for more equality in the
:03:56. > :03:59.workforce while allowing women not just to care properly for the
:04:00. > :04:06.children but to fully participate in the workforce and society. Whatever
:04:07. > :04:13.that was, it was not an answer to the question I asked. Perhaps the
:04:14. > :04:17.First Minister would like to reflect on the fact modern women are not too
:04:18. > :04:22.impressed by men who promise the earth without any evidence that they
:04:23. > :04:28.are serious about it. That evidence, he is not serious about it. Let me
:04:29. > :04:30.try and help him. The Scottish Parliament information Centre
:04:31. > :04:37.estimates the cost of the policy to be at least ?1.2 billion a year.
:04:38. > :04:42.That is without the cost of Lee buildings and facilities to meet
:04:43. > :04:46.increased demand. The First Minister has promised the White Paper would
:04:47. > :04:51.answer all the questions about independence, he must have worked
:04:52. > :04:54.out how many jobs, as what average salary would need to be created for
:04:55. > :05:01.the policy to pay for itself. Unfortunately, in 670 pages there
:05:02. > :05:08.was enough room to explain what time zone we would be in but not these
:05:09. > :05:12.details. Could the First Minister now give Scottish families, men and
:05:13. > :05:25.women, the details they deserve to now. I pointed out 30,000 extra jobs
:05:26. > :05:29.would be needed and that it would release 100,000 people, mainly
:05:30. > :05:37.women, back into the workforce and available to work. At the end of the
:05:38. > :05:41.first parliament around 50% of two-year-old and all three and 4
:05:42. > :05:46.euros will be allowed to childcare a year. That'll be one of the great
:05:47. > :05:52.benefits of having the freedom of independence, that would an interest
:05:53. > :05:55.meant of about ?6 million a year in addition to the ?100 million in the
:05:56. > :06:02.first year to make the improvements that are specified. That isn't
:06:03. > :06:07.argued transformational change in childcare provision in Scotland.
:06:08. > :06:12.What we pointed out is that if you look at the benefits in terms of
:06:13. > :06:16.increased taxation revenue from releasing that additional workforce
:06:17. > :06:21.into the community of Scotland, and the range of benefits in terms of
:06:22. > :06:27.employers national Insurance, employees National Insurance, income
:06:28. > :06:32.tax and VAT see, these revenues will flow into the Scottish exchequer in
:06:33. > :06:37.an independent Scotland. Enter the devolution position we have now and
:06:38. > :06:47.the one proposed by JoAnn allotment, they will go into the pocket of
:06:48. > :06:51.George Osborne. When it comes to increasing Scottish expenditure, we
:06:52. > :06:54.don't want to look for the Conservative chancellor in London
:06:55. > :06:58.who looks forward to years of austerity. That is why the
:06:59. > :07:02.differences opening up a showing that transformational policy in
:07:03. > :07:06.childcare can't be afforded, can be pursued in independent Scotland,
:07:07. > :07:18.just as it is pursued in independent Sweden. First of all, the First
:07:19. > :07:22.Minister re-read the answer to the question I did not ask him. He has
:07:23. > :07:27.not explained how he would cost the bit beyond the first term. He
:07:28. > :07:31.ignored that. He says it is transformational that does not give
:07:32. > :07:36.us the figures. You need to know the figures from it'd be more than same
:07:37. > :07:46.poll assertion. I have done some estimates of my own. Let's give the
:07:47. > :07:51.First Minister... Order. Let's give the First Minister the maximum
:07:52. > :07:56.benefit of the doubt. There are currently 90,000 women unemployed.
:07:57. > :08:02.Let's imagine they all get jobs cars of this policy, even the ones
:08:03. > :08:08.without children. To give the First Minister the biggest tax base to
:08:09. > :08:14.draw from let's say all the 35,000 jobs don't go to any of those women
:08:15. > :08:22.that all go to unemployed men. That is 125,000 people off the dole
:08:23. > :08:28.saving at the most ?370 million in job-seeker's allowance. These people
:08:29. > :08:42.need to pay a tented and ?30 million in income tax for the policy to pay
:08:43. > :08:46.for itself as... Order, order. I am only quoting but the White Paper
:08:47. > :08:51.says which are supposed to be the Bible. It is the White Paper that
:08:52. > :08:57.says it will. He will rest on the figures in the White Paper. Doesn't
:08:58. > :09:03.that mean on average every single one of them would have earned more
:09:04. > :09:12.than ?42,000 a year, almost twice the average wage for an independent
:09:13. > :09:18.Scotland today coop the money? The calculation on addition income to
:09:19. > :09:21.government is the calculation on the increase in output that is generated
:09:22. > :09:26.by that increase in the labour force. That increase in output goes
:09:27. > :09:30.across the economy, it benefits lots of people. If you have more people
:09:31. > :09:35.in employment spending more it doesn't just mean more tax, the
:09:36. > :09:43.people who benefits from the economic expansion also contribute
:09:44. > :09:46.more tax. The calculation, this is why it should be recognised by the
:09:47. > :09:49.Labour Party because they have deployed this argument time after
:09:50. > :09:58.time in time -- in terms of the debate. It is the benefits of an
:09:59. > :10:02.economic expansion as opposed to the austerity policies we have been
:10:03. > :10:10.suffering from Westminster over recent years. I am surprised Johann
:10:11. > :10:18.Lamont doesn't embrace this expansion. She came to see me months
:10:19. > :10:23.ago and couldn't explain how she would pay for any increase in child
:10:24. > :10:26.provision in Scotland and not a single positive idea of amendment in
:10:27. > :10:32.the budget to tell us what Labour's plans would be to make any change in
:10:33. > :10:38.the provision of childcare. She seems to suggest it would be
:10:39. > :10:40.difficult to get that expansion of numbers of women back into the
:10:41. > :10:46.workforce of Scotland. Incidentally, thanks to the benefit of the
:10:47. > :10:51.initiative in this matter, female participation of workers in
:10:52. > :10:56.employment has increased by 3% over the last year or two in Scotland. I
:10:57. > :11:02.don't think it is overambitious to suggest that with a transformational
:11:03. > :11:06.offer in childcare that a six descent increase could be achieved.
:11:07. > :11:10.That talent and ability which is locked away at the present moment
:11:11. > :11:14.could be used for the benefit of these families and for the wider
:11:15. > :11:20.Scottish economy. Can I say how delighted I am to get this debate
:11:21. > :11:24.onto the benefits of independence. Let's talk about jobs, let's talk
:11:25. > :11:30.about families and let's talk about the transformation in childcare. Now
:11:31. > :11:37.we have the truth of it. This isn't about men and women struggling with
:11:38. > :11:41.childcare, it is getting onto the benefits of independence. How
:11:42. > :11:45.disgraceful! It is an opportunity to argue for independence rather than
:11:46. > :11:52.addressing the needs of families in Scotland. He says it's benefits lots
:11:53. > :11:59.and lots of people, I hate to tell you that is not good enough. His
:12:00. > :12:03.White Paper is predicated not on output but the money recouped
:12:04. > :12:07.through income tax and he hasn't been able to show us the figures.
:12:08. > :12:14.East he is telling as his White Paper isn't telling us the truth it
:12:15. > :12:18.will be of no surprise to the people behind him. If the First Minister
:12:19. > :12:24.doesn't like my figures and his own figures don't seem to exist, let me
:12:25. > :12:29.give him some he has provided. According to Scottish government
:12:30. > :12:34.figures if 105,000 women joined the workforce, more than the number
:12:35. > :12:38.currently unemployed, the tax revenues would be less than half of
:12:39. > :12:48.the most optimistic estimates of this cost. Last week the First
:12:49. > :12:53.Minister was googling his answers. But even that can't make his figures
:12:54. > :12:56.work. In order not to wait in order that we don't have to wait our
:12:57. > :13:04.freedom of information request to get the fact on which this was work
:13:05. > :13:11.downtown, will the First Minister now publish full costings of his
:13:12. > :13:15.flagship policy or admit it is a shameless attempt to con the people
:13:16. > :13:28.of Scotland and we have all seen through it. Order. We still don't
:13:29. > :13:35.know if Labour are for or against the change in childcare in Scotland.
:13:36. > :13:38.They haven't laid out their policies, they have not said how
:13:39. > :13:44.they will pay for it. We know the cuts commission is looking at
:13:45. > :13:47.cutting food transport, free personal care, reintroducing tuition
:13:48. > :13:53.fees but I don't think these options are going to the palatable to the
:13:54. > :14:01.people of Scotland. I would be delighted to put down the
:14:02. > :14:07.calculation is... Order. That increase in Scottish revenues will
:14:08. > :14:12.accord is now but what happens is these revenues go on the vast vast
:14:13. > :14:17.majority of them, go to the Westminster Exchequer at the present
:14:18. > :14:21.moment. Is it likely, just imagine for a second, Labour decided to cut
:14:22. > :14:26.everything else and go for a transformation in childcare and
:14:27. > :14:30.these additional revenues, do you think George Osborne would say that
:14:31. > :14:36.is fantastic, I will return these additional revenues to Scotland? I
:14:37. > :14:40.will help Scotland? I think their policy in childcare should be
:14:41. > :14:44.supported. That is not the fate that any of the no parties have for
:14:45. > :14:49.Scotland in the event of a no vote. We know what it is. It is a 4000
:14:50. > :14:56.million pounds cut from the existing position in Scottish public finance.
:14:57. > :15:01.We know also that is supported by an all-party, not just the Tories, but
:15:02. > :15:06.the Labour Party as well. Not only do we have the prospect of a
:15:07. > :15:14.transformation in childcare and that it will... Don't we just have a
:15:15. > :15:18.policy in increasing economic output, we all know what the
:15:19. > :15:20.alternative is which is no improvement in childcare and the
:15:21. > :15:32.slashing of the Scottish budget following a no vote. To ask the
:15:33. > :15:44.First Minister will he warned it -- when he will next meet the Secretary
:15:45. > :15:50.of State. I will protect them from the debating skills of the typically
:15:51. > :15:53.First Minister! We ask nurses to work long hours and physically and
:15:54. > :15:58.emotionally demanding jobs and they do it with fresheners and care, but
:15:59. > :16:02.we also need to care for them. It is out of six the Royal College of
:16:03. > :16:08.nurses reported that one in five nurses had suffered bullying in the
:16:09. > :16:12.previous year. At the time the RCN said such treatment was unacceptable
:16:13. > :16:16.and added that we can not expect nurses to put up with this at work.
:16:17. > :16:20.The RCN report out today shows that the number of nurses bullied over
:16:21. > :16:25.the last 12 months has risen from one in five to one in three. Can I
:16:26. > :16:30.ask what steps the Scottish Government are taking to help tackle
:16:31. > :16:33.this problem? Let's make clear that the Scottish Government has a zero
:16:34. > :16:38.tolerance approach to bleeding in the workforce. There were a number
:16:39. > :16:45.of aspects of that server that would cause, secretary has already
:16:46. > :16:50.written, in particular the suggestion that people in some cases
:16:51. > :17:01.were not being properly numerate it for what they were doing, -- not
:17:02. > :17:04.properly remunerated. You will find that the Scottish Government and our
:17:05. > :17:10.partners are hugely responsive to any indications that bullying or
:17:11. > :17:14.indeed other unacceptable practices may be taking place in our public
:17:15. > :17:19.services in Scotland. I welcome the words and sentiment, but the fact
:17:20. > :17:23.remained that nurses themselves say that the problems are getting worse,
:17:24. > :17:31.not better. That one in three of the lead. But is the equivalent of
:17:32. > :17:34.nearly 20,000 nurses who face abuse. We appear to have a system and a
:17:35. > :17:39.culture where bullying against nursing staff is widespread and a
:17:40. > :17:45.systemic practice in our stores and health centres. It's clear we're not
:17:46. > :17:50.rooting out the Belize, -- the Belize, and we are not properly
:17:51. > :17:56.supporting those staff who have an already difficult job made harder by
:17:57. > :18:03.the abusive experience. Our nurses have consistently been failed and we
:18:04. > :18:06.have to act now to make it better. Bullying in any form is
:18:07. > :18:10.unacceptable. I want to do something about it. I know the First Minister
:18:11. > :18:14.will too, so will he meet with me and the other party leaders and
:18:15. > :18:23.nursing repentance tips to draw an action plan? -- nursing
:18:24. > :18:25.representatives. As I said to her, we are sensitive and responsive to
:18:26. > :18:33.any indications that management practices are what they -- not what
:18:34. > :18:39.they should be. Two things I would say to Ruth Davidson. She should
:18:40. > :18:43.look at how the nursing workforce planning tools, in terms of the
:18:44. > :18:47.future direction of the workforce, have been welcomed by the RCN. It's
:18:48. > :18:51.good to be a very important aspect in terms of future planning of the
:18:52. > :18:55.National Health Service staff. We know we will have more staff than we
:18:56. > :19:02.had in 2007, but she should appreciate the welcome by the RCN to
:19:03. > :19:06.that initiative. All the points she makes are important, she should also
:19:07. > :19:10.remember that there are certain guarantees given to our public
:19:11. > :19:15.servants in Scotland which have provided a great deal of the
:19:16. > :19:18.insurance, no compulsory redundancies, I mention that because
:19:19. > :19:22.she might be aware that the National Health Service immigrants have made
:19:23. > :19:29.a total of 8702 compulsory redundancies since 2011. While
:19:30. > :19:32.unacceptable that we must be vigilant and we will do it on a
:19:33. > :19:36.cross-party basis in terms of eradicating any acceptable
:19:37. > :19:40.management practices in the NHS, I hope she will be in arrests enough
:19:41. > :19:47.to concede that it in terms of workforce planning, he/she welcomed
:19:48. > :19:50.by the RCN, and intent of the no compulsory redundancy, there are
:19:51. > :19:54.aspects of the public service workforce in Scotland which are in
:19:55. > :20:01.comparatively better than what is happening elsewhere on these
:20:02. > :20:04.islands. Either the First Minister is aware that the dreadful weather
:20:05. > :20:09.conditions affecting many parts of Scotland, including the Borders
:20:10. > :20:13.today, many schools in the Borders have had to close due to loss of
:20:14. > :20:16.power. Can you show me the government will be doing everything
:20:17. > :20:22.possible to make sure local councils are given the support they need to
:20:23. > :20:30.get reconnected to be power supply as possible? I try to give an update
:20:31. > :20:37.early on. The number of school closures is 195, seven in the
:20:38. > :20:43.Scottish Borders. But it is an evolving situation. The minister of
:20:44. > :20:49.transport is in full operation, we will find public services are
:20:50. > :20:52.working hard to inform the public of the likely consequences of
:20:53. > :20:57.disruption, including school closures, but also to travel, and
:20:58. > :21:04.also to restore supplies as quickly as possible. I shall arrange for
:21:05. > :21:12.information to be launched, so any member can see what is happening for
:21:13. > :21:23.some hissy aware that funding for the NHS Grampian falls short of what
:21:24. > :21:26.should be by 35mm is a year. Does he agree that trying to run health
:21:27. > :21:31.services without proper funding was like running a race against Usain
:21:32. > :21:36.Bolt and having to give him a four yard start? With the help catch up
:21:37. > :21:43.by setting a full timetable for information of the government 's own
:21:44. > :21:50.funding formula? The member will know that we have taken a policy to
:21:51. > :21:54.bring the boards towards parity, in a way that doesn't cut services
:21:55. > :21:59.elsewhere. He should also be aware that this week I visited the new
:22:00. > :22:05.health village in Grampian, the first of the hard initiatives, which
:22:06. > :22:12.will have 600 staff working in a combined service, and from the 10th
:22:13. > :22:16.of December, we will be seeing many patients. I think he should welcome
:22:17. > :22:20.that initiative, the first of its kind in Scotland, one of many that
:22:21. > :22:27.have been rolled out. He should also be aware that I monitor very closely
:22:28. > :22:32.the statistics on waking times -- waiting times in Grampian. I can
:22:33. > :22:35.tell him that spectacular new investment has been one of the
:22:36. > :22:42.reasons, along with the commitment of our NHS staff, for a very good
:22:43. > :22:44.performance in terms of meeting the targets on throughput of patients.
:22:45. > :22:50.An indication that combined with the new facilities coming into place, we
:22:51. > :22:53.can still make substantial improvement to our health service,
:22:54. > :23:00.which I'm sure all members will welcome. To ask the First Minister
:23:01. > :23:02.what recent conversations the Scottish Government has had with UK
:23:03. > :23:10.Government regarding the Barnett formula? I have written to the prime
:23:11. > :23:14.minister seeking clarity on the proposed Christmas to plan for a tip
:23:15. > :23:20.cut in Scotland in the event of a no vote. While he has not provided any
:23:21. > :23:23.answers on the future of the Barnett for Miller, we do know that
:23:24. > :23:32.Westminster calls for spending in Scotland to be cut by about ?4
:23:33. > :23:37.billion, the equivalent of ?1600 for every income taxpayer in Scotland.
:23:38. > :23:42.We also know that in every one of the last 32 years, Scotland has
:23:43. > :23:48.contributed more in tax per head in the UK, and in the five years to
:23:49. > :23:52.2012, the relative surplus was 12.6 billion pounds. It does seem
:23:53. > :23:57.extraordinary, in the face of these figures on income, that Westminster
:23:58. > :24:02.parties are proposing to follow the provisions of the commission which
:24:03. > :24:08.suggests a ?4 billion cut in Scottish expenditure. I think it's
:24:09. > :24:12.very important that the Prime Minister answers that letter and
:24:13. > :24:21.reveals the intentions of this government, if there were a no vote
:24:22. > :24:24.in Scotland next year. As well as that cut, we also know from the
:24:25. > :24:32.autumn statement that Westminster have their sights set on Scotland
:24:33. > :24:36.and there pensioners. Does he give me -- agrees me that under these
:24:37. > :24:39.plans, people in Scotland will enjoy fewer years of retirement and
:24:40. > :24:44.pension in almost any other part of Europe, and to see agree that this
:24:45. > :24:54.is at yet another reason for Scotland to vote yes in next year's
:24:55. > :24:58.referendum? I heard, when Ruth Crawford was making these excellent
:24:59. > :25:03.points, disquiet on the Labour Party backbenchers. There should be
:25:04. > :25:08.disquiet. An all-party committee has put forward a proposal that the
:25:09. > :25:16.proposals should be followed with regard to spending in terms of a no
:25:17. > :25:20.vote. In an article described as... This is the head of the article,
:25:21. > :25:27.Scotland is taking more than its share of funds, they estimated that
:25:28. > :25:34.would cut Scotland's spending by ?4 billion. For any -- I have indicated
:25:35. > :25:39.what that would mean in terms of an income tax rise by everyone in
:25:40. > :25:42.Scotland, but perhaps the chamber would like to reflect that the
:25:43. > :25:48.dramatic cuts we have seen over this period of austerity and that
:25:49. > :25:53.something, just over ?3 billion a year. So what the colleagues in
:25:54. > :25:57.Westminster have in mind for Scotland is a cut following a no
:25:58. > :26:00.vote, even greater than the austerity we have seen from Labour
:26:01. > :26:08.and Tory governments over the last few years will stop they are --.
:26:09. > :26:13.They will be disquiet across Scotland as these facts percolate
:26:14. > :26:18.into the debate. Can the First Minister tell us why the lead
:26:19. > :26:23.abating point in favour of independence, from him and his party
:26:24. > :26:30.colleagues, has become the report of an obscure Westminster committee? Is
:26:31. > :26:33.it because his substantive economic and financial arguments in favour of
:26:34. > :26:39.independence have fallen apart within days, so that his project
:26:40. > :26:51.wish of last week has become Project scared today? I would like to
:26:52. > :26:55.say... The case for independence is to explain how in the transformation
:26:56. > :27:00.of childcare provision in this country, independence means jobs and
:27:01. > :27:04.new prosperity for Scotland. But can I say to Malcolm Chisholm why I take
:27:05. > :27:09.this seriously. I met George Osborne when he was Shadow Chancellor to ask
:27:10. > :27:12.what his intentions were with regard to the honour to formula. He told me
:27:13. > :27:17.it was his intention to scrap the Barnett formula. He told me that.
:27:18. > :27:26.Alistair Carmichael says that formula will be there until this
:27:27. > :27:32.period of austerity is over. George Osborne has just said the economy
:27:33. > :27:38.has stabilised. Now of course, the argument is that we say we want to
:27:39. > :27:45.have access to Scottish revenue because yes, we received 9.3% of
:27:46. > :27:49.spending in the last count but we generated 9.9% of the revenue of
:27:50. > :27:55.this country. What the no campaign and his colleagues in Westminster
:27:56. > :28:05.want to do, I can give them a range of quotations, is to cut Scottish
:28:06. > :28:09.pending -- spending, as the ultimate comes through, of the transformation
:28:10. > :28:12.in society that is possible for having access to Scottish resources,
:28:13. > :28:22.then this argument will follow the yes vote next year. To ask the first
:28:23. > :28:24.Mr which powers of the first Mr which powers over land ownership
:28:25. > :28:29.could be devolved to the Scottish Parliament to strengthen Scottish
:28:30. > :28:35.land reform? The land reform agenda is part of building a more equal
:28:36. > :28:42.society. Earlier this year, I announced a target that 1 million
:28:43. > :28:51.acres of land should be in community ownership by 2020. There is a review
:28:52. > :28:53.group producing a plan, but decisions about ownership and
:28:54. > :29:00.leasing are tied to policies on taxation. I thank him for that
:29:01. > :29:04.answer with regard to taxation, would he agree with me that
:29:05. > :29:07.Westminster's Scottish affairs committee, enquiring into land
:29:08. > :29:16.reform, which met last week in Inverness, must focus on ways to end
:29:17. > :29:23.UK tax system's lenient treatment of landowners who use it for capital
:29:24. > :29:27.gains tax. The registration of such entities in offshore tax havens such
:29:28. > :29:32.as Grand Cayman, and the offsetting of this data management losses
:29:33. > :29:36.against landowners, each one of these reserve powers hinders
:29:37. > :29:44.Scotland's effective approach through this Parliament to land
:29:45. > :29:48.reform. Which is why we have set out in the White Paper that we want a
:29:49. > :29:53.simple, transparent system, designed to minimise the opportunities for
:29:54. > :29:58.tax avoidance. The member will also be aware of other reserve powers
:29:59. > :30:03.that are important, the attempted land grab by the Ministry of
:30:04. > :30:09.Defence, contrary to the wishes of the local community, and I can
:30:10. > :30:14.assure him that such a situation would not be allowed to happen. I
:30:15. > :30:18.hope and believe that people in this chamber will celebrate the fact in
:30:19. > :30:23.that target for 1 million acres of land in committee ownership, not
:30:24. > :30:28.making up a huge contribution to the target in numbers, but hugely
:30:29. > :30:33.important for communities and symbolically, we will shortly have a
:30:34. > :30:39.situation where the lighthouse is in community ownership, and the far
:30:40. > :30:47.north of Scotland will soon be in community ownership. I think most
:30:48. > :31:02.will find it symbolically important for these communities.
:31:03. > :31:11.Joseph Rowntree foundation report, coping with cuts. The time when the
:31:12. > :31:17.Scottish Government budget has been cut by 20 -- 10% as a result of the
:31:18. > :31:20.austerity agendas of the Westminster parties, the Scottish Government has
:31:21. > :31:25.worked closely with our local partners to protect communities. As
:31:26. > :31:30.the report makes clear, Scottish local authorities are fed to them
:31:31. > :31:39.they English counterparts, with the next period, maintaining a
:31:40. > :31:44.like-for-like basis. The Joseph Rowntree report recognised the
:31:45. > :31:46.protection provided by council budgets for Scotland but it is
:31:47. > :31:51.disappointing that the analysis fails to recognise that local
:31:52. > :31:56.funding is determined by the needs -based funding formula agreed,
:31:57. > :32:04.largely driven by population and importantly, by pupil numbers. We
:32:05. > :32:07.can agree that level government is one of the four most casualties of
:32:08. > :32:11.austerity but given that local government has borne the brunt of
:32:12. > :32:16.the time and cost for providing those services, they have risen by
:32:17. > :32:21.10% with big social care and welfare challenges to come. Does the first
:32:22. > :32:25.Mr except that given the loss of ?1 billion from Scottish government
:32:26. > :32:31.spending and anti-poverty programmes, it's vital that next
:32:32. > :32:35.week's financing that is underpinned by principles of fairness and social
:32:36. > :32:38.justice, if the most vulnerable in our communities are not to be
:32:39. > :32:45.subjected not just to austerity but to austerity bus? It would seem a
:32:46. > :32:48.good reason for Scotland never again being subjected to the government
:32:49. > :32:55.that we have at the moment in Westminster. Can I just take issue
:32:56. > :32:59.in terms of how she describes the situation. I have the figures here
:33:00. > :33:06.in terms of local government spending, as part of the overall
:33:07. > :33:11.Scottish loch. That is increased from 34.7% five years ago to 36.4%
:33:12. > :33:18.on a like-for-like basis. It's simply not true. On the contrary, as
:33:19. > :33:20.the report indicates, the Scottish local authorities are not just fared
:33:21. > :33:30.better than the English counterparts but have a... It is incorrect for
:33:31. > :33:35.her to try and assert that local government has borne the burden of
:33:36. > :33:38.cuts. On the contrary, the impact of the percentage on local government
:33:39. > :33:45.spending as part of the total budget we have has risen from five years
:33:46. > :33:50.ago. I don't except the argument that this government isn't acting to
:33:51. > :33:57.mitigate the impact of austerity and poverty. For example, over the
:33:58. > :34:02.period from 2013, for the next few years, to mitigate welfare put
:34:03. > :34:09.reform, there will be spending a ?44 million. Maybe at some stage we will
:34:10. > :34:12.come to an agreement that instead of having to take action to mitigate
:34:13. > :34:17.the worst of Westminster's spending cuts, perhaps we should charge --
:34:18. > :34:25.take charge of the resources of this nation and plan out a new future for
:34:26. > :34:28.this country. That the first minister explained earlier to the
:34:29. > :34:34.opposition benches the reality of the 4 billion cut coming down from
:34:35. > :34:37.Westminster. I wonder if he would take this opportunity to explain to
:34:38. > :34:56.the opposition potential impact of that on this armaments efforts to
:34:57. > :35:04.tackle poverty. The continuation of austerity will cause a great deal of
:35:05. > :35:06.misery across society, in terms of supporting charities in terms of
:35:07. > :35:11.those suffering from benefit cuts, and also Council tax reduction and
:35:12. > :35:15.in partnership with our local authorities, to protect the people
:35:16. > :35:18.on council tax benefits from the impact of austerity and the
:35:19. > :35:22.commitment to mitigate the bedroom tax this year and next. The Scottish
:35:23. > :35:26.Government has done everything within its powers to take the edge
:35:27. > :35:36.of these has polished shoes Westminster. This will make Scotland
:35:37. > :35:40.a more equal society, this is exactly why we have to take charge
:35:41. > :35:50.of the resources and spending of this country, to move policy in much
:35:51. > :35:53.better direction. We have come to the close their, as you would
:35:54. > :35:59.expect, the subject was mainly money. The right in to do on the day
:36:00. > :36:00.that was the chance in to do on the day that was the Chancellor's Autumn
:36:01. > :36:02.statement.