07/01/2016 Politics Scotland

A good New Year, welcome to coverage of questions from Holyrood and the

Scottish Parliament, questions to the First Minister. A period of one

on me after the Christmas break. Let us find out what is going on.

Here is Kezia Dugdale asking about the First Minister's engagements.

Parts of the country are facing a renewed risk of flooding, it is

appropriate to thank all of those in our emergency services, particularly

the police, fire, utility companies, local authorities and individuals

and businesses in local communities working so hard to respond. I and

other ministers will be updated on this throughout the day and working

to ensure all appropriate action is being taken. I will have engagements

to take forward the Government programme for Scotland.

Can I send my best wishes to all those affected by the floods and the

emergency services for their tireless work.

In her New Year message, the First Minister said 2016 would be the year

of ambition. I couldn't agree more. It is why I set out a plan to help

young people realise their ambitions and aspirations. For many young

Scots, earning their home is a key ambition. For thousands of people

from my generation, it is a pipe dream. Thousands are stuck in a

cycle from which there is little escape, they rented to save a

deposit, the rents are so high people cannot put enough money

aside. They end up paying higher rent for years with no prospect of

buying. Can the First Minister tell us what

proportion of young people in Scotland today live in the private

rented sector? There is a significant proportion of

young people as across all age groups who rely on the private

rented sector. That is why one of the focuses of this Government has

been through a variety of measures and legislation on making sure we

have a high-quality and affordable private rented sector. I know the

importance of that well from my constituency where the quality is

just as important as affordability. Kezia Dugdale will be aware of the

plan is the Government has two introduce new measures in terms of

rent controls which is vital to ensure affordability. I hope we can

work together on this. In terms of the aspiration of young people for

home ownership, that is one like everyone understands and wants to

support. This Government since the moment we were elected has focused

on, firstly, trying to help people into home ownership, we have helped

20,000 people into home ownership through shared equity schemes and

help to buy, three quarters are under the age of 35.

Secondly and most importantly, what this Government is doing is

increasing housing supply. That is why I am proud we have exceeded our

target of 30,000 affordable homes, and we are looking to 50,000 new

affordable homes across the next Parliament as well.

I welcome the sincerity of that response but it wasn't an answer to

my question. Amongst that, the First Minister failed to face up to 30 of

life for people of my generation. In 1999, 13% of people aged 16-34 left

in private rented accommodation. Today, it is 41%, a threefold

increase. Thousands of young people in Scotland paying higher rents to

private landlords rather than owning their home. It is generation rent.

What the First Minister's generation took for granted is often out of

reach of the people of my generation. When Nicola Sturgeon was

first elected, half of those aged 16-34 owned their own home. Can the

First Minister tell us what that figure is today under the SNP

Government? I was trying to respond to the first

question by being serious about the scale of the challenge. There are

more people across all age groups who are living in the private rented

sector. Some people, not everybody, I am not suggesting it is a

majority, some make a positive choice to rent rather than buy. That

is why we should also focus on making sure people have quality

options. In terms of home ownership, the

housing crisis is part of the overall financial and economic

crisis. Order! This has posed a real

challenges in terms of home ownership.

We have seen in recent times increases in the numbers of

first-time buyers, a 4% increase over the last quarter, and a higher

increase over the past year. We see that going in the right direction.

This Government has made a very deliberate choice to focus on what

we consider to be the things that really matter in housing. Firstly,

making sure we have got the right number of houses being provided

which is why 30,000 target this Parliament has been important, the

50,000 target for next Parliament is so important. I haven't heard Labour

make any commitment to housing supply in the next Parliament.

Secondly, we are focusing on whatever tenure of housing people

have, they have access to high-quality houses, that is what my

Government remains focused on. Iain Gray is sitting next to Kezia

Dugdale, he said in an admirable moment of honesty for the Labour

Party the problem for the last Labour Administration was they

forgot to build the houses to make it possible to make the legislation

to be implemented. We moved from consensus to

mudslinging in Bonn question, First Minister. Once again... There was no

answer to the question that I asked. I will give the First Minister the

answer. In 1999, 40 8% of Scots under 35 owned their own home. That

stands at 28% today. Is this the scale of the Government action over

for just over one quarter of young Scots to have the security from

owning their own home? Today, it takes a young couple on an

average wage ten years to save enough for a typical deposit for

their first home. Labour would help young people get

their first deposit by adding to their savings, we would encourage

people to put money away if they can and, in return, help them get on

that property ladder. We know the First Minister cannot

bring herself to back that plan. We know her proposals do not meet the

scale of the challenge. What will she do to help people in

Scotland by their first home? I have outlined a number of things

and we'll come back to the plans of this Government.

Kezia Dugdale is right to mention the fact there has been a challenge

in getting people into home ownership. A recession, a financial

crisis is contributing to a housing crisis. That is why those numbers

are as they are. But what she chooses to ignore is

the fact, in the last quarter, we have seen an increase in first-time

buyers. An increase in first-time buyers of 16% over the last year.

That is what I want to focus on, helping more people into home

ownership which is why we have an open market shared equity scheme

which gives people up to 40% of the cost of buying a house and helps

them in that way. We will continue to focus on these schemes to help

people with the aspiration to own their own home. We will also, and

this I notice is something Kezia Dugdale has chosen to dodge around

in her discussions. Housing supply is at the root of many of the issues

we are talking about, I quoted Iain Gray. Let me give her another view

of someone more topical in the Labour Party, the Shadow Chancellor

John McDonnell, I do not know whether Kezia Dugdale is one who

supports him but believe that to one side. He said, Labour inherited a

housing crisis from the Tories which we exacerbated by not building

houses. That is the issue. That is why in

this Parliament we have already exceeded our target of 30,000 new

affordable homes, why we are determined if we are elected in May

to build 50,000 new affordable homes. Labour have made no

commitment to supply. Maybe that is because we know in this election

Labour is not aspiring to be the garment, they are filed the -- they

are fighting to hold on to second place.

Kezia Dugdale. In all of that, the First Minister cannot escape the

reality home ownership is at its lowest level since 1999. Because

young people in Scotland are getting a raw deal from this SNP Government,

bearing the brunt of an austerity agenda this First Minister seems

content to manage rather than change. Young Scots are less likely

to own their own home. They are more likely to be stuck in private rented

accommodation. Their hard earned cash boost in the profits of private

landlords rather than investing in their own future.

We want to spend money helping young people by their first home. Nicola

Sturgeon would rather spend money giving Ellice a tax cut.

Isn't it the case -- giving airlines. Is it the case the First

Minister is on the side of the big airlines while Scottish Labour is on

the side of young families tried to get on in life?

Not the first, not even a second but the third use of APD money... Let me

remind Kezia Dugdale yet again of her own words from the 30th of

October last year. We would scrap the APD measure which we would then

spend that money on education. So, it was education, it became tax

credits, now housing. Not the behaviour of a credible opposition,

let alone a credible alternative Government. Let us get back to the

important issue for people out there across the country, of housing. I

talked about our support for shared equity and help to buy. Let me

remind her of something else we have helped people particularly

first-time buyers, removing stamp duty, on all property transactions

under ?145,000. Helping people buy starter homes. We will continue to

help first-time buyers but do it in a sensible way, not in a way which

won't give first-time buyers any help until they have saved for three

years, and help push up costs pile -- house prices. We will continue to

see private accommodation sees a rise in the quality and

affordability. We will focus on building more houses because it is

through that that we get the cost of houses down and get more people to

buy them. That is why we are so successful in this Parliament and

will be even more so in the next one.

Question number two, Ruth Davidson. To ask the First Minister when she

will next meet the Prime Minister? No current plans. May I associate

myself with the comments regarding emergency and local authority

workers. The flooding across Britain these past weeks have been

devastating for thousands of families. We know it is continuing

to affect people across Scotland. We need to know how they will be

supported. On December 29, the UK garment

announced an extra ?50 million intermediate support for homes and

businesses affected. ?5 million was handed to the

Scottish Government and it is up to them how that money is spent. As

Alex Fergusson said on Tuesday, he is still receiving phone calls from

people in Newton Stewart wondering why people in Cumbria are already

receiving support while they are not. Other Members will be receiving

similar calls. Ministers have had this new money

for nearly a fortnight, why are they dragging their feet?

Ruth Davidson raises an important issue. But she is unfair in her

characterisation. She will recall as all Members across the Chamber will

recall that the Deputy First Minister when he announced the

budget just before we broke for the Christmas recess, announced an

allocation of ?4 million to those local authority areas most affected

by the flooding caused by storm Desmond in early December, to help

those local authorities support flood hit local households and

businesses. That money is there to provide flat rate grants of ?1500 to

individuals, businesses or groups directly affected by flooding.

John Sweeney said last week when he was visiting communities, that we

will very shortly make an additional announcement about an additional

allocation to deal specifically with the impact of storm Frank, and what

we have seen in the days after. We are taking care to discuss with

local authorities the appropriate amount of that allocation will be.

It is right, it is proper and focused on helping people who have

been so hard-hit. In addition, local authorities can

apply for help to deal with the immediate impact of flooding, and we

will continue to invest to make sure that local authorities are able to

put into place the appropriate flood protection and flood defence schemes

so we continue to remain focused, and I hope we have the support of

people across the Chamber. I thank the presiding officer for her

answer, but the ?4 million she talks about is a previous allocation. It

has nothing to do with the subsequent ?5 million that I asked

about that people who are currently affected want to know how this

government is going to spend and how it is going to help them. And I wait

for further details on that answer. The First Minister says she's

getting on with addressing the issues and she is getting support

from the UK, but local authorities are saying amused by claims that

future flood defences are being fully funded. Farmers and crofters

who are bearing the brunt of these floods are still waiting for the

support payments they were promised months ago because of what the NFU

calls the SNP government's lumbered approach, and people are beginning

to ask why is it that families can't get the support here they are

getting elsewhere in the UK. I will give just one other example. Before

Christmas, the UK Government set up an emergency recovery fund in flood

affected regions that was designed to help restore soil, rebuilt

tracks, and to repair flood channels. Scottish farmers are

asking the Scottish government to mirror this scheme north of the

border. Will the First Minister do so? We will take as we have done all

appropriate action to help people affected by flooding. Ruth Davidson

says we haven't announced the additional allocation. We are right,

the reason for that is both a simple one and an understandable one to

people. We are still dealing with an ongoing situation. I very much hope

it is not the case that we will see communities affected by flooding

again today but it is entirely possible that we will do, so we need

to make sure we take time to assess the full impact so we know what an

appropriate allocation of funding will be. It may be more than ?5

million that we need to allocate in order to meet the impact that people

are facing but just as we did in response to Storm Desmond, we will

take the appropriate action in response to Storm Frank and the

flooding that hit in the days after that, and the flooding that we may

well see in parts of the country today. In terms of with Davidson's

comment about flood protection and flood defences, we have funded all

eligible schemes that have met the criteria in terms of flood defence

systems. There are, as a result of it, 14th flood risk management

strategies across Scotland, schemes over the remainder of this decade

worth more than 200 million ?200 million that are planned. We

guarantee local authorities to a 6% of our capital budget right through

to 2020 with financial certainty that those schemes can be funded.

That is the action we have taken. It is responsible, right, and it will

be proportionate to the scale of the impact that be bloody thing with.

And I personally and the ministers in my government who have one or

more responsibilities in this remain absolutely focused to do everything

we can and we need to do to help individuals, businesses and

communities who have been so hard hit in recent weeks. I would like to

ask the First Minister what impact the introduction of an upper band of

the minimum wage for workers over 25 will have on pay and equality and in

work poverty in Scotland? Are wage level for over 25s will be a benefit

to some workers but we have concerns about the UK Government's approach

to pay because it is not as this week's Resolution Foundation made

clear a real living wage. The rise doesn't support people under 25, one

of the groups most affected by the recession, and the introduction of

this new rate won't compensate workers for the ?12 billion in

reductions to welfare, given it will be introduced alongside the

withdrawal of universal credit and tax credit cuts. We want to

encourage employees to promote equality and tackle poverty. The

real living wage is captivated according to the basic cost of

living and that is what the Scottish government will continue to focus

our efforts on. I agree with much of that assessment, combined with

welfare changes, the measure won't abolish in work poverty. By leaving

younger workers behind, it risks deepening their exploitation by the

most unscrupulous employers. The First Minister knows the greens wish

the fair work agenda to be bolder. It emphasises support those

employers willing rather than the more robust approach for the

employers less willing. Isn't it time for the First Minister to

consider insuring that taxpayer funded as the support services will

only be available to those employers who treat the upper 25 year band of

the minimum wage as the minimum for workers of all ages to make sure

that we don't just have an all carrot nose stick approach which may

work for some employees but not for the worst. Patrick Harvie had an

exchange during the debate the other day with John Sweeney on this very

issue and I appreciate where Patrick Carvey is coming from. I want our

further work agenda to be real and meaningful, and it is that. We are

the any government in the whole of the UK that has a Cabinet level

Minister dedicated to promoting fair work. What we're trying to do with

both the living wage accreditation scheme and through the business

pledge and through the fair work convention is say to businesses that

they should be employing fair work practices, not as some kind of

favour to government, not as something we feel they have to do,

but as something that is beneficial to them, and to the prosperity of

their businesses, as well as beneficial to their employees. And

that is the whole ethos that we are trying to encourage, and that is

bearing success. We are now the part of the UK outside the south-east

with the highest percentage of people paid the real living wage,

and the number of employers that are accredited rise considerably, and a

growing number of companies have signed up. We will continue to give

that focus to that work. We will continue to consider and to discuss

how we can accelerate progress. I look forward in this Parliament to

discuss these things and to hearing the ideas and suggestions of Patrick

Harvie and his colleagues. The First Minister will be aware that support

industries like retail, hospitality and the care sector to pay the real

living wage will weep significant benefits for those employees, many

of those of whom are under 25, so what action is the Scottish

government taking to specifically target those sectors to pay the real

living wage? Well, these sectors, and Jackie Baillie is right about

this, there are a small number of sectors that employ large numbers of

people that we need to make most progress in if we are going to lift

the overall numbers paid the living wage. Relatively recently, we had a

summit, which was very focused on retail and leisure and care sectors,

and we will bring forward in the debate on Tuesday over the next few

months small proposals of our own about how we extend payment of the

living wage further. There's no doubt in my mind that if we get more

and more people onto the living wage, we will help to raise the

quality of work, which is why it is so much in the interest of

businesses and employers, but we will also go a great way to deal

with the inequality and poverty challenges that we face, so I had

this is an area that notwithstanding whatever disagreements we have, we

will find areas to agree on. This week's research by the Resolution

Foundation states that 500 thousand low-paid workers in Scotland will

benefit from the new look living wage by 2020. The Resolution

Foundation said we welcome the new National living wage which will have

a huge impact on low pay. Should she be more welcoming of this policy? If

I can repeat the first line of my first answer to trick Harvey, a

higher wage level for over 25s will be of benefit to some low-paid

workers so nobody can argue with that. It doesn't go far enough. The

real living wage, lots of people outside this government, lots of

people have put a lot of work in over a long number of years to

calculate what the real living wage should be. And the real living wage

is captivated very deliberately according to the basic cost of

living, which is why I think the real living wage is the figure we

should be aspiring to get people paid. That is what I'll continue to

focus on. Anything that takes us in that direction of course is to be

welcomed but I will not limit myself to the ambition that characterises

the Tory party, I will aim much higher than that. Thank you. I'd

like to ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish government

has had with the UK Government regarding the proposed referendum on

EU membership. The Scottish government is practising gauge with

the UK Government, at ministerial and official level, to influence

both the form of the referendum and the UK Government's agenda for EU

renegotiation, in order to protect Scotland's interest the Mac. We

spoke about this issue at our meeting in December with the Prime

Minister. The Scottish government believes EU membership is in the

best interest of Scotland and we are concerned the people of Scotland

could be taken out of the EU against our will. We've also sought and we

will continue to seek engagement in the UK's renegotiation process but

to date, the pig government has not provided us with sufficient detail

or opportunity to meaningfully influence these proposals but we

will carry on making attempts. I thank the First Minister for her

answer. How can we trust the Prime Minister on Europe when he cannot

even get members of his own cabinet to agree with him. What can the

First Minister and her government do to ensure that Scotland is not

hauled out of Europe against its will? I'm not surprised that the

prime minister has been forced on a free vote amongst his Cabinet

colleagues in the referendum because the Tories have always been split

from top to bottom on Europe. The referendum, far from healing these

splits so far only seems to be making them worse. I'm not sure if

the Scottish Tories have got a position. It is a complete free for

all in the Scottish Tories. No idea how many positions will be

represented on those benches. But that is for the Tories to worry

about. What I'm concerned about is this prospect of Scotland, if it

votes, and I take nothing for granted, but if Scotland was to vote

to stay in in the EU, but the UK taken out, that would be a

democratic outrage. And I think it is a cause of real concern. I will

be campaigning, speaking out from my own part, I'll be campaigning to

seek to persuade people, not just in Scotland, but I hope people across

the UK choose to stay in the EU because, notwithstanding its

imperfections, our interests are best served by being with them. To

ask the First Minister whether the Scottish government will conduct a

review of flood defences in conjunction with local authorities

in light of this winter's flooding incidents? As I've already commented

on today, the scale of the flooding that was seen in recent days has

been exceptional. And the impact has been devastating for many people

across the country. The response from our emergency services,

volunteers, members of the public, councils and others working together

to keep communities safe, minimise damage, that response has been

heroic, but there is a long road for the people most affected. A review

of flood defences was conducted in 2007. The Scottish government has

made available funding of ?42 million a year to enable local

authorities to invest in flood protection schemes. As I've just

said to Ruth Davidson, we have 14 flood risk management strategies in

place and a number of schemes that will be funded over the years to

come. It is right that when we've experienced flooding such as that as

we've seen in recent weeks that we do consider carefully any lessons

that can be learned from what has been an exceptional situation and

consider what further mitigating actions we can take for the future,

and this government will do that. Thank you, first Minister's. If you

are committing to a review in the light of recent flooding incidents,

I'd wholeheartedly welcome that. The response in communities has been

inspiring. But communities, businesses and local authorities are

Killy concerned about the huge cost they've already incurred in dealing

with this public emergency. And if I can follow up the First Minister's

answer to Ruth Davidson earlier, the deputy First Minister has encouraged

?4 million. Can the First Minister clarify the Scottish government will

fully fund all those local tax reductions and given the cost of

flooding is estimated to be a quarter of ?1 billion every year

now, can we have a review to have it a new look, a fresh look at the

resilience for infrastructure, our homes, businesses, our farming

communities for the future, given that with the financial pressures on

local authorities, not all amenities at risk of flooding will receive

flood defences over the next five years. As I said in my initial

answer, of course we need to make sure that we learn any lessons that

need to be learned. It would be wrong to take any other approach.

What I don't want us to do, though, I didn't want is to do this because

of the significant work that has been done to get as to the position

of the 14 flood risk management strategies in place is involve

ourselves in another long-running review when there is work there

planned details worked out that we need to get on with. For example,

the community of Newton Stewart I visited, there is a scheme planned

as part of the flood risk management strategy, that we need to get on

with not look again at a wide-ranging review. So, let's focus

on that. In terms of the financial support, as I've said we've received

during this session, we will take a decision very soon about a further

financial allocation to help councils with things like rates

relief, and direct financial support to individuals and businesses that

have been impacted. And we will, as I've said repeatedly, take whatever

steps we need to take to make sure we are doing all that is reasonable

for us to do to help with those that have been so badly hit in recent

days. To ask the First Minister how many children are receiving free

school meals. Almost exactly a year ago I went back to my old primary

school to launch the introduction of free school meals for all children

from year one to three. That is proving very successful. Over

129,000 pupils are benefiting from free school meals, and over 192,000

children across primary, secondary and special schools took one. Thank

you. I thank the First Minister for higher answer and pleased that this

policy is proving such a success nationally. But disappointed the

take-up in Renfrewshire is lower than the national average. Can the

First Minister advise what funding is provided to local authorities to

enable more children to benefit from free school meals, and what more can

be done by local authorities, like Labour-controlled Renfrewshire

Council, to promote further take-up? I'm sure your time will come, Mr

Adam. You may have sparked celebrations in Paisley that their

boy in Parliament has been promoted to the office of First Minister! The

government has fully funded the roll-out of free school meals for P1

to three with millions of pounds of capital. We've allocated a further

?53 million for 2016-17 so local authorities can continue to provide

free school meals for all children in primary one to three. It's one of

the many ways in which we are putting the tackling of inequality

at the heart of an agenda, giving children a healthy, nutritious meal

at school, while saving parents around ?380 a year per child. We

want more children to benefit in every local authority and will

continue to work with education authorities to ensure continued

promotion of take-up of school meals so that all children can benefit,

and all members across the Chamber have a role to play in making sure

all children that are entitled take up the option of a free school

meals. That ends First Minister's questions. The close of questions to

the First Minister. The discussion of free school meals, evidence of

the eclectic menu on offer today. Perhaps among it all, the discussion

there about the awesome impact, the terrifying impact the natural

calamity of the floods. It understandably dominated, the First

Minister was trying to reassure the Chamber that everything that was

possible was being done. That we hand you over to daily politics.

will look at, many people would want to do that, I don't think it is a

particularly big issue because of the Cold War it was, it isn't now.

Russia is not planning to invade the West. Are you sound as part of your

defence review, not only are you looking we should renew the nuclear

deterrent but you are also looking at whether we