07/02/2013 Politics Scotland

A very warm welcome to the Scottish parliament. Our MSPs are still

mostly talking money, the fall-out from the budget bill yesterday, at

stage three, the budget was carried after various amendments proposed

on the subject of Tollett -- colleges and houses. Today many

councils are sitting their budgets as a consequence of that. Also here

today, MSPs are taking evidence about the referendum proposals,

beginning the detailed scrutiny of the preparation for that. So a lot

to talk about, not to question the First Minister about, let's crossed

to my colleague. We have just welcomed guests to the presiding

officer's Gallery here, we will shortly be hearing from the leader

of the opposition and her first What engagement he has planned for

the rest of the day? Were have launched the fantastic news that

together with the Scottish universities and life sciences

Alliance and the University of Dundee have one a contract, which

means 40 highly-skilled jobs in new house for the promise of many more

developments become, putting Scotland at the presenter of

European drug discovery. -- the very centre. Yesterday morning, the

First Minister visited technology company in Glasgow, where he said,

this is one stop -- small satellite for Clyde and a giant leap for the

extra-terrestrial export business. In the afternoon, his backbenchers

applauded a �24 million cut in college budgets. Does the First

Minister feel he and his party are in touch with real Scots? Yet! --

Yes! Scotland need to jobs. Last year the Scottish government said

it would spend �353 million on a shovel ready capital project. In

reality, they spent just �20 million. Of the �190 million they

said they would spend on new schools, they have spent nothing,

not one Quinn. On Monday, however, the Deputy First Minister said it

was within 15 months of the referendum, and we could be like

Namibia or auto ago. Does he feel he is in touch with the real

priorities of the Scots? capital budget, the one that you

find the shovel ready project, has been cut by a 26% by the but

Leinster government. -- Westminster government. Their defence of that

is it is better than the 35%, which was the projected cut at Alistair

Darling, the man who wanted to implement cuts which were "deeper

and tougher" Than those of Margaret Thatcher. The great advantage of

direct capital spending by government is it can be spent on

shove already protects and it can be spent quickly. The fact that she

doesn't know the difference between direct government spending and the

non profit distribution trust is a signal feature of the Labour

party's inability to understand the basics of public finance. The

funding is project-based, you have to build a project and gather in

the finance. The great virtue of MPD is that it is alight cheaper

than PFI. -- a lot cheaper to stop the reason week introduced the

programme is because we didn't want to see the Scottish people ever

again play out billions of pounds over the next few years, and

private finance initiative project which will result in payments of

many, many times of capital value. The fact that even the Conservative

Party admit that PFI was a ghastly mistake exposes the better to get

the campaign as two right wing parties, competing for which one

can be the more extreme! Even in my least charitable moments I did not

imagine that the First Minister planned not to spend any money on

NPD programme on schools. It is not but I don't understand a project,

it isn't spending 100 by �2 million, he has not spent at. Banks back --

he has not spent one Quinn. At the complacency is astonishing. I will

ask him to come back to the real world for us. We spoke to an Fisher

of this morning, 50 year-old mother of three. She has cancer. If she

lived in England, she would be receiving drugs which could prolong

her life. Because she lives in Scotland, she doesn't get that

treatment. The government's delayed review of drugs will be too late

for her. And her case is sadly not an isolated one. So while she fight

for treatment, the former health secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, had

time this week to publish the words of Abraham Lincoln, apparently on a

written constitution. This the first Mr believe that he and his

government are in touch with the real needs of people like and

Fisher? The whole area of access to drug treatments is extremely

serious, something that should come in this chamber, be treated as that.

The Labour Party will remember that they agreed with us in not going

down the road of cancer drugs fund, they agreed with many cancer

charities on that aspect. They also welcomed the introduction of the

rare conditions medicine fund by the Health Secretary, and it should

be accepted that in trying to deal with these extraordinarily

difficult issues, we are trying to find the best system possible,

which allows our people to have access to the best possible

treatment. The idea that these issues are easy to deal with his

extraordinary, that you can wave them away, it is one of the great

challenges facing health services across the world. The combination

we have tried to arrive at in Scotland through the Scottish

medicines contorting, the tradition -- introduction of the patient's

request, as we believe the best possible system we can have at the

moment, as we move to the new drug pricing system. I would hope that

whatever people's views across the chamber are, they would recognise

that like all parties, we are trying to deal with that issue in

the best possible way to help the most number of people. I can assure

you, I do take this issue extremely seriously. What us that the

government to do is listen to what people are saying to them, and act.

-- what I ask the government to do. This issue has taken newspaper

headlines to get Alec Neil to act and I think that is a problem. Even

now, what the first minister says does not a dress -- address the

problems of the woman I mentioned, and I would ask him again delicate

that. Whatever the First Minister is giving, what he is not doing is

addressing the real needs of Scott. He would rather play games of

imagining where he might be in three years' time than face the

reality of today. And while he pretence -- while he pretend,

patients go untreated, students miss out on a college education,

and the First Minister... Order. prepares the seating plan for our

independence ball. Even seems to have given up on trying to make the

case for independent, and instead is trying to persuade Scots they

have already voted for it. When will the First Minister start

addressing the real needs of Scots, rather than his own game of, let's

pretend. Order. I would remind her that the Labour Party voted with

the government on the question of the cancer drugs fund and secondly,

that Alec Neil is the health secretary and took the advice

coming forward, in setting up the rare conditions medicine fund, and

the Routledge review is looking at this very issue to make sure we

have the best possible system in Scotland. That indicates to me that

we are taking things extremely seriously as far as that is

concerned, as every member should. This government's commitment...

are the party with two successive elections who promise to increase

funding in the National Health Service. She leads a party which

would not give that commitment. Therefore, the issue of the

National Health Service, which like all public services is under great

pressure, it should be remembered that because of this government's

success in being re-elected at the National Health Service revenue

budget is increasing in real terms. There has been no guarantee from

anyone else. The difficulty of the Labour Party in making political

point with the National Health Service was well exemplified only

yesterday by the extraordinary and dreadful revelations about mid-

Staffordshire Hospital Foundation Trust. It is a point that occurred

not when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, not one that

coalition was in charge, but under Labour's watch. What happened,

according to page 19 of the report, was a management thinking during

the period was dominated by financial pressures and achieving

Foundation Trust status, to the detriment of quality of care. So

what I would submit to her is that this government's commitment to

have a National Health Service, a properly integrated national health

service, instead of one which is it internally competing on the road to

privatisation, started by the Labour Party south of the border,

is vindicated by events both in The First Minister accuses me of

making a political point and then goes on precisely to do that, in

defence, or complacently, of what is happening in the National Health

Service now. All I ask him is to understand that people of his

country are not talking about constitutional platforms. They want

a First Minister who will address the needs of women like Mrs Fisher

now. I think the fact that in the House of Commons, I voted against

foundation hospitals and the Labour Party voted for them is something

that is worthy of political debate. She says she doesn't like

constitutional politics, and she worries that the SNP's attention is

devoted... But I have been doing analysis. I have been analysing the

questions she has been asking me. What is the number one subject that

she asked me about at first knitters questions? Is that the

economy, the health service, education? No, it is Scottish

independent! So the woman who accuses this government of being

obsessed by independent comes along here and invariably asks about

Scottish independence. The reason she asks about it is because the

Labour record is so lamentable on everything else. The reason I

enjoyed asking about Scottish independence is by asking the

resources of this nation, we can put not just the public services

but the economy of this country to rights. Ruth Davidson. To ask the

First Minister when he will next meet the Prime Minister. No plans

in their future. On college funding and the cancer drugs and could I'm

not sure if she has gone through the greatest hits, but I would like

to take him through some of his own pet projects. Postal, the rural

parliament for Scotland, announced in September of 2011, and are still

not been established. The legislation passed in June 2010,

two years and eight months on, not established. At the college reform

programme, announced in September of the 2011, having no time to go

at all. This from a First Minister is as he can build an entire

independent nation in just 18 months. -- who says he can. That

timetable is, "not just unrealistic, but hopelessly unrealistic". On the

basis of his own failings, why is the First Minister right but the

acknowledged expert in this field wrong? As far as the greatest hits

for the Conservative and Labour parties, that is all part of the

Better Together campaign. As far as the Courage reorganisation, I

thought the basis but many Conservative MSPs is we were

proceeding too fast with college a reorganisation. But of course it is

an essential part of the future of Scotland's colleges. I was struck

yesterday in the college to bait by two things. Firstly that they have

devoted the highest revenue figure, higher than any figure in the

entire Labour - liberal coalition, of 522 million. Their highest was

510 million. I am glad the Tory benches has asked about real terms!

I have been cast my eye south as to what the position, as we understand

It appears that the cut is coming is not 4%, but it's nearer 20%. In

terms of the comparable budget and given that Scotland's finances, as

the Conservative Party know and have drawn a line in the sand are

directly dependent on Barnett kopbsquenshalz isn't it a triumph

that we've managed to avoid the near 20% cut in college funding

that they're calling for south of the border. In terms of the time

table on independence, if 30 countries across the world manage

to progress to independence from the referendum to independence

quicker than that time table, I really do think the why on earth

shouldn't Scotland manage that as well? The reality is whatever time

table the SNP laid out, however many international examples, the

Conservative Party mired in the negativity would also always say no

you cannae. Well, yes we can. APPLAUSE

Order. Despite the bulging eye bluster the only thing that

happened yesterday was that Mr Swinney cut college funding by more

than �24 million while his bdgeers clapped and cleared drk

backbenchers clapped and cheered. Quite apart from a Welfare State, a

Scottish Treasury, a Scottish Supreme Court, let's focus on one

body that this First Minister needs to establish in that 18 month time

frame, the armed forces. The defence of the realm is the first

responsibility of any Government. There are... Order. Order. We will

hear Miss Gaifdson -- Davidson. Mr Stephenson, enough! There are

65,000 MoD civil servants supporting the UK military right

now. The Scottish Conservatives have learned that the number of

people the Scottish Government are planning for a Scottish Defence

Force is just seven, just seven people not only facing an

impossible task but who were better deployed delivering the public

services for which this Parliament is responsible. In fact, defence is

just one of 16 areas where officials are being diverted from

their devolves duties to work on the First Minister's separatist

obsession. Order. Just settle down, please. It is no wonder that this

First Minister can't create a rural Parliament or a Scottish sentencing

Council or the college programme getting through in time. Will the

First Minister admit that he's failing to run a devolves nation,

never mind planning a new one? First Minister. I was waiting for

the climax, but well, can I just restate again because if the

average time period for the 30 countries that were listed in 15

months then I find it difficult to understand why Scotland and the UK

as developed Ze mockracys kopbtd achieve a similar or -- democracies

couldn't achieve a similar or greater time period. For -- the

four European countries in that list the average time period is

four months. Being in that position is pretty well established by

international compare sons. Can I turn to, I don't know if the

defence industry and the troops, ones who have been made compulsory

redun dapbtd. The ones who are fighting -- redundant. The ones who

are fighting for their Government and then handed their P45, I don't

think that's the Conservative Party's strongest suit at the

present moment. I thought the complaint the Conservative Party

was too many people in the Scottish Government planning for

independence. Now we seem to be suggesting there's too few. And all

these thousands of folk in the Ministry of Defence, these are the

thousands of planners, the one who plan to have aircraft carriers and

then forgot to have the aircraft to go on them. Are these really the

sort of examples that Ruth Davidson - you've wrote it down, that's the

point, great aircraft carriers, no planes to put on them. It's not the

most fantastic idea of Ministry of Defence planning. They used to say

military of intelligence as on oxy moron. MoD planning is the real

oxymoron. Question number three. ask the First Ministers what issues

will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet Issues of

importance to the people of Scotland. Yet in the budget I was

told that my realistic and costed proposals to give 24,000 two-year-

olds a free nursery place had been rejected by the Government. I was

told that the First Minister's Government preferred family nurse

partnerships instead. Can he tell me how many children currently

benefit from family nurse partnerships? It's a low figure at

the present moment which is exactly why it's being rolled out across

Scotland as we announced last October. The pilot was in Lothian

and it's now being rolled out across Scotland. But can I say to

you that his argument was carefully considered and the reason the

Government's taken the stance it has is because one, we believe we

should get to the 600 hours. We inherited 412-and-a-half hours I

think and make that apply to three and four-year-olds and give it

statutory backing. Partners and Councils say we can achieve this in

the high quality standards that Scotland is used to in terms of

child care and nursery provision, which are much higher, as he should

know, than in England and Wales at the present moment in terms of the

qual ti indications that staff -- qualification that's staff have to

have. There say strong belief in England at the present moment

expressed by local authorities that the only way the Conservative

liberal coalition will extend to two-year-olds is by reducing the

standards. You shake your head, it's only a week since it was

announced there would be a relaxation of the number of

children per worker. Now, I think there is a case to be made in terms

of the quality of provision as well as the incredible extension to 600

hours and many, many families across Scotland will welcome that

increasingly. I suspect even the most sycophantic backbenchers will

recognise my question was about family nurse partnerships not three

and fear-year-olds. He should check his facts, if he looks at what's

happening in England, they are increasing the standard for nursery

eneducation, not reducing it. It is a low number. It's only 908. Family

nurse partnerships, they are a good thing. But they're no substitute

for 24,000 nursery places. They're doing both in England. It's not one

or the other. They're doing both. I shouldn't have to remind him, but

the investment before the age of three, all the experts say, is the

best investment to make. It gives the best return. So if he's not

going to use his budget to make this change, how's he going to

close the gap between the 900 people that he wants to help and

the 24,000 people that could benefit under my plans? The family

nurse partnerships will be rolled out across Scotland. That was the

purpose of the October announcement because of their success in the

pilot study. I hope he will go back and revise his question in terms of

the record. He said that standardser were being increased

and perhaps he was referring to the qualifications of the staff in

England. That's not the point I made to him. The point I made to

him was the relaxation in terms of the number of children per staff

member. If you increase the number of children allowed per staff

member, that would tend to indicate a lowering of quality of provision

as opposed to... Well, there is substantial, and yes, it is going

up. Greater numbers of children per staff member, that would indicate

to me a lower of quality of provision as many people, we'd be

happy with debate with him how the best way forward. I do think that

the extension to 600 hours, the initiative has been taken that

early years development is a part of this Government's programme and

the stress on early years. You know, this is an argument he puts forward

and an argument that I hope we listen to and respond to in terms

of early years planning. He represents or is in a party in

Government which is destroying the livelihoods of low-inquom families

across Scotland at the present -- income families across Scotland at

the present. They've lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in tax

allowances and child care. They face the prospect of being

forcefully, in terms of finance, evicted from their homes if they

happen to have a spare room. Representing a party which is

engaged in that sort of policy is a bit of a brass neck to come along

here and pretend you're on the side of young families.

Question number four. Thank you presiding officer to ask

the First Minister what the impact will be on Scotland's fishing fleet

with the proposed 15% reduction in mackerel quotas? The Iceland's

declaration of what is another large unilateral quota is

disappointing. It should be said they've reduced the quota by 15%

but they continue to take 22% of the total allowable catch, a share

well in excess of their claim to 15%, which is in itself too high

given a short time here yod of par tis -- par -- period of

participation in that fishery. That puts risk the jobs which are

important to vulnerable coastal communities. I think the First

Minister for his answer. I wonder if it's possible for action to be

taken to set up a mediation process to bring Iceland into the stock

management arrangements for mackerel in the Atlantic?

current process has involved 15 rounds over four years of

negotiation and clearly hasn't worked. I think therefore, the

Cabinet Secretary is right to call for a new approach. That's why

Richard Lockhead has put forward the idea of an international

mediator to bring parties together and facilitate an agreement. We are

liaising with the European commissioner and other mackerel

fishing kun Troyes take forward this notion. I know the chamber

will appreciate the seriousness of this situation and we hope we have

unanimous support for the initiative. Does that mean the

First Minister and the Government have turned their back on the EU

sanctions previously agreed by the European Commission. Does he

recognise that white fish boats from Shetland are fishing in waters

because that government has taken that action as well? No, it doesn't

mean we have, we pressed for the sanctions as a means of getting

people back to the stable. Tavistock must accept we must find

a gnaw proch. We had the 15 rounds of negotiations over four years.

Neither of the fishermen that he currently represents are the one

that's I used to represent are in any doubt that situation cannot be

allowed to drag on. We support strongly the enforcement on

sanctions which the European Union has been dragging its feet. We

support a new initiative to bring parties back to the table and the

idea of international mediation is a new idea in the context and will

get a broad welcome from the people who realise how important it is for

us to make a break for them. I ask the First Minister who will

administer any funds establish on a victims surcharge on offenders?

It's an important proposal published today. It will raise

funds for ouz used no supporting those affected by crime. Our First

Choice as an administrator of the victims surcharge fund is victim

support Scotland working in collaboration with other national

victim support organisations. thank the First Minister. The

victims fund is a splendid idea to be welcomed. The issue is how it is

to be implemented. Has the First Minister read the Government's

policy memoranda today that says the Scottish court service expects

fully one third of court fines to remain unpaid 12 months after

they've been imposed, over half of fiscal fines imposed in the last

three years are not yet paid in full, how will the surcharge be any

different? Let me welcome for this initiative and the member is right.

This is exactly why we have legislation, we have proposals that

we discuss in Parliament and get to the best possible position in

securing the success of the victim support fund. Now that we've agreed

on the principle, perhaps Louis McDonald can agree on the

practicalities. The victims of witnesses bill will

come to the Justice Committee and I note there's a separate distinct

police restitution orders, how will these work? The offences against

police officers are unacceptable. We propose in the victim witnesses

bill to create a new kind of penalty where those found guilty

after salt on the police are required to treatment and

rehabilitation services for police officers. They're not intended to

replace compensation orders to individual police officers.

Question number six. Can I ask the First Minister what progress has

been made on tackling hospital acquired infections. The Government

established a health care environment in 2009 to reduce

health care acquired infections. Inspectors annual report was

published this week. It highlighted between October 2011 and September

2012 there was a 42.7% reduction in the number of cases of C diff and a

52% reduction in the cases of MRSA compared to when the this was first

established in 2009/10. Can I thank the First Minister for his reply.

Prot gres is welcome. The First Minister made a call that Jackie

Bailey claimed that Scotland was the -- her statistic related to

2005/06 when Labour were in office. Can the First Minister tell me what

progress has been made since 2005/6 in reducing MRSA? From October 2005

to September 2006 there was 1002 cases of MRSA. From October 2011 to

December 2012 there were 185 cases, that's an 81.5% reduction in cases.

Of course, she aright, Jackie Bailey did issue a press release

saying that Scotland was the superbug capital of Europe. No

doubt unaware that the statistics referred to 2005/06 when the Labour

Party were in office. Now we have this dramatic reduction and

listen,le 1.5% reduction is in-- 81.5% reduction is incredible, but

it's not the full extent of what we're trying to do in this.

No doubt, at some case, Jackie Bailey will accept that her epithet

of the superbug capital of yuerp, which I don't know if it's the

wisest thing she said any way, thank goodness the administration

It's true that one of the successes has been to instil changed

behaviour on the part of patients, visitors, staff through the

national Health Service and that includes Government ministers. In

future, every single one of us will aspire to the high standards.

the concerns that recent public health officials in Lothian about

unexplained rise in HEIs, what discussion has his Government had

with those officials in NHS Lothians and what assurances can he

give that the heat target will be met? One of the reason that's

hospital acquired infections are falling so fast in Scotland is this

is an ongoing process. It's part and parcel of integrated into the

Health Service. People will have noticed in response to the serious

situation in health and in the mid- Staffordshire that the Prime

Minister have called in former advisor to President Obama. It was

actually that person who looking at the health improvement and safety

initiative gave them the highest praise and said they were world

leaders. There can be substantial progress is made, no skphraisencey

in terms of how the situation is developing. In order to make sure

we continue to make improvements it has to be an ongoing process.

we have it, the end of first ministers questions, the subjects

as ever being dominated on this occasion, dominated by finance, the