:00:21. > :00:31.Welcome to Politics Scotland on the day that the Queen opens a new
:00:31. > :00:44.
:00:44. > :00:47.Gracious Address of the UK government's programme for the year.
:00:47. > :00:52.Here at Westminster will be gauging the reaction to the announcements
:00:52. > :00:56.and finding out what it means for Scotland. At Holyrood, the focus is
:00:56. > :01:02.on childcare, a key topic for politicians as parents struggle with
:01:02. > :01:05.high fees. The Queen has highlighted the UK
:01:05. > :01:09.government's determination to keep Scotland as part of the United
:01:09. > :01:19.Kingdom. The comment was part of her speech this morning. She was setting
:01:19. > :01:23.out the coalition 's programme for the next year. I'm joined by our
:01:23. > :01:28.commentator for the afternoon, Severin Carrell, from the Guardian.
:01:28. > :01:32.What are the UK government trying to do with this year's speech?
:01:32. > :01:39.first thing they are trying to do is keep the coalition together, keep
:01:39. > :01:43.the Tory backbenchers placated, and trying to not too scared to many
:01:43. > :01:48.horses. They have the rise of UKIP, that is causing anxiety for the
:01:48. > :01:56.Tories. There are new tensions in the coalition, how they keep the
:01:56. > :02:02.team together. It is a very safe Queens speech, with the exception of
:02:02. > :02:08.the immigration bill, where there will be some controversy and
:02:08. > :02:12.conflict between partners. Their political opponents were saying it
:02:12. > :02:22.was lightweight. When it comes to Scotland, how much applies to what
:02:22. > :02:24.
:02:24. > :02:29.here? -- to us here? The comments by the Queen, let's put that to rest.
:02:29. > :02:33.Brian Taylor was pointed out that this was scripted for her, she did
:02:33. > :02:37.not write this, like 1977 where she was speaking for herself, as it
:02:37. > :02:44.were. The application of these measures for Scotland is quite
:02:44. > :02:49.significant. There are only two that don't have any in Scotland. Most of
:02:49. > :02:55.them will apply, they are reserved powers, pensions, even the reforms
:02:55. > :03:00.of the NHS are going to have some knock-on effect. Back with you in a
:03:00. > :03:04.moment. We have set the scene, here are some
:03:04. > :03:13.excerpts from the speech this morning.
:03:13. > :03:19.My Lords, and members of the House of Commons, my gunmen's literalist
:03:19. > :03:23.-- my government's programme will focus on building a stronger economy
:03:23. > :03:26.so that the United Kingdom can succeed around the world. It will
:03:26. > :03:33.also work to promote a fairer society that rewards people who work
:03:33. > :03:40.hard. My government 's first priority is to strengthen Britain's
:03:40. > :03:45.economic competitiveness. To this end, it will support the growth of
:03:45. > :03:51.the private sector, and the creation of more jobs and opportunities. My
:03:51. > :03:55.ministers will continue to prioritise measures that reduce the
:03:55. > :04:01.deficit, ensuring interest rates are kept alone for homeowners and
:04:01. > :04:06.businesses. Mike garment is committed to building an economy
:04:06. > :04:10.where people who work hard are properly rewarded. It will therefore
:04:10. > :04:17.continue to reform the benefits system, helping people move from
:04:17. > :04:25.welfare to work. Measures will be brought forward to introduce a new
:04:25. > :04:29.employment allowance, to support jobs, and help small businesses. A
:04:29. > :04:38.Bill will be introduced to remove the burden of excessive regulation
:04:38. > :04:44.on businesses. A further Bill will make it easier for businesses to
:04:44. > :04:50.protect their intellectual property. A draft Bill will be established to
:04:50. > :04:56.establish a simple set of consumer rights to protect competitive
:04:56. > :05:00.markets and grow. My government will introduce a Bill which introduces
:05:00. > :05:05.the audit commission. My government will continue to invest in
:05:05. > :05:12.infrastructure to develop jobs and growth for the economy. Legislation
:05:12. > :05:17.will be introduced to unable the building of the high two railway
:05:17. > :05:22.line, providing further opportunities, economic growth for
:05:22. > :05:30.many Britain's cities. My government will continue with legislation to
:05:30. > :05:34.update energy infrastructure, and to improve the water industry. My
:05:34. > :05:40.government is committed to a fairer society, where aspiration and
:05:40. > :05:47.responsibility are rewarded. To make sure that every child has the best
:05:47. > :05:50.start in life, regardless of background, further measures will be
:05:50. > :05:57.taken to improve the quality of education for young people. Plans
:05:57. > :06:03.will be developed to help working parents with childcare, increasing
:06:03. > :06:07.availability, and helping with its cost. My government will also take
:06:07. > :06:15.forward plans for a new national curriculum, a world-class exams
:06:15. > :06:20.system, and greater flexibility in paying the teachers. My government
:06:20. > :06:25.will also take steps to ensure that it becomes typical for those leaving
:06:25. > :06:32.school to start a trainee position or an apprenticeship, or to go to
:06:32. > :06:37.university. New arrangements will be put into place to help more people
:06:37. > :06:43.own their own home, with government support provided for mortgages and
:06:43. > :06:51.deposits. My government is committed to supporting people who have saved
:06:51. > :06:55.for their retirement. Legislation will be introduced to reform the way
:06:55. > :07:02.that long-term care is paid for, to ensure the elderly do not have to
:07:02. > :07:08.sell their homes to meet their care bills. My government will bring
:07:08. > :07:12.forward legislation to create a simpler state pension system, that
:07:12. > :07:19.encourages saving, and provides more help to those who have spent years
:07:19. > :07:29.caring for children. Legislation will be introduced to ensure
:07:29. > :07:33.sufferers of asbestos related cancer receive payments where no reliable
:07:33. > :07:41.employer can be traced. My government will work in cooperation
:07:41. > :07:44.with the devolved administrations. A Bill will be introduced to give
:07:44. > :07:49.effect for a number of institutional improvements in Northern Ireland.
:07:49. > :07:54.Draft legislation will be published concerning the electoral
:07:54. > :07:59.arrangements for the National Assembly for Wales. My government
:07:59. > :08:03.will continue to make the case for Scotland to remain part of the
:08:03. > :08:09.United Kingdom. Let's stay at Westminster and speak
:08:09. > :08:17.to David Porter who is standing by an College Green. MPs have now had
:08:17. > :08:22.three hours to digestive what was -- to digestive what was in that
:08:22. > :08:27.speech. We are joined by three MPs on College Green to discuss what it
:08:27. > :08:34.means for Scotland, and indeed what it may or may not do to re-energise
:08:34. > :08:42.the economy. Joining me is Alistair Carmichael, the deputy chief whip,
:08:42. > :08:49.Angus Robertson, and Margaret Curran, for Labour. What does it do
:08:49. > :08:53.for Scotland? There are a number of very significant measures which
:08:53. > :09:01.application for Scotland. Reduction in national insurance contributions
:09:01. > :09:05.for employers, the green energy measures, they are directed and will
:09:05. > :09:11.have an impact in Scotland, and which are very good news, and should
:09:11. > :09:18.be welcomed by all parties. It is Westminster working with Scotland is
:09:18. > :09:22.the interference? Whilst obviously there are Bills which will be
:09:22. > :09:27.relevant to Scotland, there is also a massive tranche of business which
:09:27. > :09:33.has no relevance to Scotland. There are things we had anticipated being
:09:33. > :09:36.there, and which were not there. The pledge to live up to a 40 year
:09:36. > :09:44.promised to support international development targets, that was not in
:09:45. > :09:49.the Queens speech, and is not being enshrined in law. -- Queen's speech.
:09:49. > :09:53.What people were looking out for was whether there was going to be a
:09:54. > :09:57.really serious effort to try and boost economic growth. Whilst there
:09:57. > :10:01.may be some measures, and there are always some good things, with things
:10:01. > :10:06.that are less than perfect, I didn't see anything which is really going
:10:06. > :10:12.to make a difference, and get us out of this. They have a fetish with
:10:12. > :10:14.austerity. A lot of people will have been looking for that, and we have
:10:14. > :10:24.not seen any major measures which are going to change that. We will
:10:24. > :10:24.
:10:24. > :10:28.come to the economy, to you regard it as a missed opportunity? Elect
:10:28. > :10:34.the people of Scotland down, it does not address the real circumstances
:10:34. > :10:40.of families in Scotland, and also Briton, who are struggling, nothing
:10:40. > :10:48.with the economy, nothing to help of the cost of living, nothing to get
:10:48. > :10:54.the economy going. Escarpment has run out of ideas, there are some
:10:54. > :10:57.good things, but nothing that addresses the scale of the
:10:57. > :11:05.challenge. We need intervention and change from the government, they do
:11:05. > :11:11.not get it, they do not understand what is happening in the country.
:11:11. > :11:13.This is pretty desperate staff, if you could re-energise the economy, I
:11:13. > :11:23.suspect that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling would have done
:11:23. > :11:27.that, and you would not have lost the election. -- desperate stuff. As
:11:27. > :11:30.for overseas spending, that was in the budget, we don't need a Bill to
:11:30. > :11:39.do that. We are doing the things that they always speak about, but
:11:39. > :11:43.did not achieve. Think about the difference that is going to be there
:11:43. > :11:53.for pensioners. A single tier pension, eradicating where the
:11:53. > :11:53.
:11:53. > :11:56.biggest issues of pension and fairness. -- unfairness. The issue
:11:56. > :11:59.of people who took time out of their career to look after children, I
:12:00. > :12:06.thought they would have been pleased to see that. We need intervention
:12:06. > :12:10.now. They're going to be getting help of their childcare as well.
:12:10. > :12:14.this is worthy of discussion, I would note that the briefing from
:12:14. > :12:19.the government, the main issue they are trying to get across is dog and
:12:19. > :12:24.whistle about immigration. This is what is being spun to the London
:12:24. > :12:27.based media, and shows a rather nasty turn from the government, and
:12:27. > :12:31.I'm sorry the Liberal Democrats are supporting it. They are looking to
:12:32. > :12:36.stave off the threat from the right, and what UKIP are saying.
:12:36. > :12:41.That is a very unfortunate move from the government. Of course, you need
:12:41. > :12:47.to deal with immigration, I would suggest that getting rid of European
:12:47. > :12:50.arrest warrant is not the way of dealing with it, but what is being
:12:51. > :13:00.briefed down here as being at the centre of the speech, relates to
:13:01. > :13:01.
:13:01. > :13:05.immigration, not the economy. argument what -- which is worrying
:13:05. > :13:11.people is the economy, of course we need debate on immigration, but we
:13:11. > :13:14.need action now, and that is where the government is failing. We have
:13:14. > :13:18.17,000 people out of work, we need to do things for them, we have
:13:18. > :13:28.people being crippled by energy bills, there are food banks being
:13:28. > :13:29.
:13:29. > :13:34.opened or over my decision when C. I will -- all over my constituency. I
:13:34. > :13:39.will visit another one this week. need to offer an apology, what she
:13:39. > :13:44.said earlier was desperate, I had not heard Angus 's last immigration
:13:44. > :13:49.intervention. We have not published any Wallasey, we are just saying
:13:49. > :13:57.that there is going to be an immigration bill coming in. If there
:13:57. > :14:07.is dog and whistle politics being spun, it is from them over there.
:14:07. > :14:08.
:14:08. > :14:12.The government policy has a lot of support? He is totally relaxed, I'm
:14:12. > :14:18.reflecting on the briefing that is going on within the UK government, I
:14:18. > :14:22.reflect it is happening within a week of the Tories bleeding support
:14:22. > :14:26.to UKIP, and these things are connected. Perhaps everything in the
:14:26. > :14:30.proposals is fantastic, that is not what is in the centre of the
:14:30. > :14:35.briefing at the present time. As is always the case with a Queen's
:14:35. > :14:39.speech, there are things that emerge which are not bad, there are things
:14:39. > :14:43.which emerge that are truly awful, it always takes time to these things
:14:43. > :14:47.to emerge. I think it is absolutely right to point out that in the real
:14:47. > :14:50.world, people are worried about the economy, about jobs, about personal
:14:50. > :14:55.finance, and I don't think the speech is going to deal with that.
:14:55. > :14:58.Commentators are saying that this is a Queen's speech that has very
:14:59. > :15:03.little to say about the big issues, a government only three years into
:15:03. > :15:11.its business, with two parties, and they cannot come up with one decent
:15:11. > :15:17.idea to get the economy moving. They are in deep trouble. One question I
:15:17. > :15:20.want to put all three of you, some people have raised eyebrows at a
:15:20. > :15:25.speech so specifically pointed at the constitutional debate in
:15:25. > :15:28.Scotland. I think that is inevitable, we are
:15:28. > :15:35.just under 500 days from the independence referendum and the
:15:35. > :15:40.government here is taking the lead in terms of putting the real
:15:40. > :15:44.realities of what independence will mean for our currency and our
:15:44. > :15:50.dealings with the rest of the world under the sort of scrutiny that it
:15:50. > :15:54.cannot pay. You're going to see a lot of that for the next 12 months.
:15:54. > :15:57.Shock horror, Her Majesty's UK government run by the Tories is
:15:57. > :16:04.opposed to independence, while Her Majesty Boz Micro Scottish
:16:04. > :16:08.government is in favour. -- Her Majesty's Scottish government. I
:16:08. > :16:14.happen to think it is a tremendous idea that Scotland becomes a normal
:16:14. > :16:20.country, instead of... Parliament not in our country making decisions
:16:20. > :16:24.about Scotland - that is not normal. The fact that the Tories, the
:16:24. > :16:29.Liberals and their friends in labour are opposed to Scotland making all
:16:29. > :16:32.big decisions is no surprise. I think when we move beyond these
:16:32. > :16:36.platitudes and get into the details, the SNP are really
:16:36. > :16:41.struggling and it is a sign of how important this is. I am really
:16:41. > :16:46.looking forward to the next 500 days to get the details out, and as is
:16:46. > :16:48.evident, the polls will stay where they are and there will be a big
:16:48. > :16:54.rejection of Scottish independence because they cannot withstand
:16:54. > :16:58.scrutiny. We will leave it there, thank you
:16:59. > :17:02.very much. I don't think you will be very surprised, Andrew, when I say
:17:02. > :17:06.that this lot will carry on talking until the end of the programme, we
:17:06. > :17:10.will have more discussion in the days and weeks to come.
:17:10. > :17:15.More of it in just a moment, but first at Holyrood this week, Labour
:17:15. > :17:21.have chosen to focus on childcare. It came up during the Queen's Speech
:17:21. > :17:24.and during the SNP Party conference and labour's conference. Alex
:17:24. > :17:28.Salmond said a transformational shift towards childcare should be
:17:28. > :17:33.one of the tasks in an independent Scotland. Meanwhile, to one Lamont
:17:33. > :17:38.said she wanted to meet the First Minister to discuss childcare,
:17:38. > :17:42.saying Scotland Boz Micro greatest -- Johann Lamont said she wanted to
:17:42. > :17:49.meet the First Minister, saying Scotland's people are its greatest
:17:49. > :17:52.risk -- resource. With those who have expertise in the
:17:52. > :17:56.delivery of childcare and the knowledge and understanding of
:17:56. > :17:59.working with children. We need to engage with those who have
:17:59. > :18:03.responsibility for delivery and we should not be too big to admit
:18:03. > :18:08.that, individually, we do not have all the answers or that there are
:18:09. > :18:12.others who may know better. We need to engage with those who know what
:18:12. > :18:17.they are talking about. Above all, we need to work out how much this
:18:17. > :18:26.would cost and where the money would come from. That is why Johann Lamont
:18:26. > :18:28.has offered to work with the First Minister, but I don't think that
:18:28. > :18:32.offer should be restricted to just the SNP and Scottish Labour. There
:18:32. > :18:37.are practical things we can do know if there is the will across the
:18:37. > :18:42.political spectrum. We do not need to wait until 2014 or 2016. I accept
:18:42. > :18:47.that, if we are to make a long-term difference, we need to start working
:18:47. > :18:50.together now and not delay while Scottish families struggle. I don't
:18:50. > :18:56.mean any disrespect to the quintal of economic advisers when I say that
:18:56. > :18:59.I don't think they are best placed to come up with a practical model of
:18:59. > :19:05.computing to Tokyo delivery. -- the Council of economic advisers. They
:19:05. > :19:10.may be experts in the economy, but we need the expertise of those it --
:19:10. > :19:13.who educate and work with children. There is one thing I agree with in
:19:13. > :19:18.the Scottish government amendment, and that is that we need to look at
:19:18. > :19:24.the best models of delivery and funding for Scotland. That is why I
:19:24. > :19:28.appeal, even at this late stage, to the Scottish government to withdraw
:19:28. > :19:33.its amendment. Let us work together, let us put aside our differences.
:19:33. > :19:37.Let us agree to share the knowledge and expertise from the political
:19:38. > :19:42.spectrum, but also from the professional spectrum. Let us agree,
:19:42. > :19:47.for once, to put those Party political differences aside. Let us
:19:47. > :19:54.work together to come up with affordable, flexible, quality
:19:54. > :19:59.childcare that puts families -- that families in Scotland want and need.
:19:59. > :20:04.Let's put Scotland first. Thank you. I know call on Eileen Campbell to
:20:04. > :20:09.speak on the movement. Seven minutes, please.
:20:09. > :20:13.Thank you, and I want to start by welcoming the Labour motion within
:20:13. > :20:17.the plans on the children and young people build to increase the
:20:17. > :20:23.childcare entitlement to a minimum of 600 hours per year. I also
:20:23. > :20:26.welcome the desire to work on cross Party lines. I recognise that Johann
:20:26. > :20:32.Lamont is to meet the First Minister in the near future to discuss
:20:32. > :20:36.childcare. We all recognise that high quality childcare has a vital
:20:36. > :20:41.role to play, both for children's social, emotional and cognitive
:20:41. > :20:45.development, and for parents to seek -- seeking to balance childcare with
:20:45. > :20:50.work, education and training. It has profound implications for
:20:50. > :20:56.Scotland's economy. Our provisions within the children and young people
:20:56. > :21:01.build to increase early childcare for three and four-year-olds as well
:21:01. > :21:07.as the most vulnerable to your notes to a minimum of 600 hours per year
:21:07. > :21:12.represents a significant step. -- most vulnerable to-year-olds. It
:21:12. > :21:16.will meet the needs of all children, their parents and their families.
:21:16. > :21:22.Our commitment to legislate for 600 hours represents significant
:21:22. > :21:27.progress since 2007. This progress is an important component in our
:21:28. > :21:32.efforts to maximise household budgets to benefit the economic and
:21:32. > :21:38.social well-being of Scottish citizens. Our ever -- efforts will
:21:38. > :21:45.benefit around 121,000 children and their families, savings equivalent
:21:45. > :21:48.to around �700 in childcare bills, adding 188 hours of early learning
:21:48. > :21:52.and childcare and increasing flexibility to ensure high-quality
:21:52. > :21:56.early learning and child care is delivered in response to local needs
:21:56. > :22:00.and choices for parents. This will improve consistency and lead to
:22:00. > :22:03.better outcomes for children and better meet the needs for parents,
:22:03. > :22:08.particularly mothers who want to go back into work, education or
:22:08. > :22:13.training. We are also trying to improve provision and help for the
:22:13. > :22:19.most vulnerable in society, exemplified by the extension of the
:22:19. > :22:25.childcare extent -- entitlement to two -year-olds, and those under a
:22:25. > :22:29.clear order who can make sure children remain looked after. Waited
:22:29. > :22:33.we -- we believe it is essential to focus our efforts where we can make
:22:33. > :22:37.a real and positive test -- difference. I no much has been said
:22:38. > :22:46.about the benefits of extending the entitlement to a wider group of
:22:46. > :22:53.disadvantage to-year-olds and the opposition has cited the statistics,
:22:53. > :22:57.but my reply is we are committed to building a high-quality system of
:22:57. > :23:01.early learning childcare to benefit the most vulnerable in our society.
:23:01. > :23:07.We must do that in a manageable and sustainable way, getting it right
:23:07. > :23:10.for every child and in an approach that is designed to secure better
:23:10. > :23:19.outcomes for every child. Failure to move forward on a manageable and
:23:19. > :23:22.sustainable asthmatic sustainable way would put children at risk. The
:23:22. > :23:26.risk of adverse impacts on our youngest children is unacceptable to
:23:26. > :23:32.this government. In England it is becoming clear that many experts
:23:33. > :23:36.have serious doubts about the affordability, practicality and
:23:36. > :23:40.effectiveness of the expanded funding entitlement so far and so
:23:40. > :23:47.fast, and yesterday the BBC reported a potential shortage of 65,000
:23:47. > :23:53.places for disadvantaged two -year-olds. A respected academic is
:23:53. > :23:58.editing the Scotland tomorrow and I hope to meet with her. An academic
:23:58. > :24:01.who carried out a review that informed the UK government's
:24:01. > :24:06.childcare strategy has now criticised that strategy and was
:24:06. > :24:09.recently quoted saying, trading staff to child ratios for hire
:24:09. > :24:13.qualified staff is nonsense. Watering down ratios will threaten
:24:13. > :24:20.quality. Childcare will be cheaper, but children will be fitting the
:24:21. > :24:23.Bill. This government will not -- children will foot the Bill. The
:24:23. > :24:27.First Minister has asked the Council of economic advisers to look at the
:24:27. > :24:30.best model of economic delivery and funding for a system of childcare in
:24:30. > :24:34.an independent Scotland informed by what other countries are doing. As I
:24:34. > :24:38.am sure all in this chamber are away, there are a range of models
:24:38. > :24:45.and provision -- one provision and funding, but our concern is what is
:24:45. > :24:47.right for Scotland and its people. I am delighted to see that the early
:24:47. > :24:55.learning and childcare strategic funding partnership and the care and
:24:55. > :25:00.learning Alliance have allocated 155,000, adding to the 1.5 million
:25:00. > :25:07.already allocated to LA learning and childcare third sector partners
:25:08. > :25:10.through the third sector early intervention fund.
:25:10. > :25:17.That was children's Minister Eileen Campbell speaking on the issue of
:25:17. > :25:23.childcare. Let us pick that up with Severin Carrell from the Guardian. A
:25:23. > :25:26.lot of politics about childcare. It was brought up at the SNP
:25:27. > :25:34.conference, Labour conference and into the's Queen's Speech, as well.
:25:34. > :25:40.A lot of people see this as important because childcare is all
:25:40. > :25:47.of the normal motherhood and apple pie politics. The difficulty for the
:25:47. > :25:50.Scottish government at the moment is that the UK government is producing
:25:50. > :25:53.specific finance proposals, talking about numbers of individual
:25:53. > :25:59.children, and Labour in Scotland are trying to push them very hard to
:25:59. > :26:03.bring forward plans. Alex Salmond has spoken about something as being
:26:03. > :26:08.an aspiration for after 2016 and Labour see that as political space
:26:08. > :26:13.to capture. They want to focus on the idea that domestic politics on
:26:13. > :26:16.Scotland is on hold because of the referendum. They are deliberately
:26:16. > :26:20.trying to capture this territory, talking about the childcare
:26:20. > :26:26.commission, trying to do it as an openhanded, cross-party, apolitical
:26:26. > :26:30.proposition. Alex Salmond is a clever operator. He will meet Johann
:26:30. > :26:33.Lamont to try and claw back some credibility, some control over this
:26:33. > :26:36.agenda. In some way, the Scottish government is probably going to have
:26:36. > :26:42.to move further than the wish at the moment.
:26:42. > :26:45.It is interesting, the attempt to form some cross-party consensus on
:26:45. > :26:49.this. Johann Lamont said she wanted to meet with the First Minister next
:26:49. > :26:53.week, I don't think that happened, but Hugh Henry was saying they were
:26:53. > :26:57.trying to achieve that and wanted to work together.
:26:57. > :27:02.Yes, we will see some movement, there is no doubt about that. It is
:27:02. > :27:06.an important topic. It allows Labour to start re-harassing this idea --
:27:06. > :27:12.rehearsing this idea they are concerned about the lives of
:27:12. > :27:16.ordinary dairy Scots. -- ordinarily Scots. Alex Salmond is smart enough
:27:16. > :27:20.to know there are some debates you need to take control of and this is
:27:20. > :27:24.very definitely one of those. It is also interesting because it
:27:24. > :27:31.almost helps real in someone in voters, particularly for the SNP,
:27:31. > :27:38.where there is a gap for the female support for independence and from
:27:38. > :27:41.men's support. Polls consistently show support is
:27:41. > :27:46.weaker amongst women for independence. Reporters are more
:27:46. > :27:53.concerned about the economy and their own incomes and how much money
:27:53. > :27:59.they had to spend. -- voters are more concerned. If you have
:27:59. > :28:03.questions about making it easier to a folder and making it -- dealing
:28:03. > :28:10.with issues that women are more concerned with, as a generality,
:28:10. > :28:14.than male voters are it is a push point, I think.
:28:14. > :28:18.Let's get some reaction now on the Queen's Speech from a panel of SMP
:28:18. > :28:24.-- MSP is at Holyrood. We have Scottish Conservative Jackson
:28:24. > :28:32.Carlaw, SNP's Stewart Motherwell -- Stewart Maxwell and James Kelly from
:28:32. > :28:35.Labour. First you, Jackson Carlaw, your colleagues at Westminster
:28:35. > :28:38.drafted the Queen's Speech. A lot of people are pointing out it is light
:28:38. > :28:42.on the detail, I government running out of steam.
:28:42. > :28:47.I think these things are said every year and sometimes we are all pulled
:28:47. > :28:53.the earth will shake after the Queen's Speech. Fundamentally, the
:28:53. > :28:57.government is continuing its approach to recovering the economy,
:28:57. > :29:02.and many of these bills will aid that process. As well as that, there
:29:02. > :29:05.are 15 bills, eight of them will apply to Scotland in total, five to
:29:05. > :29:09.some extent. There are some important measures, one I would
:29:09. > :29:12.point out is the pensions flat rate reform that will be a huge advantage
:29:12. > :29:16.to many women who have been prejudiced by the existing system.
:29:16. > :29:26.There are a lot of very important things in this Queen's Speech that
:29:26. > :29:27.
:29:27. > :29:29.will be part and parcel of the sustained recovery of the economy.
:29:29. > :29:32.Stewart Maxwell, that is the key point of the UK government, that
:29:32. > :29:35.they want to try and boost the economy and that is what this
:29:35. > :29:37.Queen's Speech is trying to do. I don't think it is, Jackson made a
:29:37. > :29:40.good job of trying to defend something that is... Apart from the
:29:40. > :29:44.main Bill, I don't think there is really any focus on the economy.
:29:44. > :29:48.What is most interesting is the bills that are not in it, many which
:29:48. > :29:53.were widely trailed and have been dropped. For example on minimum unit
:29:53. > :29:57.pricing which was supposed to be greed then dropped, plain packaging
:29:57. > :30:02.for cigarettes, and the legal commitment to 0.7% of GDP going in
:30:02. > :30:05.overseas aid has been dropped. Progressive measures have been
:30:05. > :30:08.dropped and panicked reaction to UKIP's success has resulted in a
:30:09. > :30:12.latch to the right with the anti immigration Bill.
:30:12. > :30:16.James Kelly, what do you make of it? I suppose the government is trying
:30:16. > :30:23.to legislate to boost the economy, which is something that the Labour
:30:23. > :30:26.government tried to do from 2010 onwards.
:30:26. > :30:34.It is pretty big stuff, what you have here is a speech crafted by
:30:34. > :30:38.David Cameron and his elite cabal of advisers, which does nothing for
:30:38. > :30:47.people throughout Scotland. What we needed was action on jobs, 200,000
:30:47. > :30:50.people in Scotland, 65,000 of them young people are unemployed. There
:30:50. > :30:57.should have been tougher action on energy firms to deal with rising
:30:57. > :31:05.energy bills. �300 per household since the last election. Not enough,
:31:05. > :31:08.in my opinion, pretty weak stuff. Jackson Carlaw, you are hearing from
:31:08. > :31:16.your opponent is what they are saying, let's pick up on this point
:31:16. > :31:20.about focusing on in immigration, we have heard that it is dog and
:31:20. > :31:27.whistle politics, a lurch to the right, is that what it is, or is it
:31:27. > :31:34.fair to have this so-called crackdown? We are getting used to
:31:34. > :31:37.Angus Robertson 's rant on everything. We're simply saying that
:31:37. > :31:40.those people coming into this country who use the National Health
:31:41. > :31:45.Service, or take up housing, are people who should be entitled to do
:31:45. > :31:49.that. There should be a proper process whereby the costs can be
:31:49. > :31:57.recovered. We want to see net immigration to this country for
:31:57. > :32:02.people contributing to the economy. We don't want it to be used by
:32:02. > :32:08.people who exploit human rights legislation. They are here abusing
:32:08. > :32:15.our particular systems and services available. It is not a widely
:32:15. > :32:18.encompassing Bill, it is one with sensible measures. I would be
:32:18. > :32:23.surprised if people don't see the common-sense on them. I was
:32:23. > :32:27.disappointed with Stewart Maxwell's reaction on minimum pricing, we have
:32:27. > :32:30.made clear no decision has been made. It only got through in
:32:30. > :32:33.Scotland because the Scottish Conservatives assisted, in the
:32:33. > :32:39.courts last week, it was the UK government which supported the
:32:39. > :32:46.action. Let's stick with immigration, Jackson laid out his
:32:47. > :32:50.defence of the policy, does that sound fair and sensible? Lutz of the
:32:51. > :32:58.talk sounds perfectly reasonable, and we want a sensible policy. We
:32:58. > :33:03.don't want people abusing the system the want a clear mechanism for
:33:03. > :33:07.removing them. It is quite clear that the highlight that this has
:33:07. > :33:11.been given in this particular Queen's speech, and the action from
:33:11. > :33:16.backbenchers on the issue of immigration is a reaction, a
:33:16. > :33:20.frightened reaction, to the UKIP success last week. It is a lurch to
:33:20. > :33:24.the right, an attempt to deal with the UKIP agenda. On this issue, the
:33:24. > :33:30.Conservatives are coming out and saying they want us out of Europe,
:33:30. > :33:40.it shows us the problems we face if people vote to stay in the UK next
:33:40. > :33:45.year. We want to deal with this far right agenda. James Kelly, it will
:33:45. > :33:50.be interesting to see how your colleagues react to the UKIP
:33:50. > :33:54.phenomenon, particularly in the South Shields by-election. Labour
:33:54. > :33:59.may have to react. Do you think your party will support these proposals
:33:59. > :34:03.put forward by the UK government? think what you have here on you have
:34:03. > :34:09.a government reacting to the loss of hundreds of Conservative council
:34:09. > :34:13.seats on Thursday, I don't think that is the way that a Queen's
:34:13. > :34:20.speech should be crafted, it should be looking on the issues on the
:34:20. > :34:24.ground, getting the economy going, and helping working families. On the
:34:24. > :34:30.specific issue of immigration, we need a balanced policy, and we
:34:30. > :34:34.should be looking at firms who are using immigrants and not paying the
:34:34. > :34:39.minimum wage, that should not be allowed. We should take strong
:34:40. > :34:42.measures to act against that. Ultimately the balance of any
:34:42. > :34:50.Queen's speech should reflect the feelings of the country at the
:34:50. > :34:55.time, and the country needs action on jobs and the economy.
:34:55. > :35:05.immigration, what about limiting access to the NHS? I don't think
:35:05. > :35:09.that any measures which are drafted over the weekend should be done,
:35:09. > :35:13.they should be looked at very closely. That is the feeling of
:35:13. > :35:19.people in my constituency, we should be pushing against immigrants in
:35:19. > :35:24.such a fashion. We want people to have proper access to services, and
:35:24. > :35:27.they contribute properly in the tax system, and they should be looked
:35:27. > :35:35.after if they are proper citizens in the country. It is about respect, we
:35:35. > :35:44.need to remember that. Thank you very much joining me.
:35:44. > :35:50.Experts who have been reviewing patients access to medicine are
:35:50. > :35:57.calling for a new fund. They warned the health committee in singling out
:35:57. > :36:05.cancer from other elements. They urge cross-party talks. I have very
:36:05. > :36:09.much enjoyed looking carefully at the consortium, I highlighted in my
:36:09. > :36:15.report what I regarded as the characteristics of an ideal
:36:15. > :36:21.appraisal process. The timeliness which is very relevant to the speed
:36:21. > :36:24.in which Scotland assesses drugs. The relevance and the in-depth
:36:24. > :36:32.nature of the usability of information, the efficiency of the
:36:32. > :36:37.process which I looked at carefully, and particularly the elements of the
:36:37. > :36:42.process, which I was satisfied was very independent. My conclusion is
:36:42. > :36:48.that the process that Scotland news is to appraise new drugs is a very
:36:48. > :36:53.good one, and one which Scotland should be proud of. My
:36:53. > :36:58.recommendations relate largely to trying to increase the transparency
:36:58. > :37:04.of the process so that all those involved in the process who have an
:37:04. > :37:09.interest in the outcome are able to see the qualities of the process
:37:09. > :37:15.that Scotland uses. Many of my recommendations are about tightening
:37:15. > :37:20.up and improving what is there already, and essentially asking for
:37:20. > :37:30.more transparency, and public reporting, in some cases
:37:30. > :37:32.
:37:33. > :37:36.involvement. I was also very struck by the original recommendations to
:37:36. > :37:46.the committee which started this process. The particular plight of
:37:46. > :37:51.those patients who suffer from very rare diseases. For whom, very few
:37:51. > :37:57.medicines have been recommended. Even though they might be effective
:37:57. > :38:04.in many instances. That is why I made an interim recommendation about
:38:05. > :38:13.the establishment of a rare medicines and diseases fund. I very
:38:13. > :38:20.much welcome what you have said about the orphan, and ultra-orphan
:38:20. > :38:30.diseases, and the setting up of fund. Beyond that, many patients,
:38:30. > :38:32.
:38:32. > :38:35.and many collisions who are involved -- many clinicians who are involved
:38:35. > :38:44.want to see a fund established, and we have one established, that is
:38:44. > :38:51.excellent. Do you think there is any case made for setting up a fund for
:38:51. > :39:01.patients to get access to cancer medicines? Although they may not be
:39:01. > :39:04.
:39:04. > :39:11.cost-effective. Obviously not part of the process, that I have real
:39:11. > :39:15.concerns about identifying any particular condition of another in
:39:15. > :39:24.relation to making access to medicines. I think rarity of disease
:39:24. > :39:32.is another issue, and somebody -- and some of the indications are for
:39:32. > :39:37.very small groups of individuals, which could shorten the life, it is
:39:38. > :39:45.fair that all serious conditions be given the same opportunities as say
:39:45. > :39:48.cancer, which is clearly one of those. I would like the political
:39:48. > :39:54.parties to work together to find a pragmatic approach to facilitate a
:39:54. > :39:57.shared understanding and support in the need to ensure the best possible
:39:57. > :40:04.outcomes for patients and clinicians in this challenging environment,
:40:04. > :40:10.whilst meeting our responsibilities to patients and the public, to issue
:40:10. > :40:14.this -- to achieve this in the timescale recommended. Moving
:40:14. > :40:18.forward, we will not take any decisions on this report until we
:40:18. > :40:24.have seen and considered the recommendations from this
:40:25. > :40:28.committee. We will then engage in a period of public consultation, with
:40:28. > :40:33.the objectives of trying to get cross-party agreement and consensus
:40:33. > :40:38.on the way forward in dealing with this difficult issue. If we can take
:40:38. > :40:43.it out of party politics, I believe that will be to everybody 's
:40:43. > :40:47.benefit. Let's have a final chat with Severin
:40:47. > :40:56.Carrell. Interesting to hear that, cancer drugs other very emotive
:40:56. > :41:02.issue. This must be one of the worst subject ever? Choosing who gets
:41:03. > :41:08.medicine, and who gets less, it is very difficult. I would not want to
:41:08. > :41:14.be the person making the choices. Which diseases are more important
:41:14. > :41:17.and gets greater priority? The experts are probably right, the
:41:17. > :41:20.fight against cancer is something that everyone would agree is
:41:20. > :41:27.important, there are many other diseases out there which are buried
:41:27. > :41:32.the ability to -- which are buried ability, and need looking at.
:41:32. > :41:38.have spent a large portion of the programme talking about the Queen 's
:41:38. > :41:43.speech, the next big set piece in Westminster is the spending review,
:41:44. > :41:47.and we will see some drastic cuts? You may argue that today 's speech
:41:47. > :41:53.is the calm before the storm, the next spending review is going to
:41:53. > :41:58.produce some very deep cuts, in defence and other areas. We know the
:41:58. > :42:03.UK government are seeking more cuts in their overall spending,
:42:03. > :42:07.protecting health and education. Other departments I going to have to
:42:07. > :42:17.take deep cuts. I go back to Angus Robertson, the austerities lettuce,
:42:17. > :42:21.
:42:22. > :42:26.that is going to be part of the new dynamic. -- austerity fetish. The
:42:26. > :42:29.pro-independence movement are going to latch onto economic thinking,
:42:29. > :42:33.spending plans, and contrast what the coalition are seeking to do with
:42:33. > :42:39.what they would hope they can do, where Scotland to become
:42:39. > :42:44.independent. It will be a crucial period. One piece of news today, the
:42:44. > :42:52.Aberdeen by-election, that has been announced, the 20th of June? One
:42:52. > :43:01.wisecrack on Twitter, interesting that Alex Bergersen resigned today
:43:01. > :43:11.so he could stand? I'm not sure he could even win that. A majority of
:43:11. > :43:11.
:43:11. > :43:18.7000, it seems very safe. It is a hard land for the Scottish National
:43:18. > :43:22.party, their counters will feel fairly secure. -- their candidates
:43:22. > :43:29.will feel very secure. It will be interesting to see how Labour fight
:43:29. > :43:33.this one. They will try and rode the majority, that to win the seat will
:43:33. > :43:37.be eight tall order. Thank you for coming in.
:43:37. > :43:44.That is all we have time for this week, join me again at the same time