:00:21. > :00:30.All are welcome to the Scottish parliament here at Holyrood. Wide
:00:31. > :00:38.range of controversies for a MSP is to question the First Minister. It
:00:39. > :00:42.could be historical allegations regarding football. Let crossed to
:00:43. > :01:03.the chamber. The personal literacy programme is
:01:04. > :01:13.something the Cabinet sector a has said will be looked at. MSP is from
:01:14. > :01:18.across the chamber are allowed to ask questions on a range of topics
:01:19. > :01:22.before the First Minister takes questions from opposition leaders
:01:23. > :01:28.and MSP is. In terms of questions to Nicola Sturgeon this week, we know
:01:29. > :01:35.she will be asked about fuel poverty, death by dangerous driving,
:01:36. > :01:38.about loneliness for older people and economic growth forecasting.
:01:39. > :01:44.These are some of the topics which have been flagged up in advance.
:01:45. > :01:49.Opposition leaders give very little away in the questions the register.
:01:50. > :01:53.Ruth Davidson will ask what engagements the First Minister has
:01:54. > :02:00.planned for the rest of the day. Cassia Dugdale will ask what
:02:01. > :02:06.engagements she has planned for the rest of the week. There are some
:02:07. > :02:15.visitors in the public gallery is. Including members of a group from a
:02:16. > :02:22.school. There are some in the VIP gallery. To ask the First Minister
:02:23. > :02:37.what engagements she has planned for the rest of the day. Engagements to
:02:38. > :02:47.take forward its issues for the people of Scotland. Thank you for
:02:48. > :02:50.your comments about Alex Johnson. He would not want me to stand up to
:02:51. > :02:56.talk about him. He would want me to get stuck in to questioning the
:02:57. > :03:12.record of this government. After a decade of Scottish control -- SNP
:03:13. > :03:16.control over education, the worst results have been published. Who
:03:17. > :03:25.does she blame? Us or the Labour Party? In Alex Johnson's passing,
:03:26. > :03:29.this Parliament has missed one of its greatest personalities. All of
:03:30. > :03:34.our thoughts are with his family. And indeed his colleagues. I take
:03:35. > :03:37.responsibility on behalf of the Scottish Government for the
:03:38. > :03:44.performance of Scottish education. If anyone thinks I will stand here
:03:45. > :03:48.today and giving excuses, they are wrong. There is evidence I can cite
:03:49. > :03:50.about Scottish education, but I will not do that because the results of
:03:51. > :03:56.the survey earlier this week are not where I want us to be. They are not
:03:57. > :04:00.good enough. I am determined we take the action that will lead to
:04:01. > :04:06.improvement. The only thing I will say about them, and this is a
:04:07. > :04:13.contextual point, and I say it simply because this survey was
:04:14. > :04:19.carried out from a sample one and a half years ago. That was the same
:04:20. > :04:25.time there was a survey to prompt the programme of reform. That is
:04:26. > :04:34.firmly based on advice given to us by the OECD. I am determined we move
:04:35. > :04:39.forward with reform and that will lead to the improvements in Scottish
:04:40. > :04:45.education all of us want to see. The answer there was the same as the
:04:46. > :04:50.answer always seems to be, don't worry, bear with us and it will all
:04:51. > :04:57.seem to be fine. It is a stuck record and we have heard it before.
:04:58. > :05:02.Fiona Hyslop in 2009, we are determined to release that train.
:05:03. > :05:08.The Minister for learning in 2013, I am confident we will see continued
:05:09. > :05:11.progress in future years. Last year, Angela Constance, regarding
:05:12. > :05:19.following literacy standards, promising she was the one who would
:05:20. > :05:30.sort things out. That went well. We have had ten years worth of promises
:05:31. > :05:37.from several SNP Education Secretary is. Is it a pass or fail? We have a
:05:38. > :05:42.record number of exam passes in Scottish education. That is a
:05:43. > :05:46.statement of fact. We have a higher number of young people going into
:05:47. > :05:50.positive destinations than was the case previously. I come back to the
:05:51. > :06:06.point I made earlier. The survey results are not good enough. I want
:06:07. > :06:10.to see them published at. The report that was published told us to focus
:06:11. > :06:19.on a number of things. It said we had to focus on closing the
:06:20. > :06:24.attainment gap. It told us to put in place a measurement system, so we
:06:25. > :06:30.established the National improvement framework. Initial beta at school
:06:31. > :06:35.level will be published next week. From next year, it will be informed
:06:36. > :06:41.by new standardised assessments. It told us to simplify the curriculum.
:06:42. > :06:44.John Swinney has taken action to reduce teacher workload, strip away
:06:45. > :06:50.bureaucracy, and allow them to focus on what you're doing. Is said that
:06:51. > :06:54.schools at the heart of the system, so the governance review is looking
:06:55. > :07:02.at how we empower schools. And lastly improve leadership. We are
:07:03. > :07:04.taking forward a new programme of developing new headteachers. These
:07:05. > :07:10.are hard, concrete, tangible actions. I know the opposition will
:07:11. > :07:15.want to criticise. I can have no complaint about that. What I think
:07:16. > :07:19.is most important now is we all get behind these reforms. These reforms
:07:20. > :07:27.that will lead to the improvements we want to see in Scottish
:07:28. > :07:32.education. Not even an attempt from the First Minister to defend her
:07:33. > :07:37.ministers' performance. Not even an attempt to. We're been warning about
:07:38. > :07:42.the state of our education system for years. She talks of a governance
:07:43. > :07:47.review to come, but we await the details. Given the evidence of this
:07:48. > :07:51.week, I think it has to go deeper. The single biggest education reform
:07:52. > :07:54.under this government has been curriculum for excellence. Nobody
:07:55. > :07:59.here can simply brushed aside the fact that since it has come in,
:08:00. > :08:04.standards have fallen. I am telling the First Minister today that our
:08:05. > :08:08.ongoing support for curriculum for excellence cannot be taken for
:08:09. > :08:11.granted. I believe this entire project should be put on probation.
:08:12. > :08:28.There is a simple question I ask in all sincerity. If standards are
:08:29. > :08:31.going down because of it, why are we sticking by it? The principles
:08:32. > :08:35.behind the curriculum for excellence are right. Unanimous agreement
:08:36. > :08:45.within the Parliament it is the right way, as it is in the teaching
:08:46. > :08:51.profession. These other words of Liz Smith on seventh December. Just
:08:52. > :08:57.yesterday. I believe curriculum for excellence is the right way forward.
:08:58. > :09:05.Ruth Davidson has rightly and understandably quoted today the PISA
:09:06. > :09:08.survey. Carried out by the OECD. We ask the very same organisation to
:09:09. > :09:12.review curriculum for excellence and they have says it is the right thing
:09:13. > :09:15.to do, but they have given us advice I have narrated in my previous
:09:16. > :09:30.answer about how we improve standards in our school. That is
:09:31. > :09:35.what we will continue to do. That was quite a selective summary of
:09:36. > :09:40.what the First Minister wants us to believe the OECD report says. Let me
:09:41. > :09:46.read out what it actually says. It says, we emphasise that this summary
:09:47. > :09:51.is not an evaluation of Curriculum for Excellence itself and indeed the
:09:52. > :09:57.evidence is not available for such an evaluation. Now, we have had all
:09:58. > :10:00.the while from this government bland platitudes. All the while those
:10:01. > :10:04.platitudes have been coming, standards have gone down. We have
:10:05. > :10:11.gone backwards in Reading, backwards and science, backwards in maths and
:10:12. > :10:13.this week the SNP, the First Minister's colleagues, told us that
:10:14. > :10:19.despite all the challenges we face right now, what would be good for
:10:20. > :10:23.Scotland is a constitutional crisis. It's not another constitutional
:10:24. > :10:28.crisis we need, it is a government that faces up to its failure is an
:10:29. > :10:33.tackles them head on. I asked the First Minister, what is more
:10:34. > :10:39.important? Picking yet another fight over the constitution, or picking a
:10:40. > :10:45.fight to improve our schools? I have to say, it may have escaped Ruth
:10:46. > :10:50.Davidson's notice, but the entire UK faces a constitutional crisis right
:10:51. > :10:56.now, being played out in the Supreme Court this very day. It is a
:10:57. > :11:02.constitutional crisis created by the European obsession of the
:11:03. > :11:08.Conservatives, the Brexit obsession. I will leave Ruth Davidson to the
:11:09. > :11:12.politics today. I want to get back to the important matter of Scottish
:11:13. > :11:17.education. I notice she didn't comment on the quote from Liz Smith
:11:18. > :11:20.earlier this week, where she said the principles behind Curriculum for
:11:21. > :11:25.Excellence are absolutely right. That is the view of the Tory
:11:26. > :11:29.education spokesperson. It is also my view and I think it is the view
:11:30. > :11:35.of most people across this chamber. What we now need to do is focus on
:11:36. > :11:40.implementing the recommendations of the OECD. Making sure we invest, as
:11:41. > :11:44.we are doing silk through the attainment fund, in raising
:11:45. > :11:48.attainment. Making sure we have more data available at school level about
:11:49. > :11:53.the performance of our schools. Making sure we take away bureaucracy
:11:54. > :11:59.and invest in educational leadership. These are the hard
:12:00. > :12:02.actions this government will take forward. That is what parents across
:12:03. > :12:12.this country have a right to expect us to do and we will do it. This is
:12:13. > :12:17.a sombre day for Parliament. On behalf of Scottish Labour, let me
:12:18. > :12:22.extend our condolences to the family and friends of Alex Johnson. Are
:12:23. > :12:28.proud and devoted family man, a great character and was respected
:12:29. > :12:32.widely across this chamber. Can ask the First Minister what engagements
:12:33. > :12:39.she has planned for the rest of the week. Engagements to take forward
:12:40. > :12:44.the government's plans for Scotland. Thousands of children attend
:12:45. > :12:49.football training stations every week. Young boys and girls wanting
:12:50. > :12:58.to emulate their sporting heroes. But football has become enmeshed in
:12:59. > :13:04.society's shame. Once again, people who were trusted to care for our
:13:05. > :13:16.children have been found to be abusing. People have come forward
:13:17. > :13:29.with the courage to speak of their abuse. Does she believe these abused
:13:30. > :13:35.people should have justice? Of course I do. These allegations
:13:36. > :13:39.sicken us. Enquiries must take place with the police. In order that
:13:40. > :13:44.anyone who has been the victim of abuse gets the justice they saw
:13:45. > :13:51.rightly deserve. What is being alleged is criminal behaviour of the
:13:52. > :13:59.most serious kind. The NSPCC have established a dedicated advice line
:14:00. > :14:03.for anyone with concerns relating to abuse in football. All agencies are
:14:04. > :14:07.committed to working with the police, to ensure any allegations
:14:08. > :14:16.are investigated properly and thoroughly. Anyone who has suffered
:14:17. > :14:26.abuse should get access to justice. We are all horrified by child sex
:14:27. > :14:30.abuse. But this did happen to ex-footballers. Yet we will not be
:14:31. > :14:33.able to bring their cases to the Scottish Child abuse enquiry because
:14:34. > :14:38.they were not in care when they were abuse. This is true for all those
:14:39. > :14:43.who suffered abuse in youth clubs, parishes or other sports clubs.
:14:44. > :14:48.Survivors groups have asked that the enquiry's remit be extended to all
:14:49. > :14:53.situations where a duty of care existed. Labour has backed that
:14:54. > :14:59.call. The growing tide of revelations from footballers adds to
:15:00. > :15:05.that demand. Will the First Minister reconsider the enquiry's remit? The
:15:06. > :15:10.enquiries that must take place now into the allegations that are being
:15:11. > :15:14.made about football or first and foremost police enquiries. What is
:15:15. > :15:17.being alleged is criminal behaviour. The police must investigate
:15:18. > :15:23.thoroughly and robust play. If I could turn to the question about the
:15:24. > :15:27.public enquiry into child abuse, I of course understand the motivations
:15:28. > :15:33.of those who now call for the remit of that enquiry to be extended.
:15:34. > :15:36.Kezia Dugdale is right to see some survivors groups have called for
:15:37. > :15:41.that happen. Others have said the do not wish to see it extended in that
:15:42. > :15:46.way. The government has given this issue the most careful
:15:47. > :15:52.consideration. The enquiry which is already the most wide-ranging public
:15:53. > :15:56.enquiry ever held in Scotland, deliberately focuses on in care of
:15:57. > :16:00.abuse that took place in institutions or other settings that
:16:01. > :16:07.had legal responsibility for the long-term care of children. In place
:16:08. > :16:13.of their parents. To widen the remit of that enquiry would mean that it
:16:14. > :16:17.would take perhaps many many years longer to conclude its
:16:18. > :16:21.investigations and would risk becoming completely unwieldy. And we
:16:22. > :16:26.would be at risk, I think, of breaking our word to the survivors
:16:27. > :16:30.of in care abuse. My view is we should allow the enquiry to get on
:16:31. > :16:36.with its job and we should allow the police to get on a third job of
:16:37. > :16:39.investigating allegations of abuse in football. As the police enquiries
:16:40. > :16:44.take their course, if it does emerge there are wider systemic concerns to
:16:45. > :16:46.be addressed, we would consider very seriously how that should be taken
:16:47. > :16:58.forward This is about a fundamental
:16:59. > :17:02.principle and she should look to Australia to see how it can be done.
:17:03. > :17:07.Survivors of child abuse deserve justice, and the wait for an enquiry
:17:08. > :17:11.has already been too long. This enquiry holds out the promise of
:17:12. > :17:15.justice, but in restricting just who and what will be investigated, it
:17:16. > :17:21.will deny their justice. As it currently stands, the enquiry is
:17:22. > :17:25.excluding the vast judge of people who were abused. First sinister, how
:17:26. > :17:32.can that be right? Please, think about. -- First Minister, how cannot
:17:33. > :17:37.be right? Think again. The government has considered this
:17:38. > :17:46.carefully, John Swinney considered this matter and it is something that
:17:47. > :17:51.it sticks in three, we have to have an enquiry that can quickly give
:17:52. > :17:56.survivors the answer is that they want to ensure that we want to learn
:17:57. > :18:00.the lessons that they want us to learn so we can see that that kind
:18:01. > :18:04.of in care abuse will never be allowed to happen again in Scotland.
:18:05. > :18:07.We should look at experience in other countries and also the
:18:08. > :18:12.experience in England about what could happen if the remote becomes
:18:13. > :18:16.too unwieldy. -- the remit. We have to take these issues into account
:18:17. > :18:22.and come to a balanced conclusion and that is what we are seeking to
:18:23. > :18:26.do. Any abuse, no matter who is the victim and where that abuse occurs,
:18:27. > :18:31.is serious and must be properly and fully investigated. There is a
:18:32. > :18:35.distinction, I think, in terms of in care abuse where the institution
:18:36. > :18:39.where the abuse happens was in place of the parent of the child and had
:18:40. > :18:44.legal responsibility for the long-term care of the child. We will
:18:45. > :18:48.continue to take these issues very seriously. And through all of our
:18:49. > :18:52.actions, whether through public enquiry or through the action that
:18:53. > :18:56.we support in terms of the SFA action and the action police will
:18:57. > :19:03.take to take that make sure that anybody who was a victim of abuse
:19:04. > :19:10.gets access to justice because they deserve justice. Ask the First
:19:11. > :19:17.Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the
:19:18. > :19:23.Greater Glasgow health board moving staff in my constituency which could
:19:24. > :19:30.you to eight closure -- lead to a closure of a minor injury unit in
:19:31. > :19:34.the west of Glasgow so constituents would have to go to the north or
:19:35. > :19:37.south. The Health Secretary had discussion this morning with the
:19:38. > :19:39.chair of the health board about this, the health board have
:19:40. > :19:44.announced that they plan to move some staff from the minor injury
:19:45. > :19:48.unit at Yorkhill to Queen Elizabeth as part of their overall plans for
:19:49. > :19:52.the winter period. The Health Secretary has spoken to the chair of
:19:53. > :19:56.the board this morning and he has given assurances that that move is
:19:57. > :20:01.temporary, to make sure that they are making better use of the expert
:20:02. > :20:04.nursing staff to help as many people as possible. The Health Secretary
:20:05. > :20:08.would be more than happy to discuss the issue in more detail with the
:20:09. > :20:15.member and have further discussions as required with the health board.
:20:16. > :20:21.To ask the First Minister what her response is to be an announcement on
:20:22. > :20:26.Tuesday of 270 job losses at a company in Romford chair, and how
:20:27. > :20:32.the government will -- Renfrew Shire, as these announcements follow
:20:33. > :20:39.recent announcement that other firms are moving out of Paisley? Because
:20:40. > :20:44.this -- the business ministers met with members recently and are
:20:45. > :20:47.convening a discussion in February to discuss the best way forward
:20:48. > :20:50.following the announcement, including the option of a task force
:20:51. > :21:00.which I discussed with Renfrewshire Council. In terms of Babcock, we are
:21:01. > :21:06.concerned to hear that they intend to consult on job losses, we know it
:21:07. > :21:12.is a difficult time for the workers at that site, Scottish pride are
:21:13. > :21:16.engaging with them -- Scottish enterprise are engaging with them to
:21:17. > :21:19.support all options to protect jobs and I would encourage the company to
:21:20. > :21:22.do all they can to avoid redundancies. In the unfortunate
:21:23. > :21:28.event that any redundancies proceed, we will make sure that the support
:21:29. > :21:35.is there to help workers affected and we will do everything we can to
:21:36. > :21:41.help in the circumstances. They are associate the Scottish Green party
:21:42. > :21:44.the remarks made about Alex Johnson, we have all enjoyed many debates
:21:45. > :21:48.with Alex over the years, enjoyed them not least when we disagreed,
:21:49. > :21:53.which, let's face it, was probably most of the time. But he always took
:21:54. > :21:57.that role in the spirit of good humour and respect and we will miss
:21:58. > :22:03.him. Can I ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next meet. The
:22:04. > :22:09.Cabinet will next meet on Tuesday. In February this year, I described
:22:10. > :22:13.Donald Trump as an arrogant and racist bully, and as a dangerous
:22:14. > :22:19.extremist. To be honest, I could have said much worst. The First
:22:20. > :22:23.Minister said she would use more diplomatic than which but she
:22:24. > :22:28.thought her views on Donald Trump were not materially different than
:22:29. > :22:31.our own. Now we need to work out how to deal with the reality that he
:22:32. > :22:36.will be the US president without denying what kind of person he truly
:22:37. > :22:41.is. And as he feels his team with powerful economic elite, white
:22:42. > :22:45.nationalist misogynist homophobes and now climate deniers, we must
:22:46. > :22:51.consider how our relationship with the US is going to have to change.
:22:52. > :22:54.That's the First Minister agree that the appointment of a climate denier
:22:55. > :23:03.who has helped the fossil fuel industry to undermine climate change
:23:04. > :23:06.policy to lead the EPA is sand and dangerous -- sad and dangerous
:23:07. > :23:10.decision as Bernie Sanders put it, to the US policy and the global
:23:11. > :23:16.climate agenda? I think we should challenge the views of anybody who
:23:17. > :23:20.denies science around climate change and I think it is really important
:23:21. > :23:24.that in this parliament, where we have shown a lead in years gone by,
:23:25. > :23:27.continues to take a leap in arguing the case for the action that is
:23:28. > :23:36.necessary to tackle Chuck climate change. Patrick Harvie asked me when
:23:37. > :23:39.the Cabinet would next meet, when we last met on Tuesday, we had a
:23:40. > :23:42.substantial discussion about climate change and plans for further
:23:43. > :23:46.legislation to toughen targets around target emissions and I'm a
:23:47. > :23:53.change so we should continue to lead by example. And all of this -- all
:23:54. > :23:59.of us should stick up for our principles, but also seek to work at
:24:00. > :24:03.protecting the relationship thing the peoples of Scotland and the USA,
:24:04. > :24:08.it is an important and long standard relationship of culture, family ties
:24:09. > :24:11.and business and I will continue to do what I can to make sure that
:24:12. > :24:17.relationship goes from strength to strength. Thank you. I look forward,
:24:18. > :24:21.as I am sure we all do, to the result of that Cabinet discussion
:24:22. > :24:25.and the First Minister at the weekend gave a more detailed speech
:24:26. > :24:29.on climate policy than I can remember before, so we all look
:24:30. > :24:34.forward to more progress on that at domestic level. But that
:24:35. > :24:37.relationship with the US, which the First Minister rightly says is
:24:38. > :24:43.important, if it is going to be of value to us all, to them and to us,
:24:44. > :24:48.surely it has to be with those state and city governments which want the
:24:49. > :24:52.US to continue to be a progressive force on climate change, and who are
:24:53. > :24:57.willing to resist the dangerous policies of the Trump regime once it
:24:58. > :25:01.comes into power? There are a range of climate change initiatives,
:25:02. > :25:07.individual statement and networks of city mayor to our adverts for this
:25:08. > :25:10.agenda. What action is the Scottish Government taking to make contact
:25:11. > :25:13.with those people who will be genuinely useful allies in an agenda
:25:14. > :25:19.climate change around the world and helping them to resist the actions
:25:20. > :25:23.of the Trump government? We are active in working with other states
:25:24. > :25:27.and regions, in fact the committee states and regions, that is the
:25:28. > :25:34.accurate title, we work closely with them, this time last year I was
:25:35. > :25:39.taking part in discussions with that group and within that group Scotland
:25:40. > :25:42.is seen as a leader. I think Patrick Harvie makes an important point and
:25:43. > :25:46.an accurate point that in the United states, much of the action that is
:25:47. > :25:56.required to tackle climate change not coming from Federal government
:25:57. > :25:59.but from state governor. We were being addressed by Leonardo DiCaprio
:26:00. > :26:04.at a recent dinner, I had the opportunity to meet with the man who
:26:05. > :26:08.runs his climate change foundation but previously was the climate
:26:09. > :26:11.change adviser to Governor Schwarzenegger in California, and
:26:12. > :26:17.some of the works at California is doing around clean green energy
:26:18. > :26:21.should give all averse a lot of calls for -- all of us a lot of
:26:22. > :26:24.calls for optimism. We will continue to work with the American is
:26:25. > :26:30.ministration in terms of these and other issues, but also with states
:26:31. > :26:34.and other regions across Europe and the wider world as well and as we do
:26:35. > :26:38.so, we will continue to make sure that we are taking the action here
:26:39. > :26:46.that is as genuine credibility as a world leader. He was a mischievous,
:26:47. > :26:50.humorous and engaging man, and I know that the whole chamber will
:26:51. > :26:55.miss Alex Johnson. To ask the First Minister what issues will be
:26:56. > :27:01.discussed at the next meeting of Cabinet. Matters of importance to
:27:02. > :27:07.the people of Scotland. Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Japan, South
:27:08. > :27:12.Korea, Switzerland, Estonia, Canada, Netherlands, Finland, Denmark,
:27:13. > :27:16.Slovenia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Norway, Austria, Vietnam,
:27:17. > :27:24.New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Russia, and France. Scotland used to
:27:25. > :27:28.have one of the best education systems in the world. Now we have
:27:29. > :27:35.dropped behind all of those countries. After ten years of SNP
:27:36. > :27:42.rule, we are not even as good as England any more. Scotland's
:27:43. > :27:46.children and teachers have still not had a proper explanation. So can the
:27:47. > :27:52.First Minister tell them what has gone wrong? I am not going to rise
:27:53. > :27:57.to the bait on the politics of this issue today because I think it is
:27:58. > :28:01.too important to all of us. As I said in response to an earlier
:28:02. > :28:06.question, I can point to much in Scottish education that shows
:28:07. > :28:10.improvement, whether that is exam passes, positive destinations or the
:28:11. > :28:17.evidence which is not yet going far or fast enough around the narrowing
:28:18. > :28:24.of the attainment gap. As I said, the outcome of the PISA survey is
:28:25. > :28:27.not good enough. I am not bitter right to the bait on the politics, I
:28:28. > :28:32.will continue to focus the government I need to take action on
:28:33. > :28:36.the position. That is why all of the action that I ran through in
:28:37. > :28:40.response to Ruth Davidson is so important, because that is what is
:28:41. > :28:46.going to make the difference in Scottish education. A -- out of what
:28:47. > :28:50.I talked about earlier, that is the most important thing, as well as
:28:51. > :28:55.keeping this government to account, it is the data which we will publish
:28:56. > :28:58.starting next week. For the first time we will publish data but us at
:28:59. > :29:04.local authority level but on a school by school basis. From next
:29:05. > :29:08.year, that will be informed by standardised assessment,
:29:09. > :29:12.standardised assessment that Willie Rennie has opposed at every turn so
:29:13. > :29:15.far in this chamber. So we will continue to focus on taking action
:29:16. > :29:18.that needs to be taken. We are serious about seeing these
:29:19. > :29:22.improvements made in the hope Parliament will get behind us
:29:23. > :29:25.because some of what we are going to do over the next period will be
:29:26. > :29:28.controversial. Some of that will run into real resistance and at that
:29:29. > :29:33.point I think it'll be interesting to see whether those the opposition
:29:34. > :29:39.parties are behind us on these things or not. You know when the
:29:40. > :29:43.First Minister accuses other parties of politics, it is because she had
:29:44. > :29:49.no answers and there have been no answers again today. Children have
:29:50. > :29:55.been denied the explanation as to why we are where we are. Why we are
:29:56. > :29:58.behind all of those countries. They deserve an explanation. And
:29:59. > :30:06.complacency has been losing out of ministers for a whole decade bust up
:30:07. > :30:11.Keith Brown said, we are now in an era when the performance of
:30:12. > :30:17.Scotland's peaches will be matched by the Scotland government. Angela
:30:18. > :30:22.Constance, the government's record is faster period. And the ever
:30:23. > :30:26.modest Microsoft live at a speech entitled Scottish education, from
:30:27. > :30:32.good to great. All of this while they provided over the worst result
:30:33. > :30:34.ever. While they sit round the Cabinet table blocking the
:30:35. > :30:42.transformational investment that our education needs. They preserve the
:30:43. > :30:44.reintroduction of Thatcherite league tables, the centralisation of
:30:45. > :30:52.education and 20,000 pages of guidance. So will the First Minister
:30:53. > :30:57.overrule all of these ministers, and invest the ?500 million for
:30:58. > :31:03.education in the budget next week as Mac?
:31:04. > :31:16.here is the real nub of the matter. Education is important. We are
:31:17. > :31:26.making sure investment gets to areas of greatest need. If Willie Rennie
:31:27. > :31:33.cheers to go and read the report, you will find in chapter eight this
:31:34. > :31:39.observation. While investment is important, it is not enough. The
:31:40. > :31:43.difference in PISA scorers in different countries is less to do
:31:44. > :31:46.with differences in investment, but more to do with differences in
:31:47. > :31:52.policies and practice. We will invest, but also make sure we carry
:31:53. > :31:58.forward the reforms to our school system required to be made. So far,
:31:59. > :32:03.every single one of these reforms we have brought forward, and we heard
:32:04. > :32:09.some of that they are, have been opposed by Willie Rennie. That proof
:32:10. > :32:13.of the pudding is in this. As we bring form the necessary reforms,
:32:14. > :32:17.will we have the support of this chamber? Will we have the support of
:32:18. > :32:25.opposition who are good at the rhetoric around this, but will we
:32:26. > :32:29.have the support when we do the tough things in education at need to
:32:30. > :32:46.be done. We will find out sooner rather than later. One of my
:32:47. > :33:03.constituents has been an outstanding leader of the scandal regarding the
:33:04. > :33:15.transvaginal review. There has been a replacement of one of the members
:33:16. > :33:21.of the review. Can the First Minister as sure as there has not
:33:22. > :33:29.been an interference? I received a letter from Shona Robinson, where
:33:30. > :33:35.she admitted that counterfeit material may well have been inserted
:33:36. > :33:40.into women, but the Scottish body have said that because I have been
:33:41. > :33:45.no adverse incidents so far, no further action is required. Surely
:33:46. > :33:49.it is not the Scottish Government's position is the fitting of
:33:50. > :34:03.counterfeit material is acceptable? This is an important issue. I credit
:34:04. > :34:09.the women who have bravely brought forward this issue. I am aware of
:34:10. > :34:13.the resignation of the cheer. An unfortunate development. I will look
:34:14. > :34:17.into these issues personally and I will write to Jackson Carlaw or have
:34:18. > :34:22.the Health Secretary do so, so we can give assurance this enquiry will
:34:23. > :34:32.conclude and whatever findings it publishes will be taken forward. The
:34:33. > :34:37.M H R A is an independent regulatory body. It is not under the
:34:38. > :34:45.responsibility of this Parliament. These are serious and painful issues
:34:46. > :34:48.for the women concerned. We want to ensure this enquiry concludes
:34:49. > :34:51.properly and any actions for the Scottish Government are taken
:34:52. > :34:58.forward, as people would expect. I will make sure we will respond in
:34:59. > :35:06.full with the detailed information that he is asking for. Contractors
:35:07. > :35:17.on the fourth crossing project are ripping off other tradesmen by up to
:35:18. > :35:23.?5 per hour. They are not paying holiday pay. Workers are being
:35:24. > :35:34.allowed on site without appropriate safety accreditation. Will the First
:35:35. > :35:39.Minister meet with me to discuss exploited workers. Those practices
:35:40. > :35:42.that are outlined, if they have been undertaken, are unacceptable and the
:35:43. > :35:46.Scottish Government would not tolerate that kind of behaviour. I
:35:47. > :35:52.am more than happy to ask the Cabinet said at a to discuss these
:35:53. > :35:57.matters with the member so we can take forward any action necessary.
:35:58. > :36:01.The Forth crossing bridge is nearing completion and it is an iconic
:36:02. > :36:08.structure. We all are huge debt of gratitude to every worker who has
:36:09. > :36:18.worked hard on that. We also will take seriously any allegations made.
:36:19. > :36:24.To ask the First Minister how much the Scottish Government has
:36:25. > :36:29.allocated to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency in this
:36:30. > :36:34.parliamentary session. ?130 million and by the end of this Parliament,
:36:35. > :36:41.we will have committed over ?1 billion to improve energy efficiency
:36:42. > :36:50.in Scotland's homes and improve fuel poverty. Figures are improving, but
:36:51. > :36:59.there is a great deal of work to be done. We have continually called on
:37:00. > :37:04.the UK Government to do more in response to above inflation energy
:37:05. > :37:09.price increases in recent years. I welcome those findings. Fuel poverty
:37:10. > :37:15.has fallen, partly due to the falling price of domestic fuels. But
:37:16. > :37:19.energy prices are higher in the Highlands and Islands, despite
:37:20. > :37:24.multiple requests for the UK Government to do anything about it.
:37:25. > :37:30.What more can the First Minister do to help low-income households with
:37:31. > :37:35.their fuel bills? There are particular issues in rural areas.
:37:36. > :37:42.The working group concluded recently. We will continue to take
:37:43. > :37:46.action regarding energy efficiency in our homes. We will continue to
:37:47. > :37:51.work with the energy companies to make sure there is a treatment for
:37:52. > :37:56.those on low income, for example I don't think it is acceptable some of
:37:57. > :38:02.the most vulnerable consumers on prepayment meters should be paying
:38:03. > :38:12.more. The Cabinet Secretary is convening a meeting next week. We
:38:13. > :38:17.will continue to take action across a range of issues, to make sure we
:38:18. > :38:24.continue to see the trend in the most recent figures will continue.
:38:25. > :38:32.Which is a reduction of people living in fuel poverty in Scotland.
:38:33. > :38:44.I met recently with the chair of the Scottish rural fuel poverty task
:38:45. > :38:48.force. He was keen to bring forward improvements for remote rural
:38:49. > :38:54.Scotland. What proportion of investments will the government be
:38:55. > :39:01.putting into tackling fuel poverty will be put into energy carer
:39:02. > :39:05.schemes? We will respond in full to that report at the start of next
:39:06. > :39:08.year. We will lay out the actions we will take regarding the
:39:09. > :39:12.recommendations. He raises an important issue and it is of course
:39:13. > :39:17.areas like that that we want to address with the funding we are
:39:18. > :39:24.committed to. More detail will be set out at the start of the year by
:39:25. > :39:28.the Communities Secretary. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish
:39:29. > :39:33.Government's position is on increasing sentences imposed by
:39:34. > :39:38.causing death by dangerous driving. Those who drive dangerously and kill
:39:39. > :39:43.people ruin lives, not just of those who die, but of their family and
:39:44. > :39:46.friends. The UK Government is currently consulting on whether
:39:47. > :39:53.courts should have increased power to deal with such offenders. Nothing
:39:54. > :39:57.can compensate for the loss of a family member, but increasing
:39:58. > :40:03.penalties may help discourage people from driving dangerously in the
:40:04. > :40:10.first place. This area of law is not devolved to Scotland. I would
:40:11. > :40:16.encourage all those with concerns to respond to the consultation. The
:40:17. > :40:29.four -- there is a campaign in a newspaper in Falkirk to end the
:40:30. > :40:37.loophole where I drink-driver often gets a shorter sentence where they
:40:38. > :40:44.flee the scene of the accident. It is a lesser offence to be charged
:40:45. > :40:48.with careless driving. It is important to raise awareness of the
:40:49. > :40:53.dangers associated with anyone driving a car dangerously. I think
:40:54. > :40:59.it is legitimate to campaign for tougher sentences. Sentencing is a
:41:00. > :41:04.matter for the courts. Some of the issues that the member has raised as
:41:05. > :41:11.part of the campaign from the newspaper in Falkirk are being
:41:12. > :41:14.looked at in the UK Government's consultation. I encourage everyone
:41:15. > :41:18.in this Parliament and across the country to respond to the
:41:19. > :41:23.consultation. I think there is a strong case to toughen up sentences
:41:24. > :41:28.available to the courts in these circumstances. I hope that is the
:41:29. > :41:34.direction the UK Government will take once they have considered the
:41:35. > :41:38.responses to the consultation. To ask the First Minister what the
:41:39. > :41:53.response is to the recent revised for cast for growth? It signals a
:41:54. > :41:59.weaker outcome for the Scottish economy than immediately prior to
:42:00. > :42:10.the EU referendum. This government's immediate focus is on seeking to
:42:11. > :42:15.safeguard Scotland's place in Europe and our position in the single
:42:16. > :42:23.market. Given that now every economic forecaster has revised
:42:24. > :42:27.their growth projections down words, will the First Minister order a
:42:28. > :42:32.review of the economic strategy published in March 2015 and the
:42:33. > :42:37.inward investment strategy published in March 2016, both of which were
:42:38. > :42:43.before Brexit, to reflect the challenging market conditions for
:42:44. > :42:48.our businesses? She raises reasonable points. We keep our
:42:49. > :42:52.economic strategy under review on an ongoing basis. Were looking
:42:53. > :42:56.particularly closely at some of the aspects of the economic strategy in
:42:57. > :43:00.light of Brexit and our budget next week will set out our plans to
:43:01. > :43:05.ensure Scotland is a competitive place to do business and we are
:43:06. > :43:09.focusing on growth in our economy. The skills and enterprise review is
:43:10. > :43:14.very much about making sure all of our agencies working in this area
:43:15. > :43:16.are working in a coordinated and comprehensive way to take forward
:43:17. > :43:29.the economic strategy. We will continue to review and keep
:43:30. > :43:31.under consideration that strategy, so we have the right measures in
:43:32. > :43:34.place. The economy is Secretary is happy to discuss this in more detail
:43:35. > :43:40.with members. How will making Scotland the most highly taxed part
:43:41. > :43:44.of the UK help our economy grow? I intend to make sure we have fair and
:43:45. > :43:53.balanced taxation for individuals and companies in this country. The
:43:54. > :43:58.Tories are imposing Brexit and deep cuts. We will balance all of these
:43:59. > :44:03.things in our budget. We will make sure we are focusing on growth, but
:44:04. > :44:08.also protecting our public services and the most vulnerable in our
:44:09. > :44:13.society because the Conservatives' policies are hitting the most
:44:14. > :44:16.vulnerable and making it harder to protect public services. Finance
:44:17. > :44:23.Secretary will set out our budget in the interests of Scotland in all of
:44:24. > :44:25.these areas. To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish
:44:26. > :44:35.Government can take in light of age Scotland's campaign to tackle
:44:36. > :44:40.loneliness over the festive season. It is especially heartbreaking to
:44:41. > :44:44.think at this time of year that many of our older neighbours will spend
:44:45. > :44:51.Christmas alone. On Monday of this week, I helped to launch the festive
:44:52. > :44:56.campaign. I would encourage everyone across Scotland to reach out to
:44:57. > :45:07.older people in their communities. We are setting up a national
:45:08. > :45:13.strategy to help tackle this issue. ?20 million currently supports seven
:45:14. > :45:18.projects regarding social isolation in older people. We cannot leave
:45:19. > :45:23.everything to government when personal neighbourly contact is
:45:24. > :45:26.important. Will the national strategy consider the isolation
:45:27. > :45:30.experienced by older people who may have a concessionary bus pass, but
:45:31. > :45:39.no transport let alone busses, particularly in rural areas, knowing
:45:40. > :45:43.that loneliness has serious implications for mental health,
:45:44. > :45:49.money spent here could be money saved in the NHS, as well as giving
:45:50. > :45:54.a greater quality of life. Will this have a place in that strategy?
:45:55. > :45:59.It is a pertinent point about the power of preventative spending, if
:46:00. > :46:04.we invest a small amount in these problems then we save money for the
:46:05. > :46:08.NHS, local authorities and others. She also raises important point
:46:09. > :46:13.about those living in rural areas, and for those living in rural areas
:46:14. > :46:17.those issues are often more acute. So in developing the national
:46:18. > :46:22.strategy that I spoke about, I can give them an assurance that we will
:46:23. > :46:27.consider all of those issues of cross government so we are as
:46:28. > :46:33.effectively as possible tackling those issues. That concludes First
:46:34. > :46:37.Minister's questions. A festive note for the conclusion
:46:38. > :46:44.but not particularly festive because it was dealing with loneliness at
:46:45. > :46:51.Christmas. Allegations about education and sexual abuse
:46:52. > :46:57.allegations in football. On education, both Ruth Davidson and
:46:58. > :47:03.Willie Rennie really went for it, and the 13 of the almost said, OK,
:47:04. > :47:08.hands up. -- and the First Minister almost said. This was bound to be
:47:09. > :47:13.the big issues for the opposition parties, the lowest rankings of all
:47:14. > :47:16.time in the PISA stats, international comparison of
:47:17. > :47:21.education level. And she had to take it on the chin. She had to say, we
:47:22. > :47:25.cannot defend it. She then went on to lay out some of the things she
:47:26. > :47:31.said the government had been doing to address these failings, because
:47:32. > :47:39.they reflect decisions for -- from two years ago. At that time they
:47:40. > :47:46.asked the lady for advice on what they -- the OED what they should be
:47:47. > :47:52.doing and they should get that. Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie said,
:47:53. > :47:57.repeating quotes from previous education secretaries and Ben Foster
:47:58. > :48:01.is saying it is good to be great, -- saying it is going to be great.
:48:02. > :48:07.Willie Rennie said that misses had been using complacency for a decade.
:48:08. > :48:13.-- ministers had been losing complacency. He had a point but the
:48:14. > :48:16.reforms that have been bought in have been backed by the opposition
:48:17. > :48:22.parties. And wasn't that a change. You heard John Swinney shouting,
:48:23. > :48:26.that is a change, and he is the Education Secretary. She indicated
:48:27. > :48:32.that might change, she has got to put it on probation. If this is the
:48:33. > :48:40.problem, how are we sticking with it? I am stuck with the remark from
:48:41. > :48:43.the First Minister when she said, yes, investment is important but it
:48:44. > :48:48.does not necessarily define the difference in those international
:48:49. > :48:51.comparison scores. The SNP want to put more money into education but
:48:52. > :48:57.there is not as much as they would like. That is why she is defending
:48:58. > :49:00.not going down that road by saying that investment is important but not
:49:01. > :49:05.the only thing. We need to find out what is going wrong here and put it
:49:06. > :49:12.right. Let's turn to the subject of the historical child abuse
:49:13. > :49:17.allegations connected to football, the First Minister was in a
:49:18. > :49:20.difficult dilemma coming to an enquiry. She is, they are serious
:49:21. > :49:26.allegations and we do not know how half far-reaching these will be. The
:49:27. > :49:31.Scottish Government is already conducting an enquiry into
:49:32. > :49:38.historical allegations for children who have been in care. Some
:49:39. > :49:50.survivors say that that should be widened out to include other groups
:49:51. > :49:54.who have been abused, that could be football clubs. But Nicola Sturgeon
:49:55. > :49:58.said not all survivors want that. If you expand the enquiry, it could
:49:59. > :50:01.take a long time to finish its work and a lot of the people who were
:50:02. > :50:06.abuse are quite elderly, and they may not live to see the results of
:50:07. > :50:13.that though justice could be denied for them. It is a difficult
:50:14. > :50:15.question. She said it was a primarily criminal question, police
:50:16. > :50:21.enquiries, but she left open the positivity that she might return to
:50:22. > :50:24.it. Her main defence of not going forward is that it was in the hands
:50:25. > :50:28.of the police and we knew that would be the case. But the fact is, she
:50:29. > :50:33.then said if the results of all of these police enquiries show systemic
:50:34. > :50:37.abuse, then we are not ruling out looking into that in the future. She
:50:38. > :50:41.was trying to say the particular issue with children who were in
:50:42. > :50:44.care, extended slightly to say, while they were in care, abuse that
:50:45. > :50:49.happened elsewhere, not necessarily in that setting, that has already
:50:50. > :50:51.been extended by John Swinney, she was joined to say that was
:50:52. > :51:00.particular because it was institution. For those who are in
:51:01. > :51:05.loco parentis. It was indeed, and I guess these fit for clubs, they were
:51:06. > :51:11.not in a position but I don't think just saying that will ease the
:51:12. > :51:19.consultant -- is the consent of parents who have sent their sport --
:51:20. > :51:27.recruit children for training. It is the national sport of Scotland.
:51:28. > :51:31.Kezia Dugdale was affected and effective today, she said, please
:51:32. > :51:37.think again. There was an accident plea to include this kind of abuse,
:51:38. > :51:41.boys organisations, scouts, Boys' Brigade, anything in that context.
:51:42. > :51:45.It is not difficult to have sympathy with that but we have already seen
:51:46. > :51:51.what happens when enquiries get out of control. Nicola Sturgeon cited
:51:52. > :51:55.the initial example. Or the Edinburgh trams or whatever. --
:51:56. > :52:03.Nicola Sturgeon cited the English example. We will talk to you again
:52:04. > :52:06.in a second. I mentioned the role of opposition, and both of the
:52:07. > :52:11.principal opposition leaders this week have been setting out their
:52:12. > :52:14.stall as to how they see the status of Scotland changing. We had a
:52:15. > :52:21.speech from Ruth Davidson earlier in the week and yesterday we had Kezia
:52:22. > :52:25.Dugdale on the idea of extended the scope of our situation changed to
:52:26. > :52:34.include English regions. Let's hear from the two of them. This is an act
:52:35. > :52:37.of union to save the union, I believe in the United Kingdom, I
:52:38. > :52:41.think it is the most powerful force to redistribute wealth and that is
:52:42. > :52:44.the argument I have always made. This is a chance to reform it for a
:52:45. > :52:50.new age and I think we should grasp the asked unity. Scott asked that
:52:51. > :52:55.after being in the pocket of yes or no, they want progress and change
:52:56. > :52:58.and they want change and this gives us the opportunity to bring our
:52:59. > :53:02.country together and I'm proud to advocate it. We know in Scotland, if
:53:03. > :53:06.you do not pick a proper efforts to bring the two sides back together
:53:07. > :53:12.after a referendum, divisions can stay there. I do not want to see
:53:13. > :53:18.that happen the rest of the UK as well which is why I am putting in
:53:19. > :53:22.the plea today to see if people are saying yes or no to come back
:53:23. > :53:26.together. As a country, as we are talking about Brexit, that we are
:53:27. > :53:30.using civil language so people in the rest of Europe, the other 27
:53:31. > :53:38.nations that will be sitting across the table from negotiating our exit,
:53:39. > :53:41.understand our position as well. Ruth Davidson and Kezia Dugdale are
:53:42. > :53:47.both making speeches in London, with those comments. Kezia Dugdale first,
:53:48. > :53:51.she was previously attacking the First Minister on sticking to the
:53:52. > :53:56.day job, some felt she was doing that quite effectively, why shift
:53:57. > :54:00.onto this constitutional ground? Because Labour is in a quagmire over
:54:01. > :54:04.where it stands on the constitution. It now looks more clear, it looks as
:54:05. > :54:09.if at long last, and this speech apparently had Jeremy Corbyn's
:54:10. > :54:14.approval, Labour would now seem to be officially a federal party,
:54:15. > :54:18.supporting a federal... He is not quite there, he is endorsing the
:54:19. > :54:23.convention but not official policy. The thing is that, people's
:54:24. > :54:28.convention, that smells awfully like long grass to me. I think a lot of
:54:29. > :54:31.people will think that. It is a good idea, it buys time, stops her having
:54:32. > :54:36.to characterise herself as a Unionist which Labour hate. But will
:54:37. > :54:43.there be anything in it? The crisis is now with Brexit. Not a few years
:54:44. > :54:46.down the road. It was a strategy not immediate policy, strategy just to
:54:47. > :54:50.get a card in the game. It is interesting, I think Gordon Brown
:54:51. > :54:56.has backed what Kezia Dugdale is doing. He was doing this and
:54:57. > :55:04.endorsing this prior to misses Doug Bell. -- to Kezia Dugdale. He has
:55:05. > :55:07.been talking for two years about reforming the constitution of the
:55:08. > :55:11.UK, and study as powerful and influential as Gordon Brown has not
:55:12. > :55:14.really managed to take that further forward. I do not know if his
:55:15. > :55:19.intervention will make much difference to the plight of Scottish
:55:20. > :55:23.Labour. Let's talk to Ruth Davidson, she said that she was trying to put
:55:24. > :55:32.aside the differences and bring about unity, some people said, hang
:55:33. > :55:37.on a second, the problem was caught in the first place by the
:55:38. > :55:41.Conservatives. She would say that. This is the mess of her party's own
:55:42. > :55:47.making. This was a mess born of David Cameron's confident that he
:55:48. > :55:50.could have a referendum safe in the knowledge that Britain would not be
:55:51. > :55:55.mad enough to vote for Brexit, now they have. And surprise, surprise,
:55:56. > :55:58.the language has become inflamed, I do not think anyone should be
:55:59. > :56:01.surprised by that. There will have to be reconciliation after that and
:56:02. > :56:06.that is true, but whether the Conservatives are the people with
:56:07. > :56:13.the moral high ground here, I am not so sure. She's also train to stress
:56:14. > :56:20.the UK damaging to this, preserve the UK damaging. She is, and after
:56:21. > :56:25.2014 when Scotland voted to stay in the union, since then politicians
:56:26. > :56:30.have been calling on people to heal the divide but now we have had the
:56:31. > :56:35.Brexit referendum and massive differences between Scotland and
:56:36. > :56:41.England. And that is only heightening the differences north
:56:42. > :56:53.and south of the border. You have the tribute from all of the leaders
:56:54. > :57:05.from Alex Thomson, this was him taking the oath in 1999, he was 38,
:57:06. > :57:08.he was here constantly until his death tragically very recently, he
:57:09. > :57:15.thought he had a problem with gallstones a few months ago and it
:57:16. > :57:19.turned out to be terminal cancer. The Book of Remembrance has been
:57:20. > :57:29.opened. He was resolutely Tory, union and and Scottish, what did you
:57:30. > :57:33.make of him? I think someone who was very much on the right-hand side of
:57:34. > :57:38.his party, but he had a great sense of humour. He always conducted
:57:39. > :57:48.debates in that style. And I think that made him quite likeable, you
:57:49. > :57:52.could agree with him but it was likeable. You could disagree with
:57:53. > :57:57.him but it was done with a smile. He was a big personality, he will be
:57:58. > :58:01.missed. Indeed, a big person in Parliament, and talking about him
:58:02. > :58:07.being on the right, he was the sole Tory voice on the welfare reform
:58:08. > :58:11.committee and the Conservatives at Westminster were pushing through
:58:12. > :58:20.quite controversial welfare reforms. The SNP and Labour were attacking
:58:21. > :58:23.them for those and Alex Johnson was the Parthenon committee to fight the
:58:24. > :58:30.fight for the Conservatives and stand there corner, he did that with
:58:31. > :58:36.character and robustly but that is why we have had quite warm tributes
:58:37. > :58:42.to him. Very warm tributes, he was a man of the north-east, from Lewis
:58:43. > :58:50.critics given country, and I remember are lying, he was a man
:58:51. > :58:59.rooted in the land, but it was never really for him.
:59:00. > :59:22.Oh, Walt. You got to call me Walt. Mr Disney was my old man.
:59:23. > :59:27.Enjoy four BBC films this Christmas on BBC Two.