:00:25. > :00:33.Welcome back to the Scottish Parliament. It is my birthday, I am
:00:34. > :00:37.allowed a certain latitude. It is the first session of questions to
:00:38. > :00:48.the First Minister. Let us cross to the chamber.
:00:49. > :00:52.Happy birthday. Welcome to this first edition of question Time. Food
:00:53. > :00:56.banks, broadband and budgets among the subjects that have come up
:00:57. > :01:04.recently as MSPs question area and of ministers on a range of topics.
:01:05. > :01:12.Ahead of the main event of the week, First Minister's Questions. He has
:01:13. > :01:17.his briefing book with him. We know he will be asked about how the
:01:18. > :01:24.government is handling perpetrators of serious sexual offences and
:01:25. > :01:28.budgets. To ask the First Minister what engagements he has planned for
:01:29. > :01:33.the rest of the day. Engagements to take forward the government's
:01:34. > :01:39.programme for Scotland. The Scottish Government's White Paper compares
:01:40. > :01:42.Scotland was my growth rate to a selection of independent countries.
:01:43. > :01:45.If over the past 30 years it was proved that Scots would be better if
:01:46. > :01:52.we had much the growth of those nations, is that a compelling reason
:01:53. > :01:56.to vote yes? The reason to vote yes is to mobilise the natural and human
:01:57. > :02:05.bees Aussies of Scotland to create a prosperous and just society. That is
:02:06. > :02:08.the compelling reason to vote yes. It is not the compelling reason he
:02:09. > :02:14.had in his own paper, that is interesting. In the White Paper it
:02:15. > :02:21.says Scots would be better off if you take the period 1977-2007. We
:02:22. > :02:26.asked the financial scrutiny units to look at the last 30 years for
:02:27. > :02:31.which figures are available. The same comparison, examined over the
:02:32. > :02:40.last 30 years, shows that each and every Scot would be nearly ?2500
:02:41. > :02:48.worse off. What did make the First Minister and pick the 30 year period
:02:49. > :02:57.from 1970s Aven- 2007 -- 1977 - 2007? Let us take the most recent
:02:58. > :03:02.figures, figures which are part of the statistics generally accepted,
:03:03. > :03:09.and that shows that over the last five years Scotland would be ?12
:03:10. > :03:17.billion better off if we had managed our own resources than been part of
:03:18. > :03:20.the London government. ?12 billion is a great deal of money. That could
:03:21. > :03:26.have been used to invest in the Scottish economy to promote Scottish
:03:27. > :03:32.jobs, to borrow less, which would have been a good thing, to start the
:03:33. > :03:37.proceeds of an oil fund like our colleagues across in Norway. To
:03:38. > :03:41.believe that these resources would not have been used to the benefit of
:03:42. > :03:46.Scottish society is the most extraordinary belief and as that
:03:47. > :03:51.information comes forward in the referendum campaign, and people will
:03:52. > :03:59.see the opportunity to create a more just society for an independent
:04:00. > :04:06.Scotland. That is so much noise because he did not answer the
:04:07. > :04:16.question I asked. With respect, his White Paper chose those dates. You
:04:17. > :04:23.should explain why, given so much of his prospectus is based on an
:04:24. > :04:25.argument which bears no scrutiny. The First Minister is asking the
:04:26. > :04:33.people of Scotland to trust his White Paper. It has, however, only
:04:34. > :04:39.one page on Scotland's finances and projects for just one year. It looks
:04:40. > :04:43.back to a period which favours the First Minister'scase went over the
:04:44. > :04:52.last ten years, 20 years, 30 years, the overwhelming evidence is we
:04:53. > :04:59.would have been worse off. He says, in his own words, we would be ?900
:05:00. > :05:08.better off but over the last 30 years by his own rationale the truth
:05:09. > :05:14.is we would be ?2500 worse off, and that is where there are figures.
:05:15. > :05:19.Where are the price tag on renationalised in the Royal Mail, on
:05:20. > :05:30.childcare or high-speed rail proposals? No one is suggesting
:05:31. > :05:33.these are bad things, even in the real world nobody is thinking
:05:34. > :05:39.childcare and the relevant are bad things, we do think we need to know
:05:40. > :05:44.how they are going to be for them. Every family in the country
:05:45. > :05:50.understands that. Do not just tell us what you are going to propose,
:05:51. > :05:57.give us just one of those price tags and let us see if that is real. No
:05:58. > :06:03.one would suggest that they were bad things. On the school meals bought
:06:04. > :06:11.earlier this week Labour would have voted against them anyway. Let us
:06:12. > :06:19.take any time period that she wants to take. 1980-2011, the UK has
:06:20. > :06:25.estimated a net fiscal deficit of 3.2% of GDP. Our students
:06:26. > :06:31.Scotland's resources, North Sea revenue, Scotland would run a
:06:32. > :06:38.surplus over that period of 0.2% of GDP. That is the year since 1980.
:06:39. > :06:50.The last five years I have already Gavin Joanne Lamont. It was ?4.4
:06:51. > :06:53.billion or ?824 per head, that is the amount would be better off if
:06:54. > :06:59.Scotland had been running its own resources. She says that she does
:07:00. > :07:04.not think that the White Paper is ambitious enough especially on
:07:05. > :07:07.things like childcare. It is ambitious because it wants to
:07:08. > :07:10.transform childcare in this country. That would cost in the
:07:11. > :07:16.Parliamentary term and hundred million pounds. White Paper argues
:07:17. > :07:23.that would, though it's because of the revenues that would grow,
:07:24. > :07:27.increasing the workforce by 6%. If we stay within the UK we will never
:07:28. > :07:33.be able to afford that because the money will go to George Osborne and
:07:34. > :07:38.he is not thinking of giving extra money to Scotland, like Margaret
:07:39. > :07:41.Thatcher before him he is working out how to take money away from
:07:42. > :07:51.Scotland. As long as nobody finds out. If we are to going look at the
:07:52. > :07:55.vote this week we presume that the SNP government did not want to see
:07:56. > :08:02.transformational support for childcare because they voted it
:08:03. > :08:06.down. Whatever figures see Quartz, he is now no longer defending his
:08:07. > :08:13.own approach which justified supporting independence in his own
:08:14. > :08:19.paper. I did not say that the paper was not ambitious enough, I said it
:08:20. > :08:26.does not match its claims with any figures to make it credible. He did
:08:27. > :08:34.not answer the question on prices. What the government cannot price the
:08:35. > :08:39.parliament can. 1.16 million pounds for the Royal Mail, ?1.2 billion for
:08:40. > :08:49.childcare and no explanation for how they will be paid for. The rail
:08:50. > :08:53.link, that cannot be priced. For those of us living in the real
:08:54. > :08:58.world, a shopping list without a price list is just a wish list. By
:08:59. > :09:04.the First Minister'sone figures, we would have even less money to spend
:09:05. > :09:08.on these things. The First Minister has asked for us to publish an
:09:09. > :09:22.alternative to his White Paper. Is it not the case that the real
:09:23. > :09:32.alternative is called the truth? Order. Let us try again. It outlines
:09:33. > :09:35.a transformation in childcare, 1100 hrs for three-year-olds and
:09:36. > :09:42.four-year-olds which will increase participation females in the
:09:43. > :09:47.workforce by 6%. We point out that that will release to the Scottish
:09:48. > :09:52.exchequer ?700 million because as people come back into the workforce
:09:53. > :09:55.they pay income tax and national insurance and VAT and that will
:09:56. > :10:00.accrue to the Scottish exchequer. At the moment it goes to London, which
:10:01. > :10:04.is why the fixed budget is difficult to afford these things. She should
:10:05. > :10:09.know that because she put forward an amendment which could not be
:10:10. > :10:12.afforded earlier this week. She put forward an amendment costing ?100
:10:13. > :10:18.million when there was not ?100 million available in either year for
:10:19. > :10:23.it. In order to try to finance it she said she would not go ahead with
:10:24. > :10:29.free school meals. She would deprive the people of Scotland of free
:10:30. > :10:34.school meals in primary one, two and three. I have not even mentioned the
:10:35. > :10:39.cuts in business rates but they were overtaken by a denial. That was a
:10:40. > :10:44.fundamental mistake by the Labour Party which will cost them dear. I
:10:45. > :10:49.accept when I look at the blank CDs of the Labour backbenches, how
:10:50. > :10:56.worried they were about the votes on Tuesday, let us have an impartial
:10:57. > :11:01.commentary. Scottish Labour leader still opposed the move on school
:11:02. > :11:06.meals. Labour find themselves opposing a move welcomed by just
:11:07. > :11:11.about anyone with anything to say about education and the eradication
:11:12. > :11:17.of poverty. They are at loggerheads with charities, the teaching union,
:11:18. > :11:29.Unison, not to mention the Child poverty action group. That is from
:11:30. > :11:36.the Daily Record yesterday. That sums up her something for nothing
:11:37. > :11:42.position. To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the Prime
:11:43. > :11:50.Minister. In Scotland, by the sound of it -- not in Scotland. He is too
:11:51. > :11:54.unpopular. I thought his performance yesterday showed a humour and
:11:55. > :12:01.self-deprecation that is wholly foreign to the First Minister.
:12:02. > :12:04.Perhaps he could take note. This week we learned that the head of
:12:05. > :12:12.historic Scotland left purple after 30 months with a ?300,000 payoff.
:12:13. > :12:16.This is a huge amount of public money and it comes straight from the
:12:17. > :12:22.Scottish Government's offers so can the First Minister tell me which of
:12:23. > :12:27.his ministers were such payment? The agreements in terms of compromise
:12:28. > :12:31.agreements are settled in the normal way by the civil service, they are
:12:32. > :12:36.not a matter of political discretion, they are a matter of the
:12:37. > :12:40.management of the civil servants. As with any other responsible
:12:41. > :12:44.organisation. I am certain she is not going to seriously argue that
:12:45. > :12:50.ministers should interfere in a political sense. I take it that he
:12:51. > :12:57.says that no Minister did sign of this deal nor should have, but why?
:12:58. > :13:01.The rules on this are clear. As published by the Scottish Government
:13:02. > :13:06.itself, the state, ministerial clearance must be obtained in
:13:07. > :13:12.relation to any high-profile cases. By any definition, a quango chiefs
:13:13. > :13:17.being given a ?300,000 payoff after just 2.5 years in the job is a very
:13:18. > :13:25.high-profile case and it is one of the long list of payoffs which has
:13:26. > :13:29.cost this country ?56 million in the last two years. The Scottish
:13:30. > :13:33.taxpayer is footing the bill for these extravagant golden goodbyes
:13:34. > :13:39.and they are entitled to some straight answers, so why? Why would
:13:40. > :13:49.be is not approved by government ministers? Who don't approve it? --
:13:50. > :13:54.who did approve it. Should someone who is leaving a job after 30 months
:13:55. > :13:59.be walking away with ?300,000? The settlement agreed by the civil
:14:00. > :14:02.service, the only justification would be if there was something
:14:03. > :14:09.seriously wrong with the process which had arrived at that.
:14:10. > :14:13.Ministerial intervention would be if there was impartiality. I take one
:14:14. > :14:18.point which may be illustrated the dangers of raising staff matters and
:14:19. > :14:24.personnel matters in this forum. There is a danger. She gave the
:14:25. > :14:30.impression the individual concerned had been in post for a short period
:14:31. > :14:32.of time and ignored the fact that she had been at work for a
:14:33. > :14:38.generation within the civil servants. You do not just look at
:14:39. > :14:45.the latest posting. That is why these decisions and agreements and
:14:46. > :14:51.compromise agreements are best done internally and whether it is
:14:52. > :15:02.ministerial intervention or from the opposition, that is not the way that
:15:03. > :15:04.such things should be conducted. The First Minister will be aware of the
:15:05. > :15:11.news that the ministry has been unable to find a buyer. As a result
:15:12. > :15:14.115 jobs are under threat including more than two dozen in my
:15:15. > :15:20.constituency. I would be grateful to the enterprise Minister for
:15:21. > :15:24.co-operation, but can I ask him to confirm that every effort will be
:15:25. > :15:28.made to give the staff affected the support they need and well he agreed
:15:29. > :15:32.to facilitate any reasonable bid today con some or all of the vital
:15:33. > :15:44.manufacturing roles currently based in Kirkwall. He is the answer is yes
:15:45. > :15:49.to both questions. Every effort will continue to be mobilised to get a
:15:50. > :15:58.more satisfactory outcome. Any concerns or ideas that he wishes to
:15:59. > :16:04.make, our door will be opened to these suggestions. The answer is yes
:16:05. > :16:12.to both part of his question. In the Herald today, we read the case of a
:16:13. > :16:18.consultant scientist at St John's Hospital. Doctor Hamilton talked
:16:19. > :16:22.about an attempt by her employers to gag her about the care provided to
:16:23. > :16:28.women in the unit in which she works. Doctor Hamilton has written
:16:29. > :16:34.an several occasions to the Secretary for health to examine her
:16:35. > :16:38.case, but this has been declined. Will he step in this case and
:16:39. > :16:45.condemn the use of gagging clauses for NHS staff reading concerns about
:16:46. > :16:53.patient care and safety? There already has been, this is the heart
:16:54. > :16:58.of the issue for people, and independent investigation into that
:16:59. > :17:04.unit. That was taken forward by the consultant psychiatrist at
:17:05. > :17:11.Nottinghamshire health trust. It was reported in 2012. I will not outline
:17:12. > :17:19.the full range of the findings, but I will say it was an extremely
:17:20. > :17:23.satisfactory report on that investigation. So there was an
:17:24. > :17:27.investigation that took place with a consultant physician of high
:17:28. > :17:36.standing, outwith the Scottish national health service. There was
:17:37. > :17:43.no evidence to support the allegations that the mother and baby
:17:44. > :17:46.unit were dangerous or unsafe. There has been an independent
:17:47. > :17:53.investigation. In terms of gagging orders, it should be understood, the
:17:54. > :17:58.Health Secretary has been explicit and wrote to health boards in
:17:59. > :18:02.September last year that confidentiality clauses are not to
:18:03. > :18:09.be used to suppress concerns about practising NHS in Scotland. It is
:18:10. > :18:16.important, I cannot comment on this individual agreement, but the
:18:17. > :18:22.explicitly referred to the protected issues. He is shaking his head.
:18:23. > :18:30.Unless he has seen that agreement, he should not dispute this. NHS
:18:31. > :18:38.Lothian has said protected issues as -- are explicitly referred to in any
:18:39. > :18:44.agreement. If that is the case, and that is within a compromise
:18:45. > :18:49.agreement, I am sure he will be satisfied. I will ask the Health
:18:50. > :18:52.Secretary to look, if he can, these issues are matter between the
:18:53. > :18:56.individual and the health board, to make sure there is such an explicit
:18:57. > :19:03.reference to what is protected by law in terms of what people can say.
:19:04. > :19:08.I hope he will be satisfied. I do not think he should dispute that,
:19:09. > :19:12.unless he knows that such an explicit reference is not contained
:19:13. > :19:16.within the compromise agreement. I asked the Health Secretary to check
:19:17. > :19:25.that matter and I will come back to you on it. To ask the First Minister
:19:26. > :19:30.what the Scottish government is doing to deal with perpetrators of
:19:31. > :19:35.serious sexual offences. We brought in the sexual offences act of 2009
:19:36. > :19:40.to modernise the lover Scotland. We have strengthened the prevention
:19:41. > :19:45.order and the risk of harm regime. The current criminal Justice Bill
:19:46. > :19:50.will seek to remove the routine requirement for corroboration. This
:19:51. > :19:55.is a particular barrier for the prosecution of sexual crimes. The
:19:56. > :20:00.Crown office has developed a team of expert prosecutors who specialise in
:20:01. > :20:04.the investigation and prosecution of serious sexual crimes in Scotland.
:20:05. > :20:13.Police Scotland has improved their investigation rate in other sexual
:20:14. > :20:18.crimes. They have an external advisory group which is designed to
:20:19. > :20:22.improve the investigation rate. When she considers that range of
:20:23. > :20:27.initiatives, she can see that this government has treated this hugely
:20:28. > :20:32.serious matter extremely seriously. I thank the First Minister for that
:20:33. > :20:37.response. Serious sexual offences are amongst the worst which can be
:20:38. > :20:41.committed with dramatic effects on the victim which can last a
:20:42. > :20:46.lifetime. He believes that the abolition of corroboration will
:20:47. > :20:53.help. Our host of expert opinion disagrees. What cannot be disputed
:20:54. > :20:57.is that abolition of corroboration will not help the conviction rate of
:20:58. > :21:04.local serious offences which do come to court as these cases have already
:21:05. > :21:07.met the corroboration threshold. I ask him to support the introduction
:21:08. > :21:13.of a pilot scheme for independent legal advice for rape victims, at
:21:14. > :21:21.the point that sensitive information is requested. I propose such a pilot
:21:22. > :21:25.based on the search carried out by rape crisis Scotland who found that
:21:26. > :21:32.the majority of victims... Can we get a question please? This means
:21:33. > :21:37.totally irrelevant information is used to discredit the victim and
:21:38. > :21:43.decrease the chances of a conviction. So whilst the debate on
:21:44. > :21:50.corroboration continues... Please ask a question. Will he introduce a
:21:51. > :21:56.similar pilot to help tackle conviction rates? I will ask the
:21:57. > :22:00.Justice Secretary to look seriously at that question. Can I say to
:22:01. > :22:04.Margaret Mitchell that she is wrong to suggest that the argument for
:22:05. > :22:11.corroboration changes based on an increasing conviction rate. She must
:22:12. > :22:17.know, the argument is that many cases do not get to court because of
:22:18. > :22:21.the need for corroboration. An exam would be a claim just before
:22:22. > :22:26.Christmas demanding to know why a serious offences prosecuted in
:22:27. > :22:30.Scotland. The Crown office had made it clear that the general rule of
:22:31. > :22:34.corroboration made an insufficient basis on which to pursue a
:22:35. > :22:38.prosecution. So if you want to be taken seriously on these matters,
:22:39. > :22:41.you cannot have a situation where cases cannot come to court because
:22:42. > :22:46.of corroboration and then say something has to be done about
:22:47. > :22:51.making sure there is justice for rape victims in Scotland. You have
:22:52. > :22:54.to square the two things. To ask the First Minister what assessment the
:22:55. > :22:57.Scottish Government has made of the potential impact on the Scottish
:22:58. > :23:03.economy of a reported additional ?25 billion reduction in spending
:23:04. > :23:08.planned by the UK Government. We will be making a very serious
:23:09. > :23:15.examination of this latest threat from George Osborne. The Tory party
:23:16. > :23:19.don't have any idea about it because their spokesman on TV last night
:23:20. > :23:25.could give no idea about what would happen of further ?25 billion cuts
:23:26. > :23:34.in spending. We will do a series examination of that. This
:23:35. > :23:40.government's vision is founded on a nation with the principles of
:23:41. > :23:44.transparency and fairness. One suggested attack by the
:23:45. > :23:50.Conservatives is an attack on young people to throw out housing benefit
:23:51. > :23:55.on under 25. What assessment can the Scottish Government make of the
:23:56. > :24:02.potential impact that this Tory plan could have on young Scots? This
:24:03. > :24:07.includes the young people in Glasgow I represent and 33,000 across the
:24:08. > :24:10.rest of Scotland who rely on housing benefit. Will he make urgent
:24:11. > :24:16.representation to the UK Government which will lead to other poverty and
:24:17. > :24:20.fuel family tensions and exacerbate homelessness? Verdict the concerned
:24:21. > :24:31.about this latest threat to the welfare system. -- we are deeply
:24:32. > :24:34.concerned. Let us remember that the rationale for the bedroom tax and
:24:35. > :24:39.the attack on housing benefit has been a runaway cost of honey we --
:24:40. > :24:45.of housing benefit in the south-east of England. It was not the position
:24:46. > :24:49.of housing benefit in Scotland which led to this assault. We will
:24:50. > :24:54.continue to support the people in Scotland who suffer from these
:24:55. > :25:02.cuts. I hope that all people in this chamber, if indeed this threat to
:25:03. > :25:16.housing benefit comes to pass, I hope people do not believe that
:25:17. > :25:19.--... Did the First Minister see the article by Thai fish caught in the
:25:20. > :25:26.Scotsman today which said that George Osborne's ?25 billion mistake
:25:27. > :25:30.will seal the fate of the Conservative party and he's in the
:25:31. > :25:37.election of the Labour Government? -- Parish Scott. Given that his
:25:38. > :25:43.whole referendum strategy is based on having a Tory government in
:25:44. > :25:47.London, how skew the Scottish people when they are faced with that was
:25:48. > :25:55.bit of a Labour government which will feed energy prices, breast
:25:56. > :26:03.unemployment -- boost employment, provided resources for a massive
:26:04. > :26:08.expansion of childcare? Malcolm and I have been around politics for a
:26:09. > :26:11.long time. I remember his resignation from a Labour government
:26:12. > :26:17.when he was a minister because they were attacking benefits to single
:26:18. > :26:25.parents. I think he lasted a year before he realised his dreams had
:26:26. > :26:31.been treated and he had to resign. The Liberals fate is already sealed.
:26:32. > :26:35.Kadish got forecasts of the ceiling should be taken seriously because he
:26:36. > :26:44.is speaking from personal experience. Ed Balls's reaction to
:26:45. > :26:51.the 25 billion cuts demonstrates the Labour fate. Perhaps that some point
:26:52. > :26:58.he will tell Malcolm Chisholm what these cuts are going to be and then
:26:59. > :27:01.Malcolm will have two resign again. To ask the First Minister whether
:27:02. > :27:04.the Scottish Government considers that schools, pupils and teachers
:27:05. > :27:10.are adequately prepared for the new National four and five
:27:11. > :27:16.qualifications. Yes, the Scottish qualities and authority have visited
:27:17. > :27:20.levels for support for the new qualifications. That includes more
:27:21. > :27:28.than 5 million of additional funding, extra service days, course
:27:29. > :27:32.materials for National 4 and 5 qualifications and specific events
:27:33. > :27:37.for thousands more teachers. We all stand ready to provide more help is
:27:38. > :27:44.needed to ensure that the new qualifications are delivered
:27:45. > :27:49.successively. The Scottish seat -- teachers Association told this panel
:27:50. > :27:52.that they lacked confidence in the new qualifications, assessment and
:27:53. > :27:57.land are impossible to meet and then as a continuing lack of support
:27:58. > :28:04.materials. He said it would be wrong to dismiss complaints as ritualistic
:28:05. > :28:09.morning. But the sake of our young people and the radical reform of our
:28:10. > :28:15.curriculum, will the First Minister recognise these concerns and take
:28:16. > :28:18.action? Nobody has dismissed any concerns. I heard the ministers say
:28:19. > :28:24.the opposite which is why this level of support has been put in place.
:28:25. > :28:26.Ken Cunningham has said that the preparation and consultation has
:28:27. > :28:33.been more than he could ever remember well stop that is a quote
:28:34. > :28:38.from the 3rd of January this year. I am interested in the position of
:28:39. > :28:42.power quoting teachers unions. If only they had listened to the
:28:43. > :28:53.teacher unions and decided to support free school meals for
:28:54. > :28:57.primaries 123. -- primaries 1-3. The Scottish teachers Association also
:28:58. > :29:02.said, for the future of radical curriculum reform and the future of
:29:03. > :29:08.young people, please listen to us and let us work together to fix the
:29:09. > :29:11.problem. Will the First Minister listen to teachers and help fix the
:29:12. > :29:16.problem and give it was in Scotland the chance they deserve to get
:29:17. > :29:21.qualifications and educational training and into employment? We
:29:22. > :29:26.will continue to listen to teachers to ensure they get for their help is
:29:27. > :29:29.needed and any issues addressed will stop that was the Education Minister
:29:30. > :29:34.speaking this week on the radio, I think that answers the question. To
:29:35. > :29:42.ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to
:29:43. > :29:44.increase childcare provision. As I announced on Tuesday, we will
:29:45. > :29:51.increase the number of two-year-olds and start to expand childcare among
:29:52. > :29:57.two-year-olds up to 15% of the total and then to 27% of two-year-olds in
:29:58. > :30:04.August 2015. That is about 15,000 children. That is an ambitious plan
:30:05. > :30:12.and goes beyond the claim from this Labour front bench of 10,000
:30:13. > :30:17.children. 10,000 children. We are expanding to 15,000 children in the
:30:18. > :30:27.measures announced on Tuesday. I am sure that right round the chamber,
:30:28. > :30:33.they will give that a warm welcome. I thank him for his answer, but does
:30:34. > :30:38.he agree that when Save the Children, the EIS, shelter and the
:30:39. > :30:42.Church of Scotland and the Child poverty action group all say that
:30:43. > :30:45.free school meals are key measure in tackling child poverty that
:30:46. > :30:53.politicians of all parties should listen? I'll ready quoted the daily
:30:54. > :30:58.record. They are right. The Labour Party should accept that as a broad
:30:59. > :31:03.coalition of people interested in the welfare of children in Scotland
:31:04. > :31:07.who support the free school meals. They will have two totally reversed
:31:08. > :31:12.their position sooner rather than later. If they do not, the damage
:31:13. > :31:20.done to the Labour Party at grassroots level in Scotland, will
:31:21. > :31:27.perhaps all may be compared with their reliance on the Tory party in
:31:28. > :31:32.the referendum campaign. In the ridiculous position of Johann
:31:33. > :31:36.Lamont, reverse what you did, apologise for Tuesday and get behind
:31:37. > :31:45.the coalition for backing the children of Scotland. That ends the
:31:46. > :31:51.First Minister's questions. We have come to the close of questions.
:31:52. > :31:58.Right at the end there, Alex Salmond turned it back on Johann Lamont.
:31:59. > :32:04.It's time for me to say goodbye. Let us handover to Mike Collard on the
:32:05. > :32:12.daily politics in London. -- daily politics.
:32:13. > :32:21.Christian clergyman, I feel that the gospel calls us to preach in a way
:32:22. > :32:25.that is particularly good news to the poor. This government has not
:32:26. > :32:29.necessarily been good news to the poor, and that is something we can
:32:30. > :32:32.debate, but it is not a party political issue. I am happy to
:32:33. > :32:38.criticise any government that is not good news to the poor. It is not a
:32:39. > :32:41.party political thing. The idea that the Church should stay out of
:32:42. > :32:48.politics is one of those cliches. Tell that to Desmond Tutu. It is
:32:49. > :32:50.absurd. It is a diminished sense of what constitutes politics if you
:32:51. > :32:52.think that. Let me