Browse content similar to 09/02/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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A very warm welcome to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Money, | :00:57. | :01:03. | |
money, money. That is the topic. We had the budget being carried | :01:03. | :01:06. | |
yesterday by MSPs with John Swinney setting out his final plans and | :01:06. | :01:10. | |
today we have got the local Government settlement. Let's go | :01:10. | :01:18. | |
across to the chamber and my colleague Glenn Campbell. I will be | :01:18. | :01:23. | |
speaking with the chief executive officer of Scottish wind turbine | :01:23. | :01:27. | |
manufacturers who has today announced the signing of a �5 | :01:27. | :01:31. | |
million contract to provide up to 500 small turbines for installation | :01:31. | :01:36. | |
in England and Wales. I am sure the whole chamber would wish to welcome | :01:36. | :01:41. | |
a successful company which is the leading manufacturer of small wind | :01:41. | :01:47. | |
turbines across these islands. Indeed we do. The new Forth | :01:47. | :01:52. | |
crossing is the most expensive public project in Scottish history. | :01:52. | :01:57. | |
It is essential -- essential to attempts to sustain it business and | :01:57. | :02:02. | |
create much-needed jobs. It should have a legacy beyond Abridge, | :02:02. | :02:07. | |
people understand that. So why did the Prime Minister signed away the | :02:07. | :02:16. | |
contracts to Spain, Poland and China? In reality, 118 out of 155 | :02:16. | :02:21. | |
sub-contracts had been awarded two Scottish companies representing 76% | :02:21. | :02:29. | |
of the total awarded. In terms of Supply Orders 870 out of 1041 | :02:29. | :02:35. | |
supply orders, 83.5%, have been awarded principal contracts to | :02:35. | :02:41. | |
Scottish companies. That is a very substantial percentage. The 4th | :02:41. | :02:45. | |
replacement crossing project will support 1200 Scottish jobs and | :02:45. | :02:51. | |
secure an additional 3000 more. Every year construction will | :02:52. | :02:55. | |
deliver 45 vocational training positions, 46 positions for long- | :02:55. | :03:00. | |
term unemployed and maximise the number of Modern apprenticeship | :03:00. | :03:04. | |
opportunities. All in all, that looks to me like a substantial good | :03:04. | :03:14. | |
:03:14. | :03:15. | ||
deal for Scotland. I have to say that I am stunned by the limit of | :03:15. | :03:20. | |
ambition the First Minister shows. His contract was to be a legacy for | :03:20. | :03:27. | |
the people of this country and for the economy. �20 million on his own | :03:27. | :03:32. | |
minister's account out of a contract worth �1.5 billion. The | :03:32. | :03:37. | |
First Minister has no excuses. In Wales a Labour Government had the | :03:37. | :03:40. | |
political will to ensure Welsh companies had equal access to | :03:40. | :03:47. | |
public contracts, saving businesses and creating jobs. Rather than look | :03:47. | :03:51. | |
to our neighbours, Alex Salmond went to China and pulled off a | :03:51. | :03:56. | |
master deal. The Chinese got an �800 million steel contract and we | :03:56. | :04:05. | |
got two pandas! If Wales can deliver for Welsh businesses, what | :04:05. | :04:10. | |
is stopping the Scottish First Minister delivering for Scottish | :04:10. | :04:20. | |
:04:20. | :04:21. | ||
businesses and Scottish families? The total value, can I tell Joan | :04:21. | :04:27. | |
lamb, is 790 million, the total value of the principal contract. In | :04:27. | :04:33. | |
terms of the steel components of that contact, it is about five-10%. | :04:33. | :04:39. | |
I am not sure if she knows this, but we do not have a mind you | :04:39. | :04:44. | |
factor, fabrication facility for steel in Scotland thanks to their | :04:44. | :04:48. | |
deprivations of pass Westminster governments. No firm that has | :04:48. | :04:56. | |
submitted tenders were Scottish, but of the five-10%, the 790 | :04:56. | :05:00. | |
million, perhaps a quarter to a half would be steel plating, which | :05:00. | :05:06. | |
we produce in Scotland. When Joan Lamont says there is an �800 | :05:06. | :05:11. | |
million contract we now know this deal is five-10% of that and of | :05:11. | :05:17. | |
that 50% is the sort of steel we produce in Scotland. I know this is | :05:17. | :05:24. | |
not the script that she wanted to hear, but I think that having 76% | :05:24. | :05:29. | |
of the total sum contracts awarded to Scottish companies not only | :05:29. | :05:33. | |
represents a good deal for Scottish companies, but it is amazingly | :05:33. | :05:37. | |
better than anything that happens when the Labour Party were in power | :05:37. | :05:45. | |
in Scotland. Ms Bailey, could you please keep quiet. The First | :05:45. | :05:49. | |
Minister thinks this is eight-game. This is not a script the people of | :05:49. | :05:53. | |
Scotland want to hear, that the First Minister's ambition when he | :05:53. | :06:00. | |
says, it is 20 million out of 790 million, so that makes it OK? Eight | :06:00. | :06:06. | |
tiny proportion of the money that is going. The biggest contract in | :06:06. | :06:10. | |
Scotland for a generation is creating jobs in Spain, Poland and | :06:10. | :06:20. | |
China. Alex Salmond is spending �800 million on steel and from that | :06:20. | :06:25. | |
contracts are not a single job, not a single job has been created in | :06:25. | :06:31. | |
Scotland at a time when 200 people are losing their jobs every day. | :06:31. | :06:34. | |
Even the London Olympics has benefited Scottish companies to the | :06:34. | :06:40. | |
tune of �100 million, five times more than the benefit from the | :06:40. | :06:45. | |
Forth Road Bridge contract. How can it be value for money to send | :06:45. | :06:53. | |
abroad in the long-term, to send profits, business creation, | :06:53. | :06:57. | |
research and development and high quality jobs that these big | :06:57. | :07:01. | |
companies generate, how can it makes sense for these to be sent | :07:01. | :07:07. | |
abroad? There is a great disadvantage in reading the script. | :07:07. | :07:11. | |
Occasionally you will read the wrong line from the script. It | :07:11. | :07:16. | |
means you do not listen to the previous answer. The total value of | :07:16. | :07:26. | |
the contract is �790 million. Of that five-10% is the steel contract. | :07:26. | :07:34. | |
That is fabricated steel. We do not do fabricated steel in Scotland. Of | :07:34. | :07:37. | |
the fabricated steel contract perhaps a quarter to a have is | :07:37. | :07:43. | |
steel plate, which we do in Scotland. Now that she realises the | :07:43. | :07:47. | |
800 million she was given in her script is not actually the figure, | :07:47. | :07:52. | |
but is a small fraction of that, where she revised her opinion in | :07:52. | :08:00. | |
terms of the total impact of what the Scottish Government is doing. I | :08:00. | :08:02. | |
agree with Joanna amount that we must do our absolute best in terms | :08:02. | :08:09. | |
of making sure that contracts come to Scottish companies. I wonder if | :08:09. | :08:16. | |
she remembers Jack McConnell when he was in this place at first Mr's | :08:16. | :08:26. | |
:08:26. | :08:26. | ||
questions on due to 1005 -- June 2005. Quote, we had to explain why | :08:26. | :08:30. | |
a fisheries protection vessel was going to a Polish shipyard instead | :08:30. | :08:40. | |
:08:40. | :08:46. | ||
of Ferguson's in Port Glasgow. he accuses me of not being able to | :08:46. | :08:54. | |
read my script! I am sure it was well worth the research by civil | :08:55. | :08:59. | |
servants to find that quote, but can we deal with what people in | :08:59. | :09:04. | |
this country are saying now, including workers, Community trade | :09:04. | :09:08. | |
union workers who are concerned about their jobs and all of those | :09:08. | :09:12. | |
businesses and all of those people be on steel who believed that his | :09:12. | :09:19. | |
contract would bring work to their communities. A four -- a fortnight | :09:19. | :09:22. | |
ago the First Minister claimed his Government puts the highest | :09:22. | :09:26. | |
emphasis on job creation and yet here we are. And I cannot believe I | :09:26. | :09:33. | |
am saying this, but we are in the situation, and their habit here, a | :09:33. | :09:40. | |
letter from Scottish trade unionists, asking David Cameron, a | :09:40. | :09:45. | |
Tory Prime Minister, to protect them from the actions of a Scottish | :09:45. | :09:51. | |
First Minister. The I cannot believe it either. And they say, | :09:51. | :10:01. | |
:10:01. | :10:01. | ||
and they say, to date... They say, these are Community trade unionists | :10:01. | :10:08. | |
in Scotland, steelworkers, saying, to date Alex Salmond has failed to | :10:08. | :10:12. | |
give any satisfactory explanation why foreign suppliers were given | :10:12. | :10:17. | |
preference over Scottish firms. Why is the First Minister not doing his | :10:17. | :10:23. | |
job? Why is the First Minister not standing up for Scotland? Will the | :10:23. | :10:26. | |
First Minister stand up for a Scottish workers and instruct an | :10:26. | :10:31. | |
immediate review of this disgraceful contract which will | :10:31. | :10:38. | |
have huge consequences across our communities? Firstly, I think we | :10:38. | :10:44. | |
are probably now agreed it is not an �800 million contract. Can we | :10:44. | :10:50. | |
now agree that there is no steel fabrication proposal from Scotland, | :10:50. | :10:54. | |
no firm that submitted a tender for at the steel fabrication sub- | :10:54. | :10:59. | |
contracts were Scottish because we do not have steel fabrication | :10:59. | :11:05. | |
facilities in Scotland any more of thanks to the United Kingdom past | :11:05. | :11:09. | |
governments, both Labour and Conservative. Can we also agree | :11:09. | :11:13. | |
there is substantial evidence from the figures on sub-contracts which | :11:13. | :11:18. | |
I put forward, that 76% of these have been awarded two Scottish | :11:18. | :11:23. | |
companies? Fourthly, can we agree that Joanne Lamont must be where | :11:23. | :11:28. | |
you cannot direct contrast to go to Scottish companies, they have to be | :11:28. | :11:33. | |
competitively placed out. What this Government has done is allowed tens | :11:33. | :11:38. | |
of thousands of small and medium- sized businesses in Scotland to | :11:38. | :11:42. | |
obtain the benefit of public procurement and purchasing. That is | :11:42. | :11:46. | |
what has happened under this administration. In the past | :11:46. | :11:52. | |
administration, largely due to Labour's fascination with the | :11:52. | :11:55. | |
private finance initiative there was no ability to influence these | :11:55. | :11:59. | |
things whatsoever. Givenchy now knows the actual value of the | :11:59. | :12:04. | |
contract, as she now knows there are no steel fabricating facilities | :12:04. | :12:09. | |
in Scotland, that 76% of the sub- contracts have gone to Scottish | :12:09. | :12:13. | |
companies and she is aware the efforts that have been made, would | :12:13. | :12:17. | |
she finally agree that this situation is usually better than it | :12:17. | :12:20. | |
was under her and her colleagues when they were in the | :12:20. | :12:29. | |
administration. Question number two, Ruth Davidson. Now that he is | :12:29. | :12:33. | |
finally live on the BBC, I would like to ask him when he will next | :12:33. | :12:38. | |
meet the Secretary of State for Scotland. On the basis that he has | :12:38. | :12:45. | |
fully recovered, it will be this coming Monday. After the First | :12:45. | :12:51. | |
Minister claimed grievance for being pulled because of a BBC radio | :12:51. | :12:56. | |
at TB and sports programmes, it has now emerged that it was him who | :12:56. | :13:02. | |
asked them three times to be a rugby pundit. On reflection, does | :13:02. | :13:08. | |
the First Minister think it was acceptable to use the pulpit of his | :13:08. | :13:16. | |
office to liken a BBC employee as a Nazi and well he now apologise? | :13:16. | :13:21. | |
Let's take things in turn. I was assuming a number of things. Birsay, | :13:21. | :13:31. | |
:13:31. | :13:34. | ||
Ruth Davidson would be aware that it has been defined in the | :13:34. | :13:44. | |
:13:44. | :13:53. | ||
dictionary as an overbearing Wilder of petty politics. White matt | :13:53. | :14:00. | |
order! Order! She will also be aware, I hope that the tradition we | :14:00. | :14:06. | |
come to expect in the BBC is that editorial and journalistic | :14:06. | :14:13. | |
decisions are not overwritten by political factors. Yes, of course, | :14:13. | :14:17. | |
by a programme in terms of attending the rugby on Saturday was | :14:17. | :14:24. | |
made aware to use outlets of all kinds, as indeed was Ruth Davidson | :14:24. | :14:34. | |
:14:34. | :14:34. | ||
because I saw her pre- release that very day. Can I point out an e-mail | :14:34. | :14:41. | |
from the head of sports of the BBC, which I am happy to put out to | :14:41. | :14:46. | |
correct misapprehensions, proposing I have been having a little thing | :14:46. | :14:50. | |
and I would like to ask if the First Minister would take part in | :14:50. | :14:53. | |
our Six Nations challenge and goes on to describe the nature of the | :14:53. | :14:58. | |
programme. This would be a great way of us involving the First | :14:59. | :15:04. | |
Minister in BBC's TV coverage. We would be doing is live in the West | :15:04. | :15:10. | |
car park. Happy to discuss any of this. I am currently checking this | :15:10. | :15:13. | |
out with our editorial policy team, but we do not anticipate any | :15:13. | :15:19. | |
problems. The reason that there were no problems anticipated is | :15:19. | :15:22. | |
because they did not know there was going to be a political instruction | :15:22. | :15:25. | |
from a political adviser to withdraw the First Minister from a | :15:25. | :15:30. | |
programme. I think Scotland, journalists, have the right to | :15:30. | :15:40. | |
:15:40. | :15:42. | ||
expect better from the British Buyer after having a little think, | :15:42. | :15:46. | |
she presumably meant after his office had been on the phone. I | :15:46. | :15:50. | |
thought that I would check the first minister's Rudby | :15:50. | :15:56. | |
qualifications. He has the build for it and surely a glittering | :15:56. | :16:01. | |
career at behind him. But no mention of him in the Linlithgow | :16:01. | :16:10. | |
archive, at the Royal Bank of Scotland rugby club or elsewhere. | :16:10. | :16:14. | |
His spokesman said the first minister is so outraged that he is | :16:14. | :16:20. | |
raising this nob with the head of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, because | :16:20. | :16:30. | |
:16:30. | :16:32. | ||
it is all about him. The -- raising the snob. People's jobs and | :16:32. | :16:34. | |
livelihoods are surely more important than the first minister's | :16:34. | :16:40. | |
stymied ambitions. So will he confirm to this chamber, to those | :16:40. | :16:44. | |
broadcasting this exchange on the BBC and to those watching at home, | :16:44. | :16:47. | |
that he would waste a second of the time in his meeting with Lord so -- | :16:47. | :16:52. | |
Lord Patten in this petty sideshow but will discuss what matters, | :16:52. | :17:00. | |
Scottish jobs? I am afraid the reasons given for the BBC's | :17:00. | :17:05. | |
withdrawal of the irritation made by the Sports Editor are not petty | :17:05. | :17:10. | |
and have to be confronted. -- withdrawal of the invitation. One | :17:10. | :17:15. | |
was the proximity to the local government elections. We are not in | :17:15. | :17:19. | |
the local government election period. Secondly, there was a claim | :17:19. | :17:23. | |
of heightened tension in the political arena. There may be in | :17:23. | :17:29. | |
terms of the Tory backbenches, but what I detect is only political | :17:29. | :17:35. | |
debate taking place. If there is heightened tension, and it is to | :17:35. | :17:39. | |
last for next two years, did I assume that we will not be treated | :17:39. | :17:47. | |
to the site of David Cameron on any Olympic coverage from London? That | :17:47. | :17:50. | |
during this period of heightened tension that politicians will not | :17:50. | :17:56. | |
be asked to take part in sports programmes? We will never get the | :17:56. | :18:00. | |
benefit of Ruth Davidson's opinions on rugby, football and anything | :18:00. | :18:07. | |
else. This is a nonsensical decision. Even kick-boxing, on | :18:07. | :18:13. | |
which I understand she has substantial expertise. If | :18:14. | :18:17. | |
politicians are to be withdrawn from broadcasts, overriding | :18:17. | :18:19. | |
journalistic and editorial decisions, I think we are going | :18:19. | :18:24. | |
down a very difficult road. It is entirely possible that they should | :18:24. | :18:29. | |
be able to revert to a position where the journalistic and | :18:29. | :18:35. | |
editorial aspect and judgment is satisfied at the BBC, or is it just | :18:35. | :18:38. | |
another reason why we have got to ensure that Scottish broadcasting | :18:38. | :18:48. | |
:18:48. | :18:50. | ||
is free from detracts from a London? -- Dick attacked since. | :18:50. | :18:57. | |
When I meet Chris Patten, I will not... Poor order! Please settle | :18:57. | :19:04. | |
down! By one to assume that his former chairmanship of the | :19:04. | :19:08. | |
Conservative Party has anything to do with his current BBC decision- | :19:08. | :19:15. | |
making. -- I will not assume. will be aware of the uncertainty | :19:15. | :19:23. | |
facing thousands of Clydesdale Bank workers, which is headquartered in | :19:23. | :19:27. | |
Glasgow and his strategic importance to the Scottish economy. | :19:27. | :19:32. | |
Following the Scottish government's reported contact with Clydesdale, | :19:32. | :19:35. | |
what assurances can the first minister of all workers and their | :19:35. | :19:41. | |
families who face an uncertain beginning to 2012 as a result from | :19:41. | :19:46. | |
-- a result of a statement from their parent bank? Will he agree to | :19:46. | :19:51. | |
meet with representatives of that work force to hear their | :19:51. | :19:56. | |
suggestions about the long-term future of the business as a | :19:56. | :20:01. | |
Scottish headquartered company? have spoken to the chief executive | :20:01. | :20:06. | |
of Clydesdale and I know Mr Swinney has spoken to him as well about the | :20:06. | :20:09. | |
implications of this statement from the chief executive of us have. I | :20:09. | :20:15. | |
will gladly meet with the unite Union and workers' representatives. | :20:15. | :20:22. | |
When you examine that statement from Australia, it should give us | :20:22. | :20:28. | |
great cause for concern. Besides the underlying difficulties of the | :20:28. | :20:34. | |
eurozone but also sites, in the strongest terms, the policy in | :20:34. | :20:38. | |
terms of retrenchment from the United Kingdom government, the | :20:38. | :20:42. | |
period of austerity and the lack of growth prospects in the United | :20:42. | :20:48. | |
Kingdom economy. A lot of us will find this somewhat ironic - that we | :20:48. | :20:52. | |
have got places claims from the Chancellor of the Exchequer about | :20:52. | :20:59. | |
the impact of constitutional change in Scotland. -- baseless claims. | :20:59. | :21:04. | |
And here we have a statement that directly points to the austerity | :21:04. | :21:08. | |
programme of the United Kingdom government as a reserve right | :21:08. | :21:12. | |
strategic review of the bank. Will meet the unions and workers and | :21:12. | :21:15. | |
continue a dialogue with Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks in terms of | :21:15. | :21:21. | |
protecting jobs in Scotland, but let us hear no more of the argument | :21:21. | :21:24. | |
that a low growth austerity programme is good for jobs and | :21:24. | :21:31. | |
investment in Scotland. Thank you, presiding officer. The first | :21:31. | :21:37. | |
minister it will be aware that a company based in 4th specialising | :21:37. | :21:42. | |
in the manufacture of lifting products went into administration. | :21:42. | :21:47. | |
Does he share my concern about the impact this will have on jobs | :21:48. | :21:51. | |
indeed local community, and can I ask what the Scottish government | :21:51. | :21:58. | |
will do to help workers find jobs? I share his concern regarding a | :21:58. | :22:01. | |
company going into administration and the impact it will have on the | :22:01. | :22:05. | |
whole town of four far. We will do everything possible to minimise the | :22:05. | :22:10. | |
time that those individuals are out of work. We have taken immediate | :22:10. | :22:16. | |
action to provide support. The local team is also discussing | :22:16. | :22:21. | |
arrangements to hold an event for the employees, where people have | :22:22. | :22:30. | |
the opportunity to meet a range of partners for advice and support. I | :22:30. | :22:33. | |
understand an employer in the area is seeking to recruit employees. We | :22:33. | :22:39. | |
will do whatever we can to facilitate this. What issues will | :22:39. | :22:44. | |
be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet? That will discuss the | :22:44. | :22:51. | |
issues -- issues of importance to the people of Scotland. Before | :22:51. | :22:54. | |
Scotland's Freedom of Information Commission it stood down last week, | :22:54. | :22:59. | |
he warned that Scotland's freedom of information system is at risk of | :22:59. | :23:03. | |
slipping behind other countries, including the rest of the UK. That | :23:03. | :23:08. | |
is surely a serious blow to our aim for being a beacon for progress. | :23:08. | :23:12. | |
Surely that is the case. Why did the first minister block the | :23:12. | :23:16. | |
extension of information laws to cover up housing associations and | :23:16. | :23:24. | |
other public bodies? The first two answers to that. -- a barrel two | :23:24. | :23:29. | |
answers to that. The laws in Scotland are more substantial and | :23:29. | :23:32. | |
progressive than elsewhere. There were representations across a range | :23:32. | :23:38. | |
of organisations that this would not be the moment to extend the | :23:38. | :23:42. | |
freedom of information legislation. I would point out that if the | :23:42. | :23:45. | |
Liberal Party thought that was so important, they would have used | :23:45. | :23:49. | |
their very substantial influence in the last Coalition administration | :23:49. | :23:56. | |
to bring it forward in Scotland. We are very proud of our freedom of | :23:56. | :23:59. | |
information progress that we made in government. The first minister | :23:59. | :24:07. | |
should reflect upon his progress on freedom of information. It was | :24:07. | :24:11. | |
Kevin who said that Scotland was in danger of slipping behind the rest | :24:11. | :24:15. | |
of the UK. He seems to have let the objections of others overrule the | :24:16. | :24:20. | |
sensible proposals from the commission. Access to information | :24:20. | :24:27. | |
is important to the free and Liberal Scotland. Why can tenants | :24:27. | :24:30. | |
in lung -- Lanarkshire get information about their rent | :24:31. | :24:37. | |
increases but tenants in Glasgow cannot? Why can an arms and money | :24:37. | :24:43. | |
getting millions of pounds of taxpayers's' money but questions, | :24:43. | :24:50. | |
while local councils cannot? Can the first minister be clear. He | :24:50. | :24:54. | |
always wanted to be David, but isn't he now go live, at blocking | :24:54. | :25:01. | |
the rights of ordinary Scots? -- go live Earth. I will stick to being | :25:01. | :25:09. | |
David because I remember that contest! I am sympathetic to the | :25:09. | :25:15. | |
examination in detail of private finance initiative contracts. I am | :25:15. | :25:19. | |
extremely sympathetic on that score, although I could gently point out | :25:19. | :25:24. | |
that we have not signed many PFI contracts, as opposed to the huge | :25:24. | :25:29. | |
volumes that was signed by the Labour and Liberal Party in its | :25:29. | :25:33. | |
government in Scotland, which is perhaps another argument why the | :25:33. | :25:36. | |
public procurement policy being supported by this government is | :25:36. | :25:39. | |
proving significantly more successful than the private | :25:39. | :25:46. | |
procurement policy of our predecessors. To ask the first | :25:46. | :25:49. | |
minister what we send us questions he has had with the Secretary of | :25:50. | :25:53. | |
State for Defence regarding the establishment of a multi- Role | :25:53. | :26:01. | |
Brigade at Lookers. The impact of the UK government across Scotland | :26:01. | :26:05. | |
remains a key concern across Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary for | :26:05. | :26:10. | |
parliamentary business and government strategy wrote on Friday | :26:10. | :26:13. | |
requesting an urgent meeting to discuss progress and seek | :26:13. | :26:23. | |
:26:23. | :26:23. | ||
reassurance that the commitments made on 20th July 11 will stand. -- | :26:23. | :26:31. | |
in its July got 2011. He will be aware of press comments in which | :26:31. | :26:37. | |
Philip Hammond has cast doubt on the role of the key brigade. Does | :26:37. | :26:41. | |
the first minister agreed that this type of beer mongering is very | :26:41. | :26:48. | |
unsettling to my constituents and will rejoin with me in urging Mr | :26:48. | :26:55. | |
Hammond's to clarify his comments? -- fear mongering. Whether it is | :26:55. | :26:59. | |
the air force will the army, they have the right to expect a long- | :26:59. | :27:04. | |
term commitment. That is the long- term commitment that the SNP | :27:04. | :27:09. | |
proposes to be given by government. The Defence Review last year had | :27:09. | :27:13. | |
some very hard decisions as far as Scotland was concerned. There were | :27:13. | :27:23. | |
:27:23. | :27:25. | ||
hard decisions but we had to a policy announced, which had | :27:25. | :27:28. | |
benefits for Scotland in the overall balance. It would be | :27:28. | :27:32. | |
disgraceful if there was any attempt by the new Defence | :27:32. | :27:36. | |
Secretary to on paper that a range run. He has not said that is a | :27:36. | :27:44. | |
policy - he has hinted at it in a letter to a member of parliament. - | :27:44. | :27:51. | |
- that arrangement. Politicians, whether the Secretary of State of | :27:51. | :27:59. | |
Defence or any other, should not use this as some sort of political | :27:59. | :28:03. | |
weapon for hinting to MPs in letters. The outrage that there | :28:03. | :28:06. | |
would be in Scotland if there was any reneging on the commitments | :28:06. | :28:10. | |
made last year would encompass every part of the community and | :28:10. | :28:17. | |
every single party in Scotland. ask the first minister whether the | :28:17. | :28:22. | |
Scottish government considers the introduction of national exams in | :28:22. | :28:29. | |
2013-14 is on schedule. Yes, the new national qualifications are on | :28:29. | :28:33. | |
course for 2013-14. We have met every target and request for | :28:33. | :28:40. | |
additional support for educational authorities in taking forward | :28:40. | :28:49. | |
implementation of that. Thank you. The Cabinet Secretary has assured | :28:49. | :28:54. | |
Parliament that the introduction of Commitment to Excellence is on | :28:54. | :28:58. | |
track. We are being told that materials are not ready and that | :28:58. | :29:02. | |
teachers are not ready. Are the teachers wrong? That is not the | :29:02. | :29:08. | |
view of the stakeholders across Scotland. A particular example, as | :29:08. | :29:13. | |
he knows, of East Renfrewshire is a very particular one because they | :29:13. | :29:19. | |
stopped, uniquely, using standard grades in 2005, replacing them with | :29:19. | :29:26. | |
the intermediate qualification. It would take the President of the | :29:26. | :29:32. | |
Association of Directors legislation, who says that they | :29:32. | :29:41. | |
remain committed to the education programme. He says there has been | :29:41. | :29:44. | |
strong consensus about the approach being taken, which includes | :29:44. | :29:48. |