09/02/2012 Politics Scotland


09/02/2012

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A very warm welcome to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. Money,

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money, money. That is the topic. We had the budget being carried

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yesterday by MSPs with John Swinney setting out his final plans and

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today we have got the local Government settlement. Let's go

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across to the chamber and my colleague Glenn Campbell. I will be

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speaking with the chief executive officer of Scottish wind turbine

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manufacturers who has today announced the signing of a �5

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million contract to provide up to 500 small turbines for installation

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in England and Wales. I am sure the whole chamber would wish to welcome

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a successful company which is the leading manufacturer of small wind

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turbines across these islands. Indeed we do. The new Forth

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crossing is the most expensive public project in Scottish history.

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It is essential -- essential to attempts to sustain it business and

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create much-needed jobs. It should have a legacy beyond Abridge,

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people understand that. So why did the Prime Minister signed away the

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contracts to Spain, Poland and China? In reality, 118 out of 155

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sub-contracts had been awarded two Scottish companies representing 76%

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of the total awarded. In terms of Supply Orders 870 out of 1041

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supply orders, 83.5%, have been awarded principal contracts to

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Scottish companies. That is a very substantial percentage. The 4th

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replacement crossing project will support 1200 Scottish jobs and

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secure an additional 3000 more. Every year construction will

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deliver 45 vocational training positions, 46 positions for long-

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term unemployed and maximise the number of Modern apprenticeship

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opportunities. All in all, that looks to me like a substantial good

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deal for Scotland. I have to say that I am stunned by the limit of

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ambition the First Minister shows. His contract was to be a legacy for

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the people of this country and for the economy. �20 million on his own

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minister's account out of a contract worth �1.5 billion. The

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First Minister has no excuses. In Wales a Labour Government had the

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political will to ensure Welsh companies had equal access to

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public contracts, saving businesses and creating jobs. Rather than look

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to our neighbours, Alex Salmond went to China and pulled off a

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master deal. The Chinese got an �800 million steel contract and we

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got two pandas! If Wales can deliver for Welsh businesses, what

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is stopping the Scottish First Minister delivering for Scottish

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businesses and Scottish families? The total value, can I tell Joan

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lamb, is 790 million, the total value of the principal contract. In

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terms of the steel components of that contact, it is about five-10%.

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I am not sure if she knows this, but we do not have a mind you

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factor, fabrication facility for steel in Scotland thanks to their

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deprivations of pass Westminster governments. No firm that has

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submitted tenders were Scottish, but of the five-10%, the 790

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million, perhaps a quarter to a half would be steel plating, which

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we produce in Scotland. When Joan Lamont says there is an �800

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million contract we now know this deal is five-10% of that and of

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that 50% is the sort of steel we produce in Scotland. I know this is

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not the script that she wanted to hear, but I think that having 76%

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of the total sum contracts awarded to Scottish companies not only

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represents a good deal for Scottish companies, but it is amazingly

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better than anything that happens when the Labour Party were in power

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in Scotland. Ms Bailey, could you please keep quiet. The First

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Minister thinks this is eight-game. This is not a script the people of

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Scotland want to hear, that the First Minister's ambition when he

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says, it is 20 million out of 790 million, so that makes it OK? Eight

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tiny proportion of the money that is going. The biggest contract in

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Scotland for a generation is creating jobs in Spain, Poland and

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China. Alex Salmond is spending �800 million on steel and from that

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contracts are not a single job, not a single job has been created in

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Scotland at a time when 200 people are losing their jobs every day.

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Even the London Olympics has benefited Scottish companies to the

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tune of �100 million, five times more than the benefit from the

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Forth Road Bridge contract. How can it be value for money to send

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abroad in the long-term, to send profits, business creation,

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research and development and high quality jobs that these big

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companies generate, how can it makes sense for these to be sent

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abroad? There is a great disadvantage in reading the script.

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Occasionally you will read the wrong line from the script. It

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means you do not listen to the previous answer. The total value of

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the contract is �790 million. Of that five-10% is the steel contract.

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That is fabricated steel. We do not do fabricated steel in Scotland. Of

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the fabricated steel contract perhaps a quarter to a have is

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steel plate, which we do in Scotland. Now that she realises the

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800 million she was given in her script is not actually the figure,

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but is a small fraction of that, where she revised her opinion in

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terms of the total impact of what the Scottish Government is doing. I

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agree with Joanna amount that we must do our absolute best in terms

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of making sure that contracts come to Scottish companies. I wonder if

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she remembers Jack McConnell when he was in this place at first Mr's

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questions on due to 1005 -- June 2005. Quote, we had to explain why

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a fisheries protection vessel was going to a Polish shipyard instead

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of Ferguson's in Port Glasgow. he accuses me of not being able to

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read my script! I am sure it was well worth the research by civil

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servants to find that quote, but can we deal with what people in

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this country are saying now, including workers, Community trade

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union workers who are concerned about their jobs and all of those

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businesses and all of those people be on steel who believed that his

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contract would bring work to their communities. A four -- a fortnight

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ago the First Minister claimed his Government puts the highest

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emphasis on job creation and yet here we are. And I cannot believe I

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am saying this, but we are in the situation, and their habit here, a

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letter from Scottish trade unionists, asking David Cameron, a

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Tory Prime Minister, to protect them from the actions of a Scottish

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First Minister. The I cannot believe it either. And they say,

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and they say, to date... They say, these are Community trade unionists

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in Scotland, steelworkers, saying, to date Alex Salmond has failed to

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give any satisfactory explanation why foreign suppliers were given

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preference over Scottish firms. Why is the First Minister not doing his

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job? Why is the First Minister not standing up for Scotland? Will the

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First Minister stand up for a Scottish workers and instruct an

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immediate review of this disgraceful contract which will

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have huge consequences across our communities? Firstly, I think we

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are probably now agreed it is not an �800 million contract. Can we

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now agree that there is no steel fabrication proposal from Scotland,

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no firm that submitted a tender for at the steel fabrication sub-

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contracts were Scottish because we do not have steel fabrication

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facilities in Scotland any more of thanks to the United Kingdom past

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governments, both Labour and Conservative. Can we also agree

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there is substantial evidence from the figures on sub-contracts which

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I put forward, that 76% of these have been awarded two Scottish

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companies? Fourthly, can we agree that Joanne Lamont must be where

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you cannot direct contrast to go to Scottish companies, they have to be

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competitively placed out. What this Government has done is allowed tens

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of thousands of small and medium- sized businesses in Scotland to

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obtain the benefit of public procurement and purchasing. That is

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what has happened under this administration. In the past

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administration, largely due to Labour's fascination with the

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private finance initiative there was no ability to influence these

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things whatsoever. Givenchy now knows the actual value of the

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contract, as she now knows there are no steel fabricating facilities

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in Scotland, that 76% of the sub- contracts have gone to Scottish

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companies and she is aware the efforts that have been made, would

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she finally agree that this situation is usually better than it

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was under her and her colleagues when they were in the

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administration. Question number two, Ruth Davidson. Now that he is

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finally live on the BBC, I would like to ask him when he will next

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meet the Secretary of State for Scotland. On the basis that he has

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fully recovered, it will be this coming Monday. After the First

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Minister claimed grievance for being pulled because of a BBC radio

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at TB and sports programmes, it has now emerged that it was him who

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asked them three times to be a rugby pundit. On reflection, does

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the First Minister think it was acceptable to use the pulpit of his

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office to liken a BBC employee as a Nazi and well he now apologise?

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Let's take things in turn. I was assuming a number of things. Birsay,

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Ruth Davidson would be aware that it has been defined in the

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dictionary as an overbearing Wilder of petty politics. White matt

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order! Order! She will also be aware, I hope that the tradition we

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come to expect in the BBC is that editorial and journalistic

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decisions are not overwritten by political factors. Yes, of course,

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by a programme in terms of attending the rugby on Saturday was

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made aware to use outlets of all kinds, as indeed was Ruth Davidson

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because I saw her pre- release that very day. Can I point out an e-mail

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from the head of sports of the BBC, which I am happy to put out to

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correct misapprehensions, proposing I have been having a little thing

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and I would like to ask if the First Minister would take part in

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our Six Nations challenge and goes on to describe the nature of the

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programme. This would be a great way of us involving the First

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Minister in BBC's TV coverage. We would be doing is live in the West

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car park. Happy to discuss any of this. I am currently checking this

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out with our editorial policy team, but we do not anticipate any

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problems. The reason that there were no problems anticipated is

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because they did not know there was going to be a political instruction

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from a political adviser to withdraw the First Minister from a

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programme. I think Scotland, journalists, have the right to

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expect better from the British Buyer after having a little think,

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she presumably meant after his office had been on the phone. I

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thought that I would check the first minister's Rudby

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qualifications. He has the build for it and surely a glittering

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career at behind him. But no mention of him in the Linlithgow

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archive, at the Royal Bank of Scotland rugby club or elsewhere.

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His spokesman said the first minister is so outraged that he is

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raising this nob with the head of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten, because

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:16:30.:16:32.

it is all about him. The -- raising the snob. People's jobs and

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livelihoods are surely more important than the first minister's

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stymied ambitions. So will he confirm to this chamber, to those

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broadcasting this exchange on the BBC and to those watching at home,

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that he would waste a second of the time in his meeting with Lord so --

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Lord Patten in this petty sideshow but will discuss what matters,

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Scottish jobs? I am afraid the reasons given for the BBC's

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withdrawal of the irritation made by the Sports Editor are not petty

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and have to be confronted. -- withdrawal of the invitation. One

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was the proximity to the local government elections. We are not in

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the local government election period. Secondly, there was a claim

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of heightened tension in the political arena. There may be in

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terms of the Tory backbenches, but what I detect is only political

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debate taking place. If there is heightened tension, and it is to

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last for next two years, did I assume that we will not be treated

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to the site of David Cameron on any Olympic coverage from London? That

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during this period of heightened tension that politicians will not

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be asked to take part in sports programmes? We will never get the

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benefit of Ruth Davidson's opinions on rugby, football and anything

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else. This is a nonsensical decision. Even kick-boxing, on

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which I understand she has substantial expertise. If

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politicians are to be withdrawn from broadcasts, overriding

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journalistic and editorial decisions, I think we are going

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down a very difficult road. It is entirely possible that they should

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be able to revert to a position where the journalistic and

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editorial aspect and judgment is satisfied at the BBC, or is it just

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another reason why we have got to ensure that Scottish broadcasting

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is free from detracts from a London? -- Dick attacked since.

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When I meet Chris Patten, I will not... Poor order! Please settle

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down! By one to assume that his former chairmanship of the

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Conservative Party has anything to do with his current BBC decision-

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making. -- I will not assume. will be aware of the uncertainty

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facing thousands of Clydesdale Bank workers, which is headquartered in

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Glasgow and his strategic importance to the Scottish economy.

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Following the Scottish government's reported contact with Clydesdale,

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what assurances can the first minister of all workers and their

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families who face an uncertain beginning to 2012 as a result from

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-- a result of a statement from their parent bank? Will he agree to

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meet with representatives of that work force to hear their

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suggestions about the long-term future of the business as a

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Scottish headquartered company? have spoken to the chief executive

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of Clydesdale and I know Mr Swinney has spoken to him as well about the

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implications of this statement from the chief executive of us have. I

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will gladly meet with the unite Union and workers' representatives.

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When you examine that statement from Australia, it should give us

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great cause for concern. Besides the underlying difficulties of the

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eurozone but also sites, in the strongest terms, the policy in

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terms of retrenchment from the United Kingdom government, the

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period of austerity and the lack of growth prospects in the United

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Kingdom economy. A lot of us will find this somewhat ironic - that we

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have got places claims from the Chancellor of the Exchequer about

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the impact of constitutional change in Scotland. -- baseless claims.

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And here we have a statement that directly points to the austerity

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programme of the United Kingdom government as a reserve right

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strategic review of the bank. Will meet the unions and workers and

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continue a dialogue with Clydesdale and Yorkshire banks in terms of

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protecting jobs in Scotland, but let us hear no more of the argument

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that a low growth austerity programme is good for jobs and

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investment in Scotland. Thank you, presiding officer. The first

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minister it will be aware that a company based in 4th specialising

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in the manufacture of lifting products went into administration.

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Does he share my concern about the impact this will have on jobs

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indeed local community, and can I ask what the Scottish government

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will do to help workers find jobs? I share his concern regarding a

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company going into administration and the impact it will have on the

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whole town of four far. We will do everything possible to minimise the

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time that those individuals are out of work. We have taken immediate

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action to provide support. The local team is also discussing

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arrangements to hold an event for the employees, where people have

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the opportunity to meet a range of partners for advice and support. I

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understand an employer in the area is seeking to recruit employees. We

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will do whatever we can to facilitate this. What issues will

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be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet? That will discuss the

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issues -- issues of importance to the people of Scotland. Before

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Scotland's Freedom of Information Commission it stood down last week,

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he warned that Scotland's freedom of information system is at risk of

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slipping behind other countries, including the rest of the UK. That

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is surely a serious blow to our aim for being a beacon for progress.

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Surely that is the case. Why did the first minister block the

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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

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answers to that. The laws in Scotland are more substantial and

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progressive than elsewhere. There were representations across a range

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of organisations that this would not be the moment to extend the

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freedom of information legislation. I would point out that if the

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Liberal Party thought that was so important, they would have used

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their very substantial influence in the last Coalition administration

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to bring it forward in Scotland. We are very proud of our freedom of

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information progress that we made in government. The first minister

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should reflect upon his progress on freedom of information. It was

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Kevin who said that Scotland was in danger of slipping behind the rest

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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

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getting millions of pounds of taxpayers's' money but questions,

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while local councils cannot? Can the first minister be clear. He

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always wanted to be David, but isn't he now go live, at blocking

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the rights of ordinary Scots? -- go live Earth. I will stick to being

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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

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that we have not signed many PFI contracts, as opposed to the huge

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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

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public procurement policy being supported by this government is

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proving significantly more successful than the private

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procurement policy of our predecessors. To ask the first

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minister what we send us questions he has had with the Secretary of

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State for Defence regarding the establishment of a multi- Role

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Brigade at Lookers. The impact of the UK government across Scotland

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remains a key concern across Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary for

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parliamentary business and government strategy wrote on Friday

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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. --

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in its July got 2011. He will be aware of press comments in which

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Philip Hammond has cast doubt on the role of the key brigade. Does

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the first minister agreed that this type of beer mongering is very

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unsettling to my constituents and will rejoin with me in urging Mr

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Hammond's to clarify his comments? -- fear mongering. Whether it is

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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

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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

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benefits for Scotland in the overall balance. It would be

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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

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policy - he has hinted at it in a letter to a member of parliament. -

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- that arrangement. Politicians, whether the Secretary of State of

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Defence or any other, should not use this as some sort of political

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weapon for hinting to MPs in letters. The outrage that there

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would be in Scotland if there was any reneging on the commitments

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made last year would encompass every part of the community and

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every single party in Scotland. ask the first minister whether the

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Scottish government considers the introduction of national exams in

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2013-14 is on schedule. Yes, the new national qualifications are on

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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.

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