:00:19. > :00:24.Hello there and one welcome to the Scottish parliament, here at
:00:25. > :00:33.Holyrood. Loads of questions around on the budget, on oil. It won't be
:00:34. > :00:38.the First Minister answering questions. Nicola Sturgeon is in the
:00:39. > :00:55.UK attending a ceremony that those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
:00:56. > :00:58.Let's cross to the Chamber. The precursor to First Minister's
:00:59. > :01:04.Questions which will kick off shortly. What issues might come up
:01:05. > :01:10.in the questions to be Deputy First Minister. Brian mentioned the issue
:01:11. > :01:15.of a second independence referendum, the issue of the Westminster budget
:01:16. > :01:23.which was presented to the House of Commons yesterday. Two of the Deputy
:01:24. > :01:28.First Minister what engagements he has planned for the rest of the day.
:01:29. > :01:32.The First Minister is in London today for the unveiling of a
:01:33. > :01:37.memorial to commemorate those who have served in recent international
:01:38. > :01:41.conflicts. She has asked that I answer questions on her behalf.
:01:42. > :01:48.Later today I have a meeting regarding the programme for
:01:49. > :01:55.Scotland. Does the Scottish Government the oil as a bonus or the
:01:56. > :01:59.basis of the Scottish economy? Certainly I consider oil to be a big
:02:00. > :02:05.bonus. It's certainly been a big bonus that the United Kingdom. It
:02:06. > :02:11.has been ?300 billion worth of revenue for the United Kingdom and,
:02:12. > :02:17.of course, I'm not the only person that thought it was a bonus. In 2014
:02:18. > :02:28.the Prime Minister came to Aberdeen and he said that there would be a
:02:29. > :02:33.?200 billion oil boom bonus for Scotland if Scotland voted no in the
:02:34. > :02:37.referendum. What I would say to Ruth Davidson is yes, oil is a bonus and
:02:38. > :02:48.it has propped up the United Kingdom economy for many years. Ruth
:02:49. > :02:52.Davidson. The Devil defence minister is sticking to the line that oil is
:02:53. > :02:55.a bonus are not the basis that the Scottish economy. It is the one that
:02:56. > :03:00.will make every single person in Scotland ridge of four independents
:03:01. > :03:07.in the way he tried to sell it just three years ago. Yet this week we
:03:08. > :03:11.had Andrew Wilson, the head of the SNP growth commission finally
:03:12. > :03:17.exposing the truth. He admitted we have oil baked into the numbers and
:03:18. > :03:21.it was indeed a basis. In other words, the entire economic
:03:22. > :03:29.perspectives on which the SNP based its entire case for independence was
:03:30. > :03:36.bogus. A simple question, is Andrew Wilson right? I have explained to
:03:37. > :03:41.Ruth Davidson already the importance of oil to the United Kingdom economy
:03:42. > :03:47.and a huge bonus it has been to the UK over these 40 years. The Prime
:03:48. > :03:53.Minister, he was in Scotland in 2014 saying there would be a massive oil
:03:54. > :03:57.bonus for Scotland if we voted no. And of course there were other
:03:58. > :04:02.promises made to Scotland if we voted no. The same day that the
:04:03. > :04:08.Prime Minister suggested there would be a ?200 billion oil bonus, he said
:04:09. > :04:17.to people in the north-east of Scotland, vote no and there will be
:04:18. > :04:24.?1 billion carbon project. That has been cancelled, Presiding Officer.
:04:25. > :04:29.Of course there was the other commitment of the No Campaign. Vote
:04:30. > :04:35.no to stay in the European Union. Look how that worked out! Oil,
:04:36. > :04:46.carbon capture, the No Campaign was shattered by these broken promises.
:04:47. > :04:51.Ruth Davidson. The question was about John Swinney's were claims
:04:52. > :04:54.being taken apart by his own side. No wonder that aspect is the one
:04:55. > :04:59.aspect he did not want to talk about. Of course we all know what
:05:00. > :05:03.has happened since the Deputy First Minister was talking about all of
:05:04. > :05:06.our big bonuses. Oil receipts have absolutely collapsed and it's a
:05:07. > :05:12.simple question people across Scotland have and the question is
:05:13. > :05:16.this. Without those oil receipts can the Deputy First Minister point to
:05:17. > :05:20.any independent analysis that shows that Scotland's economy would fare
:05:21. > :05:24.better right now if we were outside the United Kingdom? I think what
:05:25. > :05:32.people in Scotland would want to hear is more action to support the
:05:33. > :05:36.North Sea oil and gas sector and that is what this government has
:05:37. > :05:42.been arguing for, what the Finance Secretary has been arguing for. What
:05:43. > :05:46.the UK Government has been doing is talking about possibly setting up a
:05:47. > :05:51.talking shop which they talked about setting up a year ago, and it hasn't
:05:52. > :05:55.even materialised yet. And we know why the Tories are not interested in
:05:56. > :06:00.supporting the oil and gas sector. The spokes man Alec Burrnett let the
:06:01. > :06:05.cat out of the bag. He argued they should be no measures taken to
:06:06. > :06:10.support oil and gas in Scotland. Now we know that Mr Burrnett is a bit
:06:11. > :06:14.poor and declaring his own interests, but he is certainly bad
:06:15. > :06:24.at standing up for the interests of the North East of Scotland. So at a
:06:25. > :06:29.time when the onshore productivity of Scotland is increasing at four
:06:30. > :06:33.times the rate of the rest of the United Kingdom, which the Chancellor
:06:34. > :06:36.cited in his budget statement yesterday, I think grounds for a
:06:37. > :06:50.great deal of optimism about the strength of the Scottish economy. We
:06:51. > :06:55.welcome the Chancellor's response to maximise recovery of the remaining
:06:56. > :06:59.gas and oil reserves. It's no surprise the Scottish Government
:07:00. > :07:11.don't because they do nothing for the north-east of Scotland. But
:07:12. > :07:14.again, people at home will have noticed the Deputy First Minister
:07:15. > :07:18.did not answer the question and it's a real shame that there is nobody on
:07:19. > :07:25.the SNP front bench who is prepared to be as up front as Mr Wilson is on
:07:26. > :07:28.the radio. This morning we had the First Minister Gunning for a
:07:29. > :07:31.referendum on independence next year. She called it common sense.
:07:32. > :07:38.I'll call it nonsense because most people in Scotland do not want it.
:07:39. > :07:43.Most Scots don't want to go back to division and uncertainty of another
:07:44. > :07:49.independence referendum. Most Scots thinks berry-macro think it's
:07:50. > :07:53.dangerous to talk about another referendum which would damage the
:07:54. > :07:59.economy further. That is common sense and why does the Deputy First
:08:00. > :08:03.Minister not listen to that? On the substance of action to help the
:08:04. > :08:06.North Sea gas and oil sector in the North East of Scotland, let me set
:08:07. > :08:10.up three things the government has done in the recent past. The First
:08:11. > :08:16.Minister launched a decommissioning fund to support the development of
:08:17. > :08:20.the supply chain to support oil and gas decommissioning. We launched a
:08:21. > :08:24.?12 million transition fund to support individuals to retain their
:08:25. > :08:29.skills within the sector and thirdly, the energy jobs tiles. The
:08:30. > :08:32.main vocalist and supports those affected by the downturn in the oil
:08:33. > :08:36.and gas sector and will remain so in the years to come. That is the
:08:37. > :08:41.concrete action we have taken to support the north-east of Scotland
:08:42. > :08:44.and the oil and gas sector. It's interesting that Ruth Davidson moves
:08:45. > :08:49.on to the question of the Constitution and no wonder because
:08:50. > :08:55.it's being... It has been very topical today because today we have
:08:56. > :08:59.seen an opinion poll published just before question Time which shows
:09:00. > :09:05.support for the constitutional question on independence 50-50 in
:09:06. > :09:12.Scotland. So what that says to me, and we shouldn't be at all surprised
:09:13. > :09:19.by those numbers because that the people of Scotland being exposed to
:09:20. > :09:28.the hard right politics of the party and the mess they are getting us
:09:29. > :09:37.into over Europe and they want to decide their own future. Question
:09:38. > :09:39.number two, Kezia Dugdale. What engagements does the Deputy First
:09:40. > :09:48.Minister have planned for the rest of the week? Engagements to take
:09:49. > :09:52.forward the programme for Scotland. John Swinney said the early years of
:09:53. > :10:09.an independent Scotland are timed to coincide with a massive oil seed
:10:10. > :10:11.boom. -- oilseed boom. Order. But yesterday the Office for Budget
:10:12. > :10:18.Responsibility confirmed that North Sea oil and gas actually cost the
:10:19. > :10:21.Treasury money last year. Camber Deputy First Minister tell us why do
:10:22. > :10:30.the SNP tell the people of Scotland the about oil? Deputy First
:10:31. > :10:40.Minister. Isn't it revealing that at the first available opportunity
:10:41. > :10:51.they've come back together again. It's like... It's like they've never
:10:52. > :10:55.had a moment apart! I would have thought after the calamity that
:10:56. > :11:01.Kezia Dugdale led the Labour Party into in the 2016 election, she might
:11:02. > :11:17.have learnt to have nothing to do with that lot over there. Kezia
:11:18. > :11:22.Dugdale. Presiding Officer... Please, excuse me, can we have a
:11:23. > :11:28.little bit of order please and slightly less applause. Kezia
:11:29. > :11:31.Dugdale. Presiding Officer, the Deputy First Minister can shout and
:11:32. > :11:35.scream and clap all he likes about better together alliances but he
:11:36. > :11:43.cannot escape the reality of his own words and here are some more. It is
:11:44. > :11:47.clear that future tax receipts from North Sea oil and gas will be
:11:48. > :11:51.substantial and represents a significant resource for the people
:11:52. > :11:57.of Scotland. And the reality is this. People in Scotland were given
:11:58. > :12:03.false hope by the SNP based on a false perspective. They were told
:12:04. > :12:06.that we could only build a fairer country with independence, but now
:12:07. > :12:12.we know beyond all doubt that that just was not true. New analysis
:12:13. > :12:24.published by Labour today reveals that the SNP... Excuse me. There is
:12:25. > :12:29.too much noise in the Chamber today. Kezia Dugdale. They won't be
:12:30. > :12:36.laughing when they realise it's based on their own numbers, their
:12:37. > :12:38.own records. The SNP's estimate for oil revenues in what would have been
:12:39. > :12:48.the first two years of an independent Scotland could be out as
:12:49. > :12:53.as much as ?21 billion. In old money that is 21,000 million pounds. That
:12:54. > :13:00.will deliver turbo-charged austerity and it would've made that there
:13:01. > :13:04.nation all but impossible to build. Does the Deputy First Minister feel
:13:05. > :13:15.any guilt about offering the people of Scotland such force hope? Deputy
:13:16. > :13:19.First Minister. If we are going to pass around this Chamber accusations
:13:20. > :13:25.about guilt, I think the Labour Party has got to think long and hard
:13:26. > :13:32.about how they've enabled the Tory party to govern the United Kingdom
:13:33. > :13:36.because of the awful stance in the referendum that ushered in a Tory
:13:37. > :13:39.government that has taken us out of the European Union, punishing
:13:40. > :13:47.vulnerable individuals and damaging the life chances of individuals. The
:13:48. > :13:50.Tory budget is assessed by the Resolution Foundation to be
:13:51. > :13:54.consigning people in this country to the lowest level of wage growth in
:13:55. > :14:03.over 200 years. That is what the Labour Party are guilty of ushering
:14:04. > :14:13.in for their stance in the referendum. In the midst of that
:14:14. > :14:16.rants, the Trooper John Swinney can't escape from is that the
:14:17. > :14:27.economic case for independence is well and truly bust and we all
:14:28. > :14:36.remember... We all remember he is leaked paper. Order. Order. Excuse
:14:37. > :14:40.me, were the Chamber please settle down. There are too many
:14:41. > :14:42.interruptions, that is too much applause, too much shouting. Will
:14:43. > :14:51.you please listen to the questions and listen to the answers. Kezia
:14:52. > :14:55.Dugdale. Excuse me. Please. Kezia Dugdale. Thank you.
:14:56. > :15:02.We all remember the leaked paper, that was the one where John Swinney
:15:03. > :15:06.admitted privately that the sums didn't add up. The oil revenues were
:15:07. > :15:11.volatile and that pensions would be at risk and independence. Nicola
:15:12. > :15:16.Sturgeon has again today backed herself into a corner on the second
:15:17. > :15:19.independence referendum. Maybe Deputy First Minister can apply some
:15:20. > :15:24.common to help her get out of it. He has looked at the numbers. He knows
:15:25. > :15:28.the case for independence lies in tatters, so why won't he scrapped
:15:29. > :15:34.the plans for a second independence referendum? Deputy First Minister. I
:15:35. > :15:41.Kizzire Dugdale that the Labour Party, if they want to progress,
:15:42. > :15:46.have got to learn the lessons of the mistakes that they made in 2014. The
:15:47. > :15:50.arguments, narrative and explanation that Kezia Dugdale has come up with
:15:51. > :15:54.today have a line of attack that could have been delivered by Ruth
:15:55. > :16:03.Davidson. It is almost as if Kezia Dugdale wondered -- wondered in and
:16:04. > :16:09.listen to speeches by Ruth Davidson to deliver to this Parliament. I
:16:10. > :16:13.have some helpful advice to the Labour Party. Get onto Scotland's
:16:14. > :16:22.side, then you might progress. APPLAUSE
:16:23. > :16:32.some constituency supplementary the first from Christine Grahame. First
:16:33. > :16:35.Bus is pulling out of all errors in my constituency. I have written to
:16:36. > :16:40.the transport minister and had a lengthy conversation with the
:16:41. > :16:45.director of West Coast motors which will take over as the 25th of March.
:16:46. > :16:49.A further meeting is pencilled in. There are 113 employees across that
:16:50. > :16:53.these, and while I am hopeful that the changing provider will be good
:16:54. > :16:59.news, can I ask what reassurance the Deputy First Minister can give to my
:17:00. > :17:06.constituents, both employees and passengers about their jobs and the
:17:07. > :17:08.rural bus service? I acknowledge the significance of the issue that
:17:09. > :17:18.Christine Grahame raises. We are aware of the proposed of the sale of
:17:19. > :17:21.First Bus to West Coast Motors. It will be a commercial transaction,
:17:22. > :17:25.but we are engaging with the operators and the relevant local
:17:26. > :17:31.authorities to understand the situation and further implications.
:17:32. > :17:36.In the travelling public. -- further implications for staff and the
:17:37. > :17:44.travelling public. The Minister for transport will be speaking with the
:17:45. > :17:46.manager of First Scotland East and we will consult publicly in the
:17:47. > :17:50.transport Bill later this year to address some of the issues raised.
:17:51. > :17:53.The transport minister will be happy to have further discussions with
:17:54. > :18:00.Christine Grahame and other members, if that would be helpful. Graham
:18:01. > :18:06.Simpson. My constituents, Mrs Norma Henderson, requires an operation for
:18:07. > :18:11.a very serious and worsening gynaecological condition. She's aged
:18:12. > :18:16.61 and is the primary care for her disabled daughter. She first went to
:18:17. > :18:21.see her GP in August. Since then, her treatment, if it can be called
:18:22. > :18:25.that, has been woeful. She's had two provisional operation dates
:18:26. > :18:30.cancelled. The 12 week Scottish NHS guarantee for treatment was reached
:18:31. > :18:36.on February 13 without her having had an operation. She was then given
:18:37. > :18:40.another provisional date for this month. That has been and gone. Would
:18:41. > :18:46.we Deputy First Minister like to apologise to Mrs Henderson, and what
:18:47. > :18:55.can he say to assure her that this ongoing disgrace will not continue?
:18:56. > :19:00.First of all, I'd say to Mr Simpson and directly to Mrs Henderson as
:19:01. > :19:05.well that the National Health Service and takes a huge volume of
:19:06. > :19:08.clinical activity on a daily basis. Members of staff around the country
:19:09. > :19:14.work extremely hard to put in place the services that are designed to
:19:15. > :19:20.address the needs of patients and to support them. I recognise the
:19:21. > :19:22.particular circumstances that Mr Simpson raises, because Mrs
:19:23. > :19:27.Henderson is a primary care for her daughter. Obviously, we must do all
:19:28. > :19:35.we can to try and supported her circumstances. We have seen data
:19:36. > :19:40.published this week about the level of cancelled operations, which shows
:19:41. > :19:50.that the level of cancelled operations for nonclinical reasons
:19:51. > :19:52.is just 2.5%. 97.5% of all operations go ahead as planned. We
:19:53. > :19:58.will look at the specific issues that Mr Simpson raises about this
:19:59. > :20:02.case. If you would care to pass those to the Health Secretary,
:20:03. > :20:04.though we looked at immediately to determine the circumstances. The
:20:05. > :20:11.Health Secretary will be happy to meet with Mr Simpson to discuss any
:20:12. > :20:14.analysis that come out of that. Staff at Heriot Watt University in
:20:15. > :20:19.my constituency are concerned about the sudden announcement on Friday of
:20:20. > :20:24.100 job losses. The university State of the move as a direct result of a
:20:25. > :20:28.number of factors including post-Brexit uncertainty over
:20:29. > :20:33.immigration and research grants leading to a sharp fall in
:20:34. > :20:35.postgraduate applications. What assistance can be offered to my
:20:36. > :20:42.constituency face an uncertain future? Presiding officer, I'm aware
:20:43. > :20:45.of the issue and the Minister for higher education and science has
:20:46. > :20:51.discussed these issues with the principal at Heriot Watt University.
:20:52. > :20:55.As autonomous bodies, universities are responsible for their own
:20:56. > :20:59.finances and staffing. However, I would expect the university to work
:21:00. > :21:02.closely with staff and unions on this matter. It is vital that
:21:03. > :21:08.student experience is not diminished. From my discussions
:21:09. > :21:13.across the sector and with the Minister for higher education and
:21:14. > :21:17.science, we are acutely aware of the unease within the higher education
:21:18. > :21:22.sector about the implications of Brexit. Any member listening to the
:21:23. > :21:28.concerns of the higher education sector could not fail to see and to
:21:29. > :21:32.recognise those concerns. For the government's part, the Scottish
:21:33. > :21:35.funding council has increased the resources available to Heriot Watt
:21:36. > :21:41.University for the forthcoming academic year, and that is welcome.
:21:42. > :21:42.But of course the University is wrestling with significant
:21:43. > :21:48.uncertainty around the position on EU citizens. I would encourage the
:21:49. > :21:53.United Kingdom government to provide clarity on the ability for citizens
:21:54. > :21:58.across the EU and globe to study at one of Scotland's universities in
:21:59. > :22:01.the future, and we hope further reassurance can be given by the
:22:02. > :22:06.Chancellor to our excellent universities say they can maintain
:22:07. > :22:09.the income that they draw from competitive EU research funds, which
:22:10. > :22:15.are central to the strengthening of our university sector. I would like
:22:16. > :22:20.to ask the Deputy First Minister and when the Cabinet will next meet? On
:22:21. > :22:25.Tuesday. Given the volume in the chamber a few minutes ago as the
:22:26. > :22:28.other political parties debated their shared desperate attachment to
:22:29. > :22:31.the economic Subi fossil fuel industry, is the ball that people
:22:32. > :22:35.might find it hard to believe that the parties are about to stand
:22:36. > :22:41.together this afternoon to promote Earth hour, demonstrating a claimed
:22:42. > :22:50.shared commitment to action on climate change. Yet over recent
:22:51. > :22:53.meets, the government's draft climate plan has exposed serious
:22:54. > :22:58.omissions and contradictions, defending a plan that does nothing
:22:59. > :23:03.to improve bus use, and saying that car journeys are destined to go up
:23:04. > :23:07.by 25%. The transport minister says that is only the worst case
:23:08. > :23:12.scenario. The Environment Secretary is telling the chamber about a
:23:13. > :23:14.compulsory cycle testing, and a fortnight later the Rauball
:23:15. > :23:20.Secretary rights to committees to say that is not happening. --
:23:21. > :23:24.compulsory soil testing. It has been admitted that there is no attempt to
:23:25. > :23:28.build a credible economic case to cut aviation tax, but the rest of
:23:29. > :23:32.the economy can allegedly make up for the rest of the omissions but
:23:33. > :23:36.flying, even though the climate plan itself is utterly devoid of detail
:23:37. > :23:39.on how this is to happen. The draft climate plan is barely half baked.
:23:40. > :23:44.Isn't it clear that major changes are needed if we're going to ensure
:23:45. > :23:51.that the ambitious choice of Scotland needs to make written into
:23:52. > :23:56.the plan? First of all, the government committed to publish a
:23:57. > :24:01.climate change plan in 2016-17, and the draft plan was published on the
:24:02. > :24:09.19th of January. The detail that Mr Harvie has gone to demonstrate the
:24:10. > :24:13.rigorous scrutiny that is exercised on the government by Parliamentary
:24:14. > :24:18.committees. And so it should be. This issue should be properly tested
:24:19. > :24:22.within committee. My experience on interacting with Parliamentary
:24:23. > :24:27.committees is that we do have that rigorous interaction. The
:24:28. > :24:31.government's climate change bill contains the country's plan. It
:24:32. > :24:35.takes in a huge number of measures and interventions across government
:24:36. > :24:40.to enable us to fulfil the target that we have set for ourselves. I
:24:41. > :24:46.would remind Mr Harvey that the government has already earlier
:24:47. > :24:51.achieved the 2020 target that we put in place for carbon emissions
:24:52. > :24:55.reductions. That is something that I think we should all, as parliament,
:24:56. > :25:00.be proud of. We legislated for the ambitious legislation a number of
:25:01. > :25:02.years ago and we are now seeing that legislation fulfilled as a
:25:03. > :25:07.consequence of the government's leadership and actions. There is a
:25:08. > :25:12.processor Parliamentary scrutiny to be undertaken, but I would ask Mr
:25:13. > :25:15.Harvie to consider the achievements made so far and to work with the
:25:16. > :25:19.government on taken forward measures that would have a substantial effect
:25:20. > :25:25.on reinforcing the targets in years to come. The low hanging fruit are
:25:26. > :25:29.pretty thin on the branches. I would suspect that Parliament is going to
:25:30. > :25:33.need to see far more consistency and detail from the government before
:25:34. > :25:38.this climate plan passes. The four Parliamentary committees that have
:25:39. > :25:42.produced reports on the plan due to publish tomorrow. But even looking
:25:43. > :25:47.at the submitted evidence in the public domain, and by the questions
:25:48. > :25:51.asked by MSPs, it's very clear that there is serious concern and that
:25:52. > :25:54.changes to this draft plan will need to be equally serious. I will say
:25:55. > :25:59.that the situation is not as bad as it is with the UK Government, even
:26:00. > :26:03.if that is setting the bar pretty low. Climate change was the elephant
:26:04. > :26:07.in the debating chamber yesterday during the budget statement. Not a
:26:08. > :26:10.single mention of climate change by the challenger, neither on the
:26:11. > :26:15.challenges we face more by the opportunities from the low-carbon
:26:16. > :26:23.economy which the UK's government policies have done so much to
:26:24. > :26:27.undermine. I regret that it may be said enough is not being done to
:26:28. > :26:32.support the oil industry to extract fossil fuels that the world can't
:26:33. > :26:35.afford to burn. Can we Deputy First Minister give us one commitment that
:26:36. > :26:40.the extra capital funding that will be available will be committed to
:26:41. > :26:43.low-carbon infrastructure to help break a reliance on fossil fuel
:26:44. > :26:47.consumption and build up the new industries, and genuinely
:26:48. > :26:53.sustainable jobs that the country will need in the post-oil era? I'm
:26:54. > :26:57.very surprised to hear Mr Harvey thinking that my criticism of the
:26:58. > :27:04.Chancellor might be limited to one issue. I have lots to criticise the
:27:05. > :27:08.Chancellor for, and I certainly agree with his analysis that the
:27:09. > :27:12.United Kingdom government has not done all it could have done to help
:27:13. > :27:17.with advancing the agenda that this Parliament has been interested in
:27:18. > :27:21.advancing. The First Minister was in the Western Isles on Monday and
:27:22. > :27:24.reported to Cabinet on Tuesday about the frustration in the Western Isles
:27:25. > :27:34.about the lack of progress that has been made despite selling efforts
:27:35. > :27:37.over a number of years to support -- supported by many other members of
:27:38. > :27:41.Parliament to secure a connector that would enable the renewable
:27:42. > :27:44.potential of the Western Isles to be fully realised as a consequence. I'm
:27:45. > :27:49.quite happy to balance our criticism to make sure those issues are
:27:50. > :27:52.properly put on the record. We will work with the United Kingdom
:27:53. > :27:56.government to try to advance. This is an area where if the
:27:57. > :28:00.Conservatives have influence with the UK Government, they might be
:28:01. > :28:04.able to help us to get progress. An interconnected opportunity that can
:28:05. > :28:12.really transform the lives and attack fuel poverty in the Western
:28:13. > :28:15.Isles. Mr Harvie asks me if I will commit the extra capital announced
:28:16. > :28:20.by the United Kingdom government yesterday. I have to say, times have
:28:21. > :28:26.changed. I no longer control the purse strings in the government. I
:28:27. > :28:30.am now a supplicant when it comes to entering with trepidation the office
:28:31. > :28:34.of the finance secretary to try to secure capital assistance. If it's
:28:35. > :28:37.OK with Mr Harvey, I would properly respect the role of the finance
:28:38. > :28:42.secretary who will make announcements on these questions to
:28:43. > :28:51.Parliament in due course. But I do commit to putting in a good word
:28:52. > :28:58.from Mr Harvie's objective. The Scotland report into the failed i6
:28:59. > :29:02.project makes grim reading. It is another botched IT project which
:29:03. > :29:07.should have been abandoned for sooner. True to form, the Scottish
:29:08. > :29:11.Government's response was to enter another area of good practice
:29:12. > :29:14.findings, but shamefully ignored the conclusion which the police officers
:29:15. > :29:19.and staff continue to struggle with out of date, inefficient and poorly
:29:20. > :29:23.integrated systems. Does the Deputy First Minister recognise the
:29:24. > :29:26.difficulties being faced as a result of this IT shambles, and what
:29:27. > :29:30.reassurance can he give officers and staff who faced the prospect of
:29:31. > :29:36.using these one systems for years to come? The first thing I would say is
:29:37. > :29:43.that I acknowledge the importance of the system redesign that has got to
:29:44. > :29:47.be undertaken. That work has to be done and has to be done in an
:29:48. > :29:50.orderly fashion to make sure that police services can have access to
:29:51. > :29:56.high-quality information technology that can assist them in their work.
:29:57. > :30:00.The Scottish police authority and police Scotland are committed to
:30:01. > :30:05.doing that. The best thing for me to do in this respect in answering the
:30:06. > :30:08.points made is to quote the auditor general for Scotland, who on the
:30:09. > :30:11.radio this morning said that one of the positive things about this
:30:12. > :30:16.particular project is that because of the strength of the contract that
:30:17. > :30:20.Police Scotland had signed with Accent chav, they were able to
:30:21. > :30:27.recover the ?11 million they had paid over to the contract, and also
:30:28. > :30:34.an extra ?13.5 million to reflect staff time and payments made for
:30:35. > :30:37.hardware and software. In cash terms, Police Scotland isn't out of
:30:38. > :30:40.pocket. That is what the auditor general for Scotland said this
:30:41. > :30:46.morning in a reflection on the fact that while this programme has not
:30:47. > :30:53.been able to be taken to completion because of the scale of the
:30:54. > :30:55.challenge between Police Scotland and the contract, the public purse
:30:56. > :31:00.has not offered as a consequence of that. Police Scotland will not take
:31:01. > :31:04.forward in the way that we would expect them, and organised approach
:31:05. > :31:08.to make sure that we can have in place the systems that will enable
:31:09. > :31:15.police officers to have access to modern IT in the period to come.
:31:16. > :31:20.Would be substantial reduction in oil revenues, it is surely time for
:31:21. > :31:26.a new oil and gas bulletin. The last one was due in 2015. The First
:31:27. > :31:29.Minister promised me in June 2016 it would be soon. If the Scottish
:31:30. > :31:37.Government was on performance related pay, they will get nothing.
:31:38. > :31:42.Will the 21st Minister in a new bulletin is published before June
:31:43. > :31:52.2017 and another year passes? If the Labour Party was on performance
:31:53. > :31:56.related pay... They will be in negative equity! I can say to Jackie
:31:57. > :32:02.Baillie the government has published a range of information on gas. We
:32:03. > :32:06.publish a compendium of statistics last week on the 23rd of February. I
:32:07. > :32:11.would encourage her to take reference of that particular
:32:12. > :32:16.document which is a substantial compendium of statistical
:32:17. > :32:23.information. Two of the Deputy First Minister what the response is from
:32:24. > :32:36.the Scottish Government to the UK budget? The Chancellor's statement
:32:37. > :32:43.confirmed that the Scottish Cup to -- Scottish cant... The Institute
:32:44. > :32:46.for Fiscal Studies suggests austerity will continue into the
:32:47. > :32:51.next the code. The budget supported no support for low income families
:32:52. > :32:56.who are facing deep cuts to their incomes and who will bear the brunt
:32:57. > :33:01.of the cost of Brexit. We will continue to do everything we can to
:33:02. > :33:05.boost the economy, tackle inequality and provide high quality public
:33:06. > :33:15.services, but yesterday's budget does little to support that aim.
:33:16. > :33:23.Obviously we all welcome the additional ?350 million of funding,
:33:24. > :33:29.albeit over three years, but does the Deputy First Minister agree that
:33:30. > :33:40.we should not let that blind us to the hard reality that Scotland's
:33:41. > :33:43.budget stands a cut as a result of a Tory government the Scottish people
:33:44. > :33:48.did not vote for. A cup that will damage the economy, damage public
:33:49. > :33:58.services and quality of life in Scotland. The Labour Party in
:33:59. > :34:05.Scotland would prefer that Scotland took control of its own affairs. Mr
:34:06. > :34:10.Crawford makes an important point. UK austerity is cutting the funding
:34:11. > :34:16.available for Scottish public services. Moreover the UK austerity
:34:17. > :34:21.measures are cutting their incomes of some of the most vulnerable
:34:22. > :34:28.people in our society. The OBR forecast shows that average earnings
:34:29. > :34:33.by 2021 will be below the level of 2001. It demonstrates that low
:34:34. > :34:38.income households will see larger cuts to the incompetent virtually
:34:39. > :34:43.everyone else apart from the very richest households as a direct
:34:44. > :34:51.result of the UK Government was not policies over this Parliament. The
:34:52. > :34:56.Chancellor's budget decisions will deliver a welcome additional ?145
:34:57. > :34:59.million in extra bionic consequential is the next year.
:35:00. > :35:04.Given that much of this consequential is arise from money
:35:05. > :35:08.that the Chancellor is allocating to English councils to address business
:35:09. > :35:12.rates rises, how much of the additional money will the Scottish
:35:13. > :35:20.Government allocates two councils in the north-east of Scotland who want
:35:21. > :35:27.to set up local rate relief schemes? Well, it is a bit of an odd question
:35:28. > :35:30.because in both Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen shire Council,
:35:31. > :35:40.the Conservatives voted against business rates relief schemes. That
:35:41. > :35:47.is the first odd point. Secondly, this morning the Conservatives have
:35:48. > :35:49.been arguing for us that this is our opportunity because of the
:35:50. > :35:53.consequential is to cancel the removal of the tax cuts for high
:35:54. > :36:01.earners. That was Mr Fraser Cosme proposition. They asked that the
:36:02. > :36:08.cheek by jowl, the two of them. The Conservatives are trying to spend
:36:09. > :36:13.the same money twice, and we all know... Now we all know that the
:36:14. > :36:16.Labour Party... Maybe it is something to do with when you sit
:36:17. > :36:20.over there because that is what the Labour Party used asked me to do
:36:21. > :36:24.when I was the finance minister and they were sitting there in second
:36:25. > :36:27.place. They were asked me to spend the money twice. Now the Tories of
:36:28. > :36:33.the second party and they are asking us to spend the same money twice.
:36:34. > :36:39.The Finance Secretary will do as he is doing magnificently just now,
:36:40. > :36:47.take decisions that will lead to wise investments for the future of
:36:48. > :36:53.the Scottish economy. Question number five, Adam Tomkins. To the
:36:54. > :37:00.Deputy First Minister for what reason life expectancy is no longer
:37:01. > :37:05.rising in Scotland? Reducing health inequality is one of the biggest
:37:06. > :37:11.challenges we face. There are wider economic issues and that's why the
:37:12. > :37:16.government has invested ?296 million since 2013 to mitigate the harmful
:37:17. > :37:23.effects of the UK Government's welfare reform. Between 2012 and
:37:24. > :37:37.2015 life expectancy rates have been stagnant. The causes of Scottish
:37:38. > :37:40.mortality are complex, multiple. The professor of geography at the
:37:41. > :37:46.University of Oxford said over the weekend that austerity measures may
:37:47. > :37:51.have contributed to the stolen life expectancy. I quote, I don't think
:37:52. > :37:53.it has anything to do with the SNP government. The same thing would
:37:54. > :37:58.have occurred if Labour had held power in Scotland. It is the fall in
:37:59. > :38:05.funding due to the financial crash of 2008. The Deputy First Minister
:38:06. > :38:09.will note that life expectancy levels in the East End of Glasgow
:38:10. > :38:16.are lower than other affluent parts of the city. There has been an
:38:17. > :38:21.opportunity to reduce health inequality in the neighbourhood that
:38:22. > :38:26.hosted the games, but no targets were set. Compare this with the
:38:27. > :38:29.borough is that hosted the Olympics which set themselves the explicit
:38:30. > :38:37.target of narrowing the gap in male and female life expectancy between
:38:38. > :38:40.East End and the rest of London. The did the First Minister not agree
:38:41. > :38:51.that Glasgow should follow London's lead and what steps will be taken to
:38:52. > :38:55.address this? I reiterate the point I made in my first answer that the
:38:56. > :39:00.implications of austerity have increased the challenge that we face
:39:01. > :39:03.in addressing long-term health inequalities that are present in
:39:04. > :39:08.Scottish society and have been for all of my lifetime. The government
:39:09. > :39:14.has taken a coordinated approach to tackling these issues by some of the
:39:15. > :39:19.measures that are taken by Mr Brown in relation to the regeneration of
:39:20. > :39:22.the East End of Glasgow. The work that Shona Robinson takes forward
:39:23. > :39:27.with the health service to make sure we have an integrated service in
:39:28. > :39:31.areas of multiple deprivation to address the whole needs of
:39:32. > :39:35.individuals, not just the healthiest, but the whole wellness
:39:36. > :39:38.agenda that is relevant and work that I'm forward the particular
:39:39. > :39:46.measures such as people equity funds that target directly the approaches
:39:47. > :39:50.that are required to support young people from deprived backgrounds to
:39:51. > :39:54.achieve their potential within our educational system. Schools in the
:39:55. > :39:59.East End of Glasgow are benefiting enormously and quite rightly from
:40:00. > :40:03.those investments. Then we have the measures that Angela Constance takes
:40:04. > :40:06.forward as part of the Social Security work to make sure we are
:40:07. > :40:11.focusing on supporting the vulnerable in our society. I
:40:12. > :40:14.reassure Mr Tomkins of the determination of government in
:40:15. > :40:18.Scotland across all our responsibilities to make sure we
:40:19. > :40:22.focus ending the income inequalities that have bedevilled so many
:40:23. > :40:26.individuals in our society and make sure every individual can have the
:40:27. > :40:28.opportunity to progress in our society despite the health
:40:29. > :40:36.difficulties and the background that may have undermined it. Question
:40:37. > :40:46.number six, Monica Lenin. To as the date the First Minister what is the
:40:47. > :40:50.Scottish Government's response to the Samaritans report that there is
:40:51. > :40:56.an increase in suicide in deprived areas. Any death by suicide is a
:40:57. > :40:58.tragedy and the link between deprivation and suicide is well
:40:59. > :41:03.known. We will take the recommendations into account. We
:41:04. > :41:09.will develop a new suicide prevention strategy. Although
:41:10. > :41:14.suicide rates are higher than average in Scotland in most deprived
:41:15. > :41:19.areas, this inequality gap has narrowed over the last decade.
:41:20. > :41:23.Scotland's suicide rates averages by 18% in the last two years and the
:41:24. > :41:32.number of suicides in 2015 were the lowest in a single year since 1974.
:41:33. > :41:35.Shortly before the publication of the Samaritans's report we heard
:41:36. > :41:53.from the Minister for mental health in the Chamber just like we -- just
:41:54. > :41:57.last week that evaluation is a central pillar of effective suicide
:41:58. > :42:01.prevention strategies. Now that we have the report, will the Deputy
:42:02. > :42:05.First Minister commit the government to an evaluation of the actions in
:42:06. > :42:11.the previous strategy before the government embarks on the next one?
:42:12. > :42:16.Monica Lenin raises a significant issue. We have two in policy terms
:42:17. > :42:19.be very open to questioning whether particular interventions have been
:42:20. > :42:24.successful, given the fact that we all recognise the importance and
:42:25. > :42:28.necessity of making sure the measures we put in place are
:42:29. > :42:33.effective in supporting individuals in these circumstances. If Monica
:42:34. > :42:39.Lenin will forgive me, I won't give her a definitive answer today, but I
:42:40. > :42:47.will ask the Health Secretary to look at the serious point she has
:42:48. > :42:51.raised. I do give parliament the assurance that the government is
:42:52. > :42:57.determined to take all measures we possibly can to support vulnerable
:42:58. > :43:01.individuals in the circumstances. Two of the Deputy First Minister
:43:02. > :43:08.what the Scottish Government's responses regarding the reports
:43:09. > :43:15.regarding tackling sectarianism in Scotland. I would like to thank
:43:16. > :43:20.Doctor Morrow for carrying out this report. I would also like to thank
:43:21. > :43:24.everyone for their constructive contributions. It is clear from the
:43:25. > :43:32.review that remains to be done and we all have a responsibility to meet
:43:33. > :43:41.this challenge, we need to build on previous work. We have invested
:43:42. > :43:55.money, included nine 3p to fight sectarianism. -- nine 3p.
:43:56. > :44:03.Action of the churches mention that the concern and worried was that if
:44:04. > :44:06.any changes were made to offensive behaviour and football, it chords
:44:07. > :44:12.you seen as legitimising sectarianism. Does he share my
:44:13. > :44:18.concern that we should not do anything that will legitimise
:44:19. > :44:23.sectarianism? We must do absolutely nothing to legitimise sectarianism.
:44:24. > :44:26.It is important that as Parliament considers these issues, the Minister
:44:27. > :44:30.for community safety was here making a statement as the other week about
:44:31. > :44:37.the steps the government is taking to commission a review into all of
:44:38. > :44:42.our hate crime legislation to make sure it is fit for purpose as we go
:44:43. > :44:49.forward, the approach that we are determined to take is to look for
:44:50. > :44:54.alternatives and to see how the measures that are in the act can be
:44:55. > :45:01.improved and in line with constructive views offered by the
:45:02. > :45:06.quality net for -- network Stonewall and the Law Society of Scotland, the
:45:07. > :45:09.independent review of hate crime legislation will include analysis of
:45:10. > :45:13.the offensive behaviour act and that will set out the issues we have two
:45:14. > :45:19.address in assuring we have legislation that is fit for the 21st
:45:20. > :45:28.century in Scotland. I don't doubt the words bedevilled defence
:45:29. > :45:33.Minister has offered in opposing sectarianism, but the government has
:45:34. > :45:36.cut funding by ?2 million to initiatives that were fighting
:45:37. > :45:45.sectarianism in our community. I think the government's flagship
:45:46. > :45:48.policy has been the offensive behaviour at football act.
:45:49. > :45:54.Unfortunately one of the policy outcomes of that act has to be
:45:55. > :46:01.criminalised -- has been to criminalise young men. I don't think
:46:02. > :46:03.that that is consistent with the Scottish Government Justice policy
:46:04. > :46:07.and I don't think that was the intention when the government
:46:08. > :46:10.brought forward the legislation. Wilbur Deputy First Minister take
:46:11. > :46:14.the opportunity to rethink the approach to this legislation and
:46:15. > :46:21.also the government's overall approach to tackling sectarianism?
:46:22. > :46:25.The government has taken steps by the measures that we've taken
:46:26. > :46:32.forward to commission the independent review to look at the
:46:33. > :46:39.issues that are raised on sectarianism. I think that's an open
:46:40. > :46:44.process which should be welcomed across Parliament. In relation to
:46:45. > :46:49.the questions on finance, the commitments the government has made
:46:50. > :46:53.on tackling sectarianism financially has resulted in the investment of
:46:54. > :46:57.?12.5 million over the last five years. That's more than any other
:46:58. > :47:00.government has ever done in the past. That's been a measure of the
:47:01. > :47:04.commitment that we had to ensure that we tackle this issue and
:47:05. > :47:09.tackled effectively by the support that's in place. I appreciate Mr
:47:10. > :47:13.Kelly's strong views on this question. He acknowledges the
:47:14. > :47:17.commitment that I make on this question and the points that he's
:47:18. > :47:20.made. But I ask him to accept that the government is determined to
:47:21. > :47:23.tackle these issues, but to tackle them in a way that addresses the
:47:24. > :47:32.wider questions that have to be considered. Thank you, that
:47:33. > :47:38.concludes First Minister's Questions STUDIO: There we have it.
:47:39. > :47:43.Oil dominates, and issue arising from a BBC interview in which Andrew
:47:44. > :47:49.Wilson was saying that oil was baked into the SNP's plans and presumed
:47:50. > :47:53.they would have to be removed, given that it is declining. Another BBC
:47:54. > :47:57.interview in which Nicola Sturgeon was asked about the timetable, she
:47:58. > :48:00.suggested it could be a window roughly around Autumn 2018 although
:48:01. > :48:08.she is absolutely not pinned down to the dates will stop of course, the
:48:09. > :48:14.aftermath of the budget. I enjoy and is now by two colleagues. On the oil
:48:15. > :48:16.question, John Swinney gave long answers and vigorous anthers. But he
:48:17. > :48:22.didn't really answer the question about the decline in North the
:48:23. > :48:28.revenue? He didn't, no. -- North Sea revenue. Since we have seen oil
:48:29. > :48:31.prices crash since the peak they were prior to the referendum,
:48:32. > :48:34.they've come down. They stabilised, but they're not showing any signs of
:48:35. > :48:39.going back up to the heights that they were at a game. There's not
:48:40. > :48:43.really anything John Swinney can do, hence the ducking the question. In
:48:44. > :48:48.some ways, a magnificent performance. But, once again, he
:48:49. > :48:53.turned around by saying it would be a bonus to the UK Government and a
:48:54. > :48:58.bonus to the UK Treasury, but he didn't really address the point
:48:59. > :49:00.being asked by his opponents. It was a virtuoso display of avoiding
:49:01. > :49:08.answering the question. Clearly, it's a very embarrassing development
:49:09. > :49:13.that the oil revenues have dried up. Just remember that in the years
:49:14. > :49:17.prior to the 2014 independence referendum, oil revenues were coming
:49:18. > :49:24.in at 4-6,000,000,000 per year. At the height, they were 11 billion per
:49:25. > :49:29.year. Now they are practically zero. What's interesting, I thought, was
:49:30. > :49:37.the way John Swinney is subtly changing the oil argument by saying
:49:38. > :49:42.it was Scotland's oil. Certainly a grievance about today or yesterday,
:49:43. > :49:46.it's about happy ?300 million was stolen by Westminster. He also
:49:47. > :49:50.managed to point out that the Chancellor announced potential
:49:51. > :49:54.actions for the North Sea, but not actual action. Yes, and potential
:49:55. > :49:58.actions that indeed the UK Government has spoken about doing
:49:59. > :50:05.before. The idea of using the tax system to encourage companies to get
:50:06. > :50:09.more oil out of the ground. Of the later stages of the development?
:50:10. > :50:17.Gas, and delay the decommissioning of the oil rigs. Patrick Harvie said
:50:18. > :50:22.it is really the main parties, labour, the SNP and conservatives,
:50:23. > :50:25.and their reliance on fossil fuels. And interesting intervention by
:50:26. > :50:29.Patrick Harvie, he turned the debate around 90 degrees in some ways. John
:50:30. > :50:34.Swinney said he would love to help, but he is now a supplicant, rather
:50:35. > :50:38.than the finance secretary. But intriguing points raised by Patrick
:50:39. > :50:42.Harvie. Yes, and raising real concerns about the impact on
:50:43. > :50:45.climate, if we're going to be taking oil out of the ground, if the
:50:46. > :50:48.government will go ahead batting air passenger duty on how will we
:50:49. > :50:55.counted those with the ambitious climate change predictions? Pajic
:50:56. > :51:00.Abbey is the only one celebrating the fact that revenues are
:51:01. > :51:05.declining. -- good old Patrick Harvie is the only one celebrating.
:51:06. > :51:12.It was not only the oil bonus, it was the renewable energy bonus. Do
:51:13. > :51:16.you remember Alex and talking about us being the Saudi Arabia of
:51:17. > :51:20.renewables? We don't hear so much about the great renewables bonus for
:51:21. > :51:24.Scotland as we were a few years ago. Perhaps that is where John Swinney
:51:25. > :51:31.told me about the carbon capture project disappearing as well. Let's
:51:32. > :51:34.move on to the wider indie referendum. I think it was described
:51:35. > :51:43.on the radio this morning as a political gut what. -- political
:51:44. > :51:49.gavot. We have a further hint from Nicola Sturgeon, but only a hint,
:51:50. > :51:53.that she is not ruling out autumn 2018. A huge wave of expectation is
:51:54. > :51:56.being brought up. Nicola Sturgeon, if she doesn't get some kind of late
:51:57. > :52:02.indication from Theresa May that Scotland will be allowed a
:52:03. > :52:07.differentiated relationship... She's not going to get that, she knows
:52:08. > :52:09.she's not going to get that. She's not even promising new powers for
:52:10. > :52:15.the Scottish parliament any more, they have to go via Westminster.
:52:16. > :52:18.She's getting absolutely nothing. She's been failing for long enough
:52:19. > :52:24.now, nearly six months, but she's not bluffing about this. Eventually
:52:25. > :52:27.someone had to call it. The UK Government has a big role here.
:52:28. > :52:35.First of all, as Ian says, do they, don't make grants and wiggle room to
:52:36. > :52:40.Scotland within the Brexit move? The other question is they would have to
:52:41. > :52:43.grab a section 30 to allow a referendum to take place at. Here
:52:44. > :52:47.are the speculation has been that they may grant permission for the
:52:48. > :52:50.Scottish Government to hold an independence referendum, but is
:52:51. > :52:55.forced the Scottish Government to halt it after Brexit has been
:52:56. > :53:00.completed. -- but force the Scottish Government to hold it. That could be
:53:01. > :53:03.another blow to the SNP's arguments for independence, rather than a
:53:04. > :53:07.seamless transfer where Scotland could stay in Europe by voting for
:53:08. > :53:11.independence. We might have two then reapply to join the club, as it
:53:12. > :53:17.were. That is one of the arguments successfully used by the Better
:53:18. > :53:23.Together campaigners in the first referendum.
:53:24. > :53:29.What is your guests on when it may happen? On the spot? On the spot,
:53:30. > :53:33.absolutely no idea. My guess is it should probably delay, but I am
:53:34. > :53:39.almost invariably wrong about these kind of things. We have that opinion
:53:40. > :53:44.poll today suggesting 50-50. You should have seen the way social
:53:45. > :53:52.media was responding to John Swinney, his exercise in evasion.
:53:53. > :53:58.They loved it. They're back in the Lions are breaking down -- they're
:53:59. > :54:02.back in the line and breaking down Scotland. We will talk more about
:54:03. > :54:06.the budget because we have the opportunity here to get word from
:54:07. > :54:12.two of the major participants. Festival here from the finance
:54:13. > :54:15.secretary at Holyrood, but first the chance exchequer. -- first we hear
:54:16. > :54:21.from the finance secretary at Holyrood. Additional financing of
:54:22. > :54:37.?350 million for the Scottish Government. 250...
:54:38. > :54:43.HECKLING ?200 million for the Welsh government. And almost ?120 million
:54:44. > :54:50.for an incoming Northern Ireland executive. Demonstrating, Mr Deputy
:54:51. > :55:00.Speaker, once again that we are stronger together in this. I welcome
:55:01. > :55:08.the additional resources, but it's a drop in the ocean. Welfare cuts
:55:09. > :55:11.continue severity continues, and we will continue to push the UK
:55:12. > :55:14.Government on what matters to Scotland, not least on the Brexit
:55:15. > :55:18.challenge which were self-inflicted by this UK Government. Finance
:55:19. > :55:26.ministers north and south of the border. You could see during the
:55:27. > :55:28.exchanges, I think we saw the Scottish minister David Mundell
:55:29. > :55:33.literally licking his lips at the prospect of 300 million coming north
:55:34. > :55:38.of the border. But it was a cooler reception at question Time today
:55:39. > :55:43.from John Swinney. It was. John Swinney served as finance secretary
:55:44. > :55:48.for many a year and Alex Salmond. Limited consequential is, he talked
:55:49. > :55:53.about Bruce Crawford, the convener of Holyrood's finance came in, and
:55:54. > :55:57.talked about 2.9 billion being lost in Scotland's budget over a decade.
:55:58. > :56:00.The UK Government disputes those figures, but that is how the
:56:01. > :56:04.Scottish Government sees it, that their budget is being cut and there
:56:05. > :56:09.may be getting a little bit back. But it doesn't make up for the
:56:10. > :56:13.overall losses they have suffered. And intriguing exchange between the
:56:14. > :56:16.SNP, John Swinney, and Conservative backbenchers on at the point of
:56:17. > :56:21.where the Conservatives would allocate this money. It had been
:56:22. > :56:26.suggested to abandon the SNP tax plan and then spend on business
:56:27. > :56:29.rates relief. That's right. The opposition's prerogative to spend
:56:30. > :56:35.money twice, they don't have two answer how the money... Spend early,
:56:36. > :56:40.spend often. It is interesting and it is a foretaste of what will come
:56:41. > :56:43.in the future. Come April, the Scottish Government gets its full
:56:44. > :56:48.income tax raising powers on varying bands and rate. That will be a
:56:49. > :56:51.momentous change in Scottish fiscal affairs and will throw attention
:56:52. > :56:56.much more on what is done with the money up here, and further away from
:56:57. > :57:00.what was happening in the UK budget. Let's take you to a wider issue
:57:01. > :57:08.within the JK budget still causing trouble today - the increase in the
:57:09. > :57:11.Treasury assurance. 60% will be better off, allegedly, because one
:57:12. > :57:15.band of national insurance is scrapped altogether. 40% will
:57:16. > :57:20.suffer. The Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland has published
:57:21. > :57:28.a list of the towns that will suffer. Really turning into a big
:57:29. > :57:33.row. It is there's a strong argument that self-employed people should pay
:57:34. > :57:36.the same national insurance. As the Chancellor argues. That's the
:57:37. > :57:42.argument he's basically baking. The reply to that is that they have many
:57:43. > :57:45.areas that are less for served in the workplace, because they don't
:57:46. > :57:52.get sick pay or holiday pay. A lot of them work for zero hours
:57:53. > :57:56.contractors in the gig economy, if you like. What the Chancellor was
:57:57. > :57:59.trying to do was close up what was perceived as a taxing import where
:58:00. > :58:03.some self-employed people have been getting away with paying much less
:58:04. > :58:11.tax by opting for self-employment. But it's completely backfired. It's
:58:12. > :58:14.backfired really because they make this promise before the last general
:58:15. > :58:18.election that they would not raise VAT or income tax, or national
:58:19. > :58:21.insurance. They can't now say that they didn't mean that national
:58:22. > :58:27.insurance, they only meant class for national insurance, or class one. It
:58:28. > :58:32.just doesn't work. Apologies, we are running out of time. Thank you both
:58:33. > :58:37.very much indeed for joining me to discuss questions to the Deputy
:58:38. > :58:40.First Minister. I will be heading off to make sense of it for various
:58:41. > :58:46.news programmes, and after that heading off to Perth for the Liberal
:58:47. > :58:53.Democrat Conference. My eyes will be and Liberal Democrat matters with a
:58:54. > :58:54.little view towards Friday night when Dundee face Edinburgh. From me,
:58:55. > :58:56.goodbye.