:00:18. > :00:26.I warm welcome to Holyrood and the Scottish parliament. The latest set
:00:27. > :00:31.of questions to the First Minister. Difficult to assess what might come
:00:32. > :00:38.up. It could be the condition of the fourth road bridge and problems for
:00:39. > :00:44.drivers and passengers. Let's find out by crossing to the chamber and
:00:45. > :00:49.my colleague Glen Campbell. Thousands of people rely on it to
:00:50. > :00:53.get to and from their work every day and businesses depend on that for
:00:54. > :00:58.getting goods and services to customers. I know of a shellfish
:00:59. > :01:02.firm in the Highlands worried about the impact of bridge closure and a
:01:03. > :01:08.construction firm in Fife is thousands of pounds out of pocket
:01:09. > :01:13.paying for stuff to be put in hotels in other parts of the country
:01:14. > :01:17.because they have deadlines to meet. One business leader told me that top
:01:18. > :01:22.priority was making sure small businesses control freely. Derek
:01:23. > :01:27.Mackay agreed to authorise small vans to travel along the priority
:01:28. > :01:32.route currently restricted to buses and HGVs. That has not happened yet.
:01:33. > :01:39.Can the minister confirm when that will take place? Can I thank the
:01:40. > :01:44.public for their patience and forbearance during what I know is a
:01:45. > :01:52.period of significant disruption for many individuals and businesses. Can
:01:53. > :01:58.I also thank a wide range of staff who are now working around the clock
:01:59. > :02:04.to deal with this issue? Let me also thank the -- restate the
:02:05. > :02:10.determination of this Government to do everything we can to minimise
:02:11. > :02:14.disruption and get the Forth Road Bridge open again as quickly as
:02:15. > :02:23.possible. In terms of the point Kezia Dugdale has raised. There have
:02:24. > :02:28.a number of points from a of sources about how to improve the travel plan
:02:29. > :02:34.that is in place. Some of those proposals have been implemented, for
:02:35. > :02:38.example the priority route put in place for buses and these TVs, that
:02:39. > :02:43.priority has been lifted during the night time period and we are
:02:44. > :02:49.currently looking at a range of proposals including the LGB proposal
:02:50. > :02:55.that Kezia Dugdale spoke about. M sure members will appreciate we are
:02:56. > :03:01.trying to take all possible action to minimise the disruption caused
:03:02. > :03:04.and in particular when we look at the priority route we have to take
:03:05. > :03:11.care we get them balance right between sensible restrictions and
:03:12. > :03:15.also not doing things that with the prioritise that route, so we
:03:16. > :03:20.continue to look at what flexibilities we can put in place
:03:21. > :03:27.and we will continue to keep the public fully updated. I accept that
:03:28. > :03:32.answer at the First Minister misses the fact this was a promise the
:03:33. > :03:37.Transport Minister made on Tuesday to small businesses that has not yet
:03:38. > :03:41.been realised. These businesses are losing business every day so when
:03:42. > :03:47.the First Minister said she needs to focus on minimising disruption she
:03:48. > :03:52.has to fall. Urgently, so I ask her to ensure this measure is put in
:03:53. > :03:55.place because we need more than short-term sticking plaster
:03:56. > :04:01.solutions. This situation has shown us we need a permit which doesn't
:04:02. > :04:07.put off essential work in the hope of saving money. -- a government.
:04:08. > :04:12.There is a new bridge coming and we support of that and then Vermont is
:04:13. > :04:17.working hard to mitigate transport problems and we support that too,
:04:18. > :04:23.but for the First Minister to sweep everything under the carpet will not
:04:24. > :04:27.wash. We know the bridge maintenance contract has been privatised by her
:04:28. > :04:32.government and budgets have been slashed by her government. We know
:04:33. > :04:39.them budget for the bridge was cut a 65%. Audit Scotland told us that.
:04:40. > :04:43.That is a cut to the maintenance budget of an ageing but essential
:04:44. > :04:51.asset. With the benefit of hindsight does that First Minister accepts
:04:52. > :04:58.these budget cuts were wrong? No, I don't. To complete the point, I
:04:59. > :05:04.think the public deserve a proper and full explanation of the
:05:05. > :05:09.situation. To complete the point is eared Dugdale raised in her first
:05:10. > :05:13.question, we will consider any suggestion made about travel
:05:14. > :05:17.planning and will implement changes as quickly as possible. We have to
:05:18. > :05:22.take care that an opening the priority route to more vehicles we
:05:23. > :05:29.don't have a situation where that races ceases to provide free or
:05:30. > :05:34.cheap transport for vehicles we provided it for. On the other
:05:35. > :05:45.issues, the specific part of the bridge that is now being repaired
:05:46. > :05:50.was not broken back in 2010. Order. What was considered in 2010 was
:05:51. > :05:56.prompted by concerns about another part of the link, not the part that
:05:57. > :06:01.is now cracked. The work considered would have been a more extensive
:06:02. > :06:05.repair than was required and it would have completely closed the
:06:06. > :06:14.fourth road bridge for a number of weeks and that is why better, which
:06:15. > :06:24.was made up of all parties, decided to do further analysis and propose a
:06:25. > :06:32.more proportionate repair -- FETA. That repair was under way when the
:06:33. > :06:36.current crack was identified and if I look at contracts were we are
:06:37. > :06:45.accused of underfunding, the grant provided to FETA was greater that
:06:46. > :06:48.year than in the previous three years, and Kezia Dugdale began her
:06:49. > :06:55.last question by saying this Vermont wanted to save money. Let me remind
:06:56. > :07:03.the chamber and that public, this is the Government that invested in a
:07:04. > :07:10.new Forth Road replacement crossing. Hardly the hallmark of a Vermont
:07:11. > :07:18.that was trying to save money. What was Labour's position on a new Forth
:07:19. > :07:24.Road replacement? James Kelly, Labour's then infrastructure
:07:25. > :07:29.spokesman, who was complaining that we hadn't fixed a crack five years
:07:30. > :07:36.before the crack happened, he said that from the start the new Forth
:07:37. > :07:40.Road replacement crossing has been a vanity project for the Scottish
:07:41. > :07:44.Government. It was the Labour benches that wanted to save money on
:07:45. > :07:56.making sure people could continue to travel across the fourth, not this
:07:57. > :08:01.Government. People need to know they have a government that is determined
:08:02. > :08:04.to learn the lessons of the past, not one more interested in covering
:08:05. > :08:16.its tracks and labelling someone else. -- blaming someone else.
:08:17. > :08:21.Order. On Tuesday the Transport Minister told this Parliament there
:08:22. > :08:26.was no link between cancelled repairs in 2010 and the work needed
:08:27. > :08:30.now. On Wednesday he made the fatal mistake of going on the radio and
:08:31. > :08:36.telling the truth, that they were linked. The public is losing faith
:08:37. > :08:42.in his handling of this situation, so we know that vital maintenance
:08:43. > :08:47.work that would have repair the damaged area was put off by the
:08:48. > :08:52.years ago. Can the First Minister confirm what other works on the
:08:53. > :08:58.bridge have been cancelled or delayed because of a lack of
:08:59. > :09:02.funding? Kezia Dugdale can go onto the website and see the published
:09:03. > :09:08.minutes of the fourth St transport authorities, a body that took
:09:09. > :09:13.decisions about their work on the bridge independently of the
:09:14. > :09:18.Government. Our role before we took over the grant funding was to fund
:09:19. > :09:22.that maintenance programme, but it would have been helpful if Kezia
:09:23. > :09:27.Dugdale had listened to the last answer I gave her. The part of the
:09:28. > :09:35.bridge that is being repaired now was not broken in 2010. According to
:09:36. > :09:39.engineers, the fault that is currently being repaired on the
:09:40. > :09:46.bridge happened with in the last few weeks. That is the reality of the
:09:47. > :09:51.situation and we are now working, as the public expect, to repair that
:09:52. > :09:56.fault as quickly as possible and get the bridge back open as quickly as
:09:57. > :10:01.possible, and I think it is a rich for Labour to come here and talk
:10:02. > :10:04.about this Government in terms of our commitment to keeping people
:10:05. > :10:11.travelling across the Forth Road Bridge. I already quoted James
:10:12. > :10:17.Kelly, infrastructure spokesman at the time for Labour, perhaps Kezia
:10:18. > :10:28.Dugdale would also be interested in the views of her former employer,
:10:29. > :10:37.George folks. What he said,... Order. Let us hear the First
:10:38. > :10:48.Minister. They don't want to hear this because what Lord George folks
:10:49. > :10:53.said... Order. He described the new Forth replacement crossing as a
:10:54. > :11:03.prestige project which was a total waste of money. That is what he
:11:04. > :11:08.said. I will continue to make sure, Presiding Officer, that I, the
:11:09. > :11:12.Transport Minister and this Government on some trade on
:11:13. > :11:18.minimising disruption people are suffering now. We will concentrate
:11:19. > :11:22.on getting this bridge reopened as quickly as possible and will also
:11:23. > :11:27.concentrate on making sure the new bridge that this permit decided to
:11:28. > :11:37.build will be completed on time, so this time next year that new bridge
:11:38. > :11:45.is also open to traffic. I am sure the hundreds of people on the 710
:11:46. > :11:48.from Cowdenbeath valued that answer and thought the First Minister was
:11:49. > :11:56.on their side. She encouraged me to look at the FETA website. I have the
:11:57. > :12:03.minutes in my hand from the October 2013 meeting. They say the Scottish
:12:04. > :12:09.Government's September Spending Review resulted in a 58% reduction
:12:10. > :12:16.in capital funding and a number of projects had to be deferred beyond
:12:17. > :12:21.2015. The minutes go on to say that deferral of part or all of these
:12:22. > :12:28.projects increases the risk to the long-term structural integrity of
:12:29. > :12:33.the bridge. Crucially the trust end links work was one of the projects
:12:34. > :12:38.delayed, delayed because of SNP cuts, short-term decisions at the
:12:39. > :12:44.expense of the long-term future of an important asset, so we have
:12:45. > :12:48.budgets cut, privatisation of services and cancelled repairs.
:12:49. > :12:56.Instead of trying to avoid the get -- the blame, when will the
:12:57. > :13:01.Government accept responsibility? The work considered in 2010 was
:13:02. > :13:08.prompted by concerns about another part of the trusts and length, not
:13:09. > :13:15.apart that is now cracked -- trusts end links. People might want to
:13:16. > :13:19.listen to this. Criticisms appears to be that five years ago a body
:13:20. > :13:25.that took decisions in that end of the of the Government decided not to
:13:26. > :13:31.fix a part of the bridge that was not broken. A part of the bridge
:13:32. > :13:36.that only became broken in the last few weeks. We might not have had a
:13:37. > :13:42.crystal ball to tell us five years ago something with the come broken
:13:43. > :13:48.five years in the future but we did have the foresight to know that an
:13:49. > :13:54.ageing structure did need replaced. That is why this Government took the
:13:55. > :13:58.decision to build a new Forth replacement crossing, a decision
:13:59. > :14:05.that would not have been taken had Labour been in government, there is
:14:06. > :14:08.little doubt of that. I think what people in Fife and people affected
:14:09. > :14:15.either 's closure want to hear from me is this, this Government is
:14:16. > :14:21.focused on continuing to do what we have been doing since Thursday,
:14:22. > :14:25.making sure we minimise as far as possible the disruption caused by
:14:26. > :14:29.this closure and more importantly making sure we support those who
:14:30. > :14:35.were working round-the-clock to do this bridge reopened. That is what
:14:36. > :14:46.this Government will continue to focus on. Ruth Davidson. To ask the
:14:47. > :14:52.First Minister when she will next meet the Prime Minister. Monday. We
:14:53. > :14:57.should take this down in temperature. The priority has to be
:14:58. > :15:01.to make sure the bridge is fixed as soon as and these problems are
:15:02. > :15:06.addressed but I did not then put First Minister can avoid the fact
:15:07. > :15:12.the budget for the Forth Road Bridge was hammered in recent years. Two
:15:13. > :15:16.weeks ago the Chancellor announced a significant increase in capital
:15:17. > :15:20.expenditure for Scotland, so can the First Minister make it clear that
:15:21. > :15:25.when the finance Secretary unveils his budget next week, cuts to the
:15:26. > :15:29.bridge budget are reversed and that author Road Bridge has every penny
:15:30. > :15:35.available to guarantee it stays open as long as we need it?
:15:36. > :15:41.Bid Deputy First Minister was set up the budget on Wednesday and people
:15:42. > :15:48.have an opportunity to scrutinise the decisions we make. Can I make it
:15:49. > :15:52.absolutely clear that our entire focus is making sure that those
:15:53. > :15:57.working to repair the bridge have the resources to get the bridge
:15:58. > :16:02.repaired. We will continue to make sure that we fund repairs and
:16:03. > :16:06.maintenance on the bridge so the Bridge stays open, but we will also
:16:07. > :16:10.make sure that we continue to fund the new bridge currently being built
:16:11. > :16:15.so that this time next year we will be celebrating the opening of that
:16:16. > :16:22.bridge to traffic. That is the priority of this government and we
:16:23. > :16:25.will continue to focus on it 100%. It is clear that the authorities
:16:26. > :16:31.gambled that the old bridge could be patched up until the new one was
:16:32. > :16:35.opened and we now know that gamble has failed. In press reports this
:16:36. > :16:40.week we have seen senior civil engineers say either the bridge
:16:41. > :16:46.cannot open to heavy goods vehicles of the timetable for repair is
:16:47. > :16:50.unrealistic. This morning there was an announcement that preventative
:16:51. > :16:58.action has been taken on seven sites. When the bridge. Reopen, come
:16:59. > :17:05.the First Minister guarantee it will open to all vehicles? The absolute
:17:06. > :17:08.intention of this government is to have the bridge opened for people
:17:09. > :17:12.returning to work in the New Year and said that of the case of the
:17:13. > :17:17.bridge being open as normal to all vehicles that previously travelled
:17:18. > :17:22.over the bridge. That is what we have said all along. It is what we
:17:23. > :17:27.continue to say. Everyone in the chamber will understand and I hope
:17:28. > :17:32.appreciate that work at this time of the year is heavenly weather
:17:33. > :17:36.dependent. I last spoke to the senior engineer at yesterday update
:17:37. > :17:42.I was given yesterday was the prepares remain on track. We are
:17:43. > :17:46.closely monitoring the situation. We are talking to the engineers on a
:17:47. > :17:53.daily basis to make sure that we continue to be fully updated and any
:17:54. > :17:58.changes around the timescale will be fully communicated to the public in
:17:59. > :18:01.the normal way, but as of this moment in time, I remain of the view
:18:02. > :18:10.that this bridge will reopen again in time to people returning to work
:18:11. > :18:19.in the New Year. To us the First Minister what she will discuss at
:18:20. > :18:23.the next meeting of the Cabinet. We've heard about privatisation and
:18:24. > :18:27.capital cuts, the two senior engineers leaving and the Transport
:18:28. > :18:32.Minister not being able to explain adequately about the abandoned
:18:33. > :18:38.repair, it does make the point that we need a thorough enquiry. That is
:18:39. > :18:42.what people I think in five are expecting, but it is also what the
:18:43. > :18:47.First Minister should actively support. But for today, what people
:18:48. > :18:51.care about most is sorting out the travel arrangements, fixing the
:18:52. > :18:56.bridge and preventing it from happening again. The bridge is
:18:57. > :19:03.struggling to cope, so what has the First Minister change this week with
:19:04. > :19:06.the inspection regime to minimise the chance of having the same
:19:07. > :19:12.problem on this major transport artery. The engineers who are
:19:13. > :19:16.working on the bridge, and I spoke to some of them on choose their
:19:17. > :19:20.morning, they are as we expect taking this opportunity to check
:19:21. > :19:29.other parts of the bridge as is appropriate. There are a large
:19:30. > :19:33.number of parts on this bridge. All of them have their own inspection
:19:34. > :19:39.and maintenance regime around them. This particular part of the rich
:19:40. > :19:44.according to the advice we have had from engineers cracked within the
:19:45. > :19:48.last few weeks. That part of the bridge had a regular maintenance
:19:49. > :19:54.cycle attached to it as well. We will continue to make sure that we
:19:55. > :19:58.minimise the disruption people are experiencing. We will continue to
:19:59. > :20:03.listen to representations about how we adapt the travel plan in place.
:20:04. > :20:07.Secondly, we will also put those who are repairing the bridge to make
:20:08. > :20:11.sure that the repairs are carried out on time and the bridge can
:20:12. > :20:14.reopen in the New Year and we will continue to make sure proper
:20:15. > :20:20.maintenance is in place on the bridge and all critical repairs are
:20:21. > :20:25.funded and take place. Lastly, as I have said repeatedly, we will focus
:20:26. > :20:31.on getting the new bridge completed on time and open to traffic this
:20:32. > :20:35.time next year. The bridge is under considerable strain as everyone in
:20:36. > :20:40.this chamber knows with this happening within the last few she
:20:41. > :20:45.cannot be content to just carry on with the old engineering regime. We
:20:46. > :20:48.must have something new, something in Bruges, something different to
:20:49. > :20:56.make the system more robust because we simply, I mean, the chaos within
:20:57. > :21:02.Fife has been quite dramatic and we cannot afford a repeat of this. So
:21:03. > :21:06.can she tell me what new things is she going to do? What improvements
:21:07. > :21:19.to be inspection regime is she going to order because we cannot afford
:21:20. > :21:27.for this to happen again. That is a robust inspection regime in place.
:21:28. > :21:32.There is a health check being carried out on the bridge to make
:21:33. > :21:36.sure if other repairs need to be carried out they can do those as
:21:37. > :21:41.well. I would have thought that Willie Rennie would be in agreement
:21:42. > :21:47.that what we are and should be focusing on is the other things I
:21:48. > :21:52.have spoken about. Minimising travel disruption to the public, minimising
:21:53. > :21:54.disruption to businesses that are affected and making sure that the
:21:55. > :22:00.repaired to this part of the bridge is carried out so that it can be
:22:01. > :22:04.open to traffic as quickly as possible. We will focus on that. It
:22:05. > :22:09.is my responsibility and the responsibility of this government to
:22:10. > :22:18.take all of those steps. In terms of an enquiry, the transport committee
:22:19. > :22:23.is open to any part of this Parliament that once you carry out
:22:24. > :22:28.an enquiry. If the committee chooses to do so, this government will fully
:22:29. > :22:34.cooperate with that. But our focus at the moment, while others
:22:35. > :22:37.certainly on one side of this chamber are more interested in plain
:22:38. > :22:46.political games, our focus is on making sure that we act in the best
:22:47. > :22:51.interests of people affected by this closure to minimise disruption and
:22:52. > :22:54.get this bridge reopened. That will be my focus, the focus of this
:22:55. > :23:04.government and we will not be diverted from it. To us the First
:23:05. > :23:07.Minister what recent discussions the Scottish Government has had with the
:23:08. > :23:14.UK Government regarding the fiscal framework? The Deputy First Minister
:23:15. > :23:22.met with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Monday. Detail
:23:23. > :23:32.discussions continue on the fiscal framework that will underpin the
:23:33. > :23:36.Scotland Bill. The First Minister will be aware that Lord Smith has
:23:37. > :23:37.stated the fiscal framework is fundamentally important to making
:23:38. > :23:52.Scotland's Pauwels work. However, Scotland's budget could
:23:53. > :23:58.fall by 7 billion pounds over the next decade. Given the importance of
:23:59. > :24:03.the fiscal framework, it is vital that this Parliament speaks with one
:24:04. > :24:08.voice to protect Scotland's future budget and public services against
:24:09. > :24:14.the clear and present danger that is now posed by the UK Treasury. I do
:24:15. > :24:21.think when credible independent voices ranging from the ISS to the
:24:22. > :24:26.principal of Glasgow University, when they all race serious concerns,
:24:27. > :24:40.all members of this chamber should take note. -- ISS.
:24:41. > :24:46.A mammoth ?7 billion over a decade and that would be unacceptable. All
:24:47. > :24:50.members of all parties can agree that such a proposal could not
:24:51. > :24:58.conceivably be accepted by this government. That is why we continue
:24:59. > :25:04.to negotiate in good faith for a reasonable agreement that will
:25:05. > :25:08.benefit the people of Scotland. The First Minister will be aware that
:25:09. > :25:13.the Scottish Government has borrowing powers of ?304 million
:25:14. > :25:18.this year. With only three months left in the financial year, will the
:25:19. > :25:31.borrowing Read through the National loan fund, or issuing bonds? John
:25:32. > :25:35.Swinney will set out his budget for the 2016-17 when he comes to this
:25:36. > :25:41.chamber next week. I would hope that Jackie Baillie would hope her --
:25:42. > :25:47.would join her colleague regarding the discussions over the fiscal
:25:48. > :26:01.framework. I welcome the comments Malcolm Chisholm made yesterday,
:26:02. > :26:07.accepting the current position. The method for calculating VAT will be
:26:08. > :26:11.critical to this framework. Is it the First Minister's position that
:26:12. > :26:17.the OT should be calculated according to the place of production
:26:18. > :26:23.or consumption? That is one of the many issues under discussion.
:26:24. > :26:29.Whether we calculate over years to come the reduction to Scotland's
:26:30. > :26:36.block grant, or we take into account setup costs. We need a settlement
:26:37. > :26:39.that is fair and reasonable to Scotland, so we will continue to
:26:40. > :26:46.argue that position across a range of these issues and I hope that we
:26:47. > :26:53.get to a position where the Scottish Government and the UK Government can
:26:54. > :26:59.agree a deal that allows these new powers to come into effect. To ask
:27:00. > :27:06.whether the Scottish Government considers a gap between climate
:27:07. > :27:09.change and air passenger duty? No, but we do take these issues
:27:10. > :27:17.seriously which is white international aviation and shipping
:27:18. > :27:21.is in Scotland's 2009 climate change act. We encourage other governments
:27:22. > :27:26.to include shipping and aviation in their own climate change act. We
:27:27. > :27:32.need to continue to take a balanced approach. We are already punching
:27:33. > :27:39.above our weight to tackle climate change and we are on target to meet
:27:40. > :27:48.out emissions reduction. Scotland has one of the largest drops in
:27:49. > :27:55.emissions of 44 regions and states. There are important environmental
:27:56. > :27:59.and economic issues when we are considering a reduction to air
:28:00. > :28:05.passenger duty and that is why we are working with air passenger
:28:06. > :28:08.groups. I welcome what the First Minister said about climate change
:28:09. > :28:14.in Paris and I am glad she went there by train, but in this week of
:28:15. > :28:17.all weeks will she reconsider her proposal to slash air passenger
:28:18. > :28:21.duty? Does she not realise that the research of the Scottish Government
:28:22. > :28:28.itself indicate it would result in hundreds of thousands more journeys
:28:29. > :28:32.by plane instead of train. The majority of these extra journeys
:28:33. > :28:38.would be in the UK which nullifies the argument she used last week
:28:39. > :28:41.about exports, and the result will be a big boost to aviation emissions
:28:42. > :28:48.which are already growing faster than the emissions of any other
:28:49. > :28:52.sector? We will continue to take a balanced approach, an approach that
:28:53. > :28:57.prioritises economic growth, but take to receive this the hour it
:28:58. > :29:02.meant and responsibility to the environment. When I was in Paris on
:29:03. > :29:07.Monday there was recognition amongst a wide range of other countries, not
:29:08. > :29:12.that Scotland's record is flawless or perfect, but Scotland were
:29:13. > :29:15.showing international leadership. It is something we should be proud of
:29:16. > :29:20.and the Scottish Government should continue to take the balanced
:29:21. > :29:26.approach we have been taking. Two of the First Minister what the Scottish
:29:27. > :29:31.Government plans are to tackle domestic abuse. It is unacceptable
:29:32. > :29:38.and we must eradicate it from our homes and communities. We have
:29:39. > :29:41.committed almost ?12 million this year and a further ?20 million over
:29:42. > :29:48.three years to support a range of projects to tackle violence against
:29:49. > :29:51.women. We aim to prevent and eradicate all violence against women
:29:52. > :29:58.and girls in Scotland. The joint strategic board consists of senior
:29:59. > :30:01.leaders with specialist knowledge of domestic abuse and they are working
:30:02. > :30:09.with the Scottish Government to make sure we can achieve this aim. The
:30:10. > :30:18.consultation on a specific domestic abuse offence was published in
:30:19. > :30:24.October. A recent charity said there was 25,000 new cases of domestic
:30:25. > :30:28.violence every year. It was found that there were notable differences
:30:29. > :30:33.in the perception of what was considered seriously wrong behaviour
:30:34. > :30:35.towards women. Can the first women comment on those findings? Can she
:30:36. > :30:48.provide an update on I can. First I would like to pay
:30:49. > :30:53.tribute to the woman's aid movement and the work they do. We have much
:30:54. > :31:00.to do to end the scourge of domestic abuse and chains the negative
:31:01. > :31:03.attitudes that drive it. This social attitudes survey makes for grim
:31:04. > :31:08.reading on some attitudes that still exist in our society, but also
:31:09. > :31:12.provides a helpful waistline that will allow us to evidence the
:31:13. > :31:19.changes we want to make and help us eradicate violence against women and
:31:20. > :31:26.we are working to make progress in this area. A draft domestic abuse
:31:27. > :31:32.offence was published in November and feedback from the Justice group
:31:33. > :31:42.one that has been positive. If formal publication on the offence is
:31:43. > :31:46.due to be published later this year. Closing with deeply serious
:31:47. > :31:52.exchanges on a serious subject. Earlier, robust exchanges on the
:31:53. > :31:56.subject of the Forth Bridge, the historic nature and future plans as
:31:57. > :32:02.well. I am heading up to the north-east later today. I think I'll
:32:03. > :32:04.take the train. It's time to hand you over to Daily Politics.
:32:05. > :32:13.but there was a lot of pressure from people in west London. It was to win
:32:14. > :32:17.seats? We have an issue about planes flying over your capital city, which
:32:18. > :32:19.is unusual. We have got Heathrow where it is and it is the hub and we
:32:20. > :32:25.have to get on with it. Now, Jeremy Corbyn is said not
:32:26. > :32:28.to have changed his views about anything in more
:32:29. > :32:30.than 30 years as an MP. Our guest of the day,
:32:31. > :32:33.David Willetts, on the other hand, has admitted to changing
:32:34. > :32:35.his mind a few times And he's not the only politician
:32:36. > :32:40.to have shown a lack of consistency over the years, as our
:32:41. > :32:52.Ellie's discovered. I think that was the wrong
:32:53. > :32:55.introduction.