:00:17. > :00:24.Hello. A very warm welcome to the Garden Lobby here at Holyrood.
:00:25. > :00:28.Glorious weather. Beautiful day for going out canvassing. Yes, of
:00:29. > :00:32.course, the UK general election is well under way. The leak of the
:00:33. > :00:37.draft Labour manifesto today causing quite a fuss. The main emphasis of
:00:38. > :00:41.this is questions to the First Minister on the devolved powers of
:00:42. > :00:45.the FM. But you can bet that UK begun election will come up as well.
:00:46. > :00:54.Let's cross to the chamber and find out. That's Mary Fee on her feet
:00:55. > :01:00.asking a question about education. A hot subject this week. That Labour
:01:01. > :01:04.manifesto will rear its head today once questions to the First Minister
:01:05. > :01:08.gets under way. The issue of renationalisation of rail, bus and
:01:09. > :01:12.postal services might not be so controversial with everyone here.
:01:13. > :01:15.But the Trident question is certainly one which the First
:01:16. > :01:22.Minister may want to use against Kes can ya Dugdale. The Scottish Labour
:01:23. > :01:28.Party vote in the favour the getting rid of Trident. As we saw in its
:01:29. > :01:34.draft form today, favours maintaining the Trident system
:01:35. > :01:39.against the Scottish Labour Party and of Jeremy Corbyn. On top of
:01:40. > :01:43.that, we're bound to get questions on those devolved issues with a view
:01:44. > :01:48.to the election campaign, how they might impinge upon it. We've had
:01:49. > :01:52.those questions this week about education, about literacy and the
:01:53. > :01:56.SNP Government's record on that. That's an issue which Nicola
:01:57. > :02:01.Sturgeon said she wants to make her main priority. This is, of course,
:02:02. > :02:07.the Education Secretary, John Swinney on his feet to answer that
:02:08. > :02:09.question. We faced a number of Labour local authorities that were
:02:10. > :02:20.absolutely determined to reduce teacher numbers. I wouldn't have it.
:02:21. > :02:24.So, I'm delighted that as a result of the Government's strong action in
:02:25. > :02:30.this respect, we see an increasing number of teachers in our schools
:02:31. > :02:33.and our classrooms and I'm delighted that the ?120 million that the
:02:34. > :02:37.Government has made available directly to the schools of our
:02:38. > :02:42.country, which the Labour Party voted against every single one of
:02:43. > :02:44.them, is now recruiting another teachers in our classrooms and
:02:45. > :02:50.assisting in the delivery of education in Scotland. I would have
:02:51. > :02:57.thought Mary Fee would have welcomed that. Deputy First Minister getting
:02:58. > :03:01.things under way early. Well, that's warmed us up! The First Minister
:03:02. > :03:05.does not need to follow that example. Returning to First
:03:06. > :03:10.Minister's Questions. Ruth Davidson? Thank you. I want to ask the First
:03:11. > :03:16.Minister what engagement's she's planned for the rest of the day. The
:03:17. > :03:20.Government's programme for Scotland. Today, in Scotland in an S2 class of
:03:21. > :03:25.30 pupils, on average, five can't write properly. That's double the
:03:26. > :03:30.number of just four years ago. When the First Minister sees statistics
:03:31. > :03:34.like these does she feel embarrassed, achimed or both?
:03:35. > :03:39.Actually, what I feel is utterly determined. Determined to carry on
:03:40. > :03:45.with the changes we are making in Scottish education so that we
:03:46. > :03:50.continue to see the improvements in attainment and progress in closing
:03:51. > :03:54.the attainment gap. Ruth Davidson points to the S2 performance in
:03:55. > :04:00.writing in the study published this week. I'm not going to try in any
:04:01. > :04:07.way to diminish the significance of those findings. But, I think it is
:04:08. > :04:12.important to say this, that study, a sample study, measures S2 pupils
:04:13. > :04:18.against the standard that they're expected to reach in S3. What we
:04:19. > :04:21.know now from the much more comprehensive data that we're
:04:22. > :04:25.publishing through the national improvement framework, which we'll
:04:26. > :04:29.continue to publish on an annual basis and will become informed by
:04:30. > :04:34.the standardised assessments. We see over 80% of the pupils in S3 meeting
:04:35. > :04:40.the standard that they're required to meet. We'll continue to take
:04:41. > :04:45.forward the meshures that have been guided by OECD recommendations. For
:04:46. > :04:49.example, our new attainment challenge, our new attainment fund
:04:50. > :04:53.which as the Deputy First Minister said is directing resources to head
:04:54. > :04:58.teachers. The new bench marks for literacy and numeracy put in place
:04:59. > :05:02.backed by a range of targeted programmes from the attainment
:05:03. > :05:06.challenge, book bug, play top read programme in the early years, read,
:05:07. > :05:10.write, count in early primary. The read reading challenge. We'll
:05:11. > :05:15.continue to take forward the new detailed mesh you arement system
:05:16. > :05:22.which will track progress not just by way of a sample survey, but by
:05:23. > :05:26.using data on every pupil in primary 1, 4, 7 and S3 broken down by local
:05:27. > :05:30.authority and schools. In answer to the question, I feel determined to
:05:31. > :05:36.continue to get on with these reforms to make improvements for
:05:37. > :05:42.pupils right across our country. Ten years and five out of every 30
:05:43. > :05:45.pupils can't write properly. Presiding Officer, we like to pride
:05:46. > :05:49.ourselves in Scotland that our education system was the best in the
:05:50. > :05:54.world. After ten years of this SNP Government, we can do so no longer.
:05:55. > :05:57.Last week, I stood here and raised the fact teacher training places are
:05:58. > :06:03.not being filled. Yesterday, we learnt about the standards of that
:06:04. > :06:07.training. On the time spent on literacy one trainee said it would
:06:08. > :06:12.be a single week. One week. Another said she and her fellow trainees
:06:13. > :06:16.don't have the sufficient skills in numeracy to be able to teach it to
:06:17. > :06:21.11-year-olds at a reasonable standard. So, we've not enough
:06:22. > :06:24.trainee teachers coming through and the ones who are, aren't being
:06:25. > :06:28.taught properly. That's not their fault. But, if they're not getting
:06:29. > :06:34.the proper instruction, what chance do they have of teaching our
:06:35. > :06:40.children? Firstly, I think, as I said also last week, while we should
:06:41. > :06:43.not and this Government does not ignore the challenges we face, we
:06:44. > :06:52.should not do a disservice to pupils and teachers across the country. As
:06:53. > :06:55.I've just said, more than 80% of S3 pupils, according to the
:06:56. > :07:00.comprehensive data we publish, are meeting the required standards in
:07:01. > :07:04.writing. We're also seeing annual increases in the proportion of
:07:05. > :07:09.school levers reaching the national 5 level. The gap between richest and
:07:10. > :07:13.poorest closing. A record number of advanced higher passes. A record
:07:14. > :07:19.number of higher passes in the last few years. Let me turn also to the
:07:20. > :07:24.question of teacher education. In terms of entry into initial teacher
:07:25. > :07:28.education, we've increased the intake into teacher education as
:07:29. > :07:32.part of the work we are doing to make sure there are the required
:07:33. > :07:36.numbers of teachers coming into our schools. In terms of the content of
:07:37. > :07:40.teacher education, which is the substance of the question Ruth
:07:41. > :07:43.Davidson asked and has been under discussion at the Education
:07:44. > :07:49.Committee this week. There's a couple of points to make first
:07:50. > :07:53.before I action we've taken. It is universities, of course, in
:07:54. > :08:01.partnership with the GDC that decide the content and structure of initial
:08:02. > :08:05.teacher education. Here's a fact... Here's a fact that Ruth Davidson
:08:06. > :08:10.won't like to hear. It says something good about Scottish
:08:11. > :08:14.education. The recently published complete university guide rate the
:08:15. > :08:19.four of Scottish universities in the top seven across the UK for
:08:20. > :08:24.teacherer education. We have recognised we need to do more around
:08:25. > :08:29.teacher education. I'm surprised Ruth Davidson doesn't seem to know
:08:30. > :08:33.this from the content of her question, in our delivery plan
:08:34. > :08:38.published last year, we committed to a review of Scotland's initial
:08:39. > :08:41.teacher education courses. And, the report of that review will be
:08:42. > :08:48.published in the next few weeks. On that, as well as on the other
:08:49. > :08:51.issues, this is the situation. We've got good performance across
:08:52. > :08:55.education in Scotland. But there are areas where we have recognised we
:08:56. > :08:59.need to do better. This Government is getting on with the job of taking
:09:00. > :09:07.the action that will deliver these improvements. Here's a fact for the
:09:08. > :09:10.First Minister. Bright young trainees are starting their careers
:09:11. > :09:14.in Scotland without the tools they need to do the job. That's not me
:09:15. > :09:19.saying it. That's what they told this Parliament just yesterday. As
:09:20. > :09:23.the Education Secretary acknowledged this week, we need inspections to
:09:24. > :09:29.flag up issues in our schools but the number of inspections has gone
:09:30. > :09:33.down upped the SNP. Why? We don't have enough inspectors and the one's
:09:34. > :09:38.we have are being dragged off the job to sort out of the mess that the
:09:39. > :09:44.curriculum for excellence. Does this sound like a system which is in any
:09:45. > :09:47.way functioning properly? She just said about curriculum for
:09:48. > :09:51.excellence, not only did Ruth Davidson go against what her party
:09:52. > :09:56.said about curriculum for excellence, she goes against the
:09:57. > :10:01.judgment of the OECD when they did a review of curriculum for excellence
:10:02. > :10:04.and said that was a reform that they welcomed but they pointed out the
:10:05. > :10:09.areas where we had to further improve to deal with the challenges
:10:10. > :10:13.we face. So, what we have in education is good performance and we
:10:14. > :10:19.have a range of international experts who have said that. We have
:10:20. > :10:22.a number of challenges, not least the ones the SSLN survey highlighted
:10:23. > :10:27.this week. We have a programme of reform that's getting on with making
:10:28. > :10:30.the changing backed by significant addition at investment in our
:10:31. > :10:35.schools that are about delivering improvement. So, I think it is
:10:36. > :10:38.important that this Parliament scrutinises that on an ongoing
:10:39. > :10:42.basis. As First Minister with the Deputy First Minister, I'm going to
:10:43. > :10:47.stay focussed in taking forward this reform programme. As I said last
:10:48. > :10:50.week, what we often find in this chamber is opposition parties
:10:51. > :10:56.calling for us to make changes but as soon as we make any of those
:10:57. > :10:59.changes and as soon as some people might think they disagree with them,
:11:00. > :11:03.we find opposition parties running for cover. Well, this Government
:11:04. > :11:06.will continue to focus on making the reforms and making the changes that
:11:07. > :11:13.we think are required to drive the improvements we are determined to
:11:14. > :11:21.see. It's funny the First Minister talked about what a range of
:11:22. > :11:26.international experts said about. Professor Lindsey Paterson. He says
:11:27. > :11:30.this: Curriculum for excellence has ignored the need for deep knowledge
:11:31. > :11:35.with the dismaying consequences that we now see. So, every week we stand
:11:36. > :11:39.up here and hear jargon about cross curricular this and joined up that.
:11:40. > :11:44.It's not much help if we've children in our country that can't add up,
:11:45. > :11:47.can't write and can't read. Last week, the First Minister accused me
:11:48. > :11:51.of being obsessed about the constitution. Well, here is her
:11:52. > :11:57.record in this place. Since last year, this Government has spent more
:11:58. > :12:02.time debating the constitution than debating education, health,
:12:03. > :12:09.transport and justice combined. And we have had enough. After ten years,
:12:10. > :12:12.after ten years, don't the people of Scotland deserve a Government that
:12:13. > :12:22.will for once focus on their priorities and not on hers? Let me
:12:23. > :12:28.share some of the views... Order, that's enough! Let me share some of
:12:29. > :12:32.the views of the international exports I was referring to. Page 13
:12:33. > :12:36.of the OECD review of Scottish education states this. The
:12:37. > :12:44.curriculum for excellence is an important reform putting in place a
:12:45. > :12:51.coherent 3-18 curriculum. It rests on a contemporary view of skills and
:12:52. > :12:55.what makes for powerful learning. The deputy director for OECD. We
:12:56. > :13:00.applaud Scotland for having the foresight and patients to put such
:13:01. > :13:05.an ambition reform as curriculum for excellence in place. That's the
:13:06. > :13:09.support backed up by the international council for education
:13:10. > :13:13.advisers. Who were deeply impressed with the schools they visited during
:13:14. > :13:18.their programme here. We'll continue to build on the strengths of
:13:19. > :13:22.Scottish education and make sure we drive the improvements through the
:13:23. > :13:25.action I have been talking about. The the attainment fund, putting
:13:26. > :13:32.?120 million into the hands of head teachers. The attainment challenge,
:13:33. > :13:37.driving improvements in literacy and numeracy. Making sure we don't have
:13:38. > :13:42.to just rely on a sample SSLN survey. We have comprehensive data
:13:43. > :13:46.on every pupil in these particular school years. We'll continue to take
:13:47. > :13:53.forward that programme of reform. Let me turn to the issue of
:13:54. > :13:59.priorities. You see when Ruth Davidson talks about the time spent
:14:00. > :14:06.in this chamber debating the constitution, what she's trying to
:14:07. > :14:15.distract attention from is that has been time debating the implications
:14:16. > :14:23.of Brexit. The Brexit disaster. The Brexit disaster that the Tory Party
:14:24. > :14:29.is leading this country into. Secondly, on priorities. Over the
:14:30. > :14:34.past week, the Scottish Tories have churned out press release after
:14:35. > :14:39.press release after press release. In all of those press releases, we
:14:40. > :14:51.have seen health mentioned once. We've seen education mentioned 12
:14:52. > :14:56.times. We've seen me, the SNP or Independent mentioned a grand total
:14:57. > :15:02.of 153 times! So, Presiding Officer, I'll get on with the job of
:15:03. > :15:04.improving education, but I'll take no lectures on priorities from Ruth
:15:05. > :15:20.Davidson or the Tories! What engagements has the First
:15:21. > :15:25.Minister planned for the rest of the week. The bring forward the
:15:26. > :15:30.Government's plan for Scotland. Scotland's nurses need a pay rise.
:15:31. > :15:35.Since 2010 they've seen a real terms cut in wages of ?3,400. Our NHS
:15:36. > :15:39.staff are underresourced and underpaid. The Labour Party will
:15:40. > :15:44.always argue for better wages because it means better performance.
:15:45. > :15:47.The reality of today's NHS is nurses are more likely to leave the
:15:48. > :15:52.profession because the work isn't paying as well as it should. The
:15:53. > :15:57.results, hundreds of millions of pounds spent on agency staff. So,
:15:58. > :16:02.why did the SNP vote against scrapping the pay cap last night?
:16:03. > :16:07.Well, I think this is a really important issue, not just for people
:16:08. > :16:11.working in NHS but for public sector workers generally. We've had a
:16:12. > :16:16.period of pay restraint. The reasons for that pay restent were firstly
:16:17. > :16:19.the financial crash. Then the long period of austerity started under
:16:20. > :16:28.Labour and continued under the Tories. The reason for that pay
:16:29. > :16:33.restraint, the reason was to protect jobs in the public sector and make
:16:34. > :16:37.sure we can protect investment in areas of the public sector like our
:16:38. > :16:41.NHS. As I said previously, we're seeing more investment in our NHS
:16:42. > :16:43.today under this Government than we would if Labour were in Government.
:16:44. > :16:50.They didn't pledge as much as we did. On the issue of pay, can I say,
:16:51. > :16:55.I think this is an issue we are required to look carefully at now
:16:56. > :16:59.inflation is rising again. With the NHS, of course, it is the
:17:00. > :17:02.independent pay review body that makes pay recommendations. The
:17:03. > :17:07.Health Secretary yesterday committed to working with the health unions to
:17:08. > :17:11.jointly commission work that we would then submit to the pay review
:17:12. > :17:18.body for its deliberations for the next year. But, we have taken action
:17:19. > :17:22.to make sure that we are treating workers in our NHS as fairly as
:17:23. > :17:27.possible. Unlike Governments elsewhere in the UK, we have
:17:28. > :17:31.targeted low pay and we've also made sure that we've always accepted
:17:32. > :17:36.recommendations of the pay review body and made sure people working in
:17:37. > :17:39.our NHS aren't denied the progression they've sometimes been
:17:40. > :17:43.denied elsewhere. As a result of that, while I do not deny for a
:17:44. > :17:50.second the real pressure that people working in our NHS are under, as a
:17:51. > :17:58.result of that, in Scotland, every entry level NHS support staff worker
:17:59. > :18:03.is paid more than ?1,000 a year more than their English counterparts. A
:18:04. > :18:08.band 5 nurse, the level for a newly qualified nurse, is paid ?300 a year
:18:09. > :18:14.more than somebody doing the same job in England. And, crucially, paid
:18:15. > :18:20.?312 a year more than a nurse doing the same job in Wales. Why do I
:18:21. > :18:24.mention Wales? Labour is in Government in Wales and they haven't
:18:25. > :18:28.even done as much as we've done to protect the pay of nurses. We'll
:18:29. > :18:31.continue to make sure we work with our trade unions to get fairness for
:18:32. > :18:43.our nurses and for public sector workers. In all of that, there's no
:18:44. > :18:47.escaping the reality whilst they might be ?300 better off than
:18:48. > :18:53.England they are worse off than they should have been under her
:18:54. > :18:59.Government. And the brutal reality of a decade of SNP has seen them
:19:00. > :19:05.make a complete and utter mismachinagement of our 2346789 HS
:19:06. > :19:08.The Times newspaper today reports a ?400 million contract for private
:19:09. > :19:13.doctors to work in our NHS that went out to tender on the 1st May. The
:19:14. > :19:17.brutal truth is our hospitals have to turn to private sector because
:19:18. > :19:23.they don't have enough doctors in the first place. Labour can reveal
:19:24. > :19:28.today the number of consultant posts that have remained vacant for six
:19:29. > :19:33.months or more has increased six fold since 2011. That's the reality
:19:34. > :19:39.of complete and utter mess she has made of our NHS. So, tell me First
:19:40. > :19:43.Minister, why can't the SNP find ?400 million for private health
:19:44. > :19:49.companies but it can't find the money to pay our NHS nurses? I'll
:19:50. > :19:54.take no lessons on private sector involvement in our NHS from the
:19:55. > :19:59.Labour Party who signed PFI contracts in our NHS that continues
:20:00. > :20:02.to drain the budgets. The reality is, reliance on the private sector
:20:03. > :20:08.reduced under this Government. That is right and proper. Let's go back
:20:09. > :20:14.to the important issue of pay. Not just in the NHS but in the public
:20:15. > :20:19.sector. I understand why workers across our public sector think the
:20:20. > :20:23.1% pay cap has now to be lifted. We'll continue to talk to trade
:20:24. > :20:27.unions. I was talking about this very issue earlier this week. And
:20:28. > :20:32.will continue to make sure the evidence we submit to the pay review
:20:33. > :20:38.body for the NHS properly reflects the circumstances in the economy
:20:39. > :20:42.today. We've had pay restraint because we have had an extremely
:20:43. > :20:47.tight public spending environment. We have had to make sure we protect
:20:48. > :20:51.jobs in the public sector and protect investment in our National
:20:52. > :20:55.Health Service. The other thing Kezia Dugdale won't want us to
:20:56. > :20:58.mention is the fact we've also in Scotland had a policy of no
:20:59. > :21:04.compulsory redundancies in the public sector. We look at the NHS.
:21:05. > :21:09.We see 12,000 compulsory redundancies in the NHS. 20,000
:21:10. > :21:14.South of the border, none here in Scotland. I'm not standing here
:21:15. > :21:18.saying it is easy for anybody working in our NHS. Because of the
:21:19. > :21:23.action we've taken to make sure we target extra resources at low paid
:21:24. > :21:27.people, making sure people working in our NHS get access to
:21:28. > :21:33.progression, because of that, 60% of agenda for change staff will have
:21:34. > :21:36.been paid more than the 1% uplift when they're progression and action
:21:37. > :21:41.in low pay's taken into account. I don't think it is at all fair for
:21:42. > :21:45.Kezia Dugdale simply to dismiss the fact we have done more than any
:21:46. > :21:50.other Government anywhere else in the UK to try to help public sector
:21:51. > :21:54.workers in this difficult time. We will continue to do exactly that.
:21:55. > :21:58.The difference is this Government stands on the side of public sector
:21:59. > :22:08.workers in the NHS and elsewhere too. Two things come from that.
:22:09. > :22:12.First of all, in all of that answer, she's actually asking us to be
:22:13. > :22:17.grateful that she's not sacking nurses because of her compulsory
:22:18. > :22:22.redundancy policy. Secondly, there is a clear difference between our
:22:23. > :22:26.two parties. Whilst I have a progressive plan to protect our
:22:27. > :22:30.public services and stop the cuts, all she has is a plan to see the
:22:31. > :22:34.private sector profit from Scotland's sick. That is the
:22:35. > :22:39.reality. And the Times romp today also tells us the amount of private
:22:40. > :22:42.money going into the NHS has doubled in the last two years alone upped
:22:43. > :22:47.her watch. Let's look at those facts. Our hospitals don't have
:22:48. > :22:50.enough nurses. Those nurses don't have enough money in their pocket.
:22:51. > :22:54.Our hospitals don't have enough doctors. But this there's enough
:22:55. > :22:58.money for private health firms S this what the NHS looks like when
:22:59. > :23:04.the Government's more interested in running a referendum than running
:23:05. > :23:11.the NHS? Let's look at private sector spend. Private sector spend
:23:12. > :23:15.fell last year in NHS Scotland. It represents 0.7% of the Scottish
:23:16. > :23:22.Government's total health resource budget. In comparison, in a trend
:23:23. > :23:27.started under the last Labour Government, the NHS in England
:23:28. > :23:33.spends 7.6% of its budget on the private sector. So, we will continue
:23:34. > :23:37.to make sure that we are investing in the public NHS not the private
:23:38. > :23:43.sector. Interestingly, one of the first things I did when I was Health
:23:44. > :23:46.Secretary was scrap the private contract for the running of a
:23:47. > :23:56.hospital that was introduced by the last Labour administration. So, the
:23:57. > :23:59.problem for Labour here is all these things they pontificate about in
:24:00. > :24:08.opposition are things they failed to do when they had the opportunity in
:24:09. > :24:12.Government. And, lastly, I don't expect anybody working across our
:24:13. > :24:15.public sector to be grateful to any Government. They are dealing with
:24:16. > :24:21.extremely tough times. I recognise that. I recognise that particularly
:24:22. > :24:26.for people working at the front line of the NHS. But I would expect
:24:27. > :24:31.opposition parties to recognise that in these tough times, this
:24:32. > :24:37.Government has done more in terms of public sector pay than any other
:24:38. > :24:42.Government across the UK. That's why agenda for change, staff are made
:24:43. > :24:50.more in Scotland than England and why newly qualified nurses are paid
:24:51. > :24:54.more in Scotland than they are in England and Labour-governed Wales.
:24:55. > :24:55.We have record funding in our NHS and record numbers of staff working
:24:56. > :25:08.in our NHS as well. I'm conscious we've taken a lot of
:25:09. > :25:12.time on the first two questions. There are a number of members who
:25:13. > :25:21.wish to get in. If we can make progress. Two constituency
:25:22. > :25:24.questions. John Finney? North-west highland, it's UNESCO status in 2015
:25:25. > :25:28.after ten years of hard work by local communities. That status is
:25:29. > :25:33.assessed every four years. It is next due to be assessed in 2019.
:25:34. > :25:36.Until now, the Scottish Government's provided core funding. This year,
:25:37. > :25:42.the Scottish Government took the decision not to supply core funding.
:25:43. > :25:51.The park have put of a crowd funder that closed on Monday. They've
:25:52. > :25:55.raised 12,816. What's gone into achieve that can UNESCO status, it
:25:56. > :26:05.would be a disaster if that status was lost. Will you examine options
:26:06. > :26:12.for sporting the West Highland geopark to keep its UNESCO status? I
:26:13. > :26:19.am familiar with go owe park and the UNESCO status it has. It is
:26:20. > :26:24.extremely important. As I recall, the Scottish Government provided
:26:25. > :26:29.initial core funding with a view to geopark becoming sustainable. I am
:26:30. > :26:34.happy to ask for it to be looked into again and see if we can do
:26:35. > :26:39.anything. I'll report back to on-Finney once we've had the
:26:40. > :26:45.opportunity to look at it. Our bowling and tennis club in Greenock
:26:46. > :26:50.is a 175-year-old club offering vital sporting facilities. Changing
:26:51. > :26:55.to water and sewage charge exemption rules has left them facing a bill up
:26:56. > :26:58.to ?2,000 per annum which could drive up membership costs or force
:26:59. > :27:04.them to close doors. They are not the only ones. What comfort can the
:27:05. > :27:07.First Minister provide charities, clubs, village halls and sporting
:27:08. > :27:12.groups that the Government will look at these charges. Will she commit to
:27:13. > :27:17.a full and open review into this policy? . It is not too long since
:27:18. > :27:21.we had a full review of the situation around charities with
:27:22. > :27:26.water rates or exemptions. I remember it well. At the time, I was
:27:27. > :27:28.the minister in charge of taking forward the recommendations from
:27:29. > :27:34.that review. I remember well we tried to put in place a system that
:27:35. > :27:38.was as fair as possible to as many charities across the country. The
:27:39. > :27:45.test for he exemption are based on the income of charities and capital
:27:46. > :27:50.that the charities hold. Therefore there will always be some charitable
:27:51. > :27:53.organisations that don't get examingses because they've capital
:27:54. > :27:57.above those thresholds. I am more than happy to have the relevant
:27:58. > :28:06.minister look at the particular loringation cited here. To make sure
:28:07. > :28:11.the rules are being applied appropriately. The genuine point is
:28:12. > :28:14.all members will recognise with any system of exemptions like this,
:28:15. > :28:18.there will be some organisations that do not qualify for the
:28:19. > :28:22.exemptions. I know that will be very difficult for organisations in that
:28:23. > :28:25.position. I'll ask Rose Anne in a Cunningham to look at this
:28:26. > :28:30.particular case and report back to the member in due course. To ask the
:28:31. > :28:34.First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the
:28:35. > :28:39.Cabinet. Matters of the importance, the people of Scotland. Yet again,
:28:40. > :28:45.we've #45ered about the poor statistics on education. The mother
:28:46. > :28:49.of our 15-year-old schoolboy said to me yesterday that she is worried her
:28:50. > :28:55.son could be one of those statistics. He is struggling with
:28:56. > :29:01.reading and writing. She is anxious about his future. And she is also
:29:02. > :29:05.angry with the SNP who have been in charge for the whole of her son's
:29:06. > :29:10.education. What has the First Minister got to say to that mother
:29:11. > :29:14.and her son? I'm concerned to learn of any parent anywhere in the
:29:15. > :29:19.country who has concerns of that nature about their child's
:29:20. > :29:22.education. I would repeat again how seriously I and this Government take
:29:23. > :29:27.the challenges that we face in education. I won't repeat as I did
:29:28. > :29:30.with Ruth Davidson, all of the strengths of Scottish education. I
:29:31. > :29:34.do think it is unfair to teachers working hard across the country not
:29:35. > :29:37.to recognise those strengths and to recognise some of the real
:29:38. > :29:44.improvements we're making. Up with of the ones I didn't mention earlier
:29:45. > :29:48.on was the improvements in attainment with pupils with
:29:49. > :29:51.additional support needs. Because we recognise some of these
:29:52. > :29:56.challengeses, we are taking the action we're taking. I don't know
:29:57. > :30:00.the school the child 69 parent quoted by Willie Rennie goes to. But
:30:01. > :30:08.it is very, very likely that the head teacher of that school now has
:30:09. > :30:13.in his or her own hands, additional resources, significant resources to
:30:14. > :30:16.invest in areas that head teacher thinks is required to attain improve
:30:17. > :30:20.thes. It is that action we're determined to continue to drive
:30:21. > :30:25.forward. Many of the reforms we are taking forward are reforms Willie
:30:26. > :30:29.Rennie's opposing. Yes, it is absolutely right members bring
:30:30. > :30:33.concerns to this chamber. But, we also have to be prepared to do the
:30:34. > :30:34.difficult things that are required to see the improvements we all want
:30:35. > :30:43.to see. I'm afraid that's more promises to
:30:44. > :30:48.improve school education at some point in the future. It won't help
:30:49. > :30:53.that schoolboy now. He could be part of a lost generation. He's been in
:30:54. > :30:57.school for a decade. Every single day off that the SNP education
:30:58. > :31:03.secretaries have been in charge. And they still sit round the Cabinet
:31:04. > :31:08.table today. These are the Education Secretary is that rejected a pupil
:31:09. > :31:13.premium for six whole years, even though it raised attainment in
:31:14. > :31:18.England. They delayed education for two-year-olds, rejected a penny on
:31:19. > :31:20.income tax education and cut thousands of places from our
:31:21. > :31:27.colleges. When the First Minister and her ministers have got it so
:31:28. > :31:34.wrong for years, why on earth should that mother and her 15-year-old son
:31:35. > :31:38.ever trust them again? Firstly, these are important issues and
:31:39. > :31:42.important challenges we've got to face. I do think it does a real
:31:43. > :31:46.disservice to the young people of our country to use language like "A
:31:47. > :31:54.lost generation". That is pretty disgraceful. Secondly, Willie Rennie
:31:55. > :31:59.talks about investments he thinks we should have made years ago. I would
:32:00. > :32:03.remind him that those years gone past are exactly the years the
:32:04. > :32:08.liberal Democrats were in a Westminster coalition with the
:32:09. > :32:14.Tories, cutting Scotland's budget year after year after year. APPLAUSE
:32:15. > :32:19.The last point I would make is the most important point. Willie Rennie
:32:20. > :32:23.says the parent he talks about, what good will this do now. The money I'm
:32:24. > :32:28.talking about that is in the hands of head teachers is in the hands of
:32:29. > :32:32.headteachers right now. I've spoken to headteachers in my constituency
:32:33. > :32:37.who are already talking about the initiatives they are taking forward
:32:38. > :32:42.with this investment. The additional investment direct to headteachers,
:32:43. > :32:46.the extra investment elsewhere, but also the measures we are taking
:32:47. > :32:51.forward to ensure that we can track the progress as a result of these
:32:52. > :32:54.measures. Willie Rennie repeatedly stands up in this chamber and
:32:55. > :32:58.opposes the things we are trying to do to make sure that we can see
:32:59. > :33:02.these improvements and make sure we can be accountable to every parent
:33:03. > :33:06.across this country. We will get on with doing the things that need to
:33:07. > :33:10.be done, even sometimes when they are difficult and don't get the
:33:11. > :33:21.support of the Liberal Democrats. APPLAUSE
:33:22. > :33:25.Last night BBC Scotland broadcast a shocking documentary on the human
:33:26. > :33:29.trafficking trade. It provided clear evidence that young girls are being
:33:30. > :33:34.trafficked from Slovakia to Glasgow where they are forced into sham
:33:35. > :33:38.marriages to local men. This is a scandal and human tragedy which is
:33:39. > :33:42.going on under our noses in Scotland right now. Can the First Minister
:33:43. > :33:46.set out what her government will do to support girls who arrive here in
:33:47. > :33:50.such appalling circumstances and what measures can be taken to cut
:33:51. > :33:57.down on trafficking and traffickers who indulge in this evil trade? This
:33:58. > :34:03.is an extremely important issue. Annie Wells is right to say that it
:34:04. > :34:08.is both a terrible crime, it is also a global problem. It's important we
:34:09. > :34:14.take robust steps to tackle it, both in cracking down on the crimes being
:34:15. > :34:20.committed but also making sure we are supporting the victims. In terms
:34:21. > :34:27.of tackling crime, the human trafficking and act passed by this
:34:28. > :34:30.Parliament in 2015 gives both police and prosecutors enhanced powers to
:34:31. > :34:36.detect and prosecute those responsible for human trafficking.
:34:37. > :34:39.Police Scotland also uses joint investigation teams established
:34:40. > :34:44.under European law to work with Romanian and Slovakian police in
:34:45. > :34:50.this area. It's vital that Police Scotland continues to work closely
:34:51. > :34:56.with UK immigration, Euro poll and other nations' police forces in
:34:57. > :35:00.order to investigate human trafficking offences. We will
:35:01. > :35:04.continue to make sure our police force have the powers and resources
:35:05. > :35:08.to investigate and tackle what are evil crimes against these
:35:09. > :35:13.individuals. The second important point is how we support victims of
:35:14. > :35:17.human trafficking. We continue to support what is the invaluable work
:35:18. > :35:29.of organisations that offer assistance to victims. In 2017-18
:35:30. > :35:33.the government will provide grant funding to specific organisations
:35:34. > :35:37.who support at Old victims of human trafficking, an increase on previous
:35:38. > :35:42.funding. Will also continue to work with them to improve the support
:35:43. > :35:46.available to prevent re-trafficking. There is a whole range of it. I will
:35:47. > :35:51.be happy to write to the Minister with more detail but we should all
:35:52. > :35:54.agree that the crime of human trafficking is evil and we've got to
:35:55. > :36:02.bring those responsible to justice but also provide the support the
:36:03. > :36:09.victims need. Is the First Minister may be aware there is huge
:36:10. > :36:16.disappointment following a prolonged investigation and nine separate
:36:17. > :36:21.court hearings related to the case of the illegal killing of a hen
:36:22. > :36:28.Harrier. The video footage supplied was inadmissible. Notwithstanding
:36:29. > :36:31.the progress made by ministers in recent years in tackling wildlife
:36:32. > :36:37.crime for the First Minister acknowledge this is a serious crime
:36:38. > :36:41.threatening the species. Given that wildlife crime is often difficult to
:36:42. > :36:45.detect, the law and the approach of the Crown Office must take into
:36:46. > :36:54.account such factors. Can I ask the First Minister if she will be
:36:55. > :37:01.willing to investigate this case? I do agree very much with Richard
:37:02. > :37:05.Lochhead. As he will understand, decisions about the prosecution of
:37:06. > :37:10.crime are decisions for the Crown Office and the Law officers act in
:37:11. > :37:15.that respect independently of ministers. I think it's important we
:37:16. > :37:23.take wildlife crime very seriously. Particularly in cases where it
:37:24. > :37:28.threatens a threatened species. I'll be happy to ask the relevant
:37:29. > :37:33.Minister again to meet with Richard Lochhead to look at what more we can
:37:34. > :37:37.do, particularly taking into account his point about often these crimes
:37:38. > :37:42.taking place in remote areas and therefore they are more difficult to
:37:43. > :37:46.detect. It's important we make sure the policy framework, and the law
:37:47. > :37:53.around this, and that the decisions taken by the Crown Office are doing
:37:54. > :37:56.everything possible to crack down on these kinds of crime. We will
:37:57. > :38:01.continue to do everything we can to make sure that is the case. College
:38:02. > :38:06.lecturers have been. On strike for the fourth day in this current
:38:07. > :38:10.dispute, impacting on them, their families and their students'
:38:11. > :38:14.education and exams. Can I ask how many days lecturers will need to
:38:15. > :38:18.strike before the First Minister intervenes to insured the pay deal
:38:19. > :38:21.is honoured? Does she agree with me that preparation time is essential
:38:22. > :38:28.in order to enable high-quality learning? I agree with the last
:38:29. > :38:33.point. I want to see this dispute settled. I don't want to see college
:38:34. > :38:36.lecturers on strike. It's not in their interests or in the interests
:38:37. > :38:42.of squalid Dutch students. As members will be aware that dash in
:38:43. > :38:57.the interests of college students. It will see a significant pay rise
:38:58. > :39:02.for the vast majority of college lecturers. The discussions now are
:39:03. > :39:06.about how different terms and conditions are replaced with a
:39:07. > :39:10.national system. Talks are continuing and I would encourage
:39:11. > :39:16.both sides to go the extra mile, including and perhaps especially the
:39:17. > :39:21.employers to go the extra mile to reach an agreement. In terms of the
:39:22. > :39:24.point about government intervention, and I take this seriously because
:39:25. > :39:27.ministers have been speaking regularly with both sides trying to
:39:28. > :39:32.make sure we do everything to encourage them to move towards a
:39:33. > :39:35.resolution. The move to national bargaining was something the union
:39:36. > :39:39.is rightly long campaigned for an something I'm delighted to see this
:39:40. > :39:44.government has delivered. If we have a situation where in order to
:39:45. > :39:47.resolve a dispute government has to step in and intervene, that's not
:39:48. > :39:51.the success of national bargaining, that would be the failure of
:39:52. > :39:55.national bargaining. Ministers will continue to discuss with both sides,
:39:56. > :40:01.we will do everything we can to bring it to a settlement. Talks are
:40:02. > :40:05.ongoing, I think today and certainly tomorrow and I hope we will see a
:40:06. > :40:10.resolution of this. That's in the interest of college lecturers and
:40:11. > :40:12.also college students. I hope that reassures the member that the
:40:13. > :40:21.government will continue to make sure we are doing everything
:40:22. > :40:25.possible to bring that about. I'd like to refer members to my register
:40:26. > :40:30.of interest to ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government
:40:31. > :40:34.is marking meant to help awareness week. I welcome the opportunity to
:40:35. > :40:38.highlight Mental Health Awareness Week. It's important we all do what
:40:39. > :40:42.we can to increase awareness and reduce the stigma. To mark the week,
:40:43. > :40:46.the Minister for mental health met with parents of children with
:40:47. > :40:50.experience of mental health services and last I spoke at an event to
:40:51. > :40:55.discuss stigma within the workplace. We will hold the first meeting of a
:40:56. > :41:00.stakeholder Forum on the 23rd of June. That is a specific commitment
:41:01. > :41:03.in our new strategy because we know that working with stakeholders will
:41:04. > :41:08.be key to the actions of the strategy in the year ahead. I thank
:41:09. > :41:12.the First Minister for that answer. In my opinion one of the most
:41:13. > :41:17.important actions outlined in the strategy is a commitment to
:41:18. > :41:22.introduce a managed clinical network for perinatal mental health. How
:41:23. > :41:26.would that be progressed and how will it help mothers experiencing
:41:27. > :41:30.mental health problems? Progress is being made and just this week the
:41:31. > :41:38.lead clinician for the managed clinical network for perinatal
:41:39. > :41:43.mental health has been appointed. They heard at first hand from others
:41:44. > :41:46.their experiences in asking for and getting the right help. I would
:41:47. > :41:50.expect the new network to get it right for parents and their children
:41:51. > :41:57.by driving up standards of care through integration of services and
:41:58. > :41:59.more collaboration. I ask the First Minister whether the Scottish
:42:00. > :42:10.Government has had discussions with agency to SEPA? The Scottish
:42:11. > :42:14.Government is in regular contact with the Scottish Environment
:42:15. > :42:20.Protection Agency. SEPA staff are present in Grangemouth on a regular
:42:21. > :42:24.basis as part of their duties to deliver regulatory functions. I
:42:25. > :42:32.understand the following discussion with locally elected members, SEPA
:42:33. > :42:36.is establishing a site to support the wider Stirling -based team. I
:42:37. > :42:40.thank the First Minister for that and I welcome the fact that SEPA are
:42:41. > :42:52.going to have those discussions with Grangemouth. It doesn't require an
:42:53. > :42:55.answer! To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is
:42:56. > :42:58.doing to better resource planning authorities in light of an increase
:42:59. > :43:03.in planning fees for major applications from the 1st of June
:43:04. > :43:07.2017. We need a planning system that supports both businesses and
:43:08. > :43:10.communities to deliver high quality development on the ground. There has
:43:11. > :43:15.been a general understanding that fee levels are too low and in many
:43:16. > :43:18.instances aren't proportionate to the work involved in processing
:43:19. > :43:22.planning applications. Fees and performance go hand-in-hand
:43:23. > :43:25.therefore we are increasing the maximum fee for major planning
:43:26. > :43:28.applications to provide further resources to councils to improve
:43:29. > :43:42.performance. The National view of planning fees
:43:43. > :43:48.that she has mentioned, maximum fees have risen from 30,000 to 120 5000.
:43:49. > :43:52.This is a welcome Rob Dorset for local authorities. Many planning
:43:53. > :43:57.authorities have done an excellent job despite cuts. Organisations such
:43:58. > :44:00.as homes for Scotland, are TPI and smaller building firms want to make
:44:01. > :44:05.sure there is a corresponding improvement in the service for those
:44:06. > :44:09.fees. With the First Minister recognise that these costs could be
:44:10. > :44:13.prohibitive if there isn't a dramatic improvement in waiting
:44:14. > :44:17.times in particular I'm looking at the figures for house-building,
:44:18. > :44:22.where there is an average weight of 48 weeks. I know the government has
:44:23. > :44:26.a strong interest in this, planning to build 50,000 houses. I'd like to
:44:27. > :44:29.know what the First Minister can do to ensure those additional costs are
:44:30. > :44:34.spent on improving the planning system itself. I think I would make
:44:35. > :44:40.two quick points. Firstly it's important to stress that the maximum
:44:41. > :44:44.fee increase only applies to major applications, which account for less
:44:45. > :44:50.than 1% of all applications. It wouldn't impact on our plans to
:44:51. > :44:54.deliver 50,000 affordable homes. Secondly, the fee increase is
:44:55. > :44:57.deliberately about giving councils resources to improve their
:44:58. > :45:00.performance. Improving planning performance and doing it on a
:45:01. > :45:05.consistent basis across the country is one of the things we can do to
:45:06. > :45:09.boost economic growth in Scotland. Its vital these increases lead to
:45:10. > :45:14.that improvement in performance. We are seeing improvements in
:45:15. > :45:17.reductions in waiting times for example, there is more that can be
:45:18. > :45:21.done and I hope this increase in the feed together with the actions will
:45:22. > :45:28.take forward from our wider review of planning will help with that in
:45:29. > :45:31.the period ahead. To ask the First Minister in light of the local
:45:32. > :45:34.government elections, whether Scottish Government will act to
:45:35. > :45:38.randomise the ordering of candidates by surname on ballot papers in
:45:39. > :45:45.future elections? For somebody who surname starts with an S, I can see
:45:46. > :45:47.the attraction! Can I begin by congratulating all councillors
:45:48. > :45:52.elected last week. I'm sure everybody would join me in wishing
:45:53. > :45:56.them well in their roles to support local communities. Following the
:45:57. > :46:00.successful electronic count, randomise the ordering of candidates
:46:01. > :46:03.'s earnings is one of the innovations the Scottish Government
:46:04. > :46:07.will consider for future elections. No decisions have been taken but
:46:08. > :46:13.it's one of the changes that will be subject to consideration. I thank
:46:14. > :46:17.you for that answer. The SNP randomises its own internal SNP
:46:18. > :46:23.ballot so it seems reasonable that the SNP government introduces such a
:46:24. > :46:31.measure in local elections. The system produces results heavily
:46:32. > :46:37.biased in relation to surnames. In Glasgow 40 of the 43 contests where
:46:38. > :46:41.two or more candidates from the same party stood, the individual who
:46:42. > :46:49.surname is closest to the beginning of the alphabet received the highest
:46:50. > :46:56.number of votes. Does the First Minister agree that after three
:46:57. > :47:00.elections, there is clearly something wrong when one surname can
:47:01. > :47:04.prove such a decisive factor in whether one is elected, and does she
:47:05. > :47:07.not agree that if this isn't addressed the credibility of the
:47:08. > :47:14.single transferable vote system is at stake? APPLAUSE
:47:15. > :47:21.I think that has to count as a classic question! Before I address
:47:22. > :47:26.the substance of the question I'm delighted that there was an Aitken
:47:27. > :47:31.elected in Glasgow because Councillor Susan Aitken of course is
:47:32. > :47:37.set to be the new SNP leader of Glasgow City Council. I'm delighted
:47:38. > :47:41.about that. On the serious issue, it's important that no candidate in
:47:42. > :47:44.any election is at an unfair disadvantage. We would all agree
:47:45. > :47:48.with that and that's why we have already said that we will examine
:47:49. > :47:53.the particular issue that Kenny Gibson has raised. It's also
:47:54. > :47:58.important with any changes to how we do elections but we build consensus
:47:59. > :48:03.around that. Not for any one party to decide on those changes. As we
:48:04. > :48:06.look at but we will be looking carefully at opinion not just across
:48:07. > :48:12.the parties but across civic Scotland as well. As we do have this
:48:13. > :48:19.consideration over the next few years I would encourage everybody
:48:20. > :48:26.across Scotland to contribute to it. That concludes First Minister's
:48:27. > :48:29.Questions. They can't get away from elections. Even talking about the
:48:30. > :48:35.ordering of names on the ballot paper. It's the UK general election
:48:36. > :48:39.that is dominating attention. I'm joined by two colleagues, speaking
:48:40. > :48:43.as a tailor I come after both of you in the running order is! Simon
:48:44. > :48:50.Johnson, first of all, let's talk about the education question. Again,
:48:51. > :48:54.Nicola Sturgeon looking contrite but argumentative in response to it.
:48:55. > :48:58.Yes, I thought sometimes Nicola Sturgeon is at her best when her
:48:59. > :49:02.back is against the wall but she really struggled. She said, you are
:49:03. > :49:07.talking down pupils and teachers, we are doing X, Y, Z. She came up with
:49:08. > :49:13.a convoluted excuse about how we shouldn't be looking at the fact
:49:14. > :49:18.that half of S2 pupils can't write properly. To be honest I thought she
:49:19. > :49:23.struggled because the figures were... It was a tough gig. They are
:49:24. > :49:27.reading off a list of things they are doing latterly to try and
:49:28. > :49:33.address the situation. Both Willie Rennie and Ruth Davidson came back
:49:34. > :49:37.to the fact that ten years ago they came to power. I think she was
:49:38. > :49:42.struggling quite a bit on it. Katrina, it came out of the evidence
:49:43. > :49:46.at Holyrood and the fact it wasn't just the pupils who were in numeric,
:49:47. > :49:51.the teachers themselves lacked the skills in transmitting new Morrissey
:49:52. > :49:56.as well. Yes, trainee teachers, people who are going to educate the
:49:57. > :50:01.next generation said that they were concerned that they didn't have the
:50:02. > :50:05.numeracy skills to teach maths to primary seven pupils. Clearly
:50:06. > :50:09.something has to be done. Nicola Sturgeon says there is a review
:50:10. > :50:14.going on and that's due to publish in the next few months. What it will
:50:15. > :50:23.bring, we will see Ben. Simon, it was both Ruth Davidson and Willie
:50:24. > :50:26.Rennie going on this question. It is a devolved matter but they are
:50:27. > :50:33.trying to make an election point as well. Absolutely. It plays into two
:50:34. > :50:36.key themes for both parties. One is to do with Nicola Sturgeon's
:50:37. > :50:38.competence in government and secondly, it's playing into this
:50:39. > :50:42.argument that the Scottish Government has been focusing on
:50:43. > :50:47.Constitution and the independence referendum rather than doing the day
:50:48. > :50:50.job. But will be a major theme for the Conservatives and Liberal
:50:51. > :51:02.Democrats. The First Minister came back she said it's not me obsessing
:51:03. > :51:08.about the Constitution and it had education, health, transport and
:51:09. > :51:13.justice combined. Nicola Sturgeon said we've been debating the
:51:14. > :51:16.constitution because we've been debating the Brexit shambles your
:51:17. > :51:24.Tory government caused. Is it fair to judge, this is a UK general
:51:25. > :51:27.election, it's not about the matters people decide what people bridge the
:51:28. > :51:35.two. Everything is fair game in politics. People don't understand
:51:36. > :51:41.the daily nation between this place's powers and Westminster's
:51:42. > :51:47.powers. It feeds into issues of competence about Nicola Sturgeon
:51:48. > :51:54.specifically. Let's talk about Kezia Dugdale's chance for Labour, she was
:51:55. > :51:59.going again on the SNP's record. It was health and nurses pay. It was
:52:00. > :52:02.one of the other big responsibilities the Scottish
:52:03. > :52:07.Parliament has. Kezia Dugdale was saying, under the SNP's watch, over
:52:08. > :52:12.the last ten years nurses have seen their wages decline in real terms by
:52:13. > :52:18.over ?3000. Nicola Sturgeon didn't so much dispute that but she said,
:52:19. > :52:21.hang on, nurses are paid more in Scotland than in England and Wales.
:52:22. > :52:28.She said a newly qualified nurse in England or Wales would get ?300 less
:52:29. > :52:32.than their counterparts in Scotland, pointing to Wales which is of course
:52:33. > :52:38.the one part of the UK where Labour are in government. It was an attempt
:52:39. > :52:42.by Kezia Dugdale to place herself on the side of the workforce and Nicola
:52:43. > :52:46.Sturgeon quite explicitly said in her final statement, we are on the
:52:47. > :52:50.side of the workforce. There was a battle there for the hearts and
:52:51. > :52:55.minds. Yes, that was a question to do with one eye on the election as
:52:56. > :52:59.well. Labour are fighting a battle for their base, public sectors
:53:00. > :53:03.workers, workers in the NHS. This was Kezia Dugdale saying, I'm on
:53:04. > :53:08.your side, I believe you should be getting more pay. Katrina, the two
:53:09. > :53:13.topics health and education struck me that they will almost rehearsed
:53:14. > :53:18.positions. Of course these are topics that have been raised
:53:19. > :53:22.endlessly, education was raised last week. Kezia Dugdale was raising the
:53:23. > :53:26.subject of nurses pay only yesterday. But it appeared that they
:53:27. > :53:30.were almost formulaic in the questions and the response as if it
:53:31. > :53:36.was familiar ground for all of them. It did, didn't it? The education
:53:37. > :53:40.questions came off the back of the statistics we had earlier this week
:53:41. > :53:44.and also on the appearance of trainee teachers at the education
:53:45. > :53:51.committee. Kezia Dugdale and Labour were making the same point about
:53:52. > :53:56.nurses pay yesterday. Both sides had their arguments lined up and gave us
:53:57. > :54:02.their lines. It doesn't take us much further forward. Finally, you can
:54:03. > :54:07.see the First Minister responding slightly contrite but equally the
:54:08. > :54:13.Education Secretary sitting next to her looked really solemn and
:54:14. > :54:17.serious. They know this is a huge challenge on these education stats
:54:18. > :54:21.but don't seem to be very good. That's the thing. It's very
:54:22. > :54:27.difficult to turn around, when you've got 49% of S2 pupils who
:54:28. > :54:30.can't write well. It's going to take years of difficult work and they are
:54:31. > :54:36.going to keep getting hammered on this. They can project improvements
:54:37. > :54:42.but it's going to take a while. It's going to take a long time and taking
:54:43. > :54:45.on the education unions as well, which is difficult stuff. They've
:54:46. > :54:49.done a lot of low hanging fruit making this and that free but this
:54:50. > :54:55.will be really difficult. A lot of this was done in England a long time
:54:56. > :54:59.ago. Katrina and Simon, hang on a second. As I mentioned it's the
:55:00. > :55:06.small matter of a UK general election coming up in four weeks'
:55:07. > :55:10.time. We've had the leak of the draft Labour manifesto, pretty well
:55:11. > :55:15.right now it's going to the national executive of the Labour Party at a
:55:16. > :55:19.meeting in London to ratify change. The Scottish party has their input
:55:20. > :55:23.to that. I spoke to Kezia Dugdale just before coming on air, she
:55:24. > :55:27.wasn't exactly delighted that it had been leaked but she welcomed the
:55:28. > :55:31.statement there was against independence in a referendum. I
:55:32. > :55:36.asked her about the fact the manifesto, contrary to the Scottish
:55:37. > :55:40.party's conference position, the manifesto backs the renewal of
:55:41. > :55:45.Trident. You're in favour of Trident according to the manifesto. The
:55:46. > :55:48.draft manifesto clearly says it supports the renewal of Trident,
:55:49. > :55:53.that's the Democratic position of the UK wide Labour Party. Not the
:55:54. > :55:57.Scottish Labour Party? We took a position against the renewal of
:55:58. > :56:02.Trident and we argued that within our movement. The final fate of the
:56:03. > :56:07.Labour Party is to renew Trident but also to... Said the Scottish party
:56:08. > :56:10.is overruled? This is part of our democratic process, we took a
:56:11. > :56:19.position and made our voice Claire. I'm joined by my colleagues again.
:56:20. > :56:23.Simon, let's talk about the leak. Parties like to be in charge of the
:56:24. > :56:31.distribution of policy not having it done by leak. Ignoring what's
:56:32. > :56:34.actually in the document, a leak of an entire manifesto, what it tells
:56:35. > :56:39.the electorate is that this is a party at war with each other.
:56:40. > :56:45.Somebody inside has seen it in their interest... To pass it to the
:56:46. > :56:49.Telegraph who broke the story. The Telegraph and the Mirror! Somebody
:56:50. > :56:52.trying to cover their tracks, perhaps. There's somebody in there
:56:53. > :56:57.who isn't very enamoured with the direction of the party or Mr Corbyn
:56:58. > :57:04.and is trying to sabotage the campaign. This party is not ready
:57:05. > :57:10.for government. As to the content, substantial renationalisation,
:57:11. > :57:18.rail... Rail, energy companies as well. The price cap that the Tories
:57:19. > :57:25.to cried in 2015 on energy prices coming in, now under Labour.
:57:26. > :57:31.Substantial changes as well and offers on Social Security and
:57:32. > :57:34.benefits. Yes, yes. It's interesting, going back to what
:57:35. > :57:40.Simon said about it going to the Telegraph, he said it shows a party
:57:41. > :57:44.in chaos but another commentator was saying, actually more people will
:57:45. > :57:56.read the Labour manifesto as a result! LAUGHTER There's a lot of
:57:57. > :58:06.tax and spending, regulation, nationalisation. It does smack of
:58:07. > :58:10.the 1970s... A gloomy picture of Mr Corbyn, you must have been dredging
:58:11. > :58:16.through the archives to find that one! He looks much smarter now. What
:58:17. > :58:20.does it say about Scotland and the input of the Scottish Parliament?
:58:21. > :58:25.The position on Trident for example, it's slightly shambolic. We've got a
:58:26. > :58:29.UK party saying we are in favour of Trident with a leader who clearly
:58:30. > :58:32.isn't. Up here we've got a Scottish party whose official position is
:58:33. > :58:36.that they are opposed to the renewal of Trident with Kezia Dugdale as a
:58:37. > :58:41.leader who is in favour of Trident. What the voters will make of that, I
:58:42. > :58:45.think they'll be rather confused. They can go with the manifesto
:58:46. > :58:54.approach that Trident will be renewed but they are seeking a
:58:55. > :58:59.multilateral approach. On the subject of the election we will be
:59:00. > :59:02.hosting a series of ask the leader debates on BBC One Scotland a week
:59:03. > :59:06.before the general election, hosted by Glen Campbell. We are looking for
:59:07. > :59:10.members of the public to put their questions to each of the party
:59:11. > :59:11.leaders. You can apply to be part of the audience by visiting the
:59:12. > :59:22.website. You can follow the election
:59:23. > :59:36.throughout the campaign here on BBC Scotland.
:59:37. > :59:39.The race is on to complete London's most ambitious railway.
:59:40. > :59:43.I don't think we've seen anything to this scale and complexity before.