:00:20. > :00:24.Hello and a warm welcome on this rather chilly day and a good New
:00:25. > :00:30.Year to you as well. It is a new year, but it is the same topics and
:00:31. > :00:33.anxieties. We are concerned about the health service. There will be a
:00:34. > :00:41.debate this afternoon about the state of the education system and
:00:42. > :00:46.there is always Brexit. Any of those questions could come up in questions
:00:47. > :00:57.to the First Minister. Let us cross to be Chamber. With the Britain is
:00:58. > :01:00.on her feet. Let us listen in. Let me wish you and everyone across
:01:01. > :01:05.Scotland are happy New Year. Later today I will have engagement to take
:01:06. > :01:09.forward the government was programme for Scotland. We have heard a lot
:01:10. > :01:12.this week about performance in health systems. I think we should
:01:13. > :01:17.all be able to agree that nobody should revel in sick people
:01:18. > :01:21.struggling to treated anywhere. Instead we should be focused on
:01:22. > :01:24.patients and how to improve care and that is why I welcome reports this
:01:25. > :01:29.morning that the Scottish Government has brought in a team from the NHS
:01:30. > :01:33.in England to help out the troubled Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow.
:01:34. > :01:37.Can I asked the First Minister how many other Scottish hospitals have
:01:38. > :01:41.benefited and continue to benefit from such arrangements? There is not
:01:42. > :01:46.a team from the NHS in England helping in the Queen Elizabeth.
:01:47. > :01:51.There is a support team provided by the Scottish Government helping the
:01:52. > :01:55.Queen Elizabeth Hospital deal with pressures in A There is an input
:01:56. > :01:59.to that from a very small team, to people I think from a commissioning
:02:00. > :02:03.provider in the North of England, but this is a Scottish Government
:02:04. > :02:06.support team and it's making sure the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, just
:02:07. > :02:11.is as the case in hospitals across Scotland are dealing with the
:02:12. > :02:17.increasing demand for A services. It's worth saying that our services
:02:18. > :02:19.face challenges, particularly in the winter months and these are
:02:20. > :02:24.challenges not just based in Scotland, but across the UK. Our
:02:25. > :02:28.staff are doing a sterling job in dealing with those challenges. The
:02:29. > :02:32.most recently published figures for the week ending the 1st of January
:02:33. > :02:37.showed that out of every 100 patients, 92 were seen within the
:02:38. > :02:42.four hour target. That is broadly similar to the same week last year,
:02:43. > :02:48.despite A attendances being up by almost 3% since the same week last
:02:49. > :02:51.year. My concern of responsibility is a Scotland but it's important to
:02:52. > :02:57.say that due to the actions that we have taken to support A
:02:58. > :03:01.departments across Scotland, our NHS is coping better than the NHS in
:03:02. > :03:06.other parts of the UK. The Chamber doesn't have too take my word for
:03:07. > :03:11.that. Let me quote Professor Derek Bell. He said Scotland is
:03:12. > :03:14.consistently performing eight or ten percentage points better than
:03:15. > :03:20.England. There is no complacency in this government when it comes to A
:03:21. > :03:23.or any other health care services. I visited three different health board
:03:24. > :03:27.this week alone, but we will continue to support our health
:03:28. > :03:36.service and our A departments to make sure they continue to deliver
:03:37. > :03:42.the services the patients deserve. Presiding Officer, I asked how many
:03:43. > :03:45.hospitals were benefiting from such arrangements. As the First Minister
:03:46. > :03:53.chose not answer I'm sure the Chamber looks to her updating us on
:03:54. > :03:56.her convenience as to how many have been so served. We know they have
:03:57. > :03:59.been problems at the Queen Elizabeth and we know this team that brings in
:04:00. > :04:03.a lot of different people including people from south of the border has
:04:04. > :04:07.been in place for a number of months, but what we don't know is
:04:08. > :04:11.it's precise remit. How long it has been asked to stay for and what cost
:04:12. > :04:14.has been incurred to the Scottish Government. Can I asked the First
:04:15. > :04:21.Minister what has been the total cost over the past five years of
:04:22. > :04:27.hiring specialist teams from other parts of the UK to help the NHS in
:04:28. > :04:29.Scotland? We provide... We as the Scottish Government provide
:04:30. > :04:34.appropriate support to help boards so that they can continue to improve
:04:35. > :04:39.services and deliver better services to patients. Perhaps if the element
:04:40. > :04:42.in the rest of the UK was doing similarly, there would be better A
:04:43. > :04:51.performance across hospitals in England. As an aside, the latest
:04:52. > :04:55.figures for England on A were published this morning. They show a
:04:56. > :05:03.further decline in performance and they now show a gap between
:05:04. > :05:07.performance in Scotland's A and England's of ten percentage points.
:05:08. > :05:11.Let me say very clearly, Presiding Officer, the NHS in Scotland will
:05:12. > :05:15.continue to use and learn from best practice in the delivery of health
:05:16. > :05:19.care, where ever that best practice exists. Let me also say this very
:05:20. > :05:25.clearly and there was no complacency on the part of the government, we
:05:26. > :05:31.will come in see increases in the winter months and that will be
:05:32. > :05:36.reflected in performance, but if there is best practice in the NHS in
:05:37. > :05:41.terms of anywhere in the UK to be learned from, it is best practice in
:05:42. > :05:45.the NHS in Scotland. I quoted Professor Derek Bell earlier on. I
:05:46. > :05:49.don't know if Ruth Davidson has seen what he has written in this
:05:50. > :05:54.morning's Scots man. He talks about the better performance, consistently
:05:55. > :05:59.better performance than in other parts of the UK and he says that
:06:00. > :06:04.this is in part due to the National programme to improve unscheduled
:06:05. > :06:09.care that she is best practice and appears to be sharing patient
:06:10. > :06:13.benefit. He then suggests the NHS in England should consider introducing
:06:14. > :06:17.a similar national plan to the one already operational in Scotland. So
:06:18. > :06:21.we do have best practice in A services. That is practice has been
:06:22. > :06:31.delivered in our hospitals here in Scotland. Presiding Officer I simply
:06:32. > :06:36.asked for a greater transparency in health spending and as a former
:06:37. > :06:39.Health Secretary I would've thought that that was information that the
:06:40. > :06:44.First Minister would have been happy to provide the Chamber. It seems
:06:45. > :06:50.not. Of course the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is not the only new medical
:06:51. > :06:53.facility with teething problems. In 2014 the First Minister announced
:06:54. > :06:57.new trauma centres would open across the country. They were supposed to
:06:58. > :07:01.receive the first patients last year, but yesterday the Scottish
:07:02. > :07:05.Government announced the new centres would be years late. The First
:07:06. > :07:09.Minister admitted they would be at least three years late and the only
:07:10. > :07:13.explanation offered with scale and complexity. Communities have been
:07:14. > :07:21.expecting the centres for two years and are now been told to wait at
:07:22. > :07:24.least another three. I think they deserve a full explanation than the
:07:25. > :07:31.one given and so does this Parliament. All the First Minister
:07:32. > :07:36.of it now? -- will be First Minister give it to us now? We have record
:07:37. > :07:40.levels of health spending in Scotland as a result of decisions
:07:41. > :07:44.taken by this government. That record level of health spending is
:07:45. > :07:48.delivering record numbers of staff working in our health service and
:07:49. > :07:51.those record numbers of staff are delivering A performance in
:07:52. > :07:57.Scotland right now that is ten percentage points better than A
:07:58. > :08:01.performance in England and even further than that, compared to Wales
:08:02. > :08:05.and Northern Ireland. We will never be complacent about the performance
:08:06. > :08:08.of our health service, particularly during these difficult winter
:08:09. > :08:12.months, but let me take the opportunity to thank each and every
:08:13. > :08:15.one of our health care teams across Scotland who are doing such a
:08:16. > :08:28.fantastic job on our behalf right now. In terms of the trauma centres
:08:29. > :08:31.that I was very proud to talk about yesterday, including ?5 million of
:08:32. > :08:36.investment in the next financial year to support this commitment, we
:08:37. > :08:40.have rightly taken time to get this right. Ruth Davidson and others will
:08:41. > :08:44.be aware, should be aware because many of their own members have been
:08:45. > :08:49.part of this intense debate about the correct number and configuration
:08:50. > :08:52.of major trauma centres across Scotland and Ruth Davidson would've
:08:53. > :08:56.read in that programme to government published in September last year the
:08:57. > :09:00.commitment that we would conclude the preparatory work by the end of
:09:01. > :09:04.2016. That is exactly what we have done. We will now go on with
:09:05. > :09:08.implementation, but it's important to be clear what we are talking
:09:09. > :09:13.about. We're not talking about creating from scratch four new
:09:14. > :09:18.facilities that currently don't exist. These four hospitals in
:09:19. > :09:23.Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh already provide excellent
:09:24. > :09:27.first-class trauma care. What we are talking about is continuing to
:09:28. > :09:31.enhance what they do and to join up the services they provide with the
:09:32. > :09:35.services that other hospitals provide and with the service that
:09:36. > :09:38.the Scottish ambulance provided in an integrated trauma network and
:09:39. > :09:42.that work will be done on an ongoing basis over the next three years.
:09:43. > :09:51.Many of the improvements that are part of that will be delivered over
:09:52. > :09:53.the course of this year, including key improvements to the trauma
:09:54. > :09:55.service provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service. This is about
:09:56. > :09:58.ongoing improvement to excellent services that are being delivered by
:09:59. > :10:04.trauma care staff across the NHS. I was delighted to talk to that staff
:10:05. > :10:07.yesterday and let me take the opportunity to take the opportunity
:10:08. > :10:13.to thank them for the first class outstanding job that they are doing.
:10:14. > :10:18.So not just late, but also scaled back from the party conference
:10:19. > :10:21.announcements? Presiding Officer, there is another point here and once
:10:22. > :10:25.again yesterday we saw this Scottish Government bypass Parliament and go
:10:26. > :10:31.straight to the media regarding a major change it's been reported that
:10:32. > :10:35.the Health Secretary is not due to update Parliament on the delay to
:10:36. > :10:39.these trauma centres until October, meaning MSPs won't have a proper
:10:40. > :10:43.opportunity to question the reasons behind this decision for nine months
:10:44. > :10:45.and I think that is clearly unacceptable. The Scottish
:10:46. > :10:48.Conservatives have requested that the Health Secretary comes to this
:10:49. > :10:52.Chamber to give a full statement on the delay and I asked the First
:10:53. > :11:00.Minister to ensure that that takes place next week. Providing officer,
:11:01. > :11:04.can I point out to Ruth Davidson that I am in the Chamber right now
:11:05. > :11:12.answering questions from her on major trauma centres! Said if she
:11:13. > :11:16.can't get any or all of the information about this announcement
:11:17. > :11:21.that she wants, then I would suggest that about a deficiency in her
:11:22. > :11:25.ability to ask questions, not about any lack of information from the
:11:26. > :11:30.Scottish Government. Can I also say to Ruth Davidson to further things
:11:31. > :11:34.about this. I didn't go straight to the media yesterday, I went straight
:11:35. > :11:40.to nine wells Hospital to talk to the staff who deliver trauma centre
:11:41. > :11:46.care across this country. And incidentally, there was an IP Q
:11:47. > :11:52.published in forming Parliament that I did it. Secondly, Ruth Davidson
:11:53. > :11:57.clearly doesn't know much about this subject. She talks about scaling
:11:58. > :12:01.back. Can I say that when I talked about the intense debate about the
:12:02. > :12:06.number, that was about the fact that there were people who we should only
:12:07. > :12:10.have two major trauma centres based in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We did not
:12:11. > :12:15.think that was right, so what we have committed to our four major
:12:16. > :12:19.trauma centres as part of an integrated network. Further evidence
:12:20. > :12:22.of this government getting on with the job of delivering first-class
:12:23. > :12:27.care services and finally, providing officer, I do say it's a bit rich
:12:28. > :12:32.for Ruth Davidson to come to this Chamber and talk about the health
:12:33. > :12:36.service. Especially in the week when the Red Cross has accused her party
:12:37. > :12:46.presiding over a humanitarian crisis in the health service in England. So
:12:47. > :12:49.I'll get on with the job... I'll get on with the job of supporting our
:12:50. > :12:59.health care staffing doing the great job that they are doing in providing
:13:00. > :13:03.health services across our country. I can see members are in quite a
:13:04. > :13:11.rounding mood and if we could just please show some restraint. Kezia
:13:12. > :13:17.Dugdale, question number two. Happy New Year, Presiding Officer. I once
:13:18. > :13:21.asked the First Minister what engagements she has for the rest of
:13:22. > :13:26.the week? Two take forward the programme for Scotland. Last year I
:13:27. > :13:30.met with leading consultants and surgeons at the Aberdeen infirmary.
:13:31. > :13:33.They said a new trauma centre in Aberdeen could be the difference
:13:34. > :13:37.between life and death for people in the north-east. Whether it's someone
:13:38. > :13:41.in a serious car crash or an accident on the brakes, they were
:13:42. > :13:47.clear. Having access to world-class trauma care could be a life-saver.
:13:48. > :13:51.The SNP promised the trauma centres will be open in 2016, but yesterday
:13:52. > :13:56.the First Minister and a three-year delay and she looked like she was
:13:57. > :13:59.celebrating that delay. Given what the experts tell us, is this the
:14:00. > :14:07.First Minister accept that this delay could be a matter of life and
:14:08. > :14:10.death? Aberdeen and Dundee major trauma centres will be fully
:14:11. > :14:16.operational before the ones in Edinburgh and Glasgow, probably over
:14:17. > :14:20.the next year to 18 months. Aberdeen is getting the life-saving trauma
:14:21. > :14:24.centre that some people thought it should not get because there should
:14:25. > :14:28.be only too, based in Glasgow and Edinburgh. It's important because
:14:29. > :14:31.this is really important. These major trauma centres are not
:14:32. > :14:38.brand-new facilities from scratch. These hospitals are already
:14:39. > :14:42.providing trauma care. It's about enhancing what they do firstly, but
:14:43. > :14:46.secondly, and this is the crucial part in perhaps the part that is not
:14:47. > :14:50.fully understood, it's about joining up what these four centres do with
:14:51. > :14:53.the work that other hospitals do in other parts of the country and
:14:54. > :14:58.crucially with the work that the Scottish Ambulance Service will do
:14:59. > :15:03.in an integrated trauma care network. That is the really
:15:04. > :15:08.important part. One of the early parts of implementation of this will
:15:09. > :15:13.be the provision of a 24-7 trauma desk within the Scottish Ambulance
:15:14. > :15:18.Service said that patients get to definitive trauma care as quickly as
:15:19. > :15:22.possible. This is not just about four centres, is about a network of
:15:23. > :15:27.trauma care that is going to deliver better trauma care for patients that
:15:28. > :15:34.is already being delivered. Let me stress, these hospitals are
:15:35. > :15:38.delivering first-class care already. The life-saving medics I met told me
:15:39. > :15:43.that they are telling the government more delays will cost lives. I
:15:44. > :15:47.listened very carefully to the First Minister's response to Ruth
:15:48. > :15:50.Davidson. I wrote it down word for word. She said we are rightly taking
:15:51. > :15:55.time to get things right. She's that we are ensuring the correct number
:15:56. > :15:59.and correct configuration. Wipe then did her government released a press
:16:00. > :16:02.release on the 2nd of April 2014 that says, the four bases will be
:16:03. > :16:12.operational Kezia Dugdale, if she had looked
:16:13. > :16:16.into all the detail, with all the answer to her own question. After
:16:17. > :16:22.that, it was another report that cast doubt on that being the correct
:16:23. > :16:27.configurations. We had to look again, if we were taking into
:16:28. > :16:31.account the clinical evidence if we were getting that correct. That is
:16:32. > :16:37.why what I say it was exactly the correct thing, taking time to make
:16:38. > :16:41.it right. These improvements are underway already, Aberdeen already
:16:42. > :16:47.delivers life-saving trauma care, enhancing what it does, Dundee,
:16:48. > :16:52.Glasgow, Edinburgh. But crucially, making sure that they work together
:16:53. > :16:55.in that network with the appropriate support from the Scottish Ambulance
:16:56. > :16:59.Service. These are the correct changes, being taken forward. The
:17:00. > :17:04.other part of the announcement from that has not been talked about and
:17:05. > :17:09.off, the focus on rehabilitation. It is about making sure that people who
:17:10. > :17:14.suffer serious traumatic the rehabilitation that the need for the
:17:15. > :17:17.quality of life. This is an integrated approach, correct
:17:18. > :17:23.approach, based on evidence. Achievement, officer has taken
:17:24. > :17:29.forward the work and we're to implement it. I also listened
:17:30. > :17:33.carefully to the First Minister smacked response about problems
:17:34. > :17:41.facing England's NHS. I think it is incredible to hear the First
:17:42. > :17:47.Minister say that the Red Cross has not condemned our NHS. What happened
:17:48. > :17:56.to the high ambition? It is an unhealthy seam that follows the SNP
:17:57. > :18:01.and election pledges, patients promised world class care at the
:18:02. > :18:04.Queen Elizabeth and they are not getting that. People in the
:18:05. > :18:10.north-east were promised the trauma centre, but yours behind schedule.
:18:11. > :18:19.We know that 700 people have died, waiting to leave hospital. Targets
:18:20. > :18:22.are being missed. And dedicated health care staff have told us that
:18:23. > :18:26.they are under pressure like never before. The only consistent thing
:18:27. > :18:35.that the SNP deliver, broken promises on NHS. Kezia Dugdale's
:18:36. > :18:40.comment about the Red Cross would be fine, if it was actually what I have
:18:41. > :18:46.said. What I said we should be celebrating in our NHS, with no
:18:47. > :18:47.complacency, is that hard-working staff in Accident and Emergency
:18:48. > :18:54.departments are delivering performances against the targets,
:18:55. > :18:59.ten percentage points ahead of hospitals in England, and even
:19:00. > :19:06.farther ahead of Wales and Northern Ireland. And you do not have to take
:19:07. > :19:09.my world for that. That as the view of the experts, and I quoted
:19:10. > :19:13.Professor Derek Bell. I think we should be proud of the NHS staff are
:19:14. > :19:17.doing that but we should continue to support them, given the challenges
:19:18. > :19:21.that the fleece and will continue to cease throughout the winter. Kezia
:19:22. > :19:28.Dugdale also mentions delayed discharges. We have seen evidence in
:19:29. > :19:35.England, steep rises, over the last year, when we have got more work to
:19:36. > :19:41.do. We have seen our main percent in NHS bed days lost to reduction
:19:42. > :19:45.discharges. I have visited three different health boards this week,
:19:46. > :19:50.and the people I have spoken to have talked about the six actions and the
:19:51. > :19:52.benefits that are starting to be filled from integration of Health
:19:53. > :19:56.and Social Care Act. Getting people discharged from hospital earlier.
:19:57. > :20:01.Were the only government in the United Kingdom that is not just
:20:02. > :20:07.talking about integration, we have actually done it. And the benefits
:20:08. > :20:11.are being seen. Much more work to do but we will continue to support the
:20:12. > :20:14.NHS. And finally Presiding Officer, I am going to say this to Kezia
:20:15. > :20:20.Dugdale, and I know that she does not like this. This government was
:20:21. > :20:25.elected on a commitment to increase resource spending by ?500 million,
:20:26. > :20:30.more than inflation, over the life of this Parliament. Kezia Dugdale's
:20:31. > :20:34.commitment in that election was just a increase in spending by inflation.
:20:35. > :20:41.If Kezia Dugdale was standing in my place, they have service would have
:20:42. > :20:49.less money. She has got a cheap to ask the questions that she has been
:20:50. > :20:55.doing. -- a cheek. We have a couple of constituency questions. Murdo
:20:56. > :20:59.Fraser. Thank you Presiding Officer. Yesterday, the four through approach
:21:00. > :21:05.was closed for most of the decor is not -- day, causing disruption. I am
:21:06. > :21:09.sure the First Minister wants to join me, commending all those who
:21:10. > :21:13.worked so hard yesterday in difficult conditions to get the
:21:14. > :21:17.bridge reopened as quickly as possible. However, it will not have
:21:18. > :21:24.escaped the attention of my constituents, that if the new
:21:25. > :21:30.Queensferry Crossing had been opened in December, as the First Minister
:21:31. > :21:35.had previously promised, they can to -- could have been spared this
:21:36. > :21:38.destruction. Can the First Minister tell my constituents today when the
:21:39. > :21:51.Queensferry Crossing will be open. To get to the facts of us, if a
:21:52. > :21:53.driver had not ignored warnings, not to take an HGV onto the bridge, this
:21:54. > :21:56.would not have happened. The contractual obligation as for June
:21:57. > :22:00.this year, and we're on track to make sure that it is going be open
:22:01. > :22:03.on track and the Queensferry Crossing is also being delivered
:22:04. > :22:07.under budget. I want to thank all those working hard on the Newbridge,
:22:08. > :22:13.as I want to thank all those who worked really hard yesterday and
:22:14. > :22:16.some of the most difficult with conditions that we can say at this
:22:17. > :22:21.time of year to get the bridge repealed. It was a complex repair.
:22:22. > :22:31.The bridge was open at nine o'clock last night. And I think all of us
:22:32. > :22:36.should say a heartfelt thank you. Thank you Presiding Officer. I would
:22:37. > :22:42.like to put on record that I am a PLO to the First Minister. A number
:22:43. > :22:51.of my constituents are outside the parliament today, sitting position
:22:52. > :22:58.for oil movement at the Moray Firth. The decision on ship to ship is for
:22:59. > :23:03.the Maritime and coarsening agency, with the First Minister join me in
:23:04. > :23:06.arching their ship to ship to listen to the views of my constituents and
:23:07. > :23:11.the course attention to the potential environmental impact of
:23:12. > :23:17.ship to ship if that was allowed to go-ahead. Can I thank you for the
:23:18. > :23:21.question. Correctly pointing out that this is not a devolved matter,
:23:22. > :23:27.despite the Scottish Government repeatedly making the case for these
:23:28. > :23:29.powers to be devolved. On the basis of the current information, the
:23:30. > :23:36.Scottish Government is unconvinced that ship to ship oil transfers can
:23:37. > :23:42.take place, without resulting in an unacceptable risk to the marine
:23:43. > :23:46.environment, particularly European designated area for bottlenose
:23:47. > :23:52.dolphins. We ensure that the concerns of local communities are
:23:53. > :23:56.going to be heard, well continuing to press for relevant powers to be
:23:57. > :23:59.devolved to Scotland. And the Port authority is also a vital part of
:24:00. > :24:06.the economy of the North of Scotland. The NCA has got a duty to
:24:07. > :24:11.listen to these concerns, and to the local people, represented at
:24:12. > :24:15.parliament today. I welcome those Finally, it's the parliament today,
:24:16. > :24:19.and some of those could be unsafe. I want to assure them that the
:24:20. > :24:22.Scottish Government absolutely hears those concerns and will continue to
:24:23. > :24:30.do everything that we can to make sure that those are heard by those
:24:31. > :24:33.making the decisions. It would be good advice after leaving parliament
:24:34. > :24:37.to stop off at the Scottish Office, and make sure that the UK Government
:24:38. > :24:45.is listening, I hope that they would listen to those concerns as well.
:24:46. > :24:49.John Lamont. Thank you Presiding Officer. The First Minister
:24:50. > :24:52.descriptively aware of the news that the Jim Clarke rally is not going to
:24:53. > :24:55.be taking part. This could be divorced from the motor racing
:24:56. > :25:00.calendar permanently, and that would be a blow to the Borders economy. I
:25:01. > :25:03.would the First Minister and the Scottish Government to do all that
:25:04. > :25:11.it can to support the Jim Clarke rally, and can the First Minister
:25:12. > :25:15.show that the ongoing enquiry is not going to be an obstacle, rally
:25:16. > :25:24.itself. Can look at its decision-making not to grant a
:25:25. > :25:27.permanent? I am going to put this in detail to make sure that he gets all
:25:28. > :25:31.the information that he needs around the legal position. My
:25:32. > :25:35.understanding, it is the governing body that has taken the decision not
:25:36. > :25:37.to hold the rally this year. I understand that is of great
:25:38. > :25:44.disappointment to those who enjoy the event. But given past incidents
:25:45. > :25:49.at that event, it is legitimate and understandable concerns about
:25:50. > :25:52.safety. It has been the subject of reports. We will continue to do all
:25:53. > :25:56.that we reasonably can to support those who want to ensure the safe
:25:57. > :26:00.conduct of this event in the future. These events are not just matters of
:26:01. > :26:06.enjoyment to followers of the sport but can be beneficial to the local
:26:07. > :26:09.economy as well. I want to make sure that for the information around the
:26:10. > :26:13.detail of this is provided to the member and the government will
:26:14. > :26:17.continue to do what we can to liaise with the Jim Clarke organisers to
:26:18. > :26:23.make sure that we can provide any reasonable assistance. Question
:26:24. > :26:29.number three. Patrick Harvie. I want to add to the general wishes for a
:26:30. > :26:36.good New Year. To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will next
:26:37. > :26:39.meet. Tuesday. Some of the people who may not have a happy New Year
:26:40. > :26:44.those who are going be affected by the UK Government's new benefits
:26:45. > :26:47.cap. We have put in a number of questions on this issue about the
:26:48. > :26:52.people of Scotland. Household family is going to be affected by that
:26:53. > :26:57.savage reduction in welfare. Some of them losing over ?100 a week. I know
:26:58. > :27:03.that the Scottish Government opposes that policy and shares concern about
:27:04. > :27:07.it. Not in asking those questions, it has been clear that the Scottish
:27:08. > :27:11.Government does not have an understanding about the number of
:27:12. > :27:19.households affected. Previous estimates said 4000 households, DWP
:27:20. > :27:23.have suggested 5000, external organisations have sent even opt to
:27:24. > :27:28.11,000 households in Scotland. Some 20,000 children affected by those
:27:29. > :27:33.cuts. Does the First Minister agree with me, it is vital that we get an
:27:34. > :27:36.accurate assessment of the number of people who will be affected by these
:27:37. > :27:40.cuts, and the ways in which they are going to be affected if they point
:27:41. > :27:46.out any chance to get the support that they need with these new powers
:27:47. > :27:52.coming to the Scottish Parliament? I agree with that very much. Patrick
:27:53. > :27:57.Harvie will be aware, that the Scottish Government is seeking to do
:27:58. > :28:00.what we can to understand the numbers of those affected by the
:28:01. > :28:06.benefit. But we are reliant to a large extent by information provided
:28:07. > :28:10.by the DWP to give accurate assessments. We will continue to do
:28:11. > :28:15.what they can, but also seek information from the DWP, so that we
:28:16. > :28:20.can get an accurate assessment but also use accurate assessments to our
:28:21. > :28:26.own plan approach. I will not go into detail with the interests of
:28:27. > :28:30.time, but also other issues that we have to make sure we have an
:28:31. > :28:35.understanding around DWP, for instance when we have the ability to
:28:36. > :28:39.use the powers to formally abolish the bedroom tax. How that will
:28:40. > :28:47.interact with the benefit. On this, and any other issue, we do not want
:28:48. > :28:52.to be giving with one hand, only for the UK Government to be taking away
:28:53. > :28:54.with other. Complex issues, but at the heart of this, a simple
:28:55. > :28:58.commitment from the Scottish Government. We want to continue to
:28:59. > :29:06.do what we have, mitigate as far as we can the impact of an fair will
:29:07. > :29:11.feel changes, -- unfair welfare changes, and also put on the systems
:29:12. > :29:19.that are fair, have respect and at their heart. Dignity Patrick Harvie.
:29:20. > :29:22.I understand the complexity of the challenge. But it seems that the
:29:23. > :29:27.Chartered Institute of Housing, and those who have conducted external
:29:28. > :29:32.assessments are not restricted to these DWP figures. They have shown
:29:33. > :29:35.that the impact is good to be much higher. The Scottish Government
:29:36. > :29:40.needs to be able to work with him, and any other organisations that can
:29:41. > :29:43.produce an accurate assessment. Can the First Minister give us some
:29:44. > :29:46.clarity about when that assessment is going to be conducted, when we
:29:47. > :29:50.will have an accurate understanding of who is going to be affected, how
:29:51. > :29:56.many households and how they will be affected? Clearly, the idea of a
:29:57. > :30:00.child poverty strategy is going to be close to meaningless if we do not
:30:01. > :30:04.have a clearer understanding of the impact of these changes on child
:30:05. > :30:10.poverty in Scotland. And will be Scottish Government reconsider the
:30:11. > :30:14.option of top up to true benefit, research has shown that even 5%
:30:15. > :30:19.could lift as many as 40,000 children out of poverty in Scotland.
:30:20. > :30:24.In terms of the substance, how we are going to use these new powers,
:30:25. > :30:27.some commitments set out in the manifesto that we were elected on.
:30:28. > :30:31.The Green Party put forward proposals that they will with
:30:32. > :30:35.interest. Including the one that he talks about. What we said in the
:30:36. > :30:41.manifesto and what we are committed to doing, introducing the new early
:30:42. > :30:45.years grant, providing increased and better support to families and the
:30:46. > :30:49.lowest income households when they have children. And we will continue
:30:50. > :30:52.to support not just for the first child, butt of all children as well.
:30:53. > :30:58.We are determined to use these powers, to help tackle child
:30:59. > :31:04.poverty. The more general part of Patrick Harvie's Christian, I will
:31:05. > :31:06.speak to the relevant Cabinet Secretary, to get a fuller
:31:07. > :31:10.understanding of the work that we are doing to get those assessments.
:31:11. > :31:17.I think that he is correct. And experience would tell me that he is
:31:18. > :31:23.right. DWP estimates for the number of people affected by those changes
:31:24. > :31:27.tend to be at the lower end of the Spectrum. It is in our interests as
:31:28. > :31:31.well as the interests of the chamber and the country, for us to properly
:31:32. > :31:36.understand the situation. If it would be coupled to Patrick Harvie,
:31:37. > :31:39.I am happy to ask officials to meet him and his colleagues, so that he
:31:40. > :31:45.can understand the work we are doing to get to the position.
:31:46. > :31:52.To ask the First Minister what will be discussed that the next meeting
:31:53. > :31:56.of the Cabinet? Matters of importance to the people of
:31:57. > :32:00.Scotland. The budget is coming up. The Scottish Government has received
:32:01. > :32:06.weekly warnings on the economy and education. We have the risk of a
:32:07. > :32:12.heart Brexit. Scottish education has gone from leading to just average.
:32:13. > :32:17.The IPPR warned about schools this week. Small business confidence is
:32:18. > :32:21.falling. We are going to have to do something about this. I believe the
:32:22. > :32:25.First Minister needs to rise to the challenge by investing in education
:32:26. > :32:30.and skills to get our schools back up to the best, to train other
:32:31. > :32:36.people for work to boost the economy. As college funding has been
:32:37. > :32:41.cut in real terms by ?90 million compared with seven years ago,
:32:42. > :32:45.wouldn't it be right for us, considering all those challenges, to
:32:46. > :32:52.reverse that can't inform? First Minister? We have put forward a
:32:53. > :32:55.draft budget. Willie Rennie knows that we prioritise the economy and
:32:56. > :33:00.he is right to say it is important given the challenges we face from
:33:01. > :33:04.Brexit. The budget also prioritises education. I could not have been
:33:05. > :33:14.clearer and I will continue to be clear about the importance we attach
:33:15. > :33:19.to education, raising standards and closing the attainment gap. The
:33:20. > :33:23.budget is a draft budget, and as is normally the case on we are passing
:33:24. > :33:27.budgets we will discuss with others who want to discuss with us ways in
:33:28. > :33:32.which we can listen to the suggestions that are put forward.
:33:33. > :33:38.And the Finance Secretary has been discussing with other parties will
:33:39. > :33:41.continue to do that, but be in no doubt, the economy, education and
:33:42. > :33:45.public services and continuing to make sure we take this forward to
:33:46. > :33:51.equip Scotland that the challenges that lie ahead will always be at the
:33:52. > :33:54.centre of our spending plans. I am afraid that answer fails to match
:33:55. > :33:57.the scale of the challenge that is before us and that is why the
:33:58. > :34:04.Scottish Government has no majority for its budget. That ?90 million cut
:34:05. > :34:10.from colleges has wiped out a whole sector of part-time courses. The
:34:11. > :34:16.Royal Society of Edinburgh said today a 40% reduction in part-time
:34:17. > :34:21.students in the last eight years and none has primarily affected women
:34:22. > :34:25.and over 25-year-olds. The pupil premium for schools in England has
:34:26. > :34:28.delivered real change that allows everyone, no matter what their
:34:29. > :34:36.background, to participate in the economy. The Scottish Government's
:34:37. > :34:41.attainment from plans are years behind and ?70 million short of what
:34:42. > :34:45.is required to match that present investment. Of course other budget
:34:46. > :34:48.changes will be required, but we have seen decline in schools and we
:34:49. > :34:53.have seen decline in colleges so were the First Minister reverse the
:34:54. > :35:00.decline and change her budget for the sake of our economy? We will
:35:01. > :35:03.continue to discuss with Willie Rennie and others suggestions that
:35:04. > :35:07.they have for amendments to the draft budget. That is how we always
:35:08. > :35:11.conduct ourselves when we are at the stage of the budget process. I would
:35:12. > :35:17.say to Willie Rennie that we in and week out what he is asking about the
:35:18. > :35:20.change of the draft budget does change. Around Christmas it was
:35:21. > :35:25.around mental health and we are in agreement that we need to do more.
:35:26. > :35:29.Today it is a range of other things. We will continue to engage on these
:35:30. > :35:33.matters and the financial Secretary's is open to anyone who
:35:34. > :35:38.wants to have a constructive conversation. With regard to the
:35:39. > :35:43.people equity funds, part of the Scottish attainment challenge was
:35:44. > :35:48.the ?120 million go directly to schools in the form of a pupil
:35:49. > :35:52.equity fund, delivering extra to support children who come from more
:35:53. > :35:56.deprived backgrounds. That is a signal of our determination to close
:35:57. > :36:00.the attainment gap. We put forward a budget that has the right priorities
:36:01. > :36:12.but we remain open to discussing the detail of that with any party that
:36:13. > :36:18.wants to engage and -- in a constructive way. What is the
:36:19. > :36:21.position on the record number of drink-drivers that have been
:36:22. > :36:25.stopped? It's more than disappointing to see a rise in the
:36:26. > :36:29.number of drivers who have flouted the law and put their lives and the
:36:30. > :36:32.lives of others at risk over the festive period. There is only one
:36:33. > :36:37.safe level of alcohol if you are driving and that is none at all.
:36:38. > :36:41.Unfortunately data shows the bus majority of those court will not
:36:42. > :36:46.only over the new lower limit, but over the previously higher limit.
:36:47. > :36:51.Police Scotland are taking action to catch those who put lives at risk is
:36:52. > :36:54.by drink-driving, especially the hard-core drink-drivers and that's
:36:55. > :37:01.why we have increased the number of checks carried out over the festive
:37:02. > :37:05.period compared to the year before. Do these figures highlight the
:37:06. > :37:10.effort and resources that Police Scotland are directing towards
:37:11. > :37:15.safety over the festive period and does the First Minister commend the
:37:16. > :37:21.services for making our roads and community safer? I do commend the
:37:22. > :37:25.police thought the work in this area and I commend the work of all our
:37:26. > :37:31.emergency services in the work they did over the festive period to make
:37:32. > :37:33.us all safe. The festive drink-driving campaign demonstrate
:37:34. > :37:37.that Police Scotland are right to focus very clearly on those who
:37:38. > :37:41.drink and drive by taking the action necessary to catch those who are
:37:42. > :37:46.putting not only their lives but the lives of others at risk by getting
:37:47. > :37:50.behind the wheel after drinking. During the four-week enforcement
:37:51. > :37:54.campaign there was an average of 610 drivers tested every day and that is
:37:55. > :37:58.a 50% rise in the number of checks that were carried out the year
:37:59. > :38:03.before. Assistant Chief Constable Benny Higgins said and I agree with
:38:04. > :38:06.this, drivers need to take personal responsibility and be aware that
:38:07. > :38:11.whilst the campaign is over, Police Scotland are focused on detecting
:38:12. > :38:15.and arresting drunk drivers. There is no excuse for drunk driving. It
:38:16. > :38:20.does put the lives of those doing it at risk and the lives of others at
:38:21. > :38:24.risk and it is right that over the festive period and at all periods of
:38:25. > :38:32.time we all say how unacceptable it is and we get behind Police Scotland
:38:33. > :38:36.and the efforts to eradicate it. To ask the First Minister what the
:38:37. > :38:43.Scottish Government's responses to a recent BBC report suggesting that
:38:44. > :38:49.90% of performance athletes supported by SportScotland come from
:38:50. > :38:57.a middle-class background? SportScotland and other clubs want
:38:58. > :39:03.to build a system that is inclusive of everyone. The government has made
:39:04. > :39:06.clear our determination to make sure children from our poorest
:39:07. > :39:10.communities have the same opportunities as those from our
:39:11. > :39:16.richest and that includes sports at every level. Our investment in sport
:39:17. > :39:19.and PE in school represents a commitment. I thank the First
:39:20. > :39:22.Minister for the answer. Would she agree that those performance
:39:23. > :39:30.athletes who have had the honour of representing their country has done
:39:31. > :39:37.so because of hard work and dedication? There is however an even
:39:38. > :39:42.equality of opportunity and the answer is not too penalised the high
:39:43. > :39:49.achievers, but to make sure that all opportunities are afforded to
:39:50. > :39:54.everyone and stop with physical literacy at the earliest age as an
:39:55. > :39:58.integral part of the educational framework? Yes I do agree with that.
:39:59. > :40:04.If a good opportunity to take a moment to congratulate Sir Andy
:40:05. > :40:08.Murray, then capping Granger and Gordon Reid for the recognition in
:40:09. > :40:12.the Queen 's New Year on a list and everyone else who was recognised.
:40:13. > :40:18.They are shining examples of the success of Scottish sport. It's
:40:19. > :40:22.right that we continue to invest in elite sports and I have the honour
:40:23. > :40:34.of officially opening the new elite performance Centre a few weeks ago.
:40:35. > :40:38.It's also important that we support sport and physical activity at
:40:39. > :40:43.grassroots. The amount of PE in schools increased dramatically over
:40:44. > :40:47.the years that this government has been in office. I'm also proud that
:40:48. > :40:50.we are supporting schools to do the daily mile in schools which is a
:40:51. > :40:54.potentially transformational initiatives for the health and
:40:55. > :40:58.fitness of our young people and yes it is right that we tried to promote
:40:59. > :41:04.greater equality in opportunities for sport. I would say and this
:41:05. > :41:09.might be the only discordant note in an area where I otherwise agree with
:41:10. > :41:14.Brian, if you want to encourage more people from deprived areas to take
:41:15. > :41:17.advantage of the opportunities in sport, perhaps reducing the
:41:18. > :41:22.circumstances where the parents are having to use food banks or are
:41:23. > :41:26.subject to benefit caps will help with that. Let us all get behind
:41:27. > :41:37.making Scotland and even fitter nation. Thank you, Presiding
:41:38. > :41:40.Officer. I note the First Minister's Sir, but I don't totally agree. I
:41:41. > :41:47.refer to the report from the wholesome sport committee in 2009.
:41:48. > :41:52.There is much to be learned from that report but I'm going to quote
:41:53. > :41:55.from paragraph 268 we said, the international evidence that it is
:41:56. > :42:00.notoriously difficult to achieve a lasting legacy from sports events in
:42:01. > :42:05.particular the transformation of grass root sport and mass public
:42:06. > :42:09.participation, recent comments have proved that we were right all those
:42:10. > :42:12.years ago. Yet I do have concerns that there is still too much focus
:42:13. > :42:18.and therefore funding directed towards the elite sports. I
:42:19. > :42:24.recognise the achievements, but it's not all about medal count because we
:42:25. > :42:28.partially justify that by a supposed payback of that nonexistent legacy.
:42:29. > :42:32.Can I therefore ask if the government and the First Minister
:42:33. > :42:36.will look at the balancing funding to more grassroots, not to try to
:42:37. > :42:44.rely too much on that legacy which has not happened? I do think it is a
:42:45. > :42:48.question of getting the balance right, but I don't think we should
:42:49. > :42:55.reduce the support that we give for elite sports because in many ways it
:42:56. > :42:59.is the performance and the success of our elite sportsmen and women
:43:00. > :43:04.that will help to inspire young people to take up sport and to take
:43:05. > :43:09.up physical activity. I would say to Christine and I know she will agree
:43:10. > :43:13.with me invincible, just because something is difficult it doesn't
:43:14. > :43:16.mean you should not try to do it in life. I suspect there are many young
:43:17. > :43:21.people across Scotland over the last couple of years have picked up a
:43:22. > :43:24.tennis racket because of the inspiration of Andy and Jamie Murray
:43:25. > :43:28.and Gordon Reid. They may not become the world class players that these
:43:29. > :43:32.three are, but nevertheless the inspiration will be important to
:43:33. > :43:36.them. It is right that we support our elite sportsmen and women.
:43:37. > :43:42.Christine Grahame is right and Brian Whittle was right. We also have two
:43:43. > :43:46.support grassroots facilities and participation. That's what part of
:43:47. > :43:49.the legacy of the Commonwealth Games was about increased facilities
:43:50. > :43:54.across the country. A performance centre that I spoke about earlier is
:43:55. > :43:57.one of many new facilities and enhance facilities across the
:43:58. > :44:01.country. It's about getting the balance right so that we have got
:44:02. > :44:04.not just the sport success to celebrate, but we are supporting a
:44:05. > :44:10.population that is generally becoming healthier and fitter. How
:44:11. > :44:14.were cutting the sport budget as proposed in the draft budget
:44:15. > :44:21.encourage more people in working class communities to engage in
:44:22. > :44:31.sport? We support sport in many ways. For example, our investment in
:44:32. > :44:35.facilities, our investment through schools, sports, our investment in
:44:36. > :44:40.major events. This is about the different ways in which we support
:44:41. > :44:44.people who are taking part in activities. One of the things I do
:44:45. > :44:50.think we have to do is get young people at a much earlier age into
:44:51. > :44:55.the habit of activity and sport. That is why and I mentioned it
:44:56. > :44:58.earlier on, the daily mile is such a simple thing, but such a potentially
:44:59. > :45:04.transformational thing because at a very young age, I was at a school in
:45:05. > :45:07.Edinburgh not along time ago where it was the nursery school kids who
:45:08. > :45:12.were doing the daily mile. All of these things taken together are
:45:13. > :45:14.important and whatever our political agreements are, all of us in the
:45:15. > :45:27.Chamber should be to get behind that. Tyles the First Minister what
:45:28. > :45:34.is the Scottish Government's response to the issue of hundreds of
:45:35. > :45:36.adolescent mental health patients waiting for treatment? It's
:45:37. > :45:42.unacceptable. The mental health Minister has been clear with health
:45:43. > :45:45.boards that any falls in the performance or children experiencing
:45:46. > :45:49.long waits is not good enough. It is though, and this is not intended to
:45:50. > :45:54.take away the from the comments I've already made, but progress is being
:45:55. > :45:57.made. The number of patients who waited at the 52 weeks has decreased
:45:58. > :46:02.according to the figures we have got for the latest quarter. So there is
:46:03. > :46:07.work to be done. I have said much in this Chamber before and I will say
:46:08. > :46:10.much more in the weeks and months ahead about the importance of mental
:46:11. > :46:25.health care. There is lot to be done, but progress being made.
:46:26. > :46:32.I thank the First Minister for the question. I know that the First
:46:33. > :46:37.Minister is a wheel that many young LGBT people have been struggling
:46:38. > :46:44.with health as a result of bullying. The result shows that as a result of
:46:45. > :46:50.LGBT people who have been experiencing doing has a long term
:46:51. > :46:57.impact on well-being. What resources can tackle mental health and will be
:46:58. > :47:00.central to the strategy, and include specific actions for named
:47:01. > :47:08.vulnerable groups more at risk of vulnerable health? Something that
:47:09. > :47:15.one or those -- Barnardos have expressed. That First Minister has
:47:16. > :47:18.expressed support for the campaign, will she now commit to legislation
:47:19. > :47:22.coming forward in this Parliament, it is such a serious issue and
:47:23. > :47:28.support rate across the chamber. No action coming forward. I think the
:47:29. > :47:33.member raises important issues, and has done that in a constructive way.
:47:34. > :47:36.I do not think it is fair to say that no action has been coming
:47:37. > :47:40.forward. I appreciate that she thinks we should be doing more,
:47:41. > :47:46.faster, but we have a good deal of consensus about what we need to do.
:47:47. > :47:50.She fair point, makes the point, although we have a dedicated mental
:47:51. > :47:55.health Minister, it is not hugely the responsibility of the Minister.
:47:56. > :48:00.And a good point between the linkages of mental health and
:48:01. > :48:08.education. The strategy will look at this, particularly in education. It
:48:09. > :48:11.is as much about prevention as it is treating mental health issues. She
:48:12. > :48:18.is also absolutely correct to talk about the issues that linkages
:48:19. > :48:21.people can face, because of homophobic bullying. I am a
:48:22. > :48:26.supporter of the campaign, not just because of objectives but also the
:48:27. > :48:31.way that the core vote, and we have a commitment to take forward the
:48:32. > :48:37.issues that they have released with the government. We will do that in
:48:38. > :48:43.consultation with him. A lot of substance and detail in this, across
:48:44. > :48:47.a whole range of areas of government responsibility. It is important that
:48:48. > :48:52.we get this correct, and the Middle Hill strategy will be published
:48:53. > :48:59.shortly. That provides the direction of travel. And of course, that
:49:00. > :49:02.strategy is backed by additional resources for mental health.
:49:03. > :49:05.Spending on mental health resources has increased dramatically over the
:49:06. > :49:10.course of the last few years but more funding is needed. Supporting
:49:11. > :49:16.more services, not just treatment but prevention. I genuinely hope
:49:17. > :49:19.that when we're going to have spirited debate, we can get behind
:49:20. > :49:23.their actions that we need to take over the course of this Parliament
:49:24. > :49:29.to make substantial changes, to the benefit of young people across the
:49:30. > :49:34.country. Thank you. That includes First Minister's Questions. We have
:49:35. > :49:42.that. The conclusions. It was rather rowdy! But they seemed relatively
:49:43. > :49:44.well-behaved. Watching that with me were Lynsey Bews, Scottish Political
:49:45. > :49:47.Reporter for the Press Agency, and the political commentator Hamish
:49:48. > :49:54.Macdonell. According to Ruth Davidson, it was a combination of
:49:55. > :50:00.the A Team and Green Lantern flying in! Some different interpretations.
:50:01. > :50:04.I think it is a good rule of thumb, that if you see how many times the
:50:05. > :50:07.First Minister actually thanks people who work in the public
:50:08. > :50:11.sector, you can see how difficult she finds those questions. Five
:50:12. > :50:17.teams, she thanked people who work in the public sector. Ruth Davidson
:50:18. > :50:22.was saying, if the Scottish of service is so good, why have we been
:50:23. > :50:25.taking people from England to help. And the Sturgeon was trained to
:50:26. > :50:30.avoid any suggestion that people have been coming over the border,
:50:31. > :50:37.because she knows is the Scottish of service in comparison to England.
:50:38. > :50:40.Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee. Some different
:50:41. > :50:43.interpretation of these were going to be brand-new devices. Nicola
:50:44. > :50:48.Sturgeon said these are going to be add ons? Opponents feel that she was
:50:49. > :50:51.playing their stone because they have apparently been delayed? It
:50:52. > :50:56.seemed to be a bigger announcement at the time but she seems to be
:50:57. > :51:01.backtracking on that, and said that we are just going to be making some
:51:02. > :51:05.tweaks. She can talk about it being a complicated process, a lot of
:51:06. > :51:09.things needing to be considered before these trauma centres can
:51:10. > :51:15.officially open... But ultimately people are just good to look at the
:51:16. > :51:18.headline, three year delay. It was a difficult set of questions for the
:51:19. > :51:30.First Minister, those adopting said that some lives could be lost. Hyped
:51:31. > :51:34.up. But tricky. Kezia Dugdale really using that the plane, that this
:51:35. > :51:36.could be equally funded, highlighting the importance of
:51:37. > :51:47.different consent. I'm running and fixing some of the issues. It does
:51:48. > :51:50.not wash to compare to England. Heard that so many times. Wearing
:51:51. > :51:54.thin. The answer from the First Minister was that we had changed
:51:55. > :52:00.parameters, different configurations on these centres. And that was
:52:01. > :52:05.correct to rethink? I think she was almost a victim of spin. It is not
:52:06. > :52:10.the First Minister's fault that these centres have been the top, so
:52:11. > :52:14.Winnie had not been delivered, she has got to play down the
:52:15. > :52:20.expectations. Not actually new centres. It is a difference between
:52:21. > :52:27.expectation and the delivery. I think she has to take the blame for
:52:28. > :52:33.hyping this up. But able to cite expert evidence, that it is much
:52:34. > :52:39.better in Scotland than south of the border. Better than them? But we
:52:40. > :52:45.should not be measuring ourselves... The First Minister said that she was
:52:46. > :52:50.not. But the Scottish Government do usually measure themselves in
:52:51. > :52:53.performance against the rest of the United Kingdom. It is difficult not
:52:54. > :52:59.to hold on to that when this comes along. This question of health
:53:00. > :53:05.spending, we are going to come to the budget shortly, big generally?
:53:06. > :53:10.It is getting some traction? It is similar to education. People are
:53:11. > :53:21.scrutinising what is going on in the Hill service. Look at the Queen
:53:22. > :53:24.Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow. Team sent in to sort out an all time low
:53:25. > :53:27.performance. When that hospital opened in 2015, issues then, and if
:53:28. > :53:33.anything it has got worse. The pressure is going to remain on the
:53:34. > :53:36.First Minister. We can talk about the question of the budget. But we
:53:37. > :53:43.can show some exchanges from the Finance committee yesterday. Derek
:53:44. > :53:49.Mackay set out the draft budget, the SNP do not have the majority at
:53:50. > :53:56.Holyrood, so he has got to convince another party to back the budget or
:53:57. > :54:00.abstain. He had a hard time. You have taken the position to create a
:54:01. > :54:06.tax differential, in terms of income tax, and you will be aware of
:54:07. > :54:11.concerns raised by business organisations among others that it
:54:12. > :54:15.is a risk, Scotland being the highest taxed part of the United
:54:16. > :54:21.Kingdom. The impact that could have on the ability to attract
:54:22. > :54:25.investment. The message that Scotland is high tax is put out by
:54:26. > :54:30.the Conservatives and I think that is unhelpful when it is about the
:54:31. > :54:35.way to package and quality of life in Scotland. I think that message
:54:36. > :54:39.should not be put about by the Conservatives. Certainly, Scotland
:54:40. > :54:49.continues to be a good place to live, work, invest. Do business. But
:54:50. > :54:56.because you have shied away from using new tax powers, we know
:54:57. > :55:00.councils have got less money, and need to make cuts. That is going to
:55:01. > :55:04.affect local services. I believe when you look at the two to package
:55:05. > :55:10.for government and local services it is fair. You talked about increasing
:55:11. > :55:15.the threshold by the higher rate of inflation. That is the maximum of
:55:16. > :55:19.what you said was to be considered in the manifesto. He said increasing
:55:20. > :55:26.by a maximum of inflation. Why are you doing the maximum of what you
:55:27. > :55:30.set out as something you consider? What we're doing is in line with
:55:31. > :55:37.inflation. We take tax decisions year to year. That is the position
:55:38. > :55:42.that we have put across. That is the figure in line with inflation. That
:55:43. > :55:49.seems like the correct thing to do. It is our judgment. Patrick Harvie
:55:50. > :55:55.has got a different opinion on the structure of income tax. We feel
:55:56. > :56:01.that that fits within manifesto commitment, commands the support of
:56:02. > :56:07.the people and is fair. Gives certainty. It was a tough time for
:56:08. > :56:15.the finance secretary, standing his ground. We had questions today,
:56:16. > :56:18.almost a shopping list from Willie Rennie of the Liberal Democrats and
:56:19. > :56:24.Patrick Harvie of the dreams. The undercurrent was the budget. She
:56:25. > :56:26.either has to go with the Liberal Democrats, find some concessions
:56:27. > :56:32.that will get the Liberal Democrats on board or get some similar
:56:33. > :56:39.concessions for the Greens. Liberal Democrats, she said I thought you
:56:40. > :56:42.wanted mental health money? But she also offered a clear message to
:56:43. > :56:48.Willie Rennie, the finance secretary's door is open. We can
:56:49. > :56:57.discuss the shopping list. Also, Patrick Harvie on the subject, the
:56:58. > :57:00.top pop to child benefit. Perhaps just keener to do a deal with Lib
:57:01. > :57:05.Dems? Memories of the previous coalition? I suspect that Willie
:57:06. > :57:12.Rennie is going to be the front runner because Patrick Harvie is so
:57:13. > :57:16.far away from the SNP on tax. Of all the parties, the focus away on
:57:17. > :57:22.agreeing on that. And giving Derek Mackay a hard time. Willie Rennie,
:57:23. > :57:26.if you can get something on mental health then a deal could be done.
:57:27. > :57:30.They need something on education because he need such a big point of
:57:31. > :57:37.education during the election. And the Liberal Democrats are way away
:57:38. > :57:41.from the SNP on tax. But Derek Mackay does not want to shift. But
:57:42. > :57:48.the Liberal Democrats want to do a deal, they want to be seen as
:57:49. > :57:53.relevant. They have not played a part in government here for ten
:57:54. > :57:58.years. They are going to drive a hard bargain but want to do a deal.
:57:59. > :58:01.And if the deal is done, this could almost be an apocalyptic stuff.
:58:02. > :58:10.Bringing down the government. -- is not. It is. And we saw more from the
:58:11. > :58:14.minority administration. They really need to move on this, in the
:58:15. > :58:20.direction of the Liberal Democrats. And the door is open. We know that.
:58:21. > :58:27.Thank you. We're coming to the close of the coverage of the very first
:58:28. > :58:31.First Minister's Questions of 2017. The topics familiar but good
:58:32. > :58:38.exchanges on the Hill service. And absolutely intriguing exchanges with
:58:39. > :58:42.the Greens and Liberal Democrats, basically the budget and the bedding
:58:43. > :58:46.taking place. I am looking forward to the weekend, Dundee United
:58:47. > :58:51.against Queen of the South at Tannadice. A win for once would be
:58:52. > :58:55.nice! Just in this New Year. It would make a difference. From me,
:58:56. > :59:02.toodle for now. For two centuries,
:59:03. > :59:05.it has told Scotland's stories. The Scotsman is one of the most
:59:06. > :59:07.prestigious names in the Now the people behind the headlines
:59:08. > :59:12.tell the incredible story of the paper itself.
:59:13. > :59:15.It could get quite hairy. This was real
:59:16. > :59:17.seat-of-the-pants stuff. I went down to the newsroom,
:59:18. > :59:19.opened the door and I thought, "I've come home."
:59:20. > :59:23.You're actually recording history.