:00:17. > :00:25.Hello and welcome to Politics Scotland. Congratulations to Rangers
:00:26. > :00:32.on winning that divisional league title. But it is the Gers of a
:00:33. > :00:37.different kind attracting attention, expenditure and revenue for
:00:38. > :00:43.Scotland. The annual Allens sheet and what Scotland is earning. --
:00:44. > :00:51.balance. It caused substantial controversy and that could come up
:00:52. > :00:56.today in FMQs. Over to the chamber. This has been the case for 17 out of
:00:57. > :01:04.23 years, contrary to the distorted claims of the Yes campaign! What I
:01:05. > :01:10.am absolutely delighted to confirm is that when we look at the last
:01:11. > :01:16.five years of performance, well, when we look at the last five years,
:01:17. > :01:23.the percentage of public expenditure in Scotland as a share of GDP in the
:01:24. > :01:31.UK was 45.4% and in Scotland, it was 44.2%. That deflate the nonsense he
:01:32. > :01:38.has just come out with! We now move to FMQs, question number one. Ask
:01:39. > :01:43.the First Minister what engagements he has planned for the rest of the
:01:44. > :01:48.day. To take forward the government's programme for Scotland.
:01:49. > :01:55.The government's revenue and spending figures show Scotland is in
:01:56. > :01:58.deficit by ?12 billion. The equivalent of all our health
:01:59. > :02:05.spending. Oil revenues have gone down by more than ?4 billion in just
:02:06. > :02:09.one year. The equivalent of all our spending on schools. If Scotland
:02:10. > :02:13.were independent, how would First Minister cope with his revenue drop
:02:14. > :02:23.by cutting services or raising taxes? I do not know if Johann
:02:24. > :02:33.Lamont is aware that the UK is deficit by over ?100 billion. In the
:02:34. > :02:39.years she has noted. The key thing is who is the stronger and Johann
:02:40. > :02:45.Lamont knows and we have discussed this many times that over the last
:02:46. > :02:50.five-year is that John Swinney has mentioned all the last 30 years, the
:02:51. > :02:56.answer is that Scotland has been in the stronger fiscal position
:02:57. > :03:01.relative to the UK. -- or. That is within the context of the UK and in
:03:02. > :03:06.now very -- and our case for independence is that with the great
:03:07. > :03:12.resources of Scotland, we can build a fair and just society in this
:03:13. > :03:15.country. And since so many of the better together notary is have said
:03:16. > :03:24.on so many occasions that they do not doubt Scotland is an economic
:03:25. > :03:34.need viable and successful country, not noted for their optimism, they
:03:35. > :03:39.said it two weeks ago. -- Better Together supporters. Can she not
:03:40. > :03:45.concede this country can build that prosperous future for this country?
:03:46. > :03:53.That was very interesting, but it was not the question I asked.
:03:54. > :04:00.Nothing new there! The First Minister in the past has criticised
:04:01. > :04:03.me but it appears he is saying the ?4 billion revenue drop is small,
:04:04. > :04:16.some think we do not have to worry about. -- something. Exactly! You
:04:17. > :04:20.should learn your lesson! The First Minister has talked of a
:04:21. > :04:26.stabilisation fund. But he could only put money in that by cutting
:04:27. > :04:33.services or raising taxes. Last year, he said Scotland had, a
:04:34. > :04:35.relative surplus compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. Will he
:04:36. > :04:41.now confirmed the rest of rest of the United Kingdom. Will he
:04:42. > :04:46.a relative surplus compared to Scotland's relative deficit? And can
:04:47. > :04:58.he explain how he would maintain our schools when he has lost the
:04:59. > :05:06.equivalent of an entire budget for schools which --? For those who did
:05:07. > :05:11.not understand the reference, that is when Johann Lamont seems to think
:05:12. > :05:15.and employment policy, competition policy, control of oil and gas and
:05:16. > :05:23.nuclear weapons would just be things and they did not matter. -- the wee
:05:24. > :05:28.things. Now about lesson has been learned, hopefully society will also
:05:29. > :05:33.disappear from the Johann Lamont lexicon. Let's take the relative
:05:34. > :05:42.desertion of Scotland and the rest of the UK. -- position. There was a
:05:43. > :05:49.283 per head difference last year published yesterday there was a
:05:50. > :05:57.positive ?489 difference the year before, ?214 before that, ?75 before
:05:58. > :06:04.that and ?1100 in 2008. That is a total loss -- a total of ?1600 per
:06:05. > :06:08.head over the last five years, that is how Scotland would have been
:06:09. > :06:14.relatively better off than the UK as a whole. Would it not be possible,
:06:15. > :06:18.given that, that Johann Lamont would concede over that period, because it
:06:19. > :06:24.amounts to 8,000 million pounds, that we could have borrowed met --
:06:25. > :06:28.borrowed less or invested more or had the stabilisation fund to make
:06:29. > :06:33.sure we could use that wealth to benefit the people of Scotland, or
:06:34. > :06:36.order she still think it is a small thing that we would have been ?1
:06:37. > :06:50.billion better off? ! The First Minister seems to be
:06:51. > :06:53.relaxed by the fact we would have ?4 billion less to spend on jobs,
:06:54. > :07:01.education, support for young people. And it is something... This
:07:02. > :07:07.man lectures us about economic and gives those an answer like that.
:07:08. > :07:12.Those numbers make no sense. I am not even asking the First Minister
:07:13. > :07:22.something difficult like what currency he would raise taxes in!
:07:23. > :07:31.Because whether -- because whatever it is, it in the last 12 months,
:07:32. > :07:41.Scotland has lost more than ?4 billion of oil revenue. At the
:07:42. > :07:49.moment, that loss is stored across the UK because we are in the United
:07:50. > :07:53.Kingdom. -- is stood. If we were outside it, I ask again, how would
:07:54. > :07:59.the First Minister pay for that loss in revenue, by cutting services or
:08:00. > :08:13.raising taxes? Can I point out that Scotland loses
:08:14. > :08:18.out on ?5.5 billion of oil revenues because they go down to the London
:08:19. > :08:23.Treasury. And over the last 30 years, that has been several hundred
:08:24. > :08:29.billion pounds we have lost out on. It is an indication on the set -- of
:08:30. > :08:33.the strength of the Scottish economy that over the last five years, we
:08:34. > :08:39.would have been eight Ilium pounds better off running our own finances
:08:40. > :08:44.than having them run by London -- ?8 billion. I know Johann Lamont
:08:45. > :08:49.believes oil and gas is a dreadful burden on the Scottish economy,
:08:50. > :08:54.there are many oil and gas producers around the world. Every single one
:08:55. > :08:59.of them regard to the hydrocarbon industry and the revenues from it is
:09:00. > :09:11.about the ball resource benefiting everybody. -- invaluable resource.
:09:12. > :09:17.-- a valuable. Why is it a curse to them? And if we would have been ?8
:09:18. > :09:21.billion better off over five years, can we think of some small things we
:09:22. > :09:26.would like to invest in in the economy, like jobs for the people, a
:09:27. > :09:32.fairer society? That is why her campaign to tell people in Scotland
:09:33. > :09:37.they are to board to be Independent is going to get the same giant
:09:38. > :09:48.raspberry as it did in the daily record poll was morning. -- too
:09:49. > :09:56.poor. -- Daily Record. That is a record number of straw men the First
:09:57. > :10:02.Minister has put up! I have never said oil is a burden to Scotland
:10:03. > :10:09.because without oil, the Scottish deficit would be ?16 billion! And
:10:10. > :10:16.what we have got from the First Minister is what they call on quiz
:10:17. > :10:25.shows a pointless and set! But it is charitable to call it that at all.
:10:26. > :10:28.-- answer. Because we know what he would not do, he could not borrow
:10:29. > :10:38.his way out of trouble because he would lend to a country that had
:10:39. > :10:45.just walked away from its debts? Order! And that is not
:10:46. > :10:51.scaremongering, that is quoting the First Minister himself. We also note
:10:52. > :10:58.that he would not raise taxes on the rich because he ruled that out last
:10:59. > :11:02.week. -- know. He would not raise taxes on banks and big business
:11:03. > :11:08.because he is committing to cutting taxes on them lower than George --
:11:09. > :11:12.lower than George Osborne. He has lost the equivalent of the entire
:11:13. > :11:17.schools budget, how would he pay for schools, by cutting services
:11:18. > :11:25.elsewhere or raising taxes on every family in Scotland?
:11:26. > :11:31.First Minister! Order! Johann Lamont asked a question, you would lend
:11:32. > :11:36.money to an independent Scotland? A rating agency noted two weeks ago,
:11:37. > :11:41.it even without North Sea oil and calculating GDP, Scotland would
:11:42. > :11:49.qualify for the highest economic assessment. If an international
:11:50. > :11:52.rating agency can say that, can the reader of the Labour Party in
:11:53. > :12:02.Scotland is not bring herself to say that? -- leader. Before the Better
:12:03. > :12:07.Together party told us we could not be independent because we could you
:12:08. > :12:14.-- we would lose a triple a rating. I have the leaflet here. But the UK
:12:15. > :12:21.lost the triple a rating from two agencies. There is confidence in
:12:22. > :12:24.Scotland's economic prospects is looking at the figures that Johann
:12:25. > :12:30.Lamont has been given. Over five years, our relative -- a relative
:12:31. > :12:38.surplus of ?8 billion. ?8 billion stronger than the UK as a whole,
:12:39. > :12:42.only ?1600 per head for every man, woman and child in Scotland! Johann
:12:43. > :12:49.Lamont did not seem to appreciate the reference to the poll this
:12:50. > :12:57.morning. It showed the highest support for independence recorded
:12:58. > :13:00.this year, it showed the SNP were the most Popular Party by some
:13:01. > :13:06.considerable distance. But most of all, it showed a quarter of the
:13:07. > :13:18.remaining Labour supporters in Scotland intends to vote for
:13:19. > :13:21.independence. -- intend. One of the reasons is that miserable running
:13:22. > :13:26.down of our country that Johann Lamont has been doing!
:13:27. > :13:43.Order! When will the First Minister next meet the Prime Minister? No
:13:44. > :13:47.plans for the future. This time last year, the Finance Secretary John
:13:48. > :13:52.Swinney said there was little doubt that Scotland was moving into a
:13:53. > :14:00.second oil boom. Yesterday, we found out annual revenues dropped by 44%,
:14:01. > :14:05.leaving a ?4.5 billion black hole. That is a price for every school in
:14:06. > :14:09.Scotland. At that black coal did not affect Scotland's public spending
:14:10. > :14:16.cuts as part of the United Kingdom, we can absorb the shocks. -- hole.
:14:17. > :14:19.We want the North Sea to produce more and the UK
:14:20. > :14:22.We want the North Sea to produce tracking recommendations from an
:14:23. > :14:27.industry expert to squeeze out every last drop. We have the support from
:14:28. > :14:31.the UK government to keep the North Sea going and we have the support of
:14:32. > :14:36.a nation with broad shoulders to absorb the shocks. Does the First
:14:37. > :14:41.Minister not accept the last thing we need now is to end both of these
:14:42. > :14:47.advantages? I love that! We have the support of
:14:48. > :14:52.the UK government to sustain the North Sea industry. The North Sea
:14:53. > :15:02.industry has been supporting the UK government for the last 30 years!
:15:03. > :15:05.This unbridled optimism of John Swinney in terms of prospects for
:15:06. > :15:08.the North Sea, let me read out what David Cameron said, there were many
:15:09. > :15:13.years left of this great resource, David Cameron said, there were many
:15:14. > :15:18.it is of a huge national advantage having such a brilliant oil and gas
:15:19. > :15:23.industry! I should not associate you with the Prime Minister in anyway!
:15:24. > :15:31.Why is it such a huge advantage for the United Kingdom but a huge burden
:15:32. > :15:36.for an independent Scotland? Ruth Davidson criticises the comment by
:15:37. > :15:40.John Swinney, it is she not aware it is because of the ?14 billion of
:15:41. > :15:45.investment that has lowered revenues in the short term that will increase
:15:46. > :15:50.more reduction and revenues in the long term? That is why they are
:15:51. > :15:56.investing. Can I say to her to get more oil and gas out of the North
:15:57. > :16:01.Sea, rockets and revenues for the Scottish people, assuming we have
:16:02. > :16:05.the common sense to make sure it is a Scottish exchequer receiving these
:16:06. > :16:12.revenues rather than burdening. -- profits. And I would not want to
:16:13. > :16:18.impose such a burden on future Tory chancellors in London!
:16:19. > :16:27.Let's talk about those revenues. The first minister says he wants control
:16:28. > :16:32.of North Sea oil revenue to fund transformational policies. His
:16:33. > :16:37.flagship pledge is extending childcare. We all want that. This
:16:38. > :16:43.weekend we find out his White Paper plans were locked out of thin air
:16:44. > :16:47.without any sums being done. The first minister might think that is
:16:48. > :16:54.credible but I do not and Scott Snowden a chance when they see one.
:16:55. > :17:00.This first minister would have us believe in an oil boom that does not
:17:01. > :17:06.exist, and oil fund with no money to the four policies which he has not
:17:07. > :17:10.even costed. He pretends he is holding a full House but isn't it
:17:11. > :17:19.the case that after yesterday, his plans are a busted flush. After
:17:20. > :17:22.yesterday we know over the past five years Scotland would have been
:17:23. > :17:31.relatively better off ?600 better per head per person in the country.
:17:32. > :17:36.Childcare is a very important issue. We have argued unsubstantiated in
:17:37. > :17:41.terms of the calculation is that in order to have a sustainable
:17:42. > :17:43.transformation of childcare, this can be supported by using the
:17:44. > :17:51.mobilisation of women back into the workforce to increase employment and
:17:52. > :17:56.participation to generate ?600 million of revenues. The difficulty
:17:57. > :18:02.we have at the present moment is that there is only a small fraction
:18:03. > :18:05.of the additional revenues accrued to the Scottish finance minister,
:18:06. > :18:12.the vast majority got to George Osborne in London. If Ruth Davidson
:18:13. > :18:17.can tell me he pledged that the first priority of George Osborne is
:18:18. > :18:20.to affect the increased participation of women into the
:18:21. > :18:26.workforce and the transformation of childcare, he would see that ?600
:18:27. > :18:30.million he is leaving he must give to the Scottish parliament but we
:18:31. > :18:35.know from all the evidence, including the last 30 years of ?300
:18:36. > :18:39.billion of oil revenues, that successive chancellors have said
:18:40. > :18:50.here are the massive natural resources of Scotland, let's spend
:18:51. > :18:54.it on nuclear submarines. To ask the first minister, in the light of an
:18:55. > :19:01.inaccurate report in the House of Commons on the discharge of alpha
:19:02. > :19:08.emitting particulate two years ago, can the first minister since your my
:19:09. > :19:11.constituents that we can trust the Ministry of defence and the UK
:19:12. > :19:18.Government with our environmental safety? Can I see firstly that the
:19:19. > :19:24.path have informed stakeholders that they will be reporting today on an
:19:25. > :19:40.incident on the civil aspects of Dounreay. -- SEPA. They are not
:19:41. > :19:47.expecting this to have environmental affects. It has been contained. What
:19:48. > :19:52.a contrast between the ability to report on a civil incident and the
:19:53. > :19:58.inability caused by the secrecy of the MOD to report on something
:19:59. > :20:03.covered by Crown immunity. It was put extremely well in a statement
:20:04. > :20:09.the other day then we have had two developments. Hansard has been
:20:10. > :20:14.connected in terms of the information given to MPs last week.
:20:15. > :20:19.Now that the Defence Secretary has connected the record, hats
:20:20. > :20:24.conservative MSPs, with no acknowledged there was a mistake
:20:25. > :20:30.conservative MSPs, with no given to the House of Commons last
:20:31. > :20:35.week. However, in his connection, the Defence Secretary says there was
:20:36. > :20:47.no immeasurable change in the alpha emitting particle discharge. This
:20:48. > :20:52.has caused great consternation in SEPA. Even in this connection there
:20:53. > :20:59.still seems to be a dedication to conceal information and that is why
:21:00. > :21:05.the process which Richard Lochhead outlined in removing that last
:21:06. > :21:10.vestige of Crown immunity would seem to be a more satisfactory way
:21:11. > :21:14.forward so that community, parliament and government in
:21:15. > :21:16.Scotland can be secure we are getting proper information so that
:21:17. > :21:22.Scotland can be secure we are we understand and can contain any
:21:23. > :21:28.risk to our natural environment. What issues will be discussed at the
:21:29. > :21:35.next issue of Cabinet? Issues of importance to the people of
:21:36. > :21:40.Scotland. There are 130,000 more people in work, that is inside the
:21:41. > :21:45.UK, yesterday figures showed the stability of the broad-based UK
:21:46. > :21:51.economy compared to the volatility of Scottish finances. One year's
:21:52. > :21:57.problem on oil means ?4 billion would need to be found from
:21:58. > :22:01.somewhere. Instead of searching for a crumb of comfort why would-be
:22:02. > :22:11.Minister and survey questions he has been dodging, which taxes would go
:22:12. > :22:17.up and which would not? I pointed out that over the last five years we
:22:18. > :22:24.would eat eat billion pounds better off, ?1600 per head for every man,
:22:25. > :22:28.woman and child. I welcome, and we have said on so many occasions, the
:22:29. > :22:37.positive increases on the Scottish economy. The record business
:22:38. > :22:40.confidence reported last week. I wonder if Willie Rennie did notice
:22:41. > :22:48.in the figures published yesterday that even with 4 billion fall in oil
:22:49. > :22:53.revenues, the Budget balance for Scotland and the UK was virtually
:22:54. > :23:00.identical. What made the difference was an almost 1% greater increase in
:23:01. > :23:05.capital investment in Scotland. That is 1% greater than the UK, dumb
:23:06. > :23:09.thing to do with the finance secretary, John Swinney, he has
:23:10. > :23:13.managed to sustain capital investment despite UK cutbacks and
:23:14. > :23:17.maybe that is part of the explanation why the Scottish
:23:18. > :23:20.recession was less deep than the UK and we are now enjoying a
:23:21. > :23:26.substantial recovery according to all the indicators. They had not
:23:27. > :23:31.answered the question. The first minister will say absolutely
:23:32. > :23:37.anything. The fiscal deficit has to go down to create an oil fund but
:23:38. > :23:42.yesterday his party celebrated when it went up. In January he said
:23:43. > :23:47.ignored the economic figures for the last five years, today he says they
:23:48. > :23:54.are the only ones that count will stop last year they paraded the
:23:55. > :24:03.numbers for a single isolated beaut. Today he says only an idiot would do
:24:04. > :24:10.such a thing. He used to say look at the facts, now all he has got his
:24:11. > :24:14.excuses. The first minister likes to quote the Bible. He usually casts
:24:15. > :24:19.himself as Moses but isn't it the book of Daniel on this occasion? He
:24:20. > :24:26.has been measured and he has been found wanting. I have to say, I
:24:27. > :24:34.think Willie Rennie must be confusing me with somebody else. I
:24:35. > :24:38.have quoted from many sources but I do not think I have ever been a
:24:39. > :24:42.great biblical quarter, have CS confusing me with one of his
:24:43. > :24:50.colleagues. I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about. Can I
:24:51. > :24:56.say to Willie Rennie, this argument that we have just invented first
:24:57. > :25:01.time to talk about the five years of figures. I said at first minister
:25:02. > :25:06.was my questions, this January, less than two months ago, a range of
:25:07. > :25:12.references I can supply them with over the last few years. It is
:25:13. > :25:16.obvious, why do we know we think looking at figures across the
:25:17. > :25:22.termism oughtn't? He figures are published for five years. Does that
:25:23. > :25:26.not give Willie Rennie a clue that the five-year figure is actually
:25:27. > :25:32.quite important? Willie Rennie says he does not like hearing about the 8
:25:33. > :25:37.billion over the last five years. Can I say that is pertinent to the
:25:38. > :25:41.answer to his question. Instead of saying what we would have had to
:25:42. > :25:47.have cut more than the UK over the last five years, we would have had
:25:48. > :25:54.either 8 billion less of borrowing or 8 billion more of investment,
:25:55. > :25:58.or, more likely, a combination of the two. If we had access to that 8
:25:59. > :26:03.billion then even some of JoAnn laminate's wee things could have
:26:04. > :26:08.been done in Scottish society to generate more employment, or get
:26:09. > :26:11.more participation and have more progress towards that prosperous and
:26:12. > :26:18.just decidedly which might or might not be in the Bible but I am sure
:26:19. > :26:24.Willie Rennie is inspiring to as well as me. To ask the first
:26:25. > :26:29.minister what the Scottish Government responses to the Child
:26:30. > :26:31.poverty action group finding that many children could be pushed into
:26:32. > :26:38.poverty action group finding that poverty by 2020 as a result of the
:26:39. > :26:43.UK Government's austerity measures? It is unacceptable that any child
:26:44. > :26:47.should be living in poverty any country as prosperous as Scotland.
:26:48. > :26:55.In recent years child poverty has fallen as we have taken charge of
:26:56. > :27:01.improving children's life chances. Up to 100,000 children in Scotland
:27:02. > :27:07.could be pushed into poverty by 2020 according to this news report, it
:27:08. > :27:11.should give every member of this Parliament grave concern. They must
:27:12. > :27:14.look positively at the better indications we are seeing in our
:27:15. > :27:20.economy which I debated whether Willie Rennie a few seconds ago, we
:27:21. > :27:21.should salute very carefully at the social aspects of the welfare
:27:22. > :27:26.changes that are being predicted by social aspects of the welfare
:27:27. > :27:34.the Child poverty action group and others. Is it not a scandal that two
:27:35. > :27:43.years on from the born to feel report that so many of our children
:27:44. > :27:46.are still living with diminished job prospects and shortened life
:27:47. > :27:51.expectancy? Isn't it time we took the powers of taxation and welfare
:27:52. > :27:58.into our own hands so that no more children are born to feel? It is
:27:59. > :28:09.important to remind the chamber of the progress made. -- fail. In 2001
:28:10. > :28:15.there were 27% of children born into poverty. 280,000 children. Over the
:28:16. > :28:23.years and particularly over the last few years, that number has been
:28:24. > :28:27.reduced to 15%. 150,000. All of ours would say that number should go to
:28:28. > :28:33.zero, that is where we would want it, but it is financial progress
:28:34. > :28:42.that has been made over the life of this Parliament, substantial
:28:43. > :28:48.progress. The difficulty is that the forecast from the Child action group
:28:49. > :28:55.is, the greater part of that progress, is under risk of being
:28:56. > :28:59.lost by 2020. That is the point. Regardless of people's politics or
:29:00. > :29:03.abuse, are we actually going to tolerate a situation where,
:29:04. > :29:10.according to the forecast of the Child poverty action group, but says
:29:11. > :29:14.-- progress will be reversed? We have to take control of the welfare
:29:15. > :29:19.system to ensure that whatever else happens, children are not made to
:29:20. > :29:34.suffer the brunt of the economic recession we have endured. The first
:29:35. > :29:40.minister and I attended the launch this morning though why is it that
:29:41. > :29:43.over things we have control of no like discretionary housing payments
:29:44. > :29:48.that can make a difference to households with children, you cannot
:29:49. > :29:54.get money out of the door and into the pockets of people who need it
:29:55. > :29:58.most? The substantial volume of people in the voluntary sector
:29:59. > :30:03.appreciate and support the Scottish Government effort to mitigate the
:30:04. > :30:10.impact of the changes from Westminster. This government is
:30:11. > :30:15.doing everything it can to try to take the edge of the welfare changes
:30:16. > :30:19.but the ultimate reason that Jackie Baillie is in no position to deliver
:30:20. > :30:23.any strictures on this matter whatsoever is that she is the one
:30:24. > :30:30.who said Scotland could control social security but should not
:30:31. > :30:33.control Social Security. If she is prepared to maintain this position
:30:34. > :30:38.in the face of this forecast it shows that someone who is prepared
:30:39. > :30:42.to put our constitutional obsession with the mess Minster government in
:30:43. > :30:51.front of the Scottish people. -- Westminster government. To ask what
:30:52. > :30:59.steps the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that anti-social
:31:00. > :31:07.behaviour orders are not reached. There has been a real shift to the
:31:08. > :31:14.policy towards solutions. The number of crimes reached by social
:31:15. > :31:25.behaviour orders has fallen by 30% from 2007 until 2012. I thank the
:31:26. > :31:32.first minister for that response. In 2005 it -- ASBO were described as
:31:33. > :31:38.being a positive short-term fix. Many beaches have been repeated
:31:39. > :31:47.breaches and government ignorance of the number of ASBO
:31:48. > :31:51.breaches and government ignorance of Scotland. Can the first minister
:31:52. > :31:56.confirm whether tackling anti-social behaviour is still a priority for
:31:57. > :32:01.his government today? Does he plan to implement any changes to deal
:32:02. > :32:14.with these beaches? Isn't it a good thing we have had the fall of 30% in
:32:15. > :32:18.beaches from 2007 two 2012? If that level is unacceptable and could be
:32:19. > :32:26.improved, I will agree and let others see if we can improve it
:32:27. > :32:33.further? The way it was earlier was even worse. People like his leader
:32:34. > :32:38.were in government office. There is great knowledge of these things.
:32:39. > :32:45.Recorded crime in Scotland is that it slows level in several years.
:32:46. > :32:50.Above all, in terms of the statistics, fear of crime is geeky
:32:51. > :32:56.sing. In his professional experience he knows that feed of crime, people
:32:57. > :33:03.being worried about their safety, is a hugely debilitating factor,
:33:04. > :33:08.particularly for older people. People in Scotland were positive
:33:09. > :33:18.about local areas. It is something he will be highly encouraged by. To
:33:19. > :33:21.ask the first minister whether the Scottish Government will take
:33:22. > :33:28.account of the findings of the Lloyds bank affordable city review?
:33:29. > :33:33.We have a formula for allocating housing resources on the basis of
:33:34. > :33:40.need. Affordability is one of the factors that should be taken into
:33:41. > :33:57.account. House prices in Aberdeen have almost doubled over the past
:33:58. > :34:10.ten years. Can more be done to boost mid-market rental opportunities? The
:34:11. > :34:16.new formula means the share of affordable housing funding will
:34:17. > :34:19.increase by almost 25% between last year and 2017. That will be welcome
:34:20. > :34:23.news for people in Aberdeen. And year and 2017. That will be welcome
:34:24. > :34:31.Aberdeen benefit from schemes that is helped by and an innovative
:34:32. > :34:34.national housing trust, and 85 homes have been delivered through that
:34:35. > :34:41.trust initiative. I am sure the local member will welcome back news
:34:42. > :34:48.on the 25% increase in terms of the affordable housing programme.
:34:49. > :34:57.They ran over today on FMQs but we thought you would want to hear it.
:34:58. > :35:01.They had that argument, who would? -- you on it. I will hand you over
:35:02. > :35:03.to daily politics.