:00:22. > :00:27.Coming upon the programme: it more bad news on the local jobs figures,
:00:27. > :00:33.more young Scots are unemployed. Plans on men and prices for alcohol
:00:33. > :00:38.be passed today, as Labour changed their position and abstain. With
:00:38. > :00:45.David Cameron away in Washington meeting President Obama, it is left
:00:45. > :00:51.to Nick Clegg, who has been at the despatch box. Unemployment figures
:00:51. > :01:01.have gone up again. According to latest figures unemployment is up
:01:01. > :01:01.
:01:02. > :01:07.again. In January the total rose by 6,000. I'm joined by our political
:01:07. > :01:16.commentator, Lorraine Davidson. There is a lot of concern about
:01:16. > :01:19.another rise in unemployment figures. People want to know that a
:01:19. > :01:24.line has been drawn under the economic troubles of the last
:01:24. > :01:30.appears. When you see figures like this, clearly that is not the case.
:01:30. > :01:40.There is very little chance of recovery this year. It is growing
:01:40. > :01:41.
:01:41. > :01:45.faster than the rest of the UK. Sadly, we went in a worse than the
:01:45. > :01:49.rest of the UK, it's not surprising we are still there. The Scottish
:01:49. > :01:52.government took credit when things were better, they are saying the UK
:01:52. > :01:58.Government needs a concerted effort in measures to cut unemployment in
:01:58. > :02:05.next week's Budget. That was making a rod for your own back. If you
:02:05. > :02:08.take the credit, you go to have to take the opposite. People are going
:02:08. > :02:13.to look to blame the Scottish government to win your figures are
:02:13. > :02:17.going up. They might have been better advised to say very little
:02:17. > :02:21.at the early stages, rather than now being in the position of taking
:02:21. > :02:26.the blame in the later stages when they are not turning the corner as
:02:26. > :02:32.fast as the rest of the UK. In reality, I don't think there is
:02:32. > :02:36.much difference in terms of the Scotland problems and the rest of
:02:36. > :02:46.the UK. There is not something glaringly obvious that needs to be
:02:46. > :02:47.
:02:47. > :02:54.done in Scotland. It will not be a Budget that will not aid recovery.
:02:54. > :02:58.They will be going on about discrepancies. In reality, George
:02:58. > :03:02.Osborne won the to come up with a Budget designed to kick-start the
:03:02. > :03:08.economy, and get jobs going. other big story is the minimum
:03:08. > :03:18.price for alcohol. That has been debated, we will bring you that
:03:18. > :03:20.
:03:20. > :03:27.later. The SNP have their majority. They have agreed to a sunset clause.
:03:27. > :03:37.That is a good idea. The Tories and the Lib Dems are prepared to do
:03:37. > :03:38.
:03:38. > :03:43.that. They will see if the legislation has an impact. You can
:03:43. > :03:49.bring it in, see if it makes a difference. Nobody is arguing that
:03:49. > :03:55.it is a silver bullet. The sensible thing is to see if it makes a
:03:55. > :04:01.difference, get on with it. Thanks very much.
:04:02. > :04:09.I mention that there was a change in the Labour position. Let's go
:04:09. > :04:13.over to Glenn Campbell. You have some details on the change of the
:04:13. > :04:21.Labour position, can you tell us in? You can see what difference an
:04:21. > :04:25.election makes. In the last Parliament it was up brownout by
:04:25. > :04:35.the combined forces of Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal
:04:35. > :04:38.
:04:38. > :04:44.Democrats. That was the time when the SNP had a minority government.
:04:45. > :04:48.They have enough votes to get this in on the Rhone, the Liberal
:04:48. > :04:55.Democrats have come onside, in the last week the Conservatives have
:04:55. > :05:01.agreed to give it a go, on the condition of that sunset clause.
:05:01. > :05:09.That means the Bill will be scrapped if the unit pricing was
:05:09. > :05:19.not shown to have worked. Today, Labour are not likely to vote for
:05:19. > :05:21.
:05:21. > :05:26.unit pricing, but will abstain in the votes, this will be passed
:05:26. > :05:30.without a single boat in opposition. Labour have released a package of
:05:30. > :05:38.measures that they what the government to take forward. Do you
:05:38. > :05:48.think Labour will maintain that position? I cannot say what they
:05:48. > :05:48.
:05:48. > :05:56.will do that stage three. -- what they will do in stage three. They
:05:56. > :06:00.may introduce some complementary measures. They point out that no
:06:00. > :06:05.single measure is going to stop Scotland's unhealthy relationship
:06:05. > :06:10.with alcohol. They are still very concerned about the impact that a
:06:10. > :06:20.minimum unit pricing will have. They say that the single largest
:06:20. > :06:22.
:06:22. > :06:28.floor in the Bill is that a minimum unit price of 45p, that could
:06:28. > :06:35.generate over �100 million for alcohol retailers. They won the
:06:35. > :06:38.Scottish government to introduce its levy, to claw some of that
:06:38. > :06:43.money back. I don't think the Scottish government will accept a
:06:43. > :06:48.proposal, but even in those circumstances, Labour will abstain
:06:48. > :06:52.on the legislation. Unless their lunchtime meeting changes their
:06:52. > :07:02.position. We will bring you some of that
:07:02. > :07:06.
:07:06. > :07:16.debate live at 3:05pm. Let's look at those unemployment
:07:16. > :07:17.
:07:17. > :07:27.figures. That is up by 6,000. That is higher than the rest of the UK.
:07:27. > :07:31.
:07:31. > :07:41.We are at 8.7%, the UK average. Is 0.3% higher. Youth unemployment
:07:41. > :07:46.
:07:46. > :07:51.stands at 103,000. Almost one in every four Scott is unemployed --
:07:51. > :07:56.Scots is unemployed. It reminds me when Margaret Thatcher was in power,
:07:56. > :07:59.and unemployment was at her 3 million in the UK. People felt
:07:59. > :08:08.despondent, a deprived young people have any hope when they were
:08:08. > :08:15.leaving school. -- it deprive young people are having any hope when
:08:15. > :08:24.they were leaving school. It is people without skills. If you don't
:08:24. > :08:27.get them into the workplace straightaway, people who are less
:08:27. > :08:32.skilled than graduates, they don't have any chance at all. There
:08:32. > :08:39.aren't enough jobs to go round. If they don't get into the culture of
:08:39. > :08:46.employment, that means when the economy does it get better, in 5-10
:08:46. > :08:55.years' time, they have missed the boat. They have a big black hole on
:08:55. > :09:01.their CV, who is going to touch them? Thank you very much. Let's
:09:01. > :09:05.speak to Garry Clark, from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.
:09:05. > :09:11.You have been looking at these figures, can you provide some
:09:11. > :09:17.analysis? We have seen a rise in youth unemployment, can you give us
:09:17. > :09:23.some detail at why we have got to this stage? Clearly unemployment
:09:23. > :09:33.has continued to grow in Scotland. It is important to recognise that
:09:33. > :09:35.
:09:36. > :09:41.it is a lagging indicator. From the point of view of this year, we are
:09:41. > :09:46.liable to see a very meagre growth. It is likely that that unemployment
:09:47. > :09:50.will continue to rise for some time this year. You were speaking about
:09:50. > :09:59.a squeeze on public sector jobs. That is one reason why the total
:09:59. > :10:05.has gone up. Absolutely. It is important to recognise that the
:10:05. > :10:10.private sector created some additional jobs in Scotland. That
:10:10. > :10:15.has not kept pace with the decline in public sector jobs. They have
:10:15. > :10:19.fell by over 16,000 in the last year. The private sector is capable
:10:19. > :10:24.of creating jobs. We need to make sure we have that impetus and
:10:24. > :10:30.support to create more jobs. We are looking to next week's Budget as an
:10:31. > :10:39.opportunity to do just that. Finance Secretary called for more
:10:39. > :10:43.bank lending, you would welcome that? Certainly. The Chancellor
:10:43. > :10:50.said that he would outline a package of support. We need to see
:10:50. > :10:55.of acceleration of that. We need greater levels of capital support,
:10:55. > :11:03.particularly for medium-size businesses. That can make a big
:11:03. > :11:11.difference in terms of growth. We want to work with the Minister for
:11:11. > :11:17.youth employment, we want to work with her to help business. It is a
:11:17. > :11:21.difficult issue to solve. It is a crisis, when we see those numbers.
:11:21. > :11:25.Politicians are talking about college places, apprenticeships,
:11:25. > :11:35.but you need a steady job after that. Ed looks like those jobs
:11:35. > :11:43.
:11:43. > :11:47.aren't they? -- it looks like those jobs are they? Given that
:11:47. > :11:52.background. It is difficult for businesses to take on new people.
:11:52. > :11:56.Having said that, the facts remain, the private sector in Scotland is
:11:56. > :12:04.employing almost 8,000 more people than they were last year. We have
:12:04. > :12:10.to build upon that, and provide solutions. Thank you very much.
:12:10. > :12:15.Still to come: with David Cameron away in the US, it was left to Nick
:12:15. > :12:20.Clegg to defend the government that today's Prime Minister's Questions.
:12:20. > :12:25.What we are doing is sorting out the banking system which she left
:12:25. > :12:35.in a mess. We are sorting out the public finances which she left in
:12:35. > :12:36.
:12:36. > :12:46.the mess. We are sorting out the economy. Let's go back to Holyrood.
:12:46. > :12:51.
:12:51. > :12:55.Willie Rennie, Dr Richard Simpson, and Maureen Watt are standing by.
:12:55. > :13:02.The SNP took the credit when the rate was lower than the rest of the
:13:02. > :13:08.UK, now it is higher, are you go to take the blame? -- are you going to
:13:08. > :13:18.take the blame? They are pretty bad. The SNP are taking measures to try
:13:18. > :13:20.
:13:20. > :13:27.and do everything we can. We have Angela Constance, we have 30
:13:27. > :13:35.billion put in to help you unemployment. -- �30 million put in
:13:35. > :13:40.to help you unemployment. We are doing all we can to help within the
:13:40. > :13:44.limited powers that we have. have also managed to make massive
:13:45. > :13:49.cuts to college places, that doesn't help? College places are
:13:49. > :13:54.being maintained within the cuts. Colleges have guaranteed a they
:13:54. > :13:58.will maintain the places. You have these college places, and you have
:13:58. > :14:01.these apprenticeships, but I was saying, these are very short term
:14:01. > :14:06.measures, what are the long-term measures to make sure there are
:14:06. > :14:10.jobs for these young people? They are very important measures. We are
:14:10. > :14:16.making sure that the young people who are trained and ready for work
:14:16. > :14:19.when these jobs in the private sector are available. It is very
:14:19. > :14:23.important that these people are retraining and education, to make
:14:23. > :14:33.sure they are available when the work comes. You must be pretty
:14:33. > :14:37.
:14:37. > :14:41.worried about these figures. When it comes to talk of the
:14:41. > :14:48.independence, you need a good economy? You young people are very
:14:48. > :14:53.upbeat. -- young people are very upbeat. These figures include
:14:54. > :14:57.students who are in education. We have more students in education
:14:57. > :15:07.than England. Underneath these figures there are other factors
:15:07. > :15:09.
:15:09. > :15:14.Dr Richard Simpson, when you were in power you pumped money into the
:15:14. > :15:19.public sector, ensuring high pay for doctors and nurses etc. What
:15:19. > :15:24.did you do for the private sector and make sure there was a good
:15:24. > :15:30.private sector so that when public sector pending is now stripped back,
:15:30. > :15:40.we see it small private sector in Scotland? It was not doing badly
:15:40. > :15:41.
:15:41. > :15:45.under Labour either. The fact is, "plan MacB" is not working and the
:15:45. > :15:51.schemes that Maureen is referring to still denote - might do not
:15:51. > :15:56.address the gap between UK levels and those here. The number of women
:15:56. > :16:02.out of work is increasing hugely and so is part-time work. There are
:16:02. > :16:05.huge problems. It is not entirely the SNP's fault. The coalition and
:16:05. > :16:12.the budget have to do something about it but the "plan MacB" is
:16:12. > :16:16.clearly not working. The contracts for the Forth Bridge going abroad
:16:16. > :16:22.is not going to help our unemployment one bit. Maureen, a
:16:22. > :16:28.one to pick up on that with you. It was clear from Magritte Cuthbert,
:16:28. > :16:32.the Economist, that it was clear that these contract were rolled out
:16:32. > :16:35.in the wrong way and if they had been done in the right way, in
:16:35. > :16:40.smaller lot, a lot of Scottish companies would have been able to
:16:40. > :16:47.benefit from that. Why aren't the SNP government trying to provide
:16:47. > :16:55.God -- jobs with projects like that? This morning, the Investment
:16:55. > :16:59.committee which I convened, the Forth Bridge committee gave their
:16:59. > :17:06.feedback and they say that many contract have gone to Scottish and
:17:06. > :17:11.UK companies and they employ graduate civil engineers and they
:17:11. > :17:16.are employing apprentices on these contracts. While the contract
:17:16. > :17:21.itself is too big companies, the smaller projects are being given to
:17:21. > :17:26.Scottish companies. Willie Rennie from the Liberal Democrats, I think
:17:26. > :17:32.the sock -- Scottish Secretary said it was a chance -- challenging
:17:32. > :17:38.climate. What do you think the coalition can reasonably do to help
:17:38. > :17:42.promote recovery here? What is essential is that we get public
:17:42. > :17:45.finances back on the straight and narrow and that is what the
:17:45. > :17:50.coalition is doing because our debt has a big effect on the cost of
:17:50. > :17:54.borrowing. If the cost goes up, the price of borrowing goes up and
:17:54. > :17:59.there is less money to spend on capital projects like the Forth
:17:59. > :18:02.Bridge. It is essential to get public finances back on the
:18:02. > :18:09.straight and narrow to get the economy back on track. We also have
:18:09. > :18:12.things like the 1 billion count UK use contract which will build --
:18:12. > :18:16.bring �100 million extra for job opportunities for young people in
:18:16. > :18:21.Scotland and that will make a big difference. It is a balancing act
:18:21. > :18:26.between spending enough to stimulate the economy but not too
:18:26. > :18:31.much to push up the cost of borrowing. Mr Rennie, where do you
:18:31. > :18:36.think the power lies? With the UK government or the Scottish
:18:36. > :18:41.government? He has the most power when it comes to job creation?
:18:41. > :18:46.Scottish government has an important role to play in terms of
:18:46. > :18:54.Scottish Enterprise and use opportunities. The �30 million that
:18:54. > :18:59.Maureen refers to. Also, the UK use contract is important to. I would
:18:59. > :19:04.hate to say one is more important because it partnership is important.
:19:04. > :19:09.One other big story at Holyrood. The minimum pricing for alcohol was
:19:09. > :19:14.a big change in the Labour position today in deciding to abstain. You
:19:14. > :19:19.have announced a package of measures but why have you decided
:19:19. > :19:23.to abstain? The pragmatic situation is that it will go through whatever
:19:23. > :19:28.our position is. We think it will not work as a policy and it does
:19:28. > :19:33.not have the benefits suggested in the policy. But it will happen
:19:33. > :19:37.anyway so we have decided to abstain and put forward 14
:19:37. > :19:41.additional measures in a complementary bill and make the
:19:41. > :19:44.offer to the government for a reasoned amendment. If they accept
:19:44. > :19:51.that, we can move forward unanimously and have a real
:19:51. > :19:57.discussion about the substantial a goal problem in Scotland. We agree
:19:57. > :20:02.about that. Thank you. We have run out of time.
:20:02. > :20:09.We will have more on the minimum price for alcohol debate at five
:20:09. > :20:17.past three. Back in Westminster, we have Nick Clegg and Harriet Harman.
:20:17. > :20:23.It has been 16 months since Nick lake's last outing at pm Qs so let
:20:23. > :20:27.us see how he got on -- Prime Minister's Questions. The hardest
:20:28. > :20:31.hit are young people looking for work and women. The Deputy Prime
:20:31. > :20:37.Minister says the Lib Dems are making a difference in this
:20:37. > :20:45.government with more than 1 million women looking for work, what
:20:45. > :20:49.difference does he believe he has made to those women? Of course,
:20:49. > :20:53.he's figures are disappointing. It is a personal tragedy for anyone
:20:53. > :20:58.who loses their job for them and their families. But she should be
:20:58. > :21:05.careful not to be tended was a problem invented by this government.
:21:05. > :21:11.Let us remember that unemployment of women went up by 24% under
:21:11. > :21:16.Labour and youth unemployment went up by a 40% under Labour and
:21:16. > :21:22.remorselessly since 2004. So we all need to work together to bring
:21:22. > :21:27.unemployment down. Mr Speaker, when we left government, unemployment
:21:27. > :21:32.was coming down and their economic policy is not only driving up
:21:32. > :21:38.unemployment, it means they have to borrow more. It is hurting but it
:21:38. > :21:42.is not working. For all his bluster, the truth is that having five
:21:42. > :21:48.Liberal Democrat seated around the Cabinet table has made no
:21:48. > :21:53.difference whatsoever. Listen to what the Business Secretary said on
:21:53. > :22:00.economic policy. This government has no compelling vision. These
:22:00. > :22:05.days no one agrees with Nick but does Nick agree with things?
:22:05. > :22:10.think is worth dwelling on some of the details are published this
:22:10. > :22:15.morning on the input aren't -- the unemployment statistics because,
:22:15. > :22:20.behind the headline figures, long- term unemployment came down and
:22:20. > :22:27.very importantly, the number of new jobs created in the private sector
:22:27. > :22:32.out strip those created in the public sector. Under how government,
:22:32. > :22:36.the Labour Party suck up to the City of London and over relied on
:22:36. > :22:42.jobs in the public sector. We have to remedy those mistakes and we are
:22:42. > :22:47.creating new jobs in the private sector. Mr Speaker, he is
:22:47. > :22:51.complacent about unemployment under his Government and the Lib Dems are
:22:51. > :22:57.making no difference on unemployment, just as they are
:22:57. > :23:02.making no difference on the NHS. When it comes to the NHS, the
:23:02. > :23:06.Deputy Prime Minister of is the things he is doing a stunning job.
:23:07. > :23:15.So, can he explain why he has failed to persuade the doctors,
:23:15. > :23:24.nurses, midwives, paediatricians, physiotherapists and the patients?
:23:24. > :23:34.The Labour Party used to believe... And now they believe in starving
:23:34. > :23:35.
:23:35. > :23:39.the NHS of cash. Her own manifesto in 2010 said... Order! We must hear
:23:39. > :23:45.the response from the Deputy Prime Minister. Indeed, her own
:23:45. > :23:50.manifestos said, to safeguard the NHS in tougher fiscal times, we
:23:50. > :23:58.need sustained reform. The Labour Party was right then and is wrong
:23:58. > :24:04.now. What happened? We are proud of what Labour did. More doctors, more
:24:04. > :24:10.nurses, low were waiting times and greater patient satisfaction. No
:24:10. > :24:13.one believes him. No wonder he card convince those who work in the
:24:13. > :24:18.health service, he can't even convince his own conference. Does
:24:18. > :24:28.he not realise that people are still against this bill because it
:24:28. > :24:30.
:24:30. > :24:37.I'm sure the Deputy Prime Minister would like to congratulate the city
:24:37. > :24:42.of Perth. It has been granted city status. There has been cross-party
:24:42. > :24:47.support for this. Can I thank the Palace and him and his department
:24:47. > :24:54.for organising this and for this tremendous Award today. These are
:24:54. > :24:58.the kind of questions I like! It is a good thing and, of course, on
:24:58. > :25:02.behalf of everyone in the house I would like to convey my
:25:02. > :25:09.congratulations to all the people in the Pat -- in Perth who worked
:25:09. > :25:14.so hard to get this accolade. us stay in Westminster and speak to
:25:14. > :25:19.David Porter. Good afternoon. What is the chat there? Did people think
:25:19. > :25:24.Nick Clegg looked prime- ministerial?
:25:24. > :25:30.Although the coalition has been in existence for over two years, it is
:25:30. > :25:38.only the third time that Nick Clegg has deputised at Prime Minister's
:25:38. > :25:44.Questions. Normally what happens is that it is William Hague or Nick
:25:44. > :25:49.Lake takes on the role of fielding questions. David Cameron is in
:25:49. > :25:53.Washington at the moment so it has fallen today to Nick played and you
:25:53. > :25:58.can judge for yourself whether you think he did a good job. Topics
:25:58. > :26:03.they came up were the economy and the health service. We will
:26:03. > :26:08.concentrate on the economy now. I'm joined by three people with an
:26:08. > :26:12.interest in Scottish -- Scottish politics. Stewart Hosie, Cathy
:26:12. > :26:17.Jamieson and Julian Smith for the Conservatives, although he
:26:17. > :26:21.represents an English constituency. He was recently on the Scottish
:26:21. > :26:25.Affairs Committee. Julian, you speak on behalf of the coalition
:26:25. > :26:31.government, how does the government justified unemployment going up
:26:31. > :26:35.month-by-month? It is disappointing news today and in particular in
:26:35. > :26:39.Scotland. Use than a crime and figures are not looking as good as
:26:40. > :26:45.we wanted but the most important thing the UK government can do is
:26:45. > :26:47.ensure stability economic Lea and nationally and get our debt rates
:26:48. > :26:53.down and the legacy left by the previous Labour government was
:26:53. > :26:59.appalling. To support those people who want to invest in the United
:26:59. > :27:04.Kingdom and create dog -- jobs and that is what the Chancellor will do
:27:04. > :27:11.in the Budget. We would talk about the Budget in more detail shortly.
:27:11. > :27:16.Is there enough -- is it enough for there to be economic stability?
:27:16. > :27:24.Doesn't the economy need to be primed? But where will the money
:27:24. > :27:27.come from? We were borrowing �1 in every four. We have to focus on
:27:27. > :27:36.encouraging businesses to invest and encourage people to set up
:27:36. > :27:40.businesses. Whether it is Scotland or in the UK, we have to do all the
:27:40. > :27:45.things we can to encourage the United Kingdom Enterprise spirit
:27:45. > :27:50.and create wealth and jobs. Next week's Budget will be the next step
:27:50. > :27:56.in doing that. That is a valid point, isn't it? No one wants to
:27:56. > :28:02.see unemployment going up but you cannot spend money you haven't got?
:28:02. > :28:07.It is devastating. 103,000 people out of work. The government has to
:28:07. > :28:10.take this seriously. It cannot go on looking like they believe
:28:10. > :28:15.unemployment is a price worth paying. These are people's
:28:15. > :28:19.livelihoods we are talking about. I hope we are much more closely with
:28:19. > :28:23.the Scottish government who has a responsibility in this area to make
:28:23. > :28:31.sure young people get the opportunity in a training place for
:28:31. > :28:36.a job. The problem in Scotland's colleges are not helping, by people
:28:36. > :28:40.will to be providing the opportunities. Stewart Hosie, there
:28:40. > :28:44.is a challenge for you in your party to do more. You will say that
:28:44. > :28:49.you do not have all the levers you would like but you do have some. It
:28:50. > :28:56.is very worrying that one in four of young Scots people between 16
:28:56. > :29:01.and 24 are out of a job. It is. May I say that I know how difficult
:29:01. > :29:05.this is. If you're made redundant and trying to get a job in
:29:05. > :29:09.difficult circumstances. I have been there. We should reflect how
:29:10. > :29:14.angry people will be right now if they are in that position. Kathy is
:29:14. > :29:20.right. We need to do everything we can in the Scottish government and
:29:20. > :29:24.the UK government whether it is apprenticeships, whether it is
:29:24. > :29:30.persuading the UK government in the budget next week to invest Direct
:29:30. > :29:36.budget and Capitol to open up 300 million projects in Scotland that
:29:36. > :29:40.are ready to go now. Yes we need to tackle the deficit and the debt but
:29:40. > :29:45.we will not grow the economy and create jobs if we keep cutting to
:29:45. > :29:48.the extent this coalition government are. That leads us
:29:48. > :29:58.nicely on to this. You have mentioned you cannot spend money
:29:58. > :30:07.you don't have, because things be read prioritised? Projects that
:30:07. > :30:17.help the construction industry, for I think the construction industry
:30:17. > :30:18.
:30:18. > :30:25.is vital. There has been already summer very strong announcements.
:30:25. > :30:29.The Ray Green Investment Bank is coming to Edinburgh. There are a
:30:29. > :30:33.whole sector schemes for young people. I think it is really
:30:33. > :30:37.important that young people are aware that there is support their,
:30:37. > :30:46.and I'm sure in next week's Budget there will be more efforts to
:30:46. > :30:50.create jobs. I know you are particularly concerned at about
:30:50. > :30:56.youngsters. Is there anything that your party could suggest to the
:30:56. > :31:01.government that would make a difference? I think it shows how
:31:01. > :31:05.out of touch the government tears if they think it is a case of the
:31:05. > :31:09.youngsters looking at this and thinking there are jobs. The
:31:09. > :31:14.reality is that it is very difficult at the moment. What they
:31:14. > :31:19.could do, is that they could listen to our five-point plan, which talks
:31:19. > :31:23.about things we can do, talks about companies taking on additional
:31:23. > :31:28.staff, they could also figure that a cut in VAT, that would help the
:31:28. > :31:36.construction industry. I met three m people on the same street, they
:31:36. > :31:43.were all 18 a, they had all lost their jobs. They were saying, what
:31:43. > :31:50.can the Government to put the? there is one thing that George
:31:50. > :31:53.Osborne can do to help Scotland, what would it be? There are three
:31:53. > :31:57.tasks that the Chancellor has. He needs to get investment moving
:31:57. > :32:01.again. He needs to create confidence again, which means
:32:01. > :32:08.keeping people in jobs, and he Muskett lending going for small
:32:08. > :32:17.businesses. There are other things like National Insurance. I have no
:32:17. > :32:27.problem with a VAT cut. That is all good stuff. The three big things
:32:27. > :32:29.
:32:29. > :32:33.are his confidence, lending, and investment. Thank you very much.
:32:33. > :32:37.The clock has beaten us, but you have heard what the politicians
:32:37. > :32:42.would like the Chancellor to be saying next week. We will never in
:32:42. > :32:47.seven days' time whether he has listened. -- we will know in seven
:32:47. > :32:57.days' time. Let's join the Lorraine Davidson,
:32:57. > :33:00.
:33:00. > :33:09.once again. -- let's join a Lorraine Davidson. The Prime
:33:09. > :33:17.Minister will present President Obama with a table tennis table.
:33:17. > :33:27.The Obamas had given them a growl to commemorate making burgers. --
:33:27. > :33:35.have given them up a barbecue. The whole special relationship was
:33:35. > :33:39.developed around Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. It has been
:33:39. > :33:49.soured by the Tony Bland and George Bush relationship which took us
:33:49. > :33:51.
:33:51. > :34:01.into Iraq. -- Tony Blair. There is some coming down in the journalism,
:34:01. > :34:02.
:34:02. > :34:05.when you have focus on a table tennis table. Actually, at the end
:34:05. > :34:10.of the day what people are piggy about his troops who are dying in
:34:10. > :34:14.Afghanistan on a daily basis, and trying to get them out of there. I
:34:14. > :34:21.am not sure that this is not becoming a massive insult to
:34:21. > :34:27.people's intelligence. We have focused on choreography, PR, and
:34:27. > :34:33.presentation. These are two big world leaders, they should be
:34:33. > :34:43.sitting down and talking about getting out of Afghanistan, and
:34:43. > :34:53.
:34:53. > :35:03.beyond that, what kind of situation you are leading there? -- leading
:35:03. > :35:05.
:35:05. > :35:10.the world where. It looks like we had that timetable in 2013. We will
:35:10. > :35:19.go back to the chamber now. Nicola Sturgeon has just started to stand
:35:19. > :35:26.up there. There are organisations and
:35:26. > :35:32.individuals who have shaped the minimum pricing policy. I would
:35:32. > :35:38.like to thank the Health and Sport Committee, they have scrutinised
:35:38. > :35:43.our proposals. They came to some considered conclusions. I would
:35:44. > :35:52.there thank our colleagues from the finance and subordination
:35:52. > :35:54.committees. They scrutinised the Bill. There have been many
:35:54. > :35:59.witnesses who have provided invaluable evidence to the
:35:59. > :36:03.committees. Can I offer some thanks to the Liberal Democrats and the
:36:03. > :36:09.Conservatives? I had many differences with them, but since
:36:09. > :36:16.the last boat, and I think to their great credit, have decided to join
:36:16. > :36:22.the SNP and the Green Party, and give it a chance. Before I turn to
:36:22. > :36:28.the substance of the report, I want to take some time to remind members
:36:28. > :36:38.wide the measures contained in this Bill are so important. -- y a the
:36:38. > :36:40.
:36:40. > :36:44.measures contained a in that this Bill. We're not against drinking,
:36:44. > :36:52.but we are worried about the problems in excessive consumption
:36:52. > :37:02.of alcohol. The row the years drinking in Scotland has got out of
:37:02. > :37:16.
:37:16. > :37:23.kilter, and it needs to be rebalance. -- we need to rebalance
:37:23. > :37:30.it. There has been a significant shift in how much we drink, and
:37:30. > :37:38.where we drink. Nearly 70% of alcohol is sold by the off trade,
:37:38. > :37:48.and this is driven by price and affordability. The average price
:37:48. > :37:49.
:37:49. > :37:52.was �1.34, compared to just 45p in the off-trade. There has been
:37:52. > :37:58.wasted are the good shift in the affordability of that other half.
:37:59. > :38:03.As all of us know, from our constituencies, and from other
:38:03. > :38:09.sources, excessive drinking is taking its toll on every age group,
:38:09. > :38:12.every socio-economic group, and every community. He places huge
:38:12. > :38:21.pressure on our national health service, our police service, about
:38:21. > :38:28.our local authorities. The costs are immense. �900 for every adult
:38:28. > :38:36.in the country. Because only tells part of the story. In human terms,
:38:36. > :38:43.we paid a heavy price. Over the last few decades, liver disease has
:38:43. > :38:53.doubled, hospital rates have quadrupled. We suffer from alcohol-
:38:53. > :38:57.
:38:57. > :39:03.related crime and disorder. In 2008, half of all Scottish prisoners
:39:03. > :39:10.admitted to being drunk when they cause their offence. -- when they
:39:10. > :39:15.caused their offence. We need to take firm action to rebalance our
:39:15. > :39:20.relationship with alcohol. I also think it is important to say it
:39:20. > :39:27.again, as they have done all along, that allow alcohol industry is it
:39:27. > :39:31.an important part of our economy. We will continue to offer support
:39:31. > :39:37.to businesses, to grow in the export markets, and we will work
:39:37. > :39:47.with them to use all of the powers available to reduce the consumption
:39:47. > :39:48.
:39:48. > :39:51.of alcohol, particularly promoting lower strength product. I am
:39:51. > :39:56.grateful to the Minister, does the Government's share the view that
:39:56. > :40:04.this is also a matter which should make us think about the structure
:40:04. > :40:14.of the alcohol industry? This is an industry we allowed to supply a
:40:14. > :40:17.
:40:17. > :40:21.recreational drugs around Scotland. We should regulate that industry.
:40:21. > :40:28.What I would say to Patrick Harvey, I think there are bigger issues to
:40:28. > :40:33.deal with. I do believe our coal industry has got a great deal to
:40:33. > :40:38.offer our country and economy. I think it is in their interests, as
:40:38. > :40:42.much as our interests, to deal with the over-consumption of alcohol.
:40:42. > :40:48.The point I'm making is that our plans for minimum pricing, and the
:40:49. > :40:58.other measures, are not mutually exclusive. All of us stand to
:40:59. > :41:04.
:41:05. > :41:12.benefit from reducing argol related harm. The other contextual. -- the
:41:12. > :41:17.other point I would like to make, if we have to. Tackle this problem
:41:17. > :41:21.effectively, we need a robust package of measures. Our proposal
:41:21. > :41:29.contains 41 separate initiatives. The government cannot do this alone.
:41:29. > :41:35.Each and every one of us has a role to play, reflecting on our own
:41:35. > :41:45.drinking, how would affect us, and our families and colleagues. -- how
:41:45. > :41:46.
:41:47. > :41:50.it affects us. The issue of culture was one that was highlighted. We
:41:50. > :41:57.are making good progress, and we must continue to make good progress
:41:57. > :42:05.in implementing this free word fraction -- this framework for
:42:05. > :42:10.action. We have looked at those amendments published by Labour. But
:42:10. > :42:13.I am open-minded to anything which can contribute to dealing with this
:42:13. > :42:19.issue. A I look forward to having discussions about some of those
:42:19. > :42:25.proposals. My fundamental point is, no strategy will be complete
:42:25. > :42:30.without addressing price. The link to price and consumption is
:42:30. > :42:34.irrefutable. When prices go down, people drink more, when they go up,
:42:34. > :42:41.people drink less. The more people drink, the greater the associated
:42:41. > :42:46.harm. We need to act decisively to stop the flow of cheaper priced
:42:46. > :42:51.drinking. It is worth noting that we are joined by a huge range of
:42:51. > :42:56.interest in this. Doctors, the police, charities, faith groups,
:42:56. > :42:59.and other political parties. As I've said before, it is not some
:42:59. > :43:05.sort of magic bullets, which will solve all of our nation's problems
:43:05. > :43:09.with alcohol. However, it is essential, if we are to make a
:43:09. > :43:14.scene of a good contribution to reducing consumption. Today's to
:43:14. > :43:19.say that we should instead be using alcohol duty to raise prices, I
:43:19. > :43:28.would say this. My argument against that is not that we just have the
:43:28. > :43:38.powers to do that, even if we did have those powers, it is not
:43:38. > :43:39.
:43:39. > :43:47.affected as affected pricing. -- it is not as effective as good pricing.
:43:47. > :43:51.You will see those prices going up. What minimum prices Dyers, it
:43:51. > :43:59.targets the cheap price alcohol that his more favoured by harmful
:43:59. > :44:03.drinkers. It is a more targeted approach. It is more proportionate.
:44:03. > :44:08.I want to turn out to the stage one report. I am pleased that the
:44:08. > :44:12.committee acknowledged that our relationship with alcohol needs to
:44:12. > :44:20.be challenged. By MPs that they endorse that the package of
:44:20. > :44:24.measures. -- I'm pleased that they endorsed the package of measures.
:44:24. > :44:27.Minimum pricing has a significant contribution to make. There were a
:44:27. > :44:34.number of things that were highlighted. I have been asked to
:44:34. > :44:40.give the consideration to a number of things. I am open-minded in
:44:40. > :44:44.anything that will improve this bill. Particularly around the
:44:44. > :44:50.evaluation programme. Let me begin by addressing the points made by
:44:50. > :44:55.the amendments, the sunset clause. We inserted that into the previous
:44:55. > :44:59.bill. He in the evidence I gave I said that I was open to persuasion
:44:59. > :45:02.on that matter. Having further consider this, I have come to the
:45:02. > :45:09.conclusion that it is right and proper for Parliament to have the
:45:09. > :45:13.opportunity to review the policy after five years. I know that and
:45:13. > :45:18.then that is bring brought in. I can confirm that the Scot is
:45:18. > :45:24.governed by the doors that amendment. -- the Scottish
:45:24. > :45:29.government would endorse that amendment. I can confirm that that
:45:29. > :45:33.price rationale will be agreed before the stage of three boats. I
:45:33. > :45:37.would hope to do that through stage to proceedings. We are currently
:45:37. > :45:43.considering all the evidence in relation to specific minimum price,
:45:43. > :45:47.be mindful of the need to ensure proportionality. In setting a price,
:45:47. > :45:51.we will be impacting on the markets, so we need to make sure that that
:45:51. > :45:58.impact is justified for the level of society benefits that we will
:45:58. > :46:02.achieve. We were all sacked at the time we clarify the price. We will
:46:02. > :46:12.say what we intend to do about future reviews of the price to
:46:12. > :46:13.
:46:13. > :46:19.ensure that he remains at a level The question of notifying the bill
:46:19. > :46:23.is also addressed. As I said, we are confident the provisions of the
:46:23. > :46:29.bill are capable of complying with EU law and the bill does not need
:46:29. > :46:39.to be notified. However, I informed the committee last week that I
:46:39. > :46:43.intend to set a minimum unit price. There is a need for effective
:46:43. > :46:49.evaluation of the impact of minimum pricing on different groups of the
:46:50. > :46:54.population, Business, unintended consequences such as illicit
:46:54. > :46:59.internet and cross-border sales. I want to confirm our existing and
:46:59. > :47:09.proposed plans for assessing the impact of minimum pricing and to
:47:09. > :47:16.
:47:16. > :47:20.ensure -- assure the chamber of comprehensive and robust stance.
:47:20. > :47:26.Any unintended or displacement effect will be considered. The
:47:26. > :47:30.impact on business is inevitably more difficult to assess, not least
:47:30. > :47:34.because of the sensitivities of sharing information that is
:47:34. > :47:38.commercially sensitive but we are happy to work with business
:47:39. > :47:43.interests and we will consider very carefully all of the areas
:47:43. > :47:49.highlighted at stage 1 to insure they are taken into account in our
:47:49. > :47:56.evaluation programme. To conclude my opening remarks, can I again
:47:56. > :48:00.thank the health and support -- health and sport committee. I
:48:00. > :48:07.deeply regret that our previous attempts to introduce minimum
:48:07. > :48:12.pricing were voted down at the last opportunity but I have always
:48:12. > :48:16.believe that it is better, wherever possible, for political parties to
:48:16. > :48:21.reach consensus on public health policies and particularly when they
:48:21. > :48:25.are as important as minimum pricing. Tackling alcohol misuse is one of
:48:25. > :48:31.the most important public health challenges facing Scotland today.
:48:31. > :48:35.The fact that we now have a broad consensus shows how serious all of
:48:35. > :48:40.us are in our bit to reduce alcohol-related harm. I hope the
:48:40. > :48:46.remaining members who I get to pledge support will reflect and
:48:46. > :48:49.decide to back minimum pricing. Presiding officer, I had great
:48:49. > :48:54.pleasure at this stage in moving that the Parliament agrees the
:48:54. > :48:59.general principle of the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) Bill for Scotland.
:48:59. > :49:03.Let us pick up on some of those issues with Lorraine Davidson. It
:49:03. > :49:09.is interesting that the Health Secretary was saying she was open
:49:09. > :49:15.minded to Labour's contribution. No strategy would be complete without
:49:15. > :49:20.a minimum prize, she said. fairness, she has always been
:49:20. > :49:25.consensual in her approach to the minimum pricing debate. Even when
:49:25. > :49:30.the SNP didn't have a majority. There was a genuine one -- desire
:49:30. > :49:36.to get the Labour politicians on board. They have a good argument in
:49:36. > :49:42.terms of the caffeine content in dings but they are almost adopting
:49:42. > :49:46.a non- position in abstaining, the Labour Party, because last time,
:49:46. > :49:50.people saw the opposition as trying to block this rather than being
:49:50. > :49:54.constructive politics. Either you get on board and say you are
:49:54. > :49:59.willing to get - might give it a try and here are our constructive
:49:59. > :50:03.amendments or you don't. If you don't, you are stuck in a position
:50:03. > :50:08.where you were stuck prior to the election which is being in
:50:08. > :50:12.opposition for the sake of it and being abstractionist. They should
:50:12. > :50:17.reflect on their position and get on board because most people in
:50:17. > :50:22.Scotland think it might not be the solution to all the problem --
:50:22. > :50:27.problems, but it needs to be tackled. There is a sense of deja
:50:27. > :50:31.vu it as Nicola Sturgeon said there was a deep regret the voters --
:50:31. > :50:35.proposal was voted down last time. I think she genuinely wants the
:50:35. > :50:43.other parties on board when it is a big public health issue like this.
:50:43. > :50:48.The bite -- battle might not just be Holyrood but in the EU because
:50:48. > :50:54.other countries have tried similar policies and they have been voted
:50:54. > :50:59.illegal by the European Union. What she now needs to ensure is that the
:50:59. > :51:03.policy would do what she claims and there will be some nervousness that
:51:03. > :51:11.the need to demonstrate it works. In doing that, the price at which
:51:11. > :51:15.this is set will be crucial because the EU will strike it down and less
:51:15. > :51:19.they see the results and Basie it has direct consequences on public
:51:19. > :51:23.health and it is not just some extra tax they are slapping on.
:51:23. > :51:25.Thanks very much. Now there are major changes to the
:51:25. > :51:29.benefits system planned by the UK government and Holyrood's Welfare
:51:29. > :51:31.Reform Committee sat for the first time yesterday to look at the
:51:31. > :51:34.proposals. The bill will make changes to Disability Living
:51:34. > :51:37.Allowance and introduce a universal credit for benefits. Those who
:51:37. > :51:40.appeared were very much against the changes and want the Scottish
:51:40. > :51:49.government to do all they can to alleviate the impact. Sarah
:51:49. > :51:54.Paterson listened in. MSPs yesterday head concerns that
:51:54. > :51:59.the reforms will increase poverty and that changes to housing benefit
:51:59. > :52:07.will cost more and how many people disabled people could be affected.
:52:07. > :52:13.If the UK government were only introducing universal credit and
:52:13. > :52:20.everyone went in that direction, that would be... But the problem is,
:52:20. > :52:30.the other bits of the package - the tax changes and where benefits will
:52:30. > :52:30.
:52:30. > :52:38.beat up dated but not against the RBI - the package as a whole will
:52:38. > :52:43.be poverty increasing. -- RPI. The figures come from some work that
:52:43. > :52:49.the IFS did for us. That leaves us in the remarkable situation where
:52:49. > :52:53.we have the UK government and devolved administrations signed up
:52:53. > :53:00.to the targets of child poverty reduction and yet we are on track
:53:00. > :53:04.to miss that target by an order of two-and-a-half times. It is a
:53:04. > :53:08.staggering reduction in expenditure which would mean that, within two
:53:08. > :53:14.years, nearly one quarter of a million people would be receiving
:53:14. > :53:20.less in real terms than they are now. What is particularly
:53:20. > :53:26.concerning from some previous evidence to the previous committee
:53:26. > :53:31.was around the lack of ability for anybody new to join the claimants
:53:31. > :53:36.list for Pip because there is no capacity in the situation -- system
:53:36. > :53:45.for that. In terms of housing benefit, there is an under
:53:45. > :53:51.occupancy charged proposed. The net impact of the shortage of supply he
:53:51. > :53:57.in terms of one-bedroom properties in Scotland and the proposed
:53:58. > :54:02.response put to Lord Freud and Iain Duncan Smith is that people should
:54:02. > :54:09.seek accommodation in the rental sector. There is a shortfall of
:54:09. > :54:12.that in parts of Inverness-shire for example. So the idea that
:54:12. > :54:17.people would easily be able to downsize by transferring it
:54:17. > :54:24.themselves from the social rented sector to the private rented sector
:54:24. > :54:28.is fanciful. Also, it would lead to an increase in housing benefit
:54:28. > :54:32.spend because rents are high in the private sector. There may be
:54:32. > :54:37.concern across the board but the bottom line is, Holyrood cannot
:54:37. > :54:42.stop these changes. The witnesses believe the Scottish government can
:54:42. > :54:49.try and mitigate some of the negative effect. We know that
:54:49. > :54:56.places like Glasgow and North Lanarkshire, Dundee, for example,
:54:56. > :55:02.Arab police three times as honourable -- art at least three
:55:02. > :55:07.times as vulnerable in terms of the value of welfare spending as a
:55:07. > :55:12.proportion of the local economic output. We know there are big
:55:12. > :55:18.variations across Scotland in likely impact and we need to have a
:55:18. > :55:28.clear sense of what that might been in terms of interacting with local
:55:28. > :55:29.
:55:29. > :55:35.authorities. They turned into debt, and financial problems that we
:55:35. > :55:40.expect that to spiral out of control in the next couple of years.
:55:40. > :55:48.That is why my first point this morning has been backed up by
:55:48. > :55:54.Richard and Michael and David. We need to learn from what has
:55:54. > :56:00.happened and try and find an advice service to mitigate an impact in
:56:00. > :56:08.drop in income for some of the most vulnerable people in Scotland.
:56:08. > :56:17.key concern at the moment is that the committee has to face an
:56:17. > :56:21.extremely tight timescale in terms of council tax benefit, for example,
:56:22. > :56:25.and so it that has to be a priority because these things need to be in
:56:25. > :56:28.place by 2013. And the SNP government are expected to bring
:56:28. > :56:31.forward their Scottish Welfare Reform Bill this month and with the
:56:31. > :56:35.timescale pretty tight it's likely this new legislation could be
:56:35. > :56:44.passed before the summer recess. Now for one last time to end the
:56:45. > :56:49.show, my guest Lorraine Davidson. By it is the Budget next week. Do
:56:49. > :56:53.you think George Osborne might bend a little in his tough talk wait
:56:53. > :56:59.when it comes to cutting the deficit and the continuing economic
:56:59. > :57:04.situation? I think he has to. There are two big issues. How do you get
:57:04. > :57:09.the recovery moving in terms of the private sector, which the Tories
:57:09. > :57:13.always said would move in and their rapturously pick up the slack when
:57:13. > :57:17.there is a contraction in the public sector but that hasn't
:57:17. > :57:23.happened. A lot of businesses are struggling to start-up or expand
:57:23. > :57:28.because they cannot get the lending from the banks, the banks that week,
:57:28. > :57:31.the tax payers, are meant to mainly owned. There is a lot of anger
:57:31. > :57:34.about finance and how the government hasn't used all its
:57:35. > :57:41.muscle to make sure the banks get the money through to businesses
:57:41. > :57:46.that are going to create extra jobs or even, frankly, to stay in
:57:46. > :57:51.business and stop them going under. In terms of the public sector, is
:57:51. > :57:55.the Government doing enough in terms of capital spending, big
:57:56. > :57:59.projects in the construction sector and jobs moving in that. The kind
:57:59. > :58:04.of noises that Scottish government have been making for the last
:58:05. > :58:10.couple of years are of the kind of things that have to be taken on
:58:10. > :58:16.board by George Osborne. Anything on fuel, do you think? I don't know
:58:16. > :58:21.because the problem with that is a big motoring lobby and people need
:58:21. > :58:26.fuel simply to get to work so he will be aware of that. He has had
:58:26. > :58:29.to climbdown over fuel in the past in rural areas. But he cannot
:58:29. > :58:32.afford to give up too much of the duty.
:58:32. > :58:36.Thank you very much for joining me this afternoon. That's all we've