:00:25. > :00:35.Am sure our institutionally cautious politicians will be even
:00:35. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:49.We are under way. First Minister Congratulating Perth on the city
:00:49. > :00:53.Can the First Minister explain why Scottish families today are facing
:00:53. > :01:02.some of the highest childcare costs in Europe, while his government
:01:02. > :01:08.offers less help than Nick Clegg? In the last term of office we took
:01:08. > :01:12.the availability of childcare in Scotland from the 425 hours we
:01:12. > :01:18.inherited to 475 hours. I'm sure she will welcome the pledge which
:01:18. > :01:23.will go into legislation, to make sure it is available to everyone in
:01:23. > :01:26.Scotland. To move that to 600 hours. It will give us the best package of
:01:26. > :01:34.child care and pre-school facilities of any country in these
:01:34. > :01:39.I note the First Minister didn't answer the question of why we are
:01:39. > :01:44.still in the place we are. Nothing new there. On Saturday, the First
:01:44. > :01:48.Minister, who has never knowingly undersold his position, promised
:01:48. > :01:55.the best package of free nursery education on offer anywhere in the
:01:55. > :02:01.UK. Just not yet. Nothing new here. We heard this same pledge in the
:02:01. > :02:08.SNP manifesto would 2007. Remember that one, filed in the section of a
:02:08. > :02:15.library near you. We know what happened with that pledge. Promised
:02:15. > :02:20.in 2007. Dumped by Mike Russell in 2009. The First Minister repackaged
:02:20. > :02:24.it on Saturday. We need to wait until after the referendum in 2014
:02:24. > :02:29.before he delivers it. Why has he failed to deliver on his own
:02:29. > :02:37.pledge? Why has he left Scottish families and Scottish children
:02:37. > :02:40.down? Can I say to John Le Monde, our ability to deliver on the
:02:40. > :02:48.programme was judged by the people of Scotland last year in the
:02:48. > :02:53.election. Can I correct or on the costs, she said I didn't answer her
:02:53. > :03:02.caress JUN director. She's wrong in terms of the costs to these islands.
:03:02. > :03:10.Nursery, two years and over, the average in England is �103.19. The
:03:10. > :03:14.average in Scotland is under bat. - - that. These are very substantial
:03:14. > :03:19.child care costs. One of the arguments put forward persuasively
:03:19. > :03:25.is that it is a function of the supply and affordability of which
:03:25. > :03:29.can drive up costs in certain instances. And therefore the most -
:03:29. > :03:33.- more publicly-funded childcare and pre- school that is on offer,
:03:33. > :03:37.that will have two beneficial effects. It will help the families
:03:37. > :03:43.who are getting that availability of childcare and nursery. Secondly,
:03:43. > :03:47.it will help to drive down costs in terms of other provisions. The
:03:47. > :03:52.judgment of the people of Scotland in terms of the ability of a
:03:52. > :03:57.minority SNP government over four years was made in the May election.
:03:57. > :04:01.The judgment of the people of Scotland on the Labour Party's
:04:01. > :04:07.attitude was also made last year in May. I would hope that even if on
:04:07. > :04:11.so many issues Joanne Mamon to cannot bring the Labour Party into
:04:11. > :04:14.a more positive position, at least on this position she will now
:04:14. > :04:19.committed to supporting the legislation which will enshrine
:04:19. > :04:27.this in law, which will make available 600 hours to the families
:04:27. > :04:35.across Scotland. If we were in power in 2007, we would now be in a
:04:35. > :04:38.position... I can assure you, if you have worked out how important
:04:39. > :04:45.public provision was, perhaps you might have acted a little earlier
:04:45. > :04:51.rather than now. We worked this out a long time ago because what
:04:51. > :04:55.families Need Is action now. Not a clause in a children's Bill, and
:04:55. > :04:59.not a two year's delay. Families don't just need legislation in the
:04:59. > :05:04.future, they needed government now which will provide the funding to
:05:04. > :05:09.deliver reliable and affordable child care when people need it.
:05:09. > :05:13.First Minister, he has the power now. Why does he not exercise it?
:05:13. > :05:19.On Saturday, the First Minister promised a Bill. It might be news
:05:19. > :05:24.to him, but working families all over Scotland already have a bill.
:05:24. > :05:29.A bill for child care. It's a pretty expensive one. Families Need
:05:29. > :05:32.this support now. Why do we have to wait another two years for the
:05:32. > :05:40.First Minister to put a clause in a Bill, never mind actually
:05:40. > :05:43.delivering what people need? If the Labour Party was so keen on this
:05:43. > :05:53.issue, then why on earth didn't they implemented in the eight years
:05:53. > :05:58.they were in power? Why did we inherit 425 Abbas, which we
:05:58. > :06:05.increased to 475 bout was? If after eight years, when she was a
:06:05. > :06:09.minister, only then... I'm not surprised no one can hear this
:06:09. > :06:15.because it is inconvenient to have to remind them of the dreadful
:06:15. > :06:20.record of the Labour Party in government. If after their 80 years
:06:20. > :06:24.there was a conversion in 2007, which if only the Labour Party had
:06:24. > :06:28.been re-elected they would have implemented, then why didn't they
:06:28. > :06:32.implement it south of the border when Labour was still in
:06:32. > :06:36.government? The Record of the Labour Party up to 2007 in
:06:36. > :06:40.government was judged by the Scottish people harshly. The Record
:06:40. > :06:46.of the Labour Party in opposition to 2011 was judged by the Scottish
:06:46. > :06:50.people even more harshly. One of the key reasons for that dramatic
:06:50. > :06:55.failure, when she was the Deputy Leader of the party, but the total
:06:55. > :07:00.and absolute negativity. Can they please bring themselves at this
:07:00. > :07:06.stage to welcome an announcement to take the child care provision to
:07:06. > :07:15.600 hours, to benefit every single family across every area of
:07:15. > :07:20.If that's the First Minister being... God help the when he
:07:20. > :07:23.decides to start turning on me. Never mind as a minister. As a
:07:23. > :07:29.mother for eight years, I've got the benefit of what Labour did on
:07:29. > :07:39.child care. In Glasgow now all, with a Labour council, we've got
:07:39. > :07:46.
:07:46. > :07:50.STUDIO: Local government elections coming up. Order. What we have here
:07:50. > :07:54.is another episode of the tomorrow government. In two years time,
:07:54. > :07:59.maybe. Working families are struggling now and the First
:07:59. > :08:04.Minister simply doesn't get it. Fewer children in nursery, after-
:08:04. > :08:09.school clubs closing down and the child care on offer simply not
:08:09. > :08:13.meeting their needs. The First Minister said on Saturday, in
:08:13. > :08:23.devolved Scotland we can demand. In an independent Scotland we can
:08:23. > :08:33.
:08:33. > :08:37.That was for the children at the back there. He is so protective
:08:37. > :08:42.Dunn so predictable. What he really meant is that he won't deliver
:08:42. > :08:48.until he gets his way in a referendum. Talk about an abuse of
:08:48. > :08:53.power. Because the reality is, for the First Minister this issue is
:08:53. > :08:58.not about child care. It is about what really gets him excited, and
:08:58. > :09:03.that is the constitution. In this devolved Scotland, Family's can't
:09:03. > :09:08.wait, Won't Wait and we insist that he delivers for Scottish families
:09:08. > :09:11.now. Will the First Minister take this issue seriously, take the
:09:11. > :09:21.people of this country seriously and act now to help Scottish
:09:21. > :09:23.
:09:23. > :09:27.families? First Minister. After that, I think perhaps she should
:09:27. > :09:32.stay on script in the future of. I don't think that Glasgow council is
:09:32. > :09:39.her strongest suit at the present moment. You are losing councillors
:09:39. > :09:45.in Glasgow even quicker than you lost votes in the Scottish election.
:09:45. > :09:50.If what we inherited from Labour was so wonderful, then why did the
:09:50. > :09:54.last minority SNP government, as part of the concordat of local
:09:54. > :10:02.government, have to increase the provision from 425 hours, which we
:10:02. > :10:09.inherited, to 475 hours? In terms of looking forward, I was
:10:09. > :10:12.complemented about the 18 mentions of myself and her speech at the
:10:12. > :10:19.Labour Party conference two weeks ago. I think it's rather better to
:10:19. > :10:23.lay out policies, as we did at our conference, on the 2500 young
:10:23. > :10:27.people given a life opportunity, the �10 million additional
:10:27. > :10:34.Commonwealth Games legacy found that every SNP council in Scotland
:10:34. > :10:38.will introduce the living wage, as the SNP government has done. And to
:10:38. > :10:47.put into legislation, to give that guaranteed to families across
:10:47. > :10:52.Scotland of 600 hours of child care and Prix nursery education.
:10:52. > :10:56.Question number two. Do ask the First Minister when he will next
:10:56. > :10:59.meet the Secretary of State for Scotland? No plans for the near
:10:59. > :11:04.future. Earlier this week, the Scottish medicines consortium
:11:05. > :11:09.decided not to approve a drug to men in Scotland suffering from
:11:09. > :11:13.advanced prostate cancer. A drug which has been used so successfully
:11:13. > :11:17.to extend the life of Mr al-Megrahi, when the Scottish Government sent
:11:17. > :11:23.him home to die. In a battle against the cancer which caused so
:11:23. > :11:28.many are -- costs so many hundreds of Scottish men their lives every
:11:28. > :11:31.year, there have been few advances. This drug is one. Will the Minister
:11:31. > :11:38.act to give cancer sufferers greater access to important new
:11:38. > :11:46.drugs? It is a hugely serious and important issue. Everybody in this
:11:46. > :11:49.chamber recognises, as new drugs come onto the market place, it is
:11:49. > :11:56.totally understandable that people who are afflicted with serious
:11:56. > :12:01.conditions have a tremendous desire to see every new drug available. In
:12:01. > :12:05.all seriousness, the SMC process, which has been in Scotland now for
:12:05. > :12:09.10 years, is hugely and substantially admired because of
:12:09. > :12:13.its independence and its thoroughness. Over that 10 years
:12:14. > :12:18.there hasn't been a single case of any government overruling an
:12:18. > :12:23.essence -- and SMC judgment. There is a very substantial and good
:12:23. > :12:30.reason for that. What happens now is that the drug company concerned
:12:30. > :12:33.has indicated it is going to go back and resubmit. The SNC has the
:12:33. > :12:37.extraordinary and difficult task of judging the efficacy of the
:12:37. > :12:44.treatment against the budgetary constraints, which inevitably apply
:12:44. > :12:47.in any health service. If the position of the SMC or NICE when
:12:48. > :12:53.England was to accept every submission that came forward, it
:12:53. > :12:57.would be impossible to sustain the Budget. They have to do it in
:12:57. > :13:02.criteria. I do think Ruth Davidson should pay considerable attention
:13:02. > :13:05.to what and number of the cancer charities have been saying about
:13:05. > :13:10.the obligations on drugs companies with new drugs coming forward, to
:13:10. > :13:16.try and make them available to the National Health Service at a cost
:13:16. > :13:21.which can be afforded. The First Minister misrepresents what I was
:13:21. > :13:26.asking. I wasn't asking him to overrule the S M C, which is
:13:26. > :13:30.independent and thorough. There is an obvious solution. A Scottish
:13:30. > :13:34.cancer drugs fund. My predecessor, Annabel Goldie, raised it 14 months
:13:34. > :13:38.ago with the First Minister of. Conservative then met with him and
:13:38. > :13:42.his then Health Secretary. We have since brought it to the chamber for
:13:43. > :13:48.debate as lately as September. In other parts of the UK we have seen
:13:48. > :13:52.the huge impact that this can make on sufferers and their families. To
:13:52. > :13:58.date, 12,000 people have had their lives extended through the cancer
:13:58. > :14:02.drugs fund. What possible excuse does the First Minister have to
:14:02. > :14:08.refuse the same opportunity to cancer sufferers in Scotland? The
:14:08. > :14:10.government is about choices. The First Minister chose to find �50
:14:10. > :14:16.million to give free prescriptions to people like himself who can
:14:16. > :14:20.afford to pay for them. But he is choosing not to find a more modest
:14:20. > :14:25.sum to extend and approve the lives of Scots with fatal conditions.
:14:25. > :14:28.Will the First Minister now make a different choice? Were he now, 14
:14:28. > :14:38.months down the line and after countless premature deaths,
:14:38. > :14:39.
:14:39. > :14:45.reconsider, intervene and support a Ruth Davidson says that she did not
:14:45. > :14:52.suggest that ministers should overrule the SMC. Our health
:14:52. > :14:57.spokesman did. He should not have done that. That is a process that
:14:57. > :15:02.depends on its independence for its effectiveness. It is not the case
:15:02. > :15:06.that medicines, even those not approved by the SMC, cannot be made
:15:06. > :15:11.available to patients in Scotland. They have the prices of individual
:15:11. > :15:17.patient treatment requests. 126 medicines were requested through
:15:17. > :15:24.that process within NHS Scotland of medicines which are not approved by
:15:24. > :15:28.SNC as yet. 87 of these requests were approved. 39 were not approved.
:15:28. > :15:32.Ruth Davidson presents to this Chamber the question that the
:15:32. > :15:38.cancer drugs found initiative taking place in England is one
:15:38. > :15:45.which is substantially supported. Can I remind her that the cancer
:15:45. > :15:48.charity is issued a briefing paper for the Scottish parliamentary
:15:49. > :15:53.debate about whether or not Scotland should have cancer drugs
:15:53. > :16:01.found. And said, the cancer drugs than does not address the root
:16:01. > :16:05.causes of why patients may be denied access to treatment. Her own
:16:05. > :16:09.Tory MP colleague, quoted from 26th December last year, the Cancer
:16:10. > :16:15.Drugs Fund was set up to stop this kind of Lottery in my area. It is
:16:16. > :16:20.not fit for purpose and it is not working for the benefit of patients.
:16:20. > :16:24.So this gym but did consider the question of the Cancer Drugs Fund
:16:24. > :16:28.and paid attention to the many submissions that we received
:16:28. > :16:34.suggesting that that was not the best way forward. Can I suggest
:16:34. > :16:38.that the process we have in Scotland works effectively. 60% of
:16:38. > :16:43.the drugs which are very submitted on a more reasonable cost basis
:16:43. > :16:48.after initially being turned down by eight the S N C R then approved.
:16:48. > :16:53.I hope and believe that now that Ruth Davidson has said we should
:16:53. > :16:59.not interfere with that process will understand the necessity of
:17:00. > :17:07.that process. And now that she is aware, as I am sure she is, that
:17:07. > :17:10.the non approval of a drug that does not mean that there is still
:17:10. > :17:14.the prices of individual treatment requests wherein individual
:17:14. > :17:22.clinician can on the precise circumstances of the patient and
:17:22. > :17:26.argue on Fowler could full value. - - therapeutic value. I do believe
:17:26. > :17:30.that this Chamber, in terms of our responsibility to the people of
:17:30. > :17:33.Scotland, particularly those suffering from diseases, should be
:17:33. > :17:40.able to see the substance and efforts that of being made to
:17:40. > :17:44.enable to give people the best possible treatment.
:17:44. > :17:48.Given the highly critical report by the Accounts Commission into the
:17:49. > :17:53.Highlands and Islands rescue service which highlighted 35 sub-
:17:53. > :17:59.standard fire stations, lack of investment in vehicles and IT, and
:17:59. > :18:03.most damaging of an -- ball, the lack of training, equipment and
:18:03. > :18:06.health and safety resilience for firefighters. Can I just the first
:18:06. > :18:11.minster few ensure that a thorough review was not undertaken to find
:18:11. > :18:21.out how things went so badly wrong at this service and to help prevent
:18:21. > :18:25.this ever happening again. I think it is right and proper to give time
:18:25. > :18:30.for us to consider a response. By see that the meeting on Monday the
:18:30. > :18:33.19th is to consider possible terms of reference for an inquiry. I am
:18:33. > :18:37.pleased to see the most significant support from our other seven Fire
:18:37. > :18:41.and rescue services, including the secondment of a number of staff
:18:41. > :18:46.being made available to assist the board in addressing the challenges
:18:46. > :18:51.it faces. A single fire surface will have access to these wider
:18:51. > :18:56.management resources to deploy where they are most needed as a
:18:56. > :19:00.matter of course. Can I ask the First Minister, given
:19:00. > :19:04.the allegations in the recent biography and the price of the
:19:04. > :19:09.Crown action throughout the prosecution appeal process, if it
:19:09. > :19:13.is possible through the inquiries Act to instruct an independent
:19:13. > :19:21.examination for these examinations begin for the Crown and whether
:19:21. > :19:26.this might fall within the remit. The programme it -- the appropriate
:19:26. > :19:29.body is not the court of law. It is absolutely imperative that the
:19:29. > :19:33.commission are given the powers they need to release the full set
:19:33. > :19:38.statement of reasons in this case. I have to say that although,
:19:38. > :19:43.obviously, I welcome this closure, because we are trying to get the
:19:43. > :19:47.disclosure of the full report. I think that is imperative. By two
:19:47. > :19:51.not think that partial disclosure, particularly when it is down on a
:19:51. > :19:57.select bases, is assisting this debate, except for this. I cannot
:19:57. > :20:02.see any possible reason for having obstacles in the way of the full
:20:02. > :20:07.disclosure and publication of the complete report and I hope the
:20:07. > :20:12.Chamber can unite as far as possible to make sure that this
:20:12. > :20:16.happens. The First Minister may be aware
:20:16. > :20:22.from an article in today's Evening Times about the completely
:20:22. > :20:27.unacceptable treat ment of a 73 here stroke victim who was forced
:20:27. > :20:30.to try herself with pillowcases. I know of the health board have
:20:30. > :20:36.apologised to the lady and her family. She has spoken out because
:20:36. > :20:40.she does not want others to suffer the same experience. Can I ask what
:20:40. > :20:45.action the First Minister will take to ensure this does not happen
:20:45. > :20:49.again. I will discuss the matter with the
:20:49. > :20:54.Health Secretary and write to the member. Can I say that the
:20:54. > :20:57.individual case and people speaking out of a very important part of the
:20:57. > :21:01.process of constant improvement in our health service. These cases
:21:01. > :21:05.have to be dealt with and to the boards understand that on the
:21:05. > :21:08.processes are in place to make sure that happens. That should not
:21:08. > :21:11.deflect anybody in this Chamber from the recognition that our
:21:11. > :21:16.health service and our health service workers are held in the
:21:16. > :21:23.highest regard and indeed, higher regard than ever before in terms of
:21:23. > :21:27.public levels of satisfaction. What issues will be discussed at
:21:27. > :21:34.the next meeting of the Cabinet? Issues of importance to the people
:21:34. > :21:38.of Scotland. Last week, I want the First Minister that is unhealthy
:21:38. > :21:45.relationship with Rupert Murdoch. This week, the First Minister's old
:21:45. > :21:48.friend, Donald Trump, turned into a 41. Can I press him on another rich
:21:48. > :21:51.and powerful friend and his influence on Government policy? The
:21:51. > :21:56.first Munster will know that I agree with him on equal marriage
:21:56. > :21:59.for gay people. I want to remove the barriers that prevent the
:22:00. > :22:08.churches and other organisations from conducting same-sex marriages
:22:08. > :22:12.if they choose to. But a donor to SNP has well and it is about
:22:12. > :22:17.equality for gay people. Can the First Minister confirmed me that he
:22:17. > :22:27.will not give in to him and he will stand up for what is right for
:22:27. > :22:28.
:22:28. > :22:32.equal marriage? I understand that the Liberal Democrats the farce in
:22:32. > :22:36.politics as it used to be was to seek consensus and agreement and
:22:36. > :22:41.find areas where parties could unite together. Two things have
:22:41. > :22:47.happened. Even when the Liberal Democrat leader says he is seeking
:22:47. > :22:51.consensus, he manages to deploy in such a way as to try and make that
:22:51. > :22:55.consensus impossible. And secondly, people in Scotland did not realise
:22:55. > :22:59.that when the Liberals said they were seeking consensus before the
:22:59. > :23:08.last UK general election that the consensus in the City was the
:23:08. > :23:16.continuation of Westminster Tory rule in Scotland. Observers will
:23:16. > :23:21.note to the First Minister did not answer my question. It is simple.
:23:21. > :23:26.Can he guarantee you that he will not give in to what Brian Souter?
:23:26. > :23:31.Equal marriage will be a mark of a modern Scotland. Last Sunday saw a
:23:31. > :23:36.big push by some judges to block the change. The cardinal said it
:23:36. > :23:41.was grotesque. An archbishop said there was a duty to stop it. The
:23:41. > :23:46.group, Scotland for marriage, went to the absurd extreme of saying it
:23:46. > :23:50.opened the door for polygamy. These are serious forces against us. I do
:23:50. > :23:54.not want the argument to slip away from us. Can I ask the First
:23:54. > :24:02.Minister again, with the stand up to Brian Souter and will he take
:24:02. > :24:05.the lead for a -- for equality in Scotland? I do not think in terms
:24:05. > :24:10.of raising the issue to the level of debate that we hope and expect
:24:10. > :24:17.in Scotland. I do agree with will he Rennie incidently, I think that
:24:17. > :24:21.is something we should aspire to, but that requires all standards of
:24:21. > :24:25.the debate to live up to that. I made my views on this matter
:24:25. > :24:30.cleared during the election. They have not changed. The point is a
:24:30. > :24:33.very important one. We are in the process of consultation. That
:24:33. > :24:36.consultation has commenced. There has been a massive number of
:24:36. > :24:41.responses. It would be right and proper that that consultation
:24:41. > :24:46.process, the consideration of the evidence that is presented, is
:24:46. > :24:49.allowed to take its course. If I can just say, if this Chamber, and
:24:49. > :24:56.if the parties in it would get to an issue like equal status in
:24:56. > :25:00.marriage, which is an issue of a strong, moral matter and a strong
:25:01. > :25:04.matter of individual conscience, on these issues above all, it it was
:25:04. > :25:07.politicians while lecturing to the rest of society about the care they
:25:07. > :25:11.must take in terms of the language, but having a debate on an issue of
:25:11. > :25:14.principle that is worthy of the name of the parliament and indeed
:25:14. > :25:22.of the country, but the politicians themselves should try to rise to
:25:22. > :25:26.the challenge that they set to the people. Will the Scottish
:25:27. > :25:30.Government provide further information on its plans to improve
:25:30. > :25:35.childcare for pre-school children? Making a transformational change in
:25:35. > :25:39.childcare support for families, we are committed to making that shift.
:25:40. > :25:45.As the Member knows and as we have discussed already in this exchange,
:25:45. > :25:49.the last part of next year's Children's Bill will legislate from
:25:49. > :25:54.expansion from 400 Zante five and was to a minimum of 600 hours per
:25:54. > :26:02.year of funding ailing learning and childcare for all three and four
:26:02. > :26:06.euros and two year-olds who are looked after in Scotland. There
:26:06. > :26:13.will be a clear statement of faith in commission -- and commitment to
:26:13. > :26:16.the future. The early years task force will help us ensure the
:26:16. > :26:24.delivery of this is flexible to meet the needs of all of Scotland's
:26:24. > :26:26.families. There is far too much chatter. Could you please
:26:26. > :26:33.concentrate and that has hear what the member and the First Minister
:26:33. > :26:37.has to say. Can I find the First Minister for his response and
:26:37. > :26:41.welcome the Government's's commitment to extend childcare.
:26:41. > :26:45.Does the First Minister shared the concerns of Save the children that
:26:45. > :26:55.the introduction of universal care will make childcare costs more
:26:55. > :26:58.
:26:58. > :27:06.difficult for many families? Is it not time for this Parliament to
:27:06. > :27:11.have control over tax and benefits for Scottish families? I think the
:27:11. > :27:15.Chamber should be aware that the research from the Institute of
:27:15. > :27:18.Fiscal Studies says that the changes to the welfare system as a
:27:18. > :27:24.whole will increase the number of children in absolute poverty across
:27:24. > :27:29.the United Kingdom by 500,000 by 2015. Is that not an argument for
:27:29. > :27:35.why a win his powers over tax and benefits for the children of
:27:35. > :27:38.Scotland to protect them from poverty? It seems to me that the a
:27:38. > :27:42.disgruntled benches of the Labour Party have a very clear choice
:27:42. > :27:47.before them. Keeper backing Tory control over the benefits that will
:27:47. > :27:56.worsen child poverty or join with us and bring powers to Scotland so
:27:56. > :27:58.we can look after all of Scotland's children. Anand was the First
:27:58. > :28:04.Minister when the Scottish Government will announce its
:28:04. > :28:09.position on same-sex marriage. hugely important issues. We have
:28:09. > :28:13.received over 50,000 responses. The biggest response receive to any
:28:13. > :28:18.consultation. The responses are being collected and analysed. We
:28:18. > :28:22.expect to complete that prices over the coming months. Any Scottish
:28:22. > :28:26.Government proposals for equal marriage have the support of many
:28:26. > :28:28.members across the Chamber for have signed the equal marriage cloud.
:28:28. > :28:33.Come the First Minister confirm that the Government will not
:28:33. > :28:36.publish its response to last year's consultation until after local
:28:36. > :28:43.Government elections? Is a run a good reason why equal marriage
:28:43. > :28:48.cannot be achieved before the referendum of 2014? What can be
:28:48. > :28:52.published in terms of Government is heavily restricted, as indeed it
:28:52. > :28:57.should be. We are going through the consultation responses. We will
:28:57. > :29:02.make progress on that basis. I hope and believe that all members,
:29:02. > :29:06.regardless of the viewers, across this issue, will recognise the
:29:06. > :29:11.absolute critical importance on the subject, perhaps above all others.
:29:12. > :29:16.People on all sides of the bait, can genuinely say that the process,
:29:16. > :29:20.first of consultation and then of analysis and publication is genuine
:29:20. > :29:27.and a proper process. That is exactly the type of prices we
:29:27. > :29:32.intend to follow. We are coming to the close of our coverage with the
:29:33. > :29:36.issue being gay marriage right at the close field --. Earlier, a
:29:36. > :29:40.substantial discussion on the subject of child care and the drugs
:29:40. > :29:43.policy, which was very substantive indeed. Going into the
:29:43. > :29:51.philosophical basis of the provision of drugs treatment in