Browse content similar to 15/03/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Am sure our institutionally cautious politicians will be even | :00:25. | :00:35. | |
:00:35. | :00:42. | ||
We are under way. First Minister Congratulating Perth on the city | :00:42. | :00:49. | |
Can the First Minister explain why Scottish families today are facing | :00:49. | :00:53. | |
some of the highest childcare costs in Europe, while his government | :00:53. | :01:02. | |
offers less help than Nick Clegg? In the last term of office we took | :01:02. | :01:08. | |
the availability of childcare in Scotland from the 425 hours we | :01:08. | :01:12. | |
inherited to 475 hours. I'm sure she will welcome the pledge which | :01:12. | :01:18. | |
will go into legislation, to make sure it is available to everyone in | :01:18. | :01:23. | |
Scotland. To move that to 600 hours. It will give us the best package of | :01:23. | :01:26. | |
child care and pre-school facilities of any country in these | :01:26. | :01:34. | |
I note the First Minister didn't answer the question of why we are | :01:34. | :01:39. | |
still in the place we are. Nothing new there. On Saturday, the First | :01:39. | :01:44. | |
Minister, who has never knowingly undersold his position, promised | :01:44. | :01:48. | |
the best package of free nursery education on offer anywhere in the | :01:48. | :01:55. | |
UK. Just not yet. Nothing new here. We heard this same pledge in the | :01:55. | :02:01. | |
SNP manifesto would 2007. Remember that one, filed in the section of a | :02:01. | :02:08. | |
library near you. We know what happened with that pledge. Promised | :02:08. | :02:15. | |
in 2007. Dumped by Mike Russell in 2009. The First Minister repackaged | :02:15. | :02:20. | |
it on Saturday. We need to wait until after the referendum in 2014 | :02:20. | :02:24. | |
before he delivers it. Why has he failed to deliver on his own | :02:24. | :02:29. | |
pledge? Why has he left Scottish families and Scottish children | :02:29. | :02:37. | |
down? Can I say to John Le Monde, our ability to deliver on the | :02:37. | :02:40. | |
programme was judged by the people of Scotland last year in the | :02:40. | :02:48. | |
election. Can I correct or on the costs, she said I didn't answer her | :02:48. | :02:53. | |
caress JUN director. She's wrong in terms of the costs to these islands. | :02:53. | :03:02. | |
Nursery, two years and over, the average in England is �103.19. The | :03:02. | :03:10. | |
average in Scotland is under bat. - - that. These are very substantial | :03:10. | :03:14. | |
child care costs. One of the arguments put forward persuasively | :03:14. | :03:19. | |
is that it is a function of the supply and affordability of which | :03:19. | :03:25. | |
can drive up costs in certain instances. And therefore the most - | :03:25. | :03:29. | |
- more publicly-funded childcare and pre- school that is on offer, | :03:29. | :03:33. | |
that will have two beneficial effects. It will help the families | :03:33. | :03:37. | |
who are getting that availability of childcare and nursery. Secondly, | :03:37. | :03:43. | |
it will help to drive down costs in terms of other provisions. The | :03:43. | :03:47. | |
judgment of the people of Scotland in terms of the ability of a | :03:47. | :03:52. | |
minority SNP government over four years was made in the May election. | :03:52. | :03:57. | |
The judgment of the people of Scotland on the Labour Party's | :03:57. | :04:01. | |
attitude was also made last year in May. I would hope that even if on | :04:01. | :04:07. | |
so many issues Joanne Mamon to cannot bring the Labour Party into | :04:07. | :04:11. | |
a more positive position, at least on this position she will now | :04:11. | :04:14. | |
committed to supporting the legislation which will enshrine | :04:14. | :04:19. | |
this in law, which will make available 600 hours to the families | :04:19. | :04:27. | |
across Scotland. If we were in power in 2007, we would now be in a | :04:27. | :04:35. | |
position... I can assure you, if you have worked out how important | :04:35. | :04:38. | |
public provision was, perhaps you might have acted a little earlier | :04:39. | :04:45. | |
rather than now. We worked this out a long time ago because what | :04:45. | :04:51. | |
families Need Is action now. Not a clause in a children's Bill, and | :04:51. | :04:55. | |
not a two year's delay. Families don't just need legislation in the | :04:55. | :04:59. | |
future, they needed government now which will provide the funding to | :04:59. | :05:04. | |
deliver reliable and affordable child care when people need it. | :05:04. | :05:09. | |
First Minister, he has the power now. Why does he not exercise it? | :05:09. | :05:13. | |
On Saturday, the First Minister promised a Bill. It might be news | :05:13. | :05:19. | |
to him, but working families all over Scotland already have a bill. | :05:19. | :05:24. | |
A bill for child care. It's a pretty expensive one. Families Need | :05:24. | :05:29. | |
this support now. Why do we have to wait another two years for the | :05:29. | :05:32. | |
First Minister to put a clause in a Bill, never mind actually | :05:32. | :05:40. | |
delivering what people need? If the Labour Party was so keen on this | :05:40. | :05:43. | |
issue, then why on earth didn't they implemented in the eight years | :05:43. | :05:53. | |
they were in power? Why did we inherit 425 Abbas, which we | :05:53. | :05:58. | |
increased to 475 bout was? If after eight years, when she was a | :05:58. | :06:05. | |
minister, only then... I'm not surprised no one can hear this | :06:05. | :06:09. | |
because it is inconvenient to have to remind them of the dreadful | :06:09. | :06:15. | |
record of the Labour Party in government. If after their 80 years | :06:15. | :06:20. | |
there was a conversion in 2007, which if only the Labour Party had | :06:20. | :06:24. | |
been re-elected they would have implemented, then why didn't they | :06:24. | :06:28. | |
implement it south of the border when Labour was still in | :06:28. | :06:32. | |
government? The Record of the Labour Party up to 2007 in | :06:32. | :06:36. | |
government was judged by the Scottish people harshly. The Record | :06:36. | :06:40. | |
of the Labour Party in opposition to 2011 was judged by the Scottish | :06:40. | :06:46. | |
people even more harshly. One of the key reasons for that dramatic | :06:46. | :06:50. | |
failure, when she was the Deputy Leader of the party, but the total | :06:50. | :06:55. | |
and absolute negativity. Can they please bring themselves at this | :06:55. | :07:00. | |
stage to welcome an announcement to take the child care provision to | :07:00. | :07:06. | |
600 hours, to benefit every single family across every area of | :07:06. | :07:15. | |
If that's the First Minister being... God help the when he | :07:15. | :07:20. | |
decides to start turning on me. Never mind as a minister. As a | :07:20. | :07:23. | |
mother for eight years, I've got the benefit of what Labour did on | :07:23. | :07:29. | |
child care. In Glasgow now all, with a Labour council, we've got | :07:29. | :07:39. | |
:07:39. | :07:46. | ||
STUDIO: Local government elections coming up. Order. What we have here | :07:46. | :07:50. | |
is another episode of the tomorrow government. In two years time, | :07:50. | :07:54. | |
maybe. Working families are struggling now and the First | :07:54. | :07:59. | |
Minister simply doesn't get it. Fewer children in nursery, after- | :07:59. | :08:04. | |
school clubs closing down and the child care on offer simply not | :08:04. | :08:09. | |
meeting their needs. The First Minister said on Saturday, in | :08:09. | :08:13. | |
devolved Scotland we can demand. In an independent Scotland we can | :08:13. | :08:23. | |
:08:23. | :08:33. | ||
That was for the children at the back there. He is so protective | :08:33. | :08:37. | |
Dunn so predictable. What he really meant is that he won't deliver | :08:37. | :08:42. | |
until he gets his way in a referendum. Talk about an abuse of | :08:42. | :08:48. | |
power. Because the reality is, for the First Minister this issue is | :08:48. | :08:53. | |
not about child care. It is about what really gets him excited, and | :08:53. | :08:58. | |
that is the constitution. In this devolved Scotland, Family's can't | :08:58. | :09:03. | |
wait, Won't Wait and we insist that he delivers for Scottish families | :09:03. | :09:08. | |
now. Will the First Minister take this issue seriously, take the | :09:08. | :09:11. | |
people of this country seriously and act now to help Scottish | :09:11. | :09:21. | |
:09:21. | :09:23. | ||
families? First Minister. After that, I think perhaps she should | :09:23. | :09:27. | |
stay on script in the future of. I don't think that Glasgow council is | :09:27. | :09:32. | |
her strongest suit at the present moment. You are losing councillors | :09:32. | :09:39. | |
in Glasgow even quicker than you lost votes in the Scottish election. | :09:39. | :09:45. | |
If what we inherited from Labour was so wonderful, then why did the | :09:45. | :09:50. | |
last minority SNP government, as part of the concordat of local | :09:50. | :09:54. | |
government, have to increase the provision from 425 hours, which we | :09:54. | :10:02. | |
inherited, to 475 hours? In terms of looking forward, I was | :10:02. | :10:09. | |
complemented about the 18 mentions of myself and her speech at the | :10:09. | :10:12. | |
Labour Party conference two weeks ago. I think it's rather better to | :10:12. | :10:19. | |
lay out policies, as we did at our conference, on the 2500 young | :10:19. | :10:23. | |
people given a life opportunity, the �10 million additional | :10:23. | :10:27. | |
Commonwealth Games legacy found that every SNP council in Scotland | :10:27. | :10:34. | |
will introduce the living wage, as the SNP government has done. And to | :10:34. | :10:38. | |
put into legislation, to give that guaranteed to families across | :10:38. | :10:47. | |
Scotland of 600 hours of child care and Prix nursery education. | :10:47. | :10:52. | |
Question number two. Do ask the First Minister when he will next | :10:52. | :10:56. | |
meet the Secretary of State for Scotland? No plans for the near | :10:56. | :10:59. | |
future. Earlier this week, the Scottish medicines consortium | :10:59. | :11:04. | |
decided not to approve a drug to men in Scotland suffering from | :11:05. | :11:09. | |
advanced prostate cancer. A drug which has been used so successfully | :11:09. | :11:13. | |
to extend the life of Mr al-Megrahi, when the Scottish Government sent | :11:13. | :11:17. | |
him home to die. In a battle against the cancer which caused so | :11:17. | :11:23. | |
many are -- costs so many hundreds of Scottish men their lives every | :11:23. | :11:28. | |
year, there have been few advances. This drug is one. Will the Minister | :11:28. | :11:31. | |
act to give cancer sufferers greater access to important new | :11:31. | :11:38. | |
drugs? It is a hugely serious and important issue. Everybody in this | :11:38. | :11:46. | |
chamber recognises, as new drugs come onto the market place, it is | :11:46. | :11:49. | |
totally understandable that people who are afflicted with serious | :11:49. | :11:56. | |
conditions have a tremendous desire to see every new drug available. In | :11:56. | :12:01. | |
all seriousness, the SMC process, which has been in Scotland now for | :12:01. | :12:05. | |
10 years, is hugely and substantially admired because of | :12:05. | :12:09. | |
its independence and its thoroughness. Over that 10 years | :12:09. | :12:13. | |
there hasn't been a single case of any government overruling an | :12:14. | :12:18. | |
essence -- and SMC judgment. There is a very substantial and good | :12:18. | :12:23. | |
reason for that. What happens now is that the drug company concerned | :12:23. | :12:30. | |
has indicated it is going to go back and resubmit. The SNC has the | :12:30. | :12:33. | |
extraordinary and difficult task of judging the efficacy of the | :12:33. | :12:37. | |
treatment against the budgetary constraints, which inevitably apply | :12:37. | :12:44. | |
in any health service. If the position of the SMC or NICE when | :12:44. | :12:47. | |
England was to accept every submission that came forward, it | :12:48. | :12:53. | |
would be impossible to sustain the Budget. They have to do it in | :12:53. | :12:57. | |
criteria. I do think Ruth Davidson should pay considerable attention | :12:57. | :13:02. | |
to what and number of the cancer charities have been saying about | :13:02. | :13:05. | |
the obligations on drugs companies with new drugs coming forward, to | :13:05. | :13:10. | |
try and make them available to the National Health Service at a cost | :13:10. | :13:16. | |
which can be afforded. The First Minister misrepresents what I was | :13:16. | :13:21. | |
asking. I wasn't asking him to overrule the S M C, which is | :13:21. | :13:26. | |
independent and thorough. There is an obvious solution. A Scottish | :13:26. | :13:30. | |
cancer drugs fund. My predecessor, Annabel Goldie, raised it 14 months | :13:30. | :13:34. | |
ago with the First Minister of. Conservative then met with him and | :13:34. | :13:38. | |
his then Health Secretary. We have since brought it to the chamber for | :13:38. | :13:42. | |
debate as lately as September. In other parts of the UK we have seen | :13:43. | :13:48. | |
the huge impact that this can make on sufferers and their families. To | :13:48. | :13:52. | |
date, 12,000 people have had their lives extended through the cancer | :13:52. | :13:58. | |
drugs fund. What possible excuse does the First Minister have to | :13:58. | :14:02. | |
refuse the same opportunity to cancer sufferers in Scotland? The | :14:02. | :14:08. | |
government is about choices. The First Minister chose to find �50 | :14:08. | :14:10. | |
million to give free prescriptions to people like himself who can | :14:10. | :14:16. | |
afford to pay for them. But he is choosing not to find a more modest | :14:16. | :14:20. | |
sum to extend and approve the lives of Scots with fatal conditions. | :14:20. | :14:25. | |
Will the First Minister now make a different choice? Were he now, 14 | :14:25. | :14:28. | |
months down the line and after countless premature deaths, | :14:28. | :14:38. | |
:14:38. | :14:39. | ||
reconsider, intervene and support a Ruth Davidson says that she did not | :14:39. | :14:45. | |
suggest that ministers should overrule the SMC. Our health | :14:45. | :14:52. | |
spokesman did. He should not have done that. That is a process that | :14:52. | :14:57. | |
depends on its independence for its effectiveness. It is not the case | :14:57. | :15:02. | |
that medicines, even those not approved by the SMC, cannot be made | :15:02. | :15:06. | |
available to patients in Scotland. They have the prices of individual | :15:06. | :15:11. | |
patient treatment requests. 126 medicines were requested through | :15:11. | :15:17. | |
that process within NHS Scotland of medicines which are not approved by | :15:17. | :15:24. | |
SNC as yet. 87 of these requests were approved. 39 were not approved. | :15:24. | :15:28. | |
Ruth Davidson presents to this Chamber the question that the | :15:28. | :15:32. | |
cancer drugs found initiative taking place in England is one | :15:32. | :15:38. | |
which is substantially supported. Can I remind her that the cancer | :15:38. | :15:45. | |
charity is issued a briefing paper for the Scottish parliamentary | :15:45. | :15:48. | |
debate about whether or not Scotland should have cancer drugs | :15:49. | :15:53. | |
found. And said, the cancer drugs than does not address the root | :15:53. | :16:01. | |
causes of why patients may be denied access to treatment. Her own | :16:01. | :16:05. | |
Tory MP colleague, quoted from 26th December last year, the Cancer | :16:05. | :16:09. | |
Drugs Fund was set up to stop this kind of Lottery in my area. It is | :16:10. | :16:15. | |
not fit for purpose and it is not working for the benefit of patients. | :16:16. | :16:20. | |
So this gym but did consider the question of the Cancer Drugs Fund | :16:20. | :16:24. | |
and paid attention to the many submissions that we received | :16:24. | :16:28. | |
suggesting that that was not the best way forward. Can I suggest | :16:28. | :16:34. | |
that the process we have in Scotland works effectively. 60% of | :16:34. | :16:38. | |
the drugs which are very submitted on a more reasonable cost basis | :16:38. | :16:43. | |
after initially being turned down by eight the S N C R then approved. | :16:43. | :16:48. | |
I hope and believe that now that Ruth Davidson has said we should | :16:48. | :16:53. | |
not interfere with that process will understand the necessity of | :16:53. | :16:59. | |
that process. And now that she is aware, as I am sure she is, that | :17:00. | :17:07. | |
the non approval of a drug that does not mean that there is still | :17:07. | :17:10. | |
the prices of individual treatment requests wherein individual | :17:10. | :17:14. | |
clinician can on the precise circumstances of the patient and | :17:14. | :17:22. | |
argue on Fowler could full value. - - therapeutic value. I do believe | :17:22. | :17:26. | |
that this Chamber, in terms of our responsibility to the people of | :17:26. | :17:30. | |
Scotland, particularly those suffering from diseases, should be | :17:30. | :17:33. | |
able to see the substance and efforts that of being made to | :17:33. | :17:40. | |
enable to give people the best possible treatment. | :17:40. | :17:44. | |
Given the highly critical report by the Accounts Commission into the | :17:44. | :17:48. | |
Highlands and Islands rescue service which highlighted 35 sub- | :17:49. | :17:53. | |
standard fire stations, lack of investment in vehicles and IT, and | :17:53. | :17:59. | |
most damaging of an -- ball, the lack of training, equipment and | :17:59. | :18:03. | |
health and safety resilience for firefighters. Can I just the first | :18:03. | :18:06. | |
minster few ensure that a thorough review was not undertaken to find | :18:06. | :18:11. | |
out how things went so badly wrong at this service and to help prevent | :18:11. | :18:21. | |
this ever happening again. I think it is right and proper to give time | :18:21. | :18:25. | |
for us to consider a response. By see that the meeting on Monday the | :18:25. | :18:30. | |
19th is to consider possible terms of reference for an inquiry. I am | :18:30. | :18:33. | |
pleased to see the most significant support from our other seven Fire | :18:33. | :18:37. | |
and rescue services, including the secondment of a number of staff | :18:37. | :18:41. | |
being made available to assist the board in addressing the challenges | :18:41. | :18:46. | |
it faces. A single fire surface will have access to these wider | :18:46. | :18:51. | |
management resources to deploy where they are most needed as a | :18:51. | :18:56. | |
matter of course. Can I ask the First Minister, given | :18:56. | :19:00. | |
the allegations in the recent biography and the price of the | :19:00. | :19:04. | |
Crown action throughout the prosecution appeal process, if it | :19:04. | :19:09. | |
is possible through the inquiries Act to instruct an independent | :19:09. | :19:13. | |
examination for these examinations begin for the Crown and whether | :19:13. | :19:21. | |
this might fall within the remit. The programme it -- the appropriate | :19:21. | :19:26. | |
body is not the court of law. It is absolutely imperative that the | :19:26. | :19:29. | |
commission are given the powers they need to release the full set | :19:29. | :19:33. | |
statement of reasons in this case. I have to say that although, | :19:33. | :19:38. | |
obviously, I welcome this closure, because we are trying to get the | :19:38. | :19:43. | |
disclosure of the full report. I think that is imperative. By two | :19:43. | :19:47. | |
not think that partial disclosure, particularly when it is down on a | :19:47. | :19:51. | |
select bases, is assisting this debate, except for this. I cannot | :19:51. | :19:57. | |
see any possible reason for having obstacles in the way of the full | :19:57. | :20:02. | |
disclosure and publication of the complete report and I hope the | :20:02. | :20:07. | |
Chamber can unite as far as possible to make sure that this | :20:07. | :20:12. | |
happens. The First Minister may be aware | :20:12. | :20:16. | |
from an article in today's Evening Times about the completely | :20:16. | :20:22. | |
unacceptable treat ment of a 73 here stroke victim who was forced | :20:22. | :20:27. | |
to try herself with pillowcases. I know of the health board have | :20:27. | :20:30. | |
apologised to the lady and her family. She has spoken out because | :20:30. | :20:36. | |
she does not want others to suffer the same experience. Can I ask what | :20:36. | :20:40. | |
action the First Minister will take to ensure this does not happen | :20:40. | :20:45. | |
again. I will discuss the matter with the | :20:45. | :20:49. | |
Health Secretary and write to the member. Can I say that the | :20:49. | :20:54. | |
individual case and people speaking out of a very important part of the | :20:54. | :20:57. | |
process of constant improvement in our health service. These cases | :20:57. | :21:01. | |
have to be dealt with and to the boards understand that on the | :21:01. | :21:05. | |
processes are in place to make sure that happens. That should not | :21:05. | :21:08. | |
deflect anybody in this Chamber from the recognition that our | :21:08. | :21:11. | |
health service and our health service workers are held in the | :21:11. | :21:16. | |
highest regard and indeed, higher regard than ever before in terms of | :21:16. | :21:23. | |
public levels of satisfaction. What issues will be discussed at | :21:23. | :21:27. | |
the next meeting of the Cabinet? Issues of importance to the people | :21:27. | :21:34. | |
of Scotland. Last week, I want the First Minister that is unhealthy | :21:34. | :21:38. | |
relationship with Rupert Murdoch. This week, the First Minister's old | :21:38. | :21:45. | |
friend, Donald Trump, turned into a 41. Can I press him on another rich | :21:45. | :21:48. | |
and powerful friend and his influence on Government policy? The | :21:48. | :21:51. | |
first Munster will know that I agree with him on equal marriage | :21:51. | :21:56. | |
for gay people. I want to remove the barriers that prevent the | :21:56. | :21:59. | |
churches and other organisations from conducting same-sex marriages | :22:00. | :22:08. | |
if they choose to. But a donor to SNP has well and it is about | :22:08. | :22:12. | |
equality for gay people. Can the First Minister confirmed me that he | :22:12. | :22:17. | |
will not give in to him and he will stand up for what is right for | :22:17. | :22:27. | |
:22:27. | :22:28. | ||
equal marriage? I understand that the Liberal Democrats the farce in | :22:28. | :22:32. | |
politics as it used to be was to seek consensus and agreement and | :22:32. | :22:36. | |
find areas where parties could unite together. Two things have | :22:36. | :22:41. | |
happened. Even when the Liberal Democrat leader says he is seeking | :22:41. | :22:47. | |
consensus, he manages to deploy in such a way as to try and make that | :22:47. | :22:51. | |
consensus impossible. And secondly, people in Scotland did not realise | :22:51. | :22:55. | |
that when the Liberals said they were seeking consensus before the | :22:55. | :22:59. | |
last UK general election that the consensus in the City was the | :22:59. | :23:08. | |
continuation of Westminster Tory rule in Scotland. Observers will | :23:08. | :23:16. | |
note to the First Minister did not answer my question. It is simple. | :23:16. | :23:21. | |
Can he guarantee you that he will not give in to what Brian Souter? | :23:21. | :23:26. | |
Equal marriage will be a mark of a modern Scotland. Last Sunday saw a | :23:26. | :23:31. | |
big push by some judges to block the change. The cardinal said it | :23:31. | :23:36. | |
was grotesque. An archbishop said there was a duty to stop it. The | :23:36. | :23:41. | |
group, Scotland for marriage, went to the absurd extreme of saying it | :23:41. | :23:46. | |
opened the door for polygamy. These are serious forces against us. I do | :23:46. | :23:50. | |
not want the argument to slip away from us. Can I ask the First | :23:50. | :23:54. | |
Minister again, with the stand up to Brian Souter and will he take | :23:54. | :24:02. | |
the lead for a -- for equality in Scotland? I do not think in terms | :24:02. | :24:05. | |
of raising the issue to the level of debate that we hope and expect | :24:05. | :24:10. | |
in Scotland. I do agree with will he Rennie incidently, I think that | :24:10. | :24:17. | |
is something we should aspire to, but that requires all standards of | :24:17. | :24:21. | |
the debate to live up to that. I made my views on this matter | :24:21. | :24:25. | |
cleared during the election. They have not changed. The point is a | :24:25. | :24:30. | |
very important one. We are in the process of consultation. That | :24:30. | :24:33. | |
consultation has commenced. There has been a massive number of | :24:33. | :24:36. | |
responses. It would be right and proper that that consultation | :24:36. | :24:41. | |
process, the consideration of the evidence that is presented, is | :24:41. | :24:46. | |
allowed to take its course. If I can just say, if this Chamber, and | :24:46. | :24:49. | |
if the parties in it would get to an issue like equal status in | :24:49. | :24:56. | |
marriage, which is an issue of a strong, moral matter and a strong | :24:56. | :25:00. | |
matter of individual conscience, on these issues above all, it it was | :25:01. | :25:04. | |
politicians while lecturing to the rest of society about the care they | :25:04. | :25:07. | |
must take in terms of the language, but having a debate on an issue of | :25:07. | :25:11. | |
principle that is worthy of the name of the parliament and indeed | :25:11. | :25:14. | |
of the country, but the politicians themselves should try to rise to | :25:14. | :25:22. | |
the challenge that they set to the people. Will the Scottish | :25:22. | :25:26. | |
Government provide further information on its plans to improve | :25:27. | :25:30. | |
childcare for pre-school children? Making a transformational change in | :25:30. | :25:35. | |
childcare support for families, we are committed to making that shift. | :25:35. | :25:39. | |
As the Member knows and as we have discussed already in this exchange, | :25:40. | :25:45. | |
the last part of next year's Children's Bill will legislate from | :25:45. | :25:49. | |
expansion from 400 Zante five and was to a minimum of 600 hours per | :25:49. | :25:54. | |
year of funding ailing learning and childcare for all three and four | :25:54. | :26:02. | |
euros and two year-olds who are looked after in Scotland. There | :26:02. | :26:06. | |
will be a clear statement of faith in commission -- and commitment to | :26:06. | :26:13. | |
the future. The early years task force will help us ensure the | :26:13. | :26:16. | |
delivery of this is flexible to meet the needs of all of Scotland's | :26:16. | :26:24. | |
families. There is far too much chatter. Could you please | :26:24. | :26:26. | |
concentrate and that has hear what the member and the First Minister | :26:26. | :26:33. | |
has to say. Can I find the First Minister for his response and | :26:33. | :26:37. | |
welcome the Government's's commitment to extend childcare. | :26:37. | :26:41. | |
Does the First Minister shared the concerns of Save the children that | :26:41. | :26:45. | |
the introduction of universal care will make childcare costs more | :26:45. | :26:55. | |
:26:55. | :26:58. | ||
difficult for many families? Is it not time for this Parliament to | :26:58. | :27:06. | |
have control over tax and benefits for Scottish families? I think the | :27:06. | :27:11. | |
Chamber should be aware that the research from the Institute of | :27:11. | :27:15. | |
Fiscal Studies says that the changes to the welfare system as a | :27:15. | :27:18. | |
whole will increase the number of children in absolute poverty across | :27:18. | :27:24. | |
the United Kingdom by 500,000 by 2015. Is that not an argument for | :27:24. | :27:29. | |
why a win his powers over tax and benefits for the children of | :27:29. | :27:35. | |
Scotland to protect them from poverty? It seems to me that the a | :27:35. | :27:38. | |
disgruntled benches of the Labour Party have a very clear choice | :27:38. | :27:42. | |
before them. Keeper backing Tory control over the benefits that will | :27:42. | :27:47. | |
worsen child poverty or join with us and bring powers to Scotland so | :27:47. | :27:56. | |
we can look after all of Scotland's children. Anand was the First | :27:56. | :27:58. | |
Minister when the Scottish Government will announce its | :27:58. | :28:04. | |
position on same-sex marriage. hugely important issues. We have | :28:04. | :28:09. | |
received over 50,000 responses. The biggest response receive to any | :28:09. | :28:13. | |
consultation. The responses are being collected and analysed. We | :28:13. | :28:18. | |
expect to complete that prices over the coming months. Any Scottish | :28:18. | :28:22. | |
Government proposals for equal marriage have the support of many | :28:22. | :28:26. | |
members across the Chamber for have signed the equal marriage cloud. | :28:26. | :28:28. | |
Come the First Minister confirm that the Government will not | :28:28. | :28:33. | |
publish its response to last year's consultation until after local | :28:33. | :28:36. | |
Government elections? Is a run a good reason why equal marriage | :28:36. | :28:43. | |
cannot be achieved before the referendum of 2014? What can be | :28:43. | :28:48. | |
published in terms of Government is heavily restricted, as indeed it | :28:48. | :28:52. | |
should be. We are going through the consultation responses. We will | :28:52. | :28:57. | |
make progress on that basis. I hope and believe that all members, | :28:57. | :29:02. | |
regardless of the viewers, across this issue, will recognise the | :29:02. | :29:06. | |
absolute critical importance on the subject, perhaps above all others. | :29:06. | :29:11. | |
People on all sides of the bait, can genuinely say that the process, | :29:12. | :29:16. | |
first of consultation and then of analysis and publication is genuine | :29:16. | :29:20. | |
and a proper process. That is exactly the type of prices we | :29:20. | :29:27. | |
intend to follow. We are coming to the close of our coverage with the | :29:27. | :29:32. | |
issue being gay marriage right at the close field --. Earlier, a | :29:33. | :29:36. | |
substantial discussion on the subject of child care and the drugs | :29:36. | :29:40. | |
policy, which was very substantive indeed. Going into the | :29:40. | :29:43. | |
philosophical basis of the provision of drugs treatment in | :29:43. | :29:51. |