:00:20. > :00:27.As very warm welcome to the Scottish Parliament. Could it be Brexit?
:00:28. > :00:32.There are talks going on in London right now and that could come as
:00:33. > :00:41.questions to the First Minister, but it could be health or economy, let's
:00:42. > :00:50.find out by crossing to the chamber. That is Keith Brown on his feet
:00:51. > :00:53.asking a question about the report into the Scottish economy. Also
:00:54. > :00:57.general questions this morning on city deals and calls for feminine
:00:58. > :01:02.hygiene products to be made free to those who use them. We will have
:01:03. > :01:06.First Minister's Questions shortly before we move on to a debate on
:01:07. > :01:11.domestic abuse, which will be debated throughout this afternoon.
:01:12. > :01:16.We have a number of issues likely to come up at First Minister's
:01:17. > :01:22.Questions today. Is it going to be health? Or will be returned to the
:01:23. > :01:29.question that was dominating discussions at the Parliaments
:01:30. > :01:40.yesterday, and matters the Yuki leaving the EU. Members may wish to
:01:41. > :01:56.bulk on a speaker from the National Republic of Kenya. I would also like
:01:57. > :02:05.to welcome the deputy speaker from the National assembly of South
:02:06. > :02:10.Africa. We moved to First Minister's Questions. Question number one, Ruth
:02:11. > :02:15.Davidson. To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for
:02:16. > :02:20.the rest of the day. To take forward the government's programme for
:02:21. > :02:25.Scotland. Doctors leaders have warned this week that the NHS will
:02:26. > :02:30.expedience pockets of meltdown this winter. Can I ask that she feels her
:02:31. > :02:34.government is doing enough to maintain staffing levels. Staffing
:02:35. > :02:38.levels in our hospitals have increased dramatically under this
:02:39. > :02:41.government. There are more than 11,000 additional staff working in
:02:42. > :02:47.the NHS now than it was the case when this government took office.
:02:48. > :02:50.The government plans intensively for the winter period. We make sure our
:02:51. > :02:54.health boards and well resourced and supported as they plan to deal with
:02:55. > :03:00.the additional demand that faces the health service during the winter
:03:01. > :03:04.months. I would say that as we prepare for those winter months, it
:03:05. > :03:09.is encouraging to note that as of now, our accident and emergency
:03:10. > :03:14.units are the best performing anywhere in the United Kingdom. Ruth
:03:15. > :03:18.Davidson. I would like to thank the First Minister for that reply, but
:03:19. > :03:22.she will know that the system is in trouble. If you take the situation
:03:23. > :03:26.with temporary staff, we were told this summer that hospitals were
:03:27. > :03:30.having to torn to blow comes more and more to cover shifts, so we
:03:31. > :03:37.asked every health board in Scotland to see how much this was costing.
:03:38. > :03:43.This figure is ?248 million. That is a quarter of ?8 billion spent last
:03:44. > :03:49.year alone on locum doctors and nurses. That figure is up by ?41
:03:50. > :03:53.million in just one year. At its because our hospitals don't have the
:03:54. > :03:59.staff needed to cover their waters. Does the First Minister think this
:04:00. > :04:03.is in any way satisfactory? Health boards will make use of agency staff
:04:04. > :04:08.were that is required to deliver high-quality care for patients. We
:04:09. > :04:14.are clear with help boards that they should minimise the use of agency
:04:15. > :04:20.staff and we have worked to increase the use of bank NHS staff. What we
:04:21. > :04:25.are focused on is to make sure we have record levels of full-time
:04:26. > :04:30.permanent staff. As I mentioned in my last answer, the increase we have
:04:31. > :04:36.seen in full-time staff since the SNP has been in government, up by
:04:37. > :04:41.more than 11,000 full-time equivalents in that period. That is
:04:42. > :04:44.one of the reasons why, notwithstanding the rising demand,
:04:45. > :04:51.we see waiting times today that are much shorter than they were when we
:04:52. > :04:54.took office. And we have seen our accident and emergency departments
:04:55. > :04:57.perform better than any part of the UK and that has been the case
:04:58. > :05:02.consistently for a considerable PD 's of time. There will always be
:05:03. > :05:06.challenges in the NHS, I would be first to concede that point, but it
:05:07. > :05:09.is because of the resources we are putting into the health service and
:05:10. > :05:13.what we give to health boards and because of the extra numbers of
:05:14. > :05:19.staff but we are seeing patient satisfaction at record levels. The
:05:20. > :05:24.First Minister would admit it, but this is in part due to the failure
:05:25. > :05:34.by this SNP government to manage the NHS properly. Four years ago, as
:05:35. > :05:40.Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon cut training places for nurses and
:05:41. > :05:44.midwives. At the time, she called it a sensible way forward. The nurses
:05:45. > :05:48.warned that the cut in numbers risked their not being enough
:05:49. > :05:51.professionally qualified nurses graduating to meet the demand for
:05:52. > :05:56.health service in the future and this cut would be bad for patient
:05:57. > :06:02.care. The nurses were bright, and she was wrong. So let me ask, will
:06:03. > :06:08.the First Minister accept personal responsibility for the problem is
:06:09. > :06:14.how decisions created? The number of qualified nurses and midwives
:06:15. > :06:20.working in our NHS today is up by more than 5% since this government
:06:21. > :06:23.took office. Yes, I am happy to accept personal responsibility for
:06:24. > :06:28.that increase in the number of nurses working in our National
:06:29. > :06:33.Health Service. And just for completeness, we are seeing the
:06:34. > :06:41.number of doctors up 25%, the number of emergency medicine consultants up
:06:42. > :06:46.184%. Geriatric medicine consultants up by 30%, paediatric consultants up
:06:47. > :06:51.by 84%, so there are more people working in our NHS today. Ruth
:06:52. > :06:57.Davidson mentioned agency nurses. When we took office there were 728
:06:58. > :07:06.full-time agency nurses working in the NHS, and last year that was down
:07:07. > :07:10.to 276, a reduction of 61.9%. Yes, there are challenges in our National
:07:11. > :07:16.Health Service. That is because of the increasing demand coming from an
:07:17. > :07:20.ageing population. That is why we have pledged record funding for our
:07:21. > :07:25.health service. In the recent Scottish election, it was the SNP
:07:26. > :07:29.that pledged the biggest increase in health funding of any party
:07:30. > :07:35.standing. We will increase it more than the rate of inflation, but we
:07:36. > :07:39.will also transform health service. We are investing in primary care and
:07:40. > :07:44.social care and community care and expanding elective treatment can
:07:45. > :07:48.Pacitti as well. We will continue to deliver good results in a health
:07:49. > :07:54.service and continue to see good patient satisfaction as well. Now it
:07:55. > :07:59.is all the health boards' fault that they have to spend a quarter of ?1
:08:00. > :08:03.billion on locum 's because they cannot get regular staff. It's
:08:04. > :08:07.always someone else's fault with this First Minister. Here is the
:08:08. > :08:11.charge sheet this week. This week alone we have had a removal of beers
:08:12. > :08:16.secretary apologising again for the mess they have made of farm
:08:17. > :08:22.payments. We've had an Education Secretary desperate to salvage Named
:08:23. > :08:26.Persons but would even speak to the people who criticise it. Now we see
:08:27. > :08:32.an NHS which has become so stretched that they are shelling out a quarter
:08:33. > :08:36.of ?1 billion a year on costly locum cover. The First Minister is on the
:08:37. > :08:41.slide, because instead of rolling up our sleeves, she's tearing up her
:08:42. > :08:45.promise not to hold a second referendum. When will she finally
:08:46. > :08:53.get a grip of this feeling governments? Of course, the reason
:08:54. > :08:58.Ruth Davidson wants to talk about independence is as a smoke screen
:08:59. > :09:03.for the almighty mess her party has created over the European union. But
:09:04. > :09:07.let me go back to the National Health Service. I see that Ruth
:09:08. > :09:10.Davidson was quite keen to get off the subject of the National health
:09:11. > :09:16.service after my last answer. I'm not sure what it is about 61.9%
:09:17. > :09:20.reduction in the use of agency nurses and others government that
:09:21. > :09:25.Ruth Davidson didn't quite grasp in my last answer. I'm not sure what it
:09:26. > :09:32.was about an increase in staff in the NHS, a 5% increase in qualified
:09:33. > :09:36.nurses and midwives, it is those kind of investments delivering the
:09:37. > :09:40.results we have seen for patients in health service that is resulting in
:09:41. > :09:45.record patient satisfaction. I recognise there is more work to do,
:09:46. > :09:49.but I think patients would probably prefer this government to continue
:09:50. > :09:53.to build on this success of health service than have the Tory
:09:54. > :09:54.government in London, who have managed to force junior doctors out
:09:55. > :10:09.on strike. To ask the First Minister when she
:10:10. > :10:20.will next meet the Scottish Association for Mental Health. We
:10:21. > :10:30.met with them yesterday. Today is Where It Pink day. The First
:10:31. > :10:34.Minister and I will put on big wigs and glasses to highlight the tall
:10:35. > :10:38.that cancer dates and families. Today's daily record highlights the
:10:39. > :10:46.impact of cancer treatment under this government. This mother of two
:10:47. > :10:50.was Anna Smith many years service. She has secondary breast cancer and
:10:51. > :10:54.is seedy seal. She wrote at the First Minister pleading for help
:10:55. > :11:01.because she has had to raise ?90,000 were strangers to pay for her cancer
:11:02. > :11:09.treatment. In 2016, a woman with breast cancer has took road fund her
:11:10. > :11:13.own cancer care. That cannot be right. She finishes her
:11:14. > :11:17.heartbreaking letter by saying, I don't know where to turn next. I'm
:11:18. > :11:21.turning to the First Minister now. What specific steps will the First
:11:22. > :11:28.Minister take to help and get the treatment she needs? I thank Kezia
:11:29. > :11:34.Dugdale for raising this issue. My heart goes out to this lady, I have
:11:35. > :11:38.received her letter. The drug in question is not generally approved
:11:39. > :11:42.for use in the NHS, but is also the geese in England. We had asked the
:11:43. > :11:46.company that manufactures the drug to bring forward a new application
:11:47. > :11:52.out of the price so that it can hopefully be approved. In the
:11:53. > :11:58.meantime, patients can seek to access drugs not approved through an
:11:59. > :12:04.individual requests. I understand that her request was refused.
:12:05. > :12:11.However, I can advise the chamber that this morning, following further
:12:12. > :12:14.discussions, NHS Grampian has agreed to fund the drug for this patient
:12:15. > :12:25.and she has been informed about this morning. I hope we can now all wish
:12:26. > :12:30.you well in the future. There is no doubt that is wonderful news and it
:12:31. > :12:34.will come as great comfort to an, her family and her wider friendship
:12:35. > :12:42.network. But it shouldn't have taken the front page of the Daily Record
:12:43. > :12:47.for that to have happened. If I can get there the First Minister back to
:12:48. > :12:51.the letter, she says, I am not the only patient who has had to battle
:12:52. > :12:55.this and fear and illogical system. She says, for me and them, I would
:12:56. > :13:00.like to meet the First Minister to find a way to fix this mess. Labour
:13:01. > :13:04.recently set out five clear of the proposals for reforming the system,
:13:05. > :13:09.for access to medicines and submitted it to the government's on
:13:10. > :13:13.review. This called for greater transparency on decision-making and
:13:14. > :13:19.the ability to to negotiate on price and be entered to the postcode
:13:20. > :13:24.lottery. Will the First Minister today commit to looking at Labour's
:13:25. > :13:29.proposals and respond to them in detail? I would assume Kezia Dugdale
:13:30. > :13:36.Knowsley view being undertaken by Doctor Brian Montgomery is under way
:13:37. > :13:39.and hasn't reported yet, and the proposals will be considered by
:13:40. > :13:44.Doctor Montgomery as part of that review. I think there is a baby CDs
:13:45. > :13:48.issue here and I am disappointed that Kezia Dugdale is choosing to
:13:49. > :13:58.politicise what is an extremely difficult issue. We have systems in
:13:59. > :14:02.place to make these decisions, these very, very difficult decisions as
:14:03. > :14:08.fair and as transparent as possible. In the last few years, we have seen
:14:09. > :14:12.significant improvements to these systems, so for example, the changes
:14:13. > :14:16.we have already introduced have seen a tenfold increase in the numbers of
:14:17. > :14:21.medicines being accessed through that individual patient treatment
:14:22. > :14:25.request system and Doctor Brian Montgomery's review will bring
:14:26. > :14:28.forward proposals to improve that system even further, but I hope
:14:29. > :14:33.everyone would agree it is vital we have these systems in place, because
:14:34. > :14:37.that is how we deliver fairness to patients in an age when new drugs
:14:38. > :14:41.are coming on the market all the time, and it's also how we deliver
:14:42. > :14:46.fairness for taxpayers. If we don't have a robust systems in place,
:14:47. > :14:48.effectively, we give drug companies are licensed to charge whatever they
:14:49. > :15:15.want for the drugs they bring to make these decisions,
:15:16. > :15:27.having receipt of all the information.
:15:28. > :15:36.The only person that the Hayes this issue was right there. --
:15:37. > :15:42.politicised this issue was right there. The truth of the matter is
:15:43. > :15:47.that temp three have to find the courage and the strength to tell her
:15:48. > :15:50.story on the bum page of a national newspaper for your government to
:15:51. > :15:55.hack. Think of all the other people around the country who are waiting
:15:56. > :15:59.for that help. We know that she is not alone. The system has to be
:16:00. > :16:03.reformed so that in the future cancer patients don't have to hold
:16:04. > :16:07.bake sales to find the money that they need for the cancer treatment
:16:08. > :16:10.that they need. Can I ask the First Minister again, when the government
:16:11. > :16:17.review is published and Gheorghe Hagi with the chamber that cases
:16:18. > :16:23.like hers will never happen again? No, I cannot and will not give an
:16:24. > :16:26.assurance that no patient ever again will have to find that they cannot
:16:27. > :16:30.access a drug that they think in Olsson Sarah did they should,
:16:31. > :16:34.because in any system that has to assess drugs there will inevitably
:16:35. > :16:39.be hard decisions that are difficult for all of us were drugs are not
:16:40. > :16:44.accessible for a particular patient. I also want to say this is not a
:16:45. > :16:47.case of me and my government intervening. This is a case of the
:16:48. > :16:55.system operating together a patient the drug that I agree she should be
:16:56. > :16:59.accessing. This is about making sure that we have robust systems in
:17:00. > :17:04.place. It would be entirely wrong and I hope no politician across this
:17:05. > :17:09.chamber is seriously arguing that we should have a system based on
:17:10. > :17:13.whether or not politicians decide to intervene in individual cases. What
:17:14. > :17:18.we have to do is get the system in place that is robust and takes these
:17:19. > :17:21.decisions fairly. We have made improvements and vastly increased
:17:22. > :17:25.the access to medicine because of the improvements we have made and we
:17:26. > :17:28.have a review under way that will report and that the recommendations
:17:29. > :17:38.in that report for further improvements we will not hesitate to
:17:39. > :17:46.make them. APPLAUSE. I have a constituency question. Two has to
:17:47. > :17:48.First Minister in the Scottish Government condones Police
:17:49. > :17:52.Scotland's decision to push ahead with plans to close a to police
:17:53. > :17:59.stations in Dumfries Galloway, and more importantly, whether she can
:18:00. > :18:02.give any guarantees that she will intervene to save those stations and
:18:03. > :18:09.protect rural PlayStation spread across Scotland? This is a
:18:10. > :18:12.consultation that will take place and is ongoing. Police Scotland
:18:13. > :18:16.would be happy to meet with the member to discuss his local
:18:17. > :18:21.concerns. That is the right and proper way to go about it. Question
:18:22. > :18:25.number three, 30 two. What will be discussed at the next meeting of the
:18:26. > :18:33.Cabinet? Matters of importance to the people of Scotland. When I
:18:34. > :18:36.questioned... When questioned the First Minister about problem simply
:18:37. > :18:40.Scotland control rooms before, she said where it for any reason if
:18:41. > :18:47.service falls short we will take action rectify that. Why hasn't she
:18:48. > :18:52.done that? We will take action to rectify any failure is when they are
:18:53. > :18:58.brought to our attention. He has made statements in this parliament
:18:59. > :19:07.reflecting on the changes we are making and lessons we are learning.
:19:08. > :19:12.That will continue to be the approach we take. If Willie Rennie
:19:13. > :19:17.wants to bring things up to me he can do that. I am surprised that you
:19:18. > :19:24.doesn't know about this. Today we saw figures that 78,000 calls to the
:19:25. > :19:31.police or dropped. But his calls to the national police number. That is
:19:32. > :19:34.an appalling finger. The Police Federation said that it was
:19:35. > :19:39.unacceptable and there are significant challenges in many parts
:19:40. > :19:45.of the service. Sickness rates are high, morale is low. The IT system
:19:46. > :19:51.has been abandoned. We have just heard about police stations being
:19:52. > :19:56.shot in Dumfries Galloway. Now we discover that 78,000 calls to the
:19:57. > :20:00.police were dropped. Will the First Minister not look again at the
:20:01. > :20:06.damage that she is doing to the people and to the services that we
:20:07. > :20:10.all rely on? I am sure Willie Rennie not that he has told me what
:20:11. > :20:15.particular issue is that it wants to raise will also note that Police
:20:16. > :20:21.Scotland said it was entirely misleading and inaccurate to suggest
:20:22. > :20:25.that 77,000 calls are unanswered by Police Scotland. He will be aware
:20:26. > :20:34.that please call handlers respond over 2.5 million calls every year
:20:35. > :20:40.and Police Scotland report that the average wait time for a 101 call is
:20:41. > :20:44.12 seconds. We will always work with the police to improve service levels
:20:45. > :20:49.to make sure that the quality of service to the public is high and
:20:50. > :20:56.improving. I would remain Willie Rennie that this is the government
:20:57. > :21:00.that has adopted a thousand -- has protected a thousand extra police
:21:01. > :21:08.officers on the street and it is part of the reason why crime is at a
:21:09. > :21:15.41 year low across this country. Supplementary question. Yesterday,
:21:16. > :21:19.the Scottish Government announced it was not accepting info the
:21:20. > :21:22.recommendations from the local government Boundary Commission for
:21:23. > :21:28.Scotland for next year's council elections. The recent why we have
:21:29. > :21:32.Boundary Commission says that they are independent of political
:21:33. > :21:35.parties, civil injecting the recommendations in five council
:21:36. > :21:43.areas, whatever your view of those boundaries, leaves a nasty stench in
:21:44. > :21:47.the air. This unprecedented decision was taken by Joe Fitzpatrick, whose
:21:48. > :21:52.own constituency is in a council area which he has decided not to
:21:53. > :21:56.alter. Can the First Minister explained the decision and what can
:21:57. > :21:57.she say to convince Parliament that Mr Fitzpatrick should not earned the
:21:58. > :22:19.nickname gerrymandering Joe. I am not sure if the member is aware
:22:20. > :22:22.what the Tory government is doing in Westminster around boundaries at
:22:23. > :22:30.this present time. He should have perhaps checked it out before asking
:22:31. > :22:33.his question. We have listened carefully to the concerns of local
:22:34. > :22:38.communities before taking these decisions. The decisions delivered
:22:39. > :22:41.the commitment we made to protect local communities by taking forward
:22:42. > :22:47.changes only where communities have been adequately respected. The
:22:48. > :22:50.decisions not to implement some of the changes have cross-party
:22:51. > :22:56.support, including from every member of Dundee City Council. Opposition
:22:57. > :23:02.spokespeople who are to quick to attack a decision seem unaware that
:23:03. > :23:10.their own party lobbied locally for the change not to go ahead. So, not
:23:11. > :23:13.only is the member unaware what is Westminster colleagues are doing he
:23:14. > :23:21.seems blissfully unaware of what his colleagues locally are doing and
:23:22. > :23:27.saying as well. Supplementary from Claire Adamson. The First Minister
:23:28. > :23:32.may remember that in the period this year I raised with her at the impact
:23:33. > :23:38.of the UK Government's plan production. Housing benefit for
:23:39. > :23:45.vulnerable people who are supported in women's aid refuge accommodation.
:23:46. > :23:49.Can I ask of the First Minister, like me, welcomes the news this
:23:50. > :23:54.morning that the UK Government is abandoning these proposals? Yes, I
:23:55. > :23:58.am extremely relieved at this U-turn from the UK Government. I think it
:23:59. > :24:02.is ridiculous that there has been so much worry and distress because the
:24:03. > :24:06.people well the UK Government has dithered over making this decision
:24:07. > :24:10.and I would take this opportunity to commend the work of Scottish women's
:24:11. > :24:15.eight and others who have campaigned on this. The decision offers welcome
:24:16. > :24:21.assurance that funding will be contained the current levels and the
:24:22. > :24:29.refuges are no longer at risk of closure. We should welcome that but
:24:30. > :24:33.also not enjoy the fact that this was ever an issue in the first
:24:34. > :24:44.place. Last week I held the GP summoned from local GPs in Edinburgh
:24:45. > :24:48.South and... It seems that many practices will no longer be taking
:24:49. > :24:54.in new patients. Other First Minister arranged to meet with me,
:24:55. > :25:00.local GPs and NHS Lothian to take steps to avert this deepening
:25:01. > :25:05.crisis? I would be happy to as the Health Secretary to meet with the
:25:06. > :25:10.member. We are investing to increase primary care capacity. We have
:25:11. > :25:15.increased the numbers of posts for GP trainees that are being
:25:16. > :25:19.advertised. Ready at this stage in this recruitment round we are ahead
:25:20. > :25:22.of where we were at last year at the end of the recruitment round. There
:25:23. > :25:29.is a range of investments being made to improve recruitment and retention
:25:30. > :25:34.of GPs and we need to make sure it that we are helping GPs deal with
:25:35. > :25:38.the workload. For example, pharmacists in GP practices and new
:25:39. > :25:41.paramedic. There is a strong programme of work being taken
:25:42. > :25:45.forward to work with GPs. Will have a new contract in place from next
:25:46. > :25:47.year to deal with the demands on our GPs, who do such a wonderful job for
:25:48. > :25:59.all of us. A supplementary. Jasper First
:26:00. > :26:05.Minister for her reaction to the announcement by the UK Home Office
:26:06. > :26:10.that they plan to close the immigration removal Centre next year
:26:11. > :26:13.and whether she along with many other concerned people in the
:26:14. > :26:20.country will renew calls for the UK Government for more humane treatment
:26:21. > :26:27.of asylum seekers based in Scotland. I welcome the announcement that
:26:28. > :26:30.Dungiven is to close. I am many members across the chamber have
:26:31. > :26:36.campaigned for the closure of that for many years, so that is a
:26:37. > :26:40.positive development. I have concerns about the alternative is to
:26:41. > :26:45.get that the UK Government announced last week and we want to engage with
:26:46. > :26:49.the UK Government to save we can satisfy our concerns on that. But
:26:50. > :26:56.all of us want to see is a system that replaces it that is more at
:26:57. > :27:00.union, not one but is less humane. The UK Government should think less
:27:01. > :27:04.about building walls to keep vulnerable people out and more about
:27:05. > :27:07.how we collectively support the most vulnerable people in our world and
:27:08. > :27:16.give them the support that they so badly need. APPLAUSE. Question
:27:17. > :27:19.number four, Angus MacDonald. Two has to First Minister hide the
:27:20. > :27:25.Scottish Government will seek to make landownership transparent. We
:27:26. > :27:29.are committed to improving the transparency of landownership. Work
:27:30. > :27:35.to complete the land register is underway, with all public land being
:27:36. > :27:38.registered by 2019 and all land by 2024. The consultation on proposals
:27:39. > :27:42.for a register controlling interest in those who own the land was
:27:43. > :27:47.published on the 11th of September and will help inform the regulation
:27:48. > :27:51.to bring forward next year. They will help people to know and
:27:52. > :27:59.understand more about decision making and land in Scotland. Does
:28:00. > :28:03.she agree that it is a highly technical and complex area and that
:28:04. > :28:07.improving transparency of ownership is no easy task question of the
:28:08. > :28:11.purple individuals who would like to see us feel despite the clearly
:28:12. > :28:14.stated will this Parliament. In light of that does the First
:28:15. > :28:17.Minister also welcome that the relevant sections of our land reform
:28:18. > :28:24.act received cross-party support on this chamber? I do agree that this
:28:25. > :28:27.is a highly complex issue and the consultation that I mentioned a
:28:28. > :28:32.moment ago will inform the detailed work that we need to do to develop
:28:33. > :28:37.robust and workable proposals. Yes, despite Tory opposition to the land
:28:38. > :28:42.reform act, we are at stage three of the bill and it was supported by all
:28:43. > :28:45.parties in the chamber. This is an area where I think there is
:28:46. > :28:50.considerable consensus across the chamber and "Can you as we take the
:28:51. > :28:53.next steps in shipping regulations that will help further improve the
:28:54. > :29:07.transparency of landownership in Scotland. I've preferred members to
:29:08. > :29:13.my register of interest where I have openly and honestly declared my land
:29:14. > :29:17.and I have no fear in doing so. I wonder if the First Minister would
:29:18. > :29:22.care to accept an invitation from me to walk with me in the Highlands? We
:29:23. > :29:27.can look and talk about the real plant issues which revolve around
:29:28. > :29:35.effective and sustainable as well as productive management, rather than,
:29:36. > :29:48.listen, rather than worry excessively about who owns what. I
:29:49. > :29:58.would also like to rip the people to his register of interests. I think
:29:59. > :30:04.it may explain rather a lot. While I would normally take up almost
:30:05. > :30:08.anybody does not offer of what can the Highlands, I think a bike and
:30:09. > :30:11.use the usual terminology I think due to considerable diary pressures
:30:12. > :30:21.may just have to decline for the moment. Does the First Minister
:30:22. > :30:26.share my view that the holy Grail of land reform must be a transparent
:30:27. > :30:30.register? Which she agreed that that means no front companies or shoddy
:30:31. > :30:36.PLCs or multinational tax havens registered in Panama?
:30:37. > :30:43.Yes, I do agree with the sentiment behind that question, which is why
:30:44. > :30:48.we are putting so much emphasis on transparency. I refer you to my
:30:49. > :30:52.original and so on work to reform the land register and introducing a
:30:53. > :30:58.register of controlling interests. One of the reasons we want to do
:30:59. > :31:02.that is to reduce the scope of the kind of revelations we saw exposed
:31:03. > :31:08.in the Panama papers scandal, for example. We will do as much as we
:31:09. > :31:11.can to make sure our system of land ownership in Scotland and the
:31:12. > :31:16.details are as transparent as possible. Some of the changes he may
:31:17. > :31:20.like to see here are reserved to the Westminster government, so I hope he
:31:21. > :31:25.will join with us in seeking the powers we need to do everything he
:31:26. > :31:43.would like to see us do. Douglas Ross. To ask the First Minister of
:31:44. > :31:46.the Faculty of Advocates... We will continue to discuss the spending
:31:47. > :31:51.review process with the Lord Advocate. The Scottish Government
:31:52. > :31:56.has provided the service with extra funding of ?4.7 million over the
:31:57. > :31:59.past two years to allow it to prosecute exceptionally complex
:32:00. > :32:04.cases. In addition, we are providing just over ?3 million for the
:32:05. > :32:08.prosecution of domestic abuse cases as part of the extra ?20 million
:32:09. > :32:13.across the justice sector to tackle abuse against women and girls. The
:32:14. > :32:17.Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service continues to meet its
:32:18. > :32:22.targets and the Lord Advocate, previously Dean of the Faculty of
:32:23. > :32:26.Advocates himself, he is keen to continue to lead the service and
:32:27. > :32:35.automated it delivers for everyone in Scotland. Brian McConnachie QC, a
:32:36. > :32:40.former prosecutor at the Crown Office has claimed that Scottish
:32:41. > :32:43.office cuts to the system have left the Crown Office and the Procurator
:32:44. > :32:51.Fiscal Service to under resourced. If you keep doing that you will end
:32:52. > :32:53.up with substandard justice system. The First Minister rightly mention
:32:54. > :32:59.the additional funding for domestic abuse. Can the First Minister
:33:00. > :33:02.provide assurances that the Crown Office is sufficiently resourced to
:33:03. > :33:06.handle the increasing demands placed on it to ensure that the victims
:33:07. > :33:13.really do receive the justice they deserve? Is important to point out
:33:14. > :33:18.the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service budget has not been
:33:19. > :33:21.cut, it has remained static over the past five years, with additional
:33:22. > :33:26.funding provided for the three complex cases I spoke about and to
:33:27. > :33:31.improve the time taken to prosecute domestic abuse. We will continue to
:33:32. > :33:34.discuss with the Lord Advocate, the finance secretary will do that, to
:33:35. > :33:38.make sure the Crown Office does have the resources it needs to prosecute
:33:39. > :33:47.crime and to meet the targets I said earlier on and will repeat no, it
:33:48. > :33:49.continues to meet. It is an extremely high performing public
:33:50. > :33:55.service, as the public have a right to expect it to be. Question number
:33:56. > :34:00.six, Claudia Beamish. Task the First Minister of what the Scottish
:34:01. > :34:05.Government's response is to the UK Climate Change Committee to reducing
:34:06. > :34:09.emissions in Scotland 2016 progress report? We welcome this new progress
:34:10. > :34:13.report from the committee on climate change. Rosanna Canning and I were
:34:14. > :34:17.delighted to meet with the cheers of the committee shortly after its
:34:18. > :34:21.launch on Tuesday. In the report, the committee recognises that
:34:22. > :34:27.Scotland continues to lead the UK in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
:34:28. > :34:33.and we have exceeded the level of 2020 target six years early. We will
:34:34. > :34:38.consider the report and will respond in due course. Our new climate
:34:39. > :34:41.change plan will set out our priorities and commitments for
:34:42. > :34:45.reducing emissions under the 2009 act and we will also work with the
:34:46. > :34:52.committee to introduce a new climate change bill, with proposals to be
:34:53. > :34:56.outlined in early 2017. As she will know, many of the technologies
:34:57. > :35:01.needed as we shift towards a low carbon future are in their infancy
:35:02. > :35:04.or don't yet exist. What assessment has the Scottish Government done on
:35:05. > :35:09.the state of funding and commercialisation of funding for
:35:10. > :35:15.support in the heaviest greenhouse gas emitting sectors, transport and
:35:16. > :35:20.agriculture and the synergy between these, and what the assurances and
:35:21. > :35:27.she gives to the chamber today that the central research funding will be
:35:28. > :35:31.available from our government? Roseanna Cunningham, the Cabinet
:35:32. > :35:34.Secretary for the environment, has just met the search providers. We
:35:35. > :35:38.undertake assessments across all these areas. I will ask Rosanna
:35:39. > :35:44.Cunningham to write to the member with the details. The member makes
:35:45. > :35:50.two points that I think merit underlining. First is the importance
:35:51. > :35:55.of new and emerging technologies. On Monday, I was launching the first
:35:56. > :35:59.phase of eight major tidal stream power project, a project that when
:36:00. > :36:03.it is fully installed, will have the capacity to power the equivalent of
:36:04. > :36:10.almost 200,000 homes across Scotland. The UK Government has just
:36:11. > :36:15.given the go-ahead to Hinkley point, a decision I think is wrong. The
:36:16. > :36:19.point I'm making is that right now the UK Government continues to do
:36:20. > :36:22.that on a contract that would allow this project to move into second
:36:23. > :36:28.place. I hope they take a decision on that and that it's a positive
:36:29. > :36:32.decision, very quickly. The second point is the importance of us now
:36:33. > :36:37.are paying our action in areas like transport, housing and agriculture.
:36:38. > :36:43.I think everyone would accept that we have seen considerable success,
:36:44. > :36:46.when it comes to electricity generation, in terms of reducing
:36:47. > :36:53.emissions, but we must now go into areas which will be much harder --
:36:54. > :36:56.agriculture, housing, the energy sector more generally. If we are
:36:57. > :37:00.serious about meeting our current targets and then meeting more
:37:01. > :37:04.ambitious targets, we need to do that. I hope when we do put forward
:37:05. > :37:12.the proposal is to achieve that, we will have support from right across
:37:13. > :37:15.the chamber. The UK Climate Change Committee this week highlighted once
:37:16. > :37:20.again that emissions from transport are holding us back, that there are
:37:21. > :37:26.zero actions in your government's climate action plan to address this.
:37:27. > :37:29.Isn't it time for big, bold ideas? Does the Prime Minister -- First
:37:30. > :37:35.Minister agree with me that in order to protect the vulnerable and reduce
:37:36. > :37:41.road casualties make our environment low carbon places to live, we should
:37:42. > :37:44.be seeing 20 is plenty on all Scotland's residential roads? We
:37:45. > :37:48.would certainly encourage local authorities to consider that with
:37:49. > :37:52.it's important. Let me first they agree with the member. We've had
:37:53. > :37:57.considerable success. It has not been easy to achieve, but in the
:37:58. > :38:02.area of climate change and reducing emissions, the further we raise our
:38:03. > :38:05.ambition, that tough and it gets to take the action and the more
:38:06. > :38:16.controversial some of the actions become. That's where consensus
:38:17. > :38:18.aboard around the stream bed is going to be so important. There is
:38:19. > :38:21.no doubt that transport, partly because it impacts directly on the
:38:22. > :38:23.lives of many people, falls into that more controversial area. But if
:38:24. > :38:25.we want to continue to meet ambitious targets and see them
:38:26. > :38:29.stretch further, we will have to do that. The final comment I would
:38:30. > :38:32.make, the member who has real credibility on this issue, I would
:38:33. > :38:38.argue that the second, the climate change report this week lauded
:38:39. > :38:43.Scotland as a leader, is lauded as for having met our target ahead of
:38:44. > :38:48.schedule. Yes, it said we had much more to do, but I do think we should
:38:49. > :38:50.concentrate on the positive as well as pressure the government and
:38:51. > :38:55.rightly challenge the government to go further. I would hope we would
:38:56. > :38:58.get some positive endorsement from the The members of the chamber on
:38:59. > :39:05.the progress, often with their help, we have managed to make so far. The
:39:06. > :39:10.report makes clear that emissions from heavy goods vehicles account
:39:11. > :39:14.for 17% of Scotland's transport emissions, but the Scottish
:39:15. > :39:21.Government has achieved an overall change in those emissions between
:39:22. > :39:24.2009 and 2014. Will the First Minister consider promoting urban
:39:25. > :39:28.consolidation centres, logistical hubs which reduce freight journeys,
:39:29. > :39:34.in order to reduce emissions from the transport sector and link this
:39:35. > :39:40.to a transport specific climate targets? I would be very happy, as
:39:41. > :39:42.I'm sure she will be, to ask the Cabinet Secretary for the
:39:43. > :39:47.environment to meet with the member to discuss that and other
:39:48. > :39:52.suggestions. As we continue to make sure we have the plans in place to
:39:53. > :39:56.meet the current target, but also extend that target, as I said, we're
:39:57. > :40:00.going to have to consider proposals, in the nature of the one the member
:40:01. > :40:05.has just put forward, to make sure we can do that. The more cross-party
:40:06. > :40:09.consensus we can build on this, the more chance we have of being
:40:10. > :40:15.successful. Roseanna Cunningham will be happy to meet to discuss that
:40:16. > :40:19.proposal in more depth. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish
:40:20. > :40:25.Government will achieve 100% broadband roll-out across Scotland.
:40:26. > :40:29.As they announced on the programme for government, we intend to provide
:40:30. > :40:33.100% broadband coverage to both domestic and commercial premises
:40:34. > :40:41.across Scotland and to do that we will launch a programme in 2017. We
:40:42. > :40:45.have published a prior information notice, which launches formal supply
:40:46. > :40:50.and engagement process to help inform our delivery plan. This
:40:51. > :40:56.activity builds on the ?400 million investment to deliver broadband
:40:57. > :41:02.coverage to at least 95% of premises by the end of next year. As a
:41:03. > :41:10.result, 640,000 premises had accessed by the end of August this
:41:11. > :41:18.year. In my removal consistency, there are still -- in my rural
:41:19. > :41:21.constituency, there are still problems with mobile phone coverage.
:41:22. > :41:26.What plans does the Scottish Government have to improve that?
:41:27. > :41:33.This is an important question for everyone living in a rural part of
:41:34. > :41:40.Scotland. Mobile phone connectivity is reserved matter largely, we have
:41:41. > :41:44.been determined to take action to improve mobile coverage across the
:41:45. > :41:49.country. Our mobile action plan shows are interested in blue
:41:50. > :41:53.coverage across Scotland, particularly in rural areas. We are
:41:54. > :41:57.the only part of the UK to have such a plan in place, which demonstrates
:41:58. > :42:03.our approach and a willingness to work with industry and providers to
:42:04. > :42:13.improve mobile coverage in remote areas. The Cabinet Secretary would
:42:14. > :42:21.be happy to meet with Kate Forbes to discuss the progress. Does the First
:42:22. > :42:24.Minister except that current access to broadband is far from adequate
:42:25. > :42:29.for many across Scotland and will she heed audit Scotland's advice
:42:30. > :42:34.that recommends we should publish more information on the performance
:42:35. > :42:43.of the programme, in particular data on speed and coverage? We have
:42:44. > :42:47.already increased access to next-generation broadband. We're on
:42:48. > :42:53.track to meet our target of 95% coverage by the end of next year.
:42:54. > :42:57.And the commitment we've given to 100% coverage is not one that has
:42:58. > :43:02.been given by other governments across the UK. We are serious about
:43:03. > :43:06.making sure this commitment is there for everyone, not just for some. I
:43:07. > :43:11.said last week and I think it is true, these days, broadband coverage
:43:12. > :43:15.and digital connectivity is as fundamental to how you live your
:43:16. > :43:20.life or run your business as electricity or running water, that's
:43:21. > :43:25.how important it is. Obviously, but is information published of the
:43:26. > :43:29.project and am happy to consider if there is more information we can
:43:30. > :43:33.publish about progress. But the commitment we have already made is
:43:34. > :43:36.being met. We are on track to meet our commitment by the end of next
:43:37. > :43:41.year and we are absolutely determined bubble meet the 100%
:43:42. > :43:45.target by the end of this Parliament. Can I ask the First
:43:46. > :43:50.Minister why the commitment of the SNP manifesto just five months ago
:43:51. > :43:57.of 100% broadband by 2020 has already slipped to 2021? The
:43:58. > :44:00.commitment is by the end of the parliament, the commitment is as the
:44:01. > :44:04.commitment has always been and it is a commitment I have just reiterated
:44:05. > :44:09.on more than one occasion here today. By the end of this
:44:10. > :44:12.Parliament, we intend that there will be next-generation broadband
:44:13. > :44:16.access for 100% of commercial and residential premises across the
:44:17. > :44:21.country. I can't remember if that was the commitment in the Labour
:44:22. > :44:23.Party manifesto, but I know it was a commitment in the SNP manifesto and
:44:24. > :44:29.I'm determined that we are going to deliver that. That concludes
:44:30. > :44:36.tempting. That is the cause of questions to the First Minister
:44:37. > :44:43.there. We're back to journalistic colleagues to discuss the issues.
:44:44. > :44:47.Here is the front page of the Daily Record, A Woman Requiring A Cancer
:44:48. > :44:54.Drug To Prolong Her Life, Being Told By Specialists She Doesn't Get It.
:44:55. > :44:58.It Was Initially Died On Grounds -- It Was Initially Denied On Grounds
:44:59. > :45:03.Of Costs. She Made A Special Request, It Was Turned Down And It
:45:04. > :45:07.Is In Their Becker Today, It Is Raised With The First Minister And
:45:08. > :45:16.Today, She Is Told She Is Getting The Drug. Quite A Development.
:45:17. > :45:23.Here we have a Labour trying to raise an issue that they probably
:45:24. > :45:27.thought they could catch First Minister unawares on, but she came
:45:28. > :45:31.back and said that yes, she is going to get the money. In political terms
:45:32. > :45:36.it was a slam dunk for Nicola Sturgeon, but it raises other
:45:37. > :45:40.questions about if other patients who don't get drugs can write to the
:45:41. > :45:44.First Minister and chalk up the system and get them. It is wonderful
:45:45. > :45:51.news for that family and one has tremendous accord with them. The
:45:52. > :45:55.point that Hamish is making there is that those drugs are restricted for
:45:56. > :46:00.the reasonable cost and Nicola Sturgeon herself said the
:46:01. > :46:03.politicians must not second-guess the decisions of the professionals.
:46:04. > :46:09.It is always difficult when the political becomes professional. It
:46:10. > :46:14.was a good question from Kezia Dugdale. It is a difficult area to
:46:15. > :46:25.try and gain ground on because Nicola Sturgeon knows that brief
:46:26. > :46:33.very well. That is why she... She had the generic exchange on health
:46:34. > :46:39.with Ruth Davidson earlier, about prolonging the life of a mum who has
:46:40. > :46:42.a picture on the front page of the paper staring at you, that is
:46:43. > :46:50.harder. I thought that was the better approach. This third spots in
:46:51. > :46:58.First Minister's Questions is better for Kezia Dugdale. She is not so,
:46:59. > :47:03.but if. Labour are at demanding and guarantee that there will not be
:47:04. > :47:08.another case like Anne McClane-Chang and Nicola Sturgeon refusing to give
:47:09. > :47:14.a guarantee for the reason that she made about the cost and availability
:47:15. > :47:17.of drugs. I thought she trod that balance well. She gave her aunt and
:47:18. > :47:23.individual case and suggest that wouldn't be this drug provided...
:47:24. > :47:27.She was trying to set it was the political intervention and you could
:47:28. > :47:32.see Carla Suarez Navarro saying, come on! On the broader issue saying
:47:33. > :47:42.that this is not something they can do on a regular basis and this -- as
:47:43. > :47:48.politicians they have to stand back. But then people could write to the
:47:49. > :47:51.First Minister demand this treatment that they don't get it as quite not?
:47:52. > :48:00.Nicola Sturgeon may have opened up something kitchen may live to
:48:01. > :48:06.regret. He cannot give every drug to every patient who thinks that they
:48:07. > :48:12.require it. Obviously, the NHS is underachieved structural pressure.
:48:13. > :48:16.We have an agent population. As time goes on unless there is an increase
:48:17. > :48:21.in funding there will be more and more cases were you have to make
:48:22. > :48:24.difficult decisions. The exchange with Ruth Davidson, she was sent to
:48:25. > :48:28.much use of agency nurses, Nicola Sturgeon saying it is done and we
:48:29. > :48:34.have record numbers of staff in the NHS. It is an area that Nicola
:48:35. > :48:39.Sturgeon knows well. These questions have been going on prolonged time
:48:40. > :48:44.whether it is waiting times for targets. I don't know how much it
:48:45. > :48:52.resonates with the public in terms of their own personal experience of
:48:53. > :48:59.the NHS. Edward mountain attempting -- a tempting offer to go for a walk
:49:00. > :49:02.in the Highlands, unaccountably she declined the semantic approach. I
:49:03. > :49:07.think Edward mountain was a bit unfairly treated! He said I am a
:49:08. > :49:18.landowner I have knowledge of this area, I want to talk to you about
:49:19. > :49:23.this issue. She did tease him. She did not answer his question or a
:49:24. > :49:27.goal in it road. She is also not going for a walk with him in the
:49:28. > :49:31.Highlands! I think it was unfairly treated. Graham Simpson from the
:49:32. > :49:36.Conservatives raising the issue of the council boundaries being changed
:49:37. > :49:41.on recommendations but in certain areas they are not being changed and
:49:42. > :49:44.he reckoned in Dundee were Joe Fitzpatrick is the Minister in the
:49:45. > :49:50.local MSP he called gerrymandering joke. To be fair, Joe Fitzpatrick
:49:51. > :49:56.did look pretty delighted with that nickname! I think he thought he was
:49:57. > :50:01.probably going to get more ground but that they needed. I thought that
:50:02. > :50:05.story might have more legs. The Conservatives in Dundee are also
:50:06. > :50:11.backing it. I don't think he was repaired for that part! It was a
:50:12. > :50:24.great nickname. They will call him that in the streets of Dundee.
:50:25. > :50:32.There is an opinion poll out today about whether there will be a second
:50:33. > :50:41.referendum, the majority just saying no. We were going to chat Brexit
:50:42. > :50:46.with the guys in a minute, but here is the man who really knows about
:50:47. > :50:50.it, John Curtis. Before the vote on June 23, some of the polls were
:50:51. > :50:54.asking people how do you think you would vote on an independence
:50:55. > :51:01.referendum if the UK votes to leave the European Union. The answer now
:51:02. > :51:05.looks as though that perhaps it has not made much impact at all. We did
:51:06. > :51:10.have the opinion polls conducted in the immediate wake of the referendum
:51:11. > :51:15.results that suggest of the had been a small but perceptible swing in
:51:16. > :51:22.favour of independence. What was previously the position that 53% of
:51:23. > :51:27.the people wanted to stay in the UK, very even split, but maybe four or
:51:28. > :51:39.5% swing in favour of independence such that there was a slight
:51:40. > :51:47.improvement in people wanting to leave the UK. Actually, no, support
:51:48. > :51:51.for the independence stays at around 46% to 47%, the majority are still
:51:52. > :51:57.in favour of staying in the UK and it may be true that the
:51:58. > :52:02.constitutional debate has not been seriously changed as a result of the
:52:03. > :52:06.Brexit vote. First of all, Paul stunned before the 23rd of June said
:52:07. > :52:13.maybe a few people will shift, but not necessarily a great number of
:52:14. > :52:19.people. One needs to realise that the question that those who voted no
:52:20. > :52:26.are now potentially facing is which matters to you more, just how strong
:52:27. > :52:30.is that the manned or that support remaining inside the European Union
:52:31. > :52:39.amongst Scots and how important is it to them compared to remaining
:52:40. > :52:43.inside the UK who when no voters. What we have learned from the polls
:52:44. > :52:50.is that for a clear majority of those who voted no, even if they
:52:51. > :52:54.might have voted in favour of remaining inside the EU, being part
:52:55. > :52:58.of the UK for them is more important, something they value more
:52:59. > :53:04.highly than being part of the European Union. Only a fifth of
:53:05. > :53:08.those people who voted no in September 2014 say that they would
:53:09. > :53:12.fare to be part of the European Union as opposed to being part of
:53:13. > :53:15.the UK. There are some voters there that the SNP can hope to appeal to
:53:16. > :53:21.but the truth is that the pool of people who voted two years ago
:53:22. > :53:27.against independence look as though they feel strongly commit to the
:53:28. > :53:31.youth -- to the EU, that pool of voters looks as though it is
:53:32. > :53:37.relatively small. The UK decision to leave the EU changes some of the
:53:38. > :53:41.arguments. It means for example that then it was being argued that of
:53:42. > :53:45.Scotland voted to become independent it would have to leave the European
:53:46. > :53:49.Union and then reapply as a new member. Now we are having arguments
:53:50. > :53:54.about if Scotland became independent that it inherits the UK's current
:53:55. > :54:00.membership of the rest of the UK leaves? On the other hand, it is
:54:01. > :54:05.also being debated whether or not you would have to have a real border
:54:06. > :54:09.if the United Kingdom was outside the EU single market and Scotland
:54:10. > :54:16.were within it. That might be making things more difficult. Equally,
:54:17. > :54:22.insofar as much of the argument in favour of independence... Scotland
:54:23. > :54:25.remaining inside the UK was an argument about free trade,
:54:26. > :54:31.containing access to the market. Now it is becoming more of a choice as
:54:32. > :54:37.to which market is the higher priority for Scotland, if we were to
:54:38. > :54:40.have another referendum some of the terms of the debate would be
:54:41. > :54:44.different. So far at least that debate does not seem to have done
:54:45. > :54:48.very much to shift public opinion home but we have not had that much
:54:49. > :55:01.of the debate about independence since the vote on June 23.
:55:02. > :55:04.So, Hamish MacDonnell, we have docs debate between Mike Russell and
:55:05. > :55:09.David Davis on high the next stage of the process on discussing Brexit.
:55:10. > :55:13.Is it likely that there will be a second independence referendum? I
:55:14. > :55:17.think there will be and I think there will be because Nicola
:55:18. > :55:23.Sturgeon has laid out some red lines. She has said access to the
:55:24. > :55:29.single market was absolutely vital. Being a member of the single market
:55:30. > :55:34.rather than just having access. She has made it clear that as far as she
:55:35. > :55:39.is concerned they are are important. If you look at what has happened, it
:55:40. > :55:45.appears as though we will have trouble getting full membership of
:55:46. > :55:50.the single market. David Davis saying it was very improbable that
:55:51. > :55:55.we would be. Looking at that we will see that Nicola Sturgeon is almost
:55:56. > :55:58.bedding 70 corner where she may feel compelled to call another
:55:59. > :56:02.independence referendum whether or not the opinion polls in her favour
:56:03. > :56:07.and at the moment they are not. There has been a bit a shift, an
:56:08. > :56:11.initial surge of the EU referendum putting independence perhaps in the
:56:12. > :56:15.lead. More recent poll suggesting back to a situation where
:56:16. > :56:19.independence is behind the option of the union. So, a bit of a move
:56:20. > :56:24.towards independence but not enough to give that significantly that
:56:25. > :56:27.would be required. There was always a widespread assumption in the
:56:28. > :56:34.build-up to the EU referendum that a vote to Remain from Scotland and is
:56:35. > :56:46.a fool to Leave in the rest would ring about an independence
:56:47. > :56:49.referendum. People want that significantly exercised by leaving
:56:50. > :56:54.the EU that it would move them to the independence camp. I have always
:56:55. > :56:58.viewed this talk of triggers, whether that is the voted top of the
:56:59. > :57:02.outcome of the deal as a red herring. The only thing that matters
:57:03. > :57:06.for the SNP is public support. If Theresa May comes up with a great
:57:07. > :57:09.deal and there is no support for it than they will not push for a
:57:10. > :57:14.referendum. Do you think the Scottish Government will be embedded
:57:15. > :57:18.in the UK negotiation team will they simply be consulted, as the UK
:57:19. > :57:23.ministers my preferred? There would obviously want to be embedded.
:57:24. > :57:27.Theresa May has given broad hints that they will be. If they are
:57:28. > :57:30.embedded will they have any real influence on the discussions? I
:57:31. > :57:35.would expect to see someone like Mike Russell heavily involved, but
:57:36. > :57:38.is he involved where it matters? Izzy involved that those small
:57:39. > :57:44.discussions with the Prime Minister that sets the agenda, or is he just
:57:45. > :57:48.brought in for the discussions on the EU. There has to be a Scottish
:57:49. > :57:57.minister there. It will be Mike Russell. However much he will be Bob
:57:58. > :58:01.remains to be seen. Theresa May said that freedom of movement have to be
:58:02. > :58:12.constrained because that is what the people of Britain buildable. She is
:58:13. > :58:15.in a really difficult position. How do she strike the balance between
:58:16. > :58:22.freedom of movement and access to the single market? She can. You
:58:23. > :58:27.can't be in the single market and not have been of movement. So, that
:58:28. > :58:31.balance between freedom of movement and membership of the single market.
:58:32. > :58:35.Nicola Sturgeon adamant that membership of the single market is
:58:36. > :58:40.required to maintain the UK economy. She is also talking at this stage
:58:41. > :58:44.about working within the UK parameter, working within the UK
:58:45. > :58:48.situation to try to secure a deal that he believes to be good for
:58:49. > :58:52.Scotland but also for the UK. It is only if that feels that she perhaps
:58:53. > :58:55.goes down the Scottish parameter of a second referendum. From me, Brian
:58:56. > :59:19.Taylor, goodbye. SOUNDS TO THE TUNE OF: In The Hall
:59:20. > :59:21.Of The Mountain King by Grieg We follow five amateur orchestras
:59:22. > :59:33.from all across the country, on a musical journey
:59:34. > :59:35.to find one winner to perform alongside the pros
:59:36. > :59:39.at Proms In the Park.