:00:19. > :00:27.Welcome to the Scottish Parliament either at Holyrood. The day after
:00:28. > :00:30.John Swinney spelt out his tax plans in the budget. That might form the
:00:31. > :00:34.subject of the questions are the First Minister. You may need to turn
:00:35. > :00:37.the volume up on your TV set a little bit because the First
:00:38. > :00:40.Minister has a sore throat and is losing her voice. Let's find out
:00:41. > :00:44.what is going on in the chamber with my colleague now.
:00:45. > :00:49.Sadly, the First Minister has been coughing away. You cannot see your
:00:50. > :00:54.right at the moment. First Minister was my questions.
:00:55. > :00:58.Question number one. Before we begin, can I wish you, your staff
:00:59. > :01:04.and everyone in the chamber of any many Christmas and a happy New Year.
:01:05. > :01:08.APPLAUSE What engagements does the First
:01:09. > :01:15.Minister have for the rest of the day? I also wish you, the chamber
:01:16. > :01:20.and the people of Scotland a very Merry Christmas. I bring with me and
:01:21. > :01:24.electors must present for the opposition, losing my voice. I will
:01:25. > :01:31.be taking forward the Government's plans for Scotland. For many people,
:01:32. > :01:35.the Christmas holidays are a chance to look back and reflect. One year
:01:36. > :01:39.ago today, the First Minister visited Castle view primary school
:01:40. > :01:43.not far from here. She pledged that in her Government, no child would be
:01:44. > :01:46.left behind, get, after nearly nine years in power, the gap between the
:01:47. > :01:51.richest and the rest is as stubborn as ever. In his budget yesterday,
:01:52. > :01:58.John Swinney announced massive cuts to the local councils to pay for our
:01:59. > :02:01.schools that are key to our children's education. It is
:02:02. > :02:05.estimated 15,000 jobs will be lost as a result of yesterday's budget.
:02:06. > :02:11.Can the First Minister tell us how many of those job losses will come
:02:12. > :02:15.from our schools? Presiding Officer, yesterday's budget settlement was a
:02:16. > :02:18.tough one for local Government. I make no bones about that. But I want
:02:19. > :02:28.today to put that into some context. The net never -- revenue reduction
:02:29. > :02:33.will be ?220 million. That is a reduction in the total expenditure
:02:34. > :02:39.of local authorities of 2%. That is a challenging settlement. That does
:02:40. > :02:43.not take into account the additional allocation the Deputy First Minister
:02:44. > :02:48.announced yesterday of ?250 million for social care. Previously, of
:02:49. > :02:52.course, it was his sole responsibility of local authorities
:02:53. > :02:54.to fund social care. That is no longer the case. The NHS will now
:02:55. > :03:01.share the responsibility and will next year invest an additional ?250
:03:02. > :03:05.million in that. Of course, the core budget of local authorities does not
:03:06. > :03:07.equally take into account the additional ?33 million announced by
:03:08. > :03:12.the Deputy First Minister yesterday for specifically tackling attainment
:03:13. > :03:16.and the attainment gap in our schools. So what we set out
:03:17. > :03:24.yesterday was the choices we are making in this budget. The total
:03:25. > :03:27.Scottish budget will decline as a result of cuts from Westminster but
:03:28. > :03:30.we have set out priorities and these will be priorities I will be proud
:03:31. > :03:35.to take to the Scottish people. If Kezia Dugdale wants to prioritise
:03:36. > :03:39.different things, then she has an obligation to say exactly what those
:03:40. > :03:43.alternative priorities would be. And secondly, Presiding Officer, and
:03:44. > :03:45.perhaps more importantly, will be money follows other priorities would
:03:46. > :03:53.come from. APPLAUSE
:03:54. > :03:57.Our councils are central to the education of our children yet John
:03:58. > :04:02.Swinney's budget pulled the rug from under them. The reality is Nicola
:04:03. > :04:06.Sturgeon cannot guarantee the budget will not result in job losses for
:04:07. > :04:11.specialist teachers, classroom assistants, janitors and office
:04:12. > :04:15.staff. This week, the OECD published a sobering report on the state of
:04:16. > :04:19.education in Scotland. The rest of the world is catching up with us and
:04:20. > :04:26.they are overtaking us in maths. And yet again, the Buddhist children get
:04:27. > :04:30.left behind. -- the poorest. The report warned against this category
:04:31. > :04:34.approach to education. Let's see how that ?33 million is being spent. A
:04:35. > :04:42.couple of weeks ago, I visited two schools in one building. They share
:04:43. > :04:45.our joint campus Ian Johnston. They use the same dining hall and
:04:46. > :04:48.playground and many come from the same streets, get just one of those
:04:49. > :04:52.schools gets money from the Scottish Government was marketing and fun.
:04:53. > :04:58.One school gets funding to close the gap at the other gets left behind.
:04:59. > :05:06.As the First Minister agree that that is just not fair? I would say
:05:07. > :05:10.that I encourage her if she has not already done so to read the OECD
:05:11. > :05:13.report that was published on Tuesday in its entirety because what she
:05:14. > :05:18.will find is that report has many very positive things to say about
:05:19. > :05:21.Scottish education. It says for example that we are above the
:05:22. > :05:26.international average when it comes to science and reading. It says that
:05:27. > :05:29.Scottish education... And I think this is a direct quote, Presiding
:05:30. > :05:35.Officer, is on an upward trend of attainment. It says schools are
:05:36. > :05:39.inclusive and young people are positively engaged with education.
:05:40. > :05:41.It also of course presents challenges to the Scottish
:05:42. > :05:46.Government and everybody who cares about education. It says in
:05:47. > :05:50.particular that curriculum for excellence, which praises, is at a
:05:51. > :05:54.watershed moment and endorses the approach this Government is taking
:05:55. > :05:59.to introduce a national improvement framework with standardised
:06:00. > :06:02.assessment at its heart. So actually the OECD report, far from the way
:06:03. > :06:07.Kezia Dugdale is characterised, is positive and sets out a clear path
:06:08. > :06:11.for further improvement and reform. In terms of the attainment fund, I
:06:12. > :06:15.have made very clear my priority when it comes to tackling the
:06:16. > :06:19.attainment gap and the budget that the Deputy First Minister Mister set
:06:20. > :06:22.out yesterday set aside the funds to make sure that we are progressing
:06:23. > :06:30.with that work to close the attainment gap. ?33 million next
:06:31. > :06:33.year, which of course is part of a bigger programme of ?100 million,
:06:34. > :06:38.over and above local authority school budgets to prioritise
:06:39. > :06:41.improvement in attainment. Now that is the commitment this Government
:06:42. > :06:48.has made. I would see identities in the bill, if she wants to come
:06:49. > :06:51.forward with proposals... If you want to come forward with proposals
:06:52. > :06:54.suggesting we spend additional money in any particular money of our
:06:55. > :06:59.responsibilities, she has an absolute entitlement to do so. But
:07:00. > :07:01.when she does so, she also has an absolute responsibility to tell this
:07:02. > :07:07.chamber and the people of Scotland were in the budget the additional
:07:08. > :07:13.money would come from. I get that invitation today.
:07:14. > :07:16.APPLAUSE Scotland yesterday will to boast
:07:17. > :07:18.that it had the best schools in the world.
:07:19. > :07:24.And today she tells us just to be glad they had above average. Is that
:07:25. > :07:28.really the extent of your ambition? Under this Government, more than
:07:29. > :07:32.6000 children left primary school last year unable to be properly.
:07:33. > :07:37.That is 6000 children who have spent every year of their angry school
:07:38. > :07:40.education under this Government. Now the new powers heading our way
:07:41. > :07:46.governors the power and chance to do something different. We do not just
:07:47. > :07:54.have to manage Tory state like the SNP bother -- the SNP's budget did
:07:55. > :07:57.yesterday. Under our plan, head teachers would get ?1000 for every
:07:58. > :08:03.pupil from a deprived background. We would handle real power... We would
:08:04. > :08:09.handle real power to teachers. Ordered! We would handle power to
:08:10. > :08:15.headteachers to improve the life chances of children in a school. It
:08:16. > :08:21.is a planet since funds to where they are needed most and it would
:08:22. > :08:26.end the farce well schools are not getting the same support. So will
:08:27. > :08:35.the First Minister back plan to use the new tax powers to invest young
:08:36. > :08:40.people? Let me to point out to Kezia Dugdale what the OECD report said
:08:41. > :08:44.this week. No, I know that Labour do not like to you this kind of thing.
:08:45. > :08:48.But it said that based on the action this Government is taking through
:08:49. > :08:52.progressing with curriculum for excellence and through the national
:08:53. > :08:55.improvement framework, through the introduction of our evaluation and
:08:56. > :09:00.assessment system, then Scottish education has the potential now to
:09:01. > :09:03.become a world leader. That is what the OECD says and I know that Labour
:09:04. > :09:06.do not like it because it talks up the potential of Scotland, but that
:09:07. > :09:12.happens to be the fact. APPLAUSE
:09:13. > :09:17.I invited Labour to put forward alternatives. But I also invited
:09:18. > :09:23.them to say where the money is coming from. So unless Kezia
:09:24. > :09:31.Dugdale, in her next question, is going to tell me where, from this
:09:32. > :09:34.draft budget, this traffic budget, the money to fund the proposal that
:09:35. > :09:40.she has just outlined to this chamber is going to come from, then
:09:41. > :09:45.she does not deserve to be treated with any credibility whatsoever.
:09:46. > :09:52.Because I have put forward... I have put forward the Deputy First
:09:53. > :09:55.Minister that follow Jason Day a fully funded plan to tackle the
:09:56. > :10:00.attainment gap in Scottish education. That is the reality.
:10:01. > :10:04.Kezia Dugdale says that we should use new tax powers. So let Kezia
:10:05. > :10:11.Dugdale give us a straight answer to this question today. Is she saying
:10:12. > :10:14.that next year in this draft budget, she thinks the Scottish Government
:10:15. > :10:19.should put up the basic rate of income tax? That is a simple
:10:20. > :10:28.question and let's hear a yes or no Mac cancer. -- answer. This really
:10:29. > :10:42.gets to the nub of the matter... Yes! Old -- order. Every time she
:10:43. > :10:49.has a progressive tax, she voted down. Four times he has done that.
:10:50. > :10:54.And I tell you what is not credible. It is governing with a budget one
:10:55. > :11:01.year at the time with no plan for the future, like this Government
:11:02. > :11:05.has. And after yesterday's budget, it is clearly a commitment to ending
:11:06. > :11:11.a steady does not extend much beyond the odd press release. The OECD last
:11:12. > :11:17.reviewed Scotland's education system in 2007. Since the SNP Government
:11:18. > :11:22.has cut the number of teachers by 4300, the number of qualified
:11:23. > :11:25.teachers in our mercenaries has fallen and the gap between the
:11:26. > :11:31.richest and the rest remains as wide as ever. And what is the SNP's
:11:32. > :11:39.response to all of that? To cut, cut and cut again. Why is it, Presiding
:11:40. > :11:43.Officer, that this SNP Government appears to be content to let the
:11:44. > :11:50.next generation any price of a steady? -- pay the price of
:11:51. > :11:55.austerity? She said something connect in the last question. We're
:11:56. > :12:03.getting to the nub of the matter. Progressive charges, are sinners
:12:04. > :12:07.John Swinney had the power, yesterday, he outlined plans to
:12:08. > :12:13.raise 130 million pounds extra from business rates. Here is the nub of
:12:14. > :12:17.the matter. Next year, the only way that we could raise extra revenue
:12:18. > :12:23.from income tax is if we were to raise income tax at the basic rate
:12:24. > :12:35.and raise income tax for the lowest paid people in our society. So, when
:12:36. > :12:37.faced... Order! When faced with that question, everyone watching this
:12:38. > :12:40.session of First Minister's Questions today will have seen Kezia
:12:41. > :12:51.Dugdale duck the question completely. Order! Labour want to
:12:52. > :12:54.tell us what they disagree with it when it comes to putting forward any
:12:55. > :13:02.funded alternatives, Kezia Dugdale and Labour run for cover. We have
:13:03. > :13:08.made our choices in this budget and those choices are to protect the
:13:09. > :13:10.NHS, to protect social care, protect educational attainment, protect
:13:11. > :13:23.colleges, protect university research and free tuition. And we
:13:24. > :13:28.want to protect against Tory cuts. If the opposition want to make
:13:29. > :13:40.different choices, tell us what the ad for once, let them tell us where
:13:41. > :13:49.they will get the money! Order. Order. Question number two.
:13:50. > :13:54.Thank you, Presiding Officer. I add my Christmas wishes to those in the
:13:55. > :13:57.chamber. I know that the First Minister had the pleasure to meet
:13:58. > :14:02.this morning but I am obligated to ask, when will she next meet the
:14:03. > :14:08.Secretary of State for Scotland? I have no plans in the near future. I
:14:09. > :14:12.had the pleasure, I will put it that way, of meeting the prime minister
:14:13. > :14:16.on Monday. All I will say is that when I went to Downing Street, I did
:14:17. > :14:21.not have this stinking cold, I had it when I came out. Another thing
:14:22. > :14:26.that is Westminster's fault, Presiding Officer. I will tell Dave
:14:27. > :14:31.to put the metal doorway next time you come. Presiding Officer, at the
:14:32. > :14:35.unveiling of the Scottish budget yesterday, I was pleased to see that
:14:36. > :14:40.the SNP Government would pass on an extra ?440 million to hospitals
:14:41. > :14:45.received through extra NHS spending in the block grant. But it
:14:46. > :14:48.contradicts her Government's central claims. Before the referendum last
:14:49. > :14:53.year, the then Health Secretary Alex Neil said this. Only a yes vote in
:14:54. > :15:00.the referendum can fully protect Scotland's NHS. Can I ask, the day
:15:01. > :15:05.after the First Minister has just allocated an extra ?440 million to
:15:06. > :15:10.health, does she still really believe that leaving the UK is the
:15:11. > :15:25.only way to protect Scotland's NHS? I'll return to my favourite word of
:15:26. > :15:31.2014. Yes! This is a bit rich, I think. It is a bit rich from the
:15:32. > :15:36.Conservatives. Let's remember that the budget of this government,
:15:37. > :15:42.because our overall budget is still determined by the Tories at
:15:43. > :15:47.Westminster, it is going to be reduced by ?1.2 billion in real
:15:48. > :15:55.terms between now and the end of the decade. Overall, our budget will be
:15:56. > :16:01.cut by almost ?4 billion since the Tories took office. This has been
:16:02. > :16:06.the cost to this government, parliament, and country. That is the
:16:07. > :16:13.reality. Within that, we will make sure that we protect the priorities
:16:14. > :16:17.that we hold dear. That is why I am proud that John Swinney announced
:16:18. > :16:22.extra funding for the National Health Service of more than half ?1
:16:23. > :16:28.billion, taking the budget for the first time to almost ?13 billion.
:16:29. > :16:36.Proving again that the NHS is safe in the hands of this government.
:16:37. > :16:42.Nice try. Not exactly backed up by the facts. Her failure to increase
:16:43. > :16:46.spending at the same rate as the UK Government has cost the NHS in
:16:47. > :16:53.Scotland are almost ?700 million over the last five years. It's
:16:54. > :16:57.Christmas and I am delighted that belatedly the government has
:16:58. > :17:02.recognised that shortfall and has awarded extra funding to the NHS in
:17:03. > :17:10.Scotland. That is something that happened under devolution and not
:17:11. > :17:16.independence. You have just increased the budget by ?450 million
:17:17. > :17:23.under devolution. Childcare has gone up under devolution. You said that
:17:24. > :17:27.Scotland couldn't get a fairer deal on fishing but we have just had a
:17:28. > :17:33.massive boost for our fishing communities. All without
:17:34. > :17:38.independence. I wonder if the First Minister could find it within
:17:39. > :17:43.herself, to accept that she and her colleagues got it wrong. Is it still
:17:44. > :17:54.the case that when it comes to the SMP, it is always SMP bad? Her
:17:55. > :17:59.argument may be contoured to do. It certainly is very contorted. In the
:18:00. > :18:03.spirit of Christmas, I am going to take a positive and thank Ruth
:18:04. > :18:09.Davidson for setting out, quite eloquently, how well this is doing
:18:10. > :18:15.to protect the health service, to protect and improve childcare and I
:18:16. > :18:21.think the third one was to do so well by our fishing industry. Thank
:18:22. > :18:27.you so much at this festive period to Ruth Davidson and the Tories for
:18:28. > :18:34.that vote of confidence in the SMP government. The next thing you know,
:18:35. > :18:44.you will be quoted in the government leaflets. I hope you all have a
:18:45. > :18:49.fantastic break. Can I take the opportunity to ask the First
:18:50. > :18:59.Minister what she could discuss at the next meeting of the Cabinet? Let
:19:00. > :19:06.me wish a happy Christmas even to the Liberal Democrats. Matters of
:19:07. > :19:10.importance will be discussed. I listen to what she said to Kezia
:19:11. > :19:15.Dugdale earlier, a few months ago, she said, even though she had been
:19:16. > :19:22.in power for eight years, she was just getting started on education.
:19:23. > :19:27.She said it was the driving and defining priority of her government.
:19:28. > :19:31.How on earth does cutting the budgets of education authorities
:19:32. > :19:38.count as a good start? I set out to Kezia Dugdale that the environment
:19:39. > :19:45.for local authorities is challenging. That is why I said we
:19:46. > :19:50.would ask us how we work together on our priorities. The net revenue
:19:51. > :19:54.reduction amounts to 2% of the overall expenditure and it doesn't
:19:55. > :19:58.take account of the additional money that we invested in education over
:19:59. > :20:04.and above the core school budget of councils. Willie Rennie doesn't take
:20:05. > :20:09.into account what we said yesterday about maintaining teacher numbers. I
:20:10. > :20:13.remain determined to prioritise education. That is demonstrated in
:20:14. > :20:17.the budget and more than that it is demonstrated in the action we are
:20:18. > :20:22.taking through the national framework and new system of
:20:23. > :20:27.assessment. Willie Rennie should reflect carefully on the OECD
:20:28. > :20:31.report. Things he has been criticising and telling as he is
:20:32. > :20:35.against our things that the OECD said are putting Scotland on track
:20:36. > :20:41.to become a world leader. I think it is time he changed his position.
:20:42. > :20:47.That fails the most basic test. The biggest thing that councils do is
:20:48. > :20:51.education. They are being hammered in this budget. She climbs onto this
:20:52. > :20:58.attainment fact while butchering the budgets of councils will stop it is
:20:59. > :21:05.not as though she had no choice. She decided to match George Osborne on
:21:06. > :21:09.income tax, second homes, business rate, and undercut the Tories on the
:21:10. > :21:15.council tax. She had a range of choices. The result is she is
:21:16. > :21:20.proposing lower tax and lower spend than even George Osborne thinks is
:21:21. > :21:24.needed. How can she say education is her top priority if she is putting
:21:25. > :21:31.all of that before the children of this country? I'm not taking
:21:32. > :21:34.lectures from Willie Rennie on George Osborne. His party prop
:21:35. > :21:41.George Osborne up in the Treasury for five long years. I think Willie
:21:42. > :21:46.Rennie needs to go back to school himself. He has criticised us for
:21:47. > :21:56.what we are doing on second homes and Al BBT, does he know that raises
:21:57. > :22:02.money to spend on our priorities? We are protecting the health service,
:22:03. > :22:07.social care, education attainment. If Willie Rennie wants to propose
:22:08. > :22:11.that in this budget we put up the basic rate of income tax, hitting
:22:12. > :22:16.the poorest hardest, if he is proposing to put up the council tax,
:22:17. > :22:22.hitting the poorest hardest, he is free to go to the electorate and put
:22:23. > :22:26.that forward in his manifesto. I would say that we would see the
:22:27. > :22:35.Liberal Democrats plummet as a result but there is not much further
:22:36. > :22:39.they can for. To ask the First Minister whether she will provide an
:22:40. > :22:44.update on her meeting with the Prime Minister? I held a constructive
:22:45. > :22:54.meeting with the Prime Minister. I made clear that I want to see a deal
:22:55. > :23:00.on fiscal frame work and we will not see a deal that is unfair to
:23:01. > :23:09.Scotland. We need a deadline for reaching fiscal framework. We
:23:10. > :23:14.discussed the trade union Bill where I can assure Parliament that I made
:23:15. > :23:17.clear the cross-party and civic opposition across Scotland to this
:23:18. > :23:28.trick pony and unnecessary piece of legislation. Christina: V. Can the
:23:29. > :23:39.First Minister set out the government's plans and talk about
:23:40. > :23:42.the problem of leaving employment policy in the hands of ideological
:23:43. > :23:51.motivated Tory government? I hope the Eirene is not lost on those --
:23:52. > :23:55.irony is not lost on those who argued in the referendum that we
:23:56. > :24:00.should keep these powers in the hands of Westminster. The Scottish
:24:01. > :24:06.Government has permitted a general policy memorandum which will enable
:24:07. > :24:11.them to hold an enquiry into the impact of the bill and for
:24:12. > :24:15.Parliament to have a vote on it. We continue to make clear our
:24:16. > :24:20.opposition to the bill in the UK and in Scotland. Let me be clear, this
:24:21. > :24:24.bill is unnecessary, unwarranted, and despite my discussions with the
:24:25. > :24:29.Prime Minister on Monday, I am unaware of any logical reasons
:24:30. > :24:33.behind the bill other than an ideological attack on the trade
:24:34. > :24:39.union movement. We oppose the bill across the whole of the UK. I have
:24:40. > :24:50.to agree with Christina McKelvey that the trade union Bill is not
:24:51. > :24:56.just the problem of Scotland. If we did have the power we would
:24:57. > :25:02.certainly not introduced it. She has confirmed that she is against this
:25:03. > :25:09.Tory attack on workers rights. I wonder if she could then explain why
:25:10. > :25:12.she allowed the union bashing, indemnification clause that
:25:13. > :25:20.compensates big business out of the public purse in the case of the
:25:21. > :25:26.Caledonian sleeper contract? I am more than happy to write to the
:25:27. > :25:30.member on that specific issue. There may not be many of these issues but
:25:31. > :25:40.I would hope this is one where labour and the SNP could join
:25:41. > :25:45.together. We are well aware of the importance of trade unions, not just
:25:46. > :25:50.in reducing industrial action but in making our workplaces safer, more
:25:51. > :25:56.productive and happier and healthier places to be. I support the trade
:25:57. > :26:00.union movement and I know that the member does and we should join
:26:01. > :26:07.together to stop this attack on it. Richard Simpson. To ask the First
:26:08. > :26:14.Minister whether it remains the government's position that the NHS
:26:15. > :26:22.ICT programme is an exemplar of good practice? We have not used those
:26:23. > :26:27.words about the NHS 24 future programme. As I stated on the 19th
:26:28. > :26:32.of November, it is very disappointing that a decision to
:26:33. > :26:37.pause the introduction of the programme had to be taken but it was
:26:38. > :26:43.taken in the interests of patient safety and was clearly the right
:26:44. > :26:46.thing to do. An investigation is underway into the circumstances that
:26:47. > :26:51.led to the decision to pause the programme and we will have a full
:26:52. > :26:59.report in January. We will consider those very carefully. The Gateway
:27:00. > :27:05.report, which I presume was from the government, actually did say that it
:27:06. > :27:10.was an exemplar of good practice. The government's management of ICT
:27:11. > :27:18.in the NHS is unfit for purpose. There has been too highly critical
:27:19. > :27:26.reports from the auditor General. It cancelled a programme at great
:27:27. > :27:36.expense, Tayside still cannot see information from five. The Gateway
:27:37. > :27:40.report showed that it was 40 million over budget, finally suspended, over
:27:41. > :27:50.time, why is it still being delayed for a further eight months at a cost
:27:51. > :27:57.of 3.5 million of tax payer's money. Could it be because there is an
:27:58. > :28:03.election? It is for patient safety reasons and I would hope that all
:28:04. > :28:13.members would accept that. The point about the exemplar of good practice.
:28:14. > :28:18.That quote was from the Gateway review, by the then NHS 24 chief
:28:19. > :28:23.executive but it was The Independent review team's opinion. The
:28:24. > :28:27.government centre of expertise provided advice in establishing the
:28:28. > :28:31.review but were not involved in the conduct of that review. I hope that
:28:32. > :28:41.explanation helps Richardson soon. This is an important issue. It is
:28:42. > :28:46.right to get the proper opportunity to scrutinise the issues here.
:28:47. > :28:49.Decisions have been taken for patient safety reasons and because
:28:50. > :28:54.of that they are the right decisions. We are now focused on
:28:55. > :28:58.making sure that any issues are resolved and lessons learned and
:28:59. > :29:02.that a system can come into operation as quickly as possible. We
:29:03. > :29:09.are waiting on the initial report which we will get on the 13th of
:29:10. > :29:15.December -- 30th of December or thereabouts. Then it would be
:29:16. > :29:18.appropriate to look carefully at those reports and Aske questions
:29:19. > :29:26.that they deem appropriate either to me or the Health Secretary. To ask
:29:27. > :29:35.the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the
:29:36. > :29:41.report on local tax reform. The report is very much in line with our
:29:42. > :29:45.ambition on taxation. We will bring forward a detailed plan for reform
:29:46. > :29:49.that will embody the principles of the report and I would urge others
:29:50. > :29:55.to do likewise so that The People of Scotland can look at the different
:29:56. > :29:58.options. All political parties were approached and invited to
:29:59. > :30:03.participate and I thank those who did for doing so. It is
:30:04. > :30:06.disappointing that only now are the Conservative Party showing an
:30:07. > :30:10.interest in the findings when they were the only political party who
:30:11. > :30:11.refused to participate in the work of the commission in the first
:30:12. > :30:18.place. I think we have rather been
:30:19. > :30:22.vindicated because the report took a great deal of what is to tell us did
:30:23. > :30:25.not like the council tax and that it should be replaced with absolutely
:30:26. > :30:31.no idea what it would be replaced with. Can we First Minister, and the
:30:32. > :30:34.spirit of Christmas, guarantee a happy Christmas to aspirational,
:30:35. > :30:37.hard-working families across the country by guaranteeing them that
:30:38. > :30:42.whatever replacement tax she proposes will not hit them hard in
:30:43. > :30:47.the pockets? I can guarantee to the people of Scotland that the council
:30:48. > :30:51.tax will be frozen next year for the ninth consecutive year. Murdo
:30:52. > :30:54.Fraser, when he responded to the budget yesterday, we are to be
:30:55. > :30:58.disappointed that he didn't First Minister did not put up income tax
:30:59. > :31:01.on the council tax, but we are a Government that has protected
:31:02. > :31:05.household incomes and made sure that the obscene increases in council to
:31:06. > :31:10.seen under previous administrations came to an end. Now, what we will do
:31:11. > :31:16.over and above that is bring forward our proposals for longer-term reform
:31:17. > :31:18.of the council tax will stop I am in no doubt that this Government will
:31:19. > :31:21.do that and we will put those proposals before the Scottish people
:31:22. > :31:25.in advance of the election. My challenge to everyone else in this
:31:26. > :31:28.chamber is to do likewise and then the people of Scotland will be able
:31:29. > :31:33.to choose. Thank you, that ends First Minister's Questions.
:31:34. > :31:37.Applause already chamber that the close of questions to the First
:31:38. > :31:44.Minister. The last session of questions to the First Minister
:31:45. > :31:47.indeed for 2015. The parliamentary session very shortly. A spirit of
:31:48. > :31:51.goodwill we are, wasn't there? Not particularly... They were exchanging
:31:52. > :31:55.insults as well as offers of festive greetings. I hope you have a good
:31:56. > :32:03.you'll and all that sort of thing. -- good Christmas. Temporary Dan Jo
:32:04. > :32:03.Potter the Daily Politics. -- time for me
:32:04. > :32:06.within the Labour Party, the Lib Dems facing extinction,
:32:07. > :32:07.and One Direction going in several directions.
:32:08. > :32:09.It's hard to know where to start, really.
:32:10. > :32:11.IMPERSONATES ED MILIBAND: Look, I will leave 'not knowing
:32:12. > :32:18.Turn to camera but don't read out the bits in bold like last time
:32:19. > :32:23.I was the happy warrior simply wondering if there would be enough
:32:24. > :32:34.And we decided to capitalise on this by writing on a big
:32:35. > :32:38.Which turned out to be rather a good kitchen work surface actually.
:32:39. > :32:41.But whereas I said, hell yes, I'm tough enough.