:00:26. > :00:33.Welcome to politics Scotland. Coming up called bad news on the
:00:33. > :00:38.jobs front. On employment in Scotland is up and higher than the
:00:38. > :00:42.United Kingdom average. Plans are set out for controversial Ambulance
:00:43. > :00:52.rest breaks. And after all the talk on the constitution and a
:00:52. > :00:56.referendum today it is back to the Unemployment in Scotland increased
:00:56. > :01:03.by 19,000 from September to November last year according to
:01:03. > :01:08.official figures. Other figures show that the economy grew by 0.5 %.
:01:08. > :01:18.I am joined by our business Correspondent and Our political
:01:18. > :01:23.
:01:23. > :01:31.commentator, Hamish Macdonell. Yes, on an employment on the rise.
:01:31. > :01:38.The total number of unemployed now sitting at 231,000. That equates to
:01:38. > :01:47.about 8.6 % of the workforce. Slightly higher than in the United
:01:47. > :01:55.Kingdom as a whole. Still beneath most regions of the UK However. The
:01:55. > :02:01.UK unemployment figure rose, reaching 2.6 8 million. Youth
:02:01. > :02:08.unemployment figures are of particular concern. The number of
:02:08. > :02:18.16-year-old to 24 year-olds continues to rise. A new record of
:02:18. > :02:21.
:02:21. > :02:31.something like 22% of those under And 80 I a warning following the
:02:31. > :02:38.
:02:38. > :02:43.Yes, sales were up only slightly on last year but that is not much
:02:43. > :02:47.progress because of the heavy snow which disrupted shoppers last year.
:02:47. > :02:53.That said, the Scottish Government say that the figures do not take
:02:53. > :02:58.into account the increasing trend of people buying presents over the
:02:58. > :03:03.Internet. On the whole however, retailers are upset and
:03:03. > :03:07.disappointed. Consumer confidence falling and shoppers being more
:03:08. > :03:14.cautious with their money. Confidence falling in Scotland
:03:14. > :03:23.faster than in the rest of the UK according to this report. And the
:03:23. > :03:26.GDP figures are out. A mixed bag of -- a mixed picture. Following that
:03:26. > :03:32.negative news the positive side is that the economy looks slightly
:03:32. > :03:36.better than some had accepted -- expected. Remember that talk about
:03:36. > :03:43.a double dip recession? Well as people were talking about that in
:03:43. > :03:48.September the economy was actually growing by 0.5 %. The same rate as
:03:48. > :03:56.the United Kingdom. An improvement on the spring when the growth was
:03:56. > :04:00.always able 0.2 %. And the best economic performance since spring
:04:00. > :04:03.2010. But there has been a warning from the Office of budget
:04:03. > :04:09.responsibility saying that they expect negative growth for the last
:04:09. > :04:19.quarter of 2011 in the United Kingdom. And then staying flat for
:04:19. > :04:20.
:04:20. > :04:30.the first quarter of 2012. So we're And that quarter were was when the
:04:30. > :04:33.
:04:33. > :04:37.Indeed. We have not seen the defaults that some fear it but
:04:37. > :04:47.concerns about the Euro zone to continue to feed and to broader
:04:47. > :04:48.
:04:48. > :04:54.concerns about the British and The health service will outline a
:04:54. > :04:59.long-term solution to the issue of controversial Ambulance rest breaks.
:04:59. > :05:04.One technician in Tomintoul did not attend an emergency when he was on
:05:04. > :05:14.a break and the person subsequently died. Here is what people and
:05:14. > :05:22.
:05:22. > :05:32.When some body's life is at stake a cup of tea can wait. If it is a
:05:32. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:37.matter of life and death in you and there is a secondary matter. They
:05:37. > :05:43.should be on call in time. The only way around it is to get more people
:05:43. > :05:53.in their jobs so that breaks can be taken as and when they're needed.
:05:53. > :06:00.
:06:00. > :06:05.Let's hear what I health secretary A radically different proposal will
:06:05. > :06:10.be needed to reach a resolution. Ambulance staff insist this is not
:06:10. > :06:14.about personal gain and cannot resolve the situation simply by
:06:14. > :06:19.offering increased financial assistance. I was clear that higher
:06:19. > :06:27.availability or activation payments would not be acceptable from the
:06:27. > :06:30.public respect it either. So it was decided to Tom issue on its head.
:06:30. > :06:35.Instead of paying existing staff to do more we explore ways of
:06:35. > :06:40.increasing the resilience of the surface. The interim arrangements
:06:40. > :06:46.where extended last week to allow for urgent talks on the possibility
:06:46. > :06:50.of a long-term solution. I am pleased to announce that these
:06:50. > :06:53.talks have reached agreement and a solution has been found for the
:06:54. > :07:00.long term with new interim arrangements in place to support
:07:00. > :07:06.implementation. The long-term solution is to move the ambulance
:07:06. > :07:11.service towards a courtesy of an 0.5 an hour paid working week for
:07:11. > :07:17.relative to -- for relevant staff. Staff will be required to attend
:07:17. > :07:24.emergency calls throughout their shift period. Currently staff are
:07:24. > :07:29.were rostered to be at work for 40 hours per week but paid for 37.5
:07:29. > :07:34.Arabs and entitled to 2.5 an hour of rest periods. It is the
:07:34. > :07:38.management of the rest periods which has proved increasingly
:07:38. > :07:44.difficult over time. It has led to a situation where a critically ill
:07:44. > :07:48.person may not be attended by the naevus to Crewe. That compromises
:07:48. > :07:53.patient safety and is unfair to staff who can find themselves the
:07:53. > :08:00.subject of public and media anger simply for taking advantage of the
:08:00. > :08:10.actual terms of employment. Staff will now be rostered and paid for
:08:10. > :08:16.
:08:16. > :08:26.37.5 Arabs per week. Rest breaks will be included in these awards. -
:08:26. > :08:28.
:08:28. > :08:34.- 37.5 hours 37.5. This reduction, inclusive of brakes obviously
:08:34. > :08:38.increases the capacity available to the ambulance service. Additional
:08:38. > :08:43.investment in the sale of this will be required just as it would have
:08:43. > :08:52.been to make the payments in the previous Orphir had the offer being
:08:52. > :09:02.accepted. Resolving the issue in this way consumers additional
:09:02. > :09:06.
:09:06. > :09:10.staffing and resilience. -- consumers. -- ensures. We will
:09:10. > :09:19.assist in say of this change and performance management. The funding
:09:19. > :09:24.will be available this financial year. We will support the
:09:24. > :09:33.employment of an additional 150 frontline staff to support this
:09:33. > :09:39.service redesign. It is an investment of 5 million crowns per
:09:39. > :09:49.year supporting the for the development of critical Kaya. -- �5
:09:49. > :09:49.
:09:49. > :09:55.million. -- critical care. In it of remote and have no also caught on
:09:55. > :10:03.the investment will support community paramedics. -- remote and
:10:03. > :10:09.rural Scotland. It will also allow for a review of the geographical
:10:09. > :10:15.deployment of services. Work will begin immediately to support this
:10:16. > :10:23.solution. Management and staff are committed to moving staff to be
:10:23. > :10:28.fair to 7.5 an hour week quickly. But members will appreciate that a
:10:28. > :10:34.change cannot be achieved overnight. To safeguard patient safety new
:10:34. > :10:40.interim arrangements were introduced yesterday. Affected
:10:40. > :10:46.staff will be eligible for a �150 per month agreement until they
:10:46. > :10:55.moved to the new working Arabs at which point the payment will cease.
:10:55. > :11:01.-- working careers. Staff will be required to attend all emergency
:11:01. > :11:05.calls as allocated during their shift. It is important to stress
:11:05. > :11:10.that the arrangements, both the long dark hair and interim
:11:10. > :11:18.arrangements, still require the ambulance service to manage rest
:11:18. > :11:25.breaks. The new arrangements will be monitored in partnership and I
:11:25. > :11:30.will receive a regular progress reports. This agreement is within
:11:30. > :11:36.the terms of the agenda for change but it recognises the unique
:11:36. > :11:40.position of the Scottish Ambulance Service as an emergency service.
:11:40. > :11:44.The Scottish Government has never recognised the distinction that
:11:44. > :11:51.some have made it that the ambulance service is an essential
:11:51. > :11:56.rather than an emergency service. It is recognised alongside the
:11:56. > :12:01.police and fire services as an emergency service. It is subject to
:12:01. > :12:06.the same working time regulations. The agreement that I have announced
:12:06. > :12:12.However puts beyond any doubt the unique nature of the ambulance
:12:12. > :12:16.service as an emergency service whilst also protecting the benefits
:12:16. > :12:23.that the service and the staff derive from the agenda for change
:12:23. > :12:28.as part of the wider NHS family. Both of these elements will be
:12:28. > :12:33.fundamental to long-term success. I also wish to stress that the full
:12:33. > :12:38.implementation of the long-term agreement means that no individual
:12:38. > :12:45.staff member will gain financially when required to attend an
:12:45. > :12:49.emergency call during a rest period. That is for the good. The rest
:12:49. > :12:54.period have subjected staff to on- field public criticism and I
:12:54. > :12:59.therefore welcome a resolution which clearly demonstrates what I
:12:59. > :13:05.have always known and believed to be the case - the priority of
:13:05. > :13:10.ambulance staff is the patients. Not personal gain. I have outlined
:13:10. > :13:16.an agreement which assures me and more importantly allows me to
:13:16. > :13:20.reassure the public that patient safety is paramount, the views of
:13:20. > :13:24.the ambulance service workforce are respected, and the long-term
:13:24. > :13:34.solution to the management of rest breaks within the service has been
:13:34. > :13:36.
:13:36. > :13:42.found. I am happy now to answer any questions members might have.
:13:42. > :13:52.get reaction from the GMB union. I am joined by harry Donaldson from
:13:52. > :13:53.
:13:53. > :13:58.Edinburgh. We health the Health Secretary. Can I get a reaction?
:13:58. > :14:03.welcome the statement. It is overdue. These have been lengthy
:14:03. > :14:10.and complex negotiations. The range of the views presented by the
:14:10. > :14:17.general public was unclear. But today's announcement of investment,
:14:17. > :14:26.they commission of an emergency service, will go a long way to
:14:27. > :14:31.satisfying the personnel. Given the level of community confidence and
:14:31. > :14:34.we will not compromise patient care. So we welcome all around the
:14:34. > :14:38.involvement and the tents of the Scottish Government and the work
:14:38. > :14:47.put in by the trade union and their members to reach a resolution of
:14:48. > :14:53.this longer run -- long-running dispute. These people are held in
:14:53. > :15:03.high regard by the communities they serve but they have came in for a
:15:03. > :15:08.
:15:08. > :15:13.If it will provide a delivery of service that the Scottish public
:15:13. > :15:18.need and recognised. This was never about money for a trade union
:15:18. > :15:21.members. This was about investment and a quality and delivery service.
:15:21. > :15:27.The fact there is going to be investment and more jobs created
:15:27. > :15:32.must give confidence to the general public. Is unfortunate that your
:15:32. > :15:36.members were left in this position. The people who are criticising
:15:36. > :15:40.these ambulance staff might not want to work during their paid
:15:41. > :15:47.breaks. Is this an issue that maybe should have been sorted a long time
:15:47. > :15:56.ago? It may be should have. But you know what happens in terms of media,
:15:56. > :16:00.there can be misrepresentation of situations. In many can --
:16:00. > :16:03.occasions an accident could be helping our side, these people were
:16:03. > :16:09.often not on call. They have no knowledge of that so they could not
:16:09. > :16:15.attend. There was a lot of unfair criticism. We have now clarified
:16:15. > :16:18.that. There is now Investment, we welcome that. There are solutions
:16:18. > :16:24.and from the comments made by the Minister herself, it would be clear
:16:24. > :16:29.that this was not about money. It is not about cash. This was about a
:16:29. > :16:34.better provision of service, rest breaks provided for people in a
:16:34. > :16:36.difficult job and also not compromising patient care. You have
:16:36. > :16:40.got that �5 million of investment to make sure their services
:16:40. > :16:46.properly funded and staffed. How do you think you'll be able to get
:16:46. > :16:50.your reputation back? I think the reputation will be back. In terms
:16:51. > :17:00.of the Investment, the Scottish Government have heard the calls of
:17:01. > :17:01.
:17:01. > :17:05.GMB union. Now that we have that, I feel the public will feel reassured.
:17:05. > :17:09.Harry Donaldson from the GMB union. Thank you for joining me.
:17:09. > :17:15.Let's speak to our political commentator Hamish Macdonell. This
:17:15. > :17:19.was a difficult issue to sort out. Quite protracted. He really
:17:19. > :17:23.unfortunate circumstances. What we have now is we have a deal. I think
:17:23. > :17:29.all size will be hoping that at least now we should never ever see
:17:29. > :17:35.this sort of tragedy that we have seen in the past. It will cover the
:17:35. > :17:38.costs. Nicola Sturgeon has had to find �5 million, not as a one-off
:17:39. > :17:47.but �5 million a year in perpetuity to keep the staffing levels up to
:17:47. > :17:52.try and sort out these differences. So yes it has been unfortunate, yes
:17:52. > :17:55.it has been something we should start, but it has won at a cost.
:17:55. > :18:01.Les term by term main story tonight. The raft of economic figures we are
:18:01. > :18:04.looking at. Unemployment stands - grim reading again this month.
:18:04. > :18:09.you go back a couple of years and you listen to the rhetoric that the
:18:09. > :18:15.SNP Government came out with, it was talking about how good it was
:18:15. > :18:18.then that Scotland's unemployment rate was less than the UK. The
:18:18. > :18:23.Scottish rate has overtaken the UK rate and now unemployment is worse
:18:23. > :18:26.here than it is in the rest of the UK. Some of that is got to be down
:18:26. > :18:29.to the size of the public sector in Scotland and the fact that we are
:18:29. > :18:34.losing jobs and the public sector. It was maybe not the case a couple
:18:34. > :18:38.of years ago and that is feeding through. It has to concerned
:18:39. > :18:42.politicians of all colour. The UK Government is in a difficult
:18:42. > :18:45.position when it comes to unemployment. What levers are
:18:45. > :18:50.available for the different governments to try and help resolve
:18:50. > :18:55.this problem? As most things, it comes down to money. It comes down
:18:55. > :18:59.to how much money any Government is able to invest in any particular
:18:59. > :19:03.sector of the economy. It is interesting given all the
:19:03. > :19:06.discussions we have had of the last few weeks, everything is now seen
:19:06. > :19:09.within that context. You will have seen today, some opposition
:19:09. > :19:12.politicians have got business leaders on the side saying this
:19:12. > :19:18.shows the economy is the most important thing. We must have a
:19:18. > :19:21.referendum now, get it out of the way. We have the SNP single, The
:19:21. > :19:30.shows why we have all the economic levers at our disposal to try and
:19:30. > :19:35.tackle unemployment. This will carry on. We saw in the GDP figures
:19:35. > :19:41.that Scotland's economy grew by zero per 5%. Some comfort are not?
:19:41. > :19:45.It is not a great figure. It is more than a crumb of comfort. Look
:19:45. > :19:49.at the context of economies flat lining and going nowhere. You have
:19:49. > :19:54.got the Scottish economy going up by a small amount. If you look into
:19:54. > :19:58.the figures, you will find that the Scottish economy is much more
:19:58. > :20:01.heavily reliant on manufacturing and on exports than their UK. Those
:20:01. > :20:05.have been growing and the construction growing -- sector have
:20:05. > :20:08.been growing. All sectors that will Alkerton help the rest. So there is
:20:08. > :20:14.more than a crumb of comfort here if they can keep this going.
:20:14. > :20:22.Another sister stepped David Henderson had was the December
:20:22. > :20:27.Sales. -- another statistic. There was a point that David was making
:20:27. > :20:31.that we will hear more. That is this case of internet shopping
:20:31. > :20:35.faces high street shopping. It is difficult to pin down a someone is
:20:35. > :20:43.buying up on the internet exactly where they are buying it from. It
:20:43. > :20:47.might be from one of the major internet dealers. Since 1990 --
:20:47. > :20:51.1999 to the present-day, internet shopping has gone up. It makes the
:20:51. > :20:58.picture more confusing than it has been in the past. Maybe December
:20:58. > :21:01.1999 is not a good comparison. It is difficult to compare like with
:21:01. > :21:06.like. Then you look and see what has happened over the last few
:21:06. > :21:11.months. Alex Salmond was their opening Amazon's new depot in the
:21:11. > :21:15.middle of Scotland. So the jobs are there. They need -- may not be
:21:15. > :21:21.retell jobs in the High Street, they are into their jobs. They do
:21:21. > :21:26.not necessarily get factored into the high street figures. As a
:21:26. > :21:30.society we are more of a consumer society than we were in 1999 with a
:21:30. > :21:34.lot of our economy predicated on shopping and consumer spending.
:21:34. > :21:37.you look back over the last few years, because of the austerity
:21:37. > :21:40.measures coming from the UK Government and the Scottish
:21:40. > :21:44.Government, consumers are much more likely to tighten their belts are
:21:44. > :21:49.not spend much more -- as much and credit cards as they did in the
:21:49. > :21:53.past. Some will say that is a good thing because we are moving from
:21:53. > :21:56.one that it -- and Nation that is built on debt to one that is not.
:21:56. > :22:00.With one statistic you might get another one which shows things are
:22:00. > :22:04.not as bad as the perhaps the figures make out. Finally, I was
:22:04. > :22:10.hearing this morning the luxury goods were up. Sales of champagne
:22:10. > :22:13.were up. If you ask any economist they will see in any time of
:22:13. > :22:16.recession, the things that do well are things at the top end of the
:22:16. > :22:20.market and those at the end of the market. Those in the middle get
:22:20. > :22:24.squeezed. Those who have money will continue to spend. Thank you very
:22:24. > :22:28.much for now. You are watching A macro from the
:22:28. > :22:32.BBC. Still to come: Under pressure on unemployment, the Prime Minister
:22:32. > :22:35.says the Government is doing all it can to tackle those rising
:22:35. > :22:45.unemployment figures. Let's pick up on some of those
:22:45. > :22:46.
:22:46. > :22:50.economy figures. We have been discussing. We are joined by some
:22:50. > :22:54.MPs. Mr Neil, the Cabinet secretary for
:22:54. > :22:58.infrastructure. Not very good reading for you today looking at
:22:58. > :23:04.those unemployment figures. things, we are doing better than
:23:04. > :23:08.many other countries. Secondly, the work that the Scottish Government
:23:08. > :23:12.has done in the capital investment programme we have in place, has
:23:12. > :23:15.meant the figures are far better than the other at Wise would have
:23:15. > :23:20.been. The reality is that the policy being pursued by London. The
:23:20. > :23:24.main levers of power, economic power still reside in London. The
:23:24. > :23:27.disastrous for the whole of the United Kingdom and like many others
:23:27. > :23:32.we have been saying it is high time the coalition governments change
:23:32. > :23:39.course. To pick up on your capital investment we, we have been
:23:39. > :23:43.discussing the rise in GDP by just 0.5%. Apparently construction shack
:23:43. > :23:48.by a 1.2%. How does that fit in with the rise in capital spending?
:23:49. > :23:52.The reason for our there downturn in private housing market. The
:23:52. > :23:56.reason for the downturn in the private housing market is how
:23:56. > :24:03.difficult it is for first-time buyers to get a mortgage. They are
:24:03. > :24:06.required to put down a deposit of 25,000 -- 25%. People are a word
:24:06. > :24:10.about their own jobs and job security. Therefore the prospect of
:24:10. > :24:15.getting a mortgage at the moment is very low indeed. One of the
:24:15. > :24:19.problems we have got is that we do not have the levers of power
:24:19. > :24:23.devolved to Scotland to influence these matters because we would be
:24:23. > :24:28.much more proactive in dealing with this issue if we had the powers to
:24:28. > :24:31.do so. If as the Scottish Conservatives point out, when
:24:32. > :24:35.Scotland's economy was outperforming the UK, you claimed
:24:35. > :24:39.credit for that. But when it all goes wrong, you play in the UK
:24:39. > :24:43.Government. No, we have always said the problem has always been that
:24:43. > :24:49.economic levers have not been here and scholar. That is why we attach
:24:49. > :24:52.such a high priority to getting those levers, power of a taxation,
:24:52. > :24:57.power over all expenditure in Scotland and to have our own
:24:57. > :25:02.economic policy, because our number one priority would be jobs, jobs,
:25:02. > :25:08.jobs. The number one priority of the coalition Government in London
:25:08. > :25:11.is cuts, cuts, cuts. Thank you. Mr Rennie, your colleagues in London
:25:11. > :25:16.have their hands on the levers. What are they doing about it? You
:25:16. > :25:23.are criticising the SNP Government. Why can the UK Government do more
:25:23. > :25:30.to grow the economy and reduce the Conway -- unemployment. We also
:25:30. > :25:38.share Alec's claim on jobs. We need to get the deficit under control.
:25:38. > :25:43.If we are to follow Alex's advice and follow his plan, we won't have
:25:43. > :25:46.similar levels of borrowing to Labour. It would cost us more to
:25:46. > :25:52.borrow. That will slash capital spending. There is no answer to
:25:52. > :25:58.this, but the UK Government have the use contract which will create
:25:58. > :26:02.jobs and opportunities for young people. Also, Mr Salmond has a
:26:02. > :26:07.responsibility. He should be reversing the cuts to Scotland's
:26:07. > :26:10.colleges. At a time when we need to train people colleges, to make sure
:26:10. > :26:15.they are trained with the skills that are necessary for the jobs of
:26:15. > :26:20.the future, they are cutting up by �40 million. They have the money to
:26:20. > :26:26.reverse that Cup but they are reversed -- refusing to do that. He
:26:26. > :26:31.has to ensure his priority of jobs is maintained. We have seen a crumb
:26:31. > :26:39.of comfort by saying that Scotland's economy grew by 0.5%.
:26:39. > :26:42.Dear not give them some credit for that? I do not think anybody should
:26:42. > :26:46.question these figures. There needs to be a partnership between
:26:46. > :26:56.Scotland and the UK to make sure that we try and get out of this
:26:56. > :26:58.
:26:58. > :27:01.position, to try and say week are better than someone else, trying to
:27:01. > :27:08.make that the Government of boss north and south of the border are
:27:08. > :27:12.working to work -- hard for the whole of the UK. Mr Neil,
:27:12. > :27:17.challenging figures. Protect lead when it comes to youth unemployment.
:27:17. > :27:22.What are you doing about that? -- particularly when it comes to youth
:27:22. > :27:26.unemployment. That is why we are investing so heavily despite a cut
:27:26. > :27:33.in capital budget from London, we are finding enervate of ways of
:27:33. > :27:36.funding programmes. Over the next three years we have a �12 billion
:27:36. > :27:40.capital programme and we are investing as much of that into
:27:40. > :27:44.creating work - my new jobs for young people and for others as well.
:27:44. > :27:49.As you know we have a dedicated Minister for youth employment in
:27:49. > :27:54.Scotland and that is our number one priority. It is very difficult to
:27:54. > :27:59.do it when you have got a Government and London calling
:27:59. > :28:02.defeat from you with these cuts. Not to be overly cynical, you are
:28:02. > :28:07.braving the UK Government. The UK Government as saying they are being
:28:07. > :28:12.buffeted by outside circumstances like the eurozone crisis. Can
:28:12. > :28:15.politicians do that much to change the economy? Are we not in this
:28:15. > :28:20.globalised world and we have to ride this rough storm? I think
:28:20. > :28:28.other governments have shown what can be done. If you look at the
:28:28. > :28:32.Scandinavian countries. Their priority has been to create
:28:32. > :28:37.employment and create growth. The problem with the UK Government is
:28:37. > :28:40.that it is cutting the deficit. Nobody give -- disputes we have to
:28:40. > :28:44.cut the deficit. But they are cutting it in such a way they are
:28:44. > :28:50.adding to unemployment. Ironically they are adding to the deaths that
:28:50. > :28:52.because the latest figures show they are going to have a deficit of
:28:52. > :28:56.158 million against -- under and �50 billion higher than what they
:28:56. > :29:00.predicted because they are making so many people unemployed, having
:29:00. > :29:05.to claim benefit and all the rest of it. So the policy is just self-
:29:05. > :29:09.defeating. I will let you answer that point. Our politicians not
:29:09. > :29:14.powerless? I do not think so. I think there are things that
:29:14. > :29:17.politicians can do, working together. We can do those things
:29:17. > :29:22.like the �1 billion his contract that will make a difference. It
:29:22. > :29:27.will create opportunities for young people. But just a few months ago,
:29:27. > :29:31.Mr Salmond was bragging that his policy was performing miracles and
:29:31. > :29:35.Scotland. But now the figures are were asked. We need to work
:29:35. > :29:39.together. It is the international challenges that are huge.
:29:39. > :29:46.Politicians have to work within that context. It is challenging a
:29:46. > :29:56.working together we can do it. Thank you Mr Rennie. Mr Neil. Thank
:29:56. > :29:57.
:29:57. > :30:07.This issue dominated the debate at Prime Minister's Questions earlier
:30:07. > :30:10.
:30:10. > :30:15.He is wrong on the facts of long- term youth unemployment. It has a
:30:15. > :30:21.scanning effect on our young people who are desperate for work. That
:30:21. > :30:31.number has doubled in the last year. Can he can from this central fact
:30:31. > :30:32.
:30:32. > :30:36.that it is up by 102 % in the last If you look at the number of young
:30:36. > :30:40.people out of work for longer than 12 months it is starting to go down.
:30:40. > :30:46.It is not nearly enough and far more must be done but it is what
:30:46. > :30:51.our programme is all about. There is however context. We must keep
:30:51. > :30:55.interest rates down to keep unemployment down. In recent days
:30:55. > :30:59.we have been reminded what happens if you do not have a plan to get on
:30:59. > :31:05.top of your deficits and should debt and get the economy moving. He
:31:05. > :31:10.does not understand that. The Government are absolutely clear but
:31:10. > :31:16.the opposition have no idea. Last year he marched against the cuts
:31:16. > :31:21.and now see tells us he accepts them. And yet today he is telling
:31:21. > :31:31.us that he wants to spend and borrow or more. He is so
:31:31. > :31:38.
:31:38. > :31:48.incompetent he cannot even do a U- The house must cam down and contain
:31:48. > :31:56.He does not want to speak on the subject because he is embarrassed
:31:56. > :32:04.by his record but he always us to give us the facts as they are. --
:32:04. > :32:12.he owes it to us. Long-term unemployment is not going down. It
:32:12. > :32:22.is going up. He introduced his work programme with great fanfare. What
:32:22. > :32:23.
:32:23. > :32:30.happened to long-term youth I will give him the exact figures.
:32:30. > :32:37.Far too many youngsters are long- term unemployed. 246,004 over one
:32:37. > :32:42.year but that is down 11,000 on the last quarter. We want to do more
:32:42. > :32:47.but it is because of the work programme and the youth contract
:32:47. > :32:51.and the 400,000 apprenticeship schemes and the 250,000 people
:32:52. > :33:01.going into work experience - that is why we're making a difference.
:33:02. > :33:04.
:33:04. > :33:14.He should be constructive instead Here is what he should do. Change
:33:14. > :33:17.
:33:17. > :33:24.course. Yes! Why is unemployment rising? Because he is cutting too
:33:24. > :33:31.far and too fast. It is his record, however much she twists and turns,
:33:31. > :33:37.it is his record. That is why unemployment is going up. Women's
:33:37. > :33:44.unemployment is the highest since the last Conservative government.
:33:44. > :33:47.Likewise youth and -- unemployment. And overall unemployment. It is the
:33:48. > :33:52.truth. The defining characteristic of this Government is that it
:33:52. > :34:02.stands aside and does nothing as thousands of people signed
:34:02. > :34:04.
:34:04. > :34:11.He changes course every day full stops here is an expelled. His
:34:11. > :34:16.shadow chancellor set two days ago that the starting point is keeping
:34:16. > :34:22.all the cuts. Then there deputy leader said they are not accepting
:34:22. > :34:27.the Government's cuts and there were posted to them. He is a flip
:34:27. > :34:31.flopping. -- they were opposed to them. No wonder the founder of the
:34:31. > :34:35.Labour business for an said that at a time when the country needs
:34:35. > :34:40.strong political leadership the party offers nothing. They are
:34:40. > :34:50.pragmatic approach to wealth and Enterprise has gone and is at --
:34:50. > :35:00.
:35:00. > :35:10.there is a vision and leadership A what West balls are Eugene about
:35:10. > :35:15.
:35:15. > :35:19.the independence referendum today - We know that the Secretary of State
:35:19. > :35:24.Michael Moore will meet Alex Salmond a-week on Friday in
:35:24. > :35:30.Edinburgh. The sequence of events leading up to that features quite a
:35:30. > :35:34.lot of things going on. A lecture by the Advocate-General, normally
:35:34. > :35:39.that would be reserved for academics but it is taking place at
:35:39. > :35:44.Glasgow University this Friday and it will spell out the Government's
:35:44. > :35:49.legal opinion. I think you will find more people will attend that
:35:50. > :35:53.lecture than usual. The First Minister, Alex Salmond, will make a
:35:53. > :35:58.keynote address next Tuesday when he will speak about the election
:35:58. > :36:03.here in London and then be have the publication of the consultation
:36:04. > :36:09.paper, the Scottish Cup when's consultation paper. So lots going
:36:09. > :36:17.on on the constitution question. -- the Scottish Government's
:36:17. > :36:24.constitution paper. To discuss the constitutional developments I am
:36:24. > :36:30.joined by three Scottish MPs. Might we're of their SNP, Cathy Jamieson
:36:30. > :36:40.of labour, and David Mundell, the Scottish Office minister.
:36:40. > :36:45.Unemployment figures today show a further increase. This is grim.
:36:45. > :36:49.is disappointing for individuals and their families. It shows that
:36:49. > :36:54.it is just as important as ever for the Government to continue to focus
:36:54. > :37:01.on dealing with the deficit and to keep interest rates down.
:37:01. > :37:05.Businesses must be able to bore, mortgages must stay down. --
:37:05. > :37:12.businesses must be able to borrow. People want to see both governments,
:37:12. > :37:15.Scottish and UK, focusing on this issue. They may begin to wonder why
:37:15. > :37:25.we are spending so much time on the constitutional issue whilst this is
:37:25. > :37:33.
:37:33. > :37:43.a pressing issue. What would Labour do differently to the coalition.
:37:43. > :37:45.
:37:45. > :37:54.These figures are atrocious. These are real people. Labour has put
:37:54. > :38:00.forward a five. Plan. We want growth. We want business boosted.
:38:00. > :38:10.There can be much more could done. It is clear that the United Kingdom
:38:10. > :38:16.Government Cumnock creating the growth in its jobs.
:38:16. > :38:26.unemployment rate is -- in Scotland is higher than the UK. What should
:38:26. > :38:28.
:38:28. > :38:34.the SNP be doing that it is not doing? We're doing what we can with
:38:34. > :38:37.limited powers. The policy being pursued by the United Kingdom
:38:37. > :38:47.Government is having a very detrimental effect on the economy.
:38:47. > :38:49.
:38:49. > :38:59.We want to invest in infrastructure and create jobs. You cannot create
:38:59. > :39:01.
:39:01. > :39:06.jobs out of thin air. But the economy is growing. Just not at a
:39:06. > :39:14.sufficient rate. The slight growth is not an elegant but it is they're.
:39:14. > :39:17.We're doing everything we can to boost the economy. What is
:39:17. > :39:23.happening at the moment is the UK Government are taking money out of
:39:23. > :39:33.the economy and that is having a detrimental effect. When even Tesco
:39:33. > :39:34.
:39:34. > :39:44.begins to stumble they do something seriously wrong. Youth unemployment
:39:44. > :39:46.
:39:46. > :39:52.is a factor Lumley worrying. What can be done to target that?
:39:52. > :39:55.Government should not have scrapped the Future Jobs Fund. I am on
:39:55. > :39:59.record as welcoming what the Scottish Government began doing in
:39:59. > :40:04.appointing a minister to look specifically at that but we have
:40:04. > :40:08.not seen enough action. Look at the scheme Glasgow City Council
:40:08. > :40:13.introduced to focus on apprenticeships. To move for what
:40:13. > :40:18.are we must press on with this. But there are now an increasing number
:40:18. > :40:25.over the age of 50 who are seeking jobs. There are simply not enough
:40:25. > :40:35.jobs for them to apply for. That is the real worry at both ends of the
:40:35. > :40:35.
:40:35. > :40:39.spectrum. Problems getting young people into employment and those
:40:39. > :40:42.over 50. Is it simply that the economy cannot support the number
:40:42. > :40:46.of people looking for jobs are can the coalition government do
:40:46. > :40:56.something active to address this problem so we do not repeat this
:40:56. > :40:58.
:40:59. > :41:02.conversation in a few months' time? We want to address used
:41:02. > :41:08.unemployment which rose significantly under the last Labour
:41:08. > :41:12.government. -- youth unemployment. Everybody must get together and
:41:12. > :41:17.address why that has become an institutional part of the
:41:17. > :41:21.unemployment figures. That is why the Secretary of State is holding
:41:21. > :41:24.the national convention to bring together of the Scottish Government.
:41:24. > :41:29.All sorts of interest to see what we can do to tackle youth
:41:29. > :41:34.unemployment. That is in addition to the youth contract - a major
:41:34. > :41:44.investment by this Government to get people off the dole and into
:41:44. > :41:44.
:41:44. > :41:48.work. On the constitutional question, are we entering a hard
:41:48. > :41:58.negotiation stages between your government and the SNP
:41:58. > :41:58.
:41:58. > :42:03.administration? We want a dialogue and have been in discussion for
:42:03. > :42:07.months but suddenly a whole raft of information was forthcoming in
:42:07. > :42:10.relation to their views last week. We of course welcome that as well
:42:10. > :42:15.as the fact that a First Minister will meet with the Secretary of
:42:15. > :42:20.State. But given that the Scottish Government does not have the legal
:42:20. > :42:30.power to hold a referendum the best way forward is to work with the UK
:42:30. > :42:32.
:42:32. > :42:36.Government to ensue are a legal and fair and decisive referendum.
:42:36. > :42:46.is a rare occasion where the Labour Party will it sang from the same
:42:46. > :42:49.
:42:49. > :42:54.hymn sheet as the Conservatives. just want to sing from the same
:42:54. > :42:58.hymn sheet as the people of Scotland. As soon as we move on to
:42:58. > :43:03.discuss the serious issues, the huge impact on the Scottish economy,
:43:03. > :43:13.then we will move on to that agenda. I hope we can get at agreement and
:43:13. > :43:13.
:43:13. > :43:21.move on next week. Is it finally the time for talk instead of
:43:21. > :43:26.rhetoric? We have announced a perfectly reasonable date, we
:43:26. > :43:33.should move towards an agreement about getting at a referendum on
:43:33. > :43:38.that date. The Scottish people voted for the SNP with a manifesto
:43:38. > :43:48.commitment to hold this referendum. It is inappropriate for the London
:43:48. > :43:51.
:43:51. > :43:57.government to begin dictating terms. It is up to the Scottish people.
:43:57. > :44:07.Thank you very much. There you have it, an awful lot of talks in the
:44:07. > :44:09.
:44:09. > :44:19.We saw Ed Miliband at Prime Minister's Questions. He has faced
:44:19. > :44:20.
:44:20. > :44:24.criticism from all sides this last week. You cannot open a newspaper
:44:24. > :44:29.without seeing criticism of him and it is hard not to sympathise with
:44:29. > :44:33.him. He has been criticised by the unions, Labour colleagues, and it
:44:33. > :44:40.now appears that Ed balls may be waiting in the wings prepared to
:44:40. > :44:45.have a pop. Part of this comes down to the way in which she was elected.
:44:45. > :44:51.They elected the most acceptable candidate, but not the candidate
:44:51. > :44:55.which was most strongly liked by it the biggest supporters. I cannot
:44:55. > :45:00.help but compare this to the election of Iain Duncan Smith when
:45:00. > :45:06.he was Conservative Party leader for a short time. I wonder whether
:45:06. > :45:09.as a society we are not necessarily giving opposition leaders as much
:45:10. > :45:14.time as they need to make their mark on things and that as a whole
:45:14. > :45:24.we have a little bit too critical, too early, because leaders do not
:45:24. > :45:27.
:45:27. > :45:35.make the sort of difference their He needs a big victory of some kind
:45:35. > :45:40.over the UK Government. I think the chances are in Scotland Labour will
:45:40. > :45:44.go down. The SNP will make further gains. He needs something to lift
:45:44. > :45:48.him and his party up and I cannot see anything on their horizon that
:45:48. > :45:52.will do it. Thank you very much for that.
:45:52. > :45:55.Later this afternoon, MSPs will discuss whether Scots living
:45:55. > :45:59.outside Scotland should be given the vote in an independent
:45:59. > :46:05.Strafford and them. Labour's Elaine Murray will lead them members'
:46:05. > :46:09.debate. She joins me now from Holyrood. Explain what you'll be
:46:09. > :46:15.saying in your members' debate. This is a campaign that has been
:46:15. > :46:19.run by a young man from Dumfries. He will be working outside of
:46:19. > :46:22.Scotland for a period of time. He feels very strongly that he cares
:46:22. > :46:27.for his country and he would like to vote in the independence
:46:27. > :46:32.referendum. I believe there is an analogy in that expiate its can
:46:32. > :46:38.vote in UK elections and European elections as they have been
:46:38. > :46:42.registered to vote Britain in the previous 15 years. We should look
:46:42. > :46:47.at the possibility of extending the franchise to Scots who live outside
:46:47. > :46:50.of Scotland, because it is such an important vote and such a
:46:50. > :46:56.fundamental what are the future of our country. So Stuart Maxwell, to
:46:56. > :47:03.think there is a pike there. He is living in Scotland at the moment,
:47:03. > :47:07.he is 23. He is going to London for a job. He wants to vote for a
:47:07. > :47:12.referendum. Should he be able to vote? Of course. If he is resident
:47:12. > :47:16.here at the time of the referendum, he will be able to vote. There are
:47:17. > :47:23.a number of reasons why Nation and couldn't extend the franchise
:47:23. > :47:27.beyond residency in Scotland. That has been the standard international
:47:27. > :47:31.principle around the world. That what -- that is what has happened
:47:31. > :47:36.in the evolution. That is what happened and the Welsh referendum.
:47:36. > :47:39.There are practical difficulties. There are people around the world
:47:39. > :47:44.to we have to be identified, have to be registered, have to be
:47:44. > :47:51.checked to make sure there are able to vote. There is a huge practical
:47:51. > :47:59.difficulty. We will take it on the basis of principle and practicality.
:47:59. > :48:04.We will to the referendum based on residency. On that basis of
:48:04. > :48:11.practicalities, there are 100,000 Scots who should have the vote.
:48:11. > :48:16.Practically that is impossible. -- 800,000. There are 100 Scots to
:48:16. > :48:26.live outside of Scotland. They would not all qualify. -- 800,000
:48:26. > :48:26.
:48:26. > :48:30.Scots. They are the people have to register, you do not have to be
:48:30. > :48:34.identified. They go through a process which they prove they have
:48:34. > :48:38.lived in the UK. We could do something similar in Scotland.
:48:38. > :48:43.Stewart Maxwell, the practicalities sound as well -- as if we can
:48:43. > :48:47.overcome them. Mr Wallace says he wants to have a say in the
:48:47. > :48:50.constitutional future of his own country. Of course what Elaine is
:48:50. > :48:55.not saying is that she has talked to people who are resident outside
:48:55. > :48:58.of the UK. What all those people in England, Wales and Northern island,
:48:58. > :49:01.we do not know who they are or where they are. They are not
:49:01. > :49:05.registered because they are registered where they live at the
:49:05. > :49:11.moment. They would all have to be identified. There are huge
:49:11. > :49:18.practical difficulties. There is another 0.2 C, all the three main
:49:18. > :49:25.opposition parties they have demanded on a issue of 16 and 17
:49:25. > :49:31.euros, we stick to eligible criteria. -- 16 and 17 year-olds.
:49:31. > :49:37.This is about process. We have to get past this nonsense. It is about
:49:37. > :49:43.residency, if you live here and are committed here, you should have
:49:43. > :49:48.that bought. You might lose the referendum vote. I think we will
:49:48. > :49:53.win the referendum vote. MI its mind one way or the other. That is
:49:53. > :49:56.irrelevant to the issue. What is the international principle was at
:49:57. > :50:02.the practicalities. That says it should be about residency at the
:50:02. > :50:05.time of the referendum in Scotland. Elaine, if you think you can widen
:50:05. > :50:12.out the letter called register, is that because you think it will give
:50:12. > :50:16.you better chance to win no vote? No it is about principle. There
:50:16. > :50:21.remain many Scots work outside of Scotland for a period of time. I
:50:21. > :50:27.worked out how -- outside a skull and for 13 years. I continued to be
:50:27. > :50:30.Scholl and all that time. -- outside Scotland. This is not a
:50:30. > :50:34.Labour Party debate. I am introducing this issue for
:50:34. > :50:40.discussion because unlike the Scottish Government to discuss it
:50:40. > :50:44.with the UK Government. Thank you both for Mary -- very much for
:50:44. > :50:47.joining us. Scotland has manicures a head-in-
:50:47. > :50:52.the-sand attitude over the crumbling state of many of our
:50:52. > :50:58.buildings. -- has been accused of ahead in the stand attitude. Around
:50:58. > :51:00.50% of Scottish housing has some form of critical this repair.
:51:00. > :51:06.Holyrood's local Government committee heard calls this morning
:51:06. > :51:11.for a new system of building MOTs which would act as an early-warning
:51:11. > :51:16.system for property owners. significant problem exists here.
:51:16. > :51:20.Our routine behaviour amounts to denial. It is a Scottish problem
:51:20. > :51:28.and therefore a matter for this Parliament. In what sense is this a
:51:28. > :51:31.Scottish problem? Firstly because adequate shelter is a fundamental.
:51:31. > :51:41.Scotland's building SCOP is appalled and ageing. The older the
:51:41. > :51:45.
:51:45. > :51:55.building, the greater the risk. -- is old and ageing. The building MOT
:51:55. > :51:55.
:51:55. > :51:59.that we are talking about his a practice in other parts of Europe.
:51:59. > :52:04.It allows owners and other interested parties to know about
:52:05. > :52:10.the condition of buildings. A basic survey could highlight essential an
:52:10. > :52:17.advisory action. This could be linked to reliable contractors with
:52:17. > :52:22.the necessary skills. By streamlining the maintenance scheme,
:52:22. > :52:27.it can empower owners and purchasers. It could nudge people
:52:27. > :52:31.to become more responsive to what is happening to the roof over the
:52:31. > :52:34.head. If you have got a number of issues with your property where
:52:34. > :52:40.would you start? This would identify where you start and what
:52:40. > :52:45.are the most of autumn woods -- most important parts of repair or
:52:45. > :52:55.needed. It would also identified contract as you're able to
:52:55. > :53:03.
:53:03. > :53:09.undertake the work that is identified within the report. The
:53:09. > :53:13.report... Thi this is where it would rebuilding MOT could identify
:53:13. > :53:19.contractors who could undertake that kind of repair. If a scheme of
:53:19. > :53:25.this sort does that, that is very good. However, I do have some
:53:25. > :53:29.questions in my mind as to how viable it may be. It is very
:53:29. > :53:36.difficult to distinguish between a dangerous building and a building
:53:36. > :53:41.that is in need of maintenance. I think there is a big grey area
:53:41. > :53:45.there that needs a lot of definition. There is the public
:53:45. > :53:50.interest and the private interest and I think this is what the
:53:50. > :53:57.politicians to worker, I think it - - if we intrude too far into the
:53:57. > :54:04.private interest, it will not be popular. There will be resistance.
:54:04. > :54:08.As a country on the edge of the North our Atlantic, Scotland's
:54:08. > :54:11.location requires more proactive governance of housing maintenance
:54:11. > :54:21.than would have been the case in more warmer countries. Predictions
:54:21. > :54:21.
:54:21. > :54:27.by the European agencies to the impacts of climate change, suggest
:54:27. > :54:33.parts of Scotland could expect up to 40% more summer rainfall and
:54:33. > :54:37.increase in snow severity. This repair a lack of regular
:54:37. > :54:41.maintenance can become increasingly costly. The Scottish Government is
:54:41. > :54:47.concerned to increase the stock of new and affordable housing but we
:54:47. > :54:56.cannot build a cells after this gathering crisis. That was the
:54:56. > :55:02.local Government come -- committee. Hamish, we are talking about that
:55:02. > :55:06.memberss' debate there. It is interesting secede the whys and
:55:06. > :55:11.wherefores of why people want to register the -- extend the register.
:55:11. > :55:18.There is a chap who has brought this up from Dumfries. I admire his
:55:18. > :55:22.brass neck in bringing his forehead. It is just not going to work. --
:55:22. > :55:26.brought this foreword. As someone who works and lives here, I do not
:55:26. > :55:31.feel comfortable with the idea of people who live outside Scotland
:55:31. > :55:35.deciding the future of the country in which we live. It can be Shun
:55:35. > :55:41.Connery. It can be any of those people who express an interest and
:55:41. > :55:46.two are keen but do not love you. All credit to him but it is not
:55:46. > :55:51.going to work. The bigger independence issue is the
:55:51. > :55:54.Government's consultation next Wednesday and then we heard this
:55:54. > :55:59.afternoon alk -- Alex Salmond and Michael Moore will meet two days
:55:59. > :56:03.later on a Friday. If it is a big week in terms of the constitution.
:56:03. > :56:07.We have Burns Night, burn stay for the SNP's consultation and then two
:56:08. > :56:11.days we have the first round of docks. At this point then we have
:56:11. > :56:14.two consultations, one from the UK Government and one from the
:56:14. > :56:17.Scottish Government, was on the issue of the referendum. We have
:56:17. > :56:20.bother them coming up with different views and then
:56:20. > :56:24.negotiations start for the first time on Friday. At that point we
:56:24. > :56:28.then get into the rounds of who is going to concede what and that is
:56:28. > :56:33.when it gets interesting. In terms of who will concede what, what
:56:33. > :56:37.might be on the table and two might concede? If you remember about 10
:56:37. > :56:43.days ago, the UK Government for clear they wanted a referendum held
:56:43. > :56:48.sooner than later. They do not want to wait until 2014 for sit --.
:56:48. > :56:51.Officially they do not want. Now Alex Salmond says bottom 2014. The
:56:51. > :56:54.UK Government are shelving their objections and they will let Alex
:56:54. > :56:59.Salmond have a state. There are other things they are very keen not
:56:59. > :57:07.to concede on. They want to have a straight independence yes or no
:57:07. > :57:12.questions. Alex Salmond wants to have a couple of questions. That is
:57:12. > :57:17.one area I do not expect the UK Government to concede much ground.
:57:17. > :57:21.The involvement of the lead took commission, Alex Salmond did not
:57:21. > :57:27.want the little commission involved. Alex Salmond may move on that. Then
:57:27. > :57:37.we go to the issues of franchise, should serve -- 16 and 17 euros
:57:37. > :57:39.
:57:39. > :57:43.float? I would not expect anything to his son. -- 16 year-olds. There
:57:43. > :57:49.is a subtext here. Alex Salmond wanted to be negotiating with David
:57:49. > :57:53.Cameron. He loved the idea of David Cameron sweeping up to be it house
:57:53. > :57:58.as though he would be seen as an equal. The UK Government were not
:57:58. > :58:02.going to get cut up into that trap. They have insisted it is Michael
:58:02. > :58:07.Moore, as the secretary state of Scotland, to conduct the
:58:07. > :58:10.negotiations on their behalf. It is them who will be Alex Salmond. Much
:58:10. > :58:15.as Alex Salmond would like it to be the Prime Minister. Who might win
:58:15. > :58:20.in these discussions? Some will win some points is a will and others.
:58:20. > :58:24.The big question is who will win the referendum? No one knows that.
:58:24. > :58:27.Thank you for your company this afternoon.
:58:27. > :58:29.And that's all from us this week. Join us again next week when we'll
:58:29. > :58:30.have a special programme on the day the Scottish Government launches