18/01/2012 Politics Scotland

Welcome to politics Scotland. Coming up called bad news on the

jobs front. On employment in Scotland is up and higher than the

United Kingdom average. Plans are set out for controversial Ambulance

rest breaks. And after all the talk on the constitution and a

referendum today it is back to the Unemployment in Scotland increased

by 19,000 from September to November last year according to

official figures. Other figures show that the economy grew by 0.5 %.

I am joined by our business Correspondent and Our political

commentator, Hamish Macdonell. Yes, on an employment on the rise.

The total number of unemployed now sitting at 231,000. That equates to

about 8.6 % of the workforce. Slightly higher than in the United

Kingdom as a whole. Still beneath most regions of the UK However. The

UK unemployment figure rose, reaching 2.6 8 million. Youth

unemployment figures are of particular concern. The number of

16-year-old to 24 year-olds continues to rise. A new record of

something like 22% of those under And 80 I a warning following the

Yes, sales were up only slightly on last year but that is not much

progress because of the heavy snow which disrupted shoppers last year.

That said, the Scottish Government say that the figures do not take

into account the increasing trend of people buying presents over the

Internet. On the whole however, retailers are upset and

disappointed. Consumer confidence falling and shoppers being more

cautious with their money. Confidence falling in Scotland

faster than in the rest of the UK according to this report. And the

GDP figures are out. A mixed bag of -- a mixed picture. Following that

negative news the positive side is that the economy looks slightly

better than some had accepted -- expected. Remember that talk about

a double dip recession? Well as people were talking about that in

September the economy was actually growing by 0.5 %. The same rate as

the United Kingdom. An improvement on the spring when the growth was

always able 0.2 %. And the best economic performance since spring

2010. But there has been a warning from the Office of budget

responsibility saying that they expect negative growth for the last

quarter of 2011 in the United Kingdom. And then staying flat for

the first quarter of 2012. So we're And that quarter were was when the

Indeed. We have not seen the defaults that some fear it but

concerns about the Euro zone to continue to feed and to broader

concerns about the British and The health service will outline a

long-term solution to the issue of controversial Ambulance rest breaks.

One technician in Tomintoul did not attend an emergency when he was on

a break and the person subsequently died. Here is what people and

When some body's life is at stake a cup of tea can wait. If it is a

matter of life and death in you and there is a secondary matter. They

should be on call in time. The only way around it is to get more people

in their jobs so that breaks can be taken as and when they're needed.

Let's hear what I health secretary A radically different proposal will

be needed to reach a resolution. Ambulance staff insist this is not

about personal gain and cannot resolve the situation simply by

offering increased financial assistance. I was clear that higher

availability or activation payments would not be acceptable from the

public respect it either. So it was decided to Tom issue on its head.

Instead of paying existing staff to do more we explore ways of

increasing the resilience of the surface. The interim arrangements

where extended last week to allow for urgent talks on the possibility

of a long-term solution. I am pleased to announce that these

talks have reached agreement and a solution has been found for the

long term with new interim arrangements in place to support

implementation. The long-term solution is to move the ambulance

service towards a courtesy of an 0.5 an hour paid working week for

relative to -- for relevant staff. Staff will be required to attend

emergency calls throughout their shift period. Currently staff are

were rostered to be at work for 40 hours per week but paid for 37.5

Arabs and entitled to 2.5 an hour of rest periods. It is the

management of the rest periods which has proved increasingly

difficult over time. It has led to a situation where a critically ill

person may not be attended by the naevus to Crewe. That compromises

patient safety and is unfair to staff who can find themselves the

subject of public and media anger simply for taking advantage of the

actual terms of employment. Staff will now be rostered and paid for

37.5 Arabs per week. Rest breaks will be included in these awards. -

- 37.5 hours 37.5. This reduction, inclusive of brakes obviously

increases the capacity available to the ambulance service. Additional

investment in the sale of this will be required just as it would have

been to make the payments in the previous Orphir had the offer being

accepted. Resolving the issue in this way consumers additional

staffing and resilience. -- consumers. -- ensures. We will

assist in say of this change and performance management. The funding

will be available this financial year. We will support the

employment of an additional 150 frontline staff to support this

service redesign. It is an investment of 5 million crowns per

year supporting the for the development of critical Kaya. -- �5

million. -- critical care. In it of remote and have no also caught on

the investment will support community paramedics. -- remote and

rural Scotland. It will also allow for a review of the geographical

deployment of services. Work will begin immediately to support this

solution. Management and staff are committed to moving staff to be

fair to 7.5 an hour week quickly. But members will appreciate that a

change cannot be achieved overnight. To safeguard patient safety new

interim arrangements were introduced yesterday. Affected

staff will be eligible for a �150 per month agreement until they

moved to the new working Arabs at which point the payment will cease.

-- working careers. Staff will be required to attend all emergency

calls as allocated during their shift. It is important to stress

that the arrangements, both the long dark hair and interim

arrangements, still require the ambulance service to manage rest

breaks. The new arrangements will be monitored in partnership and I

will receive a regular progress reports. This agreement is within

the terms of the agenda for change but it recognises the unique

position of the Scottish Ambulance Service as an emergency service.

The Scottish Government has never recognised the distinction that

some have made it that the ambulance service is an essential

rather than an emergency service. It is recognised alongside the

police and fire services as an emergency service. It is subject to

the same working time regulations. The agreement that I have announced

However puts beyond any doubt the unique nature of the ambulance

service as an emergency service whilst also protecting the benefits

that the service and the staff derive from the agenda for change

as part of the wider NHS family. Both of these elements will be

fundamental to long-term success. I also wish to stress that the full

implementation of the long-term agreement means that no individual

staff member will gain financially when required to attend an

emergency call during a rest period. That is for the good. The rest

period have subjected staff to on- field public criticism and I

therefore welcome a resolution which clearly demonstrates what I

have always known and believed to be the case - the priority of

ambulance staff is the patients. Not personal gain. I have outlined

an agreement which assures me and more importantly allows me to

reassure the public that patient safety is paramount, the views of

the ambulance service workforce are respected, and the long-term

solution to the management of rest breaks within the service has been

found. I am happy now to answer any questions members might have.

get reaction from the GMB union. I am joined by harry Donaldson from

Edinburgh. We health the Health Secretary. Can I get a reaction?

welcome the statement. It is overdue. These have been lengthy

and complex negotiations. The range of the views presented by the

general public was unclear. But today's announcement of investment,

they commission of an emergency service, will go a long way to

satisfying the personnel. Given the level of community confidence and

we will not compromise patient care. So we welcome all around the

involvement and the tents of the Scottish Government and the work

put in by the trade union and their members to reach a resolution of

this longer run -- long-running dispute. These people are held in

high regard by the communities they serve but they have came in for a

If it will provide a delivery of service that the Scottish public

need and recognised. This was never about money for a trade union

members. This was about investment and a quality and delivery service.

The fact there is going to be investment and more jobs created

must give confidence to the general public. Is unfortunate that your

members were left in this position. The people who are criticising

these ambulance staff might not want to work during their paid

breaks. Is this an issue that maybe should have been sorted a long time

ago? It may be should have. But you know what happens in terms of media,

there can be misrepresentation of situations. In many can --

occasions an accident could be helping our side, these people were

often not on call. They have no knowledge of that so they could not

attend. There was a lot of unfair criticism. We have now clarified

that. There is now Investment, we welcome that. There are solutions

and from the comments made by the Minister herself, it would be clear

that this was not about money. It is not about cash. This was about a

better provision of service, rest breaks provided for people in a

difficult job and also not compromising patient care. You have

got that �5 million of investment to make sure their services

properly funded and staffed. How do you think you'll be able to get

your reputation back? I think the reputation will be back. In terms

of the Investment, the Scottish Government have heard the calls of

GMB union. Now that we have that, I feel the public will feel reassured.

Harry Donaldson from the GMB union. Thank you for joining me.

Let's speak to our political commentator Hamish Macdonell. This

was a difficult issue to sort out. Quite protracted. He really

unfortunate circumstances. What we have now is we have a deal. I think

all size will be hoping that at least now we should never ever see

this sort of tragedy that we have seen in the past. It will cover the

costs. Nicola Sturgeon has had to find �5 million, not as a one-off

but �5 million a year in perpetuity to keep the staffing levels up to

try and sort out these differences. So yes it has been unfortunate, yes

it has been something we should start, but it has won at a cost.

Les term by term main story tonight. The raft of economic figures we are

looking at. Unemployment stands - grim reading again this month.

you go back a couple of years and you listen to the rhetoric that the

SNP Government came out with, it was talking about how good it was

then that Scotland's unemployment rate was less than the UK. The

Scottish rate has overtaken the UK rate and now unemployment is worse

here than it is in the rest of the UK. Some of that is got to be down

to the size of the public sector in Scotland and the fact that we are

losing jobs and the public sector. It was maybe not the case a couple

of years ago and that is feeding through. It has to concerned

politicians of all colour. The UK Government is in a difficult

position when it comes to unemployment. What levers are

available for the different governments to try and help resolve

this problem? As most things, it comes down to money. It comes down

to how much money any Government is able to invest in any particular

sector of the economy. It is interesting given all the

discussions we have had of the last few weeks, everything is now seen

within that context. You will have seen today, some opposition

politicians have got business leaders on the side saying this

shows the economy is the most important thing. We must have a

referendum now, get it out of the way. We have the SNP single, The

shows why we have all the economic levers at our disposal to try and

tackle unemployment. This will carry on. We saw in the GDP figures

that Scotland's economy grew by zero per 5%. Some comfort are not?

It is not a great figure. It is more than a crumb of comfort. Look

at the context of economies flat lining and going nowhere. You have

got the Scottish economy going up by a small amount. If you look into

the figures, you will find that the Scottish economy is much more

heavily reliant on manufacturing and on exports than their UK. Those

have been growing and the construction growing -- sector have

been growing. All sectors that will Alkerton help the rest. So there is

more than a crumb of comfort here if they can keep this going.

Another sister stepped David Henderson had was the December

Sales. -- another statistic. There was a point that David was making

that we will hear more. That is this case of internet shopping

faces high street shopping. It is difficult to pin down a someone is

buying up on the internet exactly where they are buying it from. It

might be from one of the major internet dealers. Since 1990 --

1999 to the present-day, internet shopping has gone up. It makes the

picture more confusing than it has been in the past. Maybe December

1999 is not a good comparison. It is difficult to compare like with

like. Then you look and see what has happened over the last few

months. Alex Salmond was their opening Amazon's new depot in the

middle of Scotland. So the jobs are there. They need -- may not be

retell jobs in the High Street, they are into their jobs. They do

not necessarily get factored into the high street figures. As a

society we are more of a consumer society than we were in 1999 with a

lot of our economy predicated on shopping and consumer spending.

you look back over the last few years, because of the austerity

measures coming from the UK Government and the Scottish

Government, consumers are much more likely to tighten their belts are

not spend much more -- as much and credit cards as they did in the

past. Some will say that is a good thing because we are moving from

one that it -- and Nation that is built on debt to one that is not.

With one statistic you might get another one which shows things are

not as bad as the perhaps the figures make out. Finally, I was

hearing this morning the luxury goods were up. Sales of champagne

were up. If you ask any economist they will see in any time of

recession, the things that do well are things at the top end of the

market and those at the end of the market. Those in the middle get

squeezed. Those who have money will continue to spend. Thank you very

much for now. You are watching A macro from the

BBC. Still to come: Under pressure on unemployment, the Prime Minister

says the Government is doing all it can to tackle those rising

unemployment figures. Let's pick up on some of those

economy figures. We have been discussing. We are joined by some

MPs. Mr Neil, the Cabinet secretary for

infrastructure. Not very good reading for you today looking at

those unemployment figures. things, we are doing better than

many other countries. Secondly, the work that the Scottish Government

has done in the capital investment programme we have in place, has

meant the figures are far better than the other at Wise would have

been. The reality is that the policy being pursued by London. The

main levers of power, economic power still reside in London. The

disastrous for the whole of the United Kingdom and like many others

we have been saying it is high time the coalition governments change

course. To pick up on your capital investment we, we have been

discussing the rise in GDP by just 0.5%. Apparently construction shack

by a 1.2%. How does that fit in with the rise in capital spending?

The reason for our there downturn in private housing market. The

reason for the downturn in the private housing market is how

difficult it is for first-time buyers to get a mortgage. They are

required to put down a deposit of 25,000 -- 25%. People are a word

about their own jobs and job security. Therefore the prospect of

getting a mortgage at the moment is very low indeed. One of the

problems we have got is that we do not have the levers of power

devolved to Scotland to influence these matters because we would be

much more proactive in dealing with this issue if we had the powers to

do so. If as the Scottish Conservatives point out, when

Scotland's economy was outperforming the UK, you claimed

credit for that. But when it all goes wrong, you play in the UK

Government. No, we have always said the problem has always been that

economic levers have not been here and scholar. That is why we attach

such a high priority to getting those levers, power of a taxation,

power over all expenditure in Scotland and to have our own

economic policy, because our number one priority would be jobs, jobs,

jobs. The number one priority of the coalition Government in London

is cuts, cuts, cuts. Thank you. Mr Rennie, your colleagues in London

have their hands on the levers. What are they doing about it? You

are criticising the SNP Government. Why can the UK Government do more

to grow the economy and reduce the Conway -- unemployment. We also

share Alec's claim on jobs. We need to get the deficit under control.

If we are to follow Alex's advice and follow his plan, we won't have

similar levels of borrowing to Labour. It would cost us more to

borrow. That will slash capital spending. There is no answer to

this, but the UK Government have the use contract which will create

jobs and opportunities for young people. Also, Mr Salmond has a

responsibility. He should be reversing the cuts to Scotland's

colleges. At a time when we need to train people colleges, to make sure

they are trained with the skills that are necessary for the jobs of

the future, they are cutting up by �40 million. They have the money to

reverse that Cup but they are reversed -- refusing to do that. He

has to ensure his priority of jobs is maintained. We have seen a crumb

of comfort by saying that Scotland's economy grew by 0.5%.

Dear not give them some credit for that? I do not think anybody should

question these figures. There needs to be a partnership between

Scotland and the UK to make sure that we try and get out of this

position, to try and say week are better than someone else, trying to

make that the Government of boss north and south of the border are

working to work -- hard for the whole of the UK. Mr Neil,

challenging figures. Protect lead when it comes to youth unemployment.

What are you doing about that? -- particularly when it comes to youth

unemployment. That is why we are investing so heavily despite a cut

in capital budget from London, we are finding enervate of ways of

funding programmes. Over the next three years we have a �12 billion

capital programme and we are investing as much of that into

creating work - my new jobs for young people and for others as well.

As you know we have a dedicated Minister for youth employment in

Scotland and that is our number one priority. It is very difficult to

do it when you have got a Government and London calling

defeat from you with these cuts. Not to be overly cynical, you are

braving the UK Government. The UK Government as saying they are being

buffeted by outside circumstances like the eurozone crisis. Can

politicians do that much to change the economy? Are we not in this

globalised world and we have to ride this rough storm? I think

other governments have shown what can be done. If you look at the

Scandinavian countries. Their priority has been to create

employment and create growth. The problem with the UK Government is

that it is cutting the deficit. Nobody give -- disputes we have to

cut the deficit. But they are cutting it in such a way they are

adding to unemployment. Ironically they are adding to the deaths that

because the latest figures show they are going to have a deficit of

158 million against -- under and �50 billion higher than what they

predicted because they are making so many people unemployed, having

to claim benefit and all the rest of it. So the policy is just self-

defeating. I will let you answer that point. Our politicians not

powerless? I do not think so. I think there are things that

politicians can do, working together. We can do those things

like the �1 billion his contract that will make a difference. It

will create opportunities for young people. But just a few months ago,

Mr Salmond was bragging that his policy was performing miracles and

Scotland. But now the figures are were asked. We need to work

together. It is the international challenges that are huge.

Politicians have to work within that context. It is challenging a

working together we can do it. Thank you Mr Rennie. Mr Neil. Thank

This issue dominated the debate at Prime Minister's Questions earlier

He is wrong on the facts of long- term youth unemployment. It has a

scanning effect on our young people who are desperate for work. That

number has doubled in the last year. Can he can from this central fact

that it is up by 102 % in the last If you look at the number of young

people out of work for longer than 12 months it is starting to go down.

It is not nearly enough and far more must be done but it is what

our programme is all about. There is however context. We must keep

interest rates down to keep unemployment down. In recent days

we have been reminded what happens if you do not have a plan to get on

top of your deficits and should debt and get the economy moving. He

does not understand that. The Government are absolutely clear but

the opposition have no idea. Last year he marched against the cuts

and now see tells us he accepts them. And yet today he is telling

us that he wants to spend and borrow or more. He is so

incompetent he cannot even do a U- The house must cam down and contain

He does not want to speak on the subject because he is embarrassed

by his record but he always us to give us the facts as they are. --

he owes it to us. Long-term unemployment is not going down. It

is going up. He introduced his work programme with great fanfare. What

happened to long-term youth I will give him the exact figures.

Far too many youngsters are long- term unemployed. 246,004 over one

year but that is down 11,000 on the last quarter. We want to do more

but it is because of the work programme and the youth contract

and the 400,000 apprenticeship schemes and the 250,000 people

going into work experience - that is why we're making a difference.

He should be constructive instead Here is what he should do. Change

course. Yes! Why is unemployment rising? Because he is cutting too

far and too fast. It is his record, however much she twists and turns,

it is his record. That is why unemployment is going up. Women's

unemployment is the highest since the last Conservative government.

Likewise youth and -- unemployment. And overall unemployment. It is the

truth. The defining characteristic of this Government is that it

stands aside and does nothing as thousands of people signed

He changes course every day full stops here is an expelled. His

shadow chancellor set two days ago that the starting point is keeping

all the cuts. Then there deputy leader said they are not accepting

the Government's cuts and there were posted to them. He is a flip

flopping. -- they were opposed to them. No wonder the founder of the

Labour business for an said that at a time when the country needs

strong political leadership the party offers nothing. They are

pragmatic approach to wealth and Enterprise has gone and is at --

there is a vision and leadership A what West balls are Eugene about

the independence referendum today - We know that the Secretary of State

Michael Moore will meet Alex Salmond a-week on Friday in

Edinburgh. The sequence of events leading up to that features quite a

lot of things going on. A lecture by the Advocate-General, normally

that would be reserved for academics but it is taking place at

Glasgow University this Friday and it will spell out the Government's

legal opinion. I think you will find more people will attend that

lecture than usual. The First Minister, Alex Salmond, will make a

keynote address next Tuesday when he will speak about the election

here in London and then be have the publication of the consultation

paper, the Scottish Cup when's consultation paper. So lots going

on on the constitution question. -- the Scottish Government's

constitution paper. To discuss the constitutional developments I am

joined by three Scottish MPs. Might we're of their SNP, Cathy Jamieson

of labour, and David Mundell, the Scottish Office minister.

Unemployment figures today show a further increase. This is grim.

is disappointing for individuals and their families. It shows that

it is just as important as ever for the Government to continue to focus

on dealing with the deficit and to keep interest rates down.

Businesses must be able to bore, mortgages must stay down. --

businesses must be able to borrow. People want to see both governments,

Scottish and UK, focusing on this issue. They may begin to wonder why

we are spending so much time on the constitutional issue whilst this is

a pressing issue. What would Labour do differently to the coalition.

These figures are atrocious. These are real people. Labour has put

forward a five. Plan. We want growth. We want business boosted.

There can be much more could done. It is clear that the United Kingdom

Government Cumnock creating the growth in its jobs.

unemployment rate is -- in Scotland is higher than the UK. What should

the SNP be doing that it is not doing? We're doing what we can with

limited powers. The policy being pursued by the United Kingdom

Government is having a very detrimental effect on the economy.

We want to invest in infrastructure and create jobs. You cannot create

jobs out of thin air. But the economy is growing. Just not at a

sufficient rate. The slight growth is not an elegant but it is they're.

We're doing everything we can to boost the economy. What is

happening at the moment is the UK Government are taking money out of

the economy and that is having a detrimental effect. When even Tesco

begins to stumble they do something seriously wrong. Youth unemployment

is a factor Lumley worrying. What can be done to target that?

Government should not have scrapped the Future Jobs Fund. I am on

record as welcoming what the Scottish Government began doing in

appointing a minister to look specifically at that but we have

not seen enough action. Look at the scheme Glasgow City Council

introduced to focus on apprenticeships. To move for what

are we must press on with this. But there are now an increasing number

over the age of 50 who are seeking jobs. There are simply not enough

jobs for them to apply for. That is the real worry at both ends of the

spectrum. Problems getting young people into employment and those

over 50. Is it simply that the economy cannot support the number

of people looking for jobs are can the coalition government do

something active to address this problem so we do not repeat this

conversation in a few months' time? We want to address used

unemployment which rose significantly under the last Labour

government. -- youth unemployment. Everybody must get together and

address why that has become an institutional part of the

unemployment figures. That is why the Secretary of State is holding

the national convention to bring together of the Scottish Government.

All sorts of interest to see what we can do to tackle youth

unemployment. That is in addition to the youth contract - a major

investment by this Government to get people off the dole and into

work. On the constitutional question, are we entering a hard

negotiation stages between your government and the SNP

administration? We want a dialogue and have been in discussion for

months but suddenly a whole raft of information was forthcoming in

relation to their views last week. We of course welcome that as well

as the fact that a First Minister will meet with the Secretary of

State. But given that the Scottish Government does not have the legal

power to hold a referendum the best way forward is to work with the UK

Government to ensue are a legal and fair and decisive referendum.

is a rare occasion where the Labour Party will it sang from the same

hymn sheet as the Conservatives. just want to sing from the same

hymn sheet as the people of Scotland. As soon as we move on to

discuss the serious issues, the huge impact on the Scottish economy,

then we will move on to that agenda. I hope we can get at agreement and

move on next week. Is it finally the time for talk instead of

rhetoric? We have announced a perfectly reasonable date, we

should move towards an agreement about getting at a referendum on

that date. The Scottish people voted for the SNP with a manifesto

commitment to hold this referendum. It is inappropriate for the London

government to begin dictating terms. It is up to the Scottish people.

Thank you very much. There you have it, an awful lot of talks in the

We saw Ed Miliband at Prime Minister's Questions. He has faced

criticism from all sides this last week. You cannot open a newspaper

without seeing criticism of him and it is hard not to sympathise with

him. He has been criticised by the unions, Labour colleagues, and it

now appears that Ed balls may be waiting in the wings prepared to

have a pop. Part of this comes down to the way in which she was elected.

They elected the most acceptable candidate, but not the candidate

which was most strongly liked by it the biggest supporters. I cannot

help but compare this to the election of Iain Duncan Smith when

he was Conservative Party leader for a short time. I wonder whether

as a society we are not necessarily giving opposition leaders as much

time as they need to make their mark on things and that as a whole

we have a little bit too critical, too early, because leaders do not

make the sort of difference their He needs a big victory of some kind

over the UK Government. I think the chances are in Scotland Labour will

go down. The SNP will make further gains. He needs something to lift

him and his party up and I cannot see anything on their horizon that

will do it. Thank you very much for that.

Later this afternoon, MSPs will discuss whether Scots living

outside Scotland should be given the vote in an independent

Strafford and them. Labour's Elaine Murray will lead them members'

debate. She joins me now from Holyrood. Explain what you'll be

saying in your members' debate. This is a campaign that has been

run by a young man from Dumfries. He will be working outside of

Scotland for a period of time. He feels very strongly that he cares

for his country and he would like to vote in the independence

referendum. I believe there is an analogy in that expiate its can

vote in UK elections and European elections as they have been

registered to vote Britain in the previous 15 years. We should look

at the possibility of extending the franchise to Scots who live outside

of Scotland, because it is such an important vote and such a

fundamental what are the future of our country. So Stuart Maxwell, to

think there is a pike there. He is living in Scotland at the moment,

he is 23. He is going to London for a job. He wants to vote for a

referendum. Should he be able to vote? Of course. If he is resident

here at the time of the referendum, he will be able to vote. There are

a number of reasons why Nation and couldn't extend the franchise

beyond residency in Scotland. That has been the standard international

principle around the world. That what -- that is what has happened

in the evolution. That is what happened and the Welsh referendum.

There are practical difficulties. There are people around the world

to we have to be identified, have to be registered, have to be

checked to make sure there are able to vote. There is a huge practical

difficulty. We will take it on the basis of principle and practicality.

We will to the referendum based on residency. On that basis of

practicalities, there are 100,000 Scots who should have the vote.

Practically that is impossible. -- 800,000. There are 100 Scots to

live outside of Scotland. They would not all qualify. -- 800,000

Scots. They are the people have to register, you do not have to be

identified. They go through a process which they prove they have

lived in the UK. We could do something similar in Scotland.

Stewart Maxwell, the practicalities sound as well -- as if we can

overcome them. Mr Wallace says he wants to have a say in the

constitutional future of his own country. Of course what Elaine is

not saying is that she has talked to people who are resident outside

of the UK. What all those people in England, Wales and Northern island,

we do not know who they are or where they are. They are not

registered because they are registered where they live at the

moment. They would all have to be identified. There are huge

practical difficulties. There is another 0.2 C, all the three main

opposition parties they have demanded on a issue of 16 and 17

euros, we stick to eligible criteria. -- 16 and 17 year-olds.

This is about process. We have to get past this nonsense. It is about

residency, if you live here and are committed here, you should have

that bought. You might lose the referendum vote. I think we will

win the referendum vote. MI its mind one way or the other. That is

irrelevant to the issue. What is the international principle was at

the practicalities. That says it should be about residency at the

time of the referendum in Scotland. Elaine, if you think you can widen

out the letter called register, is that because you think it will give

you better chance to win no vote? No it is about principle. There

remain many Scots work outside of Scotland for a period of time. I

worked out how -- outside a skull and for 13 years. I continued to be

Scholl and all that time. -- outside Scotland. This is not a

Labour Party debate. I am introducing this issue for

discussion because unlike the Scottish Government to discuss it

with the UK Government. Thank you both for Mary -- very much for

joining us. Scotland has manicures a head-in-

the-sand attitude over the crumbling state of many of our

buildings. -- has been accused of ahead in the stand attitude. Around

50% of Scottish housing has some form of critical this repair.

Holyrood's local Government committee heard calls this morning

for a new system of building MOTs which would act as an early-warning

system for property owners. significant problem exists here.

Our routine behaviour amounts to denial. It is a Scottish problem

and therefore a matter for this Parliament. In what sense is this a

Scottish problem? Firstly because adequate shelter is a fundamental.

Scotland's building SCOP is appalled and ageing. The older the

building, the greater the risk. -- is old and ageing. The building MOT

that we are talking about his a practice in other parts of Europe.

It allows owners and other interested parties to know about

the condition of buildings. A basic survey could highlight essential an

advisory action. This could be linked to reliable contractors with

the necessary skills. By streamlining the maintenance scheme,

it can empower owners and purchasers. It could nudge people

to become more responsive to what is happening to the roof over the

head. If you have got a number of issues with your property where

would you start? This would identify where you start and what

are the most of autumn woods -- most important parts of repair or

needed. It would also identified contract as you're able to

undertake the work that is identified within the report. The

report... Thi this is where it would rebuilding MOT could identify

contractors who could undertake that kind of repair. If a scheme of

this sort does that, that is very good. However, I do have some

questions in my mind as to how viable it may be. It is very

difficult to distinguish between a dangerous building and a building

that is in need of maintenance. I think there is a big grey area

there that needs a lot of definition. There is the public

interest and the private interest and I think this is what the

politicians to worker, I think it - - if we intrude too far into the

private interest, it will not be popular. There will be resistance.

As a country on the edge of the North our Atlantic, Scotland's

location requires more proactive governance of housing maintenance

than would have been the case in more warmer countries. Predictions

by the European agencies to the impacts of climate change, suggest

parts of Scotland could expect up to 40% more summer rainfall and

increase in snow severity. This repair a lack of regular

maintenance can become increasingly costly. The Scottish Government is

concerned to increase the stock of new and affordable housing but we

cannot build a cells after this gathering crisis. That was the

local Government come -- committee. Hamish, we are talking about that

memberss' debate there. It is interesting secede the whys and

wherefores of why people want to register the -- extend the register.

There is a chap who has brought this up from Dumfries. I admire his

brass neck in bringing his forehead. It is just not going to work. --

brought this foreword. As someone who works and lives here, I do not

feel comfortable with the idea of people who live outside Scotland

deciding the future of the country in which we live. It can be Shun

Connery. It can be any of those people who express an interest and

two are keen but do not love you. All credit to him but it is not

going to work. The bigger independence issue is the

Government's consultation next Wednesday and then we heard this

afternoon alk -- Alex Salmond and Michael Moore will meet two days

later on a Friday. If it is a big week in terms of the constitution.

We have Burns Night, burn stay for the SNP's consultation and then two

days we have the first round of docks. At this point then we have

two consultations, one from the UK Government and one from the

Scottish Government, was on the issue of the referendum. We have

bother them coming up with different views and then

negotiations start for the first time on Friday. At that point we

then get into the rounds of who is going to concede what and that is

when it gets interesting. In terms of who will concede what, what

might be on the table and two might concede? If you remember about 10

days ago, the UK Government for clear they wanted a referendum held

sooner than later. They do not want to wait until 2014 for sit --.

Officially they do not want. Now Alex Salmond says bottom 2014. The

UK Government are shelving their objections and they will let Alex

Salmond have a state. There are other things they are very keen not

to concede on. They want to have a straight independence yes or no

questions. Alex Salmond wants to have a couple of questions. That is

one area I do not expect the UK Government to concede much ground.

The involvement of the lead took commission, Alex Salmond did not

want the little commission involved. Alex Salmond may move on that. Then

we go to the issues of franchise, should serve -- 16 and 17 euros

float? I would not expect anything to his son. -- 16 year-olds. There

is a subtext here. Alex Salmond wanted to be negotiating with David

Cameron. He loved the idea of David Cameron sweeping up to be it house

as though he would be seen as an equal. The UK Government were not

going to get cut up into that trap. They have insisted it is Michael

Moore, as the secretary state of Scotland, to conduct the

negotiations on their behalf. It is them who will be Alex Salmond. Much

as Alex Salmond would like it to be the Prime Minister. Who might win

in these discussions? Some will win some points is a will and others.

The big question is who will win the referendum? No one knows that.

Thank you for your company this afternoon.

And that's all from us this week. Join us again next week when we'll

have a special programme on the day the Scottish Government launches