Browse content similar to 19/04/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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A warm welcome from the Scottish Parliament here at Holyrood were | :00:24. | :00:30. | |
MSPs have been discussing the provision of bus services. There is | :00:30. | :00:34. | |
more than a note in their tour is a local council elections. There are | :00:34. | :00:39. | |
few more noughts in that direction. We will turn to first Minister's | :00:39. | :00:46. | |
questions in a few moments. All worked to my colleague. We are very | :00:46. | :00:51. | |
much on election fitting here in the first Minister's questions. | :00:51. | :00:55. | |
Since the Easter recess, the local elections are being seen as an | :00:55. | :01:04. | |
indication of how the parties are doing. As well as determining who | :01:04. | :01:10. | |
will be running Scottish councils. But it -- the chamber has been so | :01:10. | :01:15. | |
for the first time since the recess period. Everyone is waiting to see | :01:15. | :01:19. | |
how things stand and what questions they are upon us of the First | :01:19. | :01:29. | |
:01:29. | :01:30. | ||
Minister will put to him. Let us listen to the introduction. We now | :01:30. | :01:37. | |
move to first Minister's questions. Johann Lamont. What engagements has | :01:37. | :01:42. | |
the First Minister plan for the rest of the day? I will be speaking | :01:42. | :01:47. | |
with Pat Watters, the president of COSLA to discuss the very important | :01:47. | :01:52. | |
joint announcement that is being made today on the UK Government's | :01:52. | :01:57. | |
misguided plans to abolish the existing council tax benefit and | :01:57. | :02:03. | |
cut their budget by 10 %. The council tax benefits are being | :02:03. | :02:06. | |
devolved to Scotland and English local authorities but the centre -- | :02:06. | :02:12. | |
senate tale is a 10 % cut in the budget. Half-a-million Scots | :02:12. | :02:17. | |
benefit from this benefit. The Scottish government and COSLA will | :02:17. | :02:21. | |
jointly be funding a 40 million shortfall which means there will be | :02:21. | :02:29. | |
no cuts of council tax benefits in Scotland or the next year. With the | :02:29. | :02:35. | |
new councils, when the Universal Credit is announced in its 2014 | :02:35. | :02:39. | |
minus 15, we will make sure we continue protection of some is the | :02:40. | :02:46. | |
lowest income Scots in their future. I am sure the whole chamber will | :02:46. | :02:54. | |
welcome this. Johann Lamont. March, 2011, before the Scottish | :02:54. | :02:58. | |
Parliament election, the First Minister announced that he was | :02:58. | :03:04. | |
going to end vast �170 million in a new research facility end of the | :03:04. | :03:09. | |
Renfrew, as well as their new facility elsewhere in Scotland. He | :03:09. | :03:13. | |
suggested a new factor was going to Dundee as well. That was welcome | :03:13. | :03:19. | |
news for the Scottish economy. Since then, the word is that Doosan | :03:19. | :03:28. | |
Power Systems, where a valuable player end of the Scottish economy | :03:28. | :03:33. | |
but now it has been reported that the First Minister was told in this | :03:33. | :03:38. | |
that the company were scrapping the planned investment. The First | :03:38. | :03:41. | |
Minister announced they were coming, when was he going to tell us they | :03:41. | :03:50. | |
were not? I am sure Johann Lamont did not mean to welcome the | :03:50. | :03:56. | |
important news on council tax benefits. -- Dick mean. I am sure | :03:56. | :04:00. | |
she bit like to welcome the better news on the Scottish economy but | :04:00. | :04:05. | |
she did not listen to John Swinney's interview very well. The | :04:05. | :04:11. | |
interview discussed their Doosan Power Systems announcement. This | :04:11. | :04:16. | |
was a decision made last December. I have the text of the interview | :04:16. | :04:23. | |
here, I am not certain if she listen to the interview. The reason | :04:23. | :04:26. | |
we are supporting Doosan Power Systems areas they employed 1,300 | :04:26. | :04:33. | |
people in Scotland. The research and development on their worldwide | :04:33. | :04:37. | |
Skills Centre for boiler making his continuing that investment. We also | :04:37. | :04:41. | |
expect them to make more investments in Scotland in the | :04:41. | :04:45. | |
future. John Swinney was not just talking about the decision on | :04:45. | :04:50. | |
offshore wind last Sunday, he was talking about the hopes and | :04:51. | :04:53. | |
believes that Doosan Power Systems will continue to be an important | :04:53. | :04:57. | |
investor in the Scottish economy. This is why he is meeting them in | :04:57. | :05:03. | |
South Korea today. The fact is the First Minister and now is this | :05:03. | :05:08. | |
project, he said it was a great stride forward, why did he not tell | :05:08. | :05:12. | |
us about the strike back words? It has been reported the Scottish | :05:12. | :05:16. | |
government wanted the news suppressed until after the local | :05:16. | :05:21. | |
council elections. A Scottish government spokesman in the same | :05:21. | :05:25. | |
article denies this, and is reported to have said that the | :05:25. | :05:30. | |
Scottish government wanted the statement out earlier. The First | :05:30. | :05:33. | |
Minister's own budget killed reports about the planned | :05:33. | :05:40. | |
investment but he ate, on a eight the Freddie when this document was | :05:40. | :05:46. | |
debated N S chamber, the new information was not provided. -- | :05:46. | :05:53. | |
eight February. Why did he not make that's payment. This and power | :05:53. | :05:58. | |
systems let the story out at a trade fair in December, surely | :05:58. | :06:06. | |
Scotland deserve to hear that before the Danish people debt? Just | :06:06. | :06:08. | |
explain international investment and relationships with companies. | :06:08. | :06:17. | |
You do not make announcements for them. If they wish to make an | :06:17. | :06:27. | |
:06:27. | :06:27. | ||
announcement... LAUGHTER. Order, order. If Doosan Power Systems wish | :06:27. | :06:32. | |
to make an announcement, they have the right to do that. The | :06:33. | :06:37. | |
announcement that they made and the information was available. That is | :06:37. | :06:40. | |
why John Swinney was discussing it with Douglas Fraser on the radio | :06:40. | :06:45. | |
last Sunday. Johann Lamont could not have listened to the radio | :06:45. | :06:50. | |
interview that she was quoting. What has happened since the company | :06:50. | :06:54. | |
made their decision last December? We have had announcements from | :06:54. | :07:03. | |
Samsung of 500 jobs to make Methil as centre of investment. We have | :07:03. | :07:09. | |
announcements from another job for 700 jobs in Leith. We have | :07:09. | :07:15. | |
substantial expectations in Dundee for this offshore industry. Many | :07:15. | :07:19. | |
companies are investing in offshore winds and many of these companies | :07:19. | :07:24. | |
are investing in Scotland. One thing is sure - as that succession | :07:24. | :07:29. | |
as Ms is made and thousands of jobs will be brought to the economy, | :07:30. | :07:39. | |
:07:40. | :07:40. | ||
Johann Lamont will not welcome a single one of them. He APPLIES. | :07:40. | :07:46. | |
APPLAUSE. I begin to get how this works, Dyfed is in years, the First | :07:46. | :07:51. | |
Minister announces it, get it is back he is, it is not the business | :07:51. | :07:55. | |
of the government to make announcements on behalf of | :07:55. | :07:59. | |
companies. It would be entirely inappropriate for us to take | :07:59. | :08:05. | |
responsibility. Regardless of the other investment announcements, | :08:05. | :08:08. | |
this is a hugely significant decision for the company. We must | :08:08. | :08:12. | |
have concerns about it given them legation for jobs and our | :08:12. | :08:17. | |
commitment to each climate change targets. We debated in a budget | :08:17. | :08:23. | |
which reports on the news of this investment in January and February, | :08:23. | :08:28. | |
and the Finance Secretary does not mention it. Then we are told he | :08:28. | :08:32. | |
mentions it in a politics debate on a television programme months later. | :08:32. | :08:39. | |
The fact is, he and his ministers knew at the end of last year about | :08:39. | :08:45. | |
is very significant announcement. Why did he and his ministers and | :08:45. | :08:48. | |
AMs peas, and his press office, keep on talking as if there was | :08:48. | :08:57. | |
coming. -- and his MSPs. I think we all know what impression the First | :08:57. | :09:03. | |
Minister wanted to create. Why did he allow his colleagues and his | :09:03. | :09:07. | |
press office to keep on giving the impression that this project was | :09:07. | :09:17. | |
coming to Scotland when he knew it was not? I think the law is, if it | :09:17. | :09:22. | |
is good news Johann Lamont will not welcome met and if it is bad, the | :09:22. | :09:29. | |
Labour party will want to revel in it. APPLAUSE. The reason we have a | :09:29. | :09:32. | |
good relationship with Ditton Priors system is because they are | :09:32. | :09:36. | |
good employer in Scotland and we expect them to make further | :09:36. | :09:46. | |
:09:46. | :09:49. | ||
investment in Scotland. -- Doosan Power Systems. Doosan Power Systems | :09:49. | :09:53. | |
and an important investor in the economy but not every major company | :09:53. | :09:58. | |
is going to go into the offshore wind company market. Many combine | :09:59. | :10:02. | |
with Scottish companies around the coastline of Scotland, that is news | :10:03. | :10:07. | |
we should welcome. Since December when the company make their | :10:07. | :10:12. | |
decision as a result of a liquidity crisis in the eurozone, we have had | :10:12. | :10:18. | |
a huge investments made, huge investments in the Scottish economy | :10:18. | :10:24. | |
on offshore wind. The question is, are we as a country prepared to | :10:24. | :10:27. | |
welcome the investors combining with our own companies and charting | :10:27. | :10:33. | |
the future of Engineering in Scotland? This side of the chamber | :10:33. | :10:38. | |
says yes we sued and we are. They labour company seems to be mired in | :10:38. | :10:46. | |
negativity which cost them so dear in last year's elections. The First | :10:46. | :10:51. | |
Minister again wilfully misses the point. We were and are able to | :10:51. | :10:56. | |
respond to this decision because the First Minister chose not to | :10:56. | :11:01. | |
tell us. -- where I made all. This is about the First Minister's | :11:01. | :11:07. | |
integrity and the integrity of his Government. If this where one of we | :11:07. | :11:11. | |
might give him the benefit of the doubt but there is a pattern here. | :11:11. | :11:16. | |
Before the last election when he took credit for the Investment, he | :11:16. | :11:22. | |
kept to about local income tax plans Hedon from the public. When | :11:22. | :11:29. | |
he was forced to come clean, he chose to take his friend Rupert | :11:29. | :11:39. | |
:11:39. | :11:42. | ||
Murdoch's involvement in a scandal to do so. Good grief! The | :11:42. | :11:45. | |
Advertising Standards Agency has even had to pull him up about the | :11:45. | :11:55. | |
:11:55. | :12:01. | ||
pandas. LAUGHTER. This series. - we have a shared concern about his | :12:01. | :12:06. | |
decision -- this decision. If he will suppress serious issues like | :12:06. | :12:10. | |
their Doosan Power Systems Investment before local elections, | :12:10. | :12:15. | |
Guinness knows what he will conceal before their referendum. After this, | :12:15. | :12:25. | |
:12:25. | :12:27. | ||
how can any of us believed a word he says. -- goodness knows. I said, | :12:27. | :12:34. | |
do San are one of the companies had planned to visit. I want to make it | :12:34. | :12:40. | |
clear we encourage the real opportunities which exist in the | :12:40. | :12:44. | |
renewables market - where was their Labour press office when John | :12:44. | :12:49. | |
Swinney was discussing Doosan Power Systems last Sunday. Where was his | :12:49. | :12:56. | |
statesman from her saying she was concerned about his investments? | :12:56. | :13:01. | |
The same as them -- the same lack of support for the Samsung | :13:01. | :13:05. | |
investment from them - as Lee on a Sunday morning. Johann Lamont says | :13:05. | :13:10. | |
to me that all these dreadful things - but I know she does not | :13:10. | :13:20. | |
:13:20. | :13:28. | ||
mean it. I have been reading Labour's gains. - Labour Hame. The | :13:28. | :13:37. | |
election agent for every Labour candidate in Glasgow says, the | :13:37. | :13:43. | |
Labour Party attitude to me is, to deny he is connected with the | :13:43. | :13:47. | |
electorate then a way that none of Labour's post devolution leaders | :13:47. | :13:54. | |
has managed to do Edghill it could -- is ridiculous. So out of the | :13:54. | :13:58. | |
mouth of labour, of the man who is masterminding their campaign in | :13:58. | :14:06. | |
Glasgow, comes the essential work, Labour leadership ridiculous. | :14:06. | :14:14. | |
Davidson. To ask the First Minister when he will next meet the prime | :14:14. | :14:19. | |
minister? A no plans in the near future but I would like to meet him | :14:19. | :14:24. | |
today to find out what extra powers Scotland is going to receive as he | :14:24. | :14:29. | |
visits Scotland today. I am sure he was spend a lot of time spelling | :14:29. | :14:35. | |
out the additional powers he promised us. I am sure we will hear | :14:35. | :14:38. | |
a great deal from the First Minister on the extra powers that | :14:38. | :14:43. | |
are coming to the Scottish Parliament as of yesterday and how | :14:43. | :14:53. | |
:14:53. | :14:57. | ||
Does the First Minister supports the nuclear weapons role in Chapter | :14:57. | :15:06. | |
four in debt 1995 NATO enlargement study? 25 out of the 28 NATO | :15:06. | :15:12. | |
members are non-nuclear countries. Secondly, the First Minister | :15:12. | :15:16. | |
believes that investment in new nuclear weapons in Scotland would | :15:16. | :15:20. | |
be a total and utter obscenity and this Parliament has been right to | :15:20. | :15:26. | |
reject any suggestion of the renewal of Trident just as this | :15:26. | :15:30. | |
parliament looked forward to the removal of Trident nuclear weapons | :15:30. | :15:37. | |
from Scottish soil. Those members are signed up to it. I am proud | :15:37. | :15:42. | |
that the UK is a founder member of NATO, I am proud that after | :15:42. | :15:46. | |
unimaginable horrors on our doorstep we chose to stand together | :15:46. | :15:50. | |
with other responsible Nations to prevent atrocities ever happening | :15:50. | :15:56. | |
again. I am proud that for more than 60 years the UK with NATO has | :15:56. | :16:02. | |
acted to protect its allies in Europe, despite the SNP's | :16:02. | :16:10. | |
opposition to missions in Bosnia, Macedonia and Kosovo. A mission at | :16:10. | :16:13. | |
which this First Minister disgracefully called unpardonable | :16:13. | :16:20. | |
folly. We hear the SNP is to debate whether it is to change his | :16:20. | :16:25. | |
opposition to NATO and not before time. He has already changed his | :16:25. | :16:29. | |
position on the pound, the Queen and the Bank of England, all | :16:29. | :16:34. | |
sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. How will he | :16:34. | :16:38. | |
now show leadership and have his party positively embrace the | :16:38. | :16:44. | |
essential role of nuclear weapons in NATO without changing on their | :16:44. | :16:48. | |
demands for the rapid removal of a nuclear deterrent on Scotland's | :16:48. | :16:58. | |
waters? I notice in international engagements that the word Iraq was | :16:58. | :17:02. | |
suitably absent. Unlike the Conservative Party, the SNP takes | :17:02. | :17:08. | |
its stance on what is past and validated by the United Nations. If | :17:08. | :17:11. | |
we support international engagements based on the roar of | :17:11. | :17:20. | |
law, we do not support illegality and adventures like Iraq. They cost | :17:20. | :17:25. | |
thousands of lives of our soldiers and tens, if not hundreds of | :17:25. | :17:30. | |
thousands of lives in Iraq. The Conservative Party want to slide | :17:30. | :17:35. | |
over the argument about the rule of international law, but they shall | :17:35. | :17:41. | |
not be allowed to do so. Can I repeat, three out of the 28 members | :17:42. | :17:46. | |
of NATO possess nuclear weapons, that means 25 do not possess | :17:46. | :17:52. | |
nuclear weapons. 990 countries in the world are at non-nuclear weapon | :17:52. | :17:58. | |
countries. I want Scotland to be one of these countries. I want it | :17:58. | :18:05. | |
to be one of the 180 of those who do not possess nuclear weapons. The | :18:05. | :18:13. | |
Canadian House of Commons in December 2010 unanimously supported | :18:13. | :18:21. | |
a motion to a raise nuclear weapons will stop that motion passed | :18:21. | :18:25. | |
unanimously. They have stated their fundamental opposition to nuclear | :18:26. | :18:32. | |
weapons. That is a believe the SNP has and that is why we look forward | :18:32. | :18:39. | |
to the day that we can get nuclear weapons off Scottish soil. A brief | :18:39. | :18:47. | |
supplementary. Can I ask the First Minister in Duke of planning | :18:47. | :18:51. | |
permission for fracking in Duffy share in my region, what is the | :18:51. | :19:01. | |
:19:01. | :19:01. | ||
Scottish Government's position bury on mind recommendations which were | :19:01. | :19:07. | |
published earlier in the week? Does the Scottish Government have any | :19:07. | :19:12. | |
concerns about the environment will possibilities, the environmental | :19:12. | :19:15. | |
concerns in this fracking process or concerns about the possible | :19:16. | :19:20. | |
impact on our climate change targets? There are a number of | :19:20. | :19:23. | |
concerns which have been expressed internationally and south of the | :19:23. | :19:28. | |
border about the process. The Scottish Government is well aware | :19:28. | :19:34. | |
of the research that is ongoing into the process. There are many | :19:34. | :19:40. | |
aspects of the recovery of hydrocarbons which need to be | :19:40. | :19:45. | |
examined very solely in terms of environmental implications. When | :19:45. | :19:49. | |
and if it comes to a planning decision to be made by the Scottish | :19:49. | :19:52. | |
Government, the member can be a Sjoerd that environmental evidence | :19:52. | :19:59. | |
will be taken fully into account. Question number three. What issues | :19:59. | :20:03. | |
will be discussed at the next meeting other Cabinet? We will | :20:03. | :20:10. | |
discuss issues of importance to the people of Scotland. On Tuesday the | :20:10. | :20:18. | |
report into failings of Ayrshire and Arran's freedom of information | :20:18. | :20:22. | |
was published. It was produced following the deaths of 20 patients. | :20:22. | :20:29. | |
These reports were hidden and ignored. This week's report is very | :20:29. | :20:34. | |
critical of the NHS and it is clear it was institutionally secret. I | :20:34. | :20:41. | |
suspect it was not alone. How much has the First Minister learnt about | :20:41. | :20:44. | |
the other 13 health boards and their practice in the six weeks | :20:44. | :20:53. | |
since I asked this? Can I declare an interest as I did before that | :20:53. | :20:59. | |
the complainant is known to me, he is a friend of mine. I want that to | :20:59. | :21:03. | |
stand on the record. But the allegations are a matter for the | :21:03. | :21:07. | |
police to investigate and ministers cannot comment further on criminal | :21:07. | :21:16. | |
allegations. As soon as the news broke in terms of the information, | :21:16. | :21:20. | |
NHS Ayrshire and Arran were instructed to review their | :21:20. | :21:24. | |
procedures and report back. The outcome of that review was received | :21:24. | :21:30. | |
in March. They are currently implementing the actions and the | :21:30. | :21:34. | |
chief executive will report by the end of May. The Health Secretary | :21:34. | :21:41. | |
has also commissioned a review which is being carried out. The | :21:41. | :21:46. | |
findings of this review and any wider learning for all health | :21:46. | :21:51. | |
boards will be provided by next month. But it is four years on | :21:51. | :21:56. | |
since this problem first began. It is a year on from the involvement | :21:56. | :22:00. | |
of the information commissioner. It is four months after the Health | :22:00. | :22:04. | |
Secretary was officially told and now a report that heavily | :22:04. | :22:10. | |
criticises the board. Yet we still have no formal inquiry into the | :22:10. | :22:14. | |
freedom of information arrangements. Their share and Arran it might not | :22:14. | :22:18. | |
be alone, others might be falling short as well. The First Minister | :22:18. | :22:23. | |
needs to act on this on a Scotland wide bases. I do not blame him for | :22:24. | :22:29. | |
the failings, nobody would, but if he fails to act and have a Scotland | :22:29. | :22:33. | |
wide inquiry into the freedom of information arrangements, every | :22:33. | :22:39. | |
single health board, he might get the blame for that. Will he agree | :22:39. | :22:44. | |
today to do an inquiry? I am sure that Willie Rennie would be the | :22:44. | :22:51. | |
last person to attribute blame to ministers. I point out to the first | :22:51. | :22:56. | |
answer, that a review on the clinical governance arrangements is | :22:56. | :23:00. | |
currently being made by health care improvements Scotland and the whole | :23:00. | :23:05. | |
objective is the findings of that review and any wider lessons for | :23:05. | :23:08. | |
all health boards will be provided to the Cabinet Secretary by early | :23:08. | :23:13. | |
next month. In my view, given that when the information came to light, | :23:13. | :23:20. | |
that is pretty effective action. We expect our health boards to act | :23:20. | :23:24. | |
properly within the terms of the Freedom of Information legislation. | :23:24. | :23:28. | |
We will make sure that the route used happen and the lessons will be | :23:29. | :23:35. | |
applied across Scotland. -- reviews. That seems to be reasonable and | :23:35. | :23:39. | |
comprehensible -- comprehensive action. What representations at the | :23:39. | :23:44. | |
Scottish Government has received from charities and other | :23:44. | :23:48. | |
organisations regarding the Government's planned announcement | :23:48. | :23:58. | |
:23:58. | :24:01. | ||
of abolition of council tax benefit. This includes Age UK, because over | :24:01. | :24:06. | |
half the recipients are pensioners, child poverty Action Group, | :24:06. | :24:12. | |
Citizens Advice UK and the Trades Union Congress. The 10% cut will | :24:12. | :24:16. | |
have increased the liability potentially of around 558,000 | :24:16. | :24:22. | |
people in Scotland. Pensioners, carers, the unemployed, those on | :24:22. | :24:27. | |
tax credit and people who cannot work because of disability. They | :24:27. | :24:32. | |
would potentially be affected by a 10% cut in funding. The | :24:32. | :24:36. | |
announcement I made earlier on we have acted as swiftly as we | :24:36. | :24:40. | |
possibly can to ensure the cut will not take place and I think it is | :24:40. | :24:44. | |
right and proper we respond where we can to protect the most | :24:44. | :24:49. | |
vulnerable people in Scotland. thank the First Minister and unlike | :24:49. | :24:53. | |
some I welcome the announcement he has made today that the Scottish | :24:53. | :24:59. | |
Government will protect over half- a-million vulnerable Scots from the | :24:59. | :25:07. | |
UK Government cuts to council tax benefits. Would the First Minister | :25:07. | :25:12. | |
agree that the Labour's repeated the flip-flops, the only party that | :25:12. | :25:17. | |
can be trusted to protect those most vulnerable and those in need | :25:17. | :25:21. | |
is the Scottish National Party by its standing with them in tough | :25:21. | :25:27. | |
times? I would not have time and a single answer to discuss at the | :25:27. | :25:32. | |
Labour Party's change in positions on the council tax freeze. First | :25:32. | :25:36. | |
they were against it and then they were for it and then they were | :25:36. | :25:41. | |
against it again and now it depends in which area of the country you | :25:41. | :25:45. | |
are in. Apparently they are now for it after being against it in | :25:45. | :25:55. | |
:25:55. | :25:56. | ||
Glasgow. I think people in Scotland know as they approached the local | :25:56. | :26:01. | |
elections that a vote for the Labour Party means higher council | :26:01. | :26:05. | |
tax, higher bills for families in Scotland and the SNP will have | :26:05. | :26:10. | |
nothing to do with it. Briefly, please. Well the First Minister | :26:10. | :26:15. | |
confirm the details of this deal. Is it true that those local | :26:15. | :26:18. | |
authorities with disproportionate number of people on council tax | :26:18. | :26:23. | |
benefit will have to shoulder the burden of �70 million of cuts in a | :26:23. | :26:28. | |
yet where they have also had to shoulder 89% of the Scottish cover | :26:28. | :26:36. | |
map's own budget cuts? This is robbing Peter to play -- pay Paul. | :26:36. | :26:39. | |
The percentage of funding of local Government in Scotland is higher | :26:39. | :26:49. | |
:26:49. | :26:50. | ||
now than it was when we take office. If you exclude the health service | :26:50. | :26:54. | |
then it is dramatically higher as a share of the non health service | :26:54. | :26:58. | |
budget in Scotland will stop the SNP have played fair with local | :26:58. | :27:03. | |
authorities across the country, unlike the Labour Party. Can I | :27:03. | :27:08. | |
point out that this announcement is being made jointly by the President | :27:08. | :27:13. | |
of the Convention of local authorities in Scotland. Does she | :27:13. | :27:17. | |
believe a Labour Party councillor which have signed up to an | :27:17. | :27:20. | |
agreement if he did not think it was in the interests of people in | :27:20. | :27:27. | |
Scotland? When 500,000 people in Scotland, the poorest in our | :27:27. | :27:32. | |
communities, are facing cuts in their council tax benefit, while a | :27:32. | :27:42. | |
:27:42. | :27:42. | ||
Labour Party not welcome the joint action to protect those families? | :27:42. | :27:47. | |
would appreciate it you would stop shouting across the chamber. | :27:47. | :27:52. | |
Question number five. What plans does the Scottish Government have | :27:52. | :27:55. | |
to deal with an increase in the number of female offenders in light | :27:55. | :28:00. | |
of the recent report by the Commission on women offenders? | :28:00. | :28:05. | |
would like to put on record the Scottish Government, and I hope the | :28:05. | :28:11. | |
whole chamber's gratitude and other members of the Commission for the | :28:11. | :28:14. | |
fantastic work they had done in offering ideas and more effective | :28:14. | :28:18. | |
ways of dealing with women in the criminal justice system. The | :28:18. | :28:23. | |
commission has made several key recommendations. We will consider | :28:23. | :28:27. | |
these in full and report back with a detailed response in the summer. | :28:27. | :28:32. | |
The Government has already introduced a robust system of | :28:32. | :28:35. | |
community-based sentences which would be far more appropriate for | :28:35. | :28:45. | |
:28:45. | :28:46. | ||
women than being in prison. There is also the �8.5 million for her a | :28:47. | :28:50. | |
centre in Glasgow. I am sure we would want to play a full part in | :28:50. | :28:54. | |
the debates in this Parliament as we take for what many of the | :28:54. | :29:00. | |
suggestions. I thank the First Minister for his answer and his | :29:00. | :29:04. | |
support for the excellent report. The number of female prisoners has | :29:04. | :29:09. | |
doubled over the last 10 years in this country and 70% of female | :29:09. | :29:15. | |
prisoners go on to ascend again. Community justice centres, formerly | :29:15. | :29:20. | |
Known As Time Out centres, significantly reduce reoffending by | :29:20. | :29:24. | |
tackling the debilitating cycle of the diction and depression. Well | :29:24. | :29:27. | |
the First Minister committed to expanding these centres throughout | :29:27. | :29:33. | |
the country? We will look at very carefully at all the suggestions | :29:33. | :29:38. | |
and on 26th April I am told it is the date for debate in the | :29:38. | :29:41. | |
parliament and I know that good ideas will come forward from all | :29:41. | :29:46. | |
sides in Parliament. It is right to point out that the female prison | :29:46. | :29:55. | |
population has increased from 210 up to 444 in April this year. There | :29:55. | :29:59. | |
are far fewer women in prison as a percentage of the population than | :29:59. | :30:05. | |
men, but it is a worrying trend and it is one that the report suggests | :30:05. | :30:09. | |
there are measures which can be considered to reverse that trend | :30:09. | :30:13. | |
and to find far more suitable forms of punishment and addressing | :30:13. | :30:19. | |
reoffending behaviour than prison incarceration are. The commission | :30:19. | :30:23. | |
report stands. I know many members will have read it because it is a | :30:23. | :30:28. | |
subject very close to the Hearts of many MSPs and I'm sure that debate | :30:28. | :30:32. | |
when it takes place will be conducted in the best traditions of | :30:32. | :30:35. | |
this chamber where ideas come forward from all sides of the House | :30:35. | :30:42. | |
and they can hopefully be taken forward in to better action. There | :30:42. | :30:46. | |
we have it, Alex Salmond sitting down on an answer about the prison | :30:46. | :30:53. | |
population, particularly the women's population, the report by | :30:53. | :30:57. | |
the Lord Advocate. Earlier we had we rate of a about institutional | :30:57. | :31:02. | |
secrecy in the health board and Johann Lamont suggesting there was | :31:02. | :31:07. | |
institutional secretly -- secrecy closer to home when he was | :31:07. | :31:11. | |
discussing Doosan Power Systems withdrawing from a business in | :31:11. | :31:17. |