:00:37. > :00:40.final week before the recess, but you know something, I don't think
:00:40. > :00:48.that will change anything about the nature of the questions to the First
:00:48. > :00:51.Minister today. Welcome to the floor of the chamber, where we are
:00:51. > :00:57.currently hearing from the finance secretary, who is answer in
:00:58. > :01:02.questions about air passenger duty and golf tourism. We are shortly
:01:02. > :01:05.going to hear a question from Stuart McMillan, they are SNP member for
:01:05. > :01:10.the West of Scotland, who will be asking the Government if they have
:01:10. > :01:13.time to take that question about what recent discussions it has had
:01:13. > :01:16.with the UK Government regarding immigration. Unfortunately, we are
:01:16. > :01:26.not going to go to that question, we are going to go straight to First
:01:26. > :01:34.
:01:34. > :01:39.Minister 'sQuestions. Let's go to the chamber.
:01:39. > :01:44.Thank you. That brings us to the next eight business, which is First
:01:44. > :01:50.Minister ministers Questions. Leicester number one. -- question
:01:50. > :01:55.number one. I would like to ask the First Minister what engagement he
:01:56. > :02:03.has plans for the rest of the day. Plans to take forward education for
:02:03. > :02:06.Scotland. Thank you. John Swinney will remember questions regarding
:02:06. > :02:13.the state pension in a separate Scotland. This week, in public, John
:02:13. > :02:21.Swinney promise not just a State Pension, but one that would go up
:02:21. > :02:26.just by 2.5% per year, but said nothing... It is easy to say it. He
:02:26. > :02:30.said nothing about the age of retirement. Can the First Minister
:02:30. > :02:34.explain how John Swinney got from questioning the affordability of
:02:34. > :02:42.pensions to this new policy, what is the cost of the new policy and how
:02:43. > :02:46.will those Cosby mac? -- how will those costs be met? I would just
:02:46. > :02:50.lead to point out that one of the key areas that the Government has
:02:50. > :02:53.brought forward is that welfare spending in Scotland is less as a
:02:53. > :02:59.proportion of our national economy than it is for the UK at the present
:02:59. > :03:07.moment. The welfare budget is more affordable in Scotland than some
:03:07. > :03:12.people regard it as across the UK. Given the wholesale desertion of the
:03:12. > :03:17.cause of universal benefits and welfare policy by the Labour Party
:03:17. > :03:21.in recent weeks, the acceptance of the Tory plans from the Shadow
:03:22. > :03:27.Chancellor, I think this is the very last subject that Joanne Lamont
:03:27. > :03:31.should be commenting on. Can I just point out the triple guarantee, the
:03:31. > :03:34.guarantee of the triple locks that would be present, I think it is an
:03:34. > :03:39.excellent thing to give reassurance, but the whole basis of the guarantee
:03:39. > :03:42.is that it is exactly that. It is a guaranteed in terms of getting
:03:42. > :03:48.pensioners the best deal possible, which is what the SNP are committed
:03:48. > :03:54.to doing. If the First Minister wanted to be credible, he could at
:03:54. > :03:58.least make an effort and answer the question. And he says, this is the
:03:58. > :04:03.last question I should ask. It is the first question that many
:04:03. > :04:07.pensioners and others across this country are asking. You know, when I
:04:07. > :04:12.was studying my exams at school, I remember that you had to do the
:04:12. > :04:17.maths, show the working, before you reach the answer. And what John
:04:17. > :04:24.Swinney did this week was simply ignore what he said before and gave
:04:24. > :04:28.an answer with no credible working at all. For whatever the real cost
:04:28. > :04:36.of this pension policy, we know it has cost the credibility of John
:04:36. > :04:40.Swinney, and now the Government itself. Because we live in the real
:04:40. > :04:44.world. In private, the Cabinet doubts the affordability of the
:04:45. > :04:51.State Pension. If their public words are to have any credibility, surely
:04:52. > :04:55.they must now be able, to date, to tell us how it would be afforded. I
:04:55. > :04:59.ask again. How did the Government moved from questioning the
:04:59. > :05:07.affordability of the State Pension to this new policy of guaranteed
:05:07. > :05:10.rises for all and what will it cost? Then perhaps this time Joanne
:05:10. > :05:14.Lamont will appreciate the significance of the information the
:05:14. > :05:18.Government published demonstrating that the welfare budget as a
:05:18. > :05:23.proportion of Scotland's national wealth is less, proportionally, that
:05:23. > :05:28.the welfare budget as a proportion of the UK, therefore making welfare
:05:28. > :05:32.more affordable in Scotland. Given the guarantee that we have given and
:05:32. > :05:35.it is current policy until the labour policy revise it, then of
:05:35. > :05:39.course we can put that forward for the security of all the pensioners
:05:39. > :05:45.in Scotland. Now, Joanne Lamont says this is the first question
:05:45. > :05:50.pensioners will ask. I will tell you what pensioners are asking in
:05:50. > :05:53.Scotland at the moment. They are asking that their bus pass is safe.
:05:54. > :06:00.They are asking about free personal care, because Joanne Lamont is not
:06:00. > :06:05.only unable, like Ed Balls, to commit to the public welfare
:06:06. > :06:13.budget, she is challenging the basic fabric of the achievements of
:06:13. > :06:20.devolution and the great games for pensioners across Scotland. Thank
:06:20. > :06:25.you, First Minister. Joanne Lamont. On the bus pass, it helps to have a
:06:25. > :06:28.bus to go with it. Do you know, there are people across the country
:06:28. > :06:34.who believe that next year we're going to have a serious debate about
:06:34. > :06:37.the future Scotland. From that showing, the First Minister is
:06:37. > :06:41.incapable of convincing anyone, anyone, that he has even remotely
:06:42. > :06:45.thought about the things that really matter to families across the
:06:45. > :06:49.country. We know why the First Minister can be so relaxed about
:06:49. > :06:54.pensions. By my reckoning, he has five, and they are all backed by the
:06:54. > :06:59.UK Government. He has a civil service pension, an MP pension, and
:06:59. > :07:07.MSP pension, his First Minister 's pension, and we should not forget,
:07:07. > :07:12.and we should not forget... I am very grateful for the pension I have
:07:12. > :07:14.got, but we should not forget, presumably, as Royal Bank of
:07:14. > :07:24.Scotland pension, and he should thank Gordon Brown for saving that
:07:24. > :07:25.
:07:25. > :07:32.one. So we now... We now that he will be all right. But he is
:07:32. > :07:36.prepared to put everyone else at risk. For pensions now and in the
:07:36. > :07:40.future -- for pensioners now and in the future to believe that the SNP
:07:40. > :07:43.is so certain that the State Pension is affordable, and the First
:07:43. > :07:49.Minister tell us know how much money he will have to race to find it and
:07:49. > :07:54.how much it will cost? Show us the workings, not just the answer.
:07:54. > :08:00.Firstly, I think pensioners watching this broadcast, mentioning the words
:08:00. > :08:06.Gordon Brown, whose raid on pensions destroyed the pensions of people
:08:06. > :08:12.across this country, just indicates the insensitivity of the Labour
:08:13. > :08:17.Party. Let me try this again for Joanne Lamont. Because of the
:08:17. > :08:20.workings of the Scottish Government has produced, the welfare budget as
:08:20. > :08:24.is share of Scotland's national wealth is less and therefore more
:08:24. > :08:31.affordable than the welfare budget across the UK. Therefore, our plan
:08:31. > :08:35.is affordable. It is more affordable in Scotland. It is an essential part
:08:35. > :08:40.of the contract of society with pensioners. Other things are an
:08:40. > :08:46.essential part of that as well. I take from Joanne Lamont 's question
:08:46. > :08:50.that the bus pass is in danger from the Labour Party. Let's be clear.
:08:50. > :08:54.What did they say when they set up the cuts commission? Nothing is off
:08:54. > :08:58.the table. People should hear loud and clear, not just the bus pass,
:08:58. > :09:03.tuition fees, the whole social contract of devolution is now under
:09:03. > :09:07.threat from the party which once cared about working people. No
:09:07. > :09:12.longer are the working people or pensions cared for by them, they are
:09:12. > :09:20.hot in pursuit of their alliance with the Tory party. Thank you.
:09:21. > :09:26.Joanne Lamont. My goodness. We have asked a simple question. He says it
:09:26. > :09:29.is evident. Share it with us, share with us what it will cost. I think
:09:29. > :09:34.that any pensioner, any family worried about their children's
:09:34. > :09:40.future, will look at this broadcast as he calls it today, and wonder how
:09:40. > :09:43.it is possible for a First Minister to offer a future which does not
:09:43. > :09:50.look simply more like a leap in the dark on the fundamental issues
:09:50. > :09:57.facing families. It is no wonder, not even his own SNP candidate in
:09:57. > :10:02.Aberdeen Donside believes there is a chance of the First Minister winning
:10:02. > :10:07.referendum. Not even his own economic advisers find him credible.
:10:07. > :10:11.His noble laureate says he is wrong on corporation tax. And only last
:10:11. > :10:16.May, Professor John Kay laid out why he has got his policy on the
:10:16. > :10:22.currency wrong. The Institute Of Chartered Accountants Of Scotland
:10:22. > :10:27.says there is a �170 billion hole in his plans for private pensions. The
:10:27. > :10:32.First Minister simply cannot tell us how he will afford the State
:10:32. > :10:39.Pension. This is an absolute failure, an absolute failure of
:10:39. > :10:44.office, to be unable to answer those most basic questions. The reality is
:10:44. > :10:47.that the First Minister has no credibility... I am glad you have
:10:47. > :10:57.something to laugh about, because for the rest of us, this is far from
:10:57. > :10:58.
:10:58. > :11:07.funny. Order!If politics was about slogans and shouting, you would do
:11:07. > :11:11.fine. Order!The fact of the matter is, on something as fundamental as
:11:11. > :11:15.the future of this country, the First Minister has no detail and no
:11:15. > :11:22.facts. Is it that is that the only way to protect your pension is to
:11:22. > :11:26.pension off Alex Salmond next September? First Minister.In case
:11:27. > :11:33.Joanne Lamont did not hear it properly, somebody merely suggested
:11:33. > :11:38.it should have been Higher maths. The total wealth of Scotland, the
:11:38. > :11:42.total product of Scotland and the only spent on welfare, that is less
:11:42. > :11:46.of the percentage in Scotland than it is across the UK. Thus far, is
:11:46. > :11:52.that correct? That is correct, and accepted. Therefore, the
:11:52. > :11:56.affordability of that welfare budget, the Government part of which
:11:56. > :12:01.is pensions, is therefore more recordable in Scotland than it is in
:12:01. > :12:05.the United Kingdom as a whole. That seems a reasonable position. I think
:12:05. > :12:11.most higher grade Higher maths students would manage to get that.
:12:11. > :12:14.In terms of the pension black holes, can I return to Mr Brown? The
:12:14. > :12:18.pension black holes that afflict the United Kingdom were created by
:12:18. > :12:25.Gordon Brown in his raid on pensioners. And in terms of policy
:12:25. > :12:28.to pensioners, what pensioners are looking for our guarantees on the
:12:28. > :12:33.bus pass, guarantees on free personal care, and this party gives
:12:33. > :12:36.these guarantees. With Labour, everything is up for grabs, and as
:12:36. > :12:43.far as Aberdeen Donside is concerned, not perhaps the Labour
:12:43. > :12:52.Party 's strongest suit because Aberdeen Donside will be voting
:12:52. > :13:00.today to keep their schools open. Question number two, with Davidson.
:13:00. > :13:05.-- Ruth Davidson. Thank you. I would like to as the First Minister when
:13:05. > :13:10.he next plans to meet the Prime Minister. I have no plans for that
:13:10. > :13:15.at the moment. Yesterday parents courageously came in here to launch
:13:15. > :13:21.an inquiry to find out what happened to the ashes of their babies. It
:13:21. > :13:24.spreads to crematoriums across Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. We
:13:25. > :13:29.have now learned that a number of families use the facility in Falkirk
:13:29. > :13:32.have been affected, as have a number of families using a private
:13:32. > :13:36.crematorium. The Government 's response has been overtaken by
:13:36. > :13:39.events. Does the First Minister recognise that neither of the
:13:39. > :13:49.investigations into these tragedies will give the answer is that these
:13:49. > :13:52.parents need? Can I first say that, let's just accept that everyone in
:13:52. > :13:56.this Parliament has the greatest sympathy and empathy for the parents
:13:56. > :14:02.involved. I suspect that people across the country... My mother, and
:14:02. > :14:07.this is common in many families, has experienced this. If you add to this
:14:07. > :14:12.the extremity of not knowing about the disposal of a child ashes, then
:14:13. > :14:16.every person, every human person, understands her parents feel in
:14:16. > :14:20.those circumstances, or at least has the empathy to try and understand
:14:20. > :14:24.how parents feel. That is shared across this entire parliament. The
:14:24. > :14:29.question is how best to be proceed to get clearance the answers they
:14:29. > :14:32.need? And of course, importantly, to try and change the policy which has
:14:32. > :14:39.prevailed in the past perhaps, but nonetheless has prevailed, certainly
:14:39. > :14:47.in Glasgow and perhaps in other areas across Scotland. First, on the
:14:47. > :14:51.Commission. With the backing of that Commission, the leader has indicated
:14:51. > :14:55.that he is confident that he can make proper recommendations by the
:14:55. > :14:59.end of this year. He says that is the case, and if it is the case,
:14:59. > :15:06.then I think that would be a huge step forward. It would be adding
:15:07. > :15:11.pages for us to be able to legislate next year. The average length of
:15:11. > :15:14.public inquiry in Scotland is three and a half years. The two that we
:15:14. > :15:24.have sanctioned have not finished at this stage. That would be an asset,
:15:24. > :15:30.
:15:30. > :15:36.if it would be to -- if it were to be the case. Secondly, the
:15:36. > :15:39.investigations. I have a letter sent to Michael Matheson this week where
:15:39. > :15:46.it is pointed out, because this question has been raised, the
:15:46. > :15:51.enquiries have been hampered by the status of her investigation. She
:15:51. > :15:56.says, my investigations have not been hampered, I have not received
:15:56. > :16:00.any indication there will be any such issue. If we can get answers to
:16:00. > :16:06.satisfy hopefully the vast majority of parents, presumably, the same
:16:06. > :16:10.sort of enquiry, the same sort of investigation as set out by Lord
:16:10. > :16:16.Bonomy in his letter last week, could affect the other areas of
:16:16. > :16:19.Scotland. Again, if that is not possible, if the formal border could
:16:19. > :16:24.does encounter obstacles and cannot get to the truth, I would be the
:16:24. > :16:29.first person, just like the Bonomy Commission, to see if further steps
:16:29. > :16:33.have to be taken. Let's try and conduct this answer to the anguish
:16:33. > :16:37.of parents in a way that accepts every single member in this
:16:37. > :16:45.chamber, so we feel empathy and understanding for the
:16:45. > :16:49.circumstances. About candy empathy, sympathy and
:16:49. > :16:52.understanding of the First Minister -- I welcome. But the First Minister
:16:52. > :16:57.knows that the Bonomy Commission is not looking at individual cases, it
:16:57. > :17:00.will not give answers historically to what happened to parents in this
:17:00. > :17:05.situation in different parts of the country. The investigation May in
:17:05. > :17:09.Edinburgh, but it does not address what is happening elsewhere, and the
:17:09. > :17:15.idea that the Edinburgh investigation could in some way be
:17:15. > :17:20.looked at or replicated in the local authority areas has been skewered
:17:20. > :17:25.this week by the Chief Executive of Glasgow City Council, who wrote this
:17:25. > :17:28.week saying, we believe that in order to find out the truth of what
:17:29. > :17:36.happened in individual cases, it would be better for there to be a
:17:36. > :17:39.nationwide enquiry, rather than a host of local enquiries. The First
:17:39. > :17:44.Minister has repeatedly sidestepped calls for a public enquiry. Two
:17:44. > :17:49.weeks ago, he said the Pirate Dashti said the priority was Lord Bonomy
:17:49. > :17:52.putting these procedures in place, and three weeks ago he said it was
:17:52. > :17:59.right local authorities look at this individual. Dashti said the
:17:59. > :18:03.priority. But this scandal has spread to public and private
:18:03. > :18:07.crematorium in at least four local authority areas. Parents, knowing
:18:07. > :18:13.how long it will take, are still calling for an enquiry to find out
:18:13. > :18:16.what happened to their babies. And now we have ahead of Scotland's
:18:16. > :18:22.largest local authority saying the current approach is not enough and
:18:22. > :18:26.he wants more. I have repeatedly said this is not a particle -- a
:18:26. > :18:32.party political issue, but there is no getting away from the fact the
:18:32. > :18:38.only party not supporting calls for an enquiry as the SNP. -- is the
:18:38. > :18:47.SNP. I do not think parents would particularly like calls from in
:18:47. > :18:57.here. The parents do not understand, and now the do I, the SNP demanded a
:18:57. > :19:03.full public enquiry into the genuine ferry -- and now the do I. -- Dunoon
:19:03. > :19:12.ferry. Why is the case of these parents less deserving?
:19:12. > :19:22.This Government has sanctioned a full public enquiry. None of the
:19:22. > :19:22.
:19:22. > :19:28.enquiries run trivial issues -- or on trivial issues. Thomsons
:19:28. > :19:33.solicitors, who represents some of the parents, are advocating for
:19:33. > :19:41.additional public enquiries in Scotland. The baby Ashes enquiry,
:19:41. > :19:46.legionnaires enquiry, and implants enquiry. I believe if on a major
:19:46. > :19:50.public issue only a public enquiry can get answers and justice that
:19:50. > :19:54.people deserve, I will not hesitate to sanction a public enquiry. That
:19:54. > :19:58.in this instance, we have the hope and belief that Lord Bonomy, who
:19:58. > :20:03.this week wrote to the local authorities around Scotland,
:20:03. > :20:10.including two George back of Glasgow Council, setting out how in local
:20:10. > :20:14.enquiry can set out an enquiry -- George Black. And setting out
:20:14. > :20:18.guidance. They have to be cut -- carried out independently and
:20:18. > :20:23.sensitive to the concerns of families. If that is possible for
:20:23. > :20:30.the enquiry in Edinburgh, why not for an enquiry in Glasgow? I do not
:20:30. > :20:35.understand why something can be done in Edinburgh, but not in Glasgow.
:20:35. > :20:38.But the report by Lord Bonomy, which is open to submission, will provide
:20:38. > :20:43.the guidance and regulations we can now introduced to stop this
:20:43. > :20:48.happening again, and this could be done by the end of the dear, he is
:20:48. > :20:52.confident he can report with the commission that he has any expertise
:20:52. > :20:58.-- of the year. This includes the two charities representing the
:20:58. > :21:04.bereaved, to put forward recommendations. If the enquiry in
:21:04. > :21:09.Edinburgh can get to the bottom of the cases to the satisfaction of
:21:09. > :21:12.parents, why can this not done elsewhere? What if Lord Bonomy is
:21:12. > :21:18.not able to come up with the recommendations we can endorse as a
:21:18. > :21:23.Parliament to stop this happening again, if there are obstacles in the
:21:23. > :21:27.individual enquiries in Edinburgh, and this cannot command the
:21:27. > :21:33.confidence, I will be the first to say, in that circumstance, we have
:21:33. > :21:38.to go for a public enquiry or some other recourse. But the full
:21:38. > :21:40.expectation that I have at this present moment is that Lord Bonomy
:21:40. > :21:48.will give us the recommendations to bring into legislation in Scotland
:21:48. > :21:53.next year to show that this will not happen again, and the former Lord
:21:53. > :21:56.Advocate should command confidence when she says she can conduct this
:21:56. > :22:01.investigation independently in Edinburgh. And if it can be done in
:22:01. > :22:05.Edinburgh, it can most certainly be done elsewhere in Scotland.
:22:05. > :22:09.What issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet?
:22:09. > :22:15.Issues of importance to the people of Scotland.
:22:15. > :22:19.Four years ago, I joined families in West Fife against proposals to
:22:19. > :22:27.extract coal from the neighbouring feels. We lost, permission was
:22:27. > :22:31.granted. Residents were assured by developers the industry had learned
:22:31. > :22:36.lessons of past failures and after extraction the land would be
:22:36. > :22:42.converted into a local environmental resource. Operations have ceased,
:22:42. > :22:49.leaving a huge hole and spoiled heaps, dwarfing the area. Families
:22:49. > :22:54.have been let down and thousands of families from Scotland are also
:22:54. > :23:00.suffering. Mining companies were supposed to buy insurance bonds to
:23:00. > :23:05.pay -- to pay for the land restoration, but there is a huge
:23:05. > :23:08.deficit and insufficient funds available. Due to the scale of the
:23:08. > :23:15.problem, will the First Minister order an independent enquiry into
:23:15. > :23:23.this failure? The first task is what Fergus Ewing
:23:23. > :23:29.is doing, everything he can to preserve employment in the opencast
:23:29. > :23:33.in -- opencast industry and also to work with local industries for the
:23:33. > :23:36.necessary environmental clean-up. Can I say to Willie Rennie, it is
:23:36. > :23:42.true and I agree with his description about the bonds that
:23:42. > :23:46.were meant to be provided for. I hope that we have legislative
:23:46. > :23:49.control over such matters in this Parliament and we meet -- and we
:23:49. > :23:53.will make sure these things are enforced because it is part and
:23:53. > :24:01.parcel of what we should do in this Parliament, to make sure not just
:24:01. > :24:05.jobs protect it, but also communities.
:24:05. > :24:11.Local authorities do have the powers just now to enforce appropriate
:24:11. > :24:15.restoration. It is not as if they are deprived of the powers that
:24:15. > :24:19.would resolve this problem. He resolves to the work of Fergus Ewing
:24:19. > :24:23.and I commend him for the task force, but that primarily looks at
:24:23. > :24:28.the needs of the business side. The restoration trust that is proposed
:24:28. > :24:31.has no real bite and is proposing more lenient restoration bonds for
:24:31. > :24:37.the industry, risking further environmental problems in the
:24:37. > :24:42.future. Some companies have made millions, but communities have been
:24:42. > :24:48.left environmentally bankrupt. The industry is now looking to dump
:24:48. > :24:52.opencast for other people to clean-up. Communities have enjoyed
:24:52. > :24:58.years of noise, dust and heavy transport and they now fear a legacy
:24:58. > :25:01.of derelict sites, polluted water and scarred landscapes. I would
:25:01. > :25:06.encourage him to set up that independent enquiry. As communities
:25:06. > :25:10.were promised, that the mistakes of the past would not be repeated, but
:25:10. > :25:14.we were. But the sake of these families and many others, will the
:25:15. > :25:21.First Minister act? I am extremely sympathetic on this
:25:21. > :25:24.issue. But let's consider his statement about local authorities.
:25:25. > :25:28.The environmental powers of local authorities mean little if the
:25:28. > :25:35.company concerned has gone out of this nurse, there are no assets to
:25:35. > :25:39.chase in that position. -- have gone out of this nurse. That is why the
:25:40. > :25:45.bonds and the funds are so significant. No reasonable person
:25:45. > :25:51.could blame a council for not being in a position to chase money that is
:25:51. > :25:56.no longer existent -- that is no longer present. In terms of the
:25:56. > :26:01.restoration fund, it is not true to say Fergus Ewing has only been
:26:01. > :26:04.concerned for the jobs and the industry, which is a very legitimate
:26:04. > :26:10.objective, but he has also been concerned to try and help the
:26:10. > :26:15.situation. Willie Rennie makes the case that I would make, that if you
:26:15. > :26:18.were going to pursue an industry which could potentially leave people
:26:18. > :26:25.with such environmental damage, you have to have the legislative track
:26:25. > :26:29.-- legislative framework to make sure the funds that provide to --
:26:29. > :26:35.the body that provides the funds is independent. And I look forward to
:26:35. > :26:38.doing that. What discussions have the Scottish
:26:38. > :26:44.government have with the security services regarding the emergency
:26:44. > :26:47.landing at Prestwick airport on June 15th 2013?
:26:47. > :26:55.Police Scotland kept the Scottish government fully informed of the
:26:55. > :26:58.developments, forming a diversion to the fight. Police Scotland met the
:26:58. > :27:01.plane on arrival, 100 officers from the specialist crime division
:27:01. > :27:06.undertook a controlled disembarkation of the plane,
:27:06. > :27:11.searched it, interviewed everybody, before the flight continued to New
:27:11. > :27:16.York. This incident highlights the strategic portent of Prestwick as an
:27:16. > :27:23.airport and facility necessary to receive high risk fights involving
:27:23. > :27:27.the potential for hijacking or terrorism. So we have written to the
:27:27. > :27:30.UK Secretary of State this week highlighting that big role that
:27:30. > :27:34.Prestwick played in this latest Indu stashed latest incident and
:27:34. > :27:40.commending the multi-agency response led by the police.
:27:40. > :27:44.I thank the First Minister for his comprehensive answer. This incident
:27:44. > :27:49.highlights the importance of Prestwick not only to Scotland but
:27:49. > :27:56.also the aerospace industry for travel and for maintenance and
:27:56. > :28:02.repair and for resilience. But it, and other Scottish airports, have
:28:02. > :28:07.been -- would be neglected by the London coalition's new airport for
:28:07. > :28:10.the South East of England. Does he agree we should have an independent
:28:10. > :28:17.and comprehensive airport strategy for Scotland to include more direct
:28:17. > :28:24.flights for Scotland that would take effect in 2016?
:28:24. > :28:26.The Westminster government's obsession is costing other airports
:28:26. > :28:32.also and the discrimination that places against the airports of
:28:32. > :28:35.Scotland and also the Northern regions of England, and the
:28:35. > :28:41.devolution to this Parliament to take effective action would increase
:28:41. > :28:45.activity in Scotland. I think that was supported by the majority and I
:28:45. > :28:55.think a large majority in this Parliament, and I hope the labour
:28:55. > :28:58.
:28:58. > :29:02.Lions have not lost parents using as for this -- Labour party.
:29:03. > :29:09.What impact has the recent decision by three senior executives to leave
:29:09. > :29:19.the Scottish police authority have on the new strategy?
:29:19. > :29:20.
:29:20. > :29:25.Think no impact. The IT strategy... It continues to be led by an able
:29:25. > :29:28.and skilled body. The First Minister taught previously
:29:28. > :29:33.of tensions across Scottish policing. Ash talked. With the loss
:29:33. > :29:39.of the head of finance, good -- governance and strategy, and the
:29:39. > :29:43.Chief Executive officer, so it is clear that the factors behind the
:29:43. > :29:50.crisis on more than creative tensions. All this week's meetings
:29:50. > :29:52.of senior officials to reorganise governance across the police
:29:52. > :29:56.authorities finally indicate the government is coming to grips with
:29:56. > :30:01.this tax payer button -- this tax payer funded billion pound
:30:01. > :30:08.organisation, and deliver a single efficient police force?
:30:08. > :30:18.We should not question the system save the police service of Scotland,
:30:18. > :30:18.
:30:18. > :30:22.given that crime in this country is now at 839 year low? Commitment of
:30:22. > :30:25.officers has gone up since this Government took over and thank
:30:25. > :30:32.goodness these people policing our communities safely. In terms of the
:30:32. > :30:39.IT, it is important for him to know this, because he has expressed
:30:39. > :30:45.concern, not just that the accountable officer is one of those
:30:45. > :30:50.leaving, but also that we are up to the challenges of dealing with the
:30:50. > :30:54.legacy. Graham Pearson has pointed out the lunacy of not having IT
:30:54. > :31:00.systems across Scotland that could not communicate with each other, so
:31:01. > :31:07.the proposal for the acquisition of a single police IT service to record
:31:07. > :31:13.data is a major advance and I am pleased to say that discussions with
:31:13. > :31:20.the Scottish police indicate it is affordable within the existing
:31:20. > :31:29.budget. And I know that the Scottish police board will be discussing this
:31:29. > :31:37.proposal next week, on June 26th. What plans does the Scottish
:31:37. > :31:43.government have to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Piper Alpha?
:31:43. > :31:47.It was the world's worst offshore oil platform disaster and it remains
:31:47. > :31:53.etched in the memories of those of us old enough to remember. The
:31:53. > :31:57.government is setting out a range of ministerial involvement in very
:31:57. > :32:02.important activities taking place over the next two weeks, including
:32:02. > :32:07.an offshore safety conference, a screening of a film, which I think
:32:07. > :32:12.is a hugely effective film, and hugely important in bringing to a
:32:12. > :32:17.new generation of horror of Piper Alpha and the absolute importance of
:32:17. > :32:21.seeing it does not happening again. The Memorial trust appeal is raising
:32:21. > :32:26.funds to ensure that the families of those affected by the disaster have
:32:26. > :32:31.that peaceful place to remember their loved ones for years to come.
:32:31. > :32:37.We were able to contribute to that appeal, but I commend the efforts of
:32:37. > :32:44.the campaign in giving bereaved families and appropriate place to
:32:44. > :32:49.remember their loved ones. Thank you for that and so, I would
:32:49. > :32:53.like to take this opportunity to highlight the screening of the film
:32:53. > :33:03.this Friday in Aberdeen and its wider distribution in the weeks
:33:03. > :33:06.ahead. But the First Minister join me in welcoming this feature length
:33:06. > :33:12.documentary for future generations to learn from?
:33:13. > :33:16.I would, it has great importance for a new generation, and I hope it will
:33:16. > :33:20.-- I hope every school child in Scotland will have access to the
:33:20. > :33:27.information, it is important people remember Piper Alpha in terms of the
:33:27. > :33:32.critical nature of what happened. But we also have to think that many
:33:32. > :33:39.offshore workers were not alive when this happens and so the initiative
:33:39. > :33:47.to have a special safety screen films to remind people why they have
:33:47. > :33:56.got the safety case system that was recommended, to remind them why
:33:56. > :34:06.these systems are in place. Also in terms of public obligation is the
:34:06. > :34:18.
:34:18. > :34:27.necessity to make sure the Coast Guard is properly manned.
:34:27. > :34:33.We close on a sombre note of recollection about Piper Alpha but
:34:33. > :34:43.there were personal recollections for the First Minister. About the