:00:19. > :00:26.Hello and a warm welcome to the Scottish parliament here at
:00:27. > :00:28.Holyrood. There are talks in the Treasury over the fiscal framework
:00:29. > :00:39.that will determine the budget after the new tax powers come Holyrood's
:00:40. > :00:44.way. A policy adviser to whether the policies adopted by the Scottish
:00:45. > :00:47.government really help all that much in addressing the issue of poverty.
:00:48. > :00:51.Those topics may come up on questions to the First Minister.
:00:52. > :00:58.There is only one way to find out, which is to cross to the chamber.
:00:59. > :01:04.A round of applause and a warm welcome to Parliament to dignitaries
:01:05. > :01:10.visiting from one of Pakistan's provinces.
:01:11. > :01:14.I will ask the First Minister what engagement she is planning for the
:01:15. > :01:23.day. The governor's programme for Scotland. Yesterday, the First
:01:24. > :01:32.Minister's policy adviser said that many Jota living in poverty live in
:01:33. > :01:39.working has ours. They still struggle to make ends meet. The
:01:40. > :01:43.First Minister claims that every three and four-year-old has access
:01:44. > :01:51.to 16 hours of free early learning and childcare week. It sounds good,
:01:52. > :01:53.but parents know it just isn't true. Time and again, I meet mothers who
:01:54. > :01:58.say they cannot get a place for their child that they are told is
:01:59. > :02:01.their right. Last year in this chamber, the First Minister said she
:02:02. > :02:06.was working with local councils to deliver on her pledge. So can she
:02:07. > :02:09.tell us whether council funding to deliver 16 hours of free early
:02:10. > :02:15.learning and childcare has gone up or down in the draft budget for next
:02:16. > :02:19.year after Mark firstly, can I also welcome the report that was
:02:20. > :02:23.published yesterday by the poverty adviser. It is a solid report that
:02:24. > :02:28.makes a number of recommendations that this government will consider
:02:29. > :02:33.very seriously indeed. I note that the poverty adviser says that the
:02:34. > :02:36.policy decisions taken by this Scottish government have, and I
:02:37. > :02:44.quote, been important in protecting people from poverty. As Kezia
:02:45. > :02:50.Dugdale is aware, the Government currently funds 16 hours a week for
:02:51. > :02:54.children of three and four years old, and horrible two-year-olds. It
:02:55. > :02:57.remains the case that as well as funding that provision in a global
:02:58. > :03:01.sense, we're working with councils to improve the flexibility of that
:03:02. > :03:10.provision so it better fits in with the working patterns of parents. We
:03:11. > :03:12.also determined over the life of the next Parliament, should the people
:03:13. > :03:20.of Scotland re-elect us in May, two double provision of childcare for
:03:21. > :03:24.young people. This is important to parents you will be listening to
:03:25. > :03:27.this. The poverty adviser said yesterday that as well as quantity,
:03:28. > :03:32.quality was important, which is why I also announced ?1 million to pilot
:03:33. > :03:38.different ways of delivering that expanded childcare. that is our
:03:39. > :03:43.policy on childcare. It will be judged in a you months, on our
:03:44. > :03:51.record on that, we are still waiting to hear what Labour's policy is. In
:03:52. > :03:53.all of that, there was not even an attempt to answer the question that
:03:54. > :03:59.I asked. APPLAUSE
:04:00. > :04:06.The honest answer is that the council childcare funding is being
:04:07. > :04:10.cut by this government's budget. Affordable and flexible childcare is
:04:11. > :04:13.key to helping people in work get out of poverty. Yet this SNP
:04:14. > :04:18.government's solution is to cut the childcare budget and slash funding
:04:19. > :04:22.for local services. We know the First Minister's promise is on
:04:23. > :04:25.childcare are not being delivered. What about her latest pledge to
:04:26. > :04:30.almost double the number of free childcare hours by 2020? A few
:04:31. > :04:36.months ago, the first list was asked about how these plans be delivered.
:04:37. > :04:38.She said, we're working with local authorities to determine the
:04:39. > :04:43.extension of capacity that will be required. That will be a mix of new
:04:44. > :04:50.build an extension of current local authority capacity. Two months on,
:04:51. > :04:53.can be First Minister tells how the extra nurseries need to be built to
:04:54. > :04:57.fulfil that promise customer the promised a matter left me take as
:04:58. > :05:00.yet Dugdale's points in order. In terms of our current policy, we are
:05:01. > :05:03.funding the expansion of childcare that we committed to in this
:05:04. > :05:10.Parliament. Just to remind people who may be listening to this, in
:05:11. > :05:20.2007, Young people, three and four-year-olds, were entitled to go
:05:21. > :05:26..5 hours of free childcare... We have extended that and have taken
:05:27. > :05:28.the extra step to its lending it to vulnerable to-year-olds as well.
:05:29. > :05:39.That is the measure of the commitment. The commitment that
:05:40. > :05:45.Kezia Dugdale referred to do, and I'm happy that she thinks that we
:05:46. > :05:48.will be in power, I take that as an endorsement of the election campaign
:05:49. > :05:51.at this early stage. As I said previously, in response to Ruth
:05:52. > :05:56.Davidson on that occasion, we're doing detailed work with local
:05:57. > :06:01.authorities to plan for that expansion, which will take place
:06:02. > :06:05.over the period of the next Parliament. That will be a mix and
:06:06. > :06:09.we don't yet know exact about that next will be because we are still
:06:10. > :06:16.working to plan for that expansion. It will be a mix of new build. That
:06:17. > :06:18.is why I have described it as the most important capital investment of
:06:19. > :06:23.the next Parliament, but it will also involve existing buildings that
:06:24. > :06:27.local authorities already use. I have for the said it will involve
:06:28. > :06:33.childminders. One of the things that came up yesterday was written in
:06:34. > :06:37.relation to lend it childcare. We have to look at these issues
:06:38. > :06:42.seriously and robust lead. Kezia Dugdale is still to set out what
:06:43. > :06:48.Labour's policy on childcare is. I know what mine is, I know what work
:06:49. > :06:54.doing to deliver it. We just have a vacuum coming from the benches
:06:55. > :07:02.opposite. The First Minister does not know how many nursery she needs,
:07:03. > :07:07.but campaigning mothers do. 650 new nurseries would have to be built to
:07:08. > :07:10.accommodate the extra places needed because of the First Minister's
:07:11. > :07:14.latest pledge. She has just ascribe it as the biggest capital
:07:15. > :07:18.expenditure of the next Parliament. But John Sweeney's budget this year
:07:19. > :07:28.cuts capital funding for nurseries by 56%. By the First Minister's own
:07:29. > :07:33.admission, it would cost ?880 million to deliver on her new pledge
:07:34. > :07:40.in running costs alone. Yet, at the same time, she is taking half ?1
:07:41. > :07:44.billion out of council budgets. Let us get this clear. The First
:07:45. > :07:48.Minister needs 650 new nurseries but she has cut the capital budget to
:07:49. > :07:52.build them. She needs ?880 million to expand childcare services, but
:07:53. > :07:59.she has lashed council budgets by ?500 million. Only in the world of
:08:00. > :08:01.the SNP will that deliver a childcare revolution. The First
:08:02. > :08:09.Minister's childcare policy is a mess. Issue hoping that parents --
:08:10. > :08:16.is she hoping that parents are just too busy to notice after Mark to be
:08:17. > :08:21.fair to Kezia Dugdale, I know that her day-to-day working expense
:08:22. > :08:28.involves a rather large mass, otherwise known as the Labour Party.
:08:29. > :08:35.So no wonder... Order! No wonder it is uppermost in her mind. She
:08:36. > :08:40.forgets some of the key points. She mentions firstly capital funding for
:08:41. > :08:44.local authorities. She will be aware, or if she is not aware, she
:08:45. > :08:49.should be, because John Sweeney has outlined it, the budget of local
:08:50. > :09:00.authorities has been repo filed -- re-profile. In terms of the overall
:09:01. > :09:04.council budgets come as I said last week, and I think the week before,
:09:05. > :09:08.in terms of the overall revenue expenditure of local authorities,
:09:09. > :09:13.they are looking at a 2% reduction, and that is before we take account
:09:14. > :09:18.of additional resources for social care, additional resources through
:09:19. > :09:22.the attainment fund and the additional investment we plan over
:09:23. > :09:25.the life of the next Parliament in transforming the provision of
:09:26. > :09:29.childcare. I say again, presiding officer, those are our plans. We
:09:30. > :09:33.have set them out and we will set out the budgets that support those
:09:34. > :09:37.plans. If Kezia Dugdale really wants to give people in this country a
:09:38. > :09:43.choice in just a few months, she has to do more than wine from the
:09:44. > :09:48.opposition benches. She has to give an alternative. So far, there ain't
:09:49. > :09:56.no alternative from the Labour Party whatsoever.
:09:57. > :10:08.It is not a 56% cut, it has just been re-profiled. Almost a year ago,
:10:09. > :10:13.the first men is that told me that she had looked campaigning mothers
:10:14. > :10:22.in the eye and told them that she reflects Scotland's child care
:10:23. > :10:25.albums. The more parents here, the less they believe. Just me or my
:10:26. > :10:29.record, says the First Minister. Here it is will stop promises not
:10:30. > :10:33.delivered, budgets cut and parents let down. Instead of delivering what
:10:34. > :10:46.families really need, isn't it the case that the SNP's childcare plan
:10:47. > :10:51.is just one great big con. We have guaranteed local governments a
:10:52. > :10:53.maintained share of the overall Scottish government capital budget.
:10:54. > :10:58.That is the reality. It might not suit the Labour Party's increasingly
:10:59. > :11:05.desperate narrative but nonetheless those are the facts. Just to come
:11:06. > :11:08.back to the central issue, I can point to the achievement of this
:11:09. > :11:12.government in childcare over the life of this Parliament and the last
:11:13. > :11:17.Parliament. And three and four-year olds are entitled to 45% more
:11:18. > :11:22.childcare now than they were when Labour was in office. To-year-olds
:11:23. > :11:26.are entitled to childcare that none of them were entitled to when Labour
:11:27. > :11:30.was in office. Not only that, I can point to clear plans for how we are
:11:31. > :11:36.going to transform childcare over the next Parliament. As the policy
:11:37. > :11:40.adviser says, not only are we allowing more parents, mothers in
:11:41. > :11:43.particular, to get into work we are also supporting young people with
:11:44. > :11:47.the best start in life. Those are our achievements and our plans, and
:11:48. > :11:52.the people of Scotland will judge them, presiding officer. When they
:11:53. > :11:57.are making that judgment, they will also look at what is the alternative
:11:58. > :12:00.and I say again, Kezia Dugdale has said zero about what the Labour
:12:01. > :12:04.Party will do for childcare, and that is why the people of Scotland
:12:05. > :12:10.are casting their judgment on Labour, and their judgment is to
:12:11. > :12:17.keep them firmly in opposition. Question number two. Ruth Davidson.
:12:18. > :12:23.I will ask the First Minister which will next meet the Prime Minister.
:12:24. > :12:29.No plans at present. This morning, we learned that the number of school
:12:30. > :12:39.inspections has fallen from 491 in 2004 2005, to just 137 last year. A
:12:40. > :12:41.drop of 70%. Inspections are a vital means of providing parents with the
:12:42. > :12:46.necessary information to make decisions about their children's
:12:47. > :12:50.schooling. Last year, fewer than 6% of Scotland's schools were
:12:51. > :12:53.inspected. Under the SNP, a child can go right through their school
:12:54. > :13:00.career without ever having had their school assessed. If that rate keeps
:13:01. > :13:04.up, it will take 19 years to get around all of Scotland's schools
:13:05. > :13:07.once. Given that, does the first minute to think that parents are
:13:08. > :13:14.getting the information they deserve when it comes to looking at local
:13:15. > :13:19.schools? Let me say two things about that. First, as Ruth Davidson knows,
:13:20. > :13:25.education Scotland undertakes a wide range of programmes to ensure the
:13:26. > :13:33.quality of education that is provided by as schools. During the
:13:34. > :13:39.period of the meditation of curriculum for excellence, there was
:13:40. > :13:44.a deliberate, and I think, correct decision to reallocate resources to
:13:45. > :13:46.other activities to oversee the implementation of curriculum for
:13:47. > :13:56.excellence. During that period, inspectors were deployed to
:13:57. > :14:02.undertake, support decisions. It was recognised in a report recently,
:14:03. > :14:06.immolation to the information, education Scotland has been a
:14:07. > :14:13.linchpin in providing guidance, quality and resource assurance. I
:14:14. > :14:20.saw the Chief Inspector right to this effect if you days ago, there
:14:21. > :14:23.will be an inspection in the coming years permitted by Utah's
:14:24. > :14:27.improvement activity, in particular making sure that we use the resource
:14:28. > :14:30.of the new attainment advises that are working on the attainment
:14:31. > :14:37.challenge. Briefly, the second thing I would say is that Ruth Davidson
:14:38. > :14:39.knows my commitment set out in the national improvement framework that
:14:40. > :14:44.I published in the first week in January to fast league expand --
:14:45. > :14:48.give us the transform the information available to parents and
:14:49. > :14:53.the public about performance in our schools. In the next couple of
:14:54. > :15:02.years, people will be able to look at performance of pupils in the
:15:03. > :15:06.school and compare that. The direction... It was a straight
:15:07. > :15:10.question, and the First Minister did not want to give a straight answer.
:15:11. > :15:13.I will give one. No, parents are not getting the information they
:15:14. > :15:15.deserve. They are told by the education establishment that it
:15:16. > :15:20.knows best and everybody else will just have to lump it. One former
:15:21. > :15:23.director of education said in the press this morning that inspections
:15:24. > :15:29.are now, and I quote, virtually useless as a source of information
:15:30. > :15:34.for parents. The First Minister this morning and a previous days in this
:15:35. > :15:38.chamber asked how opposition parties to propose how to improve the system
:15:39. > :15:42.if they contain about it. We say this, it is time to re-establish an
:15:43. > :15:46.independent inspectorate, outwith the arms of the Scottish government,
:15:47. > :15:50.so that parents know when their school is measured, it is done
:15:51. > :15:56.entirely separately from those people who are setting the policy.
:15:57. > :16:01.We want more transparency of information for parents and a regime
:16:02. > :16:04.that execs high standards and are proven from coasting schools,
:16:05. > :16:06.parents given regular and up-to-date information. Does the First Minister
:16:07. > :16:18.back that plan? Firstly, the Inspectorate is
:16:19. > :16:22.independent and does demand high standards from schools. Local
:16:23. > :16:27.authorities also have a duty to make sure that the quality of education
:16:28. > :16:31.is what we would expect. I have outlined why and what the
:16:32. > :16:35.Inspectorate was focusing on during the period of curriculum for
:16:36. > :16:39.excellence and to increase the number of inspections over the next
:16:40. > :16:45.few years. I want to do more than Ruth Davidson has outline there. I
:16:46. > :16:48.want to give more information about the performance of pupils in primary
:16:49. > :16:53.schools and lower secondary schools because at the moment we don't have
:16:54. > :16:58.that. Under the national improvement framework, once that is established,
:16:59. > :17:03.we will see the percentages of pupils in every primary school
:17:04. > :17:08.across our country who are achieving the different required levels of
:17:09. > :17:11.curriculum for excellence. This is a revolution in transparency in
:17:12. > :17:14.Scottish education. For the first time, the public will be able to
:17:15. > :17:18.look at that and see schools that are doing well and less well and
:17:19. > :17:25.give all abuzz the information we need to drive further improvement. I
:17:26. > :17:31.am much more ambitious in terms of transparency than Ruth Davidson is.
:17:32. > :17:43.A number of constituency questions. Graham Day. The First Minister will
:17:44. > :17:49.be aware of the problems for Johnson press, raising the concerns over the
:17:50. > :17:54.future of important local newspapers and with jobs at stakes. Will the
:17:55. > :17:59.Scottish Government engage with the company to ensure these newspapers
:18:00. > :18:03.have a future? Thank you for an important question. I give him the
:18:04. > :18:07.assurance that we will seek to engage with the company and with
:18:08. > :18:15.every company where thereafter potential job losses, the
:18:16. > :18:21.arrangements we put in place will be available primarily through pace. We
:18:22. > :18:25.need a dynamic media and all others will be concerned by this latest
:18:26. > :18:29.announcement on the back of a recent announcement about job losses in
:18:30. > :18:33.other areas of the media. All of us have a duty to make sure that we
:18:34. > :18:37.have a properly resourced media in this country and to hold all of ours
:18:38. > :18:43.to account and contribute to the national debate that we all want. It
:18:44. > :18:49.was announced this week that 80 jobs would be lost at a technology
:18:50. > :18:54.company in my constituency and that the number could be higher because
:18:55. > :18:58.it doesn't include contract staff. The company has lost 2000 jobs
:18:59. > :19:03.worldwide since January last year and there is real concern about job
:19:04. > :19:07.security. My constituents are worried that there is very little
:19:08. > :19:10.chance of them finding other employment in the oil and gas
:19:11. > :19:18.industry. What action will the government take at this time of high
:19:19. > :19:21.job losses? We are aware of the situation that the member outlines
:19:22. > :19:24.and the government will be engaging with the company and as I said in
:19:25. > :19:34.response to Graham Day, we make available to the workforce of any
:19:35. > :19:37.workforce in this situation all that we can to help those facing
:19:38. > :19:40.redundancy. I'm sure the enterprise minister will be happy to meet with
:19:41. > :19:46.the member to discuss this particular case in more detail. The
:19:47. > :19:52.First Minister will be aware of the announcement of 100 job losses at
:19:53. > :19:58.Marine is in the Highlands and Islands and many in my constituency.
:19:59. > :20:01.This is a large number of jobs for a small community to lose. Will the
:20:02. > :20:04.First Minister ensure that all will be done to assist those who may lose
:20:05. > :20:10.their jobs and outline what measures the government will be putting in
:20:11. > :20:15.place to help with this serious matter. In the case of the previous
:20:16. > :20:19.two companies, this will be an anxious time for the employees and
:20:20. > :20:26.their families. The Scottish Government is in contact with the
:20:27. > :20:30.company and it has approached Highlands and Islands enterprise to
:20:31. > :20:34.identify new job opportunities. I will shortly be meeting the company
:20:35. > :20:39.and discussing what can be done to support staff. We remain fully
:20:40. > :20:45.supportive of the sector which is key in the supporting employment in
:20:46. > :20:51.remote coastal communities. It is estimated to generate economic
:20:52. > :20:55.activity worth more than ?1.8 billion per year. Supporting those
:20:56. > :21:00.jobs is extremely important and the government will recognise that. What
:21:01. > :21:04.issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet? That is of
:21:05. > :21:15.importance to The People of Scotland. This week, I have received
:21:16. > :21:21.a letter from Amazon in London. The Scottish Government paid almost ?1
:21:22. > :21:27.million to the company last year despite them paying less than the
:21:28. > :21:34.living wage. Is it right to help companies that pay such low wages?
:21:35. > :21:39.All companies should play the taxes they are due to pain. We take tax
:21:40. > :21:46.avoidance very seriously. I want us to have more tax responsibilities,
:21:47. > :21:49.something Willie Rennie argued of the suspiciously against. We will
:21:50. > :21:52.continue to stand up for fairness and the company is paying the tax
:21:53. > :21:58.that they are due. We take a different view to the one that
:21:59. > :22:01.Willie Rennie articulated in Dundee on Monday where he suggested that
:22:02. > :22:07.five would be better off without the jobs that are offered by Amazon. I
:22:08. > :22:12.am sure that The People working in that company would take a very
:22:13. > :22:16.different view. I know she finds it difficult to listen to anybody else.
:22:17. > :22:23.The question was about wages and not about tax. I'll leave her if she is
:22:24. > :22:32.too embarrassed to do it to defend low wages. Nobody is saying that as
:22:33. > :22:35.an should close but I want the government to support good jobs.
:22:36. > :22:42.Amazon workers have been in touch this week as well and have confirmed
:22:43. > :22:46.what I have said. It is an exceptionally horrible place. The
:22:47. > :22:54.employment agencies cream off from everybody's wages. Meanwhile, this
:22:55. > :23:00.is about tax, Amazon pays hardly any tax in this country. The poverty
:23:01. > :23:10.Alliance promotes the living wage. Order! They get a small grant from
:23:11. > :23:15.the Scottish Government. It is a brilliant project. Why give Amazon
:23:16. > :23:20.four times as much money for low wages as you give the poverty
:23:21. > :23:26.Alliance to champion the living wage? Will the First Minister make a
:23:27. > :23:32.commitment not to give any more grants to companies without wage
:23:33. > :23:40.guarantees? My apologies to Willie Rennie if he missed his first
:23:41. > :23:44.question. My comments on tax stand, though. This government is arguably
:23:45. > :23:50.doing more than any other government across the UK to promote the living
:23:51. > :23:53.wage. The living wage accreditation scheme has 400 companies signed up
:23:54. > :24:02.to it and there are more people in Scotland paid the living wage in any
:24:03. > :24:08.part of the country apart from the south-east. We will continue to work
:24:09. > :24:14.directly with companies to sign up to and paid a living wage. I will
:24:15. > :24:17.ask Susanna Cunningham, the fair work minister, the only cabinet in
:24:18. > :24:24.the country that has a minister for their work. To engage with Amazon
:24:25. > :24:28.and other companies to get more people paid the living wage. We will
:24:29. > :24:36.make sure that we stand up for recent wages across Scotland. To ask
:24:37. > :24:40.the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on the
:24:41. > :24:44.resolution foundation report the state of working Scotland? I welcome
:24:45. > :24:49.the findings of the report. Particularly the finding that pay in
:24:50. > :24:53.Scotland has risen faster in any other nation or region in the UK. I
:24:54. > :24:59.am proud of our commitment to the living wage that means that 80% of
:25:00. > :25:03.people in Scotland are paid at least the living wage. There are 400
:25:04. > :25:14.living wage accredited employers. The rise of pay in Scotland will be
:25:15. > :25:20.attributed to that and incomes of family fell less than anywhere else
:25:21. > :25:26.in the UK. The report has given valuable analysis that will help us
:25:27. > :25:29.continue to improve on progress. I was pleased to see statistics
:25:30. > :25:34.yesterday on employment showing Scotland now has the highest level
:25:35. > :25:38.of wages of countries in the UK. Scotland is showing that we can
:25:39. > :25:42.tackle inequality in the economy. What action will she be taking to
:25:43. > :25:48.build on this good foundation to increase jobs and wages? The member
:25:49. > :25:52.is right to note the progress of wages and employment this week. Can
:25:53. > :25:57.I take the opportunity to welcome the figures showing the rise in
:25:58. > :26:01.employment in Scotland to record levels and the substantial drop in
:26:02. > :26:05.unemployment. That is all progress. There is no room for complacency and
:26:06. > :26:11.we are working to do more both in terms of employment and in terms of
:26:12. > :26:15.wages. Economic strategy sets out a mutually supportive goal of
:26:16. > :26:18.increasing competitiveness and tackling inequality and we will
:26:19. > :26:21.continue to make sure that we support the living wage
:26:22. > :26:27.accreditation scheme to make sure that as we see Empoli and hopefully
:26:28. > :26:34.increase in Scotland, that is fair work with people getting a decent
:26:35. > :26:40.days wage for a day's work. In light of the fall in oil prices when will
:26:41. > :26:46.the Scottish Government publish an updated oil and gas bulletin
:26:47. > :26:50.focusing on jobs? The focus is on what we can do to support the
:26:51. > :26:55.industry and the workforce who are facing uncertainty at a worrying
:26:56. > :27:01.time for them. We continue to do all we can within devolved powers to
:27:02. > :27:08.help the sector. Last year, I set of the energy jobs task force that has
:27:09. > :27:10.already helped over 2000 individuals and 100 employers through the
:27:11. > :27:21.current downturn and it will continue to support innovation and
:27:22. > :27:25.progress. It has been six months since the last bulletin was slipped
:27:26. > :27:33.out on the last day of term. In the intervening time, oil has dropped to
:27:34. > :27:44.$27 a barrel. Industry experts predict it will drop to 20 dollars
:27:45. > :27:52.per arrow. We cannot afford to lose these jobs and skills in the future.
:27:53. > :27:58.What will be First Minister do to protect these jobs and wench will
:27:59. > :28:04.she publish this platoon? We will do all we can to support the industry
:28:05. > :28:08.and the jobs that are dependent on it. For example, the Scottish
:28:09. > :28:13.Cabinet will hold a special session on Tuesday attended by Lena Wilson,
:28:14. > :28:17.the chair of the oil and gas task force to look at what the task force
:28:18. > :28:21.has done already and what it can do to support those in the industry. I
:28:22. > :28:25.wrote to the Prime Minister yesterday urging him to agree with
:28:26. > :28:30.me to accelerate the finalisation of a city deal for Aberdeen, funded
:28:31. > :28:34.jointly by the UK and Scottish Government so that we can help
:28:35. > :28:40.Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Council with the investment that the city
:28:41. > :28:44.needs. We will also continue to call the UK Government to make sure there
:28:45. > :28:49.is an appropriate fiscal regime for the North Sea. I note the comments
:28:50. > :28:53.both of the peak last week when they said announcing the regrettable job
:28:54. > :28:59.losses that they were confident in the long-term future of oil in the
:29:00. > :29:02.North Sea. Also oil and gas UK and their comments on the future of the
:29:03. > :29:05.sector if we do the right things now. We are determined to do the
:29:06. > :29:11.right things down and we call on the UK Government to do the same. The
:29:12. > :29:16.First Minister will be aware that there has been a report saying that
:29:17. > :29:20.the oil and gas is sector could have a sustainable future with the
:29:21. > :29:34.correct support. Would she agree that vocal campaign for divestments
:29:35. > :29:39.in oil and gas from pension companies are damaging to the
:29:40. > :29:45.industry. Anything that undermines the industry at this time is
:29:46. > :29:49.unhelpful. It was a very helpful report and it is one of the many
:29:50. > :29:55.things that the Cabinet will discuss as we work out what we can do to
:29:56. > :29:58.support the industry at this time. What discussions has the Scottish
:29:59. > :30:02.Government had with the UK Government regarding the possible
:30:03. > :30:08.reintroduction of the post study work Visa? Since the Smith
:30:09. > :30:14.Commission report the government has remained committed to work with the
:30:15. > :30:17.UK counterpart to ensure that a post study Visa is reintroduced in
:30:18. > :30:24.Scotland. This has been the subject of many meetings. We are
:30:25. > :30:26.disappointed and rather angry that the Secretary of State for Scotland
:30:27. > :30:31.recently indicated without any real consultation that there is no
:30:32. > :30:35.intention on the part of the UK Government to reintroduce the post
:30:36. > :30:41.study work Visa for Scotland. I understand that the Minister intends
:30:42. > :30:45.to meet with the steering group and hope that the UK Government would
:30:46. > :30:48.take the concerns of the Scottish Government and the United voice of
:30:49. > :30:54.Scottish stakeholders further on board. There is a consensus in this
:30:55. > :30:58.Parliament to reintroduce the post study work Visa and I think it is
:30:59. > :31:04.time that the UK Government got on and did it. I thank the First
:31:05. > :31:11.Minister for that answer. Would she agree with me that not only do the
:31:12. > :31:16.students benefit but the Scottish economy and society benefits from
:31:17. > :31:20.having these people living here? I agree wholeheartedly with that. If
:31:21. > :31:24.we are going to educate the best and brightest people from all over the
:31:25. > :31:30.world, it makes sense to try and encourage them to make a
:31:31. > :31:33.contribution in our economy. To give something back to economic and
:31:34. > :31:36.social life here in Scotland. We know that people come to Scotland
:31:37. > :31:42.from all parts of the world and make a real and rich contribution to our
:31:43. > :31:47.society, just as Scots do in other parts of the world. The UK
:31:48. > :31:50.Government's actions here are short-sighted and wrong-headed and I
:31:51. > :31:56.urge them to change their minds if there is any credence to what we
:31:57. > :32:03.hear about a respect agenda, they will do something about it. Thank
:32:04. > :32:08.you. That ends First Minister's Questions. That is all from us. Time
:32:09. > :32:17.to say to the loo. investigation suggested that that
:32:18. > :32:21.poster of Ed Miliband in Alex Salmond's pocket had quite a big
:32:22. > :32:28.effect on voters in England to get them to go back to the Conservatives
:32:29. > :32:35.and that cost ?950. That's a tribute, I think, to Crosby. Not
:32:36. > :32:38.just him. The Saatchis. The texter, who is a brilliant pollster, he
:32:39. > :32:44.heard the concerns of people in the focus groups. Turned it into a
:32:45. > :32:48.image. You play back to people their fears and concerns, a great image
:32:49. > :32:52.like a great line goes around the world quickly. Basically, it is the
:32:53. > :32:57.inspiration of finding the right words and then the image that
:32:58. > :33:02.captures it. And sticking at T Labour had too many messages. Linton
:33:03. > :33:05.Crosby's one of his great advantages he brings to a campaign, he sits on
:33:06. > :33:06.people. Politicians want