23/11/2017: First Minister's Questions Politics Scotland

Hello and are very warm welcome, we

are here at the Scottish parliament,

its question to the First Minister.

Lots happening at this big birthday

for Richard Leonard, new leader of

the Labour Party, to have a shot at

asking question. His predecessor

Kezia Dugdale finally enters the

jungles about, and the small matter

of the UK budget still to be

digested after yesterday's

statement. It will be elements of

that will make up in question, who

knows? That cross to the chamber.

That Annabelle Ewing, Minister in

charge of the Fire Service in

Scotland, responding to a question

from Labour, tied into a protest by

Fire Brigade union representatives

outside Holyrood just before First

Minister's Questions. It's now

getting under way.

May I take this

opportunity to welcome Richard

Leonard to his post. But despite our

differences between parties,

leadership is a privileged and can

be a joy, so I wish him well. Moving

to substantive matters... Can I ask

the First Minister, is her Scottish

growth scheme a con?

Let me take the

opportunity to congratulate Richard

Leonard on his election as leader in

Labour in Scotland I look forward to

his exchange is taking place in a

few minutes' time. This was

established or announcement was made

last year. Work has been done to

establish that sense, and to the

different strands of the growth

scheme, we intend to see company

supported in the very near future.

Of course we want to go further, we

have now and as an intention to

establish a Scottish national

investment bank to provide long-term

patient capital for Scottish

businesses and support the strategic

development of the Scottish economy,

from the old Hope MSPs across the

chamber will support.

Thank you for

her answer. The reason I asked was

because in a polymer to answer a few

weeks ago, the Scottish Government

confirmed that the first 50 million

of this fund will come from

financial transactions budget. That

is a method of funding that was

yesterday described by the finance

secretary as a con. But of course,

when the First Minister announced

the road scheme last year, she's

different land grid. She said this

is a half billion pound vote of

confidence in Scottish workers and

the Scottish economy. Like everyone

else in the chamber, I would welcome

half £1 billion of investment in the

Scottish economy if any pennies were

to appear soon. But I'm curious as

to whether the First Minister can

explain why the Scottish Government

uses this method but to invest in

Scotland, is a vote of confidence,

but whether UK Government does, it a

con?

Let me explain exactly why the

Chancellor of the Exchequer's

Knutsford in the budget yesterday,

is accurately described as a con. I

was watching, he stood up and he

said without qualification, that his

budget would deliver an extra £2

billion for Scotland. He is what the

Fraser of Allender institution said

yesterday, £1.1 billion of that in

the form of financial transactions,

cannot be used to support day to day

spending on public services. So the

Chancellor tried to give the

impression that this was somehow a

big boost to the health service, the

education system, to public

services, the length and breadth of

the country. As Ruth Davidson knows,

that is far from beetroot. The

reality following budget yesterday

is this, according to the same

Institute, Scotland is facing a real

terms cut in the day to day budget

in the next year of more than £200

million, more than £500 million over

the next two years. If Ruth Davidson

is prepared to stand up in this

chamber today, and somehow argue

that that is a good deal. And, then

Ruth Davidson is even more of a

party stewed for a Westminster

masters then I thought she was. --

party stooge.

We usually hear from

the S and P that they are not

getting enough money, now we have a

new one, the wrong kind of money

that they are being given -- SNP.

Housing? No thank you, money to

tackle fuel poverty? How the day.

Only this First Minister could be

handed an extra £2 billion in

spending power and still sound like

someone has stolen her scorn. Since

you spend less time complaining

about the money and thinking more

about the positives she can do with

it?

If I was a Tory these days, I

would not be standing up here

talking about scones given the

amount of money is jab families

forced

amount of money is jab families

because of the Tory government. --

use food banks. Here is another

factor at the so-called largest

award Scotland of the Chancellor.

Not only can these financial

transactions in the Word of the

Institute, spent on day two days

bonding an public services, this has

to be repaid by the Scottish

Government to the UK Government.

Let's just cut to the chase. I know

that Ruth Davidson desperately wants

to somehow pretend that yesterday's

but it was a great deal. But let me

get back to the central point here,

this is the central point. It is the

point that Ruth Davidson has to

address and I invite her to do so.

After the budget yesterday and even

if everything Ruth Davidson is

saying about the budget yesterday is

true, after all about, is taken into

account, the result

account, the result of day-to-day

spending result of the government

with £200 million less in real

terms. I invite Ruth Davidson to

stand up here when she next gets too

heavy and tell us where do you think

we should take that you pounds from

God about the NHS, education or

where does she think these Tory cuts

The First Minister is standing there

telling us that she is being short

changed. Some of us think that an

extra £2 billion more than she woke

up with yesterday morning is quite a

bit of extra change to have. That

money is available now for the

Scottish Government ahead of its

budget next month. And she faces a

test. At the election, she telling

stick together we promised to raise

the allowance to make sure it

doesn't increase in tax. Yesterday

that was delivered. The SNP promised

to protect the basic rate of income,

and they are now hiking it. -- rate

of income tax. We keep our promises

and she breaks hers.

Ruth Davidson

does not want to take my word for

what the budget means for spending

in Scotland. I will now read word

for word from the plug published

yesterday by the Fraser of Allender

Institute. I see no pity this

chamber will question the finding. I

quote, the Scottish Government

resource Grant remains to fall over

the next 2-mac radio. By 2019, the

next block grant will be lower than

in 2017. Over the next two years,

£500 million have been caught by the

Tory government and Ruth Davidson

has the nerve to stand here and save

the Tories are doing us and had a

favour. As we conclude, our

deliberations over our budget over

the next few weeks, we will consider

how we protect our public services

in the face of those cuts. How we

protect vulnerable families, say

many of whom are being forced into

poverty and the food banks by this

Tory government, and how we continue

to make investment in the

infrastructure and support that our

businesses need to use thrive and

grow the economy. We will take

decisions that are in the interests

of the people of Scotland, while the

Tories continue to impose cuts on

the people of Scotland.

Richard Leonard. Question number

two.

Providing officer, this morning I

had the honour of addressing a rally

of firefighters from right across

Scotland who are lobbying this

Parliament today. He's courageous

women and men put their lives on the

line to give the rest of us safe.

But since gotten's Fire and Rescue

Service centralise, these heroic

firefighters have seen over front

line jobs axed. They have watched

their pay cut in real terms. Year

upon year. They see a service in

decline. Will the First Minister

explain why on her watch, Scotland'

Fire and Rescue Service has been

cut?

Firstly, can I also take the

opportunity to pay tribute to our

firefighters. They do a fantastic

job day in and day out. As Richard

Leonard rightly says, regularly put

their lives on the line in the

interests of safety of all of us.

Let me just address the issues that

Richard Leonard has raised. They are

important issues. This government

has increased the operational budget

for the Fire and Rescue Service in

the financial year by £21.7 million

to support investment in equipment

and resources. Of course as a result

of the budget yesterday and after

years of pressure by those on the

side of the House, £10 million next

year will be able to reclaim by the

Fire Service from that and they will

benefit from the whole of that

additional £10 million. Since the

form of the Fire Service, there have

compulsory redundancies and no

closures. A hundred extra fighters

were recruited in January and a

recruitment campaign for 300

additional firefighters will be

launched next week. Our focus has

been and will continue to be on

protecting front-line services. On

the issue of pay, pay negotiations

in terms of the Fire And Rescue

Services, Richard Leonard will be

aware, are ongoing. In terms of the

next financial year, this government

to this day, remains the only

government in the whole of the UK

and here that includes the Labour

government in Wales, we are the only

government in the UK that has given

unequivocal commitment to lift the

1% public sector pay cut and it is

deeply regrettable that no other

government including the Labour

government in Wells has agreed to do

likewise. -- Labour government in

Wales.

The post of the Fire

Brigades' Union in Scotland made it

clear. No more cuts. The people of

Scotland will have to do is make up

their mind about who they believe.

The firefighters on the front line

or the First Minister on the

sideline? Presiding officer, under

my leadership, the Scottish Labour

Party will work of government and

trade unions to try and claw back

the millions of pounds that have

been lost but that in itself will

not be enough. We'll be First

Minister Guaranty no more cuts to

the Fire and Rescue Service? -- will

be First Minister Guaranty?

I have

just run through the fax for which a

bunny

-- for Richard Leonard. The

operational budget has increased and

regarding the cuts, this year the

Fire and Rescue Service has included

an extra 100 firefighters and go

about it on the 13th of November

open a recruitment campaign for 300

more -- 30th of November. That

increasing front line firefighters

not reducing them. We will ensure

that the Fire Service gets the full

benefit of the fact that they are

able to refrain next year. We will

continue to stand up for front line

public services, continue to stand

up for those who work in public

services, continue to stand up for

those who work in private companies

just as we did last week getting a

deal together to save Byfb and

details at the end of it. We will

continue to save jobs in Scotland. I

hope we will have the support of

Richard Leonard and his colleagues.

Presiding officer, it is not just

the firefighters this government is

failing. After seven years of Tory

austerity and a decade of mediocrity

and indifference from the as -- from

the SNP, we have the result of

falling wages, shrinking public

services, rising poverty,

inequality, local government budget

decimated, a quarter of a million

children in Scotland living in

poverty, hundreds of thousands of

pensioners this winter facing the

choice between eating and heating.

More of the same. More of the same

just won't do. Scotland needs real

change and radical change. We'll be

First Minister stand up, stand up.

Then's firefighters, stand up for

public services workers, stand up

for all of Scotland's people and

finally, use the powers of the

parliament to stop the cuts.

In that

rather rambling question, I think I

heard Richard Leonard mention

pensions, can I remind him that

pensions are a reserved matter. But

if he wants to join us in a campaign

to devolve responsibility for

pensions, I would be delighted.

Secondly, I have thought we have and

will continue to oppose austerity

but I simply remind Richard Leonard

that the current period of austerity

was actually started by Gordon Brown

and Alistair Darling and at the last

Labour government.

Richard Leonard also mentioned

wages. I say again, this Government,

unlike any other Government in the

UK, is committed to lefting the 1%

public sector pay cap. That will

form part of the budget we present

to this Parliament in just a couple

of weeks' time. Can I suggest to

Richard Leonard that it is easy for

Labour out of power to call on those

in Government to do things but

that's not credible when the only

part of the UK where Labour is in

power, they refuse to do things that

Labour in this Parliament Labour

call on us to do so. Perhaps the

next time or before the next time

Richard Leonard warts to come and

ask me to do these things he should

persuade the Labour First Minister

of Wales to do them as well. So,

when we put forward our budget, it

will be a budget to protect public

services, the low income vulnerable

people of our country and a budget

that will be about standing up for

Scotland. When we publish it I will

challenge all parties to back it

because it will be in interests of

this country we serve.

May I add my

congratulations to Richard Leonard

on hi election and welcome him to

the Labour front bench. One of the

most short-sighted mistakes in the

UK budget is the decision to cut

stamp duty which all serious

analysis shows will push house

prices even higher and entirely fail

to benefit first time buyers. Their

methods of investment in new housing

is also likely to provide more

benefit for developers and

landowners than for people truly in

need of genuinely affordable

housing. The equivalent of stamp

duty is devolved in Scotland. The

Scottish Government has previously

already given ground to pressure

from the Tories by cutting it to

compete with George Osborne's

policy. Can the First Minister give

a clear guarantee that the Scottish

Government will not repeat that

mistake and will this time refuse to

follow a foolish decision by a UK

Government?

Of course we've already

got a more progressive system what

is land and buildings transaction

tax here in Scotland. The trshry

said yesterday the policy

aninetiesed in the budget was

intended to exempt 80% of first time

buyers from stamp duty. In Scotland,

already 65% of first time buyers are

completely exempt from L BT TT. 80%

of first-time buyers pay no tax at

all or lest than £600. All first

time buyers, 100% who buy and or

below the Scottish house price are

exempt from paying LBTT we provide

generous support to first-time

buyers. As we final Iain Duncan

Smith our budget over the next

couple of weeks, we'll consider

whether or not it is appropriate to

give any further assistance to first

time buyers. I think, as we do that,

two points will be very much in our

consideration. Firstly, the fact

house prices are lower in Scotland

than they are in the rest of the you

can. The equivalent of a house at

£300,000 in the rest of the UK in

Scotland would be around £175,000.

Secondly, we will be very mindful of

the point Patrick Harvie talks about

today, the OBR said yesterday that

in its view, the policy announced by

the Chancellor will push up house

prices and result in first time

buyers paying more for their house

than they would without that policy.

So, even with the haved

autoeconomics we get from the

Tories, I don't think that would

make much sense. These will be the

considerations we have in mind as we

finalise our budget proposals in a

couple of weeks' time.

Thank you. I

agree it wouldn't make much sense.

It didn't make much sense last time

the Scottish Government did it

either. Throwing tax cuts into a

dysfunctional housing market solves

nothing. But housing isn't the only

area where the UK Government is

determined to help those least in

need. Yet another income tax cut for

high easterners. While people

working hard to deliver public

services have still not been given a

fair pay rise. If the SNP's

Westminster leader meant what he

said yesterday in the Westminster

chamber, that public sector pay

should match the cost of living, a

phrase I don't think we've heard

from the First Minister yet, if we

are to see that and avoid handing on

Tory cuts to our local services and

other parts of the Scottish budget,

isn't it time for the First Minister

to come off the fence on income tax

and accept we need a radical

redesign along the lines that the

glean party's proposed protecting

low easterners, cutting inequalitiy

and raising revenue from the likes

of the First Minister and myself who

can afford to pay more to invest in

the services that our country needs?

I think in terms of the Green

Party's specific proposals they put

forward at the election, when he

read the detail of the paper we pub

Rished a couple of week ago what

would be raised gives pause for

thought. Whether that was the right

way to government we've set out

options around income tax which will

allow us, if we choose to follow any

of options, to see tax revenue make

a contribution to meeting the

challenges we face in terms of our

budget. In terms of public sector

pay, I've been very clear the 1% pay

cap should are lifted and we need

pay settlements that are affordable.

That is just a statement of fact.

But also reflect the real life

living circumstances of public

sector workers. I know everybody

across the chamber understandably,

no doubt those in the press gallery

want to hear me say today

specifically what our proposals in

tax and public sector pay will be

when we produce our budget. We'll go

through the less dramatic but more

appropriate process of finalising

our budget proposals and presenting

them to this Parliament in a couple

of weeks' time. Then everything can

debate and support them. The prop

polesals we put forward will be in

the overall interests of this

country, the people, services and

its economy.

The First Minister will

no doubt have heard the news today

that Dundee's bid to become the

European Capital of Culture in 2023

has been dealt a fatal blow because,

according to reports, the UK will no

longer be able to host this because

of Brexit. Dundee's bid had the

potential to have a massive positive

impact not just for Dundee but for

the likes of my constituencies and

the wider north-east. Can I ask the

First Minister what conversations

and the Scottish Government has had

with the UK Government on this

matter?

Can I thank you for raising

this issue. I'm dismayed from the

news I heard from theeer Euan

commission this morning that

Dundee's European capital of culture

bid looks to be the latest victim of

the Tory's obsession with taking

this country out of the EU against

our will. They should hang their

heads in shame. The Scottish

Government, of course, anticipated

these issues. Late last year, Fiona

Hyslop wrote to the UK Government to

highlight the enormous benefit

international cultural engagement

can bring and to seek assurances

that the UK would continue to engage

in partnerships like this. It is

deeply concerning the amount of

time, effort and expense Dundee have

put into scoping out their bid could

be waisted thanks to the Brexit

policy of that Tory Government.

We're in urgent contact with the UK

Government and Dundee to understand

the potential implications of this

situation sand to establish what

action the UK Government's going to

take to address it. Let me leave the

chamber in no doubt. I call on the

UK Government today to make clear

not just why this has happened but

how they intend to fix it so unit

de-- Dundee can continue to aspire

to be the Capital of Culture it so

richly deserves to be.

Thank you.

Would the First Minister join with

me in expressing concern about a

charity based here in loath Janned

well known to the Scottish

Government for the good work it does

helping dads develop better

relationships with their children is

having to reduce services, including

playgroups, counselling following

recent funding cuts. Would she ask

her officials to meet with me and

with Dad's Rock to see what help can

can begin in the short and long-term

to support this worthy cause.

Can I

thank Jamie Balfour for racing the

issue of Dad's Rock. It is an

organisation I know of and have seen

first-hand the excellent work it

does to help fathers develop better

relationships with their children.

Something which is a very worthwhile

cause. I will have my officials look

into the particular issues raised

and write to him once we've had the

opportunity to do that. The final

point I make, it is not intended to

have a go at Jamie Balfour, he's

raising an important constituency

issue. Here we see one of many real

life implications of what I was

saying to Ruth Davidson early on. We

face next Qera £200 million real

terms cut in our day-to-day budget.

These are the kind of implications

that will have to be faced because

of that. That, I'm afraid, is

bringing the Tories face-to-face

with the real consequences of the

budget decisions that they make.

Can

I remind the chamber I'm a board

member of Remember throb NEETs a

Scotland and PLO to the First

Minister. Yesterday, rat cloy mad

itch was jailed for life for

atrocities committed in the 19900s

Bosnian war. In which over 8,000

mainly Muslim men and boys were

slaughtered. This result will be of

interest to many in Scotland,

particularly those in our Bosnian

community. Does the First Minister

agree that yesterday's verdict is a

tribute not just to the importance

of the international community

working together but particularly

for groups like the mothers of slip

NEETs a -- and will the First

Minister commit to helping in any

way Scotland can to delivering a

stable and prosperous future for our

friends in Bosnia Herzegovena. ?

I

share those sentiments. I very much

welcomed yesterday's verdict and the

sentence handed down. I personally

have visited the memorial there and

I know from the people I met there

how much this verdict and sentence

will mean to them and to all who

suffered in the 1995 genocide.

Indeed to everybody across Bosnia

hertz government Ian ya. --

Herzegovina. We need to ensure the

victims of violence and victims of

sexual violence are heard. The

crimes against them are not

forgotten. Groups like the Mothers

of vibe NEETs is a have provided

inspiration for all of us. They act

to reduce and ultimately eradicate

violence against women. It would be

appropriate for all of us in this

Parliament on behalf of the people

of Scotland to send a message of

commemoration, solidarity and

support to them.

Yesterday, the independent Fraser of

Allander Institute passed its

verdict on the UK Government budget.

It branded UK growth prospects as

dire. As the MSP for a rural part of

Scotland does the First Minister

agree with me that the case for

continued single market membership

is growing stronger by the day?

Yes,

I do. I think the case for remaining

with the the EU possibly grows

stronger by the day. As a minimum,

remaining within the single market

and customs union. We're starting to

see on an almost daily basis the

consequences of Brexit from the

confirmation earlier this week that

the European medicines agency and

the European banking agency are to

leave London for other European

capitals. The news today about

Dundee's Capital of Culture bid to

some very real financial

consequences. It was striking

yesterday in the budget that the

Chancellor set aside more money to

deal with the consequences of a Tory

hard Brexit than he set aside to

help the NHS with the pressures they

face. That says everything you need

to know about the warped priorities

of Tory Government at Westminster. I

think, as every day passes, as these

consequences become more stark, that

case for making sure that our

country is not ripped out of the

European single market will get

evermore strong.

To ask the First

Minister what the Scottish

Government's response is to the

autumn budget?

Yesterday's budget

provided few measures to grow the

economy, tackle inequality are

invest in public services. The

announcements in relation to the

North Sea and ending VAT obligations

of Fire Services is welcome but long

overdue. The day-to-day public

spending's been cut by over £200

million in real terms next year and

by 2020 our Des crestry budget will

have been reduced by £2.6 million

over the decade. While the budget

provides some consequentials, over

half are transactions which the

Government cannot spend on front

line public services and have to be

repaid to the Treasury. This budget

did little to help Scottish

households or public services.

The

real terms cut to Scotland's revenue

which is a real disappointment.

Yesterday, revised OBR growth

figures underlined Tory austerity is

failing. On top of that, average

wages are set to fall and taxpayers

will pay through the nose for

Brexit. When Scotland badly needs

growth in our economy, isn't it time

for real investment with no strings

attached and more powers for this

Parliament to grow our economy

I agree that more poll we have in

this Parliament to take our own

decisions, it is better for people

the length and breadth of our

country. The foundation is reporting

this morning, this is a serious

point that the Tories won't listen

to, but they really should. The

resolution foundation this morning

saying at Taoiseach average pay

return to its previous level until

2025, 17 years after the pay

squeeze. In the budget yesterday,

there was not one single extra penny

confirmed to help lift public sector

pay. That I think, is the priority

we see the Westminster government

attached to the living standards of

people across the country. We use

the budget next month to put forward

a budget for public services but

also protect those on the lowest

incomes in Scotland from the impact

of Tory cuts that are biting so

hard.

The Chancellor announced

yesterday that the Scottish police

and Fire Services can be claim VAT

thanks to pressure from 13 Scottish

Conservative MPs at Westminster.

Will the First Minister except that

this was a mess entirely of the

SNP's own making. They were into the

police and Fire Services merger with

our eyes fully opened and aware of

the consequences of their actions.

Will she not take the opportunity to

thank the Conservative Chancellor

for clearing up the mess for them?

I

increasingly just love it when Murdo

Fraser gets to his feet. It's like

Christmas come early every week. Let

me remind one Murdo Fraser,

presumably be same once there, said

that police and sire not ages ago

but recently, in October 2017, he

got his feet and said "There is no

justification for a VAT refund for

and fire." -- for police and fire. I

think those really cool

I think those really cool

really cruel Road to prove him

utterly wrong but he often is

utterly wrong. The Tories were

forced yesterday to concede they

were wrong all along on this issue.

See this argument, this argument

that it's all because the SNP

pursued a policy of a single police

force. The flaw in the argument for

the Tories? The Tories propose a

single police force as well. So this

argument that it's a mess caused by

SNP policy falls apart when the

Tories did exactly the same policy

all along. The fact is the Tories

knew they were in the wrong, in an

indefensible position, but by

refusing to do the right thing until

they somehow thought they could

wring some party political advantage

out of it, just shows how small

minded and partisan and the Tories

are and reflects really badly on

them. My final point is this. Having

conceded that it is wrong to take

the 80 out of the pocket of our

emergency services, it's not enough

just to fix it for the future, B

£140 million that has been taken

from the emergency services back.

The First Minister will be aware of

the report last week demonstrating

how the SNP government has

systematically penalised local

government resulting in £1.5 billion

of cuts and 15,000 job losses. It's

not just the figures, if the impact

on local communities. The day

centres have closed, the libraries

have disappeared from local areas.

The First Minister has budged

taxation all the way through this

session. When will she finally show

some leadership and produce a budget

which will use the powers of the

Parliament, deliver progressive

taxation and give a free funding to

local government to protect local

jobs and local services? James Kelly

asked me when we both said the

opposition and tax and other

matters. Its 14th of December when

we publish the budget in the

chamber. He talks about local

government funding, very important

aspect of our budget consideration.

In the budget for this financial

year, we took steps to protect the

spending power of local government

and increase the spending power of

local government considerably and

will continue to do everything we

can to protect front line services.

I have said previously to Labour

members who stand up and raise the

issue of local government budgets

because of last year, we also gave

local councils the option of

increasing their council tax up to a

maximum of 3% to help with these

pressures. The only councils across

Scotland who thought they had enough

money so they didn't have to do that

were Labour councils. We have labour

standing up in here, calling for

more money, at their own councils

ignored them by refusing to use the

options to raise more money. The

councils listen to James Kelly just

as closely as Kezia Dugdale did when

he told her she was not allowed to

go to the jungle. STUDIO: It took 37

minutes to get to Kezia Dugdale in

the jungle.

To ask the First

Minister what the government's

response is to the survey discusses

Ambulance Services which suggests

work pressure had affected the

health of more than half of the

respondents.

Scottish Ambulance

Service staff who responded to

740,000 incidences last year,

provide help in difficult

circumstances. Yesterday we met with

the chief of the Ambulance Service

to her set up the support of the

welfare staff. Our team are

considering the findings of this

survey in detail and they are clear

that they will take additional steps

to address the issues raised.

I

think the First Minister for that

response. Back in June 2008 when you

wear Health Secretary, you get the

Scottish Ambulance Service one month

to bring forward plus two and single

staffing of its services. And then

take action to limit single manning.

But a Freedom of information

requests shows it occurred last year

over to occurred 2200 times, what

can she say to make sure they are

not good in this N-terminal pole

position?

Single calling of

ambulances should happen only in

exceptional times. If you look at

the report from the second quarter

of 2017, the single crew increased

slightly from the previous quarter

but remained 1.3% of the total

shifts carried out over in the

period and we will continue to work

closely with the

period and we will continue to work

closely with to ensure that only

happens genuinely in exceptional

time. There are currently recruiting

a thousand additional power medics

over this Parliament to reduce

pressure on A&E and support primary

care transformation and that work is

under way. Those who work in

Ambulance Services as I said, do an

exceptional job and we all recognise

that it is one of the most

challenging jobs that anybody can

do. The Scottish Ambulance Service

have an employee assistance

programme which includes

counselling. We witnessed from

Attica vents, therapeutic services

and fast track access to

physiotherapy. As part of the

survey, the Scottish ambulance will

consider what steps they need to

take to give appropriate support to

their employees.

To ask the First

Minister up what action the Scottish

Government plans to take to support

student in light of the call in the

report in new social contract of

students for them to be given a

minimum income entitlement of itself

and £100 per year?

The government is

committed to ensuring that all

students especially those in most

deprived communities are provided

with financial support to succeed.

That indeed is why we commissioned

the report and I want to thank the

members of the review board for

their hard work on the past year.

The report sets out a number of

recommendations that would

fundamentally change the way

students are supported so it is only

right that we now take some time to

consider these recommendations in

detail and of course, as part of

current and future budget processes,

and will set out our next steps in

due course.

The key question for the

government's response is the balance

they strike between grants and

loans. The review central

recommendation is disappointing in

that it would embed the cut for

grants for university students which

this government made in 2013, and

work yet again increase student

indebtedness. Those debt levels have

already doubled under this

government, did despite the promise

to dump the debt with poorer

students coming with the highest

debt the First Minister should

listen to NUS Scotland and shift the

balance back towards higher grants

rather than just more debt?

Let me

start by saying on a point of

consensus, I think Iain Gray is

right that that is perhaps not the

only people in one of the key point

is relevant to the government's

response to this report. We will

respond in course after considering

the recommendations. I should say

that while I do not negate the

promise telling macro

that while I do not negate the

promise telling is making about that

report, we seek aid position where

total student that we see a position

with total student supporters up,

more students are with receiving

support, almost 3000 students

qualify for a nonrepayable bursary

which saw the funny and increase

last year which helps raises the

income threshold for bursaries. We

have bit more in grants and

bursaries last year than any

previous year. -- paid more. That is

the record now and we should build

on that. The final point is this,

while understanding absolutely the

issues raised by student debt and

that is one issue why we are so

determined to keep tuition fees out

of Scotland, but we have a situation

where average student loan debt in

Scotland is significantly lower than

it is in any other part of the UK.

In England, average student loan

debt is £32,220. In Scotland it is

at £11,740. We have work to do and

this report provides us with the

bases to do that work. But it's

important to recognise that in many

respects students in Scotland get

much greater support in Scotland

than they do elsewhere.

Can the

First Minister outline how the

Scottish Government will take

forward its commitment to raised

student loan repayment threshold of

a bid that was a manifesto

commitment that we made at the last

election.

It is something we had

committed even before the report

that was published this week so we

will shortly set up the detail of

how we take forward that particular

issue.

Can I declare an interest in

both my wife and daughter were at St

John's Hospital. What is the

government response to two any idea

that A&E waiting times have been

misrepresented?

This is reflected in

the action the Health Secretary has

dated. She ordered a independent

review last week into waiting times

at St John's A&E department which

followed the information given to

NHS Lothian to these quaint

followed the information given to

NHS Lothian to these by a

whistle-blower. This confirms

certain areas of concern and she

asked for an external review to

investigate and that will report

back to the Health Secretary early

in the New Year.

This week the

health and support committee heard

from representative of A&E staff

from doctors, allied health

professionals and nurses about how

staff shortages and cut are

impacting staff morale, the culture

across the NHS and ultimately

patient care. St John's, I hear

repeatedly. I who want to do their

job well but can't because there

aren't enough of them. These

revelations about the misreporting

of waiting times appear to be yet

more evidence of that. In the

forthcoming budget, will the First

Minister and still that the NHS is

fully funded, it is staff

appropriately and safely and that

those who care for us are paid a

fair wage for their efforts?

I would agree with Neil Findlay's

couplent that those working in our

NHS generally but those working in

in our emergency departments do. I

recognise, I readily recognise both

as a former Health Secretary, as fir

minister now but just as a citizen

of this country, the pressure those

working in our health service are

under. It has always been a job that

has people working under pressure.

With the ageing population, we know

those pressures are increasing. We

have increased the budget of the

front line health service, an

additional £3 billion over the life

of this Government so far. We had

the most extensive commitment to

additional funding in the NHS over

the lifetime of this Parliament. We

see additional people working in our

health service but we need to see

continued reform of how health

services work in conjunction with

social care services. We'll continue

in the budget in the a couple of

weeks' time and beyond to take the

best possible decisions ta make sure

our health service has the support

it needs.

We had a refrains there from the

First Minister to the budget due in

three weeks' time. It dominated

exchanges. Joined by a couple of

journalistity chums.

Let's talk

budget. Let's talk the budget

spending element first. Iain, take

us through the business, the

Treasury says it is £2 billion.

Nicola Sturgeon says it is less than

that. The wrong kind of money.

You

need a degree in accountancy to

understand first ministers

questions. It is whether or not this

£2 billion is an authentic sum to be

spent on day-to-day spending. Fraser

offal inder support her on that. The

Tory point is this transactions

money which is essentially loans

given, is often used by the

Government when they are helping the

farmers compensating them or CAP

payments. This is seen as largely

coming from the Government. Its is

if they're not prepared to recognise

that is money at their disposal,

even for the short-term.

The

exchanges, Libby were robust?

They

were pretty combative, certainly.

You had Ruth Davidson complaining,

telling Nicola Sturgeon she was

complaining about having the wrong

sort of money and Sturgeon coming

back accusing Davidson of being even

more of a party stooge for her

Westminster masters.

Very strong.

Pretty harsh. Sturgeon is in a very

difficult position now. As Iain

says, a love of this money that has

been promised is not the kind of

thing that can be used for

day-to-day spending. She had a these

commitments she's made, pledges on

public sector pay, the NHS and child

Kay which she has to deal with.

The

First Minister's right in saying

this is not discretionary spending

it has to be spent on private sector

project loans. It has to be paid

back to the treasury was a key

point?

That's true. I'm not sure, I

think there is an element of

discretion how they deploy it. But

these are essentially loans which

have to be paid back. Nevertheless,

it is sometimes seen as money from

the Government when the Scottish

Government when they choose to

interpret it as that. This goes

right over our viewers' and voters'

heads. These exchanges, really, are

very unfortunate. People just turn

off. As soon as they hear these

numbers they don't believe what any

politician says.

Let's bring it down

to detail. The pay question. Fir

minister saying -- First Minister

saying, Derek Mackay demanded a

budget line that would cover lifting

the pay cap for public sector

workers generally. The Chancellor

had warm words about nurses but

didn't go beyond that. That puts the

Scottish Government in something of

a dilemma?

This brings us to the

question of the Barnet bypass. It

seems, it was suggested by the

Chancellor the other day he was

going to pay for the increase in

nurses' pay not through the

conventional route of departmental

spending but from a special source

of funding. They would not be a

Barnet consequential. I can't

resolve that. I'm not quite sure

what the implications are but

there's a lot of jiggery poke Errie.

People get that message.

Maybe the

point was each if it is money for

nurses, it is not the police

service, council workers, others.

The pledge was to lift the public

sector pay cap. Nicola Sturgeon has

always accompanied that saying it

has to be affordable.

It has to be

athe only way it can be done up here

is through tax rises which is now,

that's where the discussion point

is. It is interesting, Iain talking

about this discussion going over

people's heads. You had every front

page practically this morning

calling for Sturgeon to scrap tax

rises after this alleged generosity

from Westminster. And, in fact, the

BBC did a survey by this time last

year, which was when members of the

Scottish public were very keen to

see a rise in the top rate of income

tags but very much wanting Scottish

taxes to remain in line with UK

taxes. We'll see how that plays too.

That is the Scottish Government's

commitment.

At the last election

they said they would not increase

tax rates on basic rate taxpayers.

Clearly that's in their discussion

document, the Scottish Government

are minded to change that.

She

talked about the lowest paid. Those

on the basic rate is quite wide. The

lowest paid, perhaps those towards

the upper rate before moving into

40%. If she changes the banding?

That's what they've been thinking

about. If you introduce new bands

you could perhaps have a system

where nobody who's earning less than

the average wage in Scotland would

pay more in tax but a number of

people on basic rate tax at the

moment will start paying more.

That's the problem for Nicola

Sturgeon of the she has that

manifesto commitment she has to get

round.

Leonard's first performance

on the dispatch box?

He was

confident you might ask yourself why

he wasn't asking questions about

taxation after the discussion we've

had. He focussed on the Fire

Service. He had just been addressing

a rally of firefighters outside

Holyrood before he came into the

chamber.

What did you make of him?

It was another exchange, a dialogue

of the death. On the one hand he was

saying 700 fewer front line

firefighters, Nicola Sturgeon saying

that's not the case.

What did you

make of his performance?

It is

difficult. It is his first outing.

He's a new face. There's been a lot

of changes at the front bench of the

Labour Party in recent years. I

think he got through it OK. There's

always, a lot of people say it is

very unwise to use posters of images

at first ministers question. It is

easy for people to Photoshop them

and have him saying something very

different.

Hang on a second. Another

little one for you to chew over. Mr

Leonard's predecessor as Labour

Leader is Kezia Dugdale. She got a

little outing in I'm A Celebrity

last night. A little trail. She' be

in the Jungle tonight. It has been

hugely contention to say the least.

Here's what one of her fellow MSPs

had to say.

It is utterly ludicrous.

I think we have a situation where we

are in the run up to the budget in

Scotland where local government is

on its knees, where the NHS has

pressures like never before, when

people's living zapped Ards are

falling. They expect their MPs, MSPs

councillors and elected

representatives to be in fighting on

their behalf. I don't think people

would expect them to jet off around

the world and sit around a camp fire

eating kangaroo's appendage!

Not

sure if that will be on the menu

tonight. But here's what Kezia

Dugdale had to say regarding her

reasons for joining the programme.

I'm Kez Dugdale, a Labour MSP for

Edinburgh and the Lothians. In the

next few days I'll fly to Australia

to take part in I'm Celebrity Get Me

Out of Here. I appreciate yacht to

some of my constituents this is a

controversial move. There will be

some upset about it, questioning my

priorities. I want to take a minute

to explain why I'm doing this. I'm A

Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here is a

huge UK-wide television programme

with an audience into the millions.

It is an amazing opportunity to talk

to young people about politics and

in particular, lake values. The

first time I was approached to do

this, I turned it down. I didn't

think I could be away from my job

for over five weeks. The show came

pack to me to say could I go away

for three weeks and two days. That's

what I'll do. The minute I leave

Australia I'll come back to the

Scottish Parliament to do my job and

I'm committed to doing that for the

long-term. I hope to stand at the

next election again as well. I

appreciate however, I am away whilst

I'm supposed to be doing my job.

That's why I've donated by salary

for the whole time I'm in Australia

to the Rock Trust. That's an

organisation which exists to support

young people affected and at risk of

homelessness. They do fantastic work

supporting pretty vulnerable people

across this city and beyond it. So,

I donated 2,500 to them which is my

salary for the time eye' out of the

UK. I hope you can support their

work too. In the mean tile, please

tune into the show. You've got an

opportunity to vote for me to do

horrendous tasks covered in beasties

and you can vote me out when the

time comes too. Wish me luck. If I

have to do some of the eating tasks,

well, who knows!

She has the

appropriate headgear for heading off

to the Jungle. What do you make of

it, Iain?

Well, you know, if she

thinks going to the jungle and I'm A

Celebrity will be a great

opportunity to spread knowledge

about Labour Party values...

I'm

sure they'll have a learned

discussion about the Labour

manifesto and tax problems?

There

has been an extraordinary amount of

comment. Going on for Kay days.

She's been criticised to the least

for the fee for this appearance...

Part of which she'll donate to

charity.

She says she'll donate her

salary.

And a part of fee.

A lot of

people thinking, ordinary people

can't disappear off to the jungle

for three weeks even if they are

donating to charity. She didn't

appear to get permission from the

party itself. She did tweet when

Nadine Dorries, the Tory MP did the

same thing. This is a reason for

being sacked.

You're itching to get

in.

I have to say, it does irritate

me when Neil Findlay talks about

demeaning politics. Particularly

when we think of the news over the

last couple of weeks about sexual

harassment, a sexual assault victim

being encouraged to keep quiet for

the good of her political party. I

think those things demean politics a

bit more. We need perhaps

perspective about this.

Do you

defend Ms Dugdale?

Think she's

hopeful she be convert a whole load

of 20-somethings about her jungle

visit. She's proved she's game for a

lot of things in her career in

politics so far. We'll watch with

interest.

Will you be watching with

interest?

Absolutely. It is so

bizarre. When I first heard this, I

assumed this was a joke or a parody

account. It was like when we heard

Alex Salmond would host a show on

Russia Today: Politics and showbiz

are becoming inter twined.

Libby,

thank you, Iain, thanks very much

indeed. We had coverage there of

questions to the first minute sir. A

little talk about jungle matters

later. Primarily about the budget.

As the First Minister said, the

details of that Scottish budget will

emerge in three weeks' time. We'll

cover it every step of the way. From

Holyrood and me, Brian Taylor,

goodbye.