:00:28. > :00:31.A very warm welcome to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. What is
:00:31. > :00:38.happening to the fall-out with David Cameron's European speech
:00:38. > :00:41.yesterday? The provision of beds and the health service generally.
:00:41. > :00:49.Ms peas were taking evidence on the provision of foreign language
:00:49. > :00:57.teaching in schools. The next half hour is blunt language, it is
:00:57. > :01:05.questions to the First Minister. Question number one. What
:01:05. > :01:08.engagements has he planned for the rest of the day? To take forward
:01:08. > :01:15.the Independent's programme for Scotland. The First Minister told
:01:15. > :01:21.the Today programme last week, we are going into talks with the
:01:21. > :01:26.European Commission. When are those talks going to take place? Joanne
:01:26. > :01:33.Lamont will have seen the European commission's view. Which states
:01:33. > :01:37.they have not expressed an opinion in terms of a specific situation
:01:37. > :01:42.regarding Scotland. All the stuff we had before Christmas according
:01:42. > :01:47.to the European Commission was not about Scotland. However, they did
:01:47. > :01:52.offer a route forward. They said that if a member state would want
:01:52. > :01:55.to ask for an opinion, then an opinion could be provided. We have
:01:55. > :01:59.made it clear to the UK Government that we could go jointly to the
:01:59. > :02:05.European Commission to find out what the commission's view is and
:02:05. > :02:08.we can get that viewpoint. That seems to be an entirely reasonable
:02:08. > :02:11.suggestion and perhaps Joanne Lamont will depart from her
:02:11. > :02:19.colleagues in the coalition Government and support the positive
:02:19. > :02:25.suggestion of this it is Government. I think we can workout you did not
:02:25. > :02:27.answer the question. If I can put aside what I am asked and say about
:02:27. > :02:32.something else might be an interesting thing to do, but it is
:02:32. > :02:36.not what you are supposed to do in this chamber. You said you were
:02:36. > :02:40.going into talks and since the First Minister made the assertion
:02:40. > :02:44.he was going to meet John Mann while Barroso before the First
:02:44. > :02:49.Minister had even received a reply asking for talks, what was the
:02:49. > :02:54.basis upon which the First Minister said he was going into talks with
:02:54. > :03:03.the European Commission? Was it the same basis when he said he had had
:03:03. > :03:05.legal advice, when he had not. That is, he made it up. I think the
:03:05. > :03:09.basis was which asked for talks with the European Commission on
:03:09. > :03:13.what seemed to be the viewpoint that they stated in December,
:03:13. > :03:18.widely reported, which applied to the case of Scotland. The European
:03:18. > :03:23.Commission has now replied saying they said no such thing. However, I
:03:23. > :03:27.think it would be useful for the European commission's view Pike to
:03:27. > :03:31.be heard. I want to hear their opinion and that is why the deputy
:03:31. > :03:35.First Minister has indicated we would jointly, with the UK
:03:35. > :03:39.Government, if they agree find out what the European Commission thinks.
:03:39. > :03:44.We have had since December some other important opinions on this
:03:44. > :03:51.matter. Sir David Edwards, the former Court judge at the European
:03:51. > :03:56.Court of Justice only this week seemed to profoundly support
:03:56. > :04:03.firstly the Scottish Government's viewpoint that we have indicated
:04:03. > :04:07.many times, we will negotiate from within the European Union, and in
:04:07. > :04:11.another opinion they should be two successor states with equal status
:04:12. > :04:16.with regard to each other. These profound and important legal
:04:16. > :04:20.opinions tend to give weight to the Scottish Government's point of view.
:04:20. > :04:25.I am sure Joanne Lamont has read them, and thus do them, and she
:04:25. > :04:31.will want to take account of them as we pursue this debate. It would
:04:31. > :04:39.be interesting, however, it Joanne will give me a second, to have an
:04:39. > :04:46.indication from the Labour Party... Order, order. If they are heading
:04:46. > :04:51.towards the exit door of the European Union. Forgive me for not
:04:51. > :04:56.allowing the First Minister his soundbite before he moved on.
:04:56. > :05:03.Because of course although the President has not spoken about the
:05:03. > :05:09.specific issue of Scotland he has said a new state well not have the
:05:09. > :05:14.treaty applied. I can only assume that while the First Minister wants
:05:14. > :05:18.to trim down the monarchy and the regulation of the banks, he thinks
:05:18. > :05:22.an independent Scotland will be a new state, but he can correct me if
:05:22. > :05:27.I am wrong in that regard. The President has said he cannot
:05:27. > :05:32.comment on the application to join the EU, but the Czechoslovakians
:05:32. > :05:38.foreign minister has promised. They will have a veto on an independent
:05:38. > :05:42.Scotland's EU application false --. Scotland would have to apply for
:05:42. > :05:47.membership. He went on to say Scotland would get a worse deal
:05:47. > :05:54.because, a much smaller country with much less economic importance
:05:54. > :06:01.has less weight. Why do you think they're foreign minister is
:06:01. > :06:06.scaremongering like that? Scotland is approximately the same
:06:06. > :06:10.geographical size as the Czech Republic. I have got the comments
:06:10. > :06:16.from the foreign minister and he was specifically asked would he
:06:16. > :06:20.want to block Scotland's entry into the European Union and he said no.
:06:20. > :06:25.Even the Czech foreign minister speaking before he realised the
:06:25. > :06:29.exit door to which the UK is heading under Cameron's leadership
:06:29. > :06:32.thought he would not want to stop Scotland being a member of the
:06:32. > :06:38.European Union. If the Czech foreign minister does not want to
:06:38. > :06:42.stop Scotland, why did the Labour Party seemed to cast some doubt on
:06:42. > :06:48.it? The events of the last 24 hours are a very interesting in this
:06:48. > :06:52.debate. It indicates the threat has gone's continued membership to the
:06:52. > :06:56.European Union does not come from this Parliament or the people of
:06:56. > :06:59.Scotland. It comes from the banks of the Thames and a Tory coalition
:06:59. > :07:03.Government who are heading towards the exit door and a Labour
:07:03. > :07:11.opposition who have still to clarify what on earth they think
:07:11. > :07:16.about it. I know that it is the First Minister's stock in trade to
:07:16. > :07:20.miss the point, however, what the Czech foreign minister is making
:07:20. > :07:26.the point about is not whether he would block Scotland, but what
:07:26. > :07:32.price they would extract from Scotland's membership of the UK.
:07:32. > :07:39.Alex Salmond and David Cameron are like these in a pod. They will
:07:39. > :07:46.always put... They will always put... Order, order. They will
:07:46. > :07:51.always put their parties' interest before the interests of the people
:07:51. > :07:55.of this country. There is nothing quite so negative as trying to
:07:55. > :07:59.mislead the country and perhaps that is why support for
:07:59. > :08:03.independence is at its lowest since devolution. Perhaps the people who
:08:03. > :08:08.hear him say he has legal advice when he has not do not believe him
:08:08. > :08:13.any more. Maybe the pensioner lying in a trolley in a freezing corridor
:08:13. > :08:18.does not believe him when he says he is doing a great job with the
:08:18. > :08:22.NHS. Maybe when he says he is doing everything he can to create jobs
:08:22. > :08:28.and then goes on a half-a-million planned trip to the Gulf people do
:08:28. > :08:37.not believe him. Because the reality is Alex Salmond cheered the
:08:37. > :08:44.Tories into Downing Street... order. He sees Tory welfare cuts as
:08:44. > :08:50.an opportunity for his party. And he celebrates, he celebrates, he
:08:50. > :09:00.celebrates Tory mistakes on Europe. In fact, is it not the case he
:09:00. > :09:02.
:09:02. > :09:07.loves the Tories so much he has taken... Order, order! Let me try
:09:07. > :09:13.it again so that you definitely hear it. In fact, is it not the
:09:13. > :09:21.case he loves the Tories so much he has taken support for independence
:09:21. > :09:28.down to Tory levels of popularity? I think Joanne Lamont should try
:09:28. > :09:31.many times again to get it right. I am not the one who is in the better
:09:31. > :09:36.together campaign. Hand in glove with the Conservative Party. Amid
:09:36. > :09:41.all that nonsense there was a serious point about the NHS. It is
:09:41. > :09:48.not acceptable for a patent to wait eight hours, less alone and 84
:09:48. > :09:53.year-old man from Glasgow. But the NHS conducts 1.5 million accident
:09:53. > :09:57.and emergency admissions in a year, about 6% over the last few years.
:09:57. > :10:03.Not all of these admissions are conducted in the manner that we
:10:03. > :10:07.would like and that is inevitable in an organisation. But you can
:10:07. > :10:13.measure whether the NHS improves or not. The facts are that when we
:10:14. > :10:20.took office in September 2006, 90.3% of patients waited less than
:10:20. > :10:25.four hours in accident and emergency. In September, 2012, 95%
:10:25. > :10:30.of patients waited less than four hours. These are the facts of
:10:30. > :10:36.improvement in the NHS, which must be driven forward, so we do not
:10:36. > :10:41.have any individual cases of 84 year-olds waiting six hours. I have
:10:41. > :10:46.dealt with Joanne Lamont's alliance with the Conservative Party. If the
:10:46. > :10:51.Labour benches do not like it, they should not be hand-in-glove in a
:10:51. > :10:56.better together campaign. The point of the European Commission is not
:10:56. > :11:00.that they say they are not going to comment, they say they have not
:11:00. > :11:04.commented on the Scottish situation, but allow the opportunity for the
:11:04. > :11:10.member state to go to find out the European commission's opinion. I
:11:10. > :11:12.would like to hear the European commission's opinion which is why
:11:12. > :11:19.the Deputy First Minister has indicated we would be willing to do
:11:19. > :11:21.that in a joint submission. Unfortunately, Joanne Lamont's
:11:21. > :11:26.allies in the Conservative and Liberal parties do not seem to have
:11:26. > :11:31.any enthusiasm. Is it because the proposition that comes forward from
:11:31. > :11:35.the Unionist parties that somehow energy rich, fishing rich,
:11:35. > :11:40.renewable which Scotland would not be welcomed with open arms into the
:11:40. > :11:46.European Union is absolutely incredible. In contrast to the
:11:46. > :11:49.anti-European attitudes prevailing in the House of Commons for many
:11:49. > :11:58.people across the Continent would welcome a pro-European Scotland
:11:58. > :12:02.into the community of nations. calling Joanne Lamont again because
:12:02. > :12:09.I expect any member in this chamber to be allowed to be heard when they
:12:09. > :12:14.ask their questions. Thank you very much, presiding officer. The SNP's
:12:14. > :12:19.position on Europe seems to have changed from of course we would be
:12:19. > :12:22.a member, to why wouldn't we be a member? On the question of the
:12:22. > :12:27.health service it is not good enough for a First Minister to come
:12:27. > :12:32.here and say everything is fantastic and for policy to shift
:12:32. > :12:37.and be driven by the fact a newspaper and a journalist raised
:12:37. > :12:41.these questions. It is about time the First Minister got his health
:12:41. > :12:45.minister to make sure the NHS was safe, rather than simply responding
:12:45. > :12:50.to stories that have to come into the papers in order for there to be
:12:50. > :12:56.action. Let the record showed I never said anything of the sort. I
:12:56. > :12:59.pointed out that 1.5 million admissions to accident and
:12:59. > :13:04.emergency and in any human organisation that some people would
:13:05. > :13:08.not be treated as we would like and that is not acceptable. It is not
:13:08. > :13:14.acceptable for an old person to wait that length of time on a
:13:14. > :13:18.trolley in a Glasgow hospital are anywhere across the NHS. The.
:13:18. > :13:22.Joanne Lamont did not like his we can tell through the statistics the
:13:22. > :13:29.improvement in the NHS and accident and emergency. If it was
:13:29. > :13:33.unacceptable now, as I say it is, was it not more acceptable in 2006
:13:33. > :13:40.when the Labour Party were in power and many thousands more people were
:13:40. > :13:44.in that position in the NHS? They NHS conducts itself and deals with
:13:45. > :13:48.7 million treatments over the course of a year and 1.5 in
:13:48. > :13:54.accident and emergency should be seen as a health service and its
:13:54. > :13:58.workers performing in the interests of the nation. Thank goodness there
:13:58. > :14:05.and Monkland accident and emergency services are open and not closed as
:14:05. > :14:08.the Labour Party would have done. Question number two. I would like
:14:09. > :14:15.to ask the First Minister when he will next meet the prime minister.
:14:15. > :14:19.No plans in the future. Despite the First Minister's party stations,
:14:19. > :14:25.there are many things on which there is clear water between us and
:14:25. > :14:31.Labour, not just Europe. Their defence is we are sound on Europe
:14:31. > :14:39.and they are not. We would give Scotland a say and they would not
:14:39. > :14:42.and neither would it seem with the First Minister. Why is that? Why is
:14:42. > :14:46.it when the research shows it twice as many Scots want a euro
:14:46. > :14:56.referendum than what Scotland delete the UK? Why would he not
:14:56. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:12.The reason the SNP advocate a position, is we do not want to be
:15:12. > :15:16.in the European Union, therefore we do not argue for a referendum in
:15:16. > :15:20.that issue. But David Cameron says he wants to stay in the EU. When he
:15:20. > :15:24.is talking to other European leaders he says he is a great
:15:24. > :15:30.reformer who is going to save Europe. But in front of his
:15:30. > :15:36.Eurosceptic backbenchers, he says it is an in - a note -- and in oat
:15:36. > :15:40.referendum. Where is the urgency to have the euro referendum that we
:15:40. > :15:46.used to have for the Scottish referendum? If the negotiations
:15:46. > :15:51.fail, will the Conservative Party line-up and campaign against the
:15:51. > :16:00.EU? Ordered did David Cameron not bother to consult her when he made
:16:00. > :16:04.his speech yesterday? Yes, he did. Yes, I saw him, this
:16:04. > :16:09.week and last. The difference is, the Prime Minister is ready to
:16:09. > :16:14.negotiate a better deal for the UK, and year-old leaders like Angela
:16:14. > :16:19.Merkel are lining up to sit down for talks, and this minister cannot
:16:19. > :16:22.get through the door in Brussels for a simple meeting. I am grateful
:16:22. > :16:26.to the First Minister, because this week's something has become
:16:26. > :16:30.crystal-clear - bought for the UK and you have a chance for you see
:16:30. > :16:36.in Europe, vote for independence and he is telling you to leave it
:16:36. > :16:40.up to him. We all know which way Scotland is going. We also know
:16:40. > :16:48.that this First Minister is old enough to have had his say on
:16:48. > :16:53.Europe decades ago. But no one in Scotland under 55 ever has. No one
:16:53. > :16:57.under 55 in Scotland has ever had their say on Europe, and industry
:16:57. > :17:02.First Minister's world, they never will. The First Minister needs to
:17:02. > :17:08.explain to them why he would deny them their say. Can he? Why does he
:17:08. > :17:13.not trust them? In her first question, she seemed
:17:13. > :17:17.to imply that she was at least admitting the possibility, perhaps
:17:17. > :17:21.even accepting I was going to win the referendum. In her second, she
:17:21. > :17:30.seems to have considered the first election for an independent
:17:30. > :17:35.Scottish Parliament. -- conceded the first election. If they so wish,
:17:35. > :17:41.one name in 2016, they can go to the Scottish people and have
:17:42. > :17:45.exactly the same position as David Cameron has in 2015. But implied in
:17:45. > :17:50.the question is the acceptance that some hope with Davidson has come to
:17:50. > :17:53.the conclusion that, even under her dynamic leadership, the
:17:53. > :17:59.Conservative Party are not going to be threatening to many of the
:17:59. > :18:02.polling stations with their to rake in 2016. I think the circumstances
:18:02. > :18:10.of the last few days have fundamentally changed the debate in
:18:10. > :18:13.Scotland. -- the polling stations with their victory. The Labour and
:18:13. > :18:17.Tory campaigns have rested on the assumption that uncertainty would
:18:17. > :18:21.be created in terms of Scotland's position in Europe. It is obvious
:18:21. > :18:26.to any reasonable person now that the uncertainty of Scotland's
:18:26. > :18:29.position in Europe comes from the Conservative Party, led by the nose
:18:29. > :18:35.by Euro-sceptics, and the compromises David Cameron has made
:18:35. > :18:39.to hold onto his job. I doubt very much if the Scottish situation,
:18:39. > :18:43.never mind the Scottish Conservative Party or NEETs - --
:18:43. > :18:48.where any part of the Prime Minister's calculations. That is
:18:48. > :18:53.why Scotland is safer with independence as a European nation.
:18:53. > :18:57.A brief constituency supplementary from Hugh Henry. The bag you,
:18:57. > :19:01.Presiding Officer. On Monday night there was a major
:19:01. > :19:05.fire at a recycling plant in Johnson next to residential
:19:05. > :19:10.properties in the town centre. Some residents were evacuated and rail
:19:10. > :19:14.services to a Ayrshire were halted. Will the First Minister consider a
:19:14. > :19:18.review of legislation to ensure these operations are not located in
:19:18. > :19:26.public areas, and will he ask his minister to come and meet with me
:19:26. > :19:30.and relative -- Melville -- revel and aged -- relevant agencies?
:19:30. > :19:33.I am sure the Deputy First Minister will be happy to arrange a meeting
:19:33. > :19:37.to discuss the matter further, and I would have thought a discussion
:19:37. > :19:41.of the matter would be the right way to proceed, then to decide what
:19:41. > :19:45.action needs to be taken as a result of that meeting.
:19:45. > :19:49.Question number three, will he Rennie. To ask the First Minister
:19:49. > :19:55.what issues will be discussed at the next Cabinet meeting. As use of
:19:55. > :19:58.the importance to the people of Scotland. A -- issues of importance.
:19:58. > :20:02.The First Minister has been an advocate of an independent Scotland
:20:02. > :20:06.all his political life. I can understand why he might not want to
:20:06. > :20:09.give up on his ambition of an independent Scotland, but can he
:20:09. > :20:15.tell me, it Scotland votes no, will he engage with other parties on
:20:15. > :20:20.further powers for the Parliament? Nicola Sturgeon has urged us all to
:20:20. > :20:28.work together if Scotland votes yes. Will he want with us if Scotland
:20:28. > :20:36.walks no? -- will he worked with us? My memory on this is that Ollie
:20:36. > :20:42.Henry wants -- will he Rennie was desperate to avoid a devo max on
:20:42. > :20:47.the referendum. We see Scotland's future as independent, I have no
:20:47. > :20:52.idea of the Liberal Democrats and malty faced alliances between the
:20:52. > :20:57.anti-European Tories and the no further destination Labour Party,
:20:57. > :20:59.where the Liberal Democrats stand. The First Minister knows, the
:20:59. > :21:07.referendum is about whether Scotland stays as part of the UK or
:21:07. > :21:11.not. Even his old consultation rejected a second question. I do
:21:11. > :21:19.not understand why they are so shy about this. The Liberal Democrats
:21:19. > :21:23.are published plans for home rule in the UK. There is a consensus
:21:23. > :21:28.emerging bond more powers from all of those plants, and it seems to be
:21:28. > :21:33.endorsed by members of the public. Will he at least consider working
:21:33. > :21:38.with me and others on a new constitutional future if Scotland
:21:38. > :21:45.vote snow? His deputy want partnership, that is reasonable.
:21:45. > :21:48.Why doesn't he? The survey shows strong support for
:21:48. > :21:51.Scottish Parliament increasing powers, it also shows strong
:21:51. > :21:57.support for the Scottish Parliament having full powers. It also shows
:21:57. > :22:01.the majority support control of items such as social security,
:22:01. > :22:07.which have not even featured in any of the Liberal-Democrat its
:22:07. > :22:12.proposals. The Lib Dems have been extremely coy and reluctant about
:22:12. > :22:17.the referendum, then to have anything else on the ballot paper.
:22:17. > :22:22.Now, apparently we should revisit that in some way or rearrange the
:22:22. > :22:26.furniture. I do not see how that is tenable. The Liberal Democrats
:22:26. > :22:30.would not go into alliance with the SNP at one point because we wanted
:22:30. > :22:36.a referendum on independence. Now they are in alliance with the
:22:36. > :22:40.Conservative Party who want a referendum on Europe! At the
:22:41. > :22:43.Liberal Democrats are willing to produce the look European
:22:43. > :22:52.principles because they have office in the House of Commons at the
:22:52. > :22:57.moment, I do not think many people will regard them as reliable allies.
:22:57. > :23:00.My proposition to will he Rennie is that, given in the past at least
:23:00. > :23:07.Liberal Democrats have expressed the strongest support for Scotland
:23:07. > :23:11.having the strongest possible Paras, why doesn't he desert the European
:23:11. > :23:21.for Bic Conservatives and the no further Labour Party and, and
:23:21. > :23:26.
:23:26. > :23:31.joined the yes campaign? -- the What the Scottish Government's
:23:31. > :23:38.position is on recent reports that Scotland is receiving less than its
:23:38. > :23:44.population sure of defence At the Freedom of Information on
:23:44. > :23:54.which the article is based reports that Scotland received 11 �9
:23:54. > :23:58.billion less than its population Shearer on major EU exempt projects.
:23:58. > :24:04.The on independence, this party could take charge of these powers.
:24:04. > :24:09.I notice that was backed by the former chairman of the defence
:24:09. > :24:14.industry representatives. Her recent surveys showed that Scotland
:24:14. > :24:19.could contain its defence because of an industrial capability that
:24:19. > :24:25.makes it attractive. The First Minister will be aware that the MoD
:24:26. > :24:29.announced earlier this week that up to 5,000 job losses are expected as
:24:29. > :24:36.a result of further are made redundancies. Can the First
:24:36. > :24:41.Minister raised this issue with the UK Government and seek clarity on
:24:41. > :24:43.has got one baby affected? And does he feel that instead of wasting
:24:43. > :24:52.billions of pounds on the obscenity of nuclear weapons, this money
:24:52. > :24:57.would be better spent maintaining the front line? I do think that,
:24:57. > :25:00.and I think the Conservative lead Government, which regarded defence
:25:00. > :25:03.Bint -- as a major issue in the constitutional debate should
:25:03. > :25:09.explain why people who have potentially been on the frontline
:25:09. > :25:14.fighting in Afghanistan are going to conform to P45s on their
:25:14. > :25:21.doorstep. Most human beings would find that disgraceful under the
:25:21. > :25:25.Conservative Party. I also note under the terms of Trident a
:25:25. > :25:29.correction in the Herald newspaper, it seems the previous job at
:25:29. > :25:33.estimates were based on double and triple counting. Both in terms of
:25:33. > :25:36.the real redundancies in defence, that are happening under the
:25:36. > :25:40.Conservative-led Government, and the least of expenditure of
:25:40. > :25:46.billions on a system of mass destruction, I think we would be
:25:46. > :25:51.far better if these areas were under Scottish control. The First
:25:51. > :25:56.Minister will be aware that the Scotsman report did not cover all
:25:56. > :26:01.MoD spending in Scotland, including the cost of extensive world-class
:26:01. > :26:06.protection for our oil rigs and gas rigs in the North Sea. Can he tell
:26:06. > :26:11.me, if Scotland were to the UK, how would this protection be provided?
:26:11. > :26:15.By the Scottish conventional defence forces, and the advantage
:26:15. > :26:19.would be we would have conventional forces protecting Scotland's
:26:19. > :26:22.interests in partnership with allies, as opposed to wasting
:26:22. > :26:26.billions on an unwanted, unusable system of weapons of mass
:26:26. > :26:32.destruction that the vast majority of Scottish MPs and the
:26:32. > :26:35.overwhelming majority of MSPs have thwarted against. If she actually
:26:35. > :26:39.believes in this Parliament, believes even in the views
:26:39. > :26:43.expressed by many people in the Labour Party, how on earth can she
:26:43. > :26:48.accept the situation of billions of expenditure are wasted on Trident
:26:48. > :26:51.while conventional forces are being run down by? And how can she
:26:51. > :26:54.possibly defend gun in the system of public spending cuts across the
:26:54. > :26:57.UK, these buildings going into weapons of mass destruction? I
:26:57. > :27:04.think she should look to our conscience and come up with a
:27:04. > :27:07.different answer. Thank you Presiding Officer, to ask
:27:07. > :27:11.the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is
:27:11. > :27:16.to the Joseph Rowntree Report suggesting a boy born in one of the
:27:16. > :27:21.most deprived areas has a life expectancy 14 years below one born
:27:21. > :27:30.in the least deprived. The report and the number make
:27:30. > :27:35.profound points. Health should be a huge priority across this chamber.
:27:35. > :27:39.In the report, which makes serious reading, there was one welcome
:27:39. > :27:48.piece of confirmation that the child poverty rate in Scotland
:27:48. > :27:56.dropped 10% in the decade up to 2011, which is still far too high
:27:56. > :27:59.but it represents a significant and arrogant.
:27:59. > :28:03.The First Minister is correct that previous governments have been able
:28:03. > :28:06.to lift one third of children out of poverty, and the current
:28:06. > :28:11.Government's policies make the task harder but are not excuses for
:28:11. > :28:15.despair. Does the First Minister agree with the report's authors who
:28:15. > :28:20.were in Glasgow on Monday? Scottish ministers already have the power to
:28:20. > :28:24.make a real difference to help inequalities. The authors were
:28:24. > :28:29.clear - the poor should not have to wait for a referendum. Does he
:28:29. > :28:33.further agree that the young boy described by the report need --
:28:33. > :28:38.needs the Scottish Government's help now? Can the First Minister
:28:38. > :28:44.make any changes or policy priorities that recognise that is
:28:45. > :28:49.used particularly in public health help the better off most?
:28:49. > :28:53.The author's sport at the conference, therefore we speak --
:28:53. > :28:57.treat the content of the report seriously. I think Drew Smith is
:28:57. > :29:01.going to have be come to terms with an unavoidable fact - there is no
:29:01. > :29:06.question whatsoever, a major determinant of the immediate causes
:29:06. > :29:11.of poverty is what is available in the social security system. That
:29:11. > :29:16.system is run at Westminster at the moment. As far as I understand, the
:29:16. > :29:20.Labour Party supports it being run from there. The report details the
:29:20. > :29:25.substantial threat to the incomes of families in Scotland from the
:29:25. > :29:31.changes going through in social security at the moment. Drew Smith
:29:31. > :29:35.should be or where a of the measures the Scottish Government
:29:35. > :29:39.has taken to ameliorate some of the worst effects of the social
:29:39. > :29:44.security changes. The instead of 10 embarking on amelioration, we did
:29:44. > :29:51.not be fantastic if we could all these issues in Scotland and tried
:29:51. > :29:55.to turn back that threat to some of the poorest families in our land?
:29:55. > :30:01.Last week the child poverty Action Group said the Westminster
:30:01. > :30:06.Government policies would result in a staggering one million more
:30:06. > :30:09.children being dragged below the poverty line by 2,000 and windy.
:30:09. > :30:13.That means 85,000 Scottish children pushed into poverty by a Government
:30:13. > :30:17.we did not fought for. Does the First Minister agreed that the only
:30:17. > :30:27.way to protect a those killed and his independence, and we really are
:30:27. > :30:27.
:30:27. > :30:31.not better together? -- to protect those children his independence?
:30:31. > :30:36.Goes on the Labour benches who moan and oppose the suggestion should at
:30:36. > :30:39.some stage come to the conclusion if the support Westminster have
:30:39. > :30:43.think this power, they are implicated in the decision that
:30:43. > :30:48.Government takes to reduce people in Scotland to penury. There is no
:30:48. > :30:51.escaping the fact, if they want different policies in terms of
:30:51. > :30:56.social protection in Scotland, they absolutely must be controlled by
:30:56. > :31:00.this Parliament. Perhaps at some stage the Labour Party will catch
:31:00. > :31:03.up with the attitudes reflected in the Social attitudes Survey and
:31:03. > :31:12.support social security coming under the province and power of
:31:12. > :31:15.this democratic Parliament in Scotland.
:31:16. > :31:20.The First Minister is probably aware that this is cervical cancer
:31:20. > :31:28.awareness Week. What steps can the Government take regarding education
:31:28. > :31:29.and awareness for cervical cancer to mark it is -- for cervical
:31:29. > :31:33.cancer? At bitter certainly correct that
:31:33. > :31:40.the earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of a cure.
:31:40. > :31:44.We know that the best screening is at early stages, and women are
:31:44. > :31:48.invited to be screened every three years. As well as information on-
:31:48. > :31:52.screen income we have information on the signs and symptoms of cancer.
:31:52. > :31:55.This week is cervical cancer prevention week. The message from
:31:55. > :31:58.this Government, and I am sure the old Tudor, is that anyone
:31:58. > :32:06.experiencing these signs and symptoms should see your GP
:32:06. > :32:11.straight away. I am sure the First Minister will
:32:11. > :32:15.congratulate the cervical Cancer Trust and what they do for women
:32:15. > :32:18.throughout the country. What ordination within the health boards
:32:18. > :32:28.can the First Minister asked for in terms of the awareness regarding
:32:28. > :32:35.
:32:35. > :32:45.this? There is a decline in the $:/STARTFEED.. There is a programme
:32:45. > :32:48.
:32:48. > :32:52.that highlight the screening programmes available. Nationally
:32:52. > :32:57.the information we provide this key to allowing women to make an
:32:57. > :33:00.informed choice. I would be delighted to arrange a meeting with
:33:00. > :33:04.the Health Secretary and Dennis Robertson to take forward and to
:33:04. > :33:09.look in particular at these are worrying indications that perhaps
:33:09. > :33:19.information is not getting through. That concludes First Minister's
:33:19. > :33:20.