:00:22. > :00:27.A warm welcome to the Scottish parliament here at Holyrood. It has
:00:28. > :00:32.been quite a week. The fiscal framework deal on Thursday, the
:00:33. > :00:38.budget carried yesterday, all of that controversy over taxes banning
:00:39. > :00:47.powers. Now it is the chance for Parliament to put questions to the
:00:48. > :00:51.First Minister. A burst of applause for the Israeli delegation. There
:00:52. > :00:55.were some MSPs who chose not to clap. We are underweight. -- under
:00:56. > :01:12.way. -- does the First Minister agree
:01:13. > :01:20.with her deputy? On the issue of claims, and I am glad we are,
:01:21. > :01:25.because... Can I say first of all that any job losses in any sector
:01:26. > :01:30.are a matter of regret. Our government has a policy of no
:01:31. > :01:37.compulsory redundancies. John Swinney did get something wrong in
:01:38. > :01:42.the chain yesterday. -- -- chamber. He said that the figures had gone
:01:43. > :01:51.down by 500. That was a misreading of the statistic, and it has Atsu
:01:52. > :01:59.gone up by 500. But the reason I think it is important to treat these
:02:00. > :02:01.issues seriously, and not be irresponsible in exaggerating, is
:02:02. > :02:09.illustrated by something that Kezia Dugdale said in this chain
:02:10. > :02:17.yesterday. Manager council was going to reduce the number of jobs by 350.
:02:18. > :02:22.That is puzzling claim, because Lanarkshire Council's budget was
:02:23. > :02:27.actually set the day before yesterday, and the actual number is
:02:28. > :02:37.less a third than the one that Kezia Dugdale cited in this chamber. So
:02:38. > :02:40.these are... Important matters, presiding officer. This is not an
:02:41. > :02:46.easy time for councils or the public sector, but I don't think that any
:02:47. > :02:50.of this is helped by wild scaremongering on the part of
:02:51. > :02:59.labour. It is more about their own desperate fight for survival than it
:03:00. > :03:05.is about anything else. She calls it wild scaremongering. Here is when
:03:06. > :03:11.McGonagle from Unite. We have lost 40,000 government jobs in 2010, and
:03:12. > :03:15.over the next year, we will likely lose another 15,000. He goes on to
:03:16. > :03:19.say, "To suggest that the budget cuts will have a minimal impact on
:03:20. > :03:27.jobs and services will be frankly astounding. " it is the words of the
:03:28. > :03:33.leading Trade Minister in the country. The casual disregard that
:03:34. > :03:40.John Swinney dismissed those that lost their jobs, that many workers
:03:41. > :03:43.sick to their stomachs. To hear the First Minister back him up is even
:03:44. > :03:48.worse. Despite the pretence, the reality is that cuts are happening
:03:49. > :03:55.across the country because of choice that the SNP made. The SNP made
:03:56. > :03:59.plans to cut the number of staff in their schools. Now the First
:04:00. > :04:06.Minister 's agrees with the trade unions and the workers. Can the Daly
:04:07. > :04:14.she'd tell us how many jobs will be lost as a result of the SNP budget?
:04:15. > :04:21.She exaggerated the impact among council by a factor of three, the
:04:22. > :04:26.figure she has just quoted are simply not borne out by the reality
:04:27. > :04:32.of council budgets. Let us quote the Aberdeenshire Council where labour
:04:33. > :04:37.is part of the administration. There will be a minimal impact on jobs.
:04:38. > :04:41.Argyll and Bute Council, we are doing everything possible to keep
:04:42. > :04:48.the impacts on jobs to a minimum. Aberdeen City Council, where labour
:04:49. > :04:56.is in administration, we are not looking at job cuts. Kezia Dugdale
:04:57. > :04:59.has been caught red-handed exaggerating the position. But this
:05:00. > :05:06.is important, because these are serious issues, and they deserve to
:05:07. > :05:11.be treated seriously. At the last session of first minces -- First
:05:12. > :05:17.Minister's Questions, Kezia Dugdale said that Perth Kinross Council
:05:18. > :05:23.was going to cut childcare, additional support needs, early
:05:24. > :05:27.years teachers and cut maths and English teachers. They set the
:05:28. > :05:35.budget later that same day, and they agreed budget for 2016-17 has no
:05:36. > :05:40.reduction in childcare, it maintains teacher numbers, and actually, the
:05:41. > :05:44.budget does not cut additional support needs, it increases
:05:45. > :05:50.additional support needs budget by 6%. So there is a gulf here, between
:05:51. > :05:55.what Labour say in this chamber and the reality of what is happening
:05:56. > :06:00.across the country. So before we go any further, with any more claims
:06:01. > :06:04.from Labour, I wondered if Kezia Dugdale will take the opportunity to
:06:05. > :06:09.retract what she said yesterday about Clackmannanshire, and what she
:06:10. > :06:19.said two weeks ago about Perth Kinross. Both were flatly wrong. She
:06:20. > :06:28.is trying to deny that there are cuts in education, and we have seen
:06:29. > :06:36.4000 fewer teachers in this country since she came to office. She cannot
:06:37. > :06:49.profile that away. She did not like hearing the truth from Unite. What
:06:50. > :06:53.about the GMP? -- G M B. " Government ministers need to take
:06:54. > :06:59.their heads out of the sand over the devastating impact their cuts are
:07:00. > :07:03.making right across Scotland. " That is the reality. Nicola Sturgeon is
:07:04. > :07:20.the first to line up to... She is nowhere to be seen. This
:07:21. > :07:24.afternoon, the SNP -controlled Dundee City Council will vote on
:07:25. > :07:28.cutting the budget for supply teachers, to cut the high school, to
:07:29. > :07:35.cut the budget the classroom materials for a decade. The First
:07:36. > :07:39.Minister has told us that more powers would mean fewer cuts. Yet,
:07:40. > :07:45.when she had the chance to use the powers of this Parliament to stop
:07:46. > :07:49.cuts to schools, and save Joyce jobs, she bottled it. How many jobs
:07:50. > :07:53.need to be lost, and how many cuts need to be made before this First
:07:54. > :08:01.Minister will finally use the power she has? I think given that I have
:08:02. > :08:06.already demonstrated that what Kezia Dugdale said about Perth Kinross
:08:07. > :08:10.was wrong, what she said about Clackmannanshire was wrong, I think
:08:11. > :08:18.what she is saying today with a pinch of salt. Kezia Dugdale stand
:08:19. > :08:23.here and complains about the reductions in a number of teachers.
:08:24. > :08:27.But yesterday, in this chamber, she joined forces with the Conservatives
:08:28. > :08:30.to vote against the budget that expressly maintained the number of
:08:31. > :08:39.teachers. That is the blatant hypocrisy of labour in this chamber.
:08:40. > :08:45.APPLAUSE Kezia Dugdale likes to quote people. Let me quote a couple
:08:46. > :08:48.of her own colleagues. How about the Labour leader of East Lothian
:08:49. > :08:55.Council? He should be familiar to Iain Gray. This is what he said
:08:56. > :09:00.earlier. " But it will allow us to invest in the future through
:09:01. > :09:06.increased provision of education and promoting the economy." And West
:09:07. > :09:12.Lothian Council. "We Have a budget that focuses on the need of local
:09:13. > :09:22.people, and the most vulnerable." Or Aberdeen. The Labour leader in
:09:23. > :09:27.Aberdeen has today joined forces with the Conservatives to issue an
:09:28. > :09:35.letter to every council taxpayer in Aberdeen. That letter says that John
:09:36. > :09:38.Swinney's budget is so dreadful that it has enabled Aberdeen City
:09:39. > :09:45.Council, and I'm quoting from the letter, to protect services and jobs
:09:46. > :09:49.for the people of Aberdeen, and progress an ambitious and contented
:09:50. > :09:53.plan that supports education, new infrastructure, roads, culture and
:09:54. > :09:56.prevention against flooded. Terrible John Swinney, enabling the council
:09:57. > :10:11.to do all of that! The First Minister might like to
:10:12. > :10:15.remember that the Green party, most notable right-wingers at the back of
:10:16. > :10:24.the chamber, also voted against her budget. I will tell you what I voted
:10:25. > :10:32.against. I voted against cuts to jobs, and cuts to local services. No
:10:33. > :10:37.politician can be taken seriously about wanting to tackle poverty and
:10:38. > :10:45.inequality unless they are prepared to challenge the current Westminster
:10:46. > :10:54.monist model of austerity. Those are the words of Nikolic sturgeon. --
:10:55. > :11:02.Nicola Sturgeon. We have a choice between using the powers of this
:11:03. > :11:06.Parliament. When she knows that thousands of jobs will be lost, and
:11:07. > :11:14.she knows the impact this will have on generations of young people why
:11:15. > :11:21.on earth did you choose more cuts? Not only does Kezia Dugdale's claims
:11:22. > :11:27.not bear any resemblance to reality, I have debunked most of the claims
:11:28. > :11:30.she has made through references to the reality in Perth Kinross,
:11:31. > :11:34.Clackmannanshire and Aberdeen City Council. But let me just outlined to
:11:35. > :11:43.Kezia Dugdale exactly what she did join with the Conservatives. She,
:11:44. > :11:48.and her colleagues, shoulder to shoulder with the Tories, voted
:11:49. > :11:53.against record funding for the National Health Service, she voted
:11:54. > :11:59.against the doubling of the attainment fund, they voted against
:12:00. > :12:06.the increasing funds for social care services. They voted against the
:12:07. > :12:11.protection for apprenticeships, and perhaps most galling of all, given
:12:12. > :12:16.everything that Labour has had to say over this issue, labour MSPs,
:12:17. > :12:21.they joined with the Conservatives to vote against a living wage for
:12:22. > :12:33.care workers. There has been a lot of quotes
:12:34. > :12:39.thrown about this chamber today, and let me just end with this one. It is
:12:40. > :12:43.from Kezia Dugdale herself. When asked this week, will you come
:12:44. > :12:47.second in the Scottish parliament elections, Kezia Dugdale says yes. I
:12:48. > :13:06.think we have just seen why. Question two. Ruth Davidson. And I
:13:07. > :13:12.think even that might be in doubt. Conservatives are hoping to leapfrog
:13:13. > :13:17.labour. No plans at present. I would like to return to the ring crisis
:13:18. > :13:26.infecting our rural economy caused by this SNP government. I received
:13:27. > :13:31.an e-mail from Jim Walker, and in it, he said that he may have
:13:32. > :13:34.supported independence, but, and I quote, he could never support a
:13:35. > :13:39.party, a minister or a government that had been quite so incompetent
:13:40. > :13:43.and frankly naive. He is writing an article to be published tomorrow,
:13:44. > :13:50.where he says that the National farmers union should call for the
:13:51. > :13:56.resignation of the Cabinet Secretary and the corresponding person in the
:13:57. > :14:00.civil service. Conley is starved of ?500 million worth of funding
:14:01. > :14:05.because the government could not arrange payment system in time. It
:14:06. > :14:09.has run ?75 million over budget and still does not work. What is it
:14:10. > :14:16.going to take for this First Minister to get a grip? It mate be
:14:17. > :14:19.worth pointing out that in the most recent cap negotiations, the
:14:20. > :14:24.Conservative Party actually argued for the scrapping of the direct
:14:25. > :14:28.support for Scottish and UK farmers that we are talking about. That is
:14:29. > :14:34.perhaps a contextual point that is worth bearing in mind. But this is
:14:35. > :14:38.obviously an important and serious issue. We are continuing to do
:14:39. > :14:43.everything possible to get instalment out to as many farmers as
:14:44. > :14:49.we can buy the end of March, and the imbalance of payment as soon as
:14:50. > :14:55.possible after that. The number of payments is now approaching 50%, we
:14:56. > :15:01.are reporting process weekly to the committee, and to industry. We are
:15:02. > :15:03.in Fort letter that a fortnightly discussions with banks to discuss
:15:04. > :15:09.the situation. Richard Lochhead, when he spoke to the NFU, announced
:15:10. > :15:12.a 20 minute pounds hardship scheme, so that any farmer that has not had
:15:13. > :15:17.the payment and is not getting support from the bank can apply for
:15:18. > :15:22.hardship payments from the Scottish Government. It is interesting to
:15:23. > :15:26.reflect on what the chief executive of the Scottish crofting federation
:15:27. > :15:28.said. It is heartening to see this artist government dealing with the
:15:29. > :15:33.challenging circumstances in such a creative way, and the idea of the
:15:34. > :15:36.government being a lender 's shows that they are doing everything they
:15:37. > :15:38.can to address a difficult situation. We are doing everything
:15:39. > :15:46.we can, and will continue to do so. It is nearly March rment on the SNP
:15:47. > :15:50.could take that sort of a failure and try and claim it is some kind of
:15:51. > :15:54.success. I heard what the First Minister said there, but the truth
:15:55. > :15:57.is, if this was affecting urban Scotland or the central belt, the
:15:58. > :16:01.SNP would be all over it. But because it affects rural Scotland
:16:02. > :16:05.and the borders it has slipped off her radar.
:16:06. > :16:09.Let us be clear about this, this is a complete failure of Government, it
:16:10. > :16:13.is damaging people's livelihoods, it has cost the taxpayer half of what
:16:14. > :16:18.it cost to build this Parliament building and it is still not fixed.
:16:19. > :16:22.Jim walker speaks for thousands of farmers who are looking for some
:16:23. > :16:26.action. It is clear the Cabinet secretary's part of the problem not
:16:27. > :16:29.the solution, so isn't it time the First Minister stepped in, and took
:16:30. > :16:34.personal charge of ensuring is our rural economy is led out of this
:16:35. > :16:38.crisis. As I said to Ruth Davidson, the cap
:16:39. > :16:42.net has been discussing this matter on a weekly basis but Ruth Davidson
:16:43. > :16:49.has just said something in her question there that is fact chultly
:16:50. > :16:53.inaccurate. The EU payment window for the payments is 1 December 2015
:16:54. > :17:01.to the end of June 2016. The deadline is actually the 30th June,
:17:02. > :17:07.2016. That is the reality. She talks a load of nonsense about the costs
:17:08. > :17:12.of the IT system, and says it costs half of what this Parliament cost.
:17:13. > :17:16.That is an IT system to cover the entire seven year programme of the
:17:17. > :17:21.cap, and efforts are being made to ensure it is supporting these
:17:22. > :17:24.payments. So, we will continue to take the responsible action of
:17:25. > :17:28.making sure we get payments to farmers as quickly as possible. But
:17:29. > :17:30.also making sure we have the arrangements in place, through the
:17:31. > :17:34.hardship fund I have spoken about, to ensure any farmer who doesn't
:17:35. > :17:38.have the payment, or who cannot get support from their bank can come to
:17:39. > :17:40.the Government for that support. I think that is the right way to deal
:17:41. > :17:48.with what is a difficult situation and we will continue to do so.
:17:49. > :17:53.To ask the First Minister what progress there has been on the
:17:54. > :17:57.fiscal framework negotiations. Good progress.
:17:58. > :18:01.As I reported to Parliament on Tuesday there is now an agreement in
:18:02. > :18:03.principle, that I think we can recommend to Parliament, draft heads
:18:04. > :18:09.of agreement will be published by the end of this week, the agreement
:18:10. > :18:12.we have reached on the block grant, ensures there is no detriment for
:18:13. > :18:17.the next sick years and no default by the UK Government to a funding
:18:18. > :18:25.model that would deliver detriment. It will not allow a single pound or
:18:26. > :18:31.penny to be taken from our budget. It protects the Barnett Formula and
:18:32. > :18:38.allows new powers to be delivered. She is aware when we served in the
:18:39. > :18:42.Smith Commission we achieved agreement that the Scottish and UK
:18:43. > :18:48.Government were equal partner, can the First Minister confirm that this
:18:49. > :18:52.parity of esteem was respected during the fiscal framework
:18:53. > :18:56.negotiations and will be maintained. Does the First Minister agree that
:18:57. > :19:02.equal partnership in entering any negotiation is absolutely crucial to
:19:03. > :19:06.protect Scott's future interests? I believe it is vital. It was a that
:19:07. > :19:11.parity of esteem and equal partnership that meant we were able
:19:12. > :19:15.to resist an attempt by the Treasury to cut our budget by 7 billion. If
:19:16. > :19:23.we hadn't had that the Treasury would have been able to impose that,
:19:24. > :19:27.so the equal partnership when that John Swinney's negotiating skilled
:19:28. > :19:31.could come to the fore. She raises a serious point about the future, not
:19:32. > :19:35.only did that allow us to protect Scotland's budget, making sure that
:19:36. > :19:39.that equal partnership and requirement for joint agreement is
:19:40. > :19:43.built-in to the arrangements for the review, after the first FIA years
:19:44. > :19:46.will be essential to making sure then we can protect Scotland's
:19:47. > :19:51.budget and that is what we will intend to do.
:19:52. > :19:55.It was welcomed on all sides, one part of the agreement was getting
:19:56. > :20:00.the fiscal commission to do the official tax forecast, this is a
:20:01. > :20:05.vital step forward. Will the First Minister work with me, to convince
:20:06. > :20:11.her backbencherers this is the way to go? The very thought of working
:20:12. > :20:17.with Gavin brown is make bringing me out no a cold sweat. I will try to
:20:18. > :20:20.get over that. On a serious matter I said on Tuesday that we have had to
:20:21. > :20:25.give-and-take in these negotiations and I think that should be welcomed
:20:26. > :20:30.as part and parcel so a mature negotiation, one of the areas where
:20:31. > :20:34.John Swinney has made a concession and agreed to the a arrangement for
:20:35. > :20:37.the fiscal commission, I know John Swinney has given detail of that and
:20:38. > :20:40.more will be in the heads of agreement when they are published
:20:41. > :20:44.before the end of the week. This is a good deal and a deal I think
:20:45. > :20:48.everybody across the Parliament should welcome.
:20:49. > :20:52.Congratulations to the Deputy First Minister and to herself on this, but
:20:53. > :20:57.if in her statement on Tuesday, she said the block grant adjustment.
:20:58. > :21:03.Would be based on an annual adjustment to a Treasury methodology
:21:04. > :21:08.which appears to be tax capacity adjusted levels deduction, is she
:21:09. > :21:12.absolutely certain an annual population adjust to that will
:21:13. > :21:17.produce the same result as per capita index Asian. Well, yes, and
:21:18. > :21:21.that is critical to the agreementment when the heads of
:21:22. > :21:24.terms are published they will see what we have agreed to is a method
:21:25. > :21:29.of making the block grant adjustment that is required over that
:21:30. > :21:36.transitional period to deliver the same outcome as per capita index
:21:37. > :21:42.deduction, that is crucial. Can I take the opportunity to thank
:21:43. > :21:45.Malcolm for his help, he was steadfast in aing that the Scottish
:21:46. > :21:50.Government's position was correct in that and the support of the STUC for
:21:51. > :21:56.example and many others, was really helpful in getting to the agreement
:21:57. > :22:03.that we struck on Tuesday, so I would accord Malcolm economies. My
:22:04. > :22:08.thanks for that. To ask the First Minister what progress the Scottish
:22:09. > :22:12.Government is making in reducing A waiting times A performance across
:22:13. > :22:18.Scotland was the highest level we have seen in any December since 2009
:22:19. > :22:26.and is the best performing country across the UK. A waiting time
:22:27. > :22:33.performance in December was 95.4 in Scotland. However there is still
:22:34. > :22:36.more to do to ensure continued progress in A performance in
:22:37. > :22:39.Scotland. That is why we launched the six essential actions approach
:22:40. > :22:46.in May last year, that is a proyear programme that aims to minimise long
:22:47. > :22:51.waits in A by improving patient flow and back into the community, we
:22:52. > :22:54.have provided additional 10.7 million winter funding to support
:22:55. > :23:04.boards through winter pressures. Thank you. I am sure they would like
:23:05. > :23:13.to thank A staff for their hard work.
:23:14. > :23:19.The Scottish A performance are the best in the UK, comparing favourably
:23:20. > :23:23.with Labour run Wales. Does the First Minister agree with
:23:24. > :23:27.me, that taking a partnership approach as opposed to conflict with
:23:28. > :23:32.health professionals is key to billing that success, would the
:23:33. > :23:36.First Minister also welcome health professionals from elsewhere in the
:23:37. > :23:41.UK if they would wish to bring their skills to the Scottish NHS? I would
:23:42. > :23:46.welcome health professionals from anywhere who want to come and work
:23:47. > :23:50.in Scotland. What he raises, is they will be points that are important to
:23:51. > :23:53.patients a I cross the country, we have work to do in A, I wouldn't
:23:54. > :23:59.say it was job done, but there are two things I think should give us
:24:00. > :24:02.encouragement, firstly A waiting time, I think almost week for week
:24:03. > :24:07.at the moment are better than in the same period last year, but relative
:24:08. > :24:11.to the other nations of the UK, our A departments are performing much
:24:12. > :24:16.more strongly, so that is good and positive news but we will not be
:24:17. > :24:22.complacent all and and we will continue to work with professionals
:24:23. > :24:26.to make sure we improve further. Last week, saw the worst A
:24:27. > :24:32.performance in Scotland since weekly stats began. One in ten not treated
:24:33. > :24:36.within four hour, only four health boards met their targets. Can the
:24:37. > :24:43.First Minister explain why and can she promise to support our local and
:24:44. > :24:47.hard-working NHS staff? Well, figures will fluctuate week on week,
:24:48. > :24:52.there will be will be a variety of reasons why that is the case,
:24:53. > :24:57.everybody will understand that, but he talking about the most recent
:24:58. > :25:02.weekly performance which saw nine out of ten patients treated within
:25:03. > :25:07.four hours, but that weekly performance, although it was lower
:25:08. > :25:11.than we wanted it to be, is 3 percentage points better than in the
:25:12. > :25:16.same week last year, so that underlines the point I am making, we
:25:17. > :25:20.are seeing consistent improvement, compared in each week compare oed to
:25:21. > :25:25.the previous year, that is that is good. Our A units are performing
:25:26. > :25:30.better than any other nation in the UK. I am standing here giving that
:25:31. > :25:37.information, but that is entirely down to the hard work and dedication
:25:38. > :25:43.of those who work in our A units. It is a appropriate moment for me to
:25:44. > :25:52.thank them for the work we do. We thank the staff for their hard
:25:53. > :25:56.work. There are 30 units now, 15 different name, no common protocol,
:25:57. > :26:02.no reporting, and target unlike A range from the four hour target to
:26:03. > :26:05.none, and Glasgow reported that erent name, no common protocol, no
:26:06. > :26:07.reporting, and target unlike A range from the four hour target to
:26:08. > :26:10.none, and Glasgow reported that patients could expect to wait "12
:26:11. > :26:12.hours" there have been 115 deaths in these units. This is the alternative
:26:13. > :26:17.door way to A getting in. The states only mean something if we
:26:18. > :26:21.combine the two. What progress is she and the Cabinet secretary making
:26:22. > :26:27.in ensuring there are proper protocols so we can see transparent
:26:28. > :26:30.figure, in relation to admissions. Well, firstly, the immediate
:26:31. > :26:34.assessment units, many of which were established under the last Labour
:26:35. > :26:38.administration, which is a good thing, are different from A unit,
:26:39. > :26:45.and that is why they are treated differently. Patients often ven
:26:46. > :26:51.receive treatment in the units not just monitoring, but guidance to
:26:52. > :26:54.boards, it is that patients on trolleys waiting addition are
:26:55. > :27:00.monitored against the four hour A target until they are admitted to a
:27:01. > :27:04.bed or a dedicated area, and we are working with the Royal College of
:27:05. > :27:07.Physicians to share best practise across the different units including
:27:08. > :27:11.sharing information on monitoring. And we will be considering with the
:27:12. > :27:16.Royal College whether assessment units should be subject to further
:27:17. > :27:19.common standards, Richard Simpson raised the issue of deaths in
:27:20. > :27:26.hospital, and I don't seek to underplay that point at all, but I
:27:27. > :27:30.think again for context, it is worth pointing out that hospital mortality
:27:31. > :27:35.rates are now a their lowest level in Scotland since records began.
:27:36. > :27:39.They have dropped 16.5% since 2007, another example of the excellent
:27:40. > :27:46.work that our health professionals do round the country.
:27:47. > :27:50.To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scotland Government
:27:51. > :27:56.has made of theism pact of the Local Authority budget settlement on
:27:57. > :27:59.nursery education. Within the we are funding the additional cost of
:28:00. > :28:04.earning learning under the children and young people of Scotland act.
:28:05. > :28:10.This includes the expansion to 600 hours and extension to over a
:28:11. > :28:14.quarter of two-year-old, so far we have provided 229 million to fund
:28:15. > :28:18.this and committed another 170 million in the budget that covers
:28:19. > :28:23.the first three year of the expansion from August 2014 and we
:28:24. > :28:28.have committed to continue increasing revenue funding year on
:28:29. > :28:32.year until 2019/20 to enable more choice and flex bill. I will be
:28:33. > :28:38.meeting local Government leaders and key partners this afternoon at the
:28:39. > :28:42.early learning and childcare summit to see how we continue to work
:28:43. > :28:49.together. Can I thank the firm for that information. She will know that
:28:50. > :28:55.earlier this month, the EIS revealed since the nine years SNP Government
:28:56. > :28:58.the number of teachers in Scotland's nurseries has fall bane quarter.
:28:59. > :29:04.Many of us were intrigued and encouraged by her pledge to increase
:29:05. > :29:08.the number of nursery teacher, I am intrigue trued because when she was
:29:09. > :29:10.first elected in 2007 nursery teacher, I am intrigue trued because
:29:11. > :29:13.when she was first elected in 2007 she said in her manifesto "We are
:29:14. > :29:16.concerned at the removal of nursery teachers from nurseries, and she
:29:17. > :29:20.pledged to maintain teacher numbers. Can I ask her, what has changed? Did
:29:21. > :29:27.she not mean her promise then but means it now or does he have some or
:29:28. > :29:34.explanation. The registered child daycare work force has increased by
:29:35. > :29:37.7%. The announcement that Ken Macintosh refers to, I made that
:29:38. > :29:42.announcement back in October last year, where as part of our efforts
:29:43. > :29:46.to make sure that we are tackling the attainment gap, I have given a
:29:47. > :29:50.commitment that all nurseries in deprived areas will have an
:29:51. > :29:53.additional teacher or graduate with childcare expertise working with
:29:54. > :29:58.young children, and that is an important commitment as we try to
:29:59. > :30:01.make sure that we use not just the expansion in in quantity of
:30:02. > :30:06.childcare, but also improve the quality of childcare, to make sure
:30:07. > :30:12.that we Griffing every young person the best start in life. To ask the
:30:13. > :30:19.First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had about
:30:20. > :30:23.the relationship between press wist airport and the Trump organisation.
:30:24. > :30:28.The Scottish Government has had no discussion on the relationship
:30:29. > :30:34.between Prestwick Airport and the Trump organisation. The management
:30:35. > :30:42.are responsible for operating business opportunity and we expect
:30:43. > :30:48.them to explore all avenues. I was pleased to hear Ryanair will
:30:49. > :30:52.introduce three new routes and increase passenger numbers. It has
:30:53. > :30:55.been clear for many years for anyone who cared to take an interest that
:30:56. > :31:00.Donald Trump was an arrogant and racist bully. I had thought that
:31:01. > :31:04.when Nicola Sturgeon took the decision to kick him out of the
:31:05. > :31:08.global Scot network the Scottish Government had come to regret having
:31:09. > :31:13.courted his business. It appears that Prestwick Airport owned by the
:31:14. > :31:16.Scottish Government is pursuing an official partnership, a strategic
:31:17. > :31:22.alliance with the Trump organisation. Doesn't the First
:31:23. > :31:25.Minister agree that any owner of any business but most particularly a
:31:26. > :31:30.government that exists to serve the public interest must ensure that the
:31:31. > :31:36.business it owns cuts ties with such a dangerous extremist, will the
:31:37. > :31:41.First Minister agree with that? While I would probably use more
:31:42. > :31:45.diplomatic language, I suspect my views and Patrick Shah Harvey's
:31:46. > :31:49.views and Donald Trump are is not that materially different. It is
:31:50. > :31:53.important to be clear, there is no contract eventual relation ship
:31:54. > :32:00.between the airport and Donald Trump or any of his organisation, but in
:32:01. > :32:03.terms of the operation of Glasgow Prestwick Airport, European Union
:32:04. > :32:07.state aid rules require that airport to be operated on a wholly
:32:08. > :32:10.commercial basis at arms-length from the Scottish Government. We are not
:32:11. > :32:14.permitted to intervene in the commercial discussions of the
:32:15. > :32:18.airport. Now we brought that airport into state ownership, to save it
:32:19. > :32:22.from closure, it is it making progress, the management there as I
:32:23. > :32:24.have said in relation to the Ryanair announcement are making progress in
:32:25. > :32:28.getting that on to a better footing. I think we should get behind them
:32:29. > :32:33.has the they continue to make those efforts.
:32:34. > :32:36.Thank you that ends First Minister ice questions. There we have it, the
:32:37. > :32:40.conclusion of questions to the First Minister. The opening half really is
:32:41. > :32:44.particularly the questions from Kezia Dugdale but something of a
:32:45. > :32:51.reprice the the development earlier in the week, the budget and the
:32:52. > :32:57.fiscal framework. There was a hint of a smile when the question about
:32:58. > :33:02.the outcome. So a bit of a reprice, a run through the events of the
:33:03. > :33:05.week. Time for me to say goodbye.