:00:16. > :00:17.Good afternoon and welcome to Politics Scotland.
:00:18. > :00:22.The First Minister sets out her priorities for government
:00:23. > :00:28.We'll bring you highlights of exchanges
:00:29. > :00:32.in the chamber as MSPs get down to business.
:00:33. > :00:35.Here at Westminster, clashes over the taxes paid
:00:36. > :00:48.by multinational companies, and an important report devolution.
:00:49. > :00:54.Bee business of Parliament gets going today. We bring you what the
:00:55. > :01:01.First Minister and the opposition parties have to say shortly, but the
:01:02. > :01:09.political editor of the Tiger McGreevy Currier joins me today it
:01:10. > :01:15.is showing Nicola Sturgeon committed to education as a top priority. She
:01:16. > :01:19.said Sherwood do that during the campaign trail. She said that again
:01:20. > :01:24.when she moved John Swinney into the brief, that is significant in
:01:25. > :01:30.itself. What we have heard so far puts education at the forefront
:01:31. > :01:33.again. It is bringing the International Council of economic
:01:34. > :01:36.advisers, which sounds like the world's worst superhero group
:01:37. > :01:40.ex-macro but it signals what she wants to do, learn from other
:01:41. > :01:47.countries and improve the education system. We aren't sure what this
:01:48. > :01:53.amounts to yet, but they have been saying is that the SNP are thinking
:01:54. > :01:59.slightly different ways, it's not just curriculum for excellence.
:02:00. > :02:02.There's testing, talk of maybe changing the governing of schools.
:02:03. > :02:09.Maybe learning from what happened in England.
:02:10. > :02:13.There are lots of maybes. The SNP's manifesto left itself a lot of
:02:14. > :02:19.wriggle room on education. It looks like they are explaining different
:02:20. > :02:22.options. It won't be easy for them. Education in Scotland has been on
:02:23. > :02:31.the slide, Nicola Sturgeon has acknowledged that. It's going to be
:02:32. > :02:36.tough. I'm not just making a point about the SNP government you, the
:02:37. > :02:39.previous administration, if we start to admit there is a problem, that in
:02:40. > :02:48.itself is progress. Absolutely. By looking outwards,
:02:49. > :02:53.away from Scotland, to other countries it is a sign of steps,
:02:54. > :02:57.possibly, in a positive direction. It's not stuck in the same old
:02:58. > :03:04.starters quote that Scotland is often accused of.
:03:05. > :03:07.-- status quo. Before we move on, you were at a party last night with
:03:08. > :03:11.the new members of the Scottish Parliament, what did you make of
:03:12. > :03:13.them quiz-macro there is a lot of talent.
:03:14. > :03:20.Some people will shine through from unexpected places. Not all the
:03:21. > :03:24.shadow ministers, the prominent faces that we kind of knew
:03:25. > :03:28.beforehand. There are some interesting characters. So we might
:03:29. > :03:37.have some people become quite prominent? Yes, there is depth to
:03:38. > :03:41.many of them as well. Now we hear from Nicola Sturgeon who are blind
:03:42. > :03:42.to the top priorities for government in a statement to MSPs a short time
:03:43. > :03:52.ago. There is no doubt whatsoever that
:03:53. > :03:55.the expansion of childcare will be the most important infrastructure
:03:56. > :03:59.project of this Parliament. It will help parents, particularly
:04:00. > :04:02.mothers come into work. It will be an investment in the chances of our
:04:03. > :04:06.children. The support we give children in
:04:07. > :04:11.their earliest years will complement and contribute to our efforts to
:04:12. > :04:16.further improve school education. I believe that Scotland has a good
:04:17. > :04:20.education system, we have great schools, and great teachers.
:04:21. > :04:23.We have a new curriculum, record exam passes and more young people
:04:24. > :04:28.leaving on to go to positive destinations.
:04:29. > :04:31.We will never talk down what we have.
:04:32. > :04:34.But we are determined to do better. It is not acceptable that school
:04:35. > :04:40.leavers from the most deprived 20% of areas in Scotland, if we look as
:04:41. > :04:42.high as of one measurement, do half as well as those from affluent
:04:43. > :04:47.areas. Our aim is to ensure that Scotland's
:04:48. > :04:51.education system delivers excellence for all. Our manifesto set out a
:04:52. > :04:54.range of reforms to achieve that aim.
:04:55. > :05:00.We will shortly begin discussions to find a new form for schools to
:05:01. > :05:03.ensure that resources go with a need it most.
:05:04. > :05:07.We will expand our attainment funds and invest an additional ?750
:05:08. > :05:12.million over this Parliament specifically targeted at closing the
:05:13. > :05:17.attainment gap. From next April, ?100 million a year of that money
:05:18. > :05:21.will go direct to headteachers, so that they, not councils, or central
:05:22. > :05:26.government, will decide how best to use it to deliver improvements in
:05:27. > :05:29.their schools. We will undertake work to empower teachers and parents
:05:30. > :05:33.within a framework of national policy to drive more of the
:05:34. > :05:37.decisions that shape the lives of their schools.
:05:38. > :05:39.We will implement the new national improvement framework, including new
:05:40. > :05:44.standardised assessments that would have inform teacher judgment. I
:05:45. > :05:51.ensuring that we have reliable data, the improvement framework will
:05:52. > :05:54.insure us -- enable us to measure the attainment gap and set precise
:05:55. > :06:00.and transparent targets were closing it. Our reforms are substantial.
:06:01. > :06:04.John Swinney will publish a draft delivery plan setting out more of
:06:05. > :06:08.the detailed timescales and next steps in our plans to close the
:06:09. > :06:12.attainment gap. It will build on discussions he is having with
:06:13. > :06:20.teachers, parents, local governments and trade unions. Let me stress that
:06:21. > :06:24.point about consultation, I want our work to close the attainment gap to
:06:25. > :06:29.be the mission not just of this government, or even this Parliament,
:06:30. > :06:33.but the country as a whole. I wanted to be guided by evidence from around
:06:34. > :06:35.the world, that is why I announce that I will establish an
:06:36. > :06:43.international Council of education advisers. I wanted to be built, as
:06:44. > :06:47.far as possible, on consensus. I can confirm today that we will convene a
:06:48. > :06:51.major summit on School reform and raising attainment, it will bring
:06:52. > :06:55.together key stakeholders in education to look at what each of us
:06:56. > :06:58.can do to raise attainment, and how collectively we drive this work
:06:59. > :07:02.forward. We will invite party leaders and
:07:03. > :07:06.education spokespeople to attend. We will work hard to build consensus
:07:07. > :07:11.and partnership. However, what we will not do, is
:07:12. > :07:16.allowed to search for consensus to result in Inish all the lowest
:07:17. > :07:20.common denominator for action. We intend to be bold, and move forward
:07:21. > :07:24.with pace. We have a precious opportunity over
:07:25. > :07:28.the next five years to make real and lasting improvements, for the
:07:29. > :07:30.benefit of this, and future generations. We are absolutely
:07:31. > :07:39.determined to seize that opportunity.
:07:40. > :07:43.Presiding Officer, giving young people the best school education is
:07:44. > :07:47.about equipping them for the rest of their lives. We are also determined
:07:48. > :07:52.to extend the opportunities open to young people later in life. We will
:07:53. > :07:57.deliver additional 5000 apprenticeships in skilled careers,
:07:58. > :08:03.taking the total number to 30,000 by 2020. We will work with schools to
:08:04. > :08:07.inspire more young people, boys and especially girls, into science,
:08:08. > :08:11.engineering and technology. We will use our new powers, when we have
:08:12. > :08:15.them, to introduce a jobs gap to help young people aged 16 to 24 who
:08:16. > :08:20.have been unemployed for six months or more to move into and remaining
:08:21. > :08:23.work. We will maintain full-time equivalent college places and focus
:08:24. > :08:29.on skills and training that help young people into work.
:08:30. > :08:34.We will widen access to university. By 2030 we aim to ensure that 20% of
:08:35. > :08:40.Scottish domiciled university entrants will come from our 20% most
:08:41. > :08:44.deprived communities. University education will remain free of
:08:45. > :08:54.tuition fees, French door or back door, for as long as the SNP is in
:08:55. > :08:59.government. -- front door. I know, from my own personal
:09:00. > :09:02.experience, that free tuition is essential to supporting
:09:03. > :09:07.working-class young people into university. Though it is essential,
:09:08. > :09:12.I also know that it is not sufficient. We must also break down
:09:13. > :09:15.the other barriers, financial, cultural and institutional barriers
:09:16. > :09:19.that mean young people from poorer backgrounds are less likely to go to
:09:20. > :09:22.university than their more affluent peers. Over the summer we will
:09:23. > :09:27.appoint a commission for fair access to drive the change that will be
:09:28. > :09:31.needed in our universities and colleges, to ensure the
:09:32. > :09:32.recommendations of the widening access commission are implemented in
:09:33. > :09:38.full. The target we are setting is clear.
:09:39. > :09:41.A child born today in one of our most deprived communities must, by
:09:42. > :09:45.the time they leave school, have the same chance of getting to university
:09:46. > :09:48.as a child of the same ability from one of the more well off parts of
:09:49. > :09:53.the country. That is a fundamental part of what I
:09:54. > :09:57.mean by a and equal society. During this Parliament, of course,
:09:58. > :10:02.we will assume important new responsibilities over Social
:10:03. > :10:07.Security. We will introduce a Social Security Bill in the first year of
:10:08. > :10:09.this Parliament and start work to establish a new Scottish Social
:10:10. > :10:13.Security agency. We will use our new powers to put
:10:14. > :10:18.dignity and respect back at the heart of the Social Security system.
:10:19. > :10:23.We will abolish the bedroom tax, we will make changes to how universal
:10:24. > :10:27.credit can be paid, we will extend winter fuel payments to families
:10:28. > :10:30.with severely disabled children and we will restore entitlement to
:10:31. > :10:38.housing support for 18 to 21-year-olds. We will end, once and
:10:39. > :10:42.for all, the degrading DWP approach to disability assessments and we
:10:43. > :10:51.will ensure that disability payments are not reduced or means tested.
:10:52. > :10:55.We will increase carers allowance, and I can announce today that we
:10:56. > :10:59.will also consider the introduction of a young carers allowance to
:11:00. > :11:02.provide extra support for young people with significant caring
:11:03. > :11:07.responsibilities. This is a poser that was in the
:11:08. > :11:10.Green party manifesto, I think it has real merit and I will now ask
:11:11. > :11:15.groups for their views on how to take it forward. Presiding Officer,
:11:16. > :11:20.our new responsible at is will give us the chance to develop a Social
:11:21. > :11:24.Security system which respect the dignity of individuals as human
:11:25. > :11:29.beings. Rather than stigmatising those with disabilities, those who
:11:30. > :11:34.cannot find work, we value their potential and help them contribute
:11:35. > :11:39.to society. That was the first Minster outlining
:11:40. > :11:47.her plans. There was quite a lot in that. Just let's pick a few
:11:48. > :11:50.highlights. First of all, a child from a deprived background will have
:11:51. > :11:56.the same chance of getting into university, that setting the bar
:11:57. > :11:59.pretty high, obviously everyone will welcome it, but if that is what she
:12:00. > :12:06.wants to be judged on that is a tough one to me!
:12:07. > :12:12.It's very ambitious. It's not just about education reforms. You can't
:12:13. > :12:15.change the school system and at the same time, change the school system
:12:16. > :12:22.does not improve social, social studies. It doesn't help people out
:12:23. > :12:26.of poverty which is key to giving people...
:12:27. > :12:31.She wants her First Minister list ship to be judged on that.
:12:32. > :12:36.She's got a tough job there. I don't think anyone would have much of a go
:12:37. > :12:40.if she didn't achieve exactly that, but I suppose from the SNP point of
:12:41. > :12:44.view, what is the point in not aiming as high as you can. Why sell
:12:45. > :12:54.yourself short by setting the bar lower!
:12:55. > :12:57.The comments about teachers, they are saying don't think you're going
:12:58. > :13:00.to stop is doing this. Teachers at the moment are
:13:01. > :13:05.threatening industrial action because they say they are overworked
:13:06. > :13:09.and don't have enough time. They are saying, fine, we will discuss this,
:13:10. > :13:15.but don't think it will stop is changing things. The old ways won't
:13:16. > :13:18.do any more. It is interesting that she is prepared to take on the
:13:19. > :13:20.establishment. A new funding form in other schools,
:13:21. > :13:29.does that mean anything this might not bypass local
:13:30. > :13:33.authorities but somehow they are being told it's got to go.
:13:34. > :13:36.Nicola Sturgeon has announced they will be money that will bypass local
:13:37. > :13:38.authorities. Yes, but that was the attainment
:13:39. > :13:44.fund. I think this is a similar approach.
:13:45. > :13:50.This is diminishing the power of councils, it's quite a bold step.
:13:51. > :13:54.We'll be back with you later, but first let's hear what the Scottish
:13:55. > :13:59.Conservative leader, Ruth Davidson, had to say in her response to Nicola
:14:00. > :14:03.Sturgeon. Today this Parliament begins the
:14:04. > :14:07.real work of holding the government to account for the next five years.
:14:08. > :14:10.I believe that task has never been more important.
:14:11. > :14:14.We get down to business today in the knowledge that decisions on
:14:15. > :14:17.education, the health service and all our public services have been
:14:18. > :14:21.stacking up and now require attention.
:14:22. > :14:25.Added to that of a huge new responsibilities Parliament is soon
:14:26. > :14:29.to take over tax and welfare. No longer are we here simply to
:14:30. > :14:34.argue over how best the government spends a fixed sum. We now have to
:14:35. > :14:38.decide how best we raise money, which people and businesses that
:14:39. > :14:42.money is taken from, and how we grow the economy so that those funds
:14:43. > :14:47.increase. The boards and risks are great, but it is clear to me, that
:14:48. > :14:52.if the last session was about deciding the shape and identity of
:14:53. > :14:54.our country, this session is about policy direction and the goals of
:14:55. > :15:03.For me, it makes fax, and even more important. My group of MSPs
:15:04. > :15:10.determined to bring this Committees. The Conservative group
:15:11. > :15:12.were elected on a promise to provide a strong opposition to the Scottish
:15:13. > :15:19.Government. That does not mean shouting louder,
:15:20. > :15:22.in noting harder or a more frenzied gnashing of teeth, instead, we
:15:23. > :15:26.intend to challenge the policies of this government. If the government
:15:27. > :15:28.wants support, we want to see the evidence and support that back their
:15:29. > :15:41.plans up. We will set out a clear vision, not
:15:42. > :15:46.crowding out individual freedom but to liberate it which offers support
:15:47. > :15:50.for families to lead better lives and prioritising those who needs it
:15:51. > :15:55.most. And which recognises the government cannot do it all and the
:15:56. > :16:00.government at its best is in partnership with society. The First
:16:01. > :16:04.Minister has been criticised for caution and inaction during her
:16:05. > :16:09.first 18 months of tenure and that has done. But the fact is the First
:16:10. > :16:14.Minister and her team have a huge opportunity now to build on that to
:16:15. > :16:19.use the next five years in office to make a real and lasting difference.
:16:20. > :16:24.But it requires them to take the roast -- right course. Either take
:16:25. > :16:32.the easy option and take regular pot shots at the hope the show stays on
:16:33. > :16:36.the road or it can take the hard road. A choice which focuses on
:16:37. > :16:44.bringing about long-term change right now. Change that will cause
:16:45. > :16:48.conflict among vested interests and create hostility. Of that I am
:16:49. > :16:53.certain. But change that will show this government has left its mark.
:16:54. > :16:58.That will show in a decade's time that this government was not just
:16:59. > :17:02.about one thing only, but that it made a lasting difference that
:17:03. > :17:06.Scotland can benefit from. We asked to be a strong opposition because we
:17:07. > :17:10.wanted to encourage a better government and that is the task we
:17:11. > :17:19.set ourselves today. On policy, she has said education is a priority. On
:17:20. > :17:23.the economy, we welcome the news yesterday that inward investment is
:17:24. > :17:31.up in Scotland. A lesser woman than me would remark... But we should not
:17:32. > :17:40.let figures blind as to the fact that our growth rate last year was
:17:41. > :17:44.0.4% behind the UK's as a whole and implement is labouring again. The
:17:45. > :17:51.jobless rate is higher than that of the rest of the UK. These figures
:17:52. > :17:55.show an amber warning for the Scottish Government. The note of
:17:56. > :18:02.caution is being repeated by firms large and small across Scotland. Liz
:18:03. > :18:07.Cameron tells us that Scotland is now on a knife edge between further
:18:08. > :18:11.growth and a new period of recession. We know we have an
:18:12. > :18:15.economy which is dangerously reliant for growth on big infrastructure
:18:16. > :18:19.projects which are alone are not enough so we need to plan for
:18:20. > :18:26.growth. A plan that demonstrates that Scotland is open for business.
:18:27. > :18:30.On tax, this isn't about ideology but recognising the reality we face
:18:31. > :18:34.and a test for us when deciding whether to support or oppose this
:18:35. > :18:38.government will be whether we help or hinder growth. We will call at
:18:39. > :18:56.short-sighted fixes or tax rates born then the bar of the event,
:18:57. > :19:02.Saints. -- than on common sense. Quite simply, we must give people
:19:03. > :19:06.and firms reasons for starting here and settling here and for growing
:19:07. > :19:11.their business is here. I am aware the Scottish Government will face
:19:12. > :19:19.pressure to do the opposite. I read already that the three Amigos, the
:19:20. > :19:23.Greens, labour and Lib Dems are teaming up at our mind my friends it
:19:24. > :19:29.was this positive forward-looking prison for Scotland which saw them
:19:30. > :19:34.lose seats between them this month. If you want to charge up the valley
:19:35. > :19:38.of death, be my guest. But to the Scottish Government I say that there
:19:39. > :19:44.is no long-term future in a policy direction which will only suck
:19:45. > :19:48.enterprise out of Scotland. We need to support and encourage our
:19:49. > :19:56.businesses and not horrible than by imposing Lebanese, -- levies and
:19:57. > :20:01.increasing rises in taxes. There is so much more besides that we can do
:20:02. > :20:05.and to areas will be a priority for us. We will press the Scottish
:20:06. > :20:09.Government to encourage a new house-building revolution with a
:20:10. > :20:16.streamlined planning system and improved infrastructure we should
:20:17. > :20:20.aim to build homes over the next few years and half of them affordable. I
:20:21. > :20:25.welcome the commitment to 50,000 affordable homes and we will hold
:20:26. > :20:29.them to that. Secondly, with the Scottish Government capital budget
:20:30. > :20:35.rocketing let us see that put to good use. We will press for a
:20:36. > :20:41.transformative investment in energy efficiency and we will call for ?1
:20:42. > :20:46.billion to be invested in our warm homes proposals. Not just to cut
:20:47. > :20:50.bills and reduce emissions, but to help the mental, physical and
:20:51. > :20:56.restrict tree health of home dwellers and create thousands of new
:20:57. > :21:01.jobs as well -- respiratory. The Scottish Government previously said
:21:02. > :21:05.that energy efficiency is a national infrastructure priority and today we
:21:06. > :21:08.are told of a warm homes built. But they have shown no plans and
:21:09. > :21:12.allocated little budget in making it so. We say put your money where your
:21:13. > :21:20.mouth is and make energy efficiency a proper priority. 65% of all homes
:21:21. > :21:28.and 80% of rural homes have a rating of D or worse. Invest in bringing
:21:29. > :21:34.those homes up to scratch, reduce fuel poverty, start hitting some of
:21:35. > :21:38.the Parliamentary environmental targets and create a warm and
:21:39. > :21:41.healthier Scotland and see thousands more people employed and that
:21:42. > :21:46.employment spread right across the country, even to the most remote
:21:47. > :21:49.areas. Before members and the government stop protesting about the
:21:50. > :21:53.lack of funding, I suggest they first examine whether their own
:21:54. > :21:55.government is spending its money wisely.
:21:56. > :21:57.To the chamber live now, where Kezia Dugdale,
:21:58. > :21:59.the Scottish Labour Leader, is offering her view
:22:00. > :22:16.It lets an opportune -- represent an opportunity and a threat. He
:22:17. > :22:19.represented a future where existing jobs on redundant and those set to
:22:20. > :22:25.replace them are still to be discovered. If we are not ready we
:22:26. > :22:29.will be left behind. I am with the First Minister when she says
:22:30. > :22:33.education is a top priority. I am pleased to see John Swinney in the
:22:34. > :22:40.critical role of Education Secretary. However, if the SNP
:22:41. > :22:43.except that investing in education, skills, science and technology is
:22:44. > :22:47.the route to growing our economy then John Swinney will need to be
:22:48. > :22:53.the first Education Secretary to convince the Finance Secretary not
:22:54. > :22:58.to cuts the education budget. Because it was his cats which
:22:59. > :23:03.removed over 4000 teachers from our schools and 152,000 students from
:23:04. > :23:07.our colleges. His whether financial constraints which saw university
:23:08. > :23:11.staff on picket lines today and teachers balloting to strike soon.
:23:12. > :23:17.Recently, education and training budgets have been cut by 10%. The
:23:18. > :23:21.First Minister had a lot to say about education today but not that
:23:22. > :23:25.she would protect the education budget. It must be protected and
:23:26. > :23:30.enhanced or we will be left behind by other countries. There is no
:23:31. > :23:35.greater imperative for using the power of this Parliament to stop
:23:36. > :23:40.those cuts now and invest in taking this nation forward. It was JFK who
:23:41. > :23:45.said that our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress
:23:46. > :23:50.in education. The human mind is our fundamental resource will stop here
:23:51. > :23:54.we understood this long before he coined it. We lead the world in
:23:55. > :24:00.education and our ambition should be no less than to do so again. That
:24:01. > :24:03.will not be achieved with tinkering with the governance of schools or by
:24:04. > :24:10.introducing a failed model of testing. It will do it by increasing
:24:11. > :24:14.teacher numbers again and making student support fit for purpose in
:24:15. > :24:18.higher and further education and by closing the attainment gap between
:24:19. > :24:23.the richest and the rest were ever poorer due to level go to school. We
:24:24. > :24:28.will do it by recognising that we have some of the best trained and
:24:29. > :24:33.most professional teachers anywhere in the world and we should support
:24:34. > :24:39.them, not drive them to industrial action. We will do it by putting our
:24:40. > :24:49.colleges back where they belong at the centre of the education system.
:24:50. > :24:54.And by everyone we mean women return is all pretty much everyone who will
:24:55. > :24:58.find themselves retraining once or more than once during their working
:24:59. > :25:01.lifetime. We will do it by recognising that universities are
:25:02. > :25:08.about more than teaching undergraduates but also the drivers
:25:09. > :25:10.of innovation, competition in global markets and international
:25:11. > :25:16.partnership insiders which will shape this nation and our world. We
:25:17. > :25:20.can make a Scotland of that kind of imagination, innovation and
:25:21. > :25:26.progressive vision driving forward. All we can continue to cut back on
:25:27. > :25:29.education budgets, close down avenues of advancement, drive
:25:30. > :25:39.teachers and lecturers to the display of industrial action --
:25:40. > :25:44.despair. We can kid ourselves regarding efficiency drives and
:25:45. > :25:46.avoid facing up to what schools, colleges and universities really
:25:47. > :25:52.need. Presiding Officer, over the next five years I look forward to
:25:53. > :25:56.working with the government when we agree and encourage them in the
:25:57. > :26:01.right diet -- direction when we do not. All of us share a
:26:02. > :26:05.responsibility for building a fairer and more decent Scotland that we all
:26:06. > :26:09.want to see and everyone of us holds even more power to do that in our
:26:10. > :26:11.own hands so let's get to work. Thank you.
:26:12. > :26:25.APPLAUSE We should have a short pause to
:26:26. > :26:30.reflect on the fact we saw the leader of the Conservative Party
:26:31. > :26:34.speaking first and the leader of Labour speaking second because
:26:35. > :26:39.that's the big Jack -- change, isn't it customer absolutely. It will
:26:40. > :26:40.transform the dynamic of the Parliament over this
:26:41. > :26:53.term. The Conservatives will be the largest opposition party. The Tories
:26:54. > :27:01.will say they are more ideological opposed to the SNP rather than to
:27:02. > :27:06.high tax parties who may need discipline -- disagree on the
:27:07. > :27:12.constitution. With Ms Davidson's contribution we were see the kind of
:27:13. > :27:17.difference we will see. A lot was talked about education and a
:27:18. > :27:20.transformative policy area. But with Ruth Davidson it was about the
:27:21. > :27:32.economy and potentially what we'd expect. Hold on a second. How will
:27:33. > :27:37.we pay for this? And that has the Conservatives are the largest
:27:38. > :27:41.opposition and as Harley macro gets more power it will become a big
:27:42. > :27:47.dynamic. It is a different tenor, isn't it? In the past we've had
:27:48. > :27:52.Labour governing and the SNP saying you're not spending enough was done
:27:53. > :27:56.then we heard the SNP and Labour saying you're not spending enough on
:27:57. > :28:01.this. It's a completely different tenor. One of the things Ruth
:28:02. > :28:07.Davidson said was that they should look at spending the money they can
:28:08. > :28:11.spend wisely before telling us you don't have... That's just one
:28:12. > :28:18.example. They will say is not just about money but what you do.
:28:19. > :28:22.Absolutely. Before, it was almost like the Scottish parliament was
:28:23. > :28:26.like a child getting pocket money. Now they have to go out to work and
:28:27. > :28:31.bring it in and that means you have to justify what you do with it
:28:32. > :28:35.because you ask and the Scottish Government is asking people to pay
:28:36. > :28:42.whatever rate they say. A bit more of the same, or a bit more than the
:28:43. > :28:46.rest of the UK and that means they now have two really justify what
:28:47. > :28:52.they do with the cash and show that it's working and it's the right
:28:53. > :28:56.thing to do. And presumably more pressure and again we got a sense
:28:57. > :29:01.there from the Conservatives to say, you've got to think about the impact
:29:02. > :29:07.on the broader economy. You can't do things that just hurt business, for
:29:08. > :29:18.example. It makes sense for nature -- Nicola Sturgeon to have is lit
:29:19. > :29:22.John Swinney's task into two briefs. It shows that the Scottish
:29:23. > :29:27.Government recognises this. Things haven't been great recently and Ruth
:29:28. > :29:32.Davidson referenced the prime at rate that's gone up an economy
:29:33. > :29:38.hasn't been in a brilliant place. It shows that something needs to
:29:39. > :29:41.change. We will have to wait to see whether this new transformation at
:29:42. > :29:47.the heart of government will have that positive impact.
:29:48. > :29:51.Kezia Dugdale I think even Labour would accept that they need and
:29:52. > :29:59.United to recover from the shock. Did you see any signs of it? No, it
:30:00. > :30:05.was the same narrative from the election. A focus on -- education
:30:06. > :30:11.and they also talked about needing to generate money again. That
:30:12. > :30:19.suggested and hinted at higher tax rates again. Nothing changed in the
:30:20. > :30:23.narrative which, if you are being kind, at least Kezia Dugdale is
:30:24. > :30:28.sticking to her guns and is being principled, which is admirable. But
:30:29. > :30:31.be -- we saw from May that it doesn't chime with Scottish voters
:30:32. > :30:33.and there's no reason to suggest they change their minds in the last
:30:34. > :30:38.few weeks. Now, staying at the Scottish
:30:39. > :30:40.Parliament, I'm joined by MSPs from all five parties
:30:41. > :30:42.in the parliament. Stewart Stevenson from the SNP,
:30:43. > :30:44.Liz Smith from the Conservatives, Labour's Daniel Johnson, Ross Greer
:30:45. > :31:03.from the Greens and Mike Rumbles Stewart Stevenson, making the
:31:04. > :31:07.education system work in such a way that a child from a deprived
:31:08. > :31:13.background has an equal chance of going to university. I mean, I
:31:14. > :31:20.didn't pick up there, perhaps I missed it, is there a timescale on
:31:21. > :31:25.this? There's 20% of the most disadvantaged areas will represent
:31:26. > :31:30.20% of the entrance to university. I picked up that it was by 2020.
:31:31. > :31:35.That's within the life of this Parliament.
:31:36. > :31:43.By the very nature of the case, I'm not trying to have a go, it's an
:31:44. > :31:48.ambitious target. As you know, it's not a simple thing to do. It's not
:31:49. > :31:51.like saying we'll will spend X amount of money. You could spend all
:31:52. > :31:57.the money in the world and this might not work.
:31:58. > :32:01.We have seen also that the First Minister said they will be a focus
:32:02. > :32:06.on support for teachers and schools in disadvantaged areas. It isn't
:32:07. > :32:10.simply a question of setting an aspiration and hoping it all comes
:32:11. > :32:14.to good, it's about targeting attention to the areas that will
:32:15. > :32:19.make a real difference. I think the appointment of John Swinney as the
:32:20. > :32:23.Minister for education, with all the triffid experience he brings,
:32:24. > :32:27.central to the way the government works, shows that we are not just
:32:28. > :32:31.setting targets, we are resource in the meeting of these targets on
:32:32. > :32:37.putting ministers in place that have ambition and know how to deliver on
:32:38. > :32:41.it. We are helping, directly, schools that will be the feed stream
:32:42. > :32:45.for people who were going to come from disadvantaged areas to go to
:32:46. > :32:52.university. Liz Smith, what did you make of
:32:53. > :32:56.that? I presume you welcome such a target, and perhaps, give the SNP a
:32:57. > :33:00.bit of leeway if they don't quite muted but to make substantial
:33:01. > :33:06.progress towards that, that would be welcomed by everyone, wouldn't it?
:33:07. > :33:10.What I substantially welcome is the focus on early years. There is
:33:11. > :33:14.cross-party consensus that that is where it matters. Every piece of
:33:15. > :33:19.educational research and look to point to that. The SMB have to be
:33:20. > :33:24.careful about putting too much focus on widening access that rattled the
:33:25. > :33:32.SNP. The real focus has to be on early years. I was pleased to hear
:33:33. > :33:36.what Nicola Sturgeon said about the earliest years but a little
:33:37. > :33:39.concerned about the widening access in colleges and universities.
:33:40. > :33:45.But widening access and this ambitious targets that every... A
:33:46. > :33:48.child from a deprived background should have an equal chance of going
:33:49. > :33:53.to university as a child from a wealthy background, I thought you
:33:54. > :33:56.would welcome that? They are not targeting imports, they are
:33:57. > :34:01.targeting outcomes, that is a more difficult thing to achieve.
:34:02. > :34:05.I welcome the fact that there is an appropriate policy in the early
:34:06. > :34:11.years, that is really focus ought to be. Don't want a situation where you
:34:12. > :34:17.are telling universities they must have 20% of their intake from the
:34:18. > :34:21.20% deprived communities, if you do that, without providing more
:34:22. > :34:25.university places, without funding you will squeeze out existing
:34:26. > :34:28.students. That's why the focus has to be in the earliest years and
:34:29. > :34:34.early primary years which is where the attainment gap is extensive.
:34:35. > :34:44.Daniel Johnson, you are new to this game,... I hope it doesn't show!
:34:45. > :34:52.Kieran Andrew says that Labour leads a new narrative, arguably what Kezia
:34:53. > :34:56.Dugdale said sounded a little tired. It's not really going to have much
:34:57. > :35:01.cutting edge, you've just lost an election on that. You need something
:35:02. > :35:05.more to say about education. Look, we welcome the focus on
:35:06. > :35:10.education. It was right that Nicola Sturgeon spoke en masse at length,
:35:11. > :35:16.but it is as if they haven't been in government for nine years. We went
:35:17. > :35:20.into the election with a very clear argument about how we would
:35:21. > :35:24.resource, how we would fix those issues. We are sticking to that
:35:25. > :35:27.because we think it's right that if we want public services to improve
:35:28. > :35:35.we ask people to give a little bit more. People supported those
:35:36. > :35:40.arguments. In the lead up to the election, but
:35:41. > :35:48.not at the election! For me, it proved very successful!
:35:49. > :35:54.A blast from the past, and a breath of fresh air for the future. That's
:35:55. > :35:59.how you could describe yourself, what the SNP are proposing an
:36:00. > :36:03.education, you can't call it a people premium if you like. It is
:36:04. > :36:07.pretty much the same thing you were posing?
:36:08. > :36:11.But it was followed rhetoric today. You've got grand schemes and grand
:36:12. > :36:14.projects, but you've only got a look at the actions.
:36:15. > :36:20.By their actions you shall know them. Be fair, Nicola Sturgeon has
:36:21. > :36:23.said what the targets are, she said she wants her First Minister tenure
:36:24. > :36:28.to be judged by this. She is being specific.
:36:29. > :36:33.There's speech was followed of new targets. To give you an example, the
:36:34. > :36:38.climate change targets have failed completely, so she is setting new
:36:39. > :36:42.ones. It's great setting targets, but they aren't achieving what they
:36:43. > :36:48.set out to do. There was no decision today, announced by Nicola Sturgeon,
:36:49. > :36:52.to protect the education budget. If it is her number one priority look
:36:53. > :36:55.at what she is going to do. With health, for instance, she is lauding
:36:56. > :37:00.how much action they will spend on health, but look at what she didn't
:37:01. > :37:04.say. She didn't say the going to pass on all the money they get from
:37:05. > :37:10.the UK Government for health, oh no, it's all rhetoric we heard today. By
:37:11. > :37:20.her actions, she will be judged. And now another new face. You,
:37:21. > :37:24.presumably, agree with the focus on education, but do you agree with the
:37:25. > :37:30.way Nicola Sturgeon set... Is going to go about it? There was a
:37:31. > :37:35.large to be welcomed. But this is not just about how much money we put
:37:36. > :37:41.at it. It's about the approach we take. There are more innovative ways
:37:42. > :37:44.we need to look at this. For example the campaign about potentially
:37:45. > :37:48.raising the age at which children start primary school, or looking at
:37:49. > :37:53.whether standardised testing is the right approach. We, obviously,
:37:54. > :37:58.didn't think it was. It's about the approach that you take. We need to
:37:59. > :38:02.look at countries that are far more successful than us at creating a
:38:03. > :38:06.successful early years education and holistic education system and look
:38:07. > :38:15.at what we can replicate in a Scottish setting. Stuart Stevenson,
:38:16. > :38:22.we've got a wonderful view of all five of you as we pan across. This
:38:23. > :38:27.international Council, what is that supposed to do? How do you judge it?
:38:28. > :38:31.If you look at Finland, which is the one that is always cited, they got a
:38:32. > :38:35.wonderful education system but if you look at the economy it's a bit
:38:36. > :38:41.of a basket case. It's ambiguous that you're looking at it, isn't it?
:38:42. > :38:45.Bringing international expertise to the table and opening the door to
:38:46. > :38:50.people from other political parties wider than Scotland is precisely the
:38:51. > :38:54.action you would expect from a government led by Nicola Sturgeon.
:38:55. > :38:59.She's been very clear that she's not going to look simply to SNP
:39:00. > :39:05.resources for ideas, the carers allowance... But what about the
:39:06. > :39:11.point that one of our project is made that you have had nine years to
:39:12. > :39:17.turn education round. You've had nine years to sort this out.
:39:18. > :39:21.The most recent figures show we are making the kind of progress we want
:39:22. > :39:25.to make. What we are doing in resource and it's the way that we
:39:26. > :39:28.are, and looking at ideas from others, it simply mustn't be
:39:29. > :39:36.domestic and looking for good ideas. It absolutely going to challenge
:39:37. > :39:41.everything we do. I thought that figures showed
:39:42. > :39:45.England was catching up, and in some respects overtaking, not that
:39:46. > :39:49.Scotland was doing better. Between 2014 and 2015 Scotland was
:39:50. > :39:54.beginning to make the difference that we sought to make.
:39:55. > :39:57.Liz Smith, do you think the international figures do show that
:39:58. > :40:01.we are getting better? We don't know for certain because we
:40:02. > :40:07.have withdrawn from some of the figures.
:40:08. > :40:11.Cheap shots aside! It's not a cheap shot, it is important that we are
:40:12. > :40:15.back in these measures so we have richer detail to measure not just
:40:16. > :40:19.how children are getting on but how schools are getting on. That is the
:40:20. > :40:27.sort of data that you get from pearls and stems but not from Pisa.
:40:28. > :40:30.Daniel Johnson. It's all well and good, but we've seen a fall in
:40:31. > :40:37.funding, a fall in the number of teachers. We need to do it, rather
:40:38. > :40:42.than just saving want to do it. But England are doing relatively
:40:43. > :40:46.well compare to Scotland, maybe not overtaking, but catching up, does
:40:47. > :40:49.this reflect badly on the Labour Administration as well? You didn't
:40:50. > :40:55.carry out any of the Blair reforms that they did in England?
:40:56. > :40:59.We are nine years into an SNP government, they are starting to
:41:00. > :41:02.make a difference, but that's not good enough! It does boil down to
:41:03. > :41:08.funding. Labour made it clear... Does it
:41:09. > :41:12.boiled down to funding though Mike? You are presumably to mentally proud
:41:13. > :41:19.of education in England because the Liberal Democrats helped to run it?
:41:20. > :41:22.We saw real money invested in education which has reduced to the
:41:23. > :41:28.attainment gap between the wealthy and the less wealthy. Daniel is
:41:29. > :41:33.absolutely right, it comes down to actually putting your money where
:41:34. > :41:38.your mouth is. I was incredibly disappointed by Nicola Sturgeon's
:41:39. > :41:42.speech today. It was all rhetoric, hardly anything announced in
:41:43. > :41:46.practical terms to make a difference to people. A lot of consultations,
:41:47. > :41:52.group set up, but it was appalling as far as I am concerned. I hope to
:41:53. > :41:55.make a contribution to this debate. There was no idea about
:41:56. > :42:01.transformational investment in education. We have just cut a
:42:02. > :42:06.college places, you can't stand up in Parliament with rhetoric... I
:42:07. > :42:18.said earlier on, judge them by their actions.
:42:19. > :42:21.Scott Greer, it's Ross. Is Mike rumbles being unfair to
:42:22. > :42:26.Nicola Sturgeon, a lot of people will have said this is a pretty
:42:27. > :42:31.ambitious series of things she has set out here.
:42:32. > :42:35.Give her a chance. I think it is a bit unfair. There was a lot of
:42:36. > :42:40.rhetoric in that speech, but there was a loss to welcome as well. For
:42:41. > :42:44.example, the SNP adopting the policy on a young carers allowance. We are
:42:45. > :42:49.not going to solve the attainment gap puny looking at it within the
:42:50. > :42:54.education portfolio. Other areas come into play. We need to look at
:42:55. > :42:59.housing, low wages, that's how we tackle this.
:43:00. > :43:06.And another beautiful shot for the viewers of all five of you. We have
:43:07. > :43:11.to leave it there. Sadly we have to go to Westminster, not sadly,
:43:12. > :43:14.because we have David Porter with the EU referendum continues to
:43:15. > :43:24.dominate. David, glad to see you in the sunshine. The IFF is dead for
:43:25. > :43:30.fiscal studies has offered its view, what is the reaction for that. They
:43:31. > :43:36.say that it could delay recovery from a austerities we leave the EU.
:43:37. > :43:41.What they have said, and you are right, they are almost the gold
:43:42. > :43:44.standard for reporting on government and financial matters. They have
:43:45. > :43:48.said that if Britain was to leave the European Union they could say
:43:49. > :43:56.something like ?8 billion a year on fees repaid the union, bats, that
:43:57. > :44:00.would be more than offset by a fall in economic output and a shrinkage
:44:01. > :44:05.in the economy. They say it would mean that tax and government
:44:06. > :44:09.receipts would be far lower. They say that in financial terms it would
:44:10. > :44:13.be a bad thing for Britain to leave the European Union. They said the
:44:14. > :44:19.deficit could be something between 20 and ?40 billion. They have said,
:44:20. > :44:23.in the worst-case scenario, it could mean that auntie austerities
:44:24. > :44:29.measures that the government are taking could go for two years. There
:44:30. > :44:34.has been a furious reaction from the leave side, they have accused the
:44:35. > :44:44.IFS of taking funding from the even union for research. I think it is
:44:45. > :44:48.interesting, not just what the IFS have been saying, those things have
:44:49. > :44:53.been said before. But who has been saying it because they are so widely
:44:54. > :44:58.respected. Also, the few rear of the leave campaign and the way that
:44:59. > :45:02.within the campaign itself they have been slight divisions as to the way
:45:03. > :45:08.they have reacted to this. I just wondered about that. Obviously these
:45:09. > :45:15.are forecasts, and there are margins of error, but there is now a very
:45:16. > :45:17.long list, isn't there, of respected international organisations that
:45:18. > :45:24.believe people are just saying you can't believe a word they say? Yes,
:45:25. > :45:28.there are various organisations. What leave are saying is that you
:45:29. > :45:32.have to realise that this work by IFS is not their work. They have
:45:33. > :45:37.looked at a number of studies and passed a judgment on it. They argue
:45:38. > :45:42.that, can you take this as an independent organisation, because
:45:43. > :45:49.the IFS get something like 10% of its funding from the European Union.
:45:50. > :45:51.IFS say however much money they would get, they still carry out that
:45:52. > :46:12.research in the independent way. And this -- the Scottish Affairs
:46:13. > :46:17.Committee are studying this, aren't they? Yes, they have been hearing
:46:18. > :46:21.from representatives from those who want to remain within the EU in
:46:22. > :46:26.Scotland and the evidence they heard came down to, we've been through
:46:27. > :46:34.this before with the independence referendum in 2014. But their
:46:35. > :46:39.spokesman from Scotland Stronger in Europe said it's different the way
:46:40. > :46:45.the campaign is panning out in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
:46:46. > :46:51.The narrative is different in Scotland. I was once held up in a
:46:52. > :46:58.previous job for saying Scotland wasn't more pro-European. But there
:46:59. > :47:03.is some truth in that. Some issues don't ring true with Scottish
:47:04. > :47:08.audiences and cars devolution has reminded people that sovereignty
:47:09. > :47:13.lies in various places, Edinburgh, London and wherever we choose to
:47:14. > :47:17.share it. Of course, it is called the Scottish Affairs Committee, but
:47:18. > :47:21.not all on the committee are Scots and one who is well-known to English
:47:22. > :47:28.audiences is the Eurosceptic Kristoffer choke MP on the south
:47:29. > :47:32.coast of England. -- Kristoffer choke and he made it plain he didn't
:47:33. > :47:40.agree with the argument Mr Edward put forward. If we leave the EU and
:47:41. > :47:49.then the Scots will be able to have control over Scottish fiction --
:47:50. > :47:53.fetching which they've lost. -- fishing. They would be able to have
:47:54. > :48:00.control over Scottish agriculture and they would be able to charge
:48:01. > :48:07.fees in universities and colleges for students from Europe. And then
:48:08. > :48:11.Scots would be able to access higher education because they are being
:48:12. > :48:17.squeezed out due to lack of resources. That meeting is still
:48:18. > :48:21.going and and we will hear from representatives soon. I will leave
:48:22. > :48:25.you with a cheery thought. A mug of this to go.
:48:26. > :48:28.Now to Prime Ministers Questions, where the Chancellor stood
:48:29. > :48:30.in for David Cameron, who's attending a G7 summit,
:48:31. > :48:32.and his counterpart replaced Jeremy Corbyn this week.
:48:33. > :48:33.The Deputy Labour Leader, Angela Eagle, questioned
:48:34. > :48:36.George Osborne on the government's deals with Google, after
:48:37. > :48:37.the company's Paris Headquarters were raided last night
:48:38. > :48:43.Osborne urgently look again at the case of an Australian family
:48:44. > :48:51.living in the Highlands who are facing deportation.
:48:52. > :49:02.Mr Speaker, given the overnight news of the French authorities' dawn
:49:03. > :49:04.raids on Google invested in -- investigating fraud and
:49:05. > :49:13.money-laundering, does the Chancellor regret causing this cosy
:49:14. > :49:16.little tax deal good news for the British taxpayer? Well, it is good
:49:17. > :49:25.news that we are collecting money in tax from companies that paid no tax
:49:26. > :49:31.when the Labour Party was in office and she seems to forget she was the
:49:32. > :49:34.Exchequer's secretary in the last government. So perhaps when she
:49:35. > :49:38.stand that she can tell us whether she ever raised with the Inland
:49:39. > :49:50.Revenue at the time the tax affairs of Google. He is seven years old and
:49:51. > :49:56.he attends a primary school in Dingle in the Scottish Highlands.
:49:57. > :50:02.Next week, the home Department plans to deport him and his family despite
:50:03. > :50:07.the fact that he arrived -- arrived as part of a Scottish Government
:50:08. > :50:11.initiative backed by the Home Office to attract people to live and work
:50:12. > :50:15.in the region. The case has been front-page news in Scotland and has
:50:16. > :50:20.been repeatedly raised in the House. What does the Chancellor had to say
:50:21. > :50:26.to the family and the community who want them to stay? As I understand
:50:27. > :50:33.it, the family don't meet the immigration criteria. The Home
:50:34. > :50:35.Secretary says she is very happy to write to the Right Honourable
:50:36. > :50:42.gentleman on the details of the specific case. I am Surrey but this
:50:43. > :50:47.has been going on for weeks and that is not good enough. Appeals have
:50:48. > :50:53.been made to the Home Secretary by the First Minister, the local MP,
:50:54. > :50:57.the local MSP, by the community and it is wall-to-wall across the media
:50:58. > :51:02.of Scotland and the Chancellor of the Exchequer clearly knew nothing
:51:03. > :51:09.about it. The problem is the Highlands of Scotland is not
:51:10. > :51:13.immigration. It has been emigration. Even at this late stage, knowing
:51:14. > :51:17.nothing about it, well the Chancellor speak to the Home
:51:18. > :51:24.Secretary, the Prime Minister, and get this sorted out? As I say, the
:51:25. > :51:30.Home Secretary will write to the right honourable gentleman on the
:51:31. > :51:33.details of the case. Can I make a suggestion to the Scottish
:51:34. > :51:37.Nationalist party? They now have very substantial tax and enterprise
:51:38. > :51:43.powers and if they want to attract people to the Highlands of Scotland,
:51:44. > :51:46.why don't they create an entrepreneurial Scotland that people
:51:47. > :51:48.want to move to from the rest of the UK where they can grow their
:51:49. > :51:51.business and have a successful life? Let's go back to Westminster
:51:52. > :52:12.where our correspondent David Porter Let me introduce you. Ian Murray for
:52:13. > :52:19.Labour, and Alberto Costa for the Conservatives, to name a couple. We
:52:20. > :52:23.saw and a cat -- attack on the government about the Google tax
:52:24. > :52:28.issues and how multinational corporations seem to get a good
:52:29. > :52:32.deal, not only in the UK but perhaps compare to other European countries
:52:33. > :52:37.as well? It's right that Google pay tax that is owed to the UK and I'm
:52:38. > :52:41.proud to be part of a Conservative government that has tackled this
:52:42. > :52:54.head-on. It was a bit rich for Angela A goal -- Eagle for somebody
:52:55. > :52:59.who used to be somebody who is taking action on this matter what to
:53:00. > :53:03.do. She fell during the two years she was in the Treasury as a
:53:04. > :53:07.minister and did nothing to tackle this. Let us be clear, the
:53:08. > :53:10.Conservative government is rightly going after those companies who are
:53:11. > :53:17.not paying their full share of tax in the UK and I support that. I want
:53:18. > :53:21.to raise as much tax fairly and reasonably from companies like
:53:22. > :53:25.Google to ensure we have tax payers money that can spread across the UK
:53:26. > :53:32.so that our Scottish viewers will benefit. There is a problem here,
:53:33. > :53:39.isn't there? If you try to take too much tax these companies will go
:53:40. > :53:44.elsewhere? I think the issue is that people at home will not be impressed
:53:45. > :53:51.with the Google sweetheart deal. We were the only party who put forward
:53:52. > :53:54.an alternative proposal and then alternative tax avoidance bill.
:53:55. > :54:01.People expect greater transparency and so they should. Of course
:54:02. > :54:08.company should pay it. We are seeing HM RC offices closing at the same
:54:09. > :54:15.time so there is a mismatch. The services for people will go down and
:54:16. > :54:20.meanwhile BCB Google sweetheart -- sweetheart tax deal so these things
:54:21. > :54:25.don't add up. Labour, when they were in charge, didn't seem to address
:54:26. > :54:31.this? That's not true. In all the reports, it shows the action
:54:32. > :54:36.Alistair Darling and Gordon Brown took raised ten times more in this
:54:37. > :54:41.parliament and measures the Conservatives have taken in the
:54:42. > :54:44.budget. But the important thing is the principle of people paying a
:54:45. > :54:48.fair amount of tax. George Osborne said the Google deal was a great
:54:49. > :54:52.deal but it is ten times less than is happening in France. It's
:54:53. > :55:02.interesting to be here talk about the HMR see closures because it's a
:55:03. > :55:11.huge issue. We have 11,000 fewer staff and tax officers will be
:55:12. > :55:18.unable to do their jobs. We all want people to pay their fair share.
:55:19. > :55:25.Another small point, you remember when we had a four to six weeks
:55:26. > :55:30.Parliamentary campaign where... Perhaps we should tackle that so
:55:31. > :55:36.people can pare the fair share to invest in public services -- pay
:55:37. > :55:41.their fair share. Ian Murray said the money the Exchequer will get is
:55:42. > :55:46.probably not much but it is guaranteed. What they are planning
:55:47. > :55:52.in France is a proposal, isn't it? It may not end up looking quite as
:55:53. > :55:56.good. And it is retrospective and is in some sense a settlement. Many
:55:57. > :56:00.small businesses or individuals watching this would like to have the
:56:01. > :56:04.same relationship with the tax man or woman that Google has with the
:56:05. > :56:08.government because it seems as if the power of that huge open it --
:56:09. > :56:13.organisation has been wielded strongly and I think a better deal
:56:14. > :56:19.for the taxpayer could be done. In Scotland, Amazon.com millions from
:56:20. > :56:27.the government for the plant in Fife. In my view they don't pay
:56:28. > :56:30.their fair share of taxes. I called for an international asserted effort
:56:31. > :56:39.for this on Monday because in Africa, they've lost $1 trillion in
:56:40. > :56:45.organisations not paying their fair share in their countries. It is
:56:46. > :56:49.relevant here and also relevant for international... So I am calling for
:56:50. > :56:52.an international concerted effort we can be a part of and we can learn
:56:53. > :56:58.from countries who have a better approach. We are standing in front
:56:59. > :57:05.of the House of Lords and then just improved -- in -- produced a report
:57:06. > :57:14.on the consequences of devolution. It says that devolution and the
:57:15. > :57:18.response in the UK has been piecemeal. I am proud to be a member
:57:19. > :57:22.of the British Parliament that bloated and passed a new Scotland
:57:23. > :57:27.act that has transferred an enormous amount of powers to the people of
:57:28. > :57:32.Scotland through their elected representatives. Let us set the
:57:33. > :57:36.premise for the question that are enormous powers have rightly gone to
:57:37. > :57:41.Scotland. The Conservative government's position is we are
:57:42. > :57:46.fully committed to devolution and we should support with Davidson and the
:57:47. > :57:52.Scottish Unionist party to ensure they can do their bit to tailor
:57:53. > :58:00.things to the needs of the people of Scotland. I respect the fact the
:58:01. > :58:06.Lords have their own views but I don't -- accept the result. I think
:58:07. > :58:10.we might have a rare occurrence where there is agreement between
:58:11. > :58:18.yourselves and the Conservatives. I think the report is irrelevant. I
:58:19. > :58:22.can't understand why the unelected friends think it is their job to
:58:23. > :58:26.tell the people of Scotland, who are the only ones who can decide on the
:58:27. > :58:31.constitutional future of their country, what their country will be
:58:32. > :58:37.doing. These things have already been dealt with and agreed by the
:58:38. > :58:41.Scottish and UK Government. We saw Angus Robertson talking today about
:58:42. > :58:46.real issues like the family from the Highlands who are being threatened
:58:47. > :58:51.with deportation. We need families like that and we should really focus
:58:52. > :58:55.on things like that rather than the irrelevance of an unelected House of
:58:56. > :58:59.Lords which has nothing to do with the realise of people in our
:59:00. > :59:05.country. The report also says get rid of the Barnett formula. That is
:59:06. > :59:11.the part of the report I don't read -- agree with. If it wasn't for the
:59:12. > :59:16.House of Lords in this parliament we would not have been able to stop tax
:59:17. > :59:21.credit cuts or to be able to change the government 's mind on a whole
:59:22. > :59:25.host of issues. I agree that we would rather not have an analytic
:59:26. > :59:34.chamber but whilst we have they -- them letters use them. The response,
:59:35. > :59:44.it is right, is piecemeal and that's why we're calling on a look at the
:59:45. > :59:49.response to devolution. The bit is interesting is the bit that says
:59:50. > :59:54.which part of Parliament has responsibility over which powers. We
:59:55. > :59:59.need to make sure who has responsibility for what. It is
:00:00. > :00:01.interesting that they talk about the deficiencies or the good points
:00:02. > :00:11.about devolution but neither powers when to use them. I suppose it falls
:00:12. > :00:14.to you two defenders? I wanted to be a democratically elected chamber. I
:00:15. > :00:23.have a Bill in Parliament which I would love the Conservatives to
:00:24. > :00:28.back. When I launched an old chair party group, it so happens that when
:00:29. > :00:32.they are on telly they slack me off but in private they are willing to
:00:33. > :00:39.engage. The Constitutional Convention Bill is a cross-party...
:00:40. > :00:51.It is a cross-party effort to bring consensus.
:00:52. > :01:01.Thank you very much to you all, you can go away now, not to smoke filled
:01:02. > :01:06.rooms, but you can sort out the constitution.
:01:07. > :01:11.Let's get some final thoughts from Kieran Andrews.
:01:12. > :01:17.Did anything strike you about the discussion we had earlier on with
:01:18. > :01:24.MSPs? And interesting point was made about
:01:25. > :01:29.the SNP's time in government so far and the amount of time they've had
:01:30. > :01:33.to make changes. The interesting thing about Nicola Sturgeon's
:01:34. > :01:40.approach is that she sought not to say it publicly, but much of this is
:01:41. > :01:44.brushing aside Alex Salmond's legacy, admitting that education has
:01:45. > :01:49.stagnated and is causing problems. That was interesting looking at
:01:50. > :01:52.things through that prison, you know, the SNP, what they are saying
:01:53. > :01:58.is very ambitious and bold. -- through that prison.
:01:59. > :02:05.Do you see Nicola Sturgeon having a very different focus than Alex
:02:06. > :02:10.Salmond did? You just mentioned the focus on education. There are other
:02:11. > :02:13.things, for example Alex Salmond loved talking about renewable
:02:14. > :02:18.energy, you don't share much of that from the Scottish Government now.
:02:19. > :02:26.No, you don't, but that's perhaps not surprising thinking about
:02:27. > :02:31.fracking and sitting firmly on the fence about what to do with the
:02:32. > :02:34.endless moratorium. We aren't quite sure what they think will be best
:02:35. > :02:40.for the economy or danger to the environment. It's perhaps not
:02:41. > :02:46.surprising that Nicola Sturgeon has been quite quiet on renewable energy
:02:47. > :02:51.in general. Timetables, I mean, Stewart
:02:52. > :02:56.Stevenson seemed to should oust that these education targets were by
:02:57. > :03:04.2020, which reinforces what we were talking about earlier.
:03:05. > :03:07.That is very ambitious. An equal education system wherever comes out
:03:08. > :03:14.with the same outcomes in three and half years as a bit bold. But as you
:03:15. > :03:18.were seeing way back, if they made substantial progress, even if they
:03:19. > :03:22.got half with a matte, people might be more willing to say, well, OK,
:03:23. > :03:26.it's been tough but you've done very well.
:03:27. > :03:30.As long as they do make that progress. As long as they invest in
:03:31. > :03:37.those areas and the reforms are working. It's all very well to say
:03:38. > :03:42.yes, but as the opposition parties pointed out, until we see exactly
:03:43. > :03:45.what John Swinney is putting forward...
:03:46. > :03:49.To be feared to Nicola Sturgeon she talked about transparency in that
:03:50. > :03:52.speech. She did say we will make its transparent whether they are meeting
:03:53. > :03:58.the targets or not. Absolutely, that's a big step
:03:59. > :04:03.forward. For all the arguments against testing, National
:04:04. > :04:07.assessments, they are there because people want to know how their
:04:08. > :04:10.children are getting on, whether the schools and teachers are giving kids
:04:11. > :04:15.the best opportunity. Thank you very much.
:04:16. > :04:17.You can stay up-to-date with the latest news on the website. I be
:04:18. > :04:23.back next week, goodbye. We haven't really wakened up to the
:04:24. > :04:30.implications of Brexit for Scotland.