Browse content similar to 25/10/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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Good afternoon. Alex Salmond is a big fan of the Rev IM Jolly. He has | :00:37. | :00:47. | |
:00:47. | :00:48. | ||
had a very bad week. He has had two ministers resigning over Nato. And | :00:48. | :00:53. | |
problems over the European Union. Issues that will come up later. I | :00:53. | :00:59. | |
am sure. In a moment, questions to ministers. | :00:59. | :01:09. | |
:01:09. | :01:19. | ||
Let's cross live there to the To ask the First Minister what | :01:19. | :01:25. | |
engagements he has planned for the rest of the day. | :01:25. | :01:29. | |
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting the ambassador from El | :01:29. | :01:36. | |
Salvador. Today, either love meetings to take forward the | :01:36. | :01:41. | |
Government's programme for Scotland. Added like to ask the Prime | :01:41. | :01:46. | |
Minister -- the First Minister where there an independent Scotland | :01:46. | :01:56. | |
:01:56. | :01:59. | ||
would be a member of their EU. Could a First Minister please | :01:59. | :02:09. | |
:02:09. | :02:12. | ||
explain his position? Order. The commence a Johann Lamont | :02:12. | :02:18. | |
it refers to are there words of a were taken out of the Labour Party | :02:18. | :02:25. | |
press release. I do not think it is a great argument do attack the | :02:25. | :02:28. | |
property of government when you remove the words from your press | :02:28. | :02:33. | |
release. Not the most ingenious tactic even from the Labour Party. | :02:33. | :02:43. | |
:02:43. | :02:49. | ||
Yes, an independent Scotland will Yesterday, a member of the European | :02:49. | :02:53. | |
Parliament asked me to formally investigate weather the ministerial | :02:53. | :03:03. | |
:03:03. | :03:07. | ||
code had been broken in relation to their existence of -- their | :03:07. | :03:13. | |
existence of content in relation to legal matters. This matter touches | :03:13. | :03:18. | |
on an area of the cord which relates to the lot in terms of the | :03:18. | :03:24. | |
content and existence of legal advice members of the panel who are | :03:24. | :03:29. | |
distinguished Lord Advocate. The advice of the primary Secretary, | :03:29. | :03:39. | |
:03:39. | :03:42. | ||
added at that advice, I have invited Sir David belt -- Bell to | :03:42. | :03:46. | |
join the panel. The finding of independent advisers will be made | :03:46. | :03:49. | |
public and I will accept them and I hope that all members of this | :03:49. | :03:59. | |
chamber will do the same. There have been a five and references -- | :03:59. | :04:05. | |
5 references says I have been First Minister. Each one of them has | :04:05. | :04:15. | |
:04:15. | :04:17. | ||
found that I had been in a chord with the cold. -- in accord with | :04:17. | :04:26. | |
the code. The First Minister has asserted what Scotland's position | :04:26. | :04:31. | |
would be post independence. He tells us that when he gets the | :04:31. | :04:35. | |
answer, he will not share it with us are either. The First Minister | :04:36. | :04:41. | |
talks about their interviewer at the 27 words. I have the transcript | :04:41. | :04:48. | |
here. The First Minister seems to be asking the people, are you going | :04:48. | :04:55. | |
to believe me or they evidence of your own eyes? I support you cannot | :04:55. | :04:59. | |
expect a straight answer from a minister, a First Minister who has | :04:59. | :05:06. | |
as straight as a corkscrew. But let's try again. Why did the First | :05:06. | :05:13. | |
Minister... Order. Why did the First Minister say that he had | :05:13. | :05:18. | |
sought advice from the law officers when he had not? Why did he give | :05:18. | :05:23. | |
that impression it to this chamber at why did he go to court at our | :05:23. | :05:33. | |
:05:33. | :05:33. | ||
expense to stop the release of advice he knew did not exist. | :05:33. | :05:38. | |
that was the case, the Labour Party would not have found it necessary | :05:38. | :05:44. | |
to all met at the 27 words from their stick at. -- it to leave out | :05:44. | :05:50. | |
the 27 words. You are bound by the ministerial code in terms of asking | :05:50. | :05:55. | |
for specific advice on legal questions from the law officers. | :05:55. | :06:00. | |
You are bound in terms of not only reveal the content but revealing | :06:00. | :06:06. | |
the existence of that advice. There is a second process and that is | :06:06. | :06:11. | |
quite different. Every major document which is published by this | :06:11. | :06:17. | |
government is underpinned by officers advise. When it they ask | :06:17. | :06:22. | |
for specific advice, the law officers give what is in their | :06:22. | :06:28. | |
opinion legal. In underpinning, they will point out what is | :06:28. | :06:38. | |
:06:38. | :06:39. | ||
obviously against the law in their opinion. What is being talked about | :06:39. | :06:44. | |
is in terms of both the debate and the documents. That is why the | :06:44. | :06:48. | |
section of their interview finishes by saying but documents that had | :06:48. | :06:55. | |
been published are consistent with the legal advice we have received. | :06:55. | :07:01. | |
In terms of the government's defending the ministerial code, I | :07:01. | :07:06. | |
have been doing a little bit of research. And I now find that the | :07:06. | :07:11. | |
Labour Party were by and by the Freedom of Information Act for two | :07:11. | :07:17. | |
years. In that two years, the took five cases to the Court of Session | :07:17. | :07:24. | |
to defend the principles of disclosure. This relates and | :07:24. | :07:28. | |
compares or the two cases we have taken him five years. I would just | :07:28. | :07:38. | |
say to draw a lot Mant -- a Johann Lamont, if you have taken five | :07:38. | :07:42. | |
cases in two years to the Court of Session, you have up in no position | :07:42. | :07:48. | |
to preach to are the people. -- Your are in no position to preach | :07:48. | :07:58. | |
to other people. Get this seriousness of the charges that are | :07:58. | :08:04. | |
we made here, the idea that that constitutes any kind of answer is | :08:04. | :08:13. | |
completely ludicrous. The people of Scotland need to trust what he says | :08:13. | :08:17. | |
add on that performance, they certainly do not. He says we cannot | :08:17. | :08:24. | |
say we are even asking for advice. The Deputy First Minister stood | :08:24. | :08:31. | |
here on Tuesday and said that she was asking for that advice. The | :08:31. | :08:35. | |
First Minister wants an honest debate about what is going to | :08:35. | :08:42. | |
happen in the future of Scotland. He asserted that we would be in the | :08:42. | :08:51. | |
European Union and joining the euro. But he does not actually know | :08:51. | :08:58. | |
because he has not asked. Yesterday, the Spanish Foreign Secretary said | :08:58. | :09:03. | |
Scotland would have to apply to be in their European Union and would | :09:03. | :09:08. | |
be at the back of the queue. The First Minister says he is wrong, | :09:08. | :09:17. | |
but he does not go because he has not asked. -- he does not know. The | :09:17. | :09:21. | |
First Minister says we would keep the pint, but he does not know | :09:21. | :09:31. | |
because he has not asked. -- the pound. The First Minister will say | :09:31. | :09:38. | |
anything to get through the moment. But after this week, nobody trusts | :09:38. | :09:44. | |
him. Added have thought that given this | :09:44. | :09:48. | |
debate has lasted for some considerable time that Johann | :09:48. | :09:50. | |
Lamont would have taken the precaution of Reading of the | :09:50. | :09:59. | |
ministerial code. She asked where I could not reveal the existence of | :09:59. | :10:03. | |
ministerial advice while a Nicola Sturgeon this week told the chamber | :10:03. | :10:07. | |
that they were seeking specific advice on this question. Can high. | :10:07. | :10:13. | |
Her to the ministerial code. -- can I point her to the ministerial | :10:13. | :10:21. | |
code? The content must not be a revealed to anyone out with the | :10:21. | :10:31. | |
:10:31. | :10:34. | ||
Scottish government without the law officers prior consent. When the | :10:34. | :10:38. | |
officers consent was obtained by Nicola Sturgeon, she was able to | :10:38. | :10:48. | |
:10:48. | :10:49. | ||
reveal that information. I would have thought that was understood in | :10:49. | :10:54. | |
terms of this debate. I hope that now that has been cleared up for | :10:54. | :11:04. | |
Johann Lamont, I hope that she will accept it. It is quite clear. It is | :11:04. | :11:10. | |
prior consent. I did not have prior consent, Nicola Sturgeon did have | :11:10. | :11:20. | |
:11:20. | :11:23. | ||
prior consent. Can I direct Johann Lamont to the comments of the | :11:23. | :11:33. | |
:11:33. | :11:34. | ||
Spanish foreign minister Quetta mark if in the UK, both parties | :11:34. | :11:42. | |
agree, Spain with -- Spain would have nothing to say. This does not | :11:42. | :11:48. | |
concern us. In Edinburgh Agreement, the process by which independence | :11:48. | :11:54. | |
for Scotland would be secured was agreed. That is the point that the | :11:54. | :11:57. | |
Spanish foreign minister was making this year. Under these | :11:57. | :12:04. | |
circumstances, we have sought the advice of the law officers and that | :12:04. | :12:08. | |
advice will form at the White Paper on independence. That seems to me | :12:08. | :12:13. | |
to be substantial progress in this debate. Giving a Johann Lamont the | :12:13. | :12:21. | |
information that she claimed she needs. I am asking for the | :12:21. | :12:23. | |
information the people of Scotland required to make the decision in | :12:23. | :12:31. | |
the future. The First Minister says the difference between him at the | :12:31. | :12:33. | |
Deputy First Minister is that she asked permission that she was going | :12:33. | :12:38. | |
to tell us that she was going to get advice. Could he not have asked | :12:38. | :12:42. | |
permission to tell us that he had not asked for permission to give | :12:42. | :12:49. | |
any advice? He might find this hard to believe that I do feel for the | :12:49. | :12:56. | |
Prime Minister. All his life he has fought for this. And now he knows | :12:56. | :13:02. | |
his argument does not meet the Times. Now he knows it does not | :13:02. | :13:09. | |
make sense for Scotland. He makes things up instead. No one wants the | :13:09. | :13:16. | |
euro so he pretends we would not have to have even -- we would not | :13:16. | :13:20. | |
have to have it even though he does we would. Before now, he has always | :13:20. | :13:27. | |
got his way. He is a need for a place in Scottish is the becomes | :13:27. | :13:31. | |
before the people of Scotland. I feel for the First Minister. His | :13:31. | :13:36. | |
argument is falling apart imprint of his eyes. His own backbenchers | :13:36. | :13:43. | |
know it. His deceptions have been found out. No one believes him any | :13:43. | :13:48. | |
more. How can this country have an honest debate about our future by | :13:48. | :13:58. | |
:13:58. | :14:01. | ||
the cannot trust a word Alex Salmond says? -- when we cannot. | :14:01. | :14:08. | |
the climax of that speech by Johann Lamont, she almost directly quoted | :14:08. | :14:13. | |
from the Prime Minister. How appropriate! Let me tell Johann | :14:13. | :14:19. | |
Lamont something for nothing. I think it is worthwhile for Scotland | :14:19. | :14:24. | |
to Government its own affairs, I think it is worthwhile to escape | :14:24. | :14:29. | |
from the welfare reform which is impoverishing our country. I think | :14:29. | :14:33. | |
it is important for Scotland to take its place as an independent | :14:33. | :14:40. | |
member of the European Union. I think Johann Lamont should look at | :14:40. | :14:44. | |
the huge number authorities over the Year who have cited that it is | :14:44. | :14:48. | |
of fundamental importance a we alight the government that we want, | :14:48. | :14:53. | |
not have one foisted upon us by Westminster. It is fundamentally | :14:53. | :15:00. | |
important that this country and Scotland says Scotland has a | :15:00. | :15:08. | |
fundamentally equal member in the European Union. That is entirely | :15:08. | :15:18. | |
:15:18. | :15:27. | ||
the argument which will carry Ruth Davidson. To ask the First | :15:28. | :15:32. | |
Minister when he will next meet the Prime Minister. No plans in the | :15:32. | :15:36. | |
near future, but I met him last week to sign the Edinburgh | :15:36. | :15:41. | |
Agreement. And I believe your advisers told you not to look to | :15:41. | :15:46. | |
triumphant, amazing what ten days can do. Four days, presiding | :15:46. | :15:56. | |
:15:56. | :15:57. | ||
officer, we have had more ducking and diving. As he avoids the | :15:57. | :16:01. | |
conclusion that every fair-minded person has already reached, that he | :16:01. | :16:05. | |
has misled the country into believing his case for Scotland's | :16:05. | :16:13. | |
place in Europe was based on proper, legal advice. Now, if we believe | :16:13. | :16:19. | |
the deputy First Minister, it was all a fantasy, that we would all be | :16:19. | :16:26. | |
millionaires by 2014. But perhaps, this politician of the year is more | :16:26. | :16:33. | |
like Bill Clinton. I did not have legal relations with that man, Mr | :16:33. | :16:43. | |
:16:43. | :16:48. | ||
Mulholland. But the question here... Order! Is that... Is that both Mr | :16:48. | :16:54. | |
Salmond and his deputy cannot be right. Either the First Minister | :16:54. | :16:58. | |
misled the BBC and nation into believing he had legal advice, then | :16:58. | :17:04. | |
spent thousands trying to cover his tracks, or much more seriously, the | :17:04. | :17:08. | |
deputy First Minister has misled Parliament by telling us that no | :17:08. | :17:14. | |
such advice existed all along, when he did. That is a resignation | :17:14. | :17:20. | |
offence. Which one is it? Did he mislead the public or did she | :17:20. | :17:28. | |
mislead Parliament? First Minister. I think about 12% of that question | :17:28. | :17:33. | |
was the sort of question... LAUGHTER. The sort of question we | :17:34. | :17:37. | |
should hear in this chamber. I do none know if Ruth Davidson was | :17:37. | :17:41. | |
listening to the fast and so, making a distinction between | :17:41. | :17:50. | |
seeking legal advice, -- listening to the first answer. In the latter | :17:50. | :17:54. | |
case, the law officers tell you what is wrong, if there is anything | :17:54. | :17:59. | |
wrong with your statement, in the first case, giving their opinion. | :17:59. | :18:03. | |
It is a clear distinction and I hope Ruth Davidson now understands | :18:03. | :18:08. | |
that. In terms of the question Nicola Sturgeon and myself, you | :18:08. | :18:13. | |
need prior consent according to the ministerial code, and she had that | :18:13. | :18:17. | |
consent and what she told this chamber on Tuesday is a perfectly | :18:17. | :18:23. | |
acceptable. I am struck by the fact that the Conservative Party seem to | :18:23. | :18:28. | |
think that this position on the ministerial code is something that | :18:28. | :18:32. | |
is unique to this Government, in fact carried by at the Westminster | :18:32. | :18:36. | |
and Scottish Government from time immemorial, across many countries, | :18:37. | :18:41. | |
the same precepts existing in terms of the confidentiality of legal | :18:41. | :18:47. | |
advice. I have a letter hear from someone to the Attorney General, | :18:47. | :18:52. | |
someone in Scotland, a citizen asking on the 21st November last | :18:52. | :18:59. | |
year, asking about whether the hell legal advice on the subject of | :18:59. | :19:05. | |
Scottish independence. -- but the legal advice was held. The reply | :19:05. | :19:08. | |
was they were unable to confirm or deny whether this department holds | :19:08. | :19:18. | |
:19:18. | :19:21. | ||
anything. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. | :19:21. | :19:28. | |
Davidson. All the goose could need is a panic telephone call on a | :19:28. | :19:35. | |
television -- on a Tuesday morning. What is the inescapable truth is | :19:35. | :19:39. | |
that neither this First Minister nor his deputy can be trusted to | :19:39. | :19:47. | |
tell the truth. Maybe it is not Bill Clinton, maybe it is Richard | :19:47. | :19:54. | |
Nixon, I am not a crook. Maybe he is not, but the people of Scotland | :19:54. | :20:00. | |
simply cannot believe one word he says. Because of him, we cannot | :20:00. | :20:07. | |
believe a word his deputy says either. Order! There is one way to | :20:07. | :20:11. | |
clear this up, for the Lord Advocate to come to this chamber to | :20:11. | :20:16. | |
explain what law officers were asked, what was said and went. Will | :20:16. | :20:21. | |
the First Minister now take the appropriate action to ensure that | :20:21. | :20:27. | |
Franck Muller Holland appears before Parliament at the earliest | :20:27. | :20:36. | |
opportunity? -- that Mr Mulholland appears. I am amused by these | :20:36. | :20:39. | |
references to American politics. I would have what you would be most | :20:39. | :20:44. | |
familiar with Mitt Romney, the one who dismissed 47% of the American | :20:44. | :20:51. | |
population. Ruth Davidson dismisses 88% of the Scottish population. I | :20:51. | :21:00. | |
am also struck by the fact there is nothing new under the sun. I have a | :21:00. | :21:05. | |
cutting from March 8th, 1992 from the Scotland on Sunday. It appears, | :21:05. | :21:10. | |
on that day, the Tory and Labour parties were queuing up to tell | :21:10. | :21:13. | |
Scotland that they would not be admitted into the European Union. | :21:13. | :21:19. | |
It says, a former European Court judge has cast doubts on John | :21:19. | :21:25. | |
Major's assertion that a Scot and became independent it would -- -- | :21:25. | :21:32. | |
it would have to us for help. Devolution would lead Scotland | :21:32. | :21:37. | |
suffering in the same legal board. It Scotland had to reapply, so | :21:37. | :21:41. | |
would the rest. They really interesting thing about this is, as | :21:41. | :21:46. | |
I recall, that legal advice was sought from Lord Mackenzie Stuart | :21:46. | :21:53. | |
by the Conservative Party. So this argument has been going a long time. | :21:53. | :21:58. | |
The question on law officers, the great thing about them under the | :21:58. | :22:00. | |
Scottish Government is the other independent law officers in terms | :22:00. | :22:08. | |
of conducting affairs, and do not like the Attorney General going | :22:08. | :22:12. | |
about in terms of political arguments. I think, basically, the | :22:13. | :22:16. | |
people of Scotland Prevert law officers to be independent and I | :22:16. | :22:20. | |
think we shall keep it that way. -- Prevert law officers to be | :22:20. | :22:27. | |
independent. Question number three. What is the response to the latest | :22:27. | :22:29. | |
labour market statistics suggesting there has been a quarterly increase | :22:29. | :22:33. | |
in unemployment in Scotland compared with a ball across the | :22:33. | :22:41. | |
rest of the UK. -- fall. There is a range of measures the Government is | :22:41. | :22:47. | |
taking. I know Ken Macintosh agrees with calling on their Chancellor to | :22:47. | :22:53. | |
end -- to boost capital spending. That is something Ken Macintosh, as | :22:53. | :22:58. | |
I understand, supports when he backed our colles in the economy | :22:58. | :23:06. | |
debate to implement projects. I would caution Ken Macintosh in | :23:06. | :23:11. | |
terms of statistics across the UK. Unemployment did fall by some | :23:11. | :23:16. | |
50,000, but we also know there were 100,000 temporary jobs for the | :23:16. | :23:21. | |
Olympics in London. That is a point made by some of his colleagues. I | :23:21. | :23:26. | |
hope Ken Macintosh maintains support for the Scottish Government | :23:26. | :23:29. | |
in trying to obtain capital investment to get the economy | :23:29. | :23:35. | |
moving. I should say it would be a great deal easier if we could just | :23:35. | :23:41. | |
implement these changes instead of asking at Tory Chancellor. APPLAUSE. | :23:41. | :23:50. | |
Ken Macintosh. Thank you for your reply. And I | :23:50. | :23:55. | |
asked if the jobs lost have been in the public sector, such as nurses, | :23:55. | :24:00. | |
police support staff and civil servants. Areas of direct or | :24:00. | :24:04. | |
indirect responsibility for the First Minister. If you are not able | :24:04. | :24:07. | |
to explain why unemployment is higher in Scotland than the rest of | :24:07. | :24:13. | |
the UK, can you tell us how many jobs will be lost? Kear Assistance, | :24:13. | :24:20. | |
teaching assistants, lost by the 4.3% real-terms cut in their budget. | :24:20. | :24:26. | |
-- care assistants. Ken Macintosh should have looked at the | :24:26. | :24:31. | |
statistics. The following public sector employment in Scotland as | :24:31. | :24:35. | |
much less than that in the UK. That is because we have approached | :24:35. | :24:39. | |
things differently in terms of central and local Government. For | :24:39. | :24:45. | |
example, we have no compulsory redundancy policy in terms of the | :24:45. | :24:48. | |
Government and agencies and across the National Health Service. | :24:48. | :24:53. | |
Perhaps Ken Macintosh can turn his mind again to agreeing with this | :24:53. | :24:56. | |
Government that we need a different economic policy and need to take | :24:57. | :25:03. | |
the economy out of recession by stimulating capital investment. The | :25:03. | :25:07. | |
GDP figures released today shows another decline in the construction | :25:07. | :25:12. | |
sector across the UK, surely proof positive that because by this | :25:12. | :25:16. | |
Government, supported by Ken Macintosh, are on the right lines | :25:16. | :25:20. | |
in terms of bringing the economy out of recession. But I have to | :25:20. | :25:25. | |
repeat the point that he must understand and accept that the | :25:25. | :25:28. | |
economics of Scotland are controlled by the UK chancellor in | :25:28. | :25:34. | |
London at the present moment. Wouldn't it be better if we control | :25:34. | :25:37. | |
these towering highs of economy and do something about the | :25:37. | :25:44. | |
circumstances and help the people? Question number four, Colin Keir. | :25:44. | :25:48. | |
What recent process has been made with the Forth Replacement | :25:48. | :25:51. | |
Crossing? The project is progressing well, remains on time | :25:51. | :25:56. | |
and budget. People who pass can see the extraordinary progress that is | :25:56. | :26:06. | |
:26:06. | :26:06. | ||
being made in the new crossing. By the end of the year, parts of the | :26:06. | :26:12. | |
Ganges -- cancer that will be commissions. Slip roads are | :26:12. | :26:18. | |
scheduled to finish early next year. -- by the end of the year, parts of | :26:18. | :26:25. | |
the gangways will be commissioned. This is a large infrastructure | :26:25. | :26:30. | |
projects. It can show the shambolic solve the Labour Party's transport | :26:30. | :26:36. | |
policy. Are you fully committed to develop -- delivering this artery | :26:36. | :26:44. | |
on time and on budget? Up it was an extraordinary interview. We need to | :26:44. | :26:48. | |
know, do the Labour Party still support the replacement crossing | :26:48. | :26:53. | |
that was voted fought in this chamber? What is being said to the | :26:53. | :26:58. | |
1,100 people directly employed in that project or the more than 306 | :26:58. | :27:02. | |
Scottish companies already benefiting from contracts and sub- | :27:02. | :27:08. | |
contracts? You get to the stage that this project is making such | :27:08. | :27:13. | |
great progress, so much work done, 1,100 people working on it, under | :27:13. | :27:18. | |
Labour Party decide at this moment to withdraw support. Do they want | :27:18. | :27:25. | |
us to finish back of it, leaving the rest of the bridge? -- finish | :27:25. | :27:31. | |
part of it. I suggest Labour Party changed their mind, and tell the | :27:31. | :27:35. | |
people of five in Scotland that the support of Forth Replacement | :27:35. | :27:45. | |
:27:45. | :27:49. | ||
Crossing. Billy Murray. Perhaps you might have read the transcript. -- | :27:49. | :27:56. | |
Elaine Murray. Or maybe the apical excel. No fair- | :27:56. | :28:01. | |
minded person would suggest that there was any question of it being | :28:01. | :28:09. | |
scrapped. -- or maybe listen to the article itself. Are you not aware | :28:09. | :28:14. | |
that many commentators, including the Finance Committee, are | :28:14. | :28:24. | |
:28:24. | :28:25. | ||
questioning the cost. Get to the point please. The cost of this, and | :28:25. | :28:28. | |
its value to the economy, particularly considering your | :28:28. | :28:34. | |
procurement policies. I am grateful for confirming that just | :28:34. | :28:39. | |
occasionally you position might be in this report -- your position | :28:39. | :28:43. | |
might be misrepresented by journalists. What I find difficult | :28:43. | :28:47. | |
to understand the sea Forth Replacement Crossing is on time and | :28:47. | :28:57. | |
under budget. How on a Can you withdraw support now when it is | :28:57. | :29:04. | |
under budget, costing less than we expected? -- how can you withdraw | :29:05. | :29:10. | |
support? Maybe you should clarify the position and we can come to the | :29:10. | :29:15. | |
chamber. You are fortunate that you will not have to account for the | :29:15. | :29:19. | |
situation. You might just have to explain it to the leader on the | :29:19. | :29:26. | |
Front Bench. Question number five, Drew Smith. To ask the First | :29:26. | :29:28. | |
Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to address | :29:28. | :29:34. | |
poverty. The biggest threat to poverty is the United gained -- is | :29:34. | :29:40. | |
to UK Government reforms. We have the creation of a new Scottish | :29:40. | :29:45. | |
Welfare Fund, with an additional �9 million transferred from the | :29:45. | :29:49. | |
Department of Work and Pensions. That will offer an extra 100,000 | :29:49. | :29:55. | |
vulnerable Scots financial help. I do accept, and I think Drew Smith | :29:55. | :29:59. | |
would also accept, that mitigating the whole range of benefit cuts | :29:59. | :30:04. | |
coming down the road from the UK Government will not be possible in | :30:04. | :30:08. | |
terms of the finances of this Parliament. Surely the solution is | :30:08. | :30:12. | |
for this Parliament to have control over such matters, so we can devise | :30:12. | :30:18. | |
the policies for the benefit of the Scottish people. Drew Smith. | :30:19. | :30:24. | |
welcome the Scottish Welfare Fund, although a cash-limited fund, so it | :30:24. | :30:26. | |
will run out before the end of the year. Government officials have | :30:26. | :30:31. | |
confirmed that. The First Minister will also be aware of the wider | :30:31. | :30:34. | |
reports released this week indicating that there are thousands | :30:34. | :30:38. | |
of families already facing severe disadvantage in Scotland, including | :30:38. | :30:43. | |
more than 10% of families in Glasgow. Given the progress on | :30:43. | :30:47. | |
reducing shell from -- Child poverty has altered of Scotland, | :30:47. | :30:52. | |
what are the key drivers of change that these families and communities | :30:52. | :30:56. | |
need and tell us what targeted support the Scottish Government is | :30:56. | :30:59. | |
offering to these families and children which might make an impact | :30:59. | :31:07. | |
on that situation? Can I just point Drew Smith to the fact that the | :31:07. | :31:12. | |
changes we are making to the Scottish Welfare Fund will help an | :31:12. | :31:18. | |
additional 100,000 vulnerable Scots. APPLAUSE. That seems to me a lot of | :31:19. | :31:24. | |
people. I accept that we cannot across the range of benefit cuts | :31:24. | :31:28. | |
from Westminster make good the difference. We cannot do it in | :31:28. | :31:33. | |
terms of the finances of a devolved parliament. But in two hugely | :31:33. | :31:40. | |
significant As, council tax benefit, given control but for the 10% cut | :31:40. | :31:45. | |
by agreement with local authorities, working together, making good that | :31:45. | :31:52. | |
for hard-pressed families. At the Scottish Welfare Fund, transferring | :31:52. | :31:57. | |
from work and pensions, making up that 10% cut with 9 million over | :31:57. | :32:02. | |
the period. That seems to be great action by this Government to do our | :32:02. | :32:06. | |
best under difficult circumstances. I make no claim that we can | :32:06. | :32:10. | |
compensate for every reduction in the Budget by the UK Government. | :32:10. | :32:14. | |
But I hope when Drew Smith things about it, and I know he does, that | :32:14. | :32:18. | |
the solution for the people of Scotland is to have control over | :32:18. | :32:22. | |
these budgets, so we can act in the best interests of the people of | :32:22. | :32:26. | |
Scotland all the time, not just mitigating the impact of | :32:26. | :32:36. | |
:32:36. | :32:37. | ||
Westminster cuts. APPLAUSE. Smith. To ask the First Minister | :32:37. | :32:40. | |
whether the Scottish Government considers that wind farms do not | :32:40. | :32:43. | |
have a negative impact on the landscape. Wind energy is a part of | :32:43. | :32:48. | |
renewable energies we want to develop. It will help us secured | :32:48. | :32:52. | |
targets and secured an energy mix for Scotland, delivering jobs and | :32:52. | :32:56. | |
investment. It is vital these developments are delivered | :32:56. | :33:00. | |
sustainably, taking place in appropriate locations. We have a | :33:00. | :33:03. | |
planning system that is all open and transparent, enduring | :33:04. | :33:07. | |
developments only go ahead subject to impacts on landscape and other | :33:07. | :33:15. | |
issues. That view, of course, is shared across the Government. | :33:15. | :33:21. | |
Smith. On what evidence have you base this opinion? Given the | :33:21. | :33:25. | |
admission by Visit Scotland that the building of a windfarm in | :33:25. | :33:28. | |
Dumfriesshire could have a negative impact on the landscape and given | :33:28. | :33:32. | |
the substantial growth in the number of local communities | :33:33. | :33:36. | |
opposing windfarm applications which includes at least one | :33:36. | :33:46. | |
:33:46. | :33:50. | ||
Scottish Council seeking to have a She would have seen the Chief | :33:50. | :33:53. | |
Executive say that the press comments were in accurate in a | :33:53. | :34:00. | |
letter to the newspapers concerned. Secondly, she should know that the | :34:00. | :34:04. | |
figures demonstrate that not every wind farm application is approved. | :34:04. | :34:10. | |
They are approved if they can conform to planning permission and | :34:10. | :34:20. | |
:34:20. | :34:21. | ||
circumstances. I am concerned when I see the Conservative Party | :34:21. | :34:30. | |
appeared to a moratorium on wind development. There are now 18,000 | :34:30. | :34:40. | |
:34:40. | :34:41. | ||
people using a renewable energy across Scotland. -- concerned in | :34:41. | :34:49. | |
the economics of a renewable energy. What will she say to those people | :34:49. | :34:59. | |
:34:59. | :35:00. | ||
if it affects the their jobs? The other difficulty I have got is this | :35:00. | :35:04. | |
consistent view of their Conservative Party. My attention | :35:04. | :35:14. | |
has been drawn to the comments of Adam Bruce who said, wind energy | :35:14. | :35:19. | |
reduces the price at risk and cuts bills even when subsidised, it | :35:19. | :35:26. | |
develops economic growth and jobs. We need to a more wind energy in | :35:26. | :35:32. | |
the UK, a lot less. The Conservative Party should do two | :35:32. | :35:37. | |
things. Clarify what their policy is and then attempt to speak with | :35:37. | :35:44. | |
one verse and not on the people. That is first Minister's questions. | :35:44. | :35:52. | |
There we have it. Not at the easier session for Alex Salmond. He | :35:52. | :36:02. | |
battled on. Ruth Davidson has suggested he was like a character | :36:02. | :36:10. |