0:00:12 > 0:00:17A very warm welcome to the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood. First
0:00:17 > 0:00:22Minister's questions on the agenda. It is sometimes hard to know what
0:00:22 > 0:00:26is coming up but today it is clear what the opposition parties will be
0:00:26 > 0:00:29seeking to question the first minister on, his relationship with
0:00:29 > 0:00:36Rupert Murdoch. The opposition leader was hoping for a statement
0:00:36 > 0:00:41today but he will have a chance today.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46Thank you, anticipation is building here. Ministers are in general
0:00:46 > 0:00:51question time at the moment and will welcome the High Commissioner
0:00:51 > 0:00:59to Singapore. He is in the gallery taking applause from the MSPs.
0:00:59 > 0:01:05Shortly, we will have the very first question from Labour.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Thank you, presiding officer. Can I ask the First Minister what
0:01:09 > 0:01:13engagements he has planned for the rest of the day? Today for the
0:01:13 > 0:01:18programme for Scotland. I will write again to the Prime Minister
0:01:18 > 0:01:23in the light of the GDP recessionary statistics published
0:01:23 > 0:01:27yesterday for the UK stressing the importance of going ahead with the
0:01:27 > 0:01:30shovel ready projects from the north to the south-west of Scotland
0:01:30 > 0:01:37to stimulate our economy and nourish hopes of keeping Scotland
0:01:37 > 0:01:47out of recession. Of course but we would have welcomed if the First
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Minister had used his investment of the first breach -- Forth Bridge.
0:01:51 > 0:01:57After the uncharacteristic silence of yesterday, the first minister
0:01:57 > 0:02:01last night finally alighted on a defence of his position to support
0:02:01 > 0:02:07Rupert Murdoch's be to take over BSkyB. He says it is because it
0:02:07 > 0:02:11would have created jobs in Scotland. Can he tell us why he first
0:02:11 > 0:02:16articulated this you in public and how many jobs dig James Murdoch
0:02:16 > 0:02:22promise him? The importance of the issue was first discussed, as we
0:02:22 > 0:02:28know, from the e-mails are released on the 1st November 1920 10. The e-
0:02:28 > 0:02:33mail that says that a Liberal MP, I think it was a liberal MSP, wanted
0:02:33 > 0:02:37to take forward the importance of jobs and investment in Scotland to
0:02:37 > 0:02:42the Secretary of State and they agreed with that position. Then,
0:02:42 > 0:02:49Joanne Lamont will remember the correspondence I had with James
0:02:49 > 0:02:58Murdoch last January which looked in particular at the prospect of
0:02:58 > 0:03:02employment in Scotland, adding to their 6300 jobs at BSkyB in
0:03:02 > 0:03:07Dunfermline and Livingstone. She will recall the announcement of a
0:03:07 > 0:03:11further 100 jobs last March which added to the Livingstone total. I
0:03:11 > 0:03:15hope that Joanne Lamont is also aware of the further significance
0:03:15 > 0:03:22to jobs in Scotland because one of the issues discussed last year was
0:03:22 > 0:03:31that BSkyB were moving from nine contractors took toucan tractors
0:03:31 > 0:03:40and that carried with it the risk of major job losses -- reduced to
0:03:40 > 0:03:44two contract is. One major contract was one leading to last week's
0:03:44 > 0:03:48announcement and I will quote it. "Glasgow's newest employment - my
0:03:48 > 0:03:58employers today officially opened a state-of-the-art contact Centre ate
0:03:58 > 0:04:04in the city and vowed to bring 900 Dobbs to the Atlantic quayside".
0:04:04 > 0:04:07The company announced last month they were coming to Glasgow after
0:04:07 > 0:04:14expanding a contract centre to provide sales and support service
0:04:14 > 0:04:24to BSkyB. I hope Joanna Monde will welcome these huge numbers of jobs
0:04:24 > 0:04:25
0:04:25 > 0:04:28coming to Glasgow. I always welcomed jobs coming to my own city.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33I also welcome when the first minister answers the question he
0:04:33 > 0:04:37was asked. I wait for that to happen and perhaps it may happen at
0:04:37 > 0:04:42some point in the future. The reason he cannot tell us when the
0:04:42 > 0:04:48first time he articulated his view was because the first time here
0:04:48 > 0:04:54articulated in public was last night when then -- when it was more
0:04:54 > 0:04:58of an hour by their no reason. Rupert Murdoch's says he's back to
0:04:58 > 0:05:02the first minister at to apologise for cutting jobs. Of course, not
0:05:02 > 0:05:07everyone agreed with what the first minister now says, that the deal
0:05:07 > 0:05:11would be goal for Scotland. I have here a motion to the Scottish
0:05:11 > 0:05:18Parliament from 20th October 10 signed by their constituency MSP
0:05:18 > 0:05:26for BSkyB's biggest Scottish base who is now the first ministers
0:05:26 > 0:05:31employment minister, at a motion which opposes the deal. But MSP
0:05:31 > 0:05:34policy had changed by November because we know from they've Fred
0:05:34 > 0:05:41Mitchell e-mails that it was mission accomplished and the first
0:05:41 > 0:05:47Edition busway first Minister was prepared to lobby on their behalf.
0:05:47 > 0:05:53We know Alex Salmond had a call scheduled with the Culture
0:05:53 > 0:05:58Secretary, Jeremy Hunt yet on July 13th last year, all six of Alex
0:05:58 > 0:06:05Salmond's MPs at Westminster supported a motion to withdraw the
0:06:05 > 0:06:08bid for BSkyB. If it was such a good job opportunity for Scotland,
0:06:08 > 0:06:18as the first minister said last night, why did the first minister
0:06:18 > 0:06:22
0:06:22 > 0:06:27support his own MPs in opposing the deal? Because that was after the
0:06:27 > 0:06:32regulation -- revelations of phone hacking and Milly Dowler. The
0:06:32 > 0:06:37interesting thing about Joanne Lamont and I can understand her
0:06:37 > 0:06:42being -- not being fully aware of the importance of jobs, but why on
0:06:42 > 0:06:46earth -- on earth is she not aware of the importance of jobs in the
0:06:46 > 0:06:52city of Glasgow. What Rupert was referring to yesterday in his
0:06:52 > 0:06:57evidence was exactly the point my first answer eluded two. The fact
0:06:57 > 0:07:01that this guy a contract was going from nine centres to two centres
0:07:01 > 0:07:11and that carried with it the risk last year of losing thousands of
0:07:11 > 0:07:11
0:07:11 > 0:07:16Scottish jobs. Fortunately, the contract was one which led to the
0:07:16 > 0:07:26opening of a call-centre and Supply Centre in Glasgow and 900 jobs to
0:07:26 > 0:07:28
0:07:28 > 0:07:35the Atlantic quayside. One deputy whose constituency it is and who is
0:07:35 > 0:07:39aware of those 900 jobs coming to their constituency... Joanne Lamont
0:07:39 > 0:07:44said we published correspondence months ago which showed that the
0:07:44 > 0:07:48meeting in London concerned the protection and expansion of jobs in
0:07:48 > 0:07:53Dunfermline and Livingstone. Joanne Lamont may not think these things
0:07:53 > 0:08:03are important but it is the job of a First Minister to advocate jobs
0:08:03 > 0:08:03
0:08:03 > 0:08:08for Scotland and I will continue to do so. I don't think the first
0:08:08 > 0:08:13minister listened to what I said. His own employment minister
0:08:13 > 0:08:18representing Livingstone opposed the deal. His own MPs opposed the
0:08:18 > 0:08:22deal and well come jobs -- i welcome jobs coming to Glasgow but
0:08:22 > 0:08:29they have nothing to do with this issue or News International. The
0:08:29 > 0:08:35first minister said that the reason the position changed was because of
0:08:35 > 0:08:40Milly Dowler. The revelation that newt -- Rupert Murdoch's newspaper
0:08:40 > 0:08:44hack Milly Dowler's phone was the doubt - might was the moment his
0:08:44 > 0:08:48empire started to fall and yet after that devastating visit --
0:08:48 > 0:08:53revelation, the First Minister became the any senior politician in
0:08:53 > 0:09:03this country, perhaps the anyone in the wild, to invite him round for
0:09:03 > 0:09:06
0:09:06 > 0:09:13tea. His newspapers might be being investigated for bribery,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17perverting the course of justice, destroying evidence of perjury, but
0:09:17 > 0:09:22Rupert was still welcomed and he writes an article at the launch of
0:09:22 > 0:09:26his newspaper saying it wasn't just newspaper - I News International
0:09:26 > 0:09:29but a whole of the industry so there may be three police
0:09:29 > 0:09:39investigations going on and a judicial inquiry and nearly 50
0:09:39 > 0:09:40
0:09:40 > 0:09:45arrests, but the kettle is still put on for Rupert. Doesn't the
0:09:45 > 0:09:54First Minister realise that all he is achieving this to demean the
0:09:54 > 0:09:58office he craved for for so long? remember writing the article and it
0:09:58 > 0:10:04was followed the next week by Yvette Cooper who wrote an
0:10:04 > 0:10:11interesting article indeed. I know the Labour Party would like to
0:10:11 > 0:10:16pretend the days of courting the Murdoch press we're back in the
0:10:16 > 0:10:23days of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Unfortunately, it doesn't fit with
0:10:23 > 0:10:33the facts. William Shawcross, Rupert Murdoch's biographer wrote
0:10:33 > 0:10:33
0:10:34 > 0:10:39that Ed Miliband was winning when I saw him talking to Rupert Mark debt.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44-- Rupert Murdoch. Three weeks ago, and the Labour leader has admitted
0:10:44 > 0:10:48he did not raise the issue of phone Hackett. Of course not, he was
0:10:48 > 0:10:56trying to charm. It is like this picture of Ed Miliband advocating
0:10:56 > 0:11:02the Sun and looking for at a -- support from the Sun declaring
0:11:02 > 0:11:08"read aid is dead". I will stand and my his party will stand for the
0:11:08 > 0:11:18mainstream of Britain for the Sun readers and their concerns. A new
0:11:18 > 0:11:20
0:11:20 > 0:11:24set of policies will be ready. Read about it first in the sun. I think
0:11:24 > 0:11:33this 15 years of worshipping at the feet of Rupert Murdoch from the
0:11:33 > 0:11:43Labour Party and now treating him as a pariah, refusing to explain
0:11:43 > 0:11:43
0:11:43 > 0:11:48the canapes... Refusing to explain the contacts... It people in
0:11:48 > 0:11:58Scotland will see the Labour Party's words and think of humbug
0:11:58 > 0:12:01
0:12:01 > 0:12:06and hypocrisy. I hate to think what they think of that performance. I
0:12:06 > 0:12:11remind him again, Ed Miliband put down a motion opposing the deal.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16The first Minister's own MPs also supported that deal. I'm not going
0:12:16 > 0:12:23to ask the First Minister if he supported Murdoch so that the sun
0:12:23 > 0:12:27supported him. But isn't the truth that this is not about the first
0:12:27 > 0:12:36minister's evidence cynicism but his is -- his infatuation with very
0:12:36 > 0:12:46rich men. First, he gave his office full backing to be events of Fred
0:12:46 > 0:12:47
0:12:47 > 0:12:53Goodwin and the deal that broke the bank. Who can forget... Order!
0:12:53 > 0:12:59sure this comes as much of a revelation to them as it came to us.
0:12:59 > 0:13:05Who can forget, even without yesterday's reminder, the deal with
0:13:05 > 0:13:11Donald chuck -- Donald Trump. Each case was secret, each deal was a
0:13:11 > 0:13:21fiasco and in each case, the truth had to be dragged out of the first
0:13:21 > 0:13:23
0:13:23 > 0:13:29minister. Big deals, big men, one quiet -- not quite so big man. No
0:13:29 > 0:13:34jobs just job less is. He says it is about jobs but I think he just
0:13:34 > 0:13:39likes rich men. Some say the first minister has been devious,
0:13:39 > 0:13:46conniving, double-dealing. Isn't he just trying to cover up the fact
0:13:46 > 0:13:56that a rich man has played him for a full again. Is it not the case
0:13:56 > 0:13:57
0:13:57 > 0:14:02that he is no statesman, just a sucker? A reference to job losses
0:14:02 > 0:14:06is a reference back to the first questioned I answered that Joanne
0:14:06 > 0:14:13Lamont did not taking, the fear that they would be substantial job
0:14:13 > 0:14:19losses as a result of the contra -- contract going down to two.
0:14:19 > 0:14:26Thankfully, the contract was won and a 900 job call-centre has been
0:14:26 > 0:14:30opened in Glasgow. She didn't realise an answer of for the second
0:14:30 > 0:14:40question and now she repeats it in a pre-prepared 4th question.
0:14:40 > 0:14:52
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Talking about Fred Goodwin, that We were bound by a deal that he
0:14:57 > 0:15:05claimed had been made between him and Lord McConnell in the previous
0:15:05 > 0:15:09administration. I think Johann Lamont should inform us that we are
0:15:09 > 0:15:14not bound by the policies of the last administration and thank
0:15:14 > 0:15:17goodness for that and Scotland. I will tell Johann Lamont one thing
0:15:17 > 0:15:21that would be consistent with any First Minister of Scotland. And
0:15:21 > 0:15:27that is that they would put the interests of Scotland first and
0:15:27 > 0:15:32interests of jobs first. Now, how do I know this? Joe hafpb Lamont
0:15:32 > 0:15:37was interviewed on Good p morning Scotland yesterday, and let me read
0:15:37 > 0:15:45out the exchange - Gary Robertson, would you, if you were First
0:15:45 > 0:15:50Minister, heaven forbid, be meeting Rupert Murdoch to be talking about
0:15:50 > 0:15:56jobs in Scotland?" Johann Lamont, "well, you would have to meet
0:15:56 > 0:16:01people to talk about jobs. And there we have it, the whole humbug
0:16:01 > 0:16:07hypocrisy, the job of a First Minister is to advocate jobs for
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Scotland. This First Minister will continue to do it.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14The backbenchers giving First Minister thunderous applause there.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Now time for Ruth day Sidson, the Conservative Leader for her first
0:16:17 > 0:16:21question. To ask the First Minister when he'll next meet the Secretary
0:16:21 > 0:16:27of State for Scotland? No plans in the immediate future. Well, while
0:16:27 > 0:16:31we are on the topic of New York- based well billionaires, the First
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Minister was asked in January 2008 by the Local Government and
0:16:34 > 0:16:39communities committee if he'd ever met prior to the previous December
0:16:39 > 0:16:45any members of the Trump organisation. He replied that he'd
0:16:45 > 0:16:50met representatives at the many estates on 24th September, 2007. No
0:16:50 > 0:16:56mention of the Donald, no mention of candle-lit Manhattan dinners, no
0:16:56 > 0:17:00mention of talking for hours on the favoured subjects of golf and
0:17:00 > 0:17:05windfarms. That dinner occurred just three months before that
0:17:05 > 0:17:09committee meeting. Did the first minister intentionally mislead
0:17:09 > 0:17:19Parliament or did he just forget in the glory of supping with Murdoch
0:17:19 > 0:17:20
0:17:20 > 0:17:24one night that he'd been supping with Trump the next? The idea of a
0:17:24 > 0:17:29candle-lit dinner between Donald Trump and myself that, was a global
0:17:29 > 0:17:35dinner in New York attending the event were the Alexander Real
0:17:35 > 0:17:40Estates, the General Electric, the Head of Discovery Research,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45McKenzie and Company, Morgan stafpbly banking corporation. It
0:17:45 > 0:17:53doesn't sound the likely venue to be exchanging the commitments in
0:17:54 > 0:18:03terms of our planning application five years down the road.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08This Government have never taken any. The most significant thing in
0:18:08 > 0:18:12terms of validating that potion is as follows: In February this year,
0:18:12 > 0:18:17I wrote to him after receiving a number of letters from the Donald.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22I had a phone conversation and was trying to work out the nature of
0:18:22 > 0:18:26his ferocious opposition, not just apparently to offshore wind,
0:18:26 > 0:18:29offshore Aberdeen, but wind power in jefpblt it would seem to be a
0:18:29 > 0:18:34new phenomena. He accept head never had any commitments from this
0:18:34 > 0:18:43administration, but he considered us bound by the commitment of the
0:18:43 > 0:18:47previous administration. An issue sustain and maintained last week in
0:18:47 > 0:18:51a BBC spweer view on the on on Sunday was it decided that a global
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Scot interview was a moment when this commitment would be given. I
0:18:55 > 0:19:01think that's rather unlikely. For the first time in our life, Ruth
0:19:01 > 0:19:09Davidson's paid atopbgs the advice of Fraser and if this is the best
0:19:09 > 0:19:13phrase Kerr do, I suggest she gets a new adviser -- paid attention.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17-- Fraser can do. Why not tell the committee about it
0:19:17 > 0:19:21three months later? The First Minister in his overweaning self-
0:19:21 > 0:19:25regard never knowingly undersells what he knows or thinks to be his
0:19:25 > 0:19:29political gifts and I don't think Mr Salmond himself thought he had
0:19:29 > 0:19:34the stills to make Donald Trump look credible. We know that the
0:19:34 > 0:19:38dinner that Alex Salmond failed to disclose to to the committee took
0:19:38 > 0:19:43place and thank you for now admitting it. We know he talked for
0:19:43 > 0:19:48hours about golf, we know they talked about windfarms. Is the
0:19:48 > 0:19:51First Minister seriously asking the Scottish people to believe that
0:19:51 > 0:19:55when a multibillionaire attracted to Scotland with great fanfare by
0:19:55 > 0:20:00his predecessor was threatening to pull the plug as soon as he took
0:20:00 > 0:20:06office, that he didn't like some latter day Arthur Daly tell his new
0:20:06 > 0:20:11best pal that he'd get it sorted, something here stinks, Presiding
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Officer. Will the First Minister set the record straight and state
0:20:15 > 0:20:21categorically before this chamber that no such discussions on the
0:20:21 > 0:20:28planning or on the windfarms took place. No assurances were ever
0:20:28 > 0:20:32given in that light, but I think to get the time line right, Donald
0:20:32 > 0:20:37hasn't been threatening to pull out of the estate until the last few
0:20:37 > 0:20:42months. There's been a variety of reasons given for his, not decision
0:20:42 > 0:20:47to pull out of the golf course, the development which looks by all
0:20:47 > 0:20:53accounts absolutely wonderful, but first of all, it was Michael for
0:20:53 > 0:20:57bs' croft which was the reason for not having the development. --
0:20:57 > 0:21:00Forbes. Only recently have we alighted on the Government policy
0:21:00 > 0:21:05of energy. If she cares to check the record, that wasn't the
0:21:05 > 0:21:10position of the Trump organisation in a letter they wrote a year or so
0:21:10 > 0:21:14ago. I was struck by this thing about
0:21:14 > 0:21:19credible. I only saw the excerpts of the evidence session yesterday
0:21:19 > 0:21:22but I was struck by the question when Donald Trump was asked, what
0:21:22 > 0:21:26is the evidence for this great difficulty of Scottish tourism and
0:21:26 > 0:21:31he says, I am the evidence and, I have to say, it struck me not so
0:21:31 > 0:21:35much as credible, a bit like the Judge Dread view of tourism in
0:21:35 > 0:21:39Scotland. I think people in Scotland when they look at this
0:21:39 > 0:21:42issue will look at jbs -- jobs and development. They'll see the
0:21:43 > 0:21:46announcements today from the Murray Firth and see the prospect of
0:21:46 > 0:21:5128,000 jobs in offshore wind and it will be a shame on the Conservative
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Party of Scotland that while their colleagues in London are supporting
0:21:54 > 0:22:00such developments, Ruth Davidson and her colleagues don't want to
0:22:00 > 0:22:06see these developments and these massive jobs in green energy in
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Scotland. A supplimentary question from
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Willie Rennie. The leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. I hear
0:22:14 > 0:22:19what the Scottish First Minister says about Milly Dowler, so does he
0:22:19 > 0:22:24regret the terrible article in the Sun where he played down the role
0:22:24 > 0:22:28of Rupert Murdoch's papers in phone hack something is he ashamed that
0:22:28 > 0:22:34he put his political motives above those of the phone hacking victims?
0:22:34 > 0:22:39Well, my opposition revulsion about phone hacking has been on the
0:22:39 > 0:22:44record many times, I can supply that. I supported the establishment,
0:22:44 > 0:22:48the Leveson Inquiry, indeed we had to comment on the terms of rfrpbs
0:22:48 > 0:22:52of the Leveson Inquiry. I think the aspect for phone hacking will be
0:22:52 > 0:22:57fully dealt with at the inquiry and hopefully dealt with by the police
0:22:57 > 0:23:01force and the judicial system on both sides of the border. I have to
0:23:01 > 0:23:04say to Willie Rennie, if given the evidence coming before Leveson,
0:23:04 > 0:23:10particularly the insight from ITN just a few weeks ago of the extent
0:23:10 > 0:23:13of the payments made by a number of news organisations in terms of
0:23:13 > 0:23:18investigators for suspected breaches and criminality, I really
0:23:18 > 0:23:23think one of the things I'm certain is going to come out the Leveson
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Inquiry is there were widespread malpractice and widespread
0:23:27 > 0:23:33potential illegality across the press. That seems to me evident and
0:23:33 > 0:23:38I hope and believe that Leveson will pursue that without fear and
0:23:38 > 0:23:42without favour. Question three, Patrick Harvie.
0:23:42 > 0:23:47I ask the First Minister when a decision will be made on the
0:23:47 > 0:23:52European offshore wind deployment centre? As the responsible Minister
0:23:52 > 0:23:56for Energy, enterprise and tourism will make a decision on the wind
0:23:56 > 0:23:59deployment centre based on plan legislation, he'll do so once
0:23:59 > 0:24:02there's been a thorough consideration of issues concerned
0:24:02 > 0:24:07with the application. Can I say that the fact and the constituency
0:24:07 > 0:24:14MSP means that I will not be determining that application and
0:24:14 > 0:24:19all comments on the matter should be taken in that light.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Thank you. Now that my favourite part has left the stage for now, I
0:24:23 > 0:24:26hope the First Minister is coming to regret having been drawn so
0:24:26 > 0:24:30easily into Mr Trump's orbit and finding himself now with a half
0:24:30 > 0:24:33built carbuncle in his constituency and a billionaire threatening legal
0:24:33 > 0:24:37action against a vital demonstration site for offshore
0:24:37 > 0:24:39wind power. This Parliament's committed itself to fighting the
0:24:40 > 0:24:44climate change Trump doesn't believe in and securing the lower
0:24:44 > 0:24:47carbon energy supply Trump doesn't care about. Can we rely on the
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Scottish Government and on the First Minister to treat the
0:24:50 > 0:24:54windfarm proposal with the seriousness it deserves, defend it
0:24:54 > 0:24:59vigorously in the courts if it comes to that and take no delay in
0:24:59 > 0:25:05telling Mr Trump where to get off, kicking him out of the global Scot
0:25:05 > 0:25:10network would be a good start? I thought I was going to agree with
0:25:10 > 0:25:15everything Patrick was going to say in asking this question, so let me
0:25:15 > 0:25:20first start with a point of disagreement. By all accounts, by
0:25:20 > 0:25:24every account, the golf course which is emerging looks absolutely
0:25:24 > 0:25:28tremendous and I don't think that's a reasonable description to make of
0:25:28 > 0:25:32it. However, the point that I made to the Scottish Trade Union
0:25:32 > 0:25:36congress this week is the one that pertains. We welcome investment in
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Scotland. It's absolutely vital to have investment across the range of
0:25:40 > 0:25:47technologies, of industries, and I think golf course investment is a
0:25:47 > 0:25:51very valid thing as well. The issue now is not just investing
0:25:51 > 0:25:55in Scotland, but whether that confers ownership of Scotland and
0:25:55 > 0:25:59just because somebody invests in a project, doesn't give it the right
0:25:59 > 0:26:02to say everybody else's project cannot go ahead. Other people's
0:26:03 > 0:26:05projects, including the offshore demonstrators, need to be assessed
0:26:05 > 0:26:09in the proper manner and I'm certain the Minister of Energy will
0:26:09 > 0:26:14do that according to his duties and responsibilities.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19On the generality, two things I would say. Anybody here that
0:26:19 > 0:26:23doesn't know my position and advocacy of the potential and
0:26:23 > 0:26:27wealth of renewable energy in the marine sector in Scotland hasn't
0:26:27 > 0:26:31been paying much attention to Scottish politics over these last
0:26:31 > 0:26:35few years. I think there's the most extraordinary potential to see the
0:26:35 > 0:26:37reindustrialisation of vast areas of this country around the ports of
0:26:38 > 0:26:43Scotland, the research and development, the engineering, the
0:26:43 > 0:26:47installation and the servicing of these new machines which will power
0:26:47 > 0:26:54much of the next century and an essential part of the future of
0:26:54 > 0:26:59this country. Can I ask the First Minister what
0:26:59 > 0:27:04steps the Government is taking to address concerns raised by the STUC
0:27:04 > 0:27:10regarding youth unemployment? I was very pleased to address the
0:27:10 > 0:27:13STC congress in Inverness on Tuesday. I set out to the
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Government has taken to support youth employment work which has
0:27:17 > 0:27:19been supported by the Scottish Trade Union congress. Angela
0:27:19 > 0:27:23Constance is the only youth Employment Minister on these
0:27:23 > 0:27:26islands, set out in his youth draft unemployment strategy the old
0:27:26 > 0:27:29Scotland approach, and it's gaining substantial support this. Month, we
0:27:29 > 0:27:33began the roll out of the opportunity force all programme
0:27:34 > 0:27:38which guarantees to every 16-19- year-old school lever not already
0:27:38 > 0:27:44in work, education or training, that they'll be offered a suitable
0:27:44 > 0:27:50training or educational opportunity. The 25,000 modern apprenticeships
0:27:50 > 0:27:53we now know reached over 26,000 in the last financial year and best of
0:27:53 > 0:28:00all the success rate, completion rate for the apprenticeships
0:28:00 > 0:28:05reached a record 75%. A huge amount requires to be done, but let's pay
0:28:05 > 0:28:09regard to the substantial amount that is being done.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Thank you to the First Minister for his response. I'm also conscious
0:28:12 > 0:28:16that the issue of female unemployment was one of the ones
0:28:16 > 0:28:22raised by the STUC. I'm wondering whether the First Minister can give
0:28:22 > 0:28:26us some insight into what the Government is doing on that
0:28:26 > 0:28:32particularly first? The Scottish Trade Union congress would hope to
0:28:32 > 0:28:38replicate the employment seminar which I think carried all sect oral
0:28:38 > 0:28:43and all-party support and was considered by everyone as a
0:28:43 > 0:28:46substantial success and pli that to a female summit. Even though
0:28:46 > 0:28:51unemployment in Scotland has been falling and male unemployment has
0:28:51 > 0:28:55been falling, female unemployment has been rising and is now
0:28:55 > 0:28:59marginally above male unemployment in Scotland. The idea of that all-
0:28:59 > 0:29:03Scotland approach applying it to finding jobs for women in the
0:29:03 > 0:29:13workforce is fundamental. It's widely supported and in particular
0:29:13 > 0:29:13
0:29:13 > 0:29:18gained a warm welcome at the STUC. Can I ask the nirs minister whether
0:29:18 > 0:29:23the Scottish government would provide additional funding to
0:29:23 > 0:29:27community protects to reduce reoffending? We have increased
0:29:27 > 0:29:30funding since 2006-2007 by 22%, in the face of significant cuts by the
0:29:30 > 0:29:37Westminster Government. With increasing funding for community
0:29:37 > 0:29:40justice by two million in cash terms between 2010-2011 and 2013-
0:29:40 > 0:29:432014. We come to the close of our
0:29:43 > 0:29:47coverage of First Ministers questions there, a day of two
0:29:47 > 0:29:50tycoons. We had Labour and we had the Liberal Democrats asking about
0:29:50 > 0:29:55the relations with Rupert Murdoch and similarly from the
0:29:55 > 0:29:59Conservatives, from Ruth Davidson asking the about relations with
0:29:59 > 0:30:02Donald Trump. On both occasions, Mr Salmond rebutting suggestions he
0:30:02 > 0:30:06was too close and suggesting on each occasion his concern was for