:00:16. > :00:16.Hello and welcome to Politics Scotland.
:00:17. > :00:19.Coming up on the programme this afternoon.
:00:20. > :00:21.Fishery leaders are holding talks with Government Ministers over
:00:22. > :00:26.the implications of Brexit for their industry.
:00:27. > :00:28.At Holyrood, Mike Russell will update the Scottish Parliament this
:00:29. > :00:35.And here at Westminster, MPs are treated to the philosophical
:00:36. > :00:37.thoughts of one Baldrick over Brexit.
:00:38. > :00:46.Aapparently, it's all to do with a 'cunning plan'.
:00:47. > :00:49.Fishing industry leaders in Scotland say they're encouraged by talks
:00:50. > :00:51.they've held this morning in London with the UK Government
:00:52. > :00:53.on the opportunities and challenges presented by Brexit.
:00:54. > :00:57.The organisation, which campaigned for a Leave vote in June's
:00:58. > :01:01.referendum, says control over British waters will bring
:01:02. > :01:03.huge potential benefits to Scottish fishing.
:01:04. > :01:11.Our political correspondent David Porter is at Westminster.
:01:12. > :01:17.What has been happening, David? Gordon, fishing is one of those
:01:18. > :01:20.industries which for many people in Scotland is iconic. They care very
:01:21. > :01:24.much about what happens to the industry even though it does not
:01:25. > :01:28.employ anything like the numbers it used to, especially the North East
:01:29. > :01:34.of Scotland. People care very much about how the industry is doing. It
:01:35. > :01:39.is no secret that for many years, the fishing industry has been quite
:01:40. > :01:45.antagonistic about the way it feels it is treated by the EU, it feels
:01:46. > :01:50.Scottish fishermen have been short-changed by the deal from the
:01:51. > :01:53.Common Fisheries Policy. They campaigned and advocated leaving the
:01:54. > :01:58.EU in the referendum and they were very pleased by the result. Since
:01:59. > :02:02.then, they have been holding a series of meetings with meetings
:02:03. > :02:06.than what Dashwood ministers in London and Scotland and today was
:02:07. > :02:11.the latest round of those talks with ministers in London and they met the
:02:12. > :02:17.environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom and the fishing Minister George
:02:18. > :02:20.Eustis. They believe that Brexit, however it is negotiated, is better
:02:21. > :02:24.than the situation they have at the moment. They believe that it will
:02:25. > :02:29.give a situation whereby they can repatriate some of the powers over
:02:30. > :02:34.is pushing back to the UK and they say that will be a good thing. In
:02:35. > :02:42.their words, as far as they are concerned, they said they now have a
:02:43. > :02:44.sea of opportunity for fishermen in Scotland.
:02:45. > :02:48.Everybody understands the size of that prize, there is a great deal of
:02:49. > :02:55.work to be done, especially in the production of a fitful Herbers
:02:56. > :02:59.Management system. And also in the negotiating process. But we have a
:03:00. > :03:02.very strong hand that is completely understood, of course, by the
:03:03. > :03:09.Secretary of State. And we are now asking both governments for oils and
:03:10. > :03:13.Scottish fishing, both relevant governments, to work together on
:03:14. > :03:18.this because this is one of the best patches of maritime real estate in
:03:19. > :03:22.the world. Their views, David, presumably more
:03:23. > :03:26.welcome in Westminster than in Edinburgh? They will be hoping to
:03:27. > :03:30.get some sort of deal with the Scottish government as well. Yes,
:03:31. > :03:33.and you are right that the focus of attention this afternoon moves to
:03:34. > :03:38.Edinburgh. They have got on it and after the meeting in London and they
:03:39. > :03:42.are speaking to Mike Russell, the Brexit Minister in Scotland. They
:03:43. > :03:45.say to some extent they are getting a hearing from both government and
:03:46. > :03:49.they are pleased and they are hearing the signals. But this is the
:03:50. > :03:53.easy part, they can go in and said this is what they would like, we do
:03:54. > :03:57.not know what is on the table, negotiations have not begun. It will
:03:58. > :04:03.get a lot more difficult when the UK has to negotiate with the other 27
:04:04. > :04:06.EU countries. At the moment, the fishermen say what they want but
:04:07. > :04:10.whether they will get that remains to be seen.
:04:11. > :04:13.Keep asking in the sunshine, we will return to you later.
:04:14. > :04:16.And the First Minister also met business leaders in Edinburgh this
:04:17. > :04:18.morning to discuss the implications of Brexit on the Scottish economy.
:04:19. > :04:21.Our political editor, Brian Taylor, has more.
:04:22. > :04:30.What is the plan here? To get some sort of Alliance together? Yes, you
:04:31. > :04:34.are right, a coalition was the word the First Minister used. She is
:04:35. > :04:38.looking to persuade and cajole the UK government and the First Minister
:04:39. > :04:43.-- in the first instance to see UK membership of the Common Market if
:04:44. > :04:47.that is not feasible to allow a flexible Brexit, whereby Scotland
:04:48. > :04:52.could maintain either membership or access to the European single
:04:53. > :04:56.market. From the initial position of maintaining Scotland in the EU, it
:04:57. > :05:00.is now focusing down on this question of single market axis. What
:05:01. > :05:03.the First Minister was doing in addressing the business leaders were
:05:04. > :05:09.saying that they could get on board with that campaign and from a Team
:05:10. > :05:13.Scotland approach. In essence, she was urging their backing in
:05:14. > :05:17.persuading the UK government. I think there is a real opportunity
:05:18. > :05:23.to present to the UK government a unified Scottish position and all
:05:24. > :05:27.Scotland coalition of support for the single market. And all Scotland
:05:28. > :05:33.coalition of politicians, businesses, universities and a range
:05:34. > :05:36.of others to resist a hard Brexit. I presume the Scottish government is
:05:37. > :05:40.making some mileage from this talk of a special deal for the city of
:05:41. > :05:46.London, the car industry, maybe Northern Ireland, why not us, I
:05:47. > :05:51.presume? I think they are very much and these straws in the wind. The
:05:52. > :05:55.one with perhaps the most substance would be Northern Ireland because of
:05:56. > :05:59.the attempt to prevent their being a hard border between Ireland and
:06:00. > :06:04.Northern Ireland because the absence of that hard border is absolutely a
:06:05. > :06:08.key factor in the divine -- in the Good Friday Agreement and the peace
:06:09. > :06:12.settlement generally. I think the building upon that, the Scottish
:06:13. > :06:19.argument would be if there can be some form of flexibility for
:06:20. > :06:22.Northern Ireland and so the Scotland there could be. Nicola Sturgeon is
:06:23. > :06:27.looking for membership and access to the single market and that is a big
:06:28. > :06:30.thing and it would have two factors. There has to be more power is
:06:31. > :06:35.transferred from the UK government to enable Scotland to reach what
:06:36. > :06:39.would be in effect an international deal, and to obey the rules of that
:06:40. > :06:42.international deal on matters like health and safety and immigration.
:06:43. > :06:46.Secondly, there would have to be talks in parallel with the European
:06:47. > :06:54.organisations if we did in association with the EU itself, to
:06:55. > :06:59.achieve that access full Scotland to the European single market. There
:07:00. > :07:05.two talks, brands of negotiation, in parallel, is a big ask and the focus
:07:06. > :07:08.must be probably on persuading the UK to recognise the case for some
:07:09. > :07:13.sort of flexibility for Scotland. And he very much. -- thank you.
:07:14. > :07:15.In the studio today, we have Moray Macdonald, former Director
:07:16. > :07:17.of the Scottish Conservatives and now a PR executive
:07:18. > :07:26.What do you make of this? It is strange, it could be we are waiting
:07:27. > :07:30.to see what is definite and it could be this is just a lot of blowing off
:07:31. > :07:36.steam, which do you think it is? That is a fair bit of blowing off
:07:37. > :07:39.steam. We did not hear anything new from Nicola Sturgeon today, she
:07:40. > :07:43.gathered a large group of business people together in Edinburgh. I
:07:44. > :07:49.think what we saw was very much her trying to build up a Scottish
:07:50. > :07:54.coalition in favour of her having, in favour of Scotland having a
:07:55. > :08:02.strong and unified approach to the UK government. I guess what she
:08:03. > :08:09.wants out of this. For the fishermen to go away? Strangely, the fishermen
:08:10. > :08:12.is good and bad for her. In terms of fisheries, it is completely
:08:13. > :08:17.dissolved -- completely devolved Scotland and has been a strange that
:08:18. > :08:20.they do not get to represent the interests of Scottish fishermen in
:08:21. > :08:24.the EU when their quota talks for example. It does seem bizarre Age UK
:08:25. > :08:31.fisheries Minister represent Scotland. I was half joking. She
:08:32. > :08:34.would presumably prefer it if the fishermen were on board with
:08:35. > :08:40.everybody saying Brexit is a bad thing but you are right, this could
:08:41. > :08:44.be huge new powers over not just fisheries but farming, coming to
:08:45. > :08:49.Nicola Sturgeon's government. Yes, and that is one thing Nicole and her
:08:50. > :08:52.government is very aware of. They wish Brexit was not happening and
:08:53. > :08:56.they are campaigning to make it not happen, she is aware Brexit will
:08:57. > :09:00.happen one way or another and part of the deal is to make sure Scotland
:09:01. > :09:05.gets as much out of that as possible. There are a lot of obvious
:09:06. > :09:09.ones like fisheries and agriculture, currently done at European level and
:09:10. > :09:17.under devolution, those powers should go back to the Scottish
:09:18. > :09:19.Parliament, but it is not guaranteed. It is interesting to
:09:20. > :09:22.mention that because this is presented as all-or-nothing. Either
:09:23. > :09:25.Scotland stays in the single market Nicola Sturgeon has an independence
:09:26. > :09:30.referendum. But there is a lot of room in between that we were
:09:31. > :09:33.probably see with places like Northern Ireland where the British
:09:34. > :09:37.Government can say you can have a bit of this and the other and make
:09:38. > :09:40.trial of immigration or whatever, without it being Scotland stays in
:09:41. > :09:46.the single market as a headline and without it being a very bad deal for
:09:47. > :09:50.Nicola Sturgeon. Yes, even under her worst-case scenario, a very hard
:09:51. > :09:53.Brexit and no independence referendum, the Scottish Parliament
:09:54. > :09:57.still gets a lot of powers, or should under most people's thoughts.
:09:58. > :10:07.There is potential for further powers on that even without
:10:08. > :10:09.independence, for example on some elements of immigration. You can see
:10:10. > :10:12.why the UK government might allow student visas to be dealt with in
:10:13. > :10:13.Scotland. For special circumstances. Don't go away, we will be back with
:10:14. > :10:15.you later. Well, today, the Presiding Officer
:10:16. > :10:18.of the Scottish Parliament has announced he's setting up
:10:19. > :10:19.an independent commission Well, in the chamber this afternoon,
:10:20. > :10:27.Mike Russell, the Scottish Minister for UK Negotiations on Europe,
:10:28. > :10:29.is making a Ministerial Statement to update the Scottish Parliament
:10:30. > :10:35.on actions which have been taken Reassuring our fellow EU citizens
:10:36. > :10:38.about their future right to continue working here remains of vital
:10:39. > :10:42.importance, Tory rhetoric balances their future against that of UK
:10:43. > :10:46.citizens living in Europe, equally uncertain about their prospects.
:10:47. > :10:51.Using human beings as bargaining chips cannot ever be justified. The
:10:52. > :10:56.UK should take the lead and end this uncertainty now. The impact on EU
:10:57. > :11:00.nationals living in the UK is just one of many problems the Brexit
:11:01. > :11:05.voters created, all of which have been compounded by the reaction and
:11:06. > :11:08.in action and confusion of the Conservative government at
:11:09. > :11:14.Westminster. Our approach in contrast is to look for consensus,
:11:15. > :11:18.establish clear priorities. And to propose solutions to those problems
:11:19. > :11:23.in keeping with the democratic mandate that we have. A triple
:11:24. > :11:28.mandate arising from the election in 2016, the vote on June 23rd and the
:11:29. > :11:32.vote of this Parliament on June 20 eight. Since my appointment, I
:11:33. > :11:36.pursued that mandate at every opportunity and I have met twice
:11:37. > :11:39.with the UK breaks etc take David Davis and most recently on Friday,
:11:40. > :11:43.along with the Secretary of State and colleagues have met with
:11:44. > :11:49.Treasury ministers and the trade Secretary. I have been to Cardiff to
:11:50. > :11:51.identify common ground with my Welsh counterpart and met with
:11:52. > :11:55.representatives of the London Mayor and we have been engaged with the
:11:56. > :11:59.Northern Ireland Executive. I have engage with Willie Rennie and
:12:00. > :12:04.Patrick Rennie and look forward to meeting Kezia Dugdale and Ruth
:12:05. > :12:06.Davidson. We had been pressing hard for the mechanism to deliver the
:12:07. > :12:10.forum Altman and promised by the Prime Minister. The joint
:12:11. > :12:13.ministerial committee met finally on Monday and the First Minister and I
:12:14. > :12:16.with our counterparts in the devolved administrations attended
:12:17. > :12:20.the meeting in Downing Street cared by the Prime Minister. It considered
:12:21. > :12:24.the means by which a devolved administration could and should
:12:25. > :12:33.engage with the UK government on the development of a negotiating
:12:34. > :12:35.position for our future relationship with the European Union. This was a
:12:36. > :12:38.long and overdue meeting but unfortunately it was in large part
:12:39. > :12:41.hugely frustrating. In line with the wishes of this Parliament, the First
:12:42. > :12:45.Minister set out Scotland's key interest in protecting our place in
:12:46. > :12:49.the single market, continuing freedom of movement and protecting
:12:50. > :12:52.the social and employment rights. She also pressed, with colleagues,
:12:53. > :12:56.for more information on high-level negotiating stance of the UK
:12:57. > :13:01.government and some indication of how it would take forward engagement
:13:02. > :13:04.with the 27 remaining EU members. We know no more about the UK
:13:05. > :13:08.government's approach now than we did and when we went into Downing
:13:09. > :13:13.Street. We do not know whether the UK, it is in favour of membership of
:13:14. > :13:18.the single market or the customs union by what relationship it and
:13:19. > :13:26.that suits between the UK and the EU after Brexit and how and when these
:13:27. > :13:29.decisions will be made. The session will meet more frequently with
:13:30. > :13:33.another meeting promised for the New Year before the triggering of
:13:34. > :13:36.Article 50. In context, the last meeting before this week was in
:13:37. > :13:48.2014. It was agreed a subcommittee be
:13:49. > :13:52.established. That will need for the first time early next month.
:13:53. > :13:59.Following the proposal from the First Minister, agreement was
:14:00. > :14:08.reached that a detailed work schedule will be established. This
:14:09. > :14:14.timetable mix must ensure that issues are discussed in sufficient
:14:15. > :14:17.time to inform the European subcommittees decision. Scottish
:14:18. > :14:21.Government will take part in as many meetings as necessary in order to
:14:22. > :14:25.ensure that is the case. I shall speak to David Davis later today
:14:26. > :14:29.about these issues. Let me make it clear to Parliament, the Scottish
:14:30. > :14:37.Parliament and the people of Scotland must be equal partners in
:14:38. > :14:41.this multinational United Kingdom. We will not be simply a consul tea
:14:42. > :14:46.or a stakeholder. Is not what the Parliament or the country asked us
:14:47. > :14:51.to do. Is a huge amount of work to do to satisfy the Prime Minister's
:14:52. > :14:56.on requirement for a UK approach and objective for negotiations before
:14:57. > :15:01.she triggers article 50. Welsh First Minister said that time is against
:15:02. > :15:09.us. There are only 18 weeks between the first meeting and the UK
:15:10. > :15:14.Government's self-imposed march deadline. 126 days. We cannot afford
:15:15. > :15:22.to lose a single one of them, given the vital importance of the task. At
:15:23. > :15:28.task ensuring the UK and Scotland does not drive off the hard Brexit
:15:29. > :15:32.Cliff. Monday made it clear there are no coherent UK plans at present.
:15:33. > :15:38.But I has to be a Scottish plan, ideally want good for the UK as
:15:39. > :15:41.well. Alongside our efforts to influence the United Kingdom to
:15:42. > :15:44.adopt a soft Brexit with continued membership of the single market, we
:15:45. > :15:49.will bring forward our own proposals to protect the interests of
:15:50. > :15:56.Scotland, by the end of this year. A key part of those proposals will be
:15:57. > :16:01.ways in which we can maintain access to the single market, even of the
:16:02. > :16:06.rest of the UK leads. I have noted recent comments which suggest a
:16:07. > :16:09.consensus position on the key issue of immigration may be possible. We
:16:10. > :16:13.will continue to seek advice from the standing council to seek
:16:14. > :16:18.agreement on this and other key issues. I remain open to proposals
:16:19. > :16:22.from all other main parties. This Parliament gave ministers a mandate
:16:23. > :16:28.to engage with other European nations and institutions to ensure
:16:29. > :16:36.Scotland's voices heard. First Minister attended the Arctic Circle
:16:37. > :16:41.assembly. The Cabinet set to culture and tourism has met with the
:16:42. > :16:47.Taoiseach, the Ireland Foreign Secretary, as well as French,
:16:48. > :16:51.Italian and Maltese ministers. We have met with the chief and deputy
:16:52. > :16:55.chief ministers from Gibraltar. Fiona Hyslop and I visited Brussels
:16:56. > :17:03.last week. We spent time the Scottish MEPs, as well as
:17:04. > :17:10.negotiators from the European Parliament. The views of this
:17:11. > :17:13.Parliament remain crucial to establishing the principles behind
:17:14. > :17:22.our approach. My Cabinet colleagues and I have taken part in useful
:17:23. > :17:24.debates. There will be a debate on the environment tomorrow. Members
:17:25. > :17:28.will know the Scottish Government was elected with a clear mandate,
:17:29. > :17:31.that the Scottish parliament should have the right to hold an
:17:32. > :17:40.independence referendum if there was a significant and material change,
:17:41. > :17:44.such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our well. That is a
:17:45. > :17:50.direct quote from the manifesto on which we stood and one. We are now
:17:51. > :17:54.faced with that spin -- specific scenario. We said we would prepare
:17:55. > :18:00.the required legislation to enable a new referendum to be held, if it
:18:01. > :18:06.became clear this was the only best way to protect our interests. Last
:18:07. > :18:19.Thursday, we published a consultation of a draft Referendum
:18:20. > :18:23.Bill. The draft Referendum Bill will be ready for publication should it
:18:24. > :18:30.be in the opinion of the government the right way to proceed. The people
:18:31. > :18:35.of Scotland voted to remain in the EU, an inescapable fact. Recognised
:18:36. > :18:39.by every party in this chamber. We have sought and will continue to
:18:40. > :18:43.seek to work with every party, to ensure the Democratic, economic and
:18:44. > :18:46.social advantages of our engagement with an connection to Europe
:18:47. > :18:50.continue to benefit us as a nation. There is much we can do together. We
:18:51. > :18:55.can continue to seek answers from the UK Government on the most basic
:18:56. > :18:58.of questions. We can continue to bring forward solutions to the
:18:59. > :19:03.problems created by the Brexit fought. We can continue to assert
:19:04. > :19:09.our right to be treated as an equal partner and we can, and we must,
:19:10. > :19:12.come together to form an all Scotland Coalition to protect our
:19:13. > :19:16.place in the single market, regardless of our views on the
:19:17. > :19:21.constitution. And we can resolve to ensure the best outcome for Scotland
:19:22. > :19:23.and all the people who live here. All of them, including those who
:19:24. > :19:31.come from elsewhere. Thank you. Now, the Scottish Government is to
:19:32. > :19:34.grant an automatic pardon to men who were convicted of same-sex
:19:35. > :19:36.offences before laws Private sexual acts between adult
:19:37. > :19:39.men were decriminalised in England and Wales in 1967,
:19:40. > :19:42.but the law in Scotland was not Yesterday, the Justice Secretary,
:19:43. > :19:45.Michael Matheson, told MSPs there would be an "automatic formal
:19:46. > :20:03.pardon" for men convicted There are people in Scotland who
:20:04. > :20:08.have criminal convictions for same-sex sexual activity, which is
:20:09. > :20:12.no lawful. And we must right this wrong. Over the summer, I instructed
:20:13. > :20:19.officials to look at the necessary steps that would need to be taken in
:20:20. > :20:23.Scotland to correct this injustice. I can therefore advise Parliament
:20:24. > :20:27.that we will introduce an automatic pardon for people convicted, so that
:20:28. > :20:33.they know they are absolved filly of that conviction. We want to address
:20:34. > :20:38.the injustice that people experienced simply because of their
:20:39. > :20:43.sexual orientation. In circumstances that are now illegal. And the
:20:44. > :20:48.granting of an automatic pardon is one way of achieving this.
:20:49. > :20:52.Separately, it is the case that information on these convictions is
:20:53. > :20:56.held on records maintained by Police Scotland and we have engaged with
:20:57. > :21:00.Police Scotland over the summer to seek views on steps that can be
:21:01. > :21:06.taken to write these historic wrongs. I have therefore instructed
:21:07. > :21:09.my officials working in partnership with Police Scotland to determine
:21:10. > :21:14.the practical steps required to establish a scheme that will allow
:21:15. > :21:25.men convicted for actions that are now illegal to have those
:21:26. > :21:27.convictions disregarded. This scheme will ensure that convictions for
:21:28. > :21:29.activities that are now lawful are removed from central conviction
:21:30. > :21:33.records. Where an offence is disregarded, a person will be
:21:34. > :21:39.treated as not having been convicted of that offence. And so it would not
:21:40. > :21:42.appear on, for example, disclosure checks. I know that Parliament will
:21:43. > :21:54.want to work together to resolve these important issues. That is a
:21:55. > :21:58.hugely welcome announcement. Nothing short of a historic moment for
:21:59. > :22:02.Scotland to be a more equal and respectful country. The Minister
:22:03. > :22:06.will be aware there are many men across the UK who have been
:22:07. > :22:11.prosecuted, convicted and in some cases imprisonment, for being who
:22:12. > :22:16.they are and who they love. Pardon is the very least the government of
:22:17. > :22:19.the day can do. I hope he will forgive me for three quick
:22:20. > :22:23.questions. Can the Minister confirmed this will be a blanket
:22:24. > :22:30.pardon, for any gay or bisexual man who has been convicted of a crime
:22:31. > :22:35.that no longer a crime? Can the Minister confirmed no legislation is
:22:36. > :22:40.required for such a pardon and those affected need not apply to be
:22:41. > :22:45.pardoned? Finally, the Scottish Government is not responsible for
:22:46. > :22:49.these laws or prosecutions, convictions are that gay men faced,
:22:50. > :22:53.but they could issue a formal apology which will go a long way
:22:54. > :22:58.from many people and recognise they should never have accepted liability
:22:59. > :23:04.for this in the first place. From many men, an apology is as important
:23:05. > :23:09.as a pardon. And apology demonstrates they should never have
:23:10. > :23:17.been convicted for a crime in the first place. It will be an automatic
:23:18. > :23:21.pardon for those offences where individuals were convicted for
:23:22. > :23:33.offences now lawful. We need a system in place to recognise... It
:23:34. > :23:38.will take place on an automatic basis, for those who were convicted
:23:39. > :23:41.for crimes which are now lawful. For the provision of an automatic
:23:42. > :23:46.pardon, we will require legislation and which to do so. We will seek to
:23:47. > :23:52.bring forward legislation at an early date in this Parliament. Over
:23:53. > :23:54.the course of the next year at the very least, to make sure we make
:23:55. > :24:09.progress on this matter swiftly. We will seek to make progress on
:24:10. > :24:12.that as quickly as possible. I fully acknowledge the issue about the
:24:13. > :24:17.writing of the wrongs for those who were convicted, some of whom were
:24:18. > :24:22.imprisoned as a result of offences which they were convicted of and
:24:23. > :24:25.which are now lawful. I think the issue of an apology is an
:24:26. > :24:30.appropriate measure that government should give consideration to. In my
:24:31. > :24:35.view, that would be best dealt with in a collective way when we look at
:24:36. > :24:41.bringing forward further legislation. I will give that
:24:42. > :24:44.serious consideration as including that in a package of measures.
:24:45. > :24:47.I'm now joined by Andrew Tickell, Law lecturer at Glasgow's
:24:48. > :24:57.Just a legal point, this regard that we heard Michael Matheson talking
:24:58. > :25:04.about, that is a technical and legal term. What does it mean? Disregard
:25:05. > :25:09.is more important than a pardon. If you're pardoned in law, it is the
:25:10. > :25:15.penalty that is set aside, the prison term you might have faced. It
:25:16. > :25:20.is not of much use. Disregard is important because that will take
:25:21. > :25:25.these historic sexual offences off of peoples criminal records. It is
:25:26. > :25:29.relieved that rather than the more charged language of pardon which
:25:30. > :25:35.will be more important for men convicted under these offences. It
:25:36. > :25:39.is a legal way of saying not just you are forgiven for these offences,
:25:40. > :25:44.but you should never have been convicted of these offences in the
:25:45. > :25:50.first place and indeed they are not offences. A pardon is an exercise of
:25:51. > :25:57.Mercy. You're only merciful if they are guilty. Pardoning or set aside
:25:58. > :26:02.the punishment. For many men who were convicted of this, they don't
:26:03. > :26:06.want mercy, they want justice. A pardon in and of itself will not do
:26:07. > :26:10.that. The need to be disregarded and taken out of the whole disclosure
:26:11. > :26:14.process of a criminal record being retained. When the British
:26:15. > :26:20.Government said they were sympathetic to this, but they trot
:26:21. > :26:27.out a proposed bill from John Nicholson, the SNP MP, their
:26:28. > :26:32.argument was that you can't have a blanket disregard because it could
:26:33. > :26:36.end up with people who have been convicted of things which are still
:26:37. > :26:41.offences. Michael Matheson is saying that will not happen. Is that
:26:42. > :26:47.because there is the law is different in England than it is in
:26:48. > :26:53.Scotland? It is difficult to follow Michael Matheson's point. You still
:26:54. > :26:57.have a criminal record if you are pardoned of an offence. Unless you
:26:58. > :27:02.get it is applied, it doesn't really are too much practical difference.
:27:03. > :27:06.This is practically problematic because these old criminal
:27:07. > :27:11.common-law offences didn't make any reference to consensual sex. The old
:27:12. > :27:16.crime of suddenly or gross indecency didn't care whether men were
:27:17. > :27:25.consenting or not consenting to sex, they were just recorded as one
:27:26. > :27:29.issue. If the only record you have the case is the conviction or not
:27:30. > :27:33.for a charge of suddenly, it is very hard on the basis of that to
:27:34. > :27:46.discriminate between a loving couple charged with suddenly. This can
:27:47. > :27:52.happen right now. It was brought in in England in terms of the Coalition
:27:53. > :27:56.agreement of 2010. If the Home Secretary judges on the fact is,
:27:57. > :28:02.looking at some evidence insofar as that has been retained, that it is
:28:03. > :28:12.not somebody under 16 involved in that act and was a consensual set of
:28:13. > :28:16.circumstances, but it is very difficult to distinguish between
:28:17. > :28:21.harmless things. From what you have described as it being case by case,
:28:22. > :28:31.and should it be discovered to be a case which is now lawful, in what
:28:32. > :28:38.case is a problematic? It is not automatic. It is difficult to
:28:39. > :28:42.discriminate between these two cases. The argument from John Nichol
:28:43. > :28:47.and Westminster was that why should men who have been victims of an
:28:48. > :28:52.injustice have to go through the embarrassment of proving to the Home
:28:53. > :28:56.Secretary that there is was a case that was consensual. But there are
:28:57. > :28:59.big practical difficulties. The Westminster Government can be
:29:00. > :29:04.accused of lots of things, but the idea that there are not practical
:29:05. > :29:08.differences discriminating between wrongdoers and those wrongly
:29:09. > :29:12.persecuted by the law is difficult to do in practice. This is not
:29:13. > :29:25.something they can just do and that is the end of it. Could be problems
:29:26. > :29:28.down the line? Definitely. It will not be straightforward. Thank you.
:29:29. > :29:30.Now let's speak to some MSPs at Holyrood.
:29:31. > :29:32.I'm joined by: Ben Macpherson, from the SNP.
:29:33. > :29:36.And Liam McArthur, from the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
:29:37. > :29:44.Let's talk about Brexit. Is this situation really any different now
:29:45. > :29:48.than it was a week ago? Of course, there were discussions on Monday and
:29:49. > :29:53.that was an interesting moment where we found out the level of engagement
:29:54. > :29:56.to the UK Government were prepared to have with the devolved
:29:57. > :30:00.administrations, including the Scottish Government. There was a
:30:01. > :30:05.clear outcome that the engagement was then. There is an interesting
:30:06. > :30:09.development this morning about the First Minister calling for Scottish
:30:10. > :30:13.society and business to get behind determination to stay in the single
:30:14. > :30:17.market and is to be collaborative and constructive in making sure we
:30:18. > :30:21.can stand up for Scotland's interests in this very challenging
:30:22. > :30:26.time. But nothing has changed, in terms of any further understanding
:30:27. > :30:30.of what Brexit involves or indeed any progress of the Scottish
:30:31. > :30:34.Government's declared ambition to stay in the single market. Nothing
:30:35. > :30:38.has really changed, has it? Of course, the developments of Brexit
:30:39. > :30:44.will be revealed by the UK Government soon and they have set
:30:45. > :30:48.that deadline before March 2017 for it happen. As with the rest of the
:30:49. > :30:52.country, we are still waiting to see what Brexit will mean and it would
:30:53. > :30:56.be good of the UK Government could come forward with more detail. The
:30:57. > :31:00.Scottish Government since June 24 when the First Minister stud outside
:31:01. > :31:06.Bute house had made their position clear, and the SNP has made our
:31:07. > :31:10.position clear that we determined to protect Scotland's best interests,
:31:11. > :31:17.doing all we can to argue against a hard Brexit and make sure it does
:31:18. > :31:20.not jump off the hard Brexit Cliff and is to keep Scotland in the
:31:21. > :31:27.single market and that will happen in due course. And a referendum bill
:31:28. > :31:31.if it is needed. Monica, from what I have heard about Labour talking
:31:32. > :31:37.about you back everything he has just said. Scottish Labour has been
:31:38. > :31:42.a clear on this that we do support the Scottish Government's efforts to
:31:43. > :31:47.go out to Europe, to try and show Scotland is still open for business.
:31:48. > :31:52.No, the effort is to stay in the single market, do you support that?
:31:53. > :31:59.Yes, we do. All right, up to what point? Well, Kezia Dugdale set out
:32:00. > :32:04.five guiding principles ahead of Nicola Sturgeon's visit to Downing
:32:05. > :32:06.Street at the weekend. Scottish Labour basically reflects the
:32:07. > :32:14.majority of people in Scotland who want to stay as part of the UK
:32:15. > :32:17.single market, and also maintain an alliance with Europe. We do not want
:32:18. > :32:23.to separate from either of these markets. I understand that, but
:32:24. > :32:27.Labour, you have done research of your own? Do you think it would be
:32:28. > :32:33.possible to stay in the single market while the rest of the UK
:32:34. > :32:37.left? We are fully behind the Scottish Government is taking behind
:32:38. > :32:41.these constructive talks forward and we do not know, as Ben said, what
:32:42. > :32:47.Brexit means and that is a matter for the Tories in Westminster to
:32:48. > :32:51.explain to the country. So what will happen, or could happen, it might
:32:52. > :32:54.turn out to be impossible for Scotland to stay in the single
:32:55. > :32:59.market while the UK believes, at which point the SNP will say, we
:33:00. > :33:04.want a referendum. And Labour will say, you cannot have that, that is
:33:05. > :33:07.not what we meant. And you will end up looking silly. I don't think
:33:08. > :33:13.there is anything silly about the situation the country in. What we
:33:14. > :33:17.see in the light of the decision from June is that our economy has
:33:18. > :33:22.been in turmoil, that is the mess the Tories have created. That is not
:33:23. > :33:27.the point I was making. Liam McArthur, presumably there is the
:33:28. > :33:31.same danger for you that the Liberal Democrats back everything Nicola
:33:32. > :33:35.Sturgeon is doing until she says, I'm going to have an independence
:33:36. > :33:40.referendum. And you say, no, we did not mean that. It is interesting
:33:41. > :33:43.that show gave to the referendum result, the First Minister called
:33:44. > :33:49.upon Parliament to unite in support of our efforts to stand up for
:33:50. > :33:53.Scotland's interests and we had no difficult -- difficulty in lending
:33:54. > :33:57.our support. She made it clear this will the SNP's desire to pursue
:33:58. > :34:02.independence. And over the summer, we saw a succession of speeches and
:34:03. > :34:06.statements making it very clear... But my point is that you go along
:34:07. > :34:10.with Nicola Sturgeon until the point at which she which she says she
:34:11. > :34:15.wants a referendum, and you balk at it, you will look silly. I do not
:34:16. > :34:20.think that is the case. There is a clear desire among people in
:34:21. > :34:23.Scotland. And to maintain its relationships with the European
:34:24. > :34:29.Union, we have no difficulty supporting that and have been one of
:34:30. > :34:34.the most supportive and long-standing records on that issue.
:34:35. > :34:44.But it cannot be viewed as being in the interests of Scotland...
:34:45. > :34:49.Jackson? Look, given everything that Ruth Davidson has ever said about
:34:50. > :34:53.Europe and everything David Mundell has said about Europe, presumably
:34:54. > :34:58.you would like to declare it you are 100% behind Nicola Sturgeon? There
:34:59. > :35:01.is no such thing as membership of the single market, there is
:35:02. > :35:05.membership of the European Union and if you are a European Union member
:35:06. > :35:09.state, you are a member of the single market. The UK has voted to
:35:10. > :35:12.leave the European Union so we want to negotiate the best possible
:35:13. > :35:16.access to the single market and I support that. I find that up from
:35:17. > :35:20.Nicola Sturgeon putting together a coalition for anything rather hollow
:35:21. > :35:24.given is a coalition of people in Scotland who do not want another
:35:25. > :35:27.referendum and she is ignoring that. Let's not get into that discussion
:35:28. > :35:31.about what the word membership means. I am sorry, it is key because
:35:32. > :35:37.people keep using this word membership as if it is a legal term,
:35:38. > :35:42.it is not. But what is key is that in the single market, rules and
:35:43. > :35:47.regulations drawn up by the European Union are immediately applicable
:35:48. > :35:51.across areas that are part of the single market, that is what Nicola
:35:52. > :35:54.Sturgeon wants to keep. And given that the David Mundell and Ruth
:35:55. > :35:58.Davidson were both wildly enthusiastic about such things on
:35:59. > :36:02.the referendum, they presumably would like to keep that as well and
:36:03. > :36:05.so would you? I wanted to remember that I wanted to remain a member of
:36:06. > :36:10.the European Union but I respect that by a majority of a million in a
:36:11. > :36:15.UK wide referendum, the UK voted to leave. Now I want the best possible
:36:16. > :36:18.deal. And as part of the UK. That should include the greatest possible
:36:19. > :36:24.access to the single market that we can obtain and it includes far more
:36:25. > :36:29.and beyond that as well. Monica, the other issue that has been going on
:36:30. > :36:34.today is fishing. What is Labour's view? Do you think all powers over
:36:35. > :36:38.fishing and agriculture should be devolved to the Scottish Parliament
:36:39. > :36:41.when we leave the EU? We have set out as a guiding principle a
:36:42. > :36:45.repatriation of powers from Europe to Scotland and of course we support
:36:46. > :36:50.more powers going to the Scottish Parliament. Does that include full
:36:51. > :36:55.powers over fisheries and agriculture? I am not the expert on
:36:56. > :37:00.Scottish Labour's fisheries and agriculture position. My position is
:37:01. > :37:07.on equalities, but the detail will be looked at by my colleagues.
:37:08. > :37:10.Labour, you must be an expert on fisheries and agriculture from
:37:11. > :37:18.Orkney! One of my many strings to my bow! You would like repatriation of
:37:19. > :37:21.powers? The debate predates the referendum in June and I have long
:37:22. > :37:24.been an advocate for a more regionalised management of fisheries
:37:25. > :37:28.and it makes most sense you manage the fishery in the North Sea the
:37:29. > :37:31.same way as the Mediterranean. But you have to respect the fact that
:37:32. > :37:36.the fishery in the North Sea has a number of states bordering it and
:37:37. > :37:40.you would have to work closely and collaboratively with Norway and the
:37:41. > :37:45.other states with an interest. It is in the interests of farming and
:37:46. > :37:50.fishing. Ben, although you don't agree with the -- with a word to the
:37:51. > :37:54.fishermen say about Brexit, presumably you would like to see
:37:55. > :37:59.yourselves and the Scottish Government having control over all
:38:00. > :38:04.fishery and agricultural policy? I think fishermen voted in different
:38:05. > :38:10.ways in the referendum and we don't know what votes webcast in the
:38:11. > :38:15.polling booths. I appreciate there is some Euroscepticism. Their
:38:16. > :38:18.leaders say it is fantastic. More powers we bring to the Scottish
:38:19. > :38:23.Parliament, the better policy we can make for Scotland and that has been
:38:24. > :38:26.clear since the start of devolution. Just to be clear, you would expect
:38:27. > :38:32.or you would want to have four powers over fisheries and
:38:33. > :38:37.agriculture given to the Scottish Government and not shared with the
:38:38. > :38:40.UK Government? We need to analyse that proposition beyond what has
:38:41. > :38:47.been said today and look at it in real detail and statements will
:38:48. > :38:49.follow in terms of where we believe the best policy arrangements and
:38:50. > :38:54.sharing of power could be made on that. There is a shared arrangement
:38:55. > :38:59.at the moment with the EU and across the UK, and I think we will see how
:39:00. > :39:06.that position develops. I am rather surprised you are not saying as an
:39:07. > :39:10.SNP member, of course we want all powers over fishery and farming, you
:39:11. > :39:15.do not seem to be saying that, you seem to be saying, wait and see how
:39:16. > :39:20.this develops, very complicated. I am not saying that at all, I am
:39:21. > :39:24.saying that in the medium to long-term, of course the SNP's
:39:25. > :39:27.ambition to have all powers controlled by the Scottish
:39:28. > :39:32.Parliament given I represent an urban seat, I am not a specialist
:39:33. > :39:35.myself in the areas of fishing and agriculture, but I think developing
:39:36. > :39:41.on from today's statement, we will see how that process develops. We
:39:42. > :39:45.had been arguing we need to be more centralised in the management but
:39:46. > :39:51.the problems the Scottish Government got into over fishing quotas and
:39:52. > :39:55.trying to put a saltire on it, when the ownership of the fleet and the
:39:56. > :39:59.way in which quotas move backwards and forwards across the Borders but
:40:00. > :40:05.that was not a logical proposition to take and we need to be careful
:40:06. > :40:08.how we tread with best. Thank you, all for joining us this afternoon.
:40:09. > :40:22.He is back bowl either that, or Andrew has had a quick shave? I am
:40:23. > :40:26.surprised the SNP have not had to say they want control over
:40:27. > :40:31.everything. He's not a fisheries expert for the SNP. But if you are
:40:32. > :40:36.in the SNP, you just want control! I would expect him to say that. And
:40:37. > :40:40.from the point of view of the SNP, it makes most sense fisheries policy
:40:41. > :40:44.is decided by the UK Government and it should be devolved to Scotland. I
:40:45. > :40:50.think the boys were MacArthur was making it is perhaps that is partly
:40:51. > :40:56.what Ben has in his mind, legal issues and international agreements
:40:57. > :41:03.-- I think the point lead at MacArthur was making. Much of that
:41:04. > :41:07.would be done between the UK Government and Spain being the
:41:08. > :41:11.obvious one. And Norway, the North Sea, we have boundaries that have to
:41:12. > :41:16.be worked upon and international agreements. It will be interesting
:41:17. > :41:20.to see, how does the UK Government deal with those situations? The
:41:21. > :41:24.dream, presumably, would be that Scotland, in a way that Iceland
:41:25. > :41:30.became known for in the past, could pioneer a new way that a certain
:41:31. > :41:33.fish stocks, but critics would save the fishing industry is unlikely to
:41:34. > :41:38.do that. But they might. That presumably would be the next ideal
:41:39. > :41:42.to have. Because you are not constrained by the Common Fisheries
:41:43. > :41:46.Policy. Yes, this is an issue where if Scotland is given the powers over
:41:47. > :41:51.fisheries, it could do an awful lot more than they are able to do now.
:41:52. > :41:56.They could be innovative and get different deals. Under a Brexit
:41:57. > :42:00.situation and in the EU, not a what is going to change, apart from the
:42:01. > :42:05.fact it will be a Scottish Minister dealing with EU quotas rather than a
:42:06. > :42:09.UK Minister. On the Brexit issue more widely, again from that
:42:10. > :42:13.conversation, I am not sure we are any further forward in understanding
:42:14. > :42:16.what any of this means. I am afraid it is probably going to be a
:42:17. > :42:20.relatively boring time in terms of things changing and talked about
:42:21. > :42:24.over the next month's. But we will have a lot of noise about it. This
:42:25. > :42:29.afternoon, we had a statement announced at short notice from Mike
:42:30. > :42:34.Russell and I wondered if they would say anything. No, nothing new at all
:42:35. > :42:38.except he went to Downing Street and he heard nothing. To be fair, he
:42:39. > :42:42.would say he went to Downing Street and he was told nothing. Absolutely
:42:43. > :42:46.and that plays into their hands, the SNP want to demonstrate the UK
:42:47. > :42:49.Government is stalling, they have no idea what they are doing and what
:42:50. > :42:54.Brexit means. Scottish, does not know what they are doing either, in
:42:55. > :42:57.reality. Thank you, we will return to you later.
:42:58. > :42:59.And now to this week's Prime Minister's Questions,
:43:00. > :43:03.The Labour Leader, Jeremy Corbyn, used four out of his six questions
:43:04. > :43:05.to press Theresa May, on giving clarity over her
:43:06. > :43:07.plans to exit the EU, against what he described
:43:08. > :43:20.Mr Speaker, on Monday, the Prime Minister said the customs union was
:43:21. > :43:24.not a binary choice. I cannot think of anything other than a boundary
:43:25. > :43:30.choice is whether you have a border or you don't have a border, there is
:43:31. > :43:35.not a third way on that one. On Monday, her friend the honourable
:43:36. > :43:39.member for Broxtowe expressed concern of the automotive and
:43:40. > :43:43.aerospace industries, while the British banking Association said its
:43:44. > :43:47.members opposed quivering over the relocate button. Every day the Prime
:43:48. > :43:52.Minister did this over this chaotic Brexit, employers delay investment
:43:53. > :43:57.and the rumours circulate about relocation. This cannot carry on
:43:58. > :43:59.until March of next year. When is the Prime Minister going to come up
:44:00. > :44:16.with a plan? A customs union and a border are
:44:17. > :44:24.different issues. That shows why it is important that it is this party
:44:25. > :44:35.which is in government and not his. I have been clearer. We want to
:44:36. > :44:40.trade freely with the single European market. I want this country
:44:41. > :44:47.to be a global leader in free trade. The Labour Party is against free
:44:48. > :44:51.trade. I want to introduce control on free movement. So we have an end
:44:52. > :44:55.of free movement. The Labour wants to continue with free movement. I
:44:56. > :44:59.want to deliver on the will of the British people, he is trying to
:45:00. > :45:04.frustrate the will of the British people. One of the biggest
:45:05. > :45:09.humanitarian catastrophes of our time is in Syria, specifically in
:45:10. > :45:15.Aleppo, we expect a ceasefire to end shortly and an onslaught to begin.
:45:16. > :45:18.Will the Prime Minister tell us what efforts the UK is currently
:45:19. > :45:24.undertaking to support a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but also
:45:25. > :45:28.to deal with those who are exacerbating the situation? It is
:45:29. > :45:33.important to approach this in a number of tracks. We are involved,
:45:34. > :45:41.the Foreign Secretary has been involved in discussions with the
:45:42. > :45:50.United States Secretary of State John Kerry about these issues. I
:45:51. > :45:54.raised the issues of Russian actions in Syria at the European Union
:45:55. > :46:00.Council last week. It was only on the agenda because the UK raise
:46:01. > :46:03.that. The EU agreed that should the atrocities continue then we will
:46:04. > :46:10.look at all available options for taking action to put pressure on
:46:11. > :46:17.Russia to stop their indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians. Legal
:46:18. > :46:23.air-quality limits around Heathrow have been breached. Noise pollution
:46:24. > :46:26.over Twickenham has increased. Can the Prime Minister explain how a
:46:27. > :46:33.third runway can be delivered and comply with pollution, legal
:46:34. > :46:40.requirements? Does she agree, environmentally, Heathrow is not
:46:41. > :46:45.good enough and cannot not possibly be bigger and better? The government
:46:46. > :46:51.worked very closely at this issue of air quality and environmental impact
:46:52. > :47:01.of all three schemes proposed by the Airports Commission. We took extra
:47:02. > :47:06.time to look at those. We wanted to look at the air-quality issues. The
:47:07. > :47:12.evidence shows that air-quality standards can be met by all three of
:47:13. > :47:17.the schemes. My honourable friend raises an issue that is about more
:47:18. > :47:22.than airports. The question of air quality is also about road
:47:23. > :47:30.transport. That is why we are looking to what we are going for
:47:31. > :47:32.air-quality. I am pleased to see we are doing so well in the provision
:47:33. > :47:36.of electric vehicles. Let's cross to our correspondent
:47:37. > :47:39.David Porter at Westminster now, to get some reaction from this
:47:40. > :47:51.week's line-up of MPs. I don't want you talking about the
:47:52. > :47:58.weather in case it starts raining. Brexit and Heathrow were discussed
:47:59. > :48:05.at Westminster. Let me introduce you to my guests. From Labour, the
:48:06. > :48:10.Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the SNP. Four months on from
:48:11. > :48:16.Brexit, these two each year will see the UK Government doesn't have a
:48:17. > :48:22.plan? The government does have a plan and that is to respect the
:48:23. > :48:26.wishes of the British electorate. Goals are to come out of the
:48:27. > :48:30.European Union and to control migration from the EU into the
:48:31. > :48:34.United Kingdom. It wasn't the position I wanted. I respect the
:48:35. > :48:37.fact that the people of South Leicestershire and the people of the
:48:38. > :48:43.whole of the United Kingdom collectively voted to come out of
:48:44. > :48:47.the EU. The Prime Minister is right. Royal prerogative power will
:48:48. > :48:50.determine how the government negotiates the detail of the terms
:48:51. > :48:57.and conditions for our country exiting the EU. Our job as
:48:58. > :49:01.parliamentarians is to make sure we get the best deal. I would urge the
:49:02. > :49:05.Scottish Government to work with Theresa May in her administration to
:49:06. > :49:09.make sure we get the best terms and conditions for the people of
:49:10. > :49:16.Scotland and the need the whole of the United Kingdom. Your party
:49:17. > :49:22.leader quoted baldric today saying there was a cunning plan and the
:49:23. > :49:26.cunning plan was no plan? The government were not prepared for
:49:27. > :49:34.Brexit. First Minister is correct to talk about a broad Coalition of
:49:35. > :49:42.parties to come together to oppose a hard Brexit. I hope the First
:49:43. > :49:47.Minister will allow other parties to build a broad Coalition of people
:49:48. > :49:52.who do not want a hard Brexit. We have heard from various
:49:53. > :49:57.manufacturing agencies that we need access to the single market and we
:49:58. > :50:01.need some sort of free movement of people to fill workforce gaps. These
:50:02. > :50:05.things need to be resolves. The Prime Minister is playing a very
:50:06. > :50:11.strange game by not revealing what would be the negotiating position. I
:50:12. > :50:15.think it is a dangerous game and it is disingenuous to the British
:50:16. > :50:27.public not to say what the negotiating position would be.
:50:28. > :50:35.They say they cannot give a running commentary because they don't know
:50:36. > :50:40.what the negotiations are. There is not even outline as to what is the
:50:41. > :50:46.end package they are hoping to see with to access to the single market.
:50:47. > :50:51.It seems as if Theresa May Mach two, compared to what she was saying to
:50:52. > :50:56.the City of London bankers before the referendum, is that there will
:50:57. > :51:01.be no part of the single market, which is what she was saying would
:51:02. > :51:06.be damaging for the British economy. Analysis from a couple of months ago
:51:07. > :51:12.I think still stands and what will ultimately be damaging for the UK
:51:13. > :51:16.economy, I think we don't even have the outline for it. If we take the
:51:17. > :51:21.Conservatives to their word, it will be six months before Parliament is
:51:22. > :51:24.even going to have a resolution about the opportunity after the
:51:25. > :51:29.Queen's speech to look at this on a legislative basis. I don't think it
:51:30. > :51:34.is any constructive way forward and ultimately I think the position is
:51:35. > :51:39.unravelling. The First Minister was speaking to Theresa May and
:51:40. > :51:44.basically saying, give us a more prominent seat at the negotiating
:51:45. > :51:48.table. Theresa May has said, you will be consulted, but you will not
:51:49. > :51:55.make the final decision. That is for me as a UK Prime Minister. There is
:51:56. > :52:01.logic in that, isn't? 62% of Scotland voted to remain in the EU.
:52:02. > :52:11.I was pleased to hear Ian mention a Coalition of people taking forward
:52:12. > :52:16.Scotland's interests. That Coalition will work in the best interests of
:52:17. > :52:25.Scotland to protect its place in the single market and in the world.
:52:26. > :52:29.Let's move on to the question of Heathrow, perhaps more generally
:52:30. > :52:34.infrastructure. This seems to be a feeling now, Heathrow apart, the UK
:52:35. > :52:41.post Brexit needs more infrastructure spending and that
:52:42. > :52:51.spending has got to provide us with infrastructure which is more robust.
:52:52. > :52:56.We have Crossrail almost complete. HS2 is further down the line.
:52:57. > :53:00.Heathrow, the Prime Minister has later cards on the table and made
:53:01. > :53:04.clear the government's position, which is to support the expansion of
:53:05. > :53:09.Heathrow Airport. For my constituents in South
:53:10. > :53:17.Leicestershire, I have do consider them, we have an international hub
:53:18. > :53:21.in Heathrow and it makes sense therefore to expand that hub.
:53:22. > :53:26.However, I am consulting with constituents before I make a final
:53:27. > :53:34.decision on this matter. Once I do, I will be glad to report to you. As
:53:35. > :53:38.far as infrastructure is concerned, everyone wants better connections
:53:39. > :53:42.but no one wants an airport runway in the back garden. That is true,
:53:43. > :53:46.but I think your initial question was, having a post Brexit
:53:47. > :53:55.infrastructure plan in the UK to boost productivity in the UK. We
:53:56. > :54:02.have been calling for that since 2008. The previous Prime Minister
:54:03. > :54:11.and Chancellor said no. Rather than using historically low interest
:54:12. > :54:15.rates to invest in the future. Heathrow from a Scottish perspective
:54:16. > :54:25.is pretty much a no-brainer. We have to make sure environmental issues
:54:26. > :54:30.and capacity issues are dealt with. But don't undermine the growth of
:54:31. > :54:37.the economy in Scotland in terms of direct routes from Glasgow,
:54:38. > :54:46.Edinburgh and Aberdeen to other parts of the world.
:54:47. > :54:52.I simply don't know what their position is. Theresa May seems to
:54:53. > :55:00.have rubbished the northern powerhouse the previous Chancellor
:55:01. > :55:05.had argued for on this same manifesto. Local government is
:55:06. > :55:09.getting mad across England because it doesn't really know what is going
:55:10. > :55:15.on. Heathrow is the wrong decision. It is bad for air-quality, bad for
:55:16. > :55:22.overall British equality, sacking resource into the south-east of
:55:23. > :55:27.England when it needs to be spread across the UK. I think the SNP have
:55:28. > :55:32.sold out by reversing their position. Expansion at Heathrow
:55:33. > :55:38.means potentially 16,000 new jobs across Scotland, a logistics are
:55:39. > :55:45.being looked at airport. I am surprised that... We will leave it
:55:46. > :55:48.there are. I'm sure we will return to that. Thank you for your time.
:55:49. > :55:51.Back to you. Let's get some final
:55:52. > :56:01.thoughts from Moray. Ken Macintosh today outlined a
:56:02. > :56:05.series of proposals to reform the way the Scottish parliament works.
:56:06. > :56:08.This was something Tricia Marwick, his predecessor, tried and failed to
:56:09. > :56:16.do and got very frustrated about. What is he trying to do? This is
:56:17. > :56:24.very much part of his manifesto when he put his name forward to become
:56:25. > :56:29.Presiding Officer. He wants to update the parliament. Is a bit of a
:56:30. > :56:39.concern, particularly with the last term majority SNP government that it
:56:40. > :56:45.was too easy for them to get anything through. The committees
:56:46. > :56:51.were held up as being the way to scrutinise the government when it
:56:52. > :56:55.was set up. A lot of people would acknowledge that has not happened.
:56:56. > :56:59.People say that has not happened but actually Westminster's committee
:57:00. > :57:03.system is much better at holding the government to account and having MPs
:57:04. > :57:09.prepared to challenge ministers from their own party than the Scottish
:57:10. > :57:13.system. I think that is true. Is a job to be done in terms of making
:57:14. > :57:19.sure the structure is right, but there also is a job to be done by
:57:20. > :57:22.individual MSP is as well. If you look at Westminster, MPs are a lot
:57:23. > :57:27.more independent or committees and they will challenge the government
:57:28. > :57:32.from an independent point of view. One argument is the division between
:57:33. > :57:36.committees which scrutinise and select committees which can have
:57:37. > :57:41.generalised enquiries into doesn't exist here are. Part of the argument
:57:42. > :57:45.is that MSP is being forced to do too much by doing those things
:57:46. > :57:51.simultaneously. Some people would argue there are not enough MSP is to
:57:52. > :57:54.do that. I'm not convinced that is the case. The number of committees
:57:55. > :57:58.and people on them is probably enough. We need to be in a position
:57:59. > :58:02.where ministers are making sure they have everything in our role and also
:58:03. > :58:11.one occasion committees can write legislation apart. It is about the
:58:12. > :58:14.committee system in Parliament questioning Scottish Civic Society.
:58:15. > :58:20.At Westminster level, Philip Green goes through a tough time in
:58:21. > :58:24.Parliamentary committees. Lots of companies on a regular basis. We
:58:25. > :58:30.don't see the Scottish Parliament intervening in that kind of way. A
:58:31. > :58:33.bit broader and sharper in their questions towards ministers? Thingy
:58:34. > :58:41.to have a more independent mind, look at what are the issues are
:58:42. > :58:44.affecting Scottish society, where are the areas the government needs
:58:45. > :58:49.to be pushed on and asked more questions. If the government isn't
:58:50. > :58:54.asked questions, it just ploughs on with what it is doing. Thank you.
:58:55. > :58:57.Join us for First Minister's Questions tomorrow