:00:17. > :00:22.Hello there and a very warm welcome to the Scottish parliament, the
:00:23. > :00:27.Garden Lobby here at Holyrood. Much more Brexit today, we will get the
:00:28. > :00:34.outline details of what will eventually become the Great Repeal
:00:35. > :00:38.Bill, the repatriation of EU law, bringing it back to Britain as part
:00:39. > :00:45.of the departure process. Of course much of that law, some of that to be
:00:46. > :00:49.devolved out to the territories including Scotland, a controversial
:00:50. > :00:52.issue. More of that later but the substance of this programme,
:00:53. > :00:57.questions to the First Minister, let's cross to the chamber.
:00:58. > :01:01.Welcome to the chamber, the presiding officer in fighting his
:01:02. > :01:06.guests to the chamber and this weeks proceedings, among the guests the
:01:07. > :01:16.Polish ambassador, we'll cross to the chamber, the First Minister is
:01:17. > :01:20.about to get to her seat. We turn to First Minister's Questions, Ruth
:01:21. > :01:24.Davidson. To ask the First Minister for engagement she has for the rest
:01:25. > :01:29.of the day. I will take forward the programme per Scotland. To ask the
:01:30. > :01:32.First Minister does she believe that Scotland's schools are staffed with
:01:33. > :01:37.enough teachers? The Education Secretary and I have even open about
:01:38. > :01:42.the recruit and challenges that are in parts of the education system.
:01:43. > :01:46.That's why we have been focused on making sure we are a track is the
:01:47. > :01:49.best and brightest people into the teaching profession, making it
:01:50. > :01:52.easier in partnership with the General teaching Council for
:01:53. > :01:58.Scotland to get teachers into the classroom and we'll continue to take
:01:59. > :02:01.that action. Have funded local authorities over the past number of
:02:02. > :02:04.years to maintain the numbers of teachers and that's the right thing
:02:05. > :02:08.to do as part of the overall programme of reform to make sure we
:02:09. > :02:13.are driving up standards and closing the gap in attainment. The simple
:02:14. > :02:21.and correct answer there was no, there aren't. Because here are the
:02:22. > :02:28.figures. Since the SNP came to the number of teachers has fallen from
:02:29. > :02:31.55,000 to just under 51,000, down by more than 4000. When schools need
:02:32. > :02:35.supply teachers to fill and they are struggling more and more. This week
:02:36. > :02:39.we contacted councils across Scotland to find out how the stock
:02:40. > :02:43.of supply teachers had fallen in recent years and here are the
:02:44. > :02:47.Scottish borders has been a drop of more than a third and supply
:02:48. > :02:52.teachers since 2011, in Edinburgh it's worse, the numbers have had, in
:02:53. > :02:58.Glasgow alone over the same time frame, we've lost 1000 supply
:02:59. > :03:03.teachers. Fewer teachers, more vacancies and fewer supply teachers
:03:04. > :03:09.to fill in when needed. How can the First Minister defend that? Teacher
:03:10. > :03:14.numbers as we had debated in this chamber many times in the past, over
:03:15. > :03:18.a period of years, the numbers of teachers will fluctuate in line with
:03:19. > :03:23.fluctuations in the number of pupils in our schools. In recent years, we
:03:24. > :03:25.have and this is a statement of fact, presiding Officer, we have
:03:26. > :03:30.wondered local authorities as pupil numbers started to rise to also
:03:31. > :03:36.maintain teacher numbers so we can broadly maintain the pupil teacher
:03:37. > :03:40.ratio as well. That is a fact. In terms of teacher recruitment
:03:41. > :03:43.challenges, we have in recent times opened up as I said earlier, in
:03:44. > :03:49.partnership with the General teaching Council for Scotland, 11
:03:50. > :03:52.new routes to get teachers into the classrooms to make it easier to get
:03:53. > :03:57.the best and brightest in the profession into classrooms doing for
:03:58. > :04:00.a do best. We also increased the future intake for teacher training,
:04:01. > :04:08.this year I think we've reduced that, increased that brother by just
:04:09. > :04:12.short of 400, 370, we've asked the GDC to see what more can be done to
:04:13. > :04:16.motivate supply teachers, we are taking a range of actions to make
:04:17. > :04:19.sure we have the right numbers of teachers in schools teaching our
:04:20. > :04:23.young people and of course that is part of the wider programme that I
:04:24. > :04:28.spoke about. We have taken the decision as part of the budget this
:04:29. > :04:34.year to get ?120 million direct Lee into the hands of headteachers so
:04:35. > :04:36.that they can invest in resources, the things they believe will have
:04:37. > :04:41.the biggest impact on raising attainment and that's more start,
:04:42. > :04:45.whether it teaching or specialist SAP, that's for the discretion of
:04:46. > :04:51.headteachers. We continue to take the action that is required to be
:04:52. > :05:00.taken. We will continue to focus on that. She's standing there asking
:05:01. > :05:05.for applause for cleaning up her own mess. This isn't a fluctuation,
:05:06. > :05:08.we're more than 4000 teachers down and thought we'd learned this week
:05:09. > :05:13.is the real cost of teacher shortages. It got rather drowned out
:05:14. > :05:18.by the first ministers referendum plans but education Scotland made
:05:19. > :05:22.clear that the recruit went Scotland we face is damaging the quality of
:05:23. > :05:28.education in Scotland, not just in primary school but secondary school
:05:29. > :05:30.too. According to the head of school leaders Scotland the shortage is
:05:31. > :05:33.such that headteachers are having to take on staff not because they are
:05:34. > :05:38.right for the job but because they are the only ones available. Does
:05:39. > :05:45.the First Minister think this is a decent return for ten years of SNP
:05:46. > :05:50.government? We have plenty of evidence of improving standards in
:05:51. > :05:56.schools. I can point to... The record exam passes that young people
:05:57. > :06:00.are achieving in our schools. I can point to the record positive
:06:01. > :06:05.destinations of young people leaving our schools, going into employment,
:06:06. > :06:08.further education or training. I can point to the beginning of the
:06:09. > :06:13.closing of the attainment gap although I readily recognise there
:06:14. > :06:15.is much more work to do. Yes we have a challenge when it comes to
:06:16. > :06:20.recruitment of teachers in particular areas, and that's not
:06:21. > :06:23.unique to Scotland but what we are doing as I set out in my previous
:06:24. > :06:29.answer is taking a range of actions to ensure that we meet that
:06:30. > :06:33.challenge. We will continue to focus on exactly that, the programme of
:06:34. > :06:38.reform in education, I already mentioned additional funding going
:06:39. > :06:42.direct to headteachers, the attainment challenge focusing on
:06:43. > :06:45.literacy and numerous sick, the introduction of China not everyone
:06:46. > :06:49.in the chamber with national assessment so that we can publish
:06:50. > :06:54.robust information about the performance in schools and measure
:06:55. > :06:58.the improvements we are taking. This is a comprehensive programme of
:06:59. > :07:05.reform and I and the Deputy First Minister will continue to be
:07:06. > :07:09.absolutely focused on delivering it. The First Minister is going through
:07:10. > :07:11.actions that are being taken but the Sony necessary because her
:07:12. > :07:18.government has been asleep at the field for the last decade. But the
:07:19. > :07:21.real question is about this governor's priorities. This weeks
:07:22. > :07:25.Tom Hunt wrote in a national newspaper, setting out some of the
:07:26. > :07:29.positive steps that are finally being taken, like leadership
:07:30. > :07:32.development for headteachers to ensure we get better leaders in
:07:33. > :07:36.schools and he talked up the work being done by skills development
:07:37. > :07:41.Scotland to link young people with employers but he finished his peace
:07:42. > :07:45.with this... Let me read it. Scotland faces challenges so I ask,
:07:46. > :07:51.is independence our biggest priority? And Sir Tom, grown if you
:07:52. > :07:55.like, but he's only asking the question that a lot of people want
:07:56. > :08:13.answered. Separation or education, which is at, first Mr? Firstly in
:08:14. > :08:16.terms of education, I know there are many things that Ruth Davidson
:08:17. > :08:16.doesn't like to acknowledge, for example, around 30% increase in
:08:17. > :08:19.higher passes since 2007, 90% of young people going into positive
:08:20. > :08:24.destinations, the improvement we see in closing the attainment gap, the
:08:25. > :08:29.increase in early years and childcare which is so crucial to
:08:30. > :08:33.closing the attainment gap, the additional resources going into the
:08:34. > :08:38.hands of headteachers and as she just spoke about, the extra support
:08:39. > :08:41.John Swinney was talking about this week to headteachers making sure we
:08:42. > :08:45.have the best leadership in our schools. That's come back to this
:08:46. > :08:51.point about who is concentrating on these matters and to add every
:08:52. > :09:03.opportunity tries to shoehorn in the reference to the Constitution. I
:09:04. > :09:11.don't know... I don't know how... Ruth Davidson spends her week, when
:09:12. > :09:15.she's not appearing in comedy shows or talking about independence.
:09:16. > :09:20.Here's just some of the things I do in an average week. ?10 million to
:09:21. > :09:24.support a food and ring set, signing an economic partnership agreement
:09:25. > :09:30.with the very, this is just the last few days, chairing a Cabinet
:09:31. > :09:34.kneading deciding the content of the Social Security Bill Buck continues
:09:35. > :09:39.work and 2018 budget plans that talks about what we are doing to
:09:40. > :09:41.reduce cancer waiting times. Finalising the mental health
:09:42. > :09:47.strategy which will be published this very day. Convening a meeting
:09:48. > :09:52.with the Social Security Minister to talk about our new Social Security
:09:53. > :10:00.agency, announcing 300 new jobs in the city of Glasgow. Talking to
:10:01. > :10:07.manufacturing companies about how we boost that sector of our economy,
:10:08. > :10:09.reviewing with the Deputy First Minister the education reform
:10:10. > :10:13.programme, talking to the transport Scotland and transport Minister
:10:14. > :10:18.about the Queensbury Crossing, I could go on but I know I'm running
:10:19. > :10:21.out of time. Let's focus on some of the things other ministers have been
:10:22. > :10:26.doing while the opposition talk about their priorities, the Health
:10:27. > :10:29.Secretary funding to widening access to medical schools, funding to
:10:30. > :10:34.increase cervical cancer screening, the Education Secretary funding for
:10:35. > :10:41.support for headteachers, the Public Health Minister, extending the
:10:42. > :10:44.family partnership, the Children's Minister, setting out plans to
:10:45. > :10:48.double childcare and of course last but not least, the Community
:10:49. > :10:53.Secretary, support for young homeless people who are having their
:10:54. > :10:59.housing Benefit removed by the Conservative government at
:11:00. > :11:04.Westminster. So I'll take no lectures, I'll take no lectures
:11:05. > :11:09.about the day job. It's just a pity so much of our day job is spent
:11:10. > :11:19.cleaning up the mess made by a Tory government! Presiding Officer, the
:11:20. > :11:25.First Minister talks about priorities, is she really coming
:11:26. > :11:28.here, I know she's had a tough week and I know it's getting worse but is
:11:29. > :11:32.she coming here to say after forcing a two de debate on independence,
:11:33. > :11:37.forcing through a referendum against the wishes of the people of
:11:38. > :11:42.Scotland, forcing through bad, that she will stand here and still say
:11:43. > :11:48.that education is her priority, where her government hasn't abated
:11:49. > :11:51.education on government time in this chamber since October? How does she
:11:52. > :11:59.answer that? No education since Labour, independence every single
:12:00. > :12:02.day. -- since October. The difference between this government
:12:03. > :12:17.and the Tories is that they debate and we deliver. 120... Let me
:12:18. > :12:22.tell... Let me... Let me tell Ruth Davidson what we've delivered in
:12:23. > :12:30.government time and with government money. ?120 million or headteachers
:12:31. > :12:36.to improve standards in our schools. I'll continue to allow Ruth Davidson
:12:37. > :12:44.and the Tories to debate with each other come out get on with
:12:45. > :12:51.delivering the people of Scotland! Question two, Kezia Dugdale. To ask
:12:52. > :12:54.the First Minister of what engagements she has planned for the
:12:55. > :13:00.rest of the week. More engagements to deliver for the people of
:13:01. > :13:02.Scotland. Kezia Dugdale. One thing the First Minister has done is
:13:03. > :13:08.deliver justice for the survivors of mesh. A group of women I met a few
:13:09. > :13:11.days ago for in whose lives have been destroyed by a medical
:13:12. > :13:17.procedure that was supposed to help them get better. One woman I spoke
:13:18. > :13:23.to camp set down without being in excruciating pain. Others have him
:13:24. > :13:27.paralysed. These women feared that the review into the use of mesh
:13:28. > :13:31.products would be a fight wash and First Minister, that's exactly what
:13:32. > :13:37.it is. In their own words, these women have even left dismayed, has
:13:38. > :13:42.gusted and betrayed. Will the First Minister take this opportunity to
:13:43. > :13:50.apologise to the woman who had been so badly let down? -- disgusted. I
:13:51. > :13:55.am deeply sorry for the suffering of these women, that are mentioned and
:13:56. > :14:00.many others who suffered complications because of treatment
:14:01. > :14:03.with mesh. As Kezia Dugdale knows, the Health Secretary will make a
:14:04. > :14:07.statement in the chamber this afternoon on this issue. The
:14:08. > :14:10.independent review which was instructed by this government to
:14:11. > :14:16.look into these issues was published on Monday of this week, but contains
:14:17. > :14:20.eight important conclusions that health boards across this country
:14:21. > :14:24.will now be expected to take forward. The Health Secretary has
:14:25. > :14:29.recently met with two of the women who have been understandably quoted
:14:30. > :14:34.in the media, all of McIlroy and Elaine Holmes to hear directly, in
:14:35. > :14:37.person, their views, she met with the women to make clear at the
:14:38. > :14:42.Scottish mesh survivors group views have been heard and more than that,
:14:43. > :14:46.as we take this work forward, we want to make sure there are views
:14:47. > :14:51.remain at the centre of it. The chair of the review has insured all
:14:52. > :14:53.evidence that formed the review was made publicly available alongside
:14:54. > :14:59.the report when that report was published. I am very grateful to all
:15:00. > :15:02.the members of the review of the considerable time and effort they
:15:03. > :15:09.dedicated to this really important piece of work over the past number
:15:10. > :15:12.of years. Health Secretary will set out in further detail this afternoon
:15:13. > :15:16.the actions that will now be taken to make sure these recommendations
:15:17. > :15:20.are implemented in full and I hope the chamber will welcome the Health
:15:21. > :15:28.Secretary's state and when it's made later. That is a welcome apology but
:15:29. > :15:32.make no mistake. There has been a cover-up and this is a national
:15:33. > :15:37.scandal. Whatever the Minister says this afternoon, the report has been
:15:38. > :15:41.compromised. Because we know the original draft report was supported
:15:42. > :15:47.all members the few group of the final report has lost the faith of
:15:48. > :15:50.those involved. And that's quite the chair, a clinical expert and the
:15:51. > :15:56.patient's representatives have all resigned. Even the First Minister is
:15:57. > :16:01.an successor as Health Secretary Alex Neil said it was totally
:16:02. > :16:06.unacceptable. Most importantly, countless women whose lives have
:16:07. > :16:12.destroyed by this, think it's a fight wash. If these women don't
:16:13. > :16:17.have any faith in the report, how possibly can the First Minister?
:16:18. > :16:24.I think there are extremely important issues involved here, as a
:16:25. > :16:30.matter of fact, not to underplay any of the issues involved, the cheer
:16:31. > :16:36.resigned for personal reasons, not for concern about the report as far
:16:37. > :16:39.as I am aware. I take very seriously the responsibility and I know the
:16:40. > :16:43.Health Secretary does as well as we move forward from the statement
:16:44. > :16:46.Shawna Robertson will give this afternoon to implement the
:16:47. > :16:49.recommendations that we do work hard to make sure we build the faith of
:16:50. > :16:54.those who have been affected by this and that is one of the most
:16:55. > :16:59.important responsibilities we have. The report, this was appointed the
:17:00. > :17:06.Health Secretary made very clear to establish whether the cheer of the
:17:07. > :17:10.review, all of the evidence has been made publicly available alongside
:17:11. > :17:14.the report, it is they are available for anybody to read, the
:17:15. > :17:20.recommendations in this report must now be taken by word and must now be
:17:21. > :17:24.taken forward in a way that has the confidence of the women who have
:17:25. > :17:29.been affected. I would ask members to wait to hear the statement that
:17:30. > :17:33.will be made this afternoon, they will have the opportunity rightly
:17:34. > :17:36.and properly to ask questions about that statement but it will set out
:17:37. > :17:42.clearly the steps which will now be taken to make sure that all the
:17:43. > :17:49.right action is taken but in a way that restores the confidence and the
:17:50. > :17:51.faith of the women affected. That is responsibility I take seriously with
:17:52. > :17:56.the Health Secretary and when that statement is made this afternoon I
:17:57. > :17:59.hope members across the chamber, I know they will ask searching
:18:00. > :18:07.questions but I hope there will be support for the actions the Health
:18:08. > :18:10.Secretary will set out. The women want to have faith in this process
:18:11. > :18:16.but they also want to see some action. Here is an e-mail from
:18:17. > :18:21.Sophie, she is 18 and the daughter of a survivor, Sophie e-mailed at
:18:22. > :18:29.half past two this morning as she cared for her mother and the e-mail
:18:30. > :18:33.said this will stop "I am struggling to remember my mum before Mech took
:18:34. > :18:37.her from me, she is not dead but a shell of the women I previously
:18:38. > :18:42.loved, adored and had been inspired by. You should live a day in our
:18:43. > :18:45.life. On the days when the pain is so bad my fiercely independent
:18:46. > :18:50.mother cannot even brush her own teeth. Given what she knows about
:18:51. > :18:53.this, if the doctor told the First Minister or someone that she loves
:18:54. > :19:00.that they should have this procedure would she go ahead with it? Because
:19:01. > :19:04.Nicola Sturgeon's answer is no or even if she isn't sure, then surely
:19:05. > :19:12.she must ban this devastating and dangerous practice once and for all.
:19:13. > :19:19.My heart goes out to the woman Kezia Dugdale has just referred to in the
:19:20. > :19:24.e-mail on the heart of her daughter. But secondly Kezia Dugdale rightly
:19:25. > :19:28.calls for action and that is what the independent review was set up to
:19:29. > :19:32.recommend and the Health Secretary will set out a Parliament this
:19:33. > :19:37.afternoon exactly that, the action which is now being taken. Actions
:19:38. > :19:42.like informed consent, genuinely informed consent is one of the
:19:43. > :19:47.issues. There has been a suspension on routine procedure is of this
:19:48. > :19:50.nature although there has been the ability of women have the
:19:51. > :19:55.information and are in pain and choose to go ahead to do so. But
:19:56. > :20:00.safety, informed consent, making sure there is the right guidance in
:20:01. > :20:02.place, these are all at the heart of the recommendations the Health
:20:03. > :20:10.Secretary will talk about this afternoon. I know this from my years
:20:11. > :20:15.spent as Health Secretary, with some exceptions even in the history of
:20:16. > :20:19.this Parliament, Health Secretary 's are rarely clinicians, we have to
:20:20. > :20:23.rely on expert clinical advice and sometimes that advice can be
:20:24. > :20:27.contradictory and sometimes it can be very difficult to find the right
:20:28. > :20:32.way forward on the basis of that. We use our best endeavours to do so and
:20:33. > :20:35.that is why the independent review was set up. That is why all of the
:20:36. > :20:40.evidence which informed the outcome of that review has been published. I
:20:41. > :20:48.recognise, the Health Secretary recognises that some of the women
:20:49. > :20:51.involved in this review have lost faith in that and it's a crucial
:20:52. > :20:58.part of our responsibility to restore that face laid-back faith.
:20:59. > :21:04.I do not expect members across the chamber to stop asking important
:21:05. > :21:07.questions on the heart of their constituents, I accept the
:21:08. > :21:10.importance of that but I hope also we can build some consensus around
:21:11. > :21:19.the actions which will be outlined to the chamber later this afternoon.
:21:20. > :21:23.Two constituency supplementary is, the first Daniel Johnson. Thank you,
:21:24. > :21:28.this week the development trust made a
:21:29. > :21:34.the sick kids is not just the hospital but a beloved institution
:21:35. > :21:39.for many people in Edinburgh and beyond, it's touched the lives of
:21:40. > :21:43.thousands including my own family. Will the First Minister give me and
:21:44. > :21:46.my community this submission which must be approved by ministers in the
:21:47. > :21:50.coming weeks will be treated carefully and seriously by the
:21:51. > :21:53.government. There are competing interests given that the government
:21:54. > :21:58.has an interest in the sale of the site but also must approve the bid
:21:59. > :22:01.is a ballad community interest bid, could the First Minister spell out
:22:02. > :22:07.the criteria and approach her government will use to assess the
:22:08. > :22:11.submission? I know how important these issues are when a much loved
:22:12. > :22:15.hospital is no longer used as a hospital in this case it is because
:22:16. > :22:19.we have a new sick kids hospital being built in Edinburgh but the use
:22:20. > :22:24.of that site and what happens to that for a community is important.
:22:25. > :22:27.The question that has been asked is that we as ministers make sure
:22:28. > :22:33.careful consideration is given for the application the member refers
:22:34. > :22:36.to, absolutely we will. I cannot pre-empt that consideration or that
:22:37. > :22:41.decision but generally and we see this through legislation, the
:22:42. > :22:44.community empowerment act and not just in cases like this, part of
:22:45. > :22:48.what we want to do is make sure communities are at the heart of
:22:49. > :22:52.plans for the regeneration and redevelopment of areas in their own
:22:53. > :23:00.areas and these principles and criteria will tell you much be used
:23:01. > :23:05.to judge the application. This week at the transport minister confirmed
:23:06. > :23:06.there had been over 700 separate deployments of temporary traffic
:23:07. > :23:24.lights to bring this strategically
:23:25. > :23:28.important road back up the standard? We don't want the use of temporary
:23:29. > :23:33.traffic lights where that can be avoided but I am sure all members
:23:34. > :23:37.and everyone listening to this will that in instances where we have for
:23:38. > :23:43.example roadworks or other might have been landslips or problems
:23:44. > :23:48.caused by weather often that's unavoidable as roads are repaired. I
:23:49. > :23:51.am happy to come back to the member on the detail particularly on the
:23:52. > :23:56.number of times temporary traffic lights have been used on that road
:23:57. > :24:02.but what I would agree is that we want to keep it to a minimum but
:24:03. > :24:06.sometimes repair work on our road system is unavoidable and it's
:24:07. > :24:16.necessary to make sure we have an efficient and effective road system
:24:17. > :24:23.across the country. Tuesday the 18th of April. Coming just a day after
:24:24. > :24:28.the UK Government signalled its form our intention to withdraw not only
:24:29. > :24:32.from the EU but the single market something even Leave campaigners
:24:33. > :24:37.promised would not happen and will rip away our freedom of movement and
:24:38. > :24:42.undermine recruitment and education, health, social care and that the
:24:43. > :24:44.economy, I personally find it astonishing to hear the
:24:45. > :24:53.Conservatives raise the issue of recruitment in public services. But
:24:54. > :24:58.today, today the UK Government is publishing its absurd repeal bill.
:24:59. > :25:04.Covering a huge areas of power which have no place being exercised by UK
:25:05. > :25:08.ministers. Can I ask what the First Minister's view is on the scope of
:25:09. > :25:10.that repeal bill Weston does she agree it must not be allowed to
:25:11. > :25:22.change legislation which a number of important points. He is
:25:23. > :25:27.absolutely right to point out that the biggest risk to recruitment in
:25:28. > :25:31.the public services right now is the one posed by the Conservatives in
:25:32. > :25:35.the form of Brexit and it's quite breathtaking hypocrisy for any
:25:36. > :25:38.conservative to stand up and talk about these issues without
:25:39. > :25:43.recognising the responsibility they bear. Secondly on the great repeal
:25:44. > :25:48.bill it's hugely important not just for this government but for this
:25:49. > :25:53.Parliament, one of the things which should concern everybody is the way
:25:54. > :25:57.in which Conservative ministers at Westminster echoed by Conservative
:25:58. > :26:02.Party members in this chamber choose their words so very carefully over
:26:03. > :26:07.this issue. They talk about not taking away any decisions that we
:26:08. > :26:11.already make as if we are somehow supposed to be grateful for that.
:26:12. > :26:17.But the issue of course around the great repeal bill is about power is
:26:18. > :26:21.currently with the EU, FBI to be repatriated in areas that are
:26:22. > :26:30.currently wholly devolved, agriculture, fishing, for example,
:26:31. > :26:32.where should those powers go? And other current terms of the Scotland
:26:33. > :26:35.act those powers should automatically come to this chamber
:26:36. > :26:39.but nobody in the UK Government and I discussed this with the Prime
:26:40. > :26:43.Minister on Monday but nobody in the Conservative benches will give that
:26:44. > :26:45.guarantee which leads me to suspect what the Tories are actually
:26:46. > :26:53.planning is a power grab on this Parliament. That will be absolutely
:26:54. > :26:59.unacceptable. When that happens I don't expect the Tories to back us
:27:00. > :27:05.up but at that point I will be looking carefully at the Labour
:27:06. > :27:08.benches because surely not even Labour in those circumstances could
:27:09. > :27:18.stay subservient to the Tories, surely even they would have to stand
:27:19. > :27:22.up for Scotland? It's not only the Scottish Government which should
:27:23. > :27:26.recognise the content being shown by the UK, it's all of this Parliament
:27:27. > :27:31.which should recognise that contempt, they have not only refused
:27:32. > :27:35.to discuss with ministers the timing of Article 50 or any of the other
:27:36. > :27:39.details of their plans, they have refused to come and answer questions
:27:40. > :27:44.to our parliamentary committees which would give all of us whatever
:27:45. > :27:48.our view on these matters the ability to ask serious questions so
:27:49. > :27:57.in the face, in the face of that content that has been shown to
:27:58. > :27:59.Scotland by the UK Government we want to put the power over
:28:00. > :28:02.Scotland's future back into the hands of the voters who live here.
:28:03. > :28:06.The UK ministers one that power for themselves, their ability to rebate
:28:07. > :28:12.laws without the normal checks and balances. This is the same UK
:28:13. > :28:17.Government which promised to write into law the permanence of this
:28:18. > :28:21.Parliament, the permanence of a parliament that 74% of people in
:28:22. > :28:27.Scotland voted to create and they abandoned that promise as well. So
:28:28. > :28:35.while UK ministers wish to seek for themselves that power to rewrite
:28:36. > :28:40.laws with the abuse of antique powers to bypass Parliament can I
:28:41. > :28:44.ask for the First Minister's commitment to ensure there will be
:28:45. > :28:47.full parliamentary scrutiny because it's not only one Parliament but all
:28:48. > :28:57.parliaments which need the ability to hold all ministers to account. I
:28:58. > :29:03.absolutely agree, and before we get to the usual arrogance sniggering
:29:04. > :29:06.from the Tory benches, everyone across this chamber who actually
:29:07. > :29:12.wants this Parliament to be respected should agree with Patrick
:29:13. > :29:16.because not just Scotland's but all of the devolved administrations have
:29:17. > :29:20.been treated with contempt by the UK Government so far in this process.
:29:21. > :29:24.Patrick Aryee rightly said we did not see the Article 50 letter, we
:29:25. > :29:31.did not know when it was going to be published, we did not know what it
:29:32. > :29:35.was going to say but to be fair that Prime Minister did give me an
:29:36. > :29:39.insight into its contents on Monday of this week, she told me and this
:29:40. > :29:43.is a direct quote, she told me the letter would be not detailed, not
:29:44. > :29:49.short but not blindly either. So I am grateful to her for that insight
:29:50. > :29:56.into the government is thinking. But in case anybody is thinking of
:29:57. > :30:01.course that this is just me as an SNP First Minister complaining about
:30:02. > :30:06.the UK Government people should listen to Carwyn Jones, the First
:30:07. > :30:09.Minister of Wales who yesterday said that in his view the devolved
:30:10. > :30:12.administrations had been treated with contempt and that it was the
:30:13. > :30:18.behaviour of the UK Government which was doing more than anything else to
:30:19. > :30:22.undermine the United Kingdom so I think it's important that everyone
:30:23. > :30:27.across the chamber stands up for the rights of this Parliament before we
:30:28. > :30:32.go any further in this process. The last point I would make which I'm
:30:33. > :30:37.sure the Conservatives in particular will be interested in, I have seen
:30:38. > :30:40.Ruth Davidson, and others, on Twitter furiously this morning
:30:41. > :30:47.talking about research published by John Curtis, let me point to a
:30:48. > :30:55.finding in this research. It asked respondents this question, what did
:30:56. > :31:00.they think of this statement, Scotland as a nation should not have
:31:01. > :31:07.to leave the EU when a majority of Scots voted to stay. A majority of
:31:08. > :31:13.people agreed with that statement. The fact of the matter is people do
:31:14. > :31:18.not want Tory Brexit, the question is what are we going to do to
:31:19. > :31:26.protect people from the impact of Tory Brexit.
:31:27. > :31:36.Supplementary questions, the first, Liam McArthur. This morning a
:31:37. > :31:39.damning report into victims of sexual crime was published,
:31:40. > :31:44.describing the service as -- that some received as unacceptable, sick
:31:45. > :31:47.epic and gaps in provision and we've fallen behind with best practice
:31:48. > :31:53.elsewhere in the UK. The report confirmed in the islands that is
:31:54. > :31:57.have to make traumatic trips to the mainland for examination, I know the
:31:58. > :32:00.First Minister and Justice Secretary feel that compounds the trauma they
:32:01. > :32:04.have suffered so will the First Minister give a commitment to update
:32:05. > :32:08.this Parliament as soon as we return from recess on the action tour
:32:09. > :32:14.government plans to take on the back of this report? Yes, I will be happy
:32:15. > :32:18.to ensure there is a full ministerial statement on this issue,
:32:19. > :32:23.I think all of us agree the consequences and impact of rate and
:32:24. > :32:30.sexual assault are devastating and we must do all we can to support
:32:31. > :32:35.victims when they supper this he must crime. -- rape. The Chief
:32:36. > :32:39.Medical Officer will chair a group of experts from health and justice
:32:40. > :32:43.to ensure health boards approve the provision of appropriate health care
:32:44. > :32:47.provision for any big who requires forensically examine and this will
:32:48. > :32:51.complement work that Healthcare Improvement Scotland is already
:32:52. > :32:54.doing to develop new national standards used by health boards,
:32:55. > :32:57.there'll be a consultation on the standards and it will be published
:32:58. > :33:02.by the end of this year. Many people talk about the importance of the
:33:03. > :33:06.sexual assault referral centre and that's a way of delivering this
:33:07. > :33:09.care, we don't think it will necessarily work for all of Scotland
:33:10. > :33:15.but it is vital in all of Scotland, that victims of sexual offences get
:33:16. > :33:20.the support they require. Liam McArthur rightly raises particular
:33:21. > :33:25.issues faced by Island communities, I know he is the MSP for Orkney but
:33:26. > :33:30.he'll be interested to know that NHS Shetland has a ready made a public
:33:31. > :33:33.commitment to provide an holistic approach to victims of rape and
:33:34. > :33:37.sexual assault and they are working to put in place the necessary
:33:38. > :33:40.equipment, accommodation and trained staff to ensure they can deliver on
:33:41. > :33:44.that and we will work with other health boards in particular and
:33:45. > :33:50.other Ireland health boards to make sure the same approach is taken. A
:33:51. > :33:53.final point which is important, many victims of this kind of crime when
:33:54. > :33:58.they have to undergo forensically examine a want that to be done by a
:33:59. > :34:03.female doctor for reasons that all of us can absolutely understand. One
:34:04. > :34:07.of the issues we've been trying to understand better is why more female
:34:08. > :34:12.doctors don't come forward to work in this area and weep in working
:34:13. > :34:16.with images education Scotland to understand that they carried out a
:34:17. > :34:20.survey that closed at the end of February and were working to analyse
:34:21. > :34:25.the responses. I recognise the report published today is not good
:34:26. > :34:29.enough and I have no hesitation in saying that, we have worked under
:34:30. > :34:33.way already to address the challenges and the group that has
:34:34. > :34:36.been announced today chaired by the Chief Medical Officer will make sure
:34:37. > :34:42.we take whatever further action is required. Andy Whiteman. Thank you,
:34:43. > :34:46.the First Minister will be aware of the excellent investigative
:34:47. > :34:56.reporting of David Smith and others in the Herald newspaper... Following
:34:57. > :35:10.a report on Monday the SLP involved in the long drink scheme, can the
:35:11. > :35:11.First Minister advise me whether the government is considering reforms to
:35:12. > :35:12.criminal or of Scotland, but would implement a crackdown on the litany
:35:13. > :35:15.of crime being perpetrated and does she agree a new offence of the
:35:16. > :35:20.carriers liability could be a way of holding to account individuals and
:35:21. > :35:24.firms involved in criminal activity in cases where they undertake no
:35:25. > :35:29.steps of due diligence on the identity, motives or purposes of
:35:30. > :35:33.partnerships they are responsible for creating. I thank him for
:35:34. > :35:38.raising this issue, let me pay tribute to the workers at the Herald
:35:39. > :35:41.for the work they've done to shine a light on some of these practices. We
:35:42. > :35:48.will continue to look at whether there is action we can take within
:35:49. > :35:53.our devolved powers to better tackle this issue. The issue of the
:35:54. > :35:56.carriers liability has been raised, per issues he will understand I
:35:57. > :36:03.cannot give him an answer today but I will ask the Justice Secretary to
:36:04. > :36:06.consider that option. As he and other members know, we are talking
:36:07. > :36:10.about the conduct of limit of partnerships, much of the solutions
:36:11. > :36:13.to the problems identified lie in the hands of the Westminster
:36:14. > :36:18.government, we have been pressing the Westminster government to act,
:36:19. > :36:21.SMP MPs have been particularly vociferous in doing so and we will
:36:22. > :36:27.continue to press for action there. But we will not shy away if we have
:36:28. > :36:30.the power to do that within our own powers and we will continue to look
:36:31. > :36:36.at that and I will ask the Justice Secretary to respond in detail to
:36:37. > :36:40.him in due course. Rhona Mackay. Thank you. Scotland has a great
:36:41. > :36:43.record in attracting investment, second only to London in recent
:36:44. > :36:46.years. Can the First Minister provide an update on inward
:36:47. > :36:53.investment and plans to reach out beyond our borders to attract jobs
:36:54. > :36:56.and growth to Scotland? It is really important particularly now that we
:36:57. > :37:02.give a message that Scotland is open for business. We continue to be
:37:03. > :37:07.considered as a prime business location for global companies
:37:08. > :37:11.looking for a foothold in and access to Europe. Just yesterday, I was
:37:12. > :37:16.able to visit a company in Glasgow to announce growth and expansion
:37:17. > :37:20.plans which involve more than 300 new jobs for the city. I hope
:37:21. > :37:27.everybody across this chamber would find it within themselves to welcome
:37:28. > :37:31.that. Yesterday that the Ernst Young attractiveness survey
:37:32. > :37:34.published regularly highlights recently be had a record level of
:37:35. > :37:38.investment projects in Scotland and of course for some years, we've seen
:37:39. > :37:42.that Scotland is the most successful part of the UK for inward investment
:37:43. > :37:46.outside London and the south-east. We need to work harder now to
:37:47. > :37:50.continue that success given the applications of Brexit, that's why
:37:51. > :37:55.we have been taking action for example, to establish investment
:37:56. > :37:59.hubs in Dublin, London and Berlin and next week, I'll undertake a
:38:00. > :38:03.series of engagements in the United States, focused on creating jobs,
:38:04. > :38:07.opportunities and economic links for Scotland. We'll continue to focus
:38:08. > :38:11.but withstanding all of the challenges we face that are not of
:38:12. > :38:15.our making in doing everything we can to bring jobs and investment
:38:16. > :38:19.here to Scotland. Kenneth Gibson. Thank you. To ask the First Minister
:38:20. > :38:25.for further initiatives the government will take to boost
:38:26. > :38:29.tourism in light of day 50 when 6% increase in attendance at Scottish
:38:30. > :38:33.visitor attractions in 2016. As the figures illustrate this has been a
:38:34. > :38:35.retro gear for leading visitor attractions as they again
:38:36. > :38:40.outperformed the rest of the UK in terms of growth visitor numbers. The
:38:41. > :38:43.success of the attractions will continue to play a vital role in
:38:44. > :38:47.making Scotland a destination of first choice from visitors from the
:38:48. > :38:51.UK and across the world and will work with those of Scotland and
:38:52. > :38:55.stakeholders to see how we can achieve the aims of the tourism
:38:56. > :38:59.strategy, delivering a greater degree of connectivity than before,
:39:00. > :39:06.through direct routes and maximising the impact of this key sector. I
:39:07. > :39:09.thank the First Minister. Last year was a bumper year for Scottish
:39:10. > :39:14.tourism with visitor numbers growing more than twice as fast as the rest
:39:15. > :39:17.of the UK, such attractions are vital in attracting visitors to
:39:18. > :39:21.Scotland whose expenditure serves to grow employment and a thriving
:39:22. > :39:24.tourism and hospitality sector. The ten most popular UK attractions are
:39:25. > :39:28.in London with the National Museum of Scotland the most visited with
:39:29. > :39:35.1.8 million visitors, in Ayrshire the top attraction a castle and
:39:36. > :39:39.country Park was 133rd. While a wide range of attractions and heritage
:39:40. > :39:43.Museum attractions are tracked high-quality experiences, what more
:39:44. > :39:46.can be done to encourage people to make Scotland a first choice
:39:47. > :39:53.destination but to visit areas such as are sure of Scotland? I
:39:54. > :39:57.absolutely sheer his focus on getting the benefits of tourism to
:39:58. > :40:00.all parts of our country, not just the cities or the most famous
:40:01. > :40:06.attractions and that someone born and brought up in Ayrshire I know
:40:07. > :40:09.there are many excellent visitor attractions including the castle.
:40:10. > :40:13.Scotland has so much to offer tourists, were not only steeped in
:40:14. > :40:18.history and heritage, we've got the best landscapes in the world, a huge
:40:19. > :40:21.opportunity capturing interest in marine tourism so we will continue
:40:22. > :40:26.to work with partners including in Ayrshire to implement for example
:40:27. > :40:32.the Marine A course. The J, first of kind in the UK and that will have
:40:33. > :40:35.particular relevance to Kenny Gibson's constituency. We work with
:40:36. > :40:39.everybody across Scotland to make sure we attract more people to come
:40:40. > :40:44.to Scotland, to spend money, to enjoy everything the country has to
:40:45. > :40:47.offer, tourism is one of the most important and successful sectors and
:40:48. > :40:53.we have to do everything possible to ensure it continues to be so. Jamie
:40:54. > :40:56.Greene. To ask the First Minister further Police Scotland plans to
:40:57. > :41:00.increase the number of foreign officers. The number of armed police
:41:01. > :41:04.officers is principally an operational decision for the Chief
:41:05. > :41:07.Constable who takes account of a range of factors including
:41:08. > :41:11.intelligence reports and threat and risk assessments. I spoke to the
:41:12. > :41:16.Chief Constable last week as I said in the chamber, after the tragic
:41:17. > :41:19.events at Westminster and he assured me he had the resources he requires
:41:20. > :41:25.to respond appropriately to that incident. That of course included
:41:26. > :41:30.the uplift in armed officers announced last year. Following the
:41:31. > :41:34.incident in London last week, we saw a substantial increase in the
:41:35. > :41:38.numbers of armed officers on duty here in Scotland and a confederation
:41:39. > :41:43.of resources to introduce a non-armed police presence the
:41:44. > :41:47.country as well. I thank the First Minister for that answer. This is
:41:48. > :41:52.indeed an operational matter for the police but we had very mixed
:41:53. > :41:55.messages yesterday. Police chiefs said they are already much better
:41:56. > :41:58.and don't see the need for more firearms officers. The Scottish
:41:59. > :42:03.Police Federation representing rank and file has said they don't have
:42:04. > :42:07.the capability right now to use armed police if required. Who
:42:08. > :42:11.doesn't First Minister think is right? We will always work to make
:42:12. > :42:17.sure the police have the resources they need. That is why in June last
:42:18. > :42:19.year, we agreed with the police although this was driven by the
:42:20. > :42:23.judgement of the Chief Constable, that there should be an increase in
:42:24. > :42:30.armed officers in Scotland 424, taking the total number to 479. In
:42:31. > :42:34.the wake of last week's incident it was possible immediately for the
:42:35. > :42:39.Chief Constable to substantially increase, I think, almost double the
:42:40. > :42:42.number of armed officers who were on duty. I and the Justice Secretary
:42:43. > :42:47.had discussions with the Chief Constable and his colleagues on a
:42:48. > :42:51.regular basis about policing in general, but given the threats we
:42:52. > :42:55.face right now in particular about the capacity and capability of
:42:56. > :42:59.police to deal with an increased risk from terrorist attacks. We will
:43:00. > :43:03.continue to do so and as part of discussions we continue to listen
:43:04. > :43:08.Catholic too what rank and file officers to the Scottish Police
:43:09. > :43:12.Federation tell us as well. Iain Gray. To ask the First Minister of
:43:13. > :43:15.what the Scottish Government's responses to reports that only one
:43:16. > :43:20.in 18 schools were inspected last year. Education Scotland is
:43:21. > :43:24.committed to increasing the number of and frequency of inspections, in
:43:25. > :43:27.future years, that's one reason why they've been undertaking a review of
:43:28. > :43:30.inspection approaches in consultation with schools and key
:43:31. > :43:35.stakeholders. These approaches will help support the achievement of
:43:36. > :43:40.closing the team and gap and raising the bar for all, in addition to
:43:41. > :43:45.inspections education Scotland provide support to schools, and in
:43:46. > :43:48.201516 carried out a review of every local ready and a specific
:43:49. > :43:57.inspection of the education functions. The fact is that
:43:58. > :44:00.education Scotland has not been increasing, it has been reducing the
:44:01. > :44:07.numbers of inspections and in fact, the rate is less than half of those
:44:08. > :44:13.carried out in 2007 from the SNP came to power. Does the First
:44:14. > :44:15.Minister not see that the problem is education Scotland is inspecting its
:44:16. > :44:23.own delivery of educational policy, and it's clearly in deciding to do
:44:24. > :44:27.less of that. Will she accept that the merging of the inspectorate into
:44:28. > :44:32.education Scotland was a mistake which should be reversed?
:44:33. > :44:36.APPLAUSE On the last point, these are matters
:44:37. > :44:39.that we are currently considering in the context of the education
:44:40. > :44:43.governance review which will report on to Parliament in due course. In
:44:44. > :44:54.terms of the trend in the last couple of years around inspections,
:44:55. > :44:58.in 14- fitting, there were 148... But as I said, education Scotland is
:44:59. > :45:01.reviewing its approach to inspection with a view to increasing the
:45:02. > :45:08.inspections but I have said I'm quite perplexed by his question. He
:45:09. > :45:10.seems to be saying fairly legitimately in some respects that
:45:11. > :45:13.there's not enough inspections in our schools but the reason I'm
:45:14. > :45:17.perplexed is that I remember very well the speech that his party
:45:18. > :45:22.leader made in this chamber in September 25th team, in response to
:45:23. > :45:27.me at learning the programme for government. Kezia Dugdale said this
:45:28. > :45:29.and this is a direct quote, the First Minister should immediately
:45:30. > :45:38.suspend all school inspection visits for one year. Had Labour been in
:45:39. > :45:43.power there wouldn't have been 143 inspections in our schools, there
:45:44. > :45:45.would have on zero inspections in our schools. Which is why I'm
:45:46. > :45:56.slightly perplexed by his question. To ask the First Minister what
:45:57. > :46:00.progress the Scottish Government has made on its commitment to reduce the
:46:01. > :46:05.number of working hours for junior doctors? The passionate campaigning
:46:06. > :46:09.of Brian Connelly following the tragic death of his daughter Lauren
:46:10. > :46:13.has already led to improvements in the hours junior doctors work.
:46:14. > :46:18.Working with the BMA and NHS we have ended the practice of junior doctors
:46:19. > :46:24.working seven nights in a row and that's a major advance and a tribute
:46:25. > :46:29.to Mr Conway's campaign. The number of hours worked by junior doctors
:46:30. > :46:34.has fallen from an average of 58 hours a week in 2004, 248 on average
:46:35. > :46:39.now. We are determined as the Health Secretary has said to go further and
:46:40. > :46:44.we are working with the BMA Scottish junior doctor committee to ensure
:46:45. > :46:47.minimum rest periods following night shifts and improvement to facilities
:46:48. > :46:53.whilst we work towards what remains the goal of 48 hour maximum week for
:46:54. > :46:57.junior doctors. I am pleased the first Mr raises the heroic effort of
:46:58. > :47:02.Brian Connelly who lost his daughter just before she was 24 as she was
:47:03. > :47:06.driving home after working as a junior doctor. I want to be directly
:47:07. > :47:09.from the letter to the Health Secretary just this week and I
:47:10. > :47:13.quote, you have broken your commitment to implement an actual
:47:14. > :47:18.working week of 48 hours with no averaging as you promised to me in
:47:19. > :47:23.writing. Doctors are still being scheduled to work 12 days in a row,
:47:24. > :47:28.some working over 117 hours between days off. You're caught to the Times
:47:29. > :47:32.in response is yet further evidence of your failure to treat this issue
:47:33. > :47:40.with the seriousness and urgency it deserves. Mr Connelly goes on, you
:47:41. > :47:42.blithely confirm that all junior doctor rotors in Scotland fully
:47:43. > :47:46.comply with the working time directive knowing full well that any
:47:47. > :47:50.compliance with the directive is only being achieved by a combination
:47:51. > :47:55.of averaging and the continuing failure to record actual working
:47:56. > :48:01.hours. He adds, sound bites for the press are no substitute for action
:48:02. > :48:05.and are a poor camouflage for the leadership required to tackle this
:48:06. > :48:09.national scandal. The excessive working hours cannot be justified,
:48:10. > :48:14.they are inherently dangerous and must change and change soon before
:48:15. > :48:18.there are even more deaths. The responsibility for it affecting the
:48:19. > :48:24.necessary change rests firmly upon your government 's shoulders so I
:48:25. > :48:27.ask the First Minister directly will she instruct the Health Secretary to
:48:28. > :48:39.apologise to Mr Connelly and get to grips with this scandal? Nothing I
:48:40. > :48:45.can say in this chamber will ever satisfy but I hope I can reassure Mr
:48:46. > :48:50.Connelly because he has campaigned on this issue and I think can take
:48:51. > :48:53.great credit from some of the improvements we have already made,
:48:54. > :48:58.when the Health Secretary wrote to Mr Conway in 2015 after she met him
:48:59. > :49:03.she said I believe we can commit to this which is the 48-hour maximum
:49:04. > :49:07.working week as the longer term aim but as I said I wish to be in a
:49:08. > :49:11.position to make this commitment within a form and achievable
:49:12. > :49:14.timescale and that remains our position. The later letter simply
:49:15. > :49:23.recognise that in order to deliver that we have to work with the BMA
:49:24. > :49:25.and the junior doctors committee and it would be worth, mentioning the
:49:26. > :49:28.times, it would be worth reading a letter in The Times two days ago
:49:29. > :49:33.from the junior doctors committee when it said it is vital for patient
:49:34. > :49:36.safety that rotors are well-designed and adequately staffed however
:49:37. > :49:41.rather than just focusing on working hours in one week and more effective
:49:42. > :49:44.way is to address specific risk areas. All we are saying is we are
:49:45. > :49:49.working with the junior doctors committee to work out how best we
:49:50. > :49:54.deliver the commitment we have. That commitment, to put it beyond any
:49:55. > :50:00.doubt as to work towards a maximum 48 hour week, that is what Mr
:50:01. > :50:04.Connelly wants us to do and along the way I would say thank you in
:50:05. > :50:08.great part to Mr Connelly we have already made a number of
:50:09. > :50:13.improvements, the end to junior doctors being rostered to work seven
:50:14. > :50:20.nights in a row was one of the LA demands made. It also is reducing
:50:21. > :50:24.the average hours from 58, down to 48. Progress has been made thanks in
:50:25. > :50:27.large part to Mr Connelly and I want to assure him today and the Health
:50:28. > :50:31.Secretary will be happy to meet with him again but I want to assure him
:50:32. > :50:37.today that we remain committed working with dollars to delivering
:50:38. > :50:42.that maximum 48-hour week. -- working with doctors. Thank you,
:50:43. > :50:46.that concludes First Minister's Questions. Closing with a
:50:47. > :50:49.substantial discussion about the health service and it was a health
:50:50. > :50:54.issue which was very prominent indeed earlier on during the
:50:55. > :51:03.exchanges, the question of implants, let's talk about that, I enjoyed by
:51:04. > :51:08.my journalistic colleagues, Simon, when I First Minister is addressing
:51:09. > :51:12.questions, if it is a generic issue or it's a vague topic of policy is
:51:13. > :51:18.one thing, but we are dealing here with women in pain and it was very
:51:19. > :51:22.powerfully raised by Kezia Dugdale and difficult for the First Minister
:51:23. > :51:26.to answer. It's never a good look for a government to have a scandal
:51:27. > :51:31.of any kind and then there is an enquiry and the victims call it a
:51:32. > :51:35.whitewash. The question and doubt it. They say things have been
:51:36. > :51:40.removed and it has been rewritten and then when you have the Education
:51:41. > :51:44.Secretary who ordered the enquiry still questioning it is a whitewash
:51:45. > :51:56.its a big problem. The Health Secretary. Yes, Kezia Dugdale did a
:51:57. > :51:58.good job addressing that aspect of it and making it personal, raising
:51:59. > :52:00.the case of the individual whose mother was suffering from this and
:52:01. > :52:03.it was extremely effective. The answer given was that all the
:52:04. > :52:05.information given to the enquiry has been published and was urging
:52:06. > :52:10.members to wait for the statement we expect this afternoon from the
:52:11. > :52:14.current Health Secretary. That's right, we will hear a statement this
:52:15. > :52:19.afternoon about what the government's response will be to the
:52:20. > :52:24.review. I agree it was very question from Kezia Dugdale, she is often on
:52:25. > :52:28.solid ground taking up these personal stories. This woman was
:52:29. > :52:33.often in terrible pain who could not be moved by her experience. Her
:52:34. > :52:37.daughter was saying she can hardly get out of bed to brush her teeth.
:52:38. > :52:42.It's obviously a very important issue which the government will need
:52:43. > :52:52.to do something about. And she personalised it again. Yes, asking
:52:53. > :52:57.if you, Nicola Sturgeon, would advise a relative to have this
:52:58. > :53:04.procedure. Yes, I think the first Mr was put on the spot there. Let's
:53:05. > :53:09.move to the questions initially raised by Ruth Davidson, on the
:53:10. > :53:15.subject of education, fewer teachers, she keeps returning to
:53:16. > :53:20.that point. I think the Tories think it's a rich seam, the Scottish
:53:21. > :53:24.Government's record on domestic issues is suffering somewhat both on
:53:25. > :53:29.education and the health service and other areas. I would expect them to
:53:30. > :53:31.focus on these issues, accused the Scottish Government of forgetting
:53:32. > :53:36.about the bread-and-butter stuff what they go after independence.
:53:37. > :53:40.They expect to enjoy. Nicola Sturgeon says it's not me that talks
:53:41. > :53:46.about independence, it is you talking about it endlessly. She did
:53:47. > :53:50.have a point we have to spend two and a bit days debating it, huge
:53:51. > :53:54.publicity around the boat and now we are expecting a big campaign from
:53:55. > :54:00.Nicola Sturgeon to try to force the Prime Minister to back down over the
:54:01. > :54:05.timing. The First Minister has just joined us for a photocall connected
:54:06. > :54:10.to I think Maggie 's cancer care centres, let's talk about the First
:54:11. > :54:13.Minister and the challenge on schools, the implicit challenge was
:54:14. > :54:18.you are neglecting the day job and she then read out her diary.
:54:19. > :54:26.Exactly, this is the old mantra, get back to the day job, education comes
:54:27. > :54:30.up usually from the Tories, sometimes Labour. But the First
:54:31. > :54:38.Minister was ready. She knew it was coming up, it always does. She had a
:54:39. > :54:44.good response, she said they are going to introduce a policy Tories
:54:45. > :54:52.support as well as introducing reforms. Patrick Harvie came back on
:54:53. > :54:57.the issue well later on, raising the issue that this is a convenient area
:54:58. > :55:01.for the Tories to divert attention away from the disaster they are
:55:02. > :55:07.responsible for which is Brexit. Sticking with Ruth Davidson, she
:55:08. > :55:15.mentioned because logician once but I think she got away with it. She
:55:16. > :55:19.turned a question about schools into a question about the constitution.
:55:20. > :55:23.They want to touch on the independence dying but they want to
:55:24. > :55:26.put Nicola Sturgeon under pressure on the bread-and-butter stuff, the
:55:27. > :55:31.problem with the defence on this is that she is saying we are trying to
:55:32. > :55:34.do this and that, you have been in power for ten years but at what has
:55:35. > :55:39.happened on your watch so it's quite an effective line of attack. The
:55:40. > :55:45.question arising out of the Brexit debate, coming most explicitly as
:55:46. > :55:50.the Brexit Minister goes by, it came most explicitly during the exchanges
:55:51. > :55:57.with Patrick Harvie, he was going hard on Article 50. Absolutely, it
:55:58. > :56:03.was such a huge day, we saw the letter going in, we saw an immediate
:56:04. > :56:07.hard push back from Europe on certain aspects, Angela Merkel in
:56:08. > :56:11.the timetable, now we have seen the great repeal bill today which will
:56:12. > :56:14.be an amount of work for this place, I have heard from certain place that
:56:15. > :56:18.displays could be sitting until midnight to deal with the
:56:19. > :56:22.legislation. That is not family friendly. On the great repeal bill,
:56:23. > :56:31.Patrick Harvie called it a absurd, is it? It will be challenging, it
:56:32. > :56:35.will take a long time to sift through, it's the process of
:56:36. > :56:39.bringing EU law back into British law and then there will be
:56:40. > :56:44.negotiations about what powers lied at Westminster or are devolved
:56:45. > :56:47.Scotland but I thought Nicola Sturgeon came back very strongly on
:56:48. > :56:53.this whole constitutional issue and the contempt with which I suppose
:56:54. > :56:58.the devolved parliaments have been held. She was not told, she was not
:56:59. > :57:03.given advanced warning of the letter and I think the other points was
:57:04. > :57:09.this meeting with Theresa May on Monday and Theresa May said the
:57:10. > :57:12.letter will not be detailed, won't be short but will not be lengthy
:57:13. > :57:20.either so I think that's another issue which will go down as now is
:57:21. > :57:27.not the time. On the subject of Article 50 and the great repeal
:57:28. > :57:31.bill, the devolved powers returning to Scotland? Getting the sense of
:57:32. > :57:37.what the Prime Minister said, I think she will create a UK wide
:57:38. > :57:40.framework and then devolved delivery and have flexibility, allow this
:57:41. > :57:45.place to have flexibility. Nicola Sturgeon called it a power grab. It
:57:46. > :57:51.is and it isn't, these powers are held by Brussels at the moment. The
:57:52. > :57:55.problem is if you have two separate systems, you create internal borders
:57:56. > :57:59.and it makes it harder for the UK Government to do trade deals if you
:58:00. > :58:08.have two separate systems so I think a bit like Social Security is
:58:09. > :58:11.heading now, we will get deep devolved flexibility but an overall
:58:12. > :58:17.UK wide framework. I would see it as a very dangerous risk of power grab.
:58:18. > :58:21.The Prime Minister in her speech to the Tory party conference said she
:58:22. > :58:26.wanted to keep areas such as agriculture coming back in devolved
:58:27. > :58:30.areas back at Westminster rather than devolved. There is no reason
:58:31. > :58:33.the Scottish Government and UK Government could not work on making
:58:34. > :58:39.sure that there is uniform regulation across the two areas.
:58:40. > :58:44.Thank you both for joining me. The photocall goes on in the background,
:58:45. > :58:53.the First Minister has departed, more on Brexit later today, much
:58:54. > :58:55.more, watch it on the BBC but from Holyrood, goodbye.