First Minister's Questions

:00:19. > :00:23.'S hello there. A very warm welcome to the Scottish parliament here at

:00:24. > :00:32.Holyrood. They are back for the start of the new term. Will it be

:00:33. > :00:35.domestic issues set out in the Scottish Government programme

:00:36. > :00:37.outlined earlier this week? Legs crossed to the chamber and my

:00:38. > :00:41.colleague. We return to First Minister's

:00:42. > :00:45.Questions. Questionable one. Thank you,

:00:46. > :00:50.presiding officer. Can I take this opportunity to congratulate Team GB

:00:51. > :00:57.on their success at the Olympics and which the Paralympics the same

:00:58. > :01:01.success. Also to ask the First Minister what she has planned for

:01:02. > :01:05.the rest of the day. Let me also take the opportunity to

:01:06. > :01:09.say a warm congratulations to Team GB on their stunning success but

:01:10. > :01:16.also to wish all of our Paralympians all of the success in Rio. The

:01:17. > :01:20.chamber will agree they are an inspiration to all of us and they do

:01:21. > :01:22.us proud. Later today I will have engagements to take forward the

:01:23. > :01:26.government 's programme for Scotland.

:01:27. > :01:30.Can I ask liver administered to spell out why the public will be

:01:31. > :01:33.made safer as a result of the Scottish Government breaking up the

:01:34. > :01:39.British Transport Police and absorbing it into Police Scotland?

:01:40. > :01:43.Scotland is being made safer by the decisions of the Scottish Government

:01:44. > :01:47.and more importantly by the actions of our police officers the length

:01:48. > :01:51.and breadth of the country. We have a situation in Scotland where crime

:01:52. > :01:57.is that a 41 year low and I think that is a credit to the police

:01:58. > :02:00.officers working in every community across Scotland. As Ruth Davidson

:02:01. > :02:03.knows, responsibility for the British Transport Police is being

:02:04. > :02:08.devolved to the Scottish Government and given that we have created

:02:09. > :02:14.Police Scotland and insured and efficient running police service, I

:02:15. > :02:16.think there is a strong case to also include British Transport Police

:02:17. > :02:21.within that framework while allowing them to continue to provide their

:02:22. > :02:25.specialist functions. This will be subject to legislation in this

:02:26. > :02:29.Parliament as I announced on Tuesday and I'm sure all members will want

:02:30. > :02:33.to participate in scrutiny of that. Similar to the programme of

:02:34. > :02:38.government on Tuesday, not a word on either why or how it would improve

:02:39. > :02:41.safety with the change. I think I know why. Since the Scottish

:02:42. > :02:45.Government first outlined its plans, I've received a series of e-mails

:02:46. > :02:49.from some of the 300 serving British Transport Police officers in

:02:50. > :02:54.Scotland and let me tell the first officer what some of them say -- the

:02:55. > :02:57.First Minister. If this goes ahead, the effect on policing services

:02:58. > :03:03.would be horrific. We are a specialist force for a reason.

:03:04. > :03:07.Cross-border crimes were potentially become unmanageable. Another officer

:03:08. > :03:10.was 17 years experience said, like many others imposed on us, this is a

:03:11. > :03:16.ludicrous idea with no consultation on those of us doing the job in

:03:17. > :03:19.hand. Another was 24 years service, I cannot understand how this

:03:20. > :03:24.decision can possibly be made without full consultation of the

:03:25. > :03:26.travelling public or even Police Scotland. The British Transport

:03:27. > :03:31.Police Federation said this week this change could leave the whole

:03:32. > :03:35.network unguarded. First Minister, why are the Federation wrong and why

:03:36. > :03:43.are serving police officers who keep us safe on the railways also wrong?

:03:44. > :03:47.We will fully consult and listen to all views. Let me quote the British

:03:48. > :03:52.Transport Police Federation just before this Parliament into summer

:03:53. > :03:58.recess, "We are fully involved in the consultation process". In a blog

:03:59. > :04:03.in August last month, the Federation chair and said, and again, I am

:04:04. > :04:07.quoting, "It is fair to say we are achieving a healthy working

:04:08. > :04:09.relationship with the Scottish Government". Those are the views of

:04:10. > :04:14.the Federation and I'm sure there will be a range of views across the

:04:15. > :04:17.British Transport Police and the wider public about the right course

:04:18. > :04:23.of action to take and we will consider that carefully. Let me

:04:24. > :04:27.direct clearly the issue in Ruth Davidson's first question.

:04:28. > :04:34.Integration will enhance railway policing through giving them direct

:04:35. > :04:38.access to the National resources of Police Scotland while ensuring they

:04:39. > :04:41.continue to carry on their specialist railway policing function

:04:42. > :04:45.and retain the expertise and capacity they already have but

:04:46. > :04:49.within the broader structure of Police Scotland. I think that is the

:04:50. > :04:52.right step to take but as we develop the legislation that comes report

:04:53. > :04:55.this Parliament, all members will have the opportunity to contribute

:04:56. > :04:59.and I'm sure many members of the public as well as members of the

:05:00. > :05:06.British Transport Police will take opportunities to contribute as well.

:05:07. > :05:10.She has only consulted on how to carry out the takeover, not whether

:05:11. > :05:13.it is right to do so. The First Minister should know that the

:05:14. > :05:17.British Transport Police themselves have laid out to other more

:05:18. > :05:22.practical options that are still consistent consistent with the Smith

:05:23. > :05:25.commission. People might accept the reforms if the British Transport

:05:26. > :05:31.Police were failing but the opposite is true. APG 3% of passengers say

:05:32. > :05:36.they are satisfied with the -- 83% of passengers say they are

:05:37. > :05:40.satisfied. Crime on our Railways has halved. Why is the Scottish

:05:41. > :05:44.Government imposing a reform that the system doesn't need to be

:05:45. > :05:49.tampered with? I think I have set out clearly the

:05:50. > :05:53.reasons I think this is the right thing to do. Why is this decision on

:05:54. > :05:57.the table now? Because of the devolution of responsibility for the

:05:58. > :06:02.British Transport Police. As Ruth Davidson rightly said, that the

:06:03. > :06:05.cross-party consensus within the Smith commission. Specialist railway

:06:06. > :06:09.policing expertise and capacity will be maintained and protected,

:06:10. > :06:12.allowing the British Transport Police to continue to deliver the

:06:13. > :06:16.excellent standard of service that Ruth Davidson has just said they

:06:17. > :06:22.deliver and crime on our Railways, just like crime generally is falling

:06:23. > :06:25.and is some of its lowest levels. By integrating the British Transport

:06:26. > :06:30.Police within the wider Police Scotland structure, we give the

:06:31. > :06:33.transport police access to the specialist and national resource

:06:34. > :06:47.that Police Scotland have access to dot

:06:48. > :06:51.that to me to be a common-sense way of proceeding. Perhaps it is so

:06:52. > :06:53.common sense that is why it eludes the Conservative Party. As we go

:06:54. > :06:55.forward, presiding officer, we will continue to engage with the British

:06:56. > :06:57.transport Federation and I would remind Ruth Davidson they appear to

:06:58. > :07:00.think they have a good relationship with the government. We continue to

:07:01. > :07:03.talk and engage with them. I think that is the right way to go forward

:07:04. > :07:07.and all members of this Parliament will have the right to contribute in

:07:08. > :07:10.the legislative process as normal. The shortened version of that is the

:07:11. > :07:16.First Minister thinks she knows better than police officers. But the

:07:17. > :07:20.fact is... It is hard to escape the conclusion that when it comes to the

:07:21. > :07:24.Scottish Government, good practice days second fiddle to shoddy

:07:25. > :07:28.politics. The transport Police Federation doesn't want this. Rank

:07:29. > :07:33.and file officers on our Railways don't want this and the public sees

:07:34. > :07:39.absolutely no need to change. Just as with the single police force, the

:07:40. > :07:45.SNP government wants to grab more control and run this through

:07:46. > :07:48.regardless. Last week the Scottish Government unveiled a massive

:07:49. > :07:51.listening exercise but they are turning a deaf ear to the police.

:07:52. > :07:55.Her government has made enough mistakes when it comes to police

:07:56. > :07:59.reform. Why not listen to those trying to stop you make another?

:08:00. > :08:06.Firstly, this is a government that has protected 1000 extra police

:08:07. > :08:11.officers on the streets while across the border, they have decimated the

:08:12. > :08:15.numbers on the street in England. Because of the dedication of our

:08:16. > :08:21.police officers, crime in this country is at a 41 year low and I

:08:22. > :08:25.think we need to give credit to our police officers. We are always told

:08:26. > :08:30.by Ruth Davidson that the Tories are going to be a strong opposition and

:08:31. > :08:34.we haven't seen evidence of it yet. Then she comes to this Parliament

:08:35. > :08:39.and suggests this government can just run through registration. She

:08:40. > :08:43.is always telling us we are a minority government so if we want to

:08:44. > :08:46.get it through we have to persuade people of the case. That is what we

:08:47. > :08:50.will seek to do and instead of coming to this chamber today and

:08:51. > :08:53.indulging in shoddy politics, perhaps Ruth Davidson can contribute

:08:54. > :09:02.constructively to the process when it gets underway!

:09:03. > :09:09.Question number two. Kezia Dugdale. To ask the First Minister when she

:09:10. > :09:12.will next meet the Prime Minister. I will be speaking to the

:09:13. > :09:18.pro-Minister regularly as we continue to discuss the allegations

:09:19. > :09:22.of Brexit for Scotland and the UK. Today we woke up to the news that

:09:23. > :09:25.900 Scottish children had found child lying in the last year

:09:26. > :09:33.contemplating suicide. That follows official figures showing waiting

:09:34. > :09:38.time targets for adolescent and mental health services were being

:09:39. > :09:41.missed. How many children and young people have waited more 52 weeks for

:09:42. > :09:45.treatment since the start of last year?

:09:46. > :09:52.There have been several hundred young people waiting more than 52

:09:53. > :09:56.weeks and that is far too many. One waiting that long is far too many.

:09:57. > :10:02.This is one of the important issues we have to deal with, not just as a

:10:03. > :10:06.government but also as a society in the years ahead. Demand for child

:10:07. > :10:11.and adolescent mental health services has increased by more than

:10:12. > :10:15.30% in the last two years. Actually I take the view that is a positive

:10:16. > :10:20.development. It doesn't sound like it but it does mean the stigma

:10:21. > :10:22.associated with mental health is decreasing and more people, in

:10:23. > :10:27.particular more young people are feeling able to come forward for

:10:28. > :10:40.help. Indies, the figure that Kezia Dugdale has quoted today from child

:10:41. > :10:44.lying are shocking figures -- two. That does mean that responsibility

:10:45. > :10:50.is on as to make sure that in the face of that rising demand we are

:10:51. > :10:55.building services to cope with that demand. We have increased funding

:10:56. > :11:00.and resources and we plan to further increase that funding and resources

:11:01. > :11:04.over the life of this Parliament. Kezia Dugdale. Thank the First

:11:05. > :11:09.Minister dot in the summer Labour revealed that 460 young Scots had

:11:10. > :11:14.waited over the year for the treatment they desperately needed.

:11:15. > :11:19.This weeks figure has seen that rise to 608. That is utterly shameful and

:11:20. > :11:24.nothing short of a national scandal. But it is also just the tip of the

:11:25. > :11:29.iceberg. Because since January last year, more than 9000 Scottish

:11:30. > :11:34.children have been referred to mental health treatment only to have

:11:35. > :11:38.that referral rejected or denied. And we don't know why. I'm sorry,

:11:39. > :11:44.First Minister, I don't consider that a positive development.

:11:45. > :11:49.Thousands of children seeking help have been turned away and if she

:11:50. > :11:51.can't explain it, will she task Health Secretary to commence a

:11:52. > :11:55.review? I will ask the Health Secretary to

:11:56. > :12:00.look into that. Of course they will be a number of clinical reasons why

:12:01. > :12:03.those referred are not given but that doesn't mean there will not be

:12:04. > :12:08.underlying reasons as well. I absolutely agree that the numbers of

:12:09. > :12:12.young people waiting too long to access services is not good enough,

:12:13. > :12:16.which is why I am absolutely committed, as we have been over the

:12:17. > :12:20.last few years, building up services. Since this government took

:12:21. > :12:29.office, investment in mental health services by the NHS has increased by

:12:30. > :12:33.almost 40%. The number of psychology posts has almost doubled in the

:12:34. > :12:36.period we have been in office for children and adolescents and we are

:12:37. > :12:41.one of the first countries in the whole world that set a target for

:12:42. > :12:44.access for children and adolescents to mental health services. I am

:12:45. > :12:48.readily acknowledging there is more work to do. That is why we set out

:12:49. > :12:53.in the manifesto and the spending commitments we set out for the

:12:54. > :12:56.health service in the manifesto, we outstripped those set out by Labour

:12:57. > :13:01.in their manifesto. As part of that we have committed to bringing

:13:02. > :13:05.forward a new mental health strategy and backing that by an additional

:13:06. > :13:11.?150 million of resources over this Parliament. So I do not deny and I

:13:12. > :13:15.do not take issue with Kezia Dugdale over the importance of this issue

:13:16. > :13:17.but I hope she will acknowledge the significant extra investment and the

:13:18. > :13:22.significant planned extra investment as well.

:13:23. > :13:26.Can I say to the First Minister the IST report says it exactly

:13:27. > :13:31.clinicians making these referrals, just to suggest it is a clinical

:13:32. > :13:36.decision to reject these referrals is a weak argument and I would ask

:13:37. > :13:40.her to look at it again. I would welcome that ?150 million

:13:41. > :13:44.investment. The Labour manifesto in May propose guaranteed access to a

:13:45. > :13:49.qualified counsellor for every high school in Scotland. It would cost ?8

:13:50. > :13:53.million. A fraction of what she has committed to spending and it is

:13:54. > :13:56.exactly the type of early intervention the First Minister

:13:57. > :14:02.tells us she supports. Given we are the only country in the UK without a

:14:03. > :14:06.national strategy for school-based counselling, can I ask today to

:14:07. > :14:10.seriously examine Labour's proposals we are publishing? If these figures

:14:11. > :14:16.today don't move the First Minister to ask, can I ask her what will?

:14:17. > :14:19.I think the last part of the question from Kezia Dugdale was

:14:20. > :14:24.unfair. I think there is not a single person in this chamber who is

:14:25. > :14:27.not moved by any young person coming forward, seeking help for mental

:14:28. > :14:32.health issues and to suggest the government is not serious in its

:14:33. > :14:35.attempt about tackling this, I don't think it's a fair comments. I would

:14:36. > :14:39.consider all and any suggestions anyone wants to make. If Kezia

:14:40. > :14:48.Dugdale wants to send the proposal, I will ensure the Health Secretary

:14:49. > :14:51.considers them. One of the things being considered as part of our plan

:14:52. > :14:53.for a new mental health strategy is a link worker in GP 's surgeries as

:14:54. > :14:57.well as schools. That is already under active consideration. It is

:14:58. > :15:06.under active consideration by Maureen Watt, who is the dedicated

:15:07. > :15:11.mental health officer that I elected after the election. We are building

:15:12. > :15:15.up to cope with increased demand but I would say to people across the

:15:16. > :15:20.chamber to recognise the context in which we are talking about this.

:15:21. > :15:23.This is not about resources having been reduced. Resources have

:15:24. > :15:27.increased substantially. The number of people working in this area has

:15:28. > :15:33.increased substantially. I mentioned psychology posts. The number of

:15:34. > :15:38.mental health officers working in Scotland is a local authority issue.

:15:39. > :15:41.Because demand is increasing significantly as well, we have to do

:15:42. > :15:45.more and that is why we have the plans we have in place to do more in

:15:46. > :15:49.terms of the strategy and the resources that back it.

:15:50. > :15:55.A local supplementary from Oliver Mondale.

:15:56. > :15:58.To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is

:15:59. > :16:07.taking to help avoid 140 potential job losses in engineering in my

:16:08. > :16:10.constituency which last week entered into Administration? An issue that

:16:11. > :16:16.would guarantee Scottish enterprise would pull out all of the stops and

:16:17. > :16:18.give future financial support in order to help assist the

:16:19. > :16:23.administrator in finding a suitable buyer?

:16:24. > :16:31.Scottish enterprise is already doing that. I was disappointed to hear

:16:32. > :16:35.that the company had entered administration, putting jobs at

:16:36. > :16:38.risk. This will be a difficult time for those affected and their

:16:39. > :16:43.families as well as for the local area. Scottish enterprise is working

:16:44. > :16:50.with the administrators to help them find a buyer for the business and

:16:51. > :16:53.retain as many jobs as possible. Of course, our organisation is engaged

:16:54. > :16:59.as well, providing support to those who may be faced with redundancy.

:17:00. > :17:03.They have contacted the company to offer support in the event that

:17:04. > :17:06.redundancies do proceed. But Scottish enterprise is working with

:17:07. > :17:12.the administrators to avoid redundancies taking place. Another

:17:13. > :17:18.local supplementary from Sandra White. Can I ask the First Minister

:17:19. > :17:21.what action the Scottish Government proposes to take in light of recent

:17:22. > :17:28.revelations regarding the investigation into the tragedy? I

:17:29. > :17:32.was concerned to read the revelations that Sandra White talks

:17:33. > :17:35.about. My thoughts and the thoughts of everybody in the chamber continue

:17:36. > :17:40.to be with the family and friends of all those who were killed and

:17:41. > :17:46.injured in that tragedy. Following the publication of the AAIB report

:17:47. > :17:48.into the tragedy, the Crown Office is conducting further investigations

:17:49. > :17:53.into some of the issues raised by that report. A fatal accident

:17:54. > :17:59.inquiry will also be held as soon as possible. It is right that all of

:18:00. > :18:05.the evidence can be tested in a public setting and then be the

:18:06. > :18:10.subject of a judicial determination. The Crown will keep families

:18:11. > :18:19.informed on their progress. Given the scale of this tragedy and the

:18:20. > :18:24.impact it has had, it is vital that the families get the answers they

:18:25. > :18:36.deserve. Question number three, Patrick Harvie. When will the

:18:37. > :18:40.Cabinet next meet? Tuesday. I was disappointed that the First

:18:41. > :18:42.Minister's colleagues at Westminster were unsuccessful in persuading the

:18:43. > :18:47.UK Government to take action on the scandal surrounding Scottish limited

:18:48. > :18:51.partnerships. Legal entities, which are openly marketed as tax avoidance

:18:52. > :18:56.vehicles, and which have been associated also with corruption and

:18:57. > :18:59.money-laundering. This is a scandal which the Greens first raised last

:19:00. > :19:03.year in the chamber and since then, there has been growing attention to

:19:04. > :19:07.it, including investigative journalism by the Herald and now a

:19:08. > :19:13.campaign from Oxfam in Scotland, who are calling on all politicians to

:19:14. > :19:17.back their statement against tax avoidance in general and calling for

:19:18. > :19:19.action on Scottish limited partnerships in particular. The

:19:20. > :19:26.Scottish Greens support that statement. Will the First Minister

:19:27. > :19:30.give her back into it as well? Yes, I certainly support those

:19:31. > :19:34.sentiments. I was also disappointed that the debate sparked by SNP MPs

:19:35. > :19:38.in the House of Commons did not result in the action that Patrick

:19:39. > :19:39.Harvie and I would have wanted. I was disappointed that the

:19:40. > :19:46.Conservatives voted against that amendment. It doesn't sit well with

:19:47. > :19:50.the new Prime Minister's stated commitment to taking on the

:19:51. > :19:57.unethical practices of some big businesses. So we need to be firm in

:19:58. > :20:01.saying that companies should pay the tax they are due, because those

:20:02. > :20:08.taxes are what fund the public services we all rely on. This is a

:20:09. > :20:11.reserved issue, but SNP MPs in the House of Commons and the Scottish

:20:12. > :20:16.Government, to the extent that we are able to, will continue to press

:20:17. > :20:19.for action in this area. I am glad to hear that, and I hope the

:20:20. > :20:23.Scottish Government will be vociferous in rattling the cages the

:20:24. > :20:27.UK Government on this matter. I know my colleague is in correspondence

:20:28. > :20:32.with ministers about this, and I hope every opportunity will be taken

:20:33. > :20:36.to use devolved responsibilities where they connect with the issue of

:20:37. > :20:39.tax avoidance. I have also called for the Scottish Government to

:20:40. > :20:44.restrict the availability of taxpayer funded support to

:20:45. > :20:49.businesses which indulge in tax avoidance, for example by using tax

:20:50. > :20:53.havens. Given that the First Minister has this week announced a

:20:54. > :20:57.new half billion pound fund to provide loans and guarantees to

:20:58. > :21:04.companies, surely we have a right to expect that such taxpayer funded or

:21:05. > :21:07.taxpayer guaranteed schemes are not available to the corporate

:21:08. > :21:11.kleptomaniacs who indulge in tax avoidance. Can the First Minister

:21:12. > :21:14.give us a guarantee that such taxpayer funded and government

:21:15. > :21:20.provided support schemes will not be available to tax dodgers? I was in

:21:21. > :21:24.the chamber the other day when Keith Brown answered a question on this

:21:25. > :21:28.point, I think from Patrick Harvie, although I could be wrong, where he

:21:29. > :21:32.said of course this is an issue we take account of in any schemes we

:21:33. > :21:36.are responsible for. The growth scheme is designed to help small and

:21:37. > :21:42.medium-sized enterprises, particularly those emerging newly

:21:43. > :21:46.into the emerging markets. We will continue to press the UK Government

:21:47. > :21:49.to take action on the issue that Patrick Harvie races, as well as the

:21:50. > :21:55.actions I have spoken about on the part of SNP MPs. The finance

:21:56. > :22:02.secretary Richard to Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for business,

:22:03. > :22:07.last month to ask that the SLP be included in the register of people

:22:08. > :22:11.with control as part of the small enterprise employment act of 2015.

:22:12. > :22:15.We will continue to press the UK Government to take action where they

:22:16. > :22:20.have responsibility, and where we have responsibility, we will act

:22:21. > :22:23.accordingly. The last point, which has been made in the chamber many

:22:24. > :22:28.times before, is that where we do have tax responsibility, we have put

:22:29. > :22:34.in place of the toughest anti-tax avoidance measures of anywhere the

:22:35. > :22:38.world. STUDIO: Something new next, topical questions which the First

:22:39. > :22:44.Minister has not seen. Last week, Ruth Davidson's office issued a

:22:45. > :22:50.comment on the former MP, questioning his right to comment due

:22:51. > :22:54.to the fact that he was an EU citizen. But rather than apologise

:22:55. > :22:58.over this offensive remark, Ruth Davidson first asked her spin doctor

:22:59. > :23:02.to apologise and when pushed, she lost that issued a contemptuous,

:23:03. > :23:05.sarcastic response which in no way acknowledges the seriousness of the

:23:06. > :23:10.issue. Does the First Minister agree with me that in the intense

:23:11. > :23:13.political climate caused by the EU referendum, all politicians have a

:23:14. > :23:17.duty to lead by example and set the right tone for political debate, and

:23:18. > :23:29.that Ruth Davidson should issue a personal apology without further

:23:30. > :23:32.delay? Actually, I saw Ruth Davidson laughed when that question was being

:23:33. > :23:36.asked, but this is a serious issue. The remarks made about Christian

:23:37. > :23:40.from Ruth Davidson's office suggesting that an EU citizen, even

:23:41. > :23:44.though they live here, does not deserve a say about the community

:23:45. > :23:48.they live in, I think are unacceptable. In the current

:23:49. > :23:51.climate, political leaders do have a responsibility to help set the tone.

:23:52. > :23:54.We heard this week that the Home Secretary has had to assure the

:23:55. > :23:58.Polish government that they were taking seriously the concerns about

:23:59. > :24:02.hate crimes committed towards Polish citizens in the UK. How much are

:24:03. > :24:07.these efforts undermined when the leader of the Conservatives in

:24:08. > :24:18.Scotland so casually dismisses what are completely unacceptable remarks

:24:19. > :24:20.about EU citizens? I think it's another day passes when Ruth

:24:21. > :24:22.Davidson fails to offer a full retraction and an unreserved apology

:24:23. > :24:25.for the remarks made from her office, the people of Scotland will

:24:26. > :24:36.be rightly entitled to question the character of the Conservative Party.

:24:37. > :24:43.Murdo Fraser. During the parliamentary recess, we saw the

:24:44. > :24:48.publication of the figures, which demonstrated that there is a union

:24:49. > :24:51.dividend worth ?1600 for every man, woman and child in Scotland,

:24:52. > :24:57.equating to more than ?7,000 for a family of four in one year. The

:24:58. > :25:01.First Minister claims to be concerned about the impact of

:25:02. > :25:09.austerity. Why would she impose this super austerity on Scottish families

:25:10. > :25:12.by taking this money away from them? I know the Conservatives are

:25:13. > :25:18.desperate to talk about anything right now except the uncertainty

:25:19. > :25:21.that they have visited on the Scottish economy in the form of

:25:22. > :25:24.Brexit. It is the Conservatives' reckless gamble over the EU

:25:25. > :25:28.referendum that has taken us to the exit door of the EU against our

:25:29. > :25:32.will, and it is the Conservatives' inability to answer questions about

:25:33. > :25:36.what Brexit might look like that is causing so much uncertainty for the

:25:37. > :25:39.Scottish economy. So I think it's about time, instead of

:25:40. > :25:43.scaremongering about other things, that we got some answers from the

:25:44. > :25:46.Conservative Party. Maybe the Scottish Conservative Party can

:25:47. > :25:55.answer the question Theresa May couldn't answer yesterday. Should we

:25:56. > :26:01.be in the single market, yes or no? Earlier this week, the First

:26:02. > :26:05.Minister am in her legislative programme, referred to the

:26:06. > :26:07.development of a strategic action plan reflecting the significant

:26:08. > :26:10.possibilities in terms of oil and gas decommissioning that would

:26:11. > :26:15.require facilities around the country. She may be aware that in my

:26:16. > :26:19.own constituency, it is under consideration for the development of

:26:20. > :26:25.such proposals. Drawing on the deep water harbour and the proximity to

:26:26. > :26:29.the North Sea, which WWF have said makes environmental sense, can she

:26:30. > :26:32.give an assurance to me and my constituents that developing the

:26:33. > :26:36.strategic action plan, Scottish enterprise will fully reflect the

:26:37. > :26:42.skills, resources and opportunities for development of those facilities

:26:43. > :26:45.in that action plan? Yes, I am delighted to give that assurance. I

:26:46. > :26:49.will ask the chief executive of Scottish enterprise to arrange a

:26:50. > :26:52.meeting between relevant officials there and Liam McArthur in order

:26:53. > :27:00.that the valid points he has raised are incorporated in that action

:27:01. > :27:03.plan. I wanted to ask the First Minister whether the Scottish

:27:04. > :27:06.Government will provide an update following the first meeting of the

:27:07. > :27:11.International Council of Education Advisers. The first meeting of the

:27:12. > :27:15.International Council of Education Advisers was very successful and

:27:16. > :27:19.also helpful. The advisers were able to share their experience of working

:27:20. > :27:23.in education systems around the world. The discussion was

:27:24. > :27:27.wide-ranging, but it had a focus on excellence and equity for all

:27:28. > :27:31.children. Going forward, the council will look at capacity building,

:27:32. > :27:37.collaboration and closing the equity gap, and it will meet again in

:27:38. > :27:41.plenary session in February. Teachers in the 21st century need to

:27:42. > :27:44.be critically informed, with professional values, knowledge and

:27:45. > :27:48.actions that ensure a positive impact on learners and learning. Not

:27:49. > :27:53.my words, but those of the General teaching body for Scotland. Does the

:27:54. > :27:57.First Minister agree with me that head teachers and local authorities

:27:58. > :28:00.must work collaboratively in planning appropriate professional

:28:01. > :28:03.learning opportunities for all staff, thereby ensuring that

:28:04. > :28:08.teachers can engage with educational research to develop teaching

:28:09. > :28:13.practice and thus contribute to closing the attainment gap? Yes, I

:28:14. > :28:17.agree. Injury that our teachers have opportunities for professional

:28:18. > :28:21.development is central to giving children the best quality education

:28:22. > :28:30.possible. That is why this year, we are investing ?1 million in Masters

:28:31. > :28:34.level training for teachers. I agree that learning opportunities are

:28:35. > :28:38.important and leadership will feature strongly in the national

:28:39. > :28:42.improvement framework. It already does feature strongly in the

:28:43. > :28:46.framework published by the Deputy First Minister in June. This was one

:28:47. > :28:50.of the key themes of the discussions at the council last week, the

:28:51. > :28:56.importance of supporting teachers to develop professionally as much as

:28:57. > :28:59.possible. Could the First Minister confirm whether her international

:29:00. > :29:04.panel of experts has provided the evidence that shows that there is a

:29:05. > :29:10.strong link between educational attainment rising and greater school

:29:11. > :29:16.autonomy? The council met for the first time last week. We are asking

:29:17. > :29:23.it to advise us and give the benefit of its opinion on a range of issues.

:29:24. > :29:26.But there is evidence about the link between school attainment and the

:29:27. > :29:30.amount of autonomy that individual headteachers have. That is why in

:29:31. > :29:34.the governance review that John Sweeney will published next week,

:29:35. > :29:41.one of the key themes which we will then consult upon is how we empower

:29:42. > :29:45.head teachers and give them more responsibility so that they are able

:29:46. > :29:49.to drive the improvement we need to seek. Our Council of education

:29:50. > :29:56.advisers will advise us on the best ways of doing that as we go forward.

:29:57. > :30:02.But that link is one we have already accepted in formulating a plan so

:30:03. > :30:06.far. It emerged this week that the only educational advice underpinning

:30:07. > :30:11.the Scottish Government's national standardised assessments amounted to

:30:12. > :30:15.four e-mails from two educationalists, and that most of

:30:16. > :30:19.their advice was not in fact taken. So even at this late stage, will the

:30:20. > :30:25.First Minister undertake to ask the International Council to examine and

:30:26. > :30:29.advise on this central policy? The Council advise us on all of these

:30:30. > :30:33.issues and it will do so on an ongoing basis. The last time I

:30:34. > :30:37.looked, although the way things change in labour, I could have

:30:38. > :30:40.missed something, the last time I looked, Labour were supporting the

:30:41. > :30:44.approach we were taking on standardised assessments.

:30:45. > :30:47.Standardised assessments are not tests, they are assessments to

:30:48. > :30:51.inform the judgments that teachers make about the performance of young

:30:52. > :30:55.people. It is important that they exist, I think, to make sure that

:30:56. > :30:58.that judgment has been informed in an objective way and that we are

:30:59. > :31:02.then given from that information that allows us to assess the

:31:03. > :31:05.attainment gap and set targets to close it so that we can be

:31:06. > :31:08.accountable to this chamber and to the wider public for the commitment

:31:09. > :31:12.we have given around closing the attainment gap. I am determined that

:31:13. > :31:17.we will do that. We will take advice from our Council and others, but we

:31:18. > :31:20.will be unwavering in our commitment to deliver the best education for

:31:21. > :31:22.all young people across this country.

:31:23. > :31:29.Question number five. Gordon Lindhurst.

:31:30. > :31:33.To ask the First Minister what measures the Scottish Government is

:31:34. > :31:36.taking to reverse the reported decline in inward investment as a

:31:37. > :31:41.share of UK total? We are looking in detail at the

:31:42. > :31:45.recently published Department Frinton on trade figures which show

:31:46. > :31:49.a small decrease in inward investment into Scotland in the last

:31:50. > :31:54.year. They have a different methodology to the specific figures

:31:55. > :31:58.published by Ernst and Young in May. They placed Scotland in the top two

:31:59. > :32:06.locations for foreign investment outside London in the last six years

:32:07. > :32:14.and showed 2015 in same record year, with a 51% increase over 2014. That

:32:15. > :32:20.reflects the important role SDI plays in attracting investment.

:32:21. > :32:24.Scotland is a great location but one of the key reasons that investors

:32:25. > :32:27.campaign is to have access to the single market, which is why it is so

:32:28. > :32:30.essential to retain that. I thank the First Minister for that

:32:31. > :32:36.answer and I am aware of the figures and the studies she refers to. VDI T

:32:37. > :32:42.figures are the latest ones and they show the reality is that investment

:32:43. > :32:52.in Scotland is down 9% on last year, new jobs are down 23% and Scotland's

:32:53. > :32:57.share of new UK project is down from six to 4.9%. Rather it is her threat

:32:58. > :33:00.that hangs like a dark cloud over Scotland of a further independence

:33:01. > :33:15.referendum that is to blame for that. Now... The question is, the

:33:16. > :33:23.people of Scotland have spoken in plain English, no Means no. When

:33:24. > :33:31.will the First Minister except that? First Minister. The Ernst Young --

:33:32. > :33:35.the Ernst and Young figures have a difference of a few months. Let me

:33:36. > :33:41.just wonder, what was the uncertainty hanging over the

:33:42. > :33:45.Scottish economy in the latter part of the financial year 2015-2016? The

:33:46. > :33:49.only uncertainty hanging over the Scottish economy at that point was

:33:50. > :33:55.the looming referendum on EU membership. I remember 2014 when the

:33:56. > :34:01.Tories went all over this country telling people that voting no was

:34:02. > :34:06.the only way to secure European union membership and now they have

:34:07. > :34:10.put that in jeopardy. The uncertainty facing our economy now

:34:11. > :34:16.is the reckless gamble of the Tories in taking us to the EU exit door and

:34:17. > :34:20.for those who have caused the problem, to try to blame those of us

:34:21. > :34:23.trying to find solutions is a bit like an arsonist trying to blame the

:34:24. > :34:31.fire brigade. The Tories should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

:34:32. > :34:37.Jackie Baillie. I'm sure that the First Minister

:34:38. > :34:42.does indeed share the disappointment because after a very positive inward

:34:43. > :34:46.investment figures, we are seeing a subsequent decline. We can argue

:34:47. > :34:50.over whose figures are right that it is the case that inward investment

:34:51. > :34:55.projects are down, jobs generated are down and when compared to the

:34:56. > :34:59.rest of the UK we appear to be doing less well. I absolutely disagree

:35:00. > :35:03.with Gordon Lindhurst. It is not a question that Brexit has no impact

:35:04. > :35:11.but it is the impact of both Brexit and continuing uncertainty over a

:35:12. > :35:14.potential referendum that has an impact on inward investment. What

:35:15. > :35:17.will the Prez Minister do to address this?

:35:18. > :35:21.It is not that long that Jackie Baillie did agree Gordon Lindhurst

:35:22. > :35:26.because she also travelled to Scotland in 2014, saying we had to

:35:27. > :35:31.vote no to protect our European union membership. She should reflect

:35:32. > :35:36.on that. Let me address directly the issue of membership because Scotland

:35:37. > :35:40.is a success story in inward investment. In the new climate we

:35:41. > :35:44.are in, we are going to have to work even harder to attract inward

:35:45. > :35:49.investment. That is why I announced the new investment and innovation

:35:50. > :35:53.hubs we are establishing in London, Dublin and Brussels and supporting

:35:54. > :35:57.Scottish enterprise and SDI and why we are announcing the initiative is

:35:58. > :36:01.to support the economy. Jackie Baillie can talk about uncertainty

:36:02. > :36:06.but the problem for Labour is there is one certainty right now if Labour

:36:07. > :36:10.doesn't get its act together. Owen Smith has said it, Kezia Dugdale has

:36:11. > :36:14.said it and that is the certainty of Scotland being governed by the

:36:15. > :36:19.Tories for 20 years. Jackie Baillie and Labour have nothing to say about

:36:20. > :36:23.that so we get on with the job of supporting the Scottish economy and

:36:24. > :36:29.we will leave Labour to steer you in the juice of their own making. -- to

:36:30. > :36:34.bubble in the juice of their own making.

:36:35. > :36:39.To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will convene

:36:40. > :36:41.a working group of ScotRail representatives, passenger

:36:42. > :36:46.disability groups and trade unions to review and report on safer train

:36:47. > :36:52.services? We welcome information on how to

:36:53. > :36:58.improve. Elaine Smith will be aware of forums such as the stakeholder

:36:59. > :37:03.equality group and advisory groups which include attendees from

:37:04. > :37:12.passenger and mobility groups. We will be ensuring disabled people are

:37:13. > :37:17.involved in all aspects of improvement. We must respect the

:37:18. > :37:20.remit of the independent safety regulator in overseeing safe

:37:21. > :37:24.operation of our railway, which is one of the safest in Europe. The

:37:25. > :37:29.transport minister will be happy to meet with Elaine Smith to discuss

:37:30. > :37:33.this issue if she is interested. Thank you, presiding officer. I

:37:34. > :37:37.think rail passengers in Scotland and particularly those with

:37:38. > :37:41.disabilities and RMT members in the gallery today will be a bit

:37:42. > :37:47.disappointed by that response, that there will be a working group

:37:48. > :37:54.convened. Is she aware that thousands of claims are operated by

:37:55. > :37:59.ScotRail without a second member of staff on board? The guard role is

:38:00. > :38:02.not just about operating doors but it involves numerous

:38:03. > :38:06.responsibilities around passenger safety, comfort and security and

:38:07. > :38:10.given the current suspension of strike action I would be very

:38:11. > :38:14.pleased to accept the offer to meet with the transport minister to

:38:15. > :38:19.discuss how we can guarantee the safest possible operating procedures

:38:20. > :38:23.on our trains. Elaine Smith raises important

:38:24. > :38:27.issues. The transport minister will engage fully with her and other

:38:28. > :38:32.members and the RMT and other unions. I think it is important to

:38:33. > :38:38.point out that in terms of driver controlled operation, the rail

:38:39. > :38:41.safety regulator and the standards board has publicly confirmed in

:38:42. > :38:47.their view it is a safe method of working. They did that because they

:38:48. > :38:53.were asked to reaffirm their view in the context of the recent dispute.

:38:54. > :38:56.Positively, and Elaine Smith has indicated, industrial action has now

:38:57. > :39:00.been suspended where both parties are looking to work through an

:39:01. > :39:05.agreement. I hope that process ends in a positive agreement and we can

:39:06. > :39:09.look forward to a situation in the months ahead when passengers don't

:39:10. > :39:15.have any further disruptions to the services they rely on.

:39:16. > :39:19.To ask the First Minister for what reason more than a quarter of

:39:20. > :39:22.training places in GPs surgeries are not taken up by the end of the 2016

:39:23. > :39:28.recruitment round? Firstly, I'm kind of surprised Alex

:39:29. > :39:34.Cole-Hamilton intern doesn't know we are not at the end of the

:39:35. > :39:37.recruitment round yet. For the first round of advertising, three quarters

:39:38. > :39:42.of cases have been filled so far and even at this interim age, we have

:39:43. > :39:47.recruited 4% more year one GP trainees than when the full process

:39:48. > :39:51.was completed last year. This summer a second round has started which

:39:52. > :39:55.advertises a further 100 places and this takes the total number of

:39:56. > :40:01.places being advertised to recruitment to 439, which exceeds

:40:02. > :40:06.our target of 400 places. This year we are also offering ?20,000

:40:07. > :40:11.bursaries for harder to fill places. As we take all GPs in training into

:40:12. > :40:19.account, not just the one entrance. The current rate is 92%.

:40:20. > :40:22.I think the First Minister for and so. Nevertheless it is clear from

:40:23. > :40:26.these statistics that making places available does not necessarily mean

:40:27. > :40:32.trainees will emerge to fill them. In the euro since the Liberal

:40:33. > :40:35.Democrats repeatedly raised the GP crisis at First Minister's

:40:36. > :40:41.Questions, we have lost a further 90. One in four patients present to

:40:42. > :40:45.Scottish surgeries with underlying mental health conditions. Does the

:40:46. > :40:52.First Minister agree that we can relieve practices like those in my

:40:53. > :40:56.own constituency in Edinburgh West by appointing full time mental

:40:57. > :41:00.health practitioners, not just link workers, in every surgery in

:41:01. > :41:04.Scotland? Firstly, I do agree very much with

:41:05. > :41:08.Alex Cole-Hamilton. It is not just advertising position that counts, it

:41:09. > :41:11.is filling them with doctors. That is why I hoped he would have

:41:12. > :41:15.welcomed the fact that at this interim stage in 2016 we are already

:41:16. > :41:19.ahead of where we were at the end of last year 's process. There is still

:41:20. > :41:23.work to be done but clear process being made and we are taking a

:41:24. > :41:28.number of steps including the bursary I spoke about to make sure

:41:29. > :41:31.we bursaries in harder to fill areas are more attractive for doctors to

:41:32. > :41:39.take them up. Entrance of relieving pressure on GPs, that is why we are

:41:40. > :41:42.working with GPs to transform primary care. We are going to

:41:43. > :41:48.introduce link workers into GP surgeries, which addresses the point

:41:49. > :41:53.Alex Cole-Hamilton has made about mental health support. We have made

:41:54. > :41:57.sure that all GPs have access to an advanced from of this and bolstering

:41:58. > :42:02.the skills of the professional with advanced nurses and looking to

:42:03. > :42:06.recruit 1000 new paramedics to work in community settings which takes

:42:07. > :42:12.the pressure off not just GPs but emergency services. I want to thank

:42:13. > :42:16.GPs for the incredible work they do and we are determined to work with

:42:17. > :42:19.them to make sure we have a primary care system and the health system

:42:20. > :42:25.that is fit for the challenges of the future.

:42:26. > :42:31.To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is ensuring

:42:32. > :42:37.accelerated funding and additional business on Brexit uncertainty?

:42:38. > :42:41.Earlier this week I announced we intended to use the strength of the

:42:42. > :42:48.balance sheet to establish a growth fund. Over three years this will

:42:49. > :42:56.provide SMEs with ?500,000 of investment and up to ?5 million of

:42:57. > :42:58.eligible business. We also announced a capital investment package.

:42:59. > :43:08.Including ?20 million investment in energy saving for homes. ?10 million

:43:09. > :43:12.that will go towards local economic development projects across the

:43:13. > :43:16.country. All of that spending is accelerated into this financial

:43:17. > :43:21.year. Responding to the Federation of Small Businesses we have also

:43:22. > :43:24.created a point of contact, enabling individual companies to submit any

:43:25. > :43:30.questions they have about the impact of Brexit.

:43:31. > :43:34.And I think the First Minister for that answer? Does she agree it is

:43:35. > :43:36.high time the British government followed her lead and announce their

:43:37. > :43:47.own economic stimulus package, rather than continue to repeat their

:43:48. > :43:53.meaningless mantra of Brexit means Brexit?

:43:54. > :44:01.On the 10th of August when I announced the package, I called on

:44:02. > :44:04.the UK to urgently develop its own plans. We haven't alleviated

:44:05. > :44:09.uncertainty. We don't know what the date of the Autumn Statement is yet,

:44:10. > :44:15.for goodness sake, that is the state of the uncertainty in golfing the

:44:16. > :44:18.government -- engulfing the government. There are concerns that

:44:19. > :44:24.the damage to the economy and jobs from the Brexit decision and

:44:25. > :44:27.confusion of the UK Government will be severe and long-lasting. This

:44:28. > :44:30.Parliament has given the Scottish Government a mandate to protect

:44:31. > :44:36.Scottish interests and that is what we will do.

:44:37. > :44:40.The First Minister and reassure our farming ministers across Scotland

:44:41. > :44:43.that the shambles of this year 's direct farm payments won't be

:44:44. > :44:48.repeated in the coming to you because never mind accelerated

:44:49. > :44:51.payments, I had from us at my door at the weekend telling me they

:44:52. > :44:57.haven't received payments from nine months ago.

:44:58. > :45:00.Well, as we have said previously we acknowledge our shortcomings when it

:45:01. > :45:05.comes to making payments to farmers this year and we have apologised for

:45:06. > :45:11.that. I will do that again today. In terms of where we are in terms of

:45:12. > :45:19.the 5th of September 18,300 eligible farmers over 17,000, I've got

:45:20. > :45:26.payment. We have paid loans to those who are still awaiting the payment.

:45:27. > :45:30.Fergus will make a full update on the 13th of September and as well as

:45:31. > :45:34.giving an update on payments for this year he will also set out the

:45:35. > :45:39.intentions in terms of the 2016 payments.

:45:40. > :45:39.Thank you, First Minister. That concludes First Minister's

:45:40. > :45:49.Questions. There we have it. 45 minutes is

:45:50. > :45:52.about to be the norm. It is an experiment by presiding officer Ken

:45:53. > :45:57.Mackintosh, but it seems likely to be the norm to have that extension.

:45:58. > :46:01.He also brought in some new questions, supplement is from

:46:02. > :46:05.backbenchers on general points, not just constituency points, in an

:46:06. > :46:09.effort to get the backbenchers more involved. But of course, it was the

:46:10. > :46:13.frontbenchers who were dominant. I am joined by two journalistic

:46:14. > :46:17.colleagues, Severin Carrell and Lindsay McIntosh. Let's go through

:46:18. > :46:21.what Ruth Davidson majored on, British Transport Police being

:46:22. > :46:29.integrated as part of the Smith commission proposals into transport

:46:30. > :46:32.proposals. Does she have a point? She does and she doesn't. There is a

:46:33. > :46:37.separate UK-wide force in Scotland, which controls railwa policing,

:46:38. > :46:42.which was agreed by the Smith commission, the Tory government at

:46:43. > :46:51.the time. The problem now is that we are now getting some classic

:46:52. > :46:55.political divides. The Scottish National Party naturally want to

:46:56. > :46:59.defend the process of devolution. The problem is that the British

:47:00. > :47:03.Transport Police obviously feels that it has been caught in the

:47:04. > :47:07.middle of a different form of political dispute. Ruth Davidson is

:47:08. > :47:13.probably accurate in saying that the police themselves are unhappy with

:47:14. > :47:17.that. Ruth Davidson read out e-mails from serving officers, which is

:47:18. > :47:21.always a potent thing to do because they are literally the guys on the

:47:22. > :47:25.front line of this. It seemed that the First Minister didn't try to

:47:26. > :47:30.flatten that. She will have to listen to these concerns. Yes. I

:47:31. > :47:33.think Davidson will score points on that. She will score points on the

:47:34. > :47:37.nature of the consultation the Scottish Government has put out. The

:47:38. > :47:43.Scottish Government are saying, how do we do this, not why are we doing

:47:44. > :47:46.this? The white question was actually answered by the Smith

:47:47. > :47:50.commission in 2015. So we have moved beyond that. But it is not going to

:47:51. > :47:53.go away and I think as the legislation comes forward, it will

:47:54. > :48:03.become another potent argument and the old binary divisions, Unionism

:48:04. > :48:08.versus devolution. The Conservatives raised concerns about the operation

:48:09. > :48:13.of a single force, which perhaps adds to anxieties that are already

:48:14. > :48:18.there. Yes, it is a potent ground because we know the amalgamation of

:48:19. > :48:22.the regional police forces into Scotland was not a smooth procedure.

:48:23. > :48:27.And we know the SNP are quite weak on that. So for Ruth Davidson to

:48:28. > :48:30.throw in, you were not good at that, how can we trust you to do the

:48:31. > :48:37.British Transport Police properly, is quite good politically for her.

:48:38. > :48:40.The Smith commission agreed to devolve powers to the SNP

:48:41. > :48:46.government, so what is the SNP government going to do with it?

:48:47. > :48:50.Let's turn to the question raised by Kezia Dugdale for Labour, the hugely

:48:51. > :48:54.sensitive topic of mental health care for children. The First

:48:55. > :49:00.Minister was arguing that the fact that people were coming forward was,

:49:01. > :49:04.and she admitted herself that it was a perverse argument, that could be

:49:05. > :49:11.seen as positive. Kezia Dugdale didn't see it that way. No. That is

:49:12. > :49:14.clearly a point that everybody would acknowledge, that stigmatisation is

:49:15. > :49:18.to an extent reduced around mental ill-health, but more people will

:49:19. > :49:22.come forward with problems and seek help. That is a good thing, but the

:49:23. > :49:26.issue is whether they are getting the help they need. There were two

:49:27. > :49:32.clear points from Kezia Dugdale. One was that the 18 week waiting time is

:49:33. > :49:37.not being met. Indeed, it is being absolutely missed by a year in some

:49:38. > :49:41.cases. The other was that hundreds of teenagers are coming forward,

:49:42. > :49:46.recommended for treatment by their clinicians, and they are being

:49:47. > :49:50.rejected. The issue with this is that its decisions are being made by

:49:51. > :49:54.an SNP government which has been in power for nine years. They are now

:49:55. > :49:58.having to deal with problems which they have perhaps either created or

:49:59. > :50:04.certainly not solved. They can't blame it on the last guys any more.

:50:05. > :50:07.This is an important issue which the public are rightly very interested

:50:08. > :50:12.in, and it is difficult for Nicola Sturgeon to deal with. We can see

:50:13. > :50:19.all the members flooding down the stairs now. They may be talking

:50:20. > :50:24.about the police issue or the mental health question, or the one in the

:50:25. > :50:29.foreground all the time, Brexit. It came up again. You have a competing

:50:30. > :50:33.narrative now. Tories, it is your fault for doing the Brexit

:50:34. > :50:37.referendum in the first place. The Tories say yes, but hang on, Nicola

:50:38. > :50:41.Sturgeon, you are about to make it worse if you contemplate an

:50:42. > :50:47.independence referendum. It is the same dichotomy from before. You have

:50:48. > :50:50.two binary forces, both with big cudgels to hit each other over the

:50:51. > :50:54.head with. A lot of this takes place inside the distinct, rarefied

:50:55. > :51:00.atmosphere of First Minister's Questions. Outside here, there are

:51:01. > :51:06.still an underlying uncertainty about the future and about the

:51:07. > :51:12.present. The question about the Scottish economy's vulnerabilities

:51:13. > :51:14.are being exposed and debated by Scottish economists, Scottish

:51:15. > :51:19.business leaders and so forth. There are specific issues in Scotland,

:51:20. > :51:24.which undoubtedly Brexit could amplify. But then on Brexit, there

:51:25. > :51:29.are so many uncertainties. Lots of data suggests that actually, the UK

:51:30. > :51:32.economy is more resilient than some of the doomsayers expected. That

:51:33. > :51:36.could be good for the Scottish national party when it comes to the

:51:37. > :51:39.second independence referendum, ironically. But we don't know how

:51:40. > :51:44.badly damaged the UK economy will be. If it is badly damaged, Nicola

:51:45. > :51:50.Sturgeon's Cudjo will become even larger. I will come back to you both

:51:51. > :51:53.in the second. As I mentioned at the outset, it was a reformed First

:51:54. > :51:56.Minister's Questions today, the presiding officer determined to get

:51:57. > :52:00.more backbenchers involved in an effort to put more scrutiny upon the

:52:01. > :52:05.First Minister. That is the objective of parliament, after all.

:52:06. > :52:07.We have been speaking to a senior academic, Paul Kenny, who believes

:52:08. > :52:12.that Parliament needs to go further in terms of reform. He is looking at

:52:13. > :52:16.the scrutiny, and he is suggesting, goodness me, that there might have

:52:17. > :52:27.to be more MSPs. Here is what he said. You say we need more MSPs.

:52:28. > :52:30.That is a tough sell to the public. Almost impossible, because people

:52:31. > :52:35.think of the cost and wonder what they are going for the money. But

:52:36. > :52:38.the way things are going, the committees seem too stretched to

:52:39. > :52:44.deal with the things they are doing already. If you add things on, you

:52:45. > :52:47.are pretty much guaranteeing reduced accountability and scrutiny. The

:52:48. > :52:52.original idea of the committee was that it would be a career in itself,

:52:53. > :52:57.that MSPs would forge real expertise on these committees and bring that

:52:58. > :53:03.to bear in scrutiny. Are you saying they are too thinly stretched to do

:53:04. > :53:07.that? Yeah. It is ironic, because you get that in Westminster. You get

:53:08. > :53:12.these backbench MPs who make a career out of chairing a committee.

:53:13. > :53:15.But it seems to me, particularly if you are in the governing party, you

:53:16. > :53:20.don't have the opportunity to do that. The party has too much

:53:21. > :53:24.control. And yet Nicola Sturgeon has given up control in the sense that

:53:25. > :53:28.the parliamentary aides will no longer sit on the committees,

:53:29. > :53:35.scrutinising their own minister. But that seems to be the most visible

:53:36. > :53:40.worst excess of the party. However it works in public, they have still

:53:41. > :53:46.got control over who chairs the committee and therefore who sets the

:53:47. > :53:48.agenda and who gets to speak. Of course, if you remove these

:53:49. > :53:52.parliamentary aides from the committee, there are still all that

:53:53. > :53:59.work to be done, but it is a smaller pool of backbench MPs able to do

:54:00. > :54:02.that. Yeah, or they will move to a different committee. It is

:54:03. > :54:08.unrealistic to think that suddenly, the SNP will not coordinate their

:54:09. > :54:14.activities. What is wrong with that? It is understandable, isn't it? It

:54:15. > :54:16.is OK if we are honest about the results, particularly during a

:54:17. > :54:21.majority government. You simply accept that the governing party will

:54:22. > :54:24.control the business of Parliament, it will produce the most policy and

:54:25. > :54:31.parliament will scrutinise at the edges. But it will not be the idea

:54:32. > :54:35.of a power-sharing relationship. Does this have a real impact? Other

:54:36. > :54:40.public losing as a consequence of what you believe is scrutiny that

:54:41. > :54:43.falls short of what is desirable? I think so, because the whole idea of

:54:44. > :54:49.our unicameral system is that you get it right in the beginning. There

:54:50. > :54:55.is no revising chamber. Instead, you have a Scottish Government that

:54:56. > :55:00.knows it can present a draft acts to Parliament, and nine times out of

:55:01. > :55:05.ten, it will not change much. They will not face too much opposition. I

:55:06. > :55:12.don't see the high stakes for the government to get it right. So you

:55:13. > :55:17.are saying we need more MSPs to do the work and you need committees

:55:18. > :55:20.with more clout? I think so. Probably the best value is in

:55:21. > :55:25.beefing up the administrative side of that so that if you don't have

:55:26. > :55:30.many MSPs who have the ability or willingness to pay attention for

:55:31. > :55:36.long, you have great staff that say exactly what is going on in here are

:55:37. > :55:41.the key issues for stop staff novel parties, but for the committees

:55:42. > :55:45.themselves. Yes, so they have a nonpartisan role, but they are

:55:46. > :55:51.interested in the details. They can develop expertise themselves, know

:55:52. > :55:55.what works for MSPs. That would be the business like I expect. How

:55:56. > :56:08.about the idea of a revising chamber? It sounds good. The ones I

:56:09. > :56:12.have seen are expensive. So you are sceptical about that? I think they

:56:13. > :56:19.would just whip two chambers instead of one. When you look at the

:56:20. > :56:26.prospects, are you optimistic? Well, I suppose I am saying we should keep

:56:27. > :56:30.our expectations low. We were talking about a new politics, better

:56:31. > :56:35.than Westminster. I don't think we can claim that any more. Paul

:56:36. > :56:42.Cairney, giving his views. Let's chat about that briefly. Lindsay

:56:43. > :56:47.McIntosh, he is talking about more MSPs. That is a hard sell. It is.

:56:48. > :56:51.One of the key issues is that this parliament was set up in 1999, when

:56:52. > :56:55.there were limited devolved powers given to this government. It was

:56:56. > :56:59.known as a pocket money Parliament. It is now certainly not that. It has

:57:00. > :57:03.got tax-raising powers and it is getting a lot more power to the

:57:04. > :57:08.Scotland act over tax, social security and issues like abortion

:57:09. > :57:17.and gambling. That is a powerful Parliament and it needs to be able

:57:18. > :57:19.to consider these issues seriously and to have them scrutinised. So

:57:20. > :57:22.perhaps it is time for reform. However, as you say, firstly, it is

:57:23. > :57:28.not a very sexy area, as important as it is. Secondly, what is the

:57:29. > :57:33.solution? More MSPs? How do you sell that to the public? I don't agree

:57:34. > :57:40.that more MSPs are needed. I think the committees need to change. The

:57:41. > :57:43.Parliamentary committee around committees... The Westminster

:57:44. > :57:46.tradition is that the chairperson of an important committee regards

:57:47. > :57:50.themselves first and foremost as being there on behalf of Parliament.

:57:51. > :57:54.They are tough and aggressive with every party, no matter whether they

:57:55. > :57:58.are part of that party or not. That tradition is not upheld in this

:57:59. > :58:03.place. Committees here are often weak and hamstrung by party

:58:04. > :58:07.loyalties, and frequently produce poor reports as a result. Thanks

:58:08. > :58:13.very much. That is the end of our coverage of First Minister's

:58:14. > :58:41.Questions. From me, Brian Taylor, bye-bye.

:58:42. > :58:46.In an unforgiving time, Scotland had its heroes.