►
From YouTube: General Questions - 26 September 2019
Description
Published by the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body.
www.parliament.scot // We do not facilitate discussions on our YouTube page but encourage you to share and comment on our videos on your own channels. // If you would like to join in our conversations please follow @ScotParl on Twitter or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/scottishparliament
C
Officer
the
referendum
Scotland
bill
is
intended
to
provide
a
legislative
framework
for
the
holding
of
referendums
which
are
within
the
competence
of
the
Scottish
Parliament.
The
bill
does
not
propose
a
supermajority
for
any
future
referendum
in
Scotland.
A
fundamental
tenet
of
democracy
is
that
one
person's
vote
is
worth
as
much
as
anyone
elses.
The
suggestion
of
a
supermajority
would
leave
that
principle
in
tatters.
Sandra.
B
Boyd
Thank
You
captain
secretary
Minister,
for
that
reply.
Does
the
minister
agree
with
surveillance,
commission
the
advisory
body
to
the
Council
of
Europe
and
their
guidance,
which
advises
against
the
use
of
vote
thresholds,
which
they
have
stated
quite
clearly
would
be
in
the
interest
of
those
opposed
to
a
proposal
simply
not
to
vote
camera.
B
C
Noted
the
venez
Commission's
recent
code
of
good
practice
and
referendums,
which
was
issued
last
year,
I
know
that
Tory
supporting
journalist,
Linda
Tory
msps
are
actively
promoting
a
variety
of
issues
in
a
referendum,
including
a
variety
of
turnout
requirements
and
quorums
it.
The
Venice
Commission
is
entirely
clear.
A
turnout,
quorum
threshold
or
minimum
percentage
is
wrong
because
it
assimilates
voters
who
abstain
with
those
who
vote
no
and
an
approval
quorum,
which
is
approval
by
a
minimum
percentage
of
registered
voters,
risks
involved
in
a
difficult
political
situation.
C
D
Yesterday,
in
evidence
to
the
finance
and
constitution
committee,
the
cabinet
secretary
said
that
he
wanted
referendums
in
Scotland
to
follow
international
best
practice
and
I
welcomed
that
statement.
Yet
he
proposes
presiding
officer
that
any
future
second
independence
referendum
should
bypass
the
scrutiny
of
the
electoral
commission.
How
on
earth
is
that,
following
best
practice,
Kevin.
C
Wrong
I
do
not
suggest
that
any
question
in
referendum
bypasses
the
Election
Commission
the
question
the
question
the
question
in
any
future
independence
referendum
should
be
one,
that's
capable
of
being
carefully
understood
and
it
has
been
approved
by
the
Election
Commission.
Indeed,
indeed,
not
only
was
it
approved.
The
wording
was
changed
from
the
proposal
that
the
Scottish
Government
made
the
report
from
the
Election
Commission
into
that
question.
I
quoted
yesterday
in
evidence
the
finance
constitution
committee.
It
has
been
tested,
it
continues
in
use.
C
E
Design
office
of
Wales
12
most
when
they
experts
in
this
field
have
welcomed
the
referendum
Bo
the
all
without
without
any,
though,
has
said
that
any
questions
should
be
tested,
regardless
of
whether
of
the
bizarre
referendum
three
four
years
before
huzi.
Has
he
helped
the
a
politician
called
Boris
Johnson
who
ignores
breath
ignores
the
advice
he
experts?
Well,
he
listened
well,
he
listened
and
well.
He
allow
us
to
work
together
to
bring
forward
the
bubble
that
will
have
confidence,
camera.
C
To
remember
to
for
recognizing
that
the
bill
has
substantial
support,
it
is
better
than
a
conservative
misrepresented
the
bill
as
saying
that
it
doesn't
have
that
support,
but
turned
to
this
point,
I
am
NOT
against
testing.
Every
question
should
be
tested.
The
question
in
an
independence
referendum
has
been
tested
has
been
approved,
and
this
in
current
usage
that
is
inescapable.
It
has
been
used
in
hundreds
of
opinion
polls
and
anybody
who's
trying
to
stop
that
happening
is
in
actual
fact
trying
to
stop
the
Scottish
people
having
a
democratic
say
about
their
future
Patrick.
F
Harvie
Thank
You,
presiding
officer.
If
a
supermajority
procedure
had
been
in
place
for
the
last
five
years,
there
would
have
been
a
mandate
neither
for
independence,
nor
for
staying
in
the
UK,
neither
for
leaving
nor
remaining
in
the
European
Union
politics
would
be
in
even
more
of
a
mess
than
the
Conservatives
have
managed
to
make
of
it.
Isn't
all
this
talk
of
a
two-thirds
majority,
just
a
tacit
admission
by
those
opposed
to
independence,
that
they
don't
think
they
can
get
much
more
than
a
third
of
the
votes
next
time?
Davin.
A
second
see.
C
G
C
The
view
of
the
Venice
Commission,
which
we
which
started
this
discussion,
is
entirely
clear.
There
should
not
be
an
approval
coram.
This
is
the
best
practice.
So
if
the
member
does
not
want
best
practice,
he
should
say
so
very
clearly,
but
actually
the
Liberal
Democrats
aren't
in
a
position
to
talk
about
this.
They
were
the
people
who
championed
a
second
referendum.
Now
they
just
want
to
ignore
that,
because
apparently
think
Joseph
Winston
can
be
Prime
Minister.
There
are
many
delusions
in
this
place
where
that's
the
worst
I've
heard,
Jackson.
C
Official
it
would,
it
would
not
only
help
I'm
delighted
to
hear
it
I'm,
just
a
pity
that
Murdo
Fraser
is
not
in
this
chamber
at
present
here.
So
it's
just
a
pity
that
these
self-effacing
murder
Fraser
is
not
here,
but
he
is
here.
He
has
heard
it
I
hope
he
will
now
delete
the
Queen's
that
demand
it
and
go
into
a
situation
of
a
court
with
his
acting
leader
and
Neil
Findlay.
I
C
Second,
Gina
I
think
we
are
always
open
to
discussions
about
what
referenda
should
look
like,
but
the
people
of
Scotland
have
to
have
the
right
to
choose,
and
that
is
the
basic
issue
I'm
glad
to
say
it
is
the
one
that
Jeremy
Corbyn
accepts
and
obviously
Neil
Finlay
nearly
accepts
it.
We
need
to
get
the
rest
of
the
Labor
Party
right
into
it,
and
then
they
can
perhaps
a
show
examples
to
the
other
opposition
parties
to
listen
to
what
a
democratic
system
demands
and.
J
Officer,
well,
a
sensitive
soul,
the
cabinet
secretary
is
he
clearly
can't
take
a
light-hearted
comment
on
Twitter
with
a
wink
emoji
as
anything
other
I,
don't
think
other
than
that?
But
isn't
it
true
for
the
exchange
that
we've
just
heard
that
this
government
is
running
scared
of
having
a
fair
referendum,
running
scared
of
having
the
Electoral
Commission
decide
on
the
terms
of
the
question?
We
don't
want
another
independence
referendum,
but
people
have
Scotland,
don't
want
that
other
independent
referendum,
where
we
can't
have
the
SNP
gerrymander
one
if
there
is
to
be
one
cabinet
secretary.
C
I
heard
the
Prime
Minister
last
night,
declaiming
that
has
the
Commons
about
what
the
people
want.
I
think
he
is
as
out
of
touch
as
Murdo
Fraser's,
while
the
people
of
Scotland
want
is
to
move
forward
from
the
extraordinary
Tory
created
chaos
of
brexit
and
the
opportunity
to
do
so
exist
if
the
people
of
Scotland
choose
their
own
constitutional
future.
Anybody
who
stands
in
the
way
of
that
isn't
a
Democrat.
A
K
L
It's
important
that
all
customers
are
consumers,
especially
those
struggling
to
pay
their
fuel
bills,
have
the
opportunity
to
use
smart
meters
to
better
understand
how
to
manage
their
energy
usage
and
to
allow
them
access
to
the
best
tariffs.
The
smart
meter
program
is
a
reserved
matter
to
you
key
government.
However,
I
will
consider
the
implications
of
last
week's
announcement
and
raise
my
concerns
and
the
impact
of
the
delay
on
consumers
with
the
UK
government.
K
Keith
Brown
tonight
thank
the
Minister
for
his
answer
and
also
asked
whether
he
agrees
with
me
that
this
latest
delay
and
a
substantial
and
lengthy
line
of
expensive
delays
to
UK
government
infrastructure
projects,
including
HS
to
the
airwave
communication
system.
Crossrail
aircraft
carriers
all
have
a
substantial
and
direct
impact
on
public
services
in
Scotland.
The
collective
cost
overruns
exceeding
40
billion
pounds
and
clearly
illustrate
the
tale
of
two
government's
a
Scottish
government
delivering
for
the
people
of
Scotland
on
time
and
on
budget
and
a
Westminster
government
yet
again
letting
them
down.
Minister.
A
L
L
The
additional
cost
of
the
Hinkley
C
nuclear
power
station
will
add
significantly
to
the
Bills
of
consumers
as
well,
and
these
are
matters
that
I
will
be
raising
with
a
UK
government
counterparts
and
to
make
the
point
that
the
investment
in
renewables,
it
would
be
a
significantly
better
way
of
spending
consumers
money
as
we
as
we've
seen
today,
with
the
announcement
of
by
B's
youcan't
Department.
The
54.8%
of
Scotland's
electricity
needs
are
no
met
by
wind
energy
alone
and
seventy
six
point
three
percent
overall
of
our
needs
are
backed
by
renewables.
L
That
is
the
way
to
invest
getting
the
smart,
it's
marketer
program
right
and
getting
the
correct
balance
of
energy
needs.
Right
will
save
consumers
money
by
investing
in
technologies
that
can
deliver
energy
at
lower
prices
and
I
agree
with
them.
This
is
a
terrible
example
of
how
the
contract
has
been
managed
by
UT
government
question.
N
The
new
GP
contract,
negotiated
with
the
BMA,
introduces
multidisciplinary
teams
to
practices
to
ensure
GPS
are
able
to
spend
more
time
with
patients.
The
contract
implementation
is
gathering
pace
with
most
activity
flagged
as
on
track
or
partly
on
track.
A
number
of
challenges
to
implementation
are
emerging,
including
recruitment
and
infrastructure,
and
these
are
being
actively
addressed
both
locally
and
nationally,
including
through
our
commitment
to
increase
GP
numbers
by
at
least
800
in
the
next
10
years.
Pharmacotherapy
appears
to
be
the
most
progressed
with
evidence
across
every
GP
practice.
M
I
thank
the
cabinet
secretary
for
that
response.
Locally
I
met
with
deaf
recent
gallery
GP
practice
managers
to
hear
their
thoughts
in
the
new
contract
and
whilst
the
contract
was
broadly
welcomed,
one
of
the
concerns
that
was
raised
was
the
delivery
of
round
one
and
two
premises
payments
as
outlined
in
the
contract.
Can
the
cabinet
secretary
therefore
indicate
whether
these
payments
are
scheduled
for
delivery
as
planned
or
whether
any
delays
are
anticipated?
Cap
no
signature.
N
So
we
are
committed
to
make
payments
to
all
those
practices
who've
successfully
applied
in
the
first
round.
I
appreciate
it
has
taken
longer
to
finalize
the
details
of
the
GP
sustainability
loan
agreement,
but
both
the
Scottish
Government
and
the
BMA
are
keen
that
any
implications
of
a
loan
are
well
understood
and
meet
the
needs
of
GPS.
The
loan
scheme
is
an
innovation
in
Scottish
general
practice,
and
we
want
to
be
sure
with
the
BMA
that
we've
got
it
right.
N
O
P
Jaffe
spanger
the
task
force
discussed
the
number
of
areas
of
work
to
take
forward
as
a
matter
of
priority.
Our
commitment
to
put
the
voices
of
lived
and
living
experience,
including
families
at
the
center
of
the
task
force,
work
and
the
best
way
to
achieve
this
to
utilize.
Their
unique
insights
forms
a
key
part
of
discussions.
I
also
announced
that
our
further
three
people
with
lived
experience
had
been
added
to
the
group.
P
Thank
the
member
for
the
very
important
point.
The
Dundee
drugs
Commission's
work
in
I
think
has
relevance
not
just
the
Dundee
but
to
the
to
the
whole
of
Scotland,
and
that's
why
I
asked
in
the
the
the
chair
of
the
the
Commission
dr.
Robert
peat
to
set
on
the
task
force
and
making
sure
that
he
can
feed
in
to
make
sure
the
the
experience
of
the
of
the
Commission
the
work
that
they've
done
and
can
be
key
and
as
the
drugs
task
force
takes
us
worth
work
forward.
P
P
Also
asked
apologies
about
making
sure
how
you
are
keeping
that
left
voice
experience
in
very
much
to
the
fore
in
the
task
force
now
is
actually
a
very
important
point.
It
was
a
major
part
of
a
discussion
and
we
saw
some
video
of
people
with
living
experience
because
I
think
that's
important
as
well
and
how
we
can
reach
out
and
using
a
number
of
engagement
events,
but
we're
also
looking
at
how
we
can
get
our
living
that
lived
and
leveling
experience
and
learn
lessons
from
elsewhere.
P
So
the
Dundee
dogs,
Commission
I,
think
that
a
piece
of
work
in
terms
of
using
lived
experience
and
there's
also
good
examples,
particularly
from
Glasgow,
where
the
ADP
they
are
is
using
a
live
done.
Living
experience,
reffering
grips
as
part
of
their
commissioning
or
of
what
going
forward
so
I
think
it's
absolutely
crucial
and
it's
something
that
will
be
central
to
the
task
force.
Monica.
A
P
S
Is
committed
to
supporting
the
work
of
its
partners
so
including
to
Scotland
Trading,
Standards,
Neighborhood,
Watch
and
also
Crimestoppers,
to
raise
awareness
of
Dorset
crime
and
to
provide
practical
advice
in
terms
of
prevention.
Initiatives
such
as
the
nominated
neighbor
scheme
helped
build
the
resilience
of
our
communities
to
Dorset
crime
since
2017
the
Scottish
Government
has
also
implemented
a
nuisance,
calls
action
plan
to
tackle
the
scourge
of
nuisance
and
scam
telephone
calls,
and
this
includes
the
funding
of
a
call
blocking
units
for
vulnerable
consumers.
Neal.
S
Scams
doorstep
crimes,
anything
like
that
can
be
very,
very
serious
for
those
affected
and
I,
don't
think
it's
going
to
be
possible
to
legislate
or
regulate
to
fully
address
these
issues.
So
the
best
defense
against
scams
of
any
type
is
prevention
through
education,
as
the
member
suggested,
and
to
that
end
the
Scottish
Government
supports
a
number
of
initiatives
such
as
the
shut
out
scammers
campaign,
but
I
would
commend
the
Pacey
Taylor
record
for
running
such
a
campaign
and
also
the
member
for
raising
the
issue.
Loras.
A
T
Presiding
officer,
it's
been
estimated
every
year
more
than
a
quarter
of
million
Scots
are
victims
of
scams.
Often,
through
bogus
calls
already
been
said.
What
scrutiny
has
the
minister
undertaken
herself
into
the
increasing
the
scale
and
impact
of
financial
scams
in
Scotland,
and
what
action
will
she
take
to
encourage
more
awareness
campaigns
to
prevent
such
crime
than
she's
already
talking
about.
S
Yes,
actually,
the
regulations
of
scams
is
actually
observed
to
the
UK
government,
but
the
Scottish
government
does
run
a
number
of
awareness.
Raising
campaigns
and
I
would
like
to
offer
the
member
an
opportunity
to
meet
with
me
to
discuss
this
in
further
detail.
If
you
would
like
to
take
up
that
offer.