This search includes all content on the Scottish Parliament website, except for Votes and Motions. All Official Reports (what has been said in Parliament) and Questions and Answers are available from 1999. You can refine your search by adding and removing filters.
That is not good enough—it is time for the Labour Party to act. If that is the best answer that a politician who has been in power for 17 years can give, he has to take a serious look in the mirror.
Let us look at where we are in Scotland at the current time. We have the best pupil teacher ratio, the highest-paid teachers and the highest spend per pupil in the United Kingdom.
We will continue to see that recovery, to reduce waiting lists and to make sure that our NHS staff are the best paid in the UK, so that they continue to provide what is an excellent service to patients up and down Scotland.
I again urge all the employers to engage meaningfully, get round the table and ensure that we get a settlement. That is in the best interests of staff but, more importantly, it is in the best interests of the students who have been affected.
Of course any Government will face issues when decisions are made on the basis of the best available advice at the time but circumstances change thereafter.
We will continue to support local councils with the best possible financial settlements. With regard to the use of consequentials, that will be a matter for the incoming First Minister and his or her Cabinet.