Labour leader Iain Gray asked the First Minister to confirm that the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) will go ahead in all secondary schools this August. He replied that the Curriculum Management Board's recommendations would be listened to and Gray retorted that this answer was not clear enough. He criticised the length of time the CfE was taking to implement, saying that he had never seen anything like it when he was a teacher.
Gray said that parents don't know what their children will be learning come August. He asked for detail. The First Minister outlined actions being taken by the Education Secretary to help teachers implement CfE. He added: "What a pity it is to see such a fine teacher going wrong in politics."
Gray then said that there was no clarity over whether high school pupils would move into the exam system in S3 or S4. The First Minister said that these questions had been answered and criticised the previous administration for "inactivity" on education. He said the Scottish people wanted to see the Parliament supporting education.
Conservative leader Annabel Goldie goes on dentistry figures released earlier in the week. She said that the SNP intended to keep people on NHS practice lists even if they had not been attending appointments. She accused the SNP of "cooking the books". The First Minister outlined action taken on dentistry, including targets that had been met. He said there were "more dentists and more treatment taking place than the miserable record" the SNP inherited. Goldie replied "teeth are rotting as we speak". She said that across Scotland, there were poor numbers of people registered with dentists and that the 'register for life' plan would distort figures, making it possible for conditions such as mouth cancer to go unnoticed. The First Minister responded that the ability to register for life was to stop people being thrown off NHS lists.
Goldie said that money spent on ensuring people were registered with dentists could be better spent on treatment. The First Minister said that the first step to effective treatment was registering people. He also said highlighted the impact that a Tory emergency budget following the General Election could have on cuts.
Lib Dem leader Tavish Scott asked about the Road Equivalent Tariff Scheme, stating that in areas where the pilot was not taking place, ferry fares had increased by 4.5 per cent. He asked how raising fares was fair on the salmon industry. The First Minister replied that government spending on ferry services had increased by 38 per cent since 2007 and would increase further. He said Scott should welcome this. He said that Scott's argument for a transitional relief scheme discounted the 60 per cent who were benefiting from it. He criticised Scott's question for "alienating the whole of the Western Isles".
Paul Martin (Lab) expressed sympathy for the family that committed suicide at the Red Road flats in Glasgow. He asked if an inquiry would take place and what support resources can be made available. The First Minister said he remained committed to the fair treatment of asylum seekers, however he said that people in that position "can often suffer feelings of deep uncertainty" and in terms of taking things forward, a fatal accident inquiry might be suitable and this was a decision for the Lord Advocate.
Derek Brownlee (Con) asked about the Scottish Investment Bank. The First Minister said that he would like clarity from the Conservatives on the details of an emergency budget. He said that any assistance Brownlee could provide would be gratefully received.
John Wilson (SNP) asked about the impact of the civil service strike action and asked the First Minister if he agreed that it was unfortunate that the Scottish Parliament had been dragged into a Westminster dispute. The First Minister urged both sides to reach a resolution.
Jackie Baillie (Lab) asked if minimum pricing on alcohol would be affected by an EU ruling against minimum pricing on tobacco. The First Minister said no and called for cross-party support. Baillie said that if he was confident about the legality, he should submit the Bill to the EU to check this before Stage 3 proceedings. The First Minister said that a letter to Labour MEP Catherine Stihler had said that the ruling should not affect alcohol. He heavily criticised the Labour party position on minimum pricing.
Christine Grahame (SNP) asked if minimum pricing would affect export prices. The First Minister responded that whiskey was one of the drinks which would benefit from minimum pricing. Robert Brown (LD) said that minimum pricing on spirits was seen as a barrier to trade and asked for publication of the benefits of minimum pricing for the people of Scotland. The First Minister said that the policy was non-discriminatory and proportionate and if this was found the case, it was likely to be legal under EU law. He also noted that the Lib Dems in Westminster supported minimum pricing.
