Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its detailed budget proposals for the financial year 2000-01.
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will present the budget documents not only according to current Scottish Executive departmental structure, but also reflecting the former Scottish Office departmental structure, in order to make possible direct comparison with spending in previous years in both cash and real terms.
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive to what detailed level it plans to disaggregate its budget figures.
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its first Annual Report, as recommended in the Financial Issues Advisory Group report.
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that its first Annual Report will outline its budget proposals for the financial year 2001-02 and its provisional budget plans for the following two financial years.
Keith Raffan: I am grateful to Miss Goldie for giving way. She really cannot get away with that, after the Conservative party's total lack of investment in public transport over the past 18 years. That is one of the main reasons why I left the party—it never put anything into public transport.
Keith Raffan: I welcome the First Minister's statement. Does he agree that the convener and members of the Standards Committee are accountable solely to this Parliament and not to the First Minister or the Scottish Executive? Will he join me in condemning the ignorant, inaccurate and—quite frankly—malicious report on the front page of today's Daily Record, which suggests the opposite?
Keith Raffan: I am sorry to interrupt the minister in full flow, but local government expenditure is an important issue. I accept that the Accounts Commission will still perform local authority audits, although the organisation may subcontract that responsibility to Audit Scotland. However, if we accept that local authorities have their own mandate, what opportunity will the Parliament have to examine the...
Keith Raffan: I was entertained by Miss Goldie's speech, and even more by Mr Wilson's intervention reminding her of the more extreme members of the Scottish Conservative party. May I remind her of what some of the moderate members of her party have said—those that have not left to join the Liberal Democrats, that is? The current chairman of the Conservative party, Michael Ancram—the Earl of Ancram, to...
Keith Raffan: I will gladly give way to Miss Goldie in a moment. I know that her mental processes are rather slow—no doubt she wants to come back to some of the points that I made earlier. The crucial point is that the Scottish Parliament is superior to Westminster in terms of the process of budget scrutiny that we are setting out. In view of Mr Salmond's question to the First Minister today, I hope...
Keith Raffan: Miss Goldie must do better than that. She spoke immediately before me and I am afraid that the press evacuated the gallery just before that. They might return if they realise that somebody else—anybody but Miss Goldie with the Neanderthal views that she expresses on behalf her prehistoric party—is speaking.
Keith Raffan: I have given way once. I should not really get involved in this political divorce—it is very disturbing, Presiding Officer, to watch.
Keith Raffan: We ought to get Relate involved in the marriage guidance process between the Scottish Conservatives and the Scottish National party, as their unholy alliance seems to have broken today. Let me make some important points about the bill and the budgetary process. What is crucial is that—as the minister said—the bill goes to the heart of the relationship between the Parliament and the...
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive how many children in each year group in each local authority are enrolled in classes of more than thirty for the academic year 1999-2000.
Keith Raffan: To ask the Scottish Executive what is its timetable for a more detailed discussion on spending priorities with the Finance Committee, following the publication of its preliminary draft budget for the financial year 2000-01.
Keith Raffan: Will the member give way?
Keith Raffan: I am a bit confused about Tory policy; can Mr Davidson clarify it, in view of Mr Hague's statement at the Blackpool conference that he supports tuition fees?
Keith Raffan: Will Mr Davidson confirm that he is disowning his leader?
Keith Raffan: After the two grudging speeches from the Opposition parties, I warmly welcome the minister's statement. The Opposition spokesmen have been grudging and nit-picking, and that is all that they can be because the comprehensive nature of the statement has taken the wind out of their sails. That was quite clear from Mr Wilson's speech and from Mr Davidson's. The fact is—everybody in the chamber...
Keith Raffan: I will not give way. I have a shorter time in which to make my speech than was given to the other front-bench members, and I have a lot to say in response to the points that they made. Members of the SNP ought to listen to my point. They have glossed over the fact that a lot of extra resources have been allocated to education. I shall return shortly to Mr Davidson's point about small requests...
