At a glance, the SNP giveaways we’ll pay for...

SHE had promised that her Programme for Government would be the ‘most ambitious plan ever’ to be brought forward by her administration – with education, health and the economy playing a central role. Here, Rachel Watson examines why Nicola Sturgeon’s proposals for the year ahead may invoke a feeling of deja vu – and likely to hammer thousands of hard-working Scots.

EDUCATION

ONLY 4 hours before unveiling her programme, Miss Sturgeon vowed that education would remain her ‘defining mission’ and would play a ‘central’ part in her plans for the year.

So far, she has resided over a recruitment crisis in schools, Scotland has plummeted down global rankings and literacy and numeracy levels have dropped. But Miss Sturgeon failed to outline any radical or specific plans for tackling such problems.

Instead, she re-announced plans for a governance review – something we were first told about last September. It has promised to give headteachers and parents more power, but fears have been raised this could result in a ‘power grab’ with further centralisation.

Miss Sturgeon also committed to look at ‘new routes into teaching’.

HEALTH

THERE was little in the way of groundbreaking announcements, despite soaring waiting times and vacancies, and a lack of funding.

Miss Sturgeon did reveal she intends to fully implement Frank’s Law, which will see under-65s who suffer from diseases such as dementia and motor neurone disease receive free personal care. But questions remain about how this will be funded – with the bill possibly up to £60million a year.

Miss Sturgeon will also look at limiting the marketing of products high in fat, sugar and salt in a bid to combat the country’s obesity crisis. There are also plans for a safe staffing bill.

JUSTICE

PRISON sentences of less than a year are to be axed – despite 17 per cent of all those convicted of attempted murder or serious assault receiving sentences of less than 1 months.

The bid to introduce a ‘presumption against’ ‘short’ sentences could mean those guilty of domestic abuse, neglect, and robbery walk free.

Miss Sturgeon also vowed to lift the age of criminal prosecution from eight to 1 , and vowed to introduce a specific offence for drug-driving, with a zero tolerance approach.

TAX AND ECONOMY

MISS Sturgeon indicated she is willing to consider increasing the higher 40p rate of income tax, which would mean thousands of middle-class Scots will see their pay packets shrink.

The First Minister has resisted the urge to raise income tax – but Scotland became the highest-taxed part of the UK earlier this year when the SNP froze the threshold at £43,000.

There are plans for a national investment bank. But, as was pointed out in the Holyrood chamber, we have heard something very similar before.

Miss Sturgeon also revealed she will work with local authorities to fund research into a citizens basic income, admitting the scheme ‘raises a number of practical issues and questions’.

ENVIRONMENT

A VICTORY for the Scottish Daily Mail’s Banish the Bottles campaign is the commitment to introduce a bottle deposit scheme to help cut litter.

War has been declared on gasguzzling cars – they will be banned from, or charged to enter, city centres by

0 0. There was also a pledge to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 031.

Taxis, buses and lorries escape almost unscathed.