On Thursday 22nd December the First Minister, Mr Jack McConnell, was questioned by Colin Fox, Scottish Socialist Party list MSP for the Lothians, about the Scottish Local Councils' 2006 Equal Pay bill of £500m. That equates to £100 per year each for every Man, Woman and Child in Scotland.

He asked whether or not this money would be found from cuts in services, extra Council Tax or from the Scottish Executive?

McConnell's reply was simple enough - "this was a Council issue and the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform (Tom McCabe) would talk to all Scottish Local Authorities about it at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) in the New Year (2006)".

But here is the punch line... He also said he was glad that Colin was not wearing his green outfit, to quote from Jack “I thank Colin Fox for his best wishes and extend my best wishes to him and his party. I am glad that he did not turn up to the Parliament today in his green outfit, as he might have been mistaken for an elf”

Editorial comment 'Elves do provide a bit of magic at this time of year, especially for our youngsters, that is, helping with Santa and all the pre-Christmas preparations. Thinking about it Tom McCabe might need a bit of this magic to find some or all of the extra £500m or more (could be £750m) needed for the Councils in Scotland to meet their equal pay obligations set by parliament. Here is hoping, that Tom can magic some money to pop-out of his little black bag to cushion the potential council tax increase for a year or two!'

Below is an excerpt from the debate.

Colin Fox (Lothians) (SSP): To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Executive will fund the full implementation of equal pay across Scotland's local authorities.

The First Minister (Mr Jack McConnell): Responsibility for the pay and conditions of local government staff, including compliance with employment legislation such as that on equal pay, rests with local authorities. The Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform is due to meet the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) in the new year.

Colin Fox: In the spirit of this afternoon's proceedings, on behalf of the Scottish Socialist Party I extend my best wishes to the people of Scotland for a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year, when I hope that some of the prosperity will be shared out more evenly. COSLA believes that the bill for ensuring that women are finally paid the same as men for doing jobs of equal value may be as much as £500 million. Given that no account was taken of that extra demand when the Executive set funding levels for next year, how does the First Minister suggest that local authorities should meet those obligations? Should they do it through huge council tax increases or by cutting services to the public and sacking workers?

The First Minister: I thank Colin Fox for his best wishes and extend my best wishes to him and his party. I am glad that he did not turn up to the Parliament today in his green outfit, as he might have been mistaken for an elf. It is good to offer best wishes on such occasions. Equal pay is a serious matter but, ultimately, responsibility for the pay and conditions of local authority staff lies with the authorities. It is important not only that they take that responsibility seriously, but that we discuss with them the financial implications of what they intend to do. The Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform will do that in the new year.

Colin Fox: I, in turn, thank the First Minister for his kind words. The fact that he refused to meet Cindy Sheehan (a visitor from America) a fortnight ago but agreed to meet David Cameron two or three days ago shows us all where his priorities lie. Perhaps the First Minister should reflect on the fact that in refusing local authorities funding for equal pay, he is forcing working-class women to seek justice through employment tribunals, for which they will engage one of the many sleek lawyers who represent clients on a no-win, no-fee basis. Is it the case that, as a result of following that dangerous path, the Executive may well end up paying a bill of nearer £700 million than £500 million? In the past year, the First Minister has often accused others of being guilty of empty rhetoric, but is he not guilty of that on this occasion, given that he says that he will support equal pay but will not fund it?

The First Minister: I do not think that I have ever accused the SSP of being guilty of empty rhetoric—it might be more accurate to say that it is guilty of having dangerous policies. We need to consider the content of what the SSP says very closely. For example, we know that it wishes to impose on Scotland a national services tax that would take all decision making away from local authorities and end local democracy as we know it. It is clear that the SSP is suggesting that we should do the same with the conditions of service and the pay of local authority employees. I do not agree with that. Local councils should employ their own staff and negotiate with the trade unions and professional associations, but ultimately we should discuss the financial implications of their actions with them and that is what we will do.