 Siw Wibbor. Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Angela Constance. The latest statistics on police officer numbers were published earlier this week showing there were 48 more officers deployed in Edinburgh as of 31 December compared to the same point in 2022. Additionally, the city's e-division is able to access specialist regional and national expertise when required to meet demand. I very much welcome the chief constable's commitment to restarting officer recruitment in March following the positive budget settlement for policing in the draft 2024-25 budget. That means that the chief constable will have more officers available to deploy on top of the almost 1,480 officers recruited since the beginning of 2022. Since the Scottish National Party Government decided to merge Scotland's police forces into one, it has had a devastating impact on the visible footprint of police officers in our communities. Despite the cabinet secretary's response, there has been a drop of 76 officers in Edinburgh police division alone. That is more than one in 20 officers being lost in just over a decade. It is no wonder that recorded violent crimes in Edinburgh have increased by 10 per cent in just the last year alone. Cabinet secretary, why has the SNP Government left our hard-working police to fend for themselves in the face of rising violent crime? As I'm sure the member is well aware that, since this Government took office in 2007, Scotland is now safer—recorded crime is at one of the historic lows since 1974—since this Government took office, there has been a decrease in recorded crime by 40 per cent. Of course, I remind the member that our police officers remain the best paid in the UK and that we continue to have more hard-working police officers now than in terms of what we inherited in 2007. Whilst the UK Government continues to slash Scotland's public service funding, with the latest autumn statement imposing further damage after over a decade of austerity, the Scottish Government has supported our vital emergency services and increased pay for staff. Can the cabinet secretary provide detail on the funding in the recent draft budget and what it will mean for Police Scotland? If the UK Government isn't cutting public services and the Scottish block grant, it is also meddling with pension changes, which have a huge impact on the retention of police officers. For this Government, protecting front-line services and supporting those who deliver them is a key priority for this Government. That is why, despite challenging financial circumstances, a very good settlement for the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland in the draft budget, which means that we will invest £1.55 billion in policing in the next financial year. That is a significant increase, £75 million in terms of resource, and a 12.5 per cent increase in capital. I very much hope that, as the budget progresses, that we will have the support of the Conservatives for the sake of policing in Scotland. As ever, there is much interest in these questions. I would be grateful if we could pick up the pace. At question 2, I call Fulton MacGregor. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the availability of psychological services for all who need them. Minister Marie Todd, we want people in Scotland, regardless of their background or circumstances, to have access to the right help at the right time when they struggle with their mental health or physical health. The Scottish Government published the national specification for psychological therapies and interventions in September 23 to support the delivery of that ambition. The specification sets out what people can expect when they are referred for a psychological therapy. It also details the evidence-based treatments and the whole system approach that services should offer. That includes a choice to access our much expanded range of digital interventions. Over £1.3 billion will be invested in mental health services in support in 24-25. The implementation of the specification will help to ensure that our NHS delivers psychological therapies to the highest standard and enables greater equity and consistency across Scotland. Fulton MacGregor. I thank the minister for that response. She will be aware that I have recently written to her about the Lanarkshire counselling and CBT centre based in Coatbridge in my constituency. Set up in 2019, the service has already provided therapy to over 9,000 people across Lanarkshire. They have over 100 therapists on hand and can provide individual counselling and group work. Crucially, there is no waiting list, so people can access the support when they need it. People locally seem to really value a service and this is undoubtedly having the effect of taking pressure from other NHS health services. I wonder if the minister would be open to visiting the centre and discussing with them further supports available to allow them to continue to provide a service and meet their increasing demand. Our mental health and wellbeing strategy is absolutely clear and the need for a wide range of options to provide support for those who need it. I am aware of the member's letter and I will respond as soon as I can. I welcome him drawing this to my attention and I appreciate the additional support that the centre is providing in Lanarkshire. We continue to work with NHS boards across Scotland to offer high-quality enhanced and specialist psychological care by implementing the new national specification for psychological therapies and we are focusing on increasing access for the public to free evidence-based therapies throughout the NHS. Paul Sweeney. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Recent figures show that one in four consultant psychiatrist roles are currently vacant and all the while the Government is freezing the mental health budget again and frailing to meet its waiting time targets. Does the minister accept that the mental health can only be a priority for the Government when they start treating it as such? We are continuing to invest record amounts in tomato health provision across the country to ensure that people's needs are met effectively, safely and in a timely fashion. We are working in an unprecedented financial situation and this may lead to difficult decisions about future investment. However, we remain committed to supporting all boards to achieve the standard that 90 per cent of patients start treatment within 18 weeks of referral and to improving the quality as well as the choice of treatments. There is a suite of work going on across the board from medical student level to consultant level to increase the number of psychiatrists and the number of trainees at every level. Recently, we have had huge investment in psychological therapies, so clinical psychology numbers have gone up. As a result of that work, the medium waiting time now from referral to being seen when referred for psychological therapies is a mere three weeks. We are going to have concise questions and responses from this point in to enable more members to contribute. To ask the Scottish Government whether it is conducted in analysis of the potential impact that its 2024-25 budget will have on primary care services. Budget invests over £2.1 billion in primary care to improve preventative care in the community, supporting the development of multidisciplinary teams in general practice, sustaining NHS dental care through enhanced fees and continuing free eye examinations. In-depth analysis of specific primary care service requirements were fed into budget considerations at both official and ministerial levels. For example, delivery projections for multidisciplinary teams were assessed using six-monthly primary care improvement plan trackers, while for dentistry and optometry, which are predominantly demand led-lines, forecast models and estimates of activity were prepared to inform budget hand allocation. In addition to assessment of financial need, equality impact assessments were conducted as necessary to support changes in policy and can be found on the budget webpages. We know that GP numbers have decreased since 2017 to fewer than three and a half thousand whole-time equivalents, with demand obviously increasing very substantially. Is there not now a strong case for reconfiguring the health budget so that there is more emphasis on primary care? Scotland continues to have a higher number of GPs per head of population in the rest of the UK. We have a record number of GPs working in Scotland who are committed to increasing the number further. The GP head count is now sitting consistently at over 5,000, with an increase of 271 additional GPs since 2017. We also invest over £1 million per annum in a range of recruitment and retention initiatives so that working as a GP in Scotland remains an attractive career choice. To ask the Scottish Government in light of the Covid-19 inquiry what its response is to reports that Scottish Government decisions appear to have been taken for purely political reasons, including comments made by the former First Minister's chief of staff regarding seeking a good old-fashioned rami with the UK Government. The comments that Mr Finlay refers to were extracted from evidence regarding the furlough scheme that was controlled by the UK Government. That was for a purpose and to deliver route results to push the UK Government into action on making sure that furlough was going to be available to the people of Scotland if the Scottish Government wanted to apply restrictions. Throughout the pandemic, our sole focus and intention was to protect the people of Scotland from the harms of Covid-19, and the Scottish Government remains wholly committed to assisting the UK and Scottish Covid-19 inquiries in all their work. Before I call Mr Finlay, I would ask Mr Lumsden to refrain from commenting. Those comments were not from some junior civil servant or backbencher. They were said by the former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon's right-hand woman, her closest adviser, Liz Lloyd, who was one of the most powerful people in government with huge influence over key Covid decisions, including the numbers allowed at funerals and weddings. When she said that SNP should act for purely political reasons and provoke a ramey with the UK Government, we should believe her. Doesn't this show the very worst of the SNP's toxic nationalist agenda, exploiting a pandemic to try to drive a wedge between the people of the UK? First and foremost, I found Mr Finlay's use of language repulsive in the fact that he was talking about Covid-19 and the families who had to suffer during that period. However, Mr Finlay's supplementary question was a bit confused at best, but I will endeavour, as always, to try and give the member an answer. As I said in my original answer, it was for a purpose to deliver results for the people of Scotland, to protect them from harm and ensure that they had financial liquidity during a very difficult period in our recent past. Surely, Mr Finlay thinks that that is a good thing for the people of Scotland. Question 5, Bill Kidd. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what criteria it considers when determining how to allocate funding for humanitarian aid in situations such as those in Gaza. The primary mechanism for Scottish Government to respond to humanitarian crisis is through our humanitarian emergency fund. Decision on which crisis to respond to through the heath is made by Scottish ministers based on recommendations from a panel of eight leading humanitarian aid organisations. In addition, we recently responded to emergencies in Pakistan, Malawi, Ukraine, Turkey and Syria and Gaza. Key considerations in those cases are which organisations are already on the ground and can provide a rapid response and value for money. That was the case for Gaza. Similarly, last week, when I announced £500,000 to respond to a deadly cholera epidemic in Zambia through the Red Cross. The humanitarian crisis that we have seen unfolding in Gaza is truly harrowing and is worsening by the day, underscoring the need for urgent action. Does the minister agree with me that the only way to ensure mutual peace and security is through the recognition of a Palestinian state, alongside a binding commitment to the two-state solution? Can the minister say what representations the Scottish Government has made to the UK Government with regards to such recognition? I do not think that anyone can look at the images that we are seeing on our TV screens every day and not realise that we need a ceasefire now in order to bring about progress to peace. I really wish all the sides well and continue to do that. We would add our voice to that. The Scottish Government supports the two-state solution. We think that it is the only way to progress to peace. In November last year, the First Minister wrote to the Prime Minister in those terms and we will continue to do that and make those representations to the UK Government as this issue continues. Today is another example of the Scottish Government calling on the UK Government to get round the table, call for the ceasefire and get some progress to peace in order to support the people, the civilians and Gaza. I think that all of us despair in the ongoing conflict and crisis that is happening in the world over, but that is my point. There is conflict in the world over. In that vein, can I ask the minister what criteria the Scottish Government uses to decide where and to whom it sends financial aid and what due diligence it undertakes before and during such financial payments? I can ensure that Jamie Greene gets more details on our humanitarian emergency fund and the partners that we have in that eight leading humanitarian aid organisations that have evolved in that decision making process. When they alert us to an ongoing or a possible crisis, that is when we take their advice and decide whether they meet the criteria to have some funding from the humanitarian emergency fund. It is a very well rehearsed and organised system that we have in place and I will ensure that Jamie Greene gets more detail on the heath and maybe some conversations with key partners like Oxfam who give us a separate almost every day on the situation in Gaza. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all legal predatory control is carried out in a way that is consistent with the best practice in animal welfare standards. I recognise that control of predators is sometimes necessary in order to protect livestock and other vulnerable species. However, the Government is committed to the highest standards of animal welfare. We are demonstrating that through provisions that we are bringing forward in the wildlife management and mureburn bill, for example, to ban the use of glue traps and snares. We are also seeking to licence the use of certain cage and spring traps to ensure that trapping is only undertaken in line with best practice for animal welfare. David Torrance I thank the minister for that answer. The minister will be aware of the Oxford Centre for Animal Effects report calling Kill to Kill, which examines the trapping and killing of animals so more grouse can be shot for sport. Can I ask if this ethical issue will be addressed through the wildlife management and mureburn Scotland bill? Yes, it absolutely has been addressed and the killing to kill report highlighted that 39 per cent of species trapped in a range of traps are non-target species such as hedgehogs and indeed protected species like badgers. We have a recent decision to ban the use of snares in Scotland as part due to the indiscriminate nature and the unacceptable risk that they pose to non-target species including other wildlife. Indeed, domestic species have heard reports, many reports, of domestic cats being caught in snares. Further to this, the wildlife management and mureburn bill will require that individuals using traps to capture live birds such as larsen or croquage traps will have to undertake training in order to hold a licence. Those traps, when operated in line with best practice, have a much lower risk of trapping non-target species. To ask the Scottish Government what support will be put in place to assist local authorities in establishing areas of linguistics significance as set out in the Scottish Languages Bill, dwi'n gweithio'r ddyrealtus na halupe, ddiant i'ch gweithio'r ffaswn ddiwgthyrus yn hynny'n hythol, a hynny'n ati'ch unrhyw ffasor i'r hyffan yn ysdegwch, mae'r rhaid i'ch hyn i'r lawr yn y byl yn yng Nghymru'n Allyblwch. The designation of areas of linguistic significance will ultimately be a matter for local authorities. For areas that may wish to be designated as areas of linguistic significance, there is already a range of Gallic support and provision in place. This includes both the central Scottish Government funding support, the commitments of public bodies and of local activity from Gallic community organisations. The support will be built on and strengthened by the new provisions in the Scottish Languages Bill, and guidance will also be prepared to assist local authorities in their process of considering areas within their local area, which could benefit from designation. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. Can she say any more at present about whether the Scottish Government or Bornau Gallic might seek to place a duty on local authorities to establish an area of linguistic significance where, for example, a high proportion of the population where Gallic speakers are? As Dr Allen will be aware, it is fair to say that there are a range of different opinions on that matter, but I would expect that during the parliamentary consideration there will be views offered that suggest that Scottish Government or Bornau Gallic should have an enhanced role in the designation of areas of linguistic significance. We are obviously still at a very early stage in relation to the legislation itself, but I do give the member an assurance today that I will give serious consideration to those views and, indeed, any observations that, of course, the Education Committee may wish to make.