 The first item of business is portfolio questions in order to get in as many members as possible. I'd be grateful for short and succinct questions and responses. Question 1 is from Ivan McKee. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment has made of the potential impact that any future devolution of powers relating to setting of the minimum wage to the Scottish parliament would have on its fair work and wellbeing economy policies? Yn gweithio'r Gwliad nag i fynd yw yw'r pan practise, yw eu gwyddoedd hyd yn ddawu'r gweld ryw wahanol yr wych yn i gydig i'ch cyfle iawn, yw'r gweld sy'n fwyaf a'r ystafell i'ch gweld ar eich yr ystafell, gan ddiad am y cyfransiau yn fwyaf gwirioneddau'u gweld i gyfransiau yn cyfransiau dywedol i'i gweld i gyfransiau ích chi, a'i cyfransiau sy'n i gydig i gyfransiau mwyfwng. Mae ffordd lleiadr workers fydd nifer, mae unrhyw awydd yn ymweld dros ei cyflawnio i ddweud o wahanol i ddweud o sylfaenol eich lleiadr ni, yn blneu 12 pwaednau ymweld â ddweud â lŵr 18 oed. Mae Llywyddor yw i'n ddefnyddio i ddweud o archwymu yn ddweud o'r ddefnyddio i ddweud y pwg i ddweud. Mae Llywyddor hefyd yn ymweld i ddweud hyn yw i'n ddweud o'r ffrifにrhau'n dweud i gael y legally binding minimum wage is a key lever to tackling that. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what level the Scottish Government would set the Scottish minimum wage at where it's have the power to do so? Cabinet secretary. I think I have McKee for that question and agree with him that low pay is indeed a key driver of poverty. We propose establishing a fair minimum wage at a level that better reflects the cost of living in Scotland, a single rate for all age groups ending the current approach that discriminates against young workers. We continue to call for employment powers to be devolved to enable us to create fairer workplaces, enhance workers' rights in Scotland and help to shift the curve on poverty and deliver a fairer, greener and growing economy and a more prosperous Scotland. In the meantime, we remain committed to promoting the real living wage as part of our fair work agenda. Question 2. Alexander Burnett. To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of onshore wind farms approved in the past year had majority support from the local community. I refer members to my registered interest regarding two 12 kilowatt domestic turbines. Scottish ministers determine applications for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. The Scottish Government does not collect data on community support for applications that are determined under the Town and Country Planning Scotland Act 1997. Decision makers consider all relevant material available to them before making any decision on an application, including the application documentation, consultation responses, representations and other material information. Alexander Burnett. Thank you, Minister for Answer. Last year, Garbet wind farm that borders my constituency received consent from the Scottish Government despite an overwhelming objection from the local community in Murray Council. Similarly, Millbury was approved by the Scottish Government this summer, despite over 200 objections from residents and the Highland Council. There are now fears that the proposed Dinector State's Hill of Fair wind farm in my constituency is a foregone conclusion, despite just one in 10 residents being supportive of the plans. Will the minister back my calls for communities to be given a statutory voice over wind farm applications exceeding 50 megawatts? It is interesting that Mr Burnett has asked for our original question about majority support. That would suggest that he is calling for some kind of vote or recording of intention or support from every single person of some kind of voting age. I am not sure that you can ascertain from a consultation whether it is majority or minority support, because that is not the way that planning applications are done. I would say to Mr Burnett that we have an onshore wind sector deal, and that onshore wind sector deal committed the Government in terms of what the industry was asking of us in terms of streamlining processes, but what we were asking of the industry in the sector was that we wanted them to be engaging with communities at the earliest opportunity possible in project development cycle to agree a community package that will meet or exceed the principles set out in the good practice principles for community benefits, but also engaging with communities on their plans as early as possible to engage with them and see what would work where and where the best compromises could be made where they could be. The onshore wind sector deal signed last month at the Scottish Renewables onshore wind conference was very welcome. How will that deal ensure that local communities benefit fully and share in the rewards of onshore wind developments? I thank Colin Beattie for that. It already alluded to that deal and my answer to Mr Burnett, so I thank him for his warm words about that. It is a significant milestone in ensuring that communities are fully engaged in and benefit from our green energy transition. The industry is committed to engaging with communities from the earliest opportunity possible in that project development cycle as well as agreeing to that community benefits package that is exceeding the principles set out in the good practice principles. I have tasked them with making more meaningful offers in terms of what that might mean for communities. I have often made the point that, for a lot of the rural communities that are the sites for onshore wind, they are also suffering from a great deal of fuel poverty as well, so maybe something more constructive can be done in that. The industry is also committed to promoting supply chain opportunities, to support increased local content in projects, as well as committing to an appropriate number of apprenticeships, training opportunities, skilled jobs across the sector and related industries for the lifetime of the sector deal. Those commitments demonstrate the importance that both the Scottish Government and the industry continue to place on good community engagement and delivering meaningful benefit. What assessment is made of whether Scotland's infrastructure is equipped to deliver the current offshore wind pipeline of up to 42 gigawatts, including in relation to port infrastructure? I thank Danny Johnson for that question. Scotland's natural resources, high wind, speeds, skilled workforce, excellent port structure and strong innovation hubs make Scotland one of the best places in the world to develop on offshore wind and its supply chain. My recent trade visit to the port of Esberg in Denmark was an excellent working example of maximising port infrastructure and our strategic investment model alongside the recently announced £500 million of Scottish Government investment. I took a trade mission of people representing ports, including fourth ports, port of Leith, Aberdeen ports, along with me, so that they could learn from Esberg. To fully maximise the benefits that we must continue to call on the UK Government to deliver and enhance transmission grid infrastructure at place, which would make all the difference. Daniel Johnson I thank the minister for that answer. I begin by saying that it is important that we build consensus for the infrastructure investment that we need to realise our renewables potential. I wonder whether the minister read the article in the Financial Times recently, which quoted the chief executive, Juventus, who is currently redeveloping our addresser port, who said that, with current port capacity, it would take at least 50 years to achieve the 42 gigawatts that is already licensed for Scottish waters. That is in line with the floating offshore wind task law, which has said that we need £4 billion of investment. Can I ask the minister what steps the Government is taking to ensure that there is sufficient public and private investment to ensure that we have the port infrastructure to realise our offshore renewable potential? Daniel Johnson makes really good points. I had not read that particular article, but I am familiar with the arguments contained within it. There are a couple of things that we are doing. I think that the £500 million investment is really directed around that important infrastructure, because it is so apparent that we need to beef up our port's infrastructure to deliver on our ambition. We have also got the strategic investment model, working in collaboration with public and private sectors, to develop what is called the SIM model, to move from project-led to sector-led investment, the better supports, growth in port and supply chain capacity and capability. It is not just going to be Government money that cannot be delivered on its own. It has to be public and private investment. That is why the First Minister announced that additional £500 million investment, whereas we are currently working on exactly what our money could be used for, but we are doing that with the industry, with the ports and with the offshore wind industry as well, to see where that can best be deployed for the reasons that Daniel Johnson outlined. The absence of offshore wind in the recent contracts for a difference auction was extremely disappointing, and it signals that the United Kingdom Government has failed to recognise the current market challenges that the sector faces. With that in mind, can the minister provide an update on Scottish Government investment that will help to deliver the full economic potential of offshore renewables projects? I thank Karen Adam for that. The results of AR5 have sent a shockwave through the industry, and that was on that visit to Esberg when that came through, with quite a lot of the Scottish renewables that were with me and a lot of partners. The fact that nobody bid for those licences because the strike price was too low was of great concern. Of course, the UK Government has heard, I hope, the reaction to that from the sector and the Scottish Government and will hopefully improve things for AR6. We have recently announced £500 million of Scottish Government investment into that supply chain, which will help us to deliver for Scotland. It will stimulate and support private investments, as I mentioned to Daniel Johnson in infrastructure and manufacturing facilities, critical to the growth of the world-leading offshore wind sector. The UK Government must now address calls, as I said, from industry for the next round for contract for difference allocations to deliver on those projects at scale, not just for Scotland but for the whole of the UK, but also crucially for grid infrastructure to unlock the enormous potential of Scotland's renewable energy transition holes. We need to build confidence that the supply network is going to grow, because one Scotland project warned recently of significant, unanticipated changes in the Scottish and UK offshore wind industries and challenges regarding the availability and capacity of Scotland's UK and European supply chains. What early results can the minister secure in developing that supply chain so that we can build the confidence so that we can maximise the potential for Scotland? I thank Willie Rennie for highlighting the supply chain, because the strategic investment model that I mentioned, the SIM, is critical to that. It was launched when the applications were closed in June and attracted a high level of interest. There were 44 applications that were received with a total estimated capital expenditure of more than £4 billion in total, and 41 per cent of them are poor infrastructure projects, and the remainder are for other types of supply chain investment. That SIM model is moving really fast at something that the industry asked us for, and we are delivering it on. It looks like it is working for the reasons that Willie Rennie outlines. We have to have that collaboration with the industry and move on supply chain benefits as much as possible. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to boost hydrogen production in Scotland. Thank you for that question. The action plan confirms that the Scottish Government will support the hydrogen sector through a programme of capital funding to increase Scotland's production capabilities. Earlier this year, we launched the hydrogen innovation scheme and offered over £7 million in grants to projects that would accelerate innovation in hydrogen production. Last month, we announced £200,000 of funding for the North Sea Alliance Research Project, which will investigate pipeline infrastructure between Scotland and Germany, and matching Scottish hydrogen production to German hydrogen demand. The green hydrogen fund, launching later this year, will further boost hydrogen production in Scotland. I welcome the minister's recent announcement in Aberdeen of funding for that hydrogen pipeline research, which is really important. Can the minister tell me what the Government's intentions are in terms of reviewing regulatory and planning guidance to aid hydrogen production in Scotland? Kevin Stewart raises an important point on why it is critical that ministers work together on this. I am absolutely mindful of the fact that I need to work with my ministerial colleagues in planning to look at what can be done to accelerate ways. We keep ahead of innovation in this space. Innovation in renewable energy, but particularly in hydrogen, is happening really, really fast. The Aberdeen city is leading the way in this, but the collaboration between Aberdeen City Council and BP has plans to set up yet another hydrogen hub under way. It is important that we look at the learning that is happening in Aberdeen and make sure that other places around Scotland can learn from that. I give Mr Stewart my word that I will speak to my planning colleagues about the issues that he has raised. I am happy to have further conversations with them about that. It is good to hear the minister confirm that the Green Hydrogen Fund will launch this year, so can the minister confirm how quickly the Scottish Government intends to allocate the £90 million that it has committed so that we can see the investment that is needed to boost green hydrogen production and also to help critically to decarbonise, transport and industry? I will give you some information. In addition to the £90 million for renewable hydrogen projects through the Green Hydrogen Fund, we are expected to be investing. We invested £15 million already in the early stages of the Aberdeen hydrogen hub, as I mentioned, and we are working with other regions that have similar ambitions to co-ordinate local hydrogen projects and production activity. Those things are happening even before the deployment of the £90 million. Things are happening at pace. The innovation fund as well is that we are looking at all the projects that have made applications into that fund as well. We will look at the projects that we think will accelerate the hydrogen production that Sarah Boyack has mentioned, and I will keep her up to date on that as much as possible. To ask the Scottish Government when it will outline details of its £80 million of financial support for the Scottish cluster carbon capture project, which was announced in January 2022. As Mr Lumson will be aware, the UK Government has not provided a timeline yet for the Scottish cluster's deployment, and they have not provided a concrete timeline for the deployment of the ACUM project at St Fergus. In the absence of this vital information, it is not possible at present to establish how the Scottish Government can best tailor our support for the Scottish cluster, but the £80 million that we promised to the Scottish cluster will be deployed in collaboration with the cluster as the project develops. It is important to say that we will take the lead from them on how that £80 million will be deployed. The UK Government has selected the ACORN project at St Fergus near Peterhead for funding as part of the £20 billion carbon capture and storage investment package. ACORN is expected to support around 21,000 jobs at its peak. The Scottish Government promised £80 million to go towards this vital project but then snatched the money away. So when will this money now be reallocated, or is this another broken promise to the north-east of Scotland? I am so glad that I have the opportunity to finally rebut Mr Lumson on this. I have heard Mr Lumson's attempt to deploy a complete misrepresentation of the £80 million funding. That £80 million funding is still there. It is available and will be deployed in a manner that suits the multiple partners in the Scottish cluster. Frankly, Mr Lumson needs to stop this misrepresentation. CCUS is a good news story for both the Scottish and the UK Governments. What can be done when we work together and take the politics out of this? The £80 million funding will be deployed in a way in which the Scottish cluster wants it. UK Government's recognition of the enormous potential of the ACORN project and the Scottish cluster was long overdue. However, it is concerning that the UK Government is only committed to set out details for the next critical steps in this process in due course. Can the minister provide an update on any recent engagement with the UK Government that seeks to avoid any further delay? Will she join me in urging the UK Government to work at pace with the ACORN project? Thank you, Kevin Stewart, for that question. The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government and our officials regularly engage with the SNS counterparts. In September, Mr Gray wrote to the UK Government urging them exactly what Kevin Stewart was saying, to avoid further delays and to work at pace to secure the fastest possible deployment for ACORN and the Scottish cluster. I joined the member in urging the UK Government to show that ambition and publish that concrete timeline for the delivery of ACORN that the sector is looking for. ACORN is vital for a just transition that supports the decarbonisation ambition for the range of Scotland's key strategic and economically significant industries. I was at Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce at a round table yesterday with people from the region on energy, and they were making exactly the same points that they need clarity and an expedited timeline on this as soon as possible. I apologise for my late arrival in the chamber. To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that the sectoral marine plan for offshore wind for innovation and targeted oil and gas decarbonisation will be formally adopted. Our aim is to adopt the plan in 2024. We are aware of the developer's interest in the sectoral marine plan and the impact on the delivery of projects, and we are working hard to streamline the process to address their needs. I recently met stakeholders of the Salamander offshore wind project. In further correspondence, I was informed that they have concerns with resource funding for statutory bodies involved in the consenting process. As an example, I was informed that Nature Scott has concerns with its levels of core grant funding and that it was highlighted by its director, Nick Halfhide, at a recent net zero energy and transport committee meeting. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what engagement the Scottish Government is having with statutory bodies such as Nature Scott to ensure that they have the support required to continue their work in this important process? I thank Audra Nicoll for her work in this area of crucial importance. Our Government officials are aware of the resource challenges faced by Nature Scott, and we are lazing with them to ensure that the required support is in place for the timely planning, licensing and consenting of offshore energy projects and related infrastructure. I would be more unhappy to write to Audra Nicoll with further detail on that. The newly-approved Rosebank field will emit around 12 kilograms of carbon dioxide per barrel of oil produced, but if electrified, pursuant to Intog or an equivalent scheme, that would fall to three kilograms. Given that imported LNG emits on average around 79 kilograms of carbon dioxide per barrel, does the cabinet secretary agree that swift approval and deployment of Intog will help to make the already strong environmental case for on-going production from the North Sea incontrovertible? We obviously want to see the decarbonisation of the North Sea production, which is why we are supporting the Intog process. However, Mr Kerr will be aware that the import of oil products in particular will need to continue, as we cannot fully utilise all that is produced in the North Sea in our domestic production. However, our decarbonisation of oil and gas will continue through Intog. To ask the Scottish Government how it is addressing any labour shortages or skill gaps affecting the economy as a result of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. Labour and skill shortages are complex and, for some sectors, are the result of a combination of factors, including the UK Government's immigration policies, Brexit, the pandemic and systemic issues within the sector. The National Strategy for Economic Transformation's skilled workforce programme sets out actions that we are taking to work with employers to address labour and skills gaps, including better alignment and aligning the education skills system with the needs of employers, promoting lifelong learning and expanding our available talent pool. We are also in the process of bringing forward a talent attraction migration service, which we hope will assist. Rona Mackay Can the cabinet secretary outline how the Scottish Government is working with the UK Government and other devolved Governments to ensure that the immigration system is flexible and responsive to the needs of Scotland's economy and society? I thank Rona Mackay for that question. All sectors of the Scottish economy are experiencing labour shortages as a direct consequence of Brexit and the ending of freedom movement. Scottish ministers have written to the UK Government on several occasions to outline their concerns and of employers across Scotland. The UK Government's immigration system is not designed to meet our needs. It is having a damaging effect on Scotland's economy and communities. We have proposed amendments and improvements, such as a rural visa pilot. However, those have not been taken up as yet. We are working productively with businesses and acting in those areas within our responsibilities, including promoting fair work practices and the provision of upskilling and retraining opportunities aimed at the hardest-hit sectors. However, it goes without saying that having a damaging migration service is not helping. I do not understand the obsession on the SNP benches with Brexit. Legal migration into the United Kingdom has doubled since Brexit, and it is at record levels today. The real question is why is it that Scotland does not attract our population share of migrants, compared with other parts of the United Kingdom? Why does the cabinet secretary think that Scotland is so unattractive of migrants to come to? What is he doing to try to turn that around? I thank Mordell Fraser for coming back to a question that he has posed to me previously for every year since 2001 and 2002. Inward migration from the rest of the UK to Scotland has been greater than outward migration from Scotland to the rest of the UK. If he thinks that it just happens to be the Scottish Government that has an obsession with Brexit and its impact on our economy, he just needs to talk to our stakeholders in the business community, who will tell Mordell Fraser very clearly the impact that is happening on their trading environment, their access to labour and the impact on the Scottish economy. To ask the Scottish Government regarding its long-term labour market strategy what steps it is taking to address any skills shortages affecting the economy. As I have just set out in my response to Ms Mackay's previous question, we are taking a range of actions to address the labour market and skills shortages, including better line in the education and skills system with the needs of employers and the economy, as outlined in NSET, through the publication of the initial priorities and purpose and principles that the Scottish Government has committed to taking responsibility for skills planning at the national level that works with partners to set clear priorities against future skills needs supported by a regional approach. I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for that response and just on that regional approach, the skills shortage, highlighted by the Withers report and others, is particularly acute in my region. Regional employment has only grown by 0.6 per cent over the last decade compared to a nationwide average of 4 per cent and productivity is well below the national average as well according to figures from SDS. Indeed, we have had proper challenges in West Scotland with large employers leaving the region. Indeed, just in the last few weeks, we have heard uncertainty over jobs at Rolls Royce and Renfrewshire. I wonder if the cabinet secretary can say what is he doing across government to try and tackle the shortage in the skill base to ensure that we retain businesses who need skills so badly. I think it is both. I thank Paul O'Kane for that question. I very much recognise the situation that he has set out. I have been working with some of the employers in the west of Scotland that have been looking at either reducing the workforce or indeed moving out to try to support those businesses to remain as he would expect. On the skills front, we are going to be coming forward with our response to the Withers review also in terms of the work that we are doing with the green industrial strategy making sure that we have a skills system that is aligned to the green energy revolution that is coming is going to be critically important. I am more than happy to collaborate with Paul O'Kane in the areas that he is interested in to ensure that we are getting this right. We now move on to the next portfolio, which is finance and parliamentary business. At question number one, I call Fulton MacGregor. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to allocate more funding to local authorities in its 24-25 budget to enable them to maintain and invest in local services, including sport and leisure facilities. Minister Jofus Patrick. Decisions on future local government budget allocations are subject to negotiations with COSLA and the results will be confirmed as part of the Scottish budget on 19 December. Fulton MacGregor. I thank the Minister for that response. He will be aware that just a few weeks back, my constituents in Co-Bridge and Crescent, along with people across North Lanarkshire, were met with the devastating news that the Labour-run North Lanarkshire Council had decided to close 39 leisure centres, swimming pools, community hubs and town halls, many of which are integral to our communities. Thanks to hard fought campaigning by individuals, groups and politicians across the area, the council eventually utombed on that decision. So I can ask the minister how can the Scottish Government support local authorities and impress them with the incredible importance of these community facilities to ensure that councils in the future aren't making such flippant and politically driven decisions? The Scottish Government places great importance on sport and leisure facilities. They are vital in supporting the physical and mental health of the nation. Scotland, our national agency for sport, are working with local and national partners to help them to assess the impact of any potential facility closures, and those discussions will continue over the coming weeks and months. Mr MacGregor highlighted the local campaigns, which encourage North Lanarkshire Council to change its decision. While it is for democratically elected councils to make decisions on the priorities for their local areas, it is always good to see communities being able to influence those decisions. Minister, considering the widening deficit in local authorities funding, can the Scottish Government confirm what efforts are being made to raise funds for local services? The member will be aware that there is a joint approach with COSLA looking at various means for raising money for the local government, which is headed up by my colleague Tom Arthur, but in collaboration with COSLA. There is a number of streams of work there. One recent stream of work is the proposal to allow local authorities to raise 100 per cent additional council tax from second homes. Katie Clark The First Minister's announcement of a council tax freeze without consulting councils will have a detrimental effect on local services if not fully funded. Last week, West Dunbartonshire Council warned that it faces a funding gap of £17.3 million next year. Will the Scottish Government provide a fair funding settlement for all councils, including West Dunbartonshire, so that local services such as sport and leisure facilities are protected? The council tax freeze will be fully funded. It is important that, at this time of pressure on family budgets and burdens, we are able to remove that uncertainty. It is really pleasing that it took two weeks, but the Labour Party now appears to be supporting the council tax freeze. I do not know what the position of the Conservative Party on the council tax freeze is, but it is really important that, at this time of pressure, when household budgets are so pressed, we are doing everything within our powers to support them. That is what we are doing, and I am pleased to see that we have Labour support. Michelle Thomson To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors the overall effectiveness of financial memorandums. Cabinet Secretary Shona Robison In preparing financial memoranda, the Scottish Government always learns from and applies any comments or recommendations that the Finance and Public Administration Committee have made on previous memoranda. In order to ensure that memoranda is effective in informing Parliament of the financial impact of proposed legislation, it is subject to a high level of scrutiny and review. Scrutiny is carried out by finance officials, the Parliament's legislation team and, of course, by the Finance and Public Administration Committee. Significant changes in projected spend, such as a 50 per cent uplift for the Children's Care and Victims Bill, indicate too little upfront detailed policy analysis. The large ranges and estimates also indicate considerable uncertainty. Speaking as a member of the FPA committee, I am concerned that the general quality of FMs being presented to us. In an extremely tight fiscal environment, that suggests the need for more rather than less upfront planning. Is it time to look again at the guidance that is being offered to ministers? I think that Michelle Thomson made some fair comment. We are committed, as I said, to maintaining the effectiveness of financial memoranda and ensuring that it remains fit for purpose. I would be happy to engage with the committee on its concerns and to consider how guidance could be improved in the spirit of consensus. Michelle Thomson is absolutely right, cabinet secretary. With the Government making increasing use of the co-design principle, which is important in terms of the Government relationship with stakeholders, one of the key issues is that, if we get the financial memorandum ahead of the final process of that co-design being completed, we are in serious difficulty on the finance committee, because we cannot scrutinise it properly. Can the cabinet secretary tell us what might be able to do about that? In the spirit of consensus, I think that Liz Smith also makes some valid points. As I said to Michelle Thomson, I am very happy to engage with the committee on the issues that may be limiting their scope for scrutiny. Liz Smith has just outlined one aspect to try and improve matters, so I suggest that we look at how we can take that forward again in the spirit of consensus and co-operation. To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the financial cost will be of its recently announced council tax freeze policy. We have committed to working with COSLA on the detail of the implementation of the council tax freeze over the coming weeks. The quantum will be discussed and agreed in partnership with local government. That will form part of the broader funding decisions that will be made in the context of the Scottish budget for 2024-25. For this policy to be credible, the Government has to set out how much it has set aside to cover it. Although households will welcome any freeze in a bill right now, they will not to know that it is fully funded. Can the Government give a guarantee that the freeze will not lead to any redundancies, reduction in services or increases in other council charges? As my colleague Joe Fitzpatrick said earlier on, we have made a commitment to fully fund the council tax freeze. That will be done by negotiation because there are various ways that the final quantum could be calculated and there may be various opinions about that in local government. It is important that we do that in partnership with local government to reach a common agreement over the quantum. What I would say to Mark Griffin is that it has taken two weeks for his leader to come to a conclusion about whether he and the Labour Party support the principle of the council tax freeze. Now that they do, I am assuming that they will support the council tax freeze as part of the budget setting process. We will very much look forward to working with them on that. Labour has spent a fortnight protesting that this Government will introduce a council tax freeze, yet this Saturday, before the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, Labour distributed a leaflet that we said, and I quote, "...vote to stop the SNP making you pay more council tax." No mention of a freeze or it being fully funded. Does the cabinet secretary agree that Labour's contorsions on this issue will betray the blatant cynicism of a party that will say anything for perceived political advantage? Kenny Gibson said that Labour has been all over the place on this issue. However, as I said in the spirit of consensus, it is now good to see that it is supporting the freeze. I very much look forward to the budget to see if they vote for it to help those hard-pressed households. If they change their mind again, I think that the public will be the judge of how Labour votes on that. The freeze will provide much-needed financial relief, particularly to vulnerable households. With household spills rising, the freeze will give some certainty to households for next year, and we look forward to seeing how other parties vote in this chamber. Councils are responsible for the delivery of community assets such as swimming pools and other sports facilities, youth clubs, art and drama classes. Does the cabinet secretary not recognise that by starving councils of funds is a false economy, and by taking those funds out of one page of the ledger means that they will appear in other pages such as health, welfare, justice and education, and with some interest? From that question and the tone of it, I suggest that the Conservatives will not support a council tax freeze as part of the budget. That is a very interesting position for the Tories to take. On the issue of resources to local government, we have increased resources by more than £793 million, which represents an increase of 3 per cent in real terms. That is an increase, of course, beyond the flat cash position that was set out in the 2022 resource spending review. When I look at the position of local authorities in England where his party is in charge with some of them going into administration and going broke, I really do not think that any Conservative member of this Parliament is in any position to come and lecture the Scottish Government about the support for local government finance. We will get on with supporting local government, we will get on with discussing local government, with local government the quantum of support as we take forward the budget for this year. We will just leave the Tories to snipe on the sidelines as normal. Before we move to question 5, I would be grateful if we could just avoid the running commentary because it does make it difficult for all members to hear. Question 5, Bob Doris. To ask the Scottish Government how its proposed electoral reform bill will seek to improve voter participation within the electoral process. Minister George Adam. I thank Bob Doris for his question. The Scottish Government has committed to ensuring that everyone eligible to vote can do so. We will seek to improve the electoral process in the reform bill later in this session. Proposals are likely to include increased registration among underrepresented groups, making voting more accessible for those facing barriers such as people with sight loss. As always, Presiding Officer, I remain open to the suggestion from others with regards to improvements. Bob Doris. I thank the minister for that answer. Presiding Officer, votes must not only be cast, they must also count. I have met with the minister over my concerns that at the 2022 council elections, Calword, in my constituency, had highest rate of spoil papers in Scotland, three times the national average as a result of voter error. The minister was receptive to my suggestion of placing a statutory duty on the electoral commission to having an ongoing duty working with communities to take steps to reduce the number of votes inadvertently spoiled. Can the minister update me on Scottish Government work in this area and whether the elections bill can help deliver the same? Thank you, Presiding Officer. Mr Doris is correct. We had that meeting and we discussed things further. At the 2022 local elections, 1.85 per cent of ballots were rejected. Although the overall number of spoiled ballots at those elections was down slightly, I recognise examples of the ones that Mr Doris cites from the canal ward where the numbers remain too high. I agree that most of more must be done to ensure that no one loses their votes. I am interested in any proposals that can help to achieve that. I am fully committed to working with Mr Doris on this issue as the electoral form bill progresses and his specific suggestion on a more formal role for the electoral commission will be giving full consideration. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth has had with ministerial colleagues regarding efforts to ensure that circular economy practices are embedded in public procurement. The Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance is on an international engagement in the United States, which includes him speaking at a plenary session at the Obama Foundation leaders event in Chicago. He will hear first-hand their experiences in best practice from community wealth building initiatives in the United States of America. The minister regularly has discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of matters, including circular economy and procurement. The Scottish Government is committed to using public procurement to contribute towards the strategy priority of transition to a more resource-efficient, lower-carbon economy. I wish the minister well on his low-carbon trip to the United States of America. The public sector spends more than £14 billion a year on goods and services, so making that spend more circular could drive enormous environmental and social benefits. Given that Scotland is just 1.3 per cent circular, it is worrying that the public procurement has not appropriately embedded circularity. Does the minister agree that circular economy principles should be built into all-appropriate contracts, both in terms of goods and services being bought, but also in terms of the scoring matrix for contract awards? If so, how does he intend to progress the agenda? I know that the member takes this matter very seriously and goes beyond the cheap politics at the start of his comments, so I will answer the question on that basis. He is absolutely right about the importance of moving towards a more circular economy within procurement. Our sustainable procurement tools contain circular economy e-learning, which helps public bodies to take account of climate and circular economy in their procurement activity. They also have guidance on materials and on waste, which are aimed at making best use of resources, including using circular economy principles. We will promote the updated guidance on procuring for repair, reuse and remanufacturing from Seroway Scotland. Members, let us remember the requirements to treat one another with courtesy and respect and to hear one another. In principle, there are a number of tools that are in place. Clearly, we are not where we want to get to, and that is why we are working really hard to do that. I know that ministerial colleagues engage with Mr Golden regularly on the issue, so I know that it is an issue that is really important and that he wants to help us to work together as a Government and as a Parliament to get this right. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to report of a potential £200 million rise in non-domestic rates. The Scottish budget delivers the lowest poundage in the UK for the fifth year in a row, and the package of reliefs for £23.24 is estimated to be worth £749 million. Decisions on non-domestic rates for £20.24.25 will be made in the context of the Scottish budget, which will be published on 19 December. Given that business investment delays are a main contributor to Scotland's weak growth, does the cabinet secretary agree that reducing business rates would provide much needed relief to the sector? What I can say is that we have been working with business. The new deal for business established a consultative subgroup to advise on the non-domestic rate system, which Tom Arthur shares. That group has provided a really important opportunity for discussion on further enhancements to the operation and administration of non-domestic rates following the implementation of the Barclay review. We will look at those group's recommendations and how we take them forward after they publish their plan on 19 October. Within, I think, 30 minutes of parliamentary business this afternoon, the Tories have asked for more money for local government, more money for business at a time where the UK Government is likely to deliver a real terms cut to our resource and capital budget for 2024-25. Will we know about our priorities? We are very clear about our priorities. Members will have different views on a whole range of issues, but that does not mean that members need to join in from their sheets when it is neither their opportunity to put a question or answer at a question. Cabinet Secretary? I think that the Pantos season has started early for the Scottish Conservatives this afternoon. Conservatives from a sedentary position, as always, were barking about priorities. This Government is very clear on our priorities of tackling child poverty on net zero and delivering strong public services and a growing economy. What we hear from the Conservatives in this chamber is a scattergun approach of more money for everything, with absolutely no credibility or propositions or ideas about how to fund it with a budget cut from people and masters at Westminster. So what we need to see is some credibility from the Tory benches. I won't vote my breath though. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It's welcome that the Scottish Government continues to deliver the lowest poundage in the UK. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update regarding how much this is expected to save rate pairs this year? I heard Tory groans about having the lowest poundage in the UK. Do they want us to have the lowest poundage in the UK to support, for the fifth year in a row, to support business? The freeze in the poundage for £22.24, which was business's biggest ask on non-domestic rates, is expected to save rate pairs £305 million this year, compared with an inflation rate increase. I know that business welcomes that. It's just a pity that others in this chamber can't bring themselves to welcome it. To ask the Scottish Government what its priorities are for its 2024-25 budget. We are clear what our priorities are. The Scottish Government is committed to delivering on the priorities set out in the First Minister's policy prospectus and the programme for government in September. The three missions of equality, opportunity and community will guide us and I will lay out the tax and spending plans to Parliament on 19 December. This will be a budget of difficult choices as the economic conditions are set to remain challenging. We all know the reasons for that, with inflation rate pressures continuing to impact on households, businesses and public services. The Government announced that it wanted to freeze the council tax for the upcoming budget at SNP conference. We know that COSLA and the Scottish Greens were not consulted before then. The Government has failed today to give us any sort of figure about how much that policy would cost. Can the cabinet secretary confirm whether or not civil servants were involved in helping to develop and formulate this proposal prior to its announcement? Yes, we were given advice from civil servants in the normal matter but I'm really beginning to get confused here about what Labour's position is on the council tax. One minute they're against it then they're for it and then they seem to be against it again. I think that you need to perhaps read what your leaders' comments were who said that they would back it. This is a budget of difficult choices and we have to balance the difficult choices of household finances and the cost of living crisis caused by the Conservative Government with the need of course to invest in public services. So we'll bring forward our proposals that do that. What we need to see from Labour are any alternative, costed, credible policies and I will wait to see what those policies are because all of our policies on 19 December will be costed. I look forward to seeing Labour's alternatives through that. A brief supplementary Karen Adam. I ask the Deputy First Minister, as we look beyond the upcoming budget, what assessment the Scottish Government has made of the challenges that Scotland's ageing population will pose to the funding of public services and will the Deputy First Minister comment on whether the challenge is being exacerbated by a hostile Westminster migration system, which Scottish Labour also continued to back? Tutories don't like to hear the truth because it is uncomfortable for them, but the challenges of an ageing population are considered when planning our budget and it's clear, as Karen Adam said, that the UK Government immigration policies are not meeting the needs of Scotland's communities, especially those in rural and island areas. We're unable to set our own immigration policies. We've given solutions, like the rural visa pilot proposal, yet the UK Government's focus is odd restricting migration and putting barriers in place for those who might seek to come here to build a new life. I think that that is completely wrong-headed. That concludes portfolio questions. I'll allow a moment for front-renties to organise before we move on.