 Y Llywyddacadregol tyment, Cymru, Hyrra angwr i ni dod dive ei wneud gafai a hoffi a laminias y Autogen agaf ddechrau, a nos, ei ddy for Transport Scotland to approach the director for planning environmental appeals in order to arrange a public local inquiry, and we understand that an inquiry will proceed unless this objection is withdrawn. Rhoda Grant. I thank the minister for that response. He will be aware that Keith Neeson's Chamber of Commerce in July criticised the Scottish Government for dragging its heels on the issue. Will the minister, in light of his answer, commit funding for the far north rail line to ensure that people in Caithness and indeed businesses in the far north are not disadvantaged by this further delay in road improvements? First of all, I want to correct Rhoda Grant. No, he did not criticise Scottish Governments. He criticised politicians collectively for the length of time that it takes for reporters to consider those kinds of schemes. I agree with those who want to see the Berrydale Braves scheme proceed, and I should say that this Government has done more to progress that scheme than any other Government. We will continue to make progress. We are committed to the scheme, but we have to follow due process. It will have to go through the process of the DPEA, which I have to say is also performing better and processing cases more quickly than was the case under the previous administration as well. We are committed to this as a priority within a massive infrastructure investment programme. We will also look at rail investment, which is also at a record high under this Government, ensuring that we touch every part of the country as well. I hope that the objection can be withdrawn so that we can get on with the Berrydale Braves scheme that is so required. However, if it is not withdrawn, we have to comply with the law and the regulations, undertake that inquiry and then we will proceed as quickly as we possibly can. However, unlike Labour, we continue to make demands that this Government makes progress. To ask the Scottish Government what further consultation is planned with regard to the Land Reform Scotland Bill. The Scottish Government welcomes all voices to the debate on the Land Reform, the Scottish Government's Land Reform Bill, which represents an important next step in our wider programme of land reform, was introduced to the Parliament on 22 June. The rule of fairs, climate change and environment committees call for written evidence closed on 14 August, and the majority of responses are now available on the Parliament's website. The committee has also started to take oral evidence on the bill this week. We have a great opportunity to ensure that all views and ideas on the bill's proposals are explored further as the Land Reform Bill goes through this Parliament, and the Scottish ministers look forward to continuing to work closely with the committee members, stakeholder organisations and people across Scotland on the future of Land Reform Scotland. I thank the minister for her response. I would be grateful if she would meet me to discuss some specific suggestions that I have in regard to the agricultural holdings aspects of the bill, in particular the potential for putting the code of conduct for land agents on the statutory footing, enabling tenant farmers to better secure the full value from their farm at the time of surrounding a lease, agreeing levels of compensation before agreeing in principle to quit, and enabling tenant farmers to more fully benefit from any of the diversification activity that they undertake. Both the cabinet secretary and myself would be very happy to meet Mr Crawford to discuss agricultural holding provisions in the bill. We will also be consulting stakeholders on the detail or the regulations to be developed in connection with the provisions in the bill, and on any other issues that would be helpful to explore with industry experts. Some of that work has already begun, for example, in relation to defining the approach to productive capacity to ensure that we achieve the better results for the sector. To ask the Scottish Government whether the new Haddington Community Hospital will be completed by 2019. I refer the member to previous answers, in particular my written answer to the member on 7 August, and Mr Swinney's answer on 31 July. As stated in these answers, the Scottish Government is considering whether further changes are required to the hub model in the light of the recent opinion by the Office for National Statistics on the Aberdeen western peripheral route, another project using funding on the NPD model. Scottish ministers remain committed to supporting the East Lothian Community Hospital project, and NHS Lothian is continuing to develop its plans for a replacement hospital, which is currently progressing on schedule. Presiding Officer, East Lothian's new hospital was due to open in 2009. This Government switched it to their private finance programme, and this has cost a 10-year delay. Any new problems with that programme simply cannot be allowed to further delay the hospital. I simply ask again that the cabinet secretary give my constituents the firm promise they need that this hospital will be completed by 2019. Of course, it was Ian Gray's Government that was the lover of PFI programmes, and of course the health budget is now suffering. The NPD model has delivered numerous new build facilities in schools, hospitals and other important parts of the infrastructure. The Scottish Features Trust is engaging closely with project partners to discuss the implications for them of the ons comments and considerations. The Deputy First Minister will provide a further report to Parliament in due course. In the meantime, all appropriate action is being taken to protect the vital capital investment in Scotland, including the new Haddington community hospital. Of course, we will manage the implications of the latest guidance on classification on the NPD programme and the Scottish budget, but this Government has invested huge amounts of resource into new hospitals and new schools, and we will continue to do so. Question 4, Richard Baker. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils on progressing the bid for the Aberdeen City region deal. Presiding Officer, Scottish ministers are fully supportive of a city region deal for Aberdeen. There have been a number of official level of discussions with both local authorities to explore the opportunity that such a deal would offer, and we look forward to continuing constructive discussions in the coming weeks and months. Richard Baker. Can the cabinet secretary assure me that, in addition to working closely with both local authorities and the UK Government to progress this bid, which will be submitted formally tomorrow, ministers will provide resources to the deal, as it did in the case of Glasgow and Clyde Valley? Will he agree that, given the current significant challenges for the oil and gas industry, the bid's success is crucial for both the wider Scottish and UK economies? Can I say to Mr Baker and reassure him that the Government attaches the greatest of importance to working constructively with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council on the city deal for Aberdeen? That will assist in dealing with some of the issues and the challenges that prevail in the oil and gas sector, but what will also help that is the significant infrastructure investment that the Scottish Government is already making in the north-east of Scotland through, for example, the £745 million worth of investment in the Aberdeen western peripheral route, the work that is under way in expanding health infrastructure in the north-east, and also the £187 million investment in transport infrastructure. We will willingly consider the bid that has been brought forward by Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire councils, and we will discuss it with both authorities and with the United Kingdom Government. Can the cabinet secretary give me an indication of what consultation Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council have undertaken with business and communities in the north-east to garner their thoughts on what should be in a city deal investment plan? I am certainly not familiar with the formulation of the bid. That is a matter entirely for the two bodies concerned, and the Government will judge the issues that emerged from that. However, it would be beneficial and advantageous for extensive dialogue to be undertaken with the business community and local communities to ensure that the bid can command widespread support and that it addresses the needs and aspirations of people in the north-east of Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure availability of GPs in remote and rural areas. Ministers are fully committed to supporting primary care, including GPs, and ensuring that all communities in Scotland, including remote and rural, receive safe, reliable and sustainable healthcare services. Over the next three years, the Scottish Government will invest £60 million as part of the primary care fund. That will help to address immediate workload and recruitment issues and put in place long-term sustainable change to support GPs and improve access to services for patients. As part of that, £2.5 million will be invested in work to explore with key stakeholders the issues surrounding GPs recruitment and retention, which can be particularly challenging in remote and rural areas. John Finnie? I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. The cabinet secretary will be familiar with the Royal College of Nursing's report, Going the Extra Mile, which rightly advocates the role of advanced nurse practitioners. For example, they are delivering immediate care in Shetland and providing vital primary care services on non-doctor islands. Is that a model that the cabinet secretary would encourage rolling out? John Finnie makes a very important point about the role of advanced nurse practitioners. They have very much demonstrated their value in the acute setting and in primary care. I am keen that we look at how we encourage and facilitate the training of advanced nurse practitioners at the moment that they have been down to the board's initiative to do that in their local area. I would like to develop a more systematic training of advanced nurse practitioners, because I think that the needs of the health service, whether that is in primary care or in acute, are going to require more of them going forward. That is something that I am actively looking at at the moment. I would be happy to keep John Finnie informed of the progress on that. Richard Simpson I thank the cabinet secretary for her support for advanced nurse practitioners. However, we now have a situation in which 18 general practices in the highlands are being directly run by the health board. The dispensing practices, which are largely in the highlands, are now down by 40 per cent under this Government. Will the Government institute an independent review of remote and rural practices and will also follow the Wilson report suggestion of an immediate moratorium on new community pharmacists until that independent review is conducted? Richard Simpson In terms of those GP practices that are required to be supported by boards because of the difficulties that they are facing at the moment, there are nine of those across Scotland. Richard Simpson has conflated those practices, which are salaried practices, with those that are requiring additional support from health boards at this moment. I actually think that the salaried service of GPs is a good thing. I am very surprised that the Labour Party does not seem to think that it is. It is particularly a good thing for the more remote and rural areas and it is a good thing for more deprived communities. It is a model that we have established and supported for quite some time. It is just a pity that the Labour Party does not seem to support it. John Scott Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cabinet secretary will be aware that there are insufficient doctors available to provide an out-of-hours service in Ayrshire and that this work is to be undertaken in the future by nurse practitioners. Is she content that this will not represent a diminution or dilution of the service previously provided by GPs and has she or her officials discussed this with NHS Ayrshire and Arran? John Scott will be aware that Lewis Ritchie is undertaking a review of out-of-hours services and has been going around all parts of the country, including Ayrshire and Arran, to discuss with local health professionals and the public and others around the needs of that particular area. We are waiting for his recommendations, which will be coming soon. What is fair to say is that the future of out-of-hours sustainability will be very closely aligned with the future for primary care in-hours, and that is that it cannot just be about the GP delivering those services. It has to be a multi-disciplinary team that will include things such as the advanced nurse practitioners that John Finnie referred to and others, but they will be fully trained, enabled and have the skill level to do that job. When Lewis Ritchie reports, I am happy to come back to John Scott with more information and indeed this Parliament with more information of how we take those recommendations forward. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with NHS Highland regarding staff shortages and hard-to-fill posts. Government officials maintain on-going contact with NHS Highland around a number of matters, including staff recruitment and retention. I will be holding NHS Highland's annual review and WIC on 7 September, at which a wide range of issues will be discussed with the board. Will she ensure that it is in the public interest of my constituents and many others that placements in rural and urban Scotland for trainee doctors are created, rather than just training doctors in one or two large urban centres, so as to offer those trainees insights into working in smaller and more remote centres as part of their career and potential choices for future work? Yes, I agree with that. A number of initiatives are already in place to ensure doctors get to experience rural as well as urban settings. NHS Education Scotland has developed post-CCT rural fellowships for GPs who have completed speciality training, and we are working with boards to develop networks between rural and urban hospitals, which in some areas involve rotating staff between rural and urban hospitals. Through the being-here programme, we are exploring a range of approaches to develop sustainable healthcare in rural areas. I am certainly happy to keep Rob Gibson informed of the discussions that we have at the NHS Highland's review about these matters. To ask the Scottish Government what the average cost is to keep a patient in hospital for one week. The average cost of an inpatient week at an NHS Scotland hospital in 2013-14 was £3,817. Neil Findlay? One in seven beds in Lothian hospitals are currently occupied by patients who are well enough to be at home. Why is the Government wasting almost £4,000 a week keeping people in hospital who do not want to or need to be there? Wouldn't it be better to fully finance our councils to provide good quality social care for people in their homes? Far from wasting money, we have just invested £100 million over the next three years in tackling delayed discharge. West Lothian will receive £11.4 million from the integrated care and delayed discharge funding over the next three years. That includes £8.5 million from the integrated care fund and £2.85 million in relation to delayed discharge. That is an issue, Presiding Officer. I have made very clear that it is a top priority for us to tackle. If Neil Findlay had looked at the recent statistics, he would have recognised that we are making progress. Yes, it is far more to be done, but progress we are making. I thought that something that Neil Findlay might have welcomed. To ask the Scottish Government what rate of landfill tax will apply to the disposal of contaminated soil? A subsoils qualify at the lower rate of tax unless they are contaminated to such an extent as to render them hazardous. That recognises that there is a relatively low level of environmental impact associated with landfilling subsoils. Permissible levels of contamination are decided by Revenue Scotland under powers granted to them in the landfill tax Scotland Act 2014. They have recently consulted on this issue and will be shortly publishing updated guidance. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it will be more environmentally friendly to encourage the remediation and recycling of contaminated soil rather than sending it all for landfill disposal and therefore it would not be better to impose a higher rate of landfill tax for such soil rather than a lower rate, which will kill off the soil remediation industry? The issues that Mr Chisholm has raised, he has raised with me in correspondence and I have looked carefully at the issues that he has raised. There is a balance to be struck here in relation to providing the opportunities for the reuse of soil as part of regeneration schemes and ensuring that there is an effective means of disposal of soils in a fashion that does not create environmental damage. Revenue Scotland essentially is considering that point within the consultation exercise. Their judgment and their views will form the basis of the guidance that the board have looked at, and that will be published shortly. However, I can assure Mr Chisholm that the issues that he has raised with me have been at the heart of the consideration that has been given to this issue by Revenue Scotland. I will be happy to answer any further thoughts that Mr Chisholm has on behalf of his constituents once the Revenue Scotland guidance has been published.