 Maen nhw'n gwybod y cyflau'r cwestiwn. Angus MacDonald I ask the Scottish Government when it will approve the Ffalkirk Council Development Plan scheme 2014. Minister Derek Mackay The Ffalkirk local development plan was submitted to the directorate for planning environmental appeals on 20 February, and reporters from the DPA pointed on 21 February to carry out an examination of unresolved representations to the plan. Following completion of this examination, rhagorion y ddeunydd crewogaethangosedeb yn y pande Nicolid Gwroff, ei amwiau bod gennychiam iawn i'r aer Ysgolwyd cymn unf���r wedi'i bwvbagur i gyrgyn am m Tod Orderr mewn tymu wedi'i gwyrain sicrhau gwytu alsing a Ilau i'r pwg projects yr arion subscriberau yn y pressaeth iawn. Yu Rexh-Rex 對 beadion ir底edwn i'r dasturnau diwet haf yn rhan o'r bwistrif i oesio ffasbyg lleoli ar gwellion y komenadu ffasbyg llwyffentol eir gyntaf bywyd yn ei eistedd yn cael ei gwybodaeth i ddechrau bod gweithio iailwygion ar gyfer hyn yn i ddweithioITT gweithio iailwygion yn öfawr, fel y defnyddio'r erbyn yn cychydig adroddau yn y gymrydol i'r bwistrif i agnwys i'r fawr. A wnaeth iddyn nhw i ddechrau ei papilau a gweldiant a'r rhan o'r pwysig i ddiechrau i the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise at the time the decision is made. The new Scottish planning policy and all our evidence submitted will be a material consideration that will be taken into account when applications and appeals are decided. The reporters from the directorate of planning and environmental appeals, dealing with the two appeals for coal, methane bed, extraction production in Falkirk and Stirling council areas have held inquiry and hearing assessments, as well as accompanied site inspections in March and April this year. The reporters have also decided to take additional evidence from parties at once the new Scottish planning policy is adopted and targeted for June. An additional inquiry session will be held for this evidence, therefore the reporters dealing with those appeals will therefore take the new Scottish planning policy into account when they make their decisions on those appeals. To ask the Scottish Government what impact it considers Police Scotland has had on policing in Dumfries and Galloway. 13 months on from the successful transition to the new policing arrangements, policing in Scotland continues to perform excellently. There are 1,000 more police officers on our streets compared to 2007, and confidence and satisfaction in the police is high. Dumfries and Galloway now has access to specialist equipment and expertise whenever and wherever it is needed. That includes a human trafficking unit, national rape investigation and an air support unit. There is also increased flexibility for police officers to work in Dumfries and Galloway area when needed. Alex Ferguson. One of the great successes of Dumfries and Galloway police force was the impact of community policing, which has resulted in the lowest rates of juvenile crime on record. With the advent of Police Scotland over time for working on public holidays has been removed and replaced with an extra nine days holiday per year. This has left each policeman and woman a £1,000 worse off a year, but more importantly perhaps the community policing service as a whole with a consequential reduction in manpower. Let me ask the cabinet secretary how he thinks that that reduction of effort in community policing will help to keep juvenile crime at its current low level. Is this not just a typical example of a one-size-fits-all policy being pursued by Police Scotland in a rural environment where that policy simply does not work? I think that there are two items. First of all, the change in terms of conditions was negotiated by the Scottish Police Federation with the senior management team. It was wanted by the Scottish Police Federation and it has been done with their support and their approval. If Mr Ferguson disagrees and clearly he can raise it with the Federation representatives who are elected by rank-and-file members. With regard to policing, what I can say is that the policing in the community remains strong because of this Government's commitment to 1,000 additional officers south of the border where Mr Ferguson's party are the lead in the coalition government. We have seen a drop of 15 per cent in police numbers in Northumbria. I think that Dumfries and Galloway is well served and the Federation welcomes changes that are taking place. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the cabinet secretary for commonwealth games, sports, equalities and pensioners rights has had regarding the provision of late-night or overnight commuter rail services during the commonwealth games. Cabinet Secretary, Shona Robison, I can advise that officials from Transport Scotland have worked closely with ScotRail and Network Rail to provide train services departing Glasgow later than ever before during the period of the commonwealth games. This includes late-night services connecting Edinburgh, Perth and Stirling, as well as stations in Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde. That will help to ensure that spectators can enjoy the sporting and live events on throughout the city and travel home via the train. John Wilson, I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. Since the commonwealth games are to be a car-free event, particularly with the proposed road restrictions and closures, could the cabinet secretary indicate how the transport providers will get that message out to residents throughout Central Scotland that the easy transport links that will be provided by either bus or rail to ensure that those who wish to attend the commonwealth games have the opportunity to do so? John Wilson, I thank John Wilson for his question. The additional capacity and late-night services throughout Central Scotland are very important in diverting people off of the roads and out of their cars. Passengers on the Airdrie to Bathgate line will be able to take advantage of those late-night departures to stations serving north Lanarkshire. A communication strategy of course is important, as the member has highlighted, to make sure that the public is aware of their public transport options. I am happy to write to the member with more detail of that strategy. Duncan McNeill Last week, it was announced that an additional 100,000 tickets for all of the events in the open and closing ceremonies would now be available to the public. How will the cabinet secretary ensure that those additional tickets are directed to sports clubs and those who participate in sports clubs, who are currently being asked to share only 1,000 tickets? Can we do more, cabinet secretary? I think that that is wide of the mark. We are talking about rail services, but if the cabinet secretary wishes to answer it, she can go ahead. I am happy to answer that. We always want to do more. One of the key groups that we identified that we wanted to promote the legacy tickets to were those who give to sport day in, day out, whether that is as volunteers in their local groups, communities and sports organisations. Sport Scotland is one of the agencies that the legacy tickets are going to be distributed through. I am happy to write to the member with more details of that. If we can go further then, obviously, we will go further. Question number four, Patricia Ferguson. To ask the Scottish Government when it will implement the recommendations of Lord Cullen's review of fatal accident inquiry legislation. Cabinet secretary, Ken MacAskill. The Government is committed to bringing forward a bill to implement the recommendation of Lord Cullen's 2009 review of the fatal accident inquiry legislation within the lifetime of this Parliament. Some of Lord Cullen's recommendations were addressed to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and have already been implemented, including the establishment of a Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit. Patricia Ferguson. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I am sure that he would want to join with me in marking the fact that the families of those who lost their lives in the stock line explosion are preparing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of that disaster on Sunday. Does the cabinet secretary not think that we ought to families bereaved by workplace accidents to have in place the best possible fatal accident inquiry system? Will the Scottish Government, if it has no immediate plans of its own to legislate in this area, now back, at least in principle, the bill that I will shortly introduce to Parliament? Cabinet secretary. First of all, I would pay tribute to all those who lost their lives in the stock line tragedy. I would equally pay tribute to all those who have worked and sent to try and work out what happened so that we learn lessons both in terms of fatal accidents and indeed in terms of the problems and issues that existed there, including the Lord President who presided over the inquiry. We are intent on taking action. It was for that reason that we instructed Lord Cullen. We do have challenges within the parliamentary timetable but we are committed to acting as expeditiously as possible. We have, as I say, made sure that the matters that can be dealt with without primary legislation such as those falling within the domain of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service are dealt with. We have been in communication with Lord Cullen to see whether there was any updating that he wished to do to his review but he is satisfied with where matters stand. I can give the member the assurance that we want to get the best possible legislation and we will do so within our period of office. 5. Graham Pearson To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the issues associated with the opencast mines in South Scotland. Cabinet Secretary John Swinney The liquidation of both SRG and ATH in 2013 led to 726 redundancies in Scotland's coal industry and left many sites in an unrestored state. In response, Fergus Ewing established a cross-party task force to address the situation and created the Scottish Mines Restoration Trust to assist local authorities in the restoring of those sites. Since the initiation of the task force in April 2013, a total of 450 jobs have been created in the sector and this is forecast to increase to 550 jobs by the end of this year. As an action from the task force, the Scottish Government launched a formal planning consultation opencast coal restoration effective regulation inviting views on revisions to planning policy and advice. 5. Graham Pearson I am very grateful to the cabinet secretary for that reply and he is interested in this matter. Can the cabinet secretary acknowledge the environmental damage wrecked by the opencast mining companies who are no longer trading, particularly in East Ayrshire? Communities currently feel abandoned to suffer the devastated landscape with no sign of repair. Has the task force decided on a plan to deal with that particular issue on a timescale to deliver? I quite appreciate the concerns that Mr Pearson has raised on behalf of constituents in the East Ayrshire area. This is a very difficult situation that has arisen out of the collapse of the companies involved. It leaves serious implications for local residents around the particular sites. It is a priority of the task force to address the very issue that Mr Pearson has raised and to find a way in which restoration work can be made possible. That is an urgent and on-going priority of the task force. I give Mr Pearson the assurance that as soon as there is a clear plan of action that can take forward and address many of those issues, that will be fully reported to Parliament by Mr Ewing. 6. James Kelly To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that all staff working on Scottish Government contracts are paid the living wage. We are committed to supporting the Scottish living wage and have done so in our pay policy for the duration of this Parliament. We are taking steps through the normal work of procurement to ensure that all possible steps are taken to ensure that staff that are working on Scottish Government contracts are paid at least the living wage. We cannot make payment of the living wage a mandatory requirement on our public contracts. However, we are seeking urgent clarification from the commission on what more can be done within EU law to help to ensure that we and public bodies can lawfully encourage their contractors to pay staff involved in delivering their contracts a living wage. I previously asked the cabinet secretary to conduct a review of the low-pay loophole to determine how many staff contracted by public sector bodies are denied the living wage. I believe that the moral achievement of paying the living wage is undermined if you have several servants on salary scales far above it, but cleaning and catering staff who are not being paid the living wage. EU government research shows that 78 per cent of people believe that employers should reveal how many staff paid the living wage. With that in mind, the cabinet secretary confirmed that the review of the low-pay loophole has begun. If it will report before next Tuesday's stage 3 of the procurement bill. I think that the position on the ability to make the living wage mandatory in terms of public sector contracts has been pretty well discussed within Parliament already and, of course, it will be the subject of discussion at the stage 3 proceedings of the public procurement bill. However, I want to say to Mr Kerley that the Government does take its commitments on the Scottish living wage very seriously. We are taking active steps in relation to contracts that are being taken forward for renewal within the Scottish Government that we use every opportunity that we can through those contract processes to encourage contractors to pay staff involved in delivering those contracts a living wage. That is practical action that we are taking in advancing the letting of future contracts that the Government will let for those services. Of course, we will advise Parliament of progress that is made on those questions as those contracts are concluded. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report started at a recent EU environment council meeting. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs brewets an agreement to raise Scotland's position on genetically modified crops. That is indeed the case. March environment council on Paterson agreed to raise the need for any EU agreement allowing member states to make their own decisions about growing GM crops to permit Scotland and other devolved Governments to take their own decisions and not be bound by UK Government views. However, he failed to do so. I wrote to Mr Paterson on 13 March to express my disappointment at this omission and to seek assurances that the UK Government will work to correct the failure to speak on behalf of Scotland's interests and ensure that any EU agreement allows for devolved Governments to uphold a ban on GM crops should be wished to do so. I also sought a commitment from Mr Paterson that, following any deal in Europe, the UK Government would work with Scotland and the other devolved administrations to ensure regional bans become a reality in the UK. I have yet to receive a reply from Mr Paterson on those points. I note the minister's detailed answer. Scottish policy opposes GM crops, so any regionalisation of decision-taking that allows Westminster to bring in approved GM crops in England would need to be legally watertight. Does the Scottish Government agree that a decision on the matter should be delayed until the new Parliament and commission is confirmed? It is up to Brussels to work out the timetable for this agreement, and in fact it is not possible now for legislation to be passed until after the new European Parliament is in place. I agree with Rob Gibson's point that it is essential that the legislation is legally watertight. The Government would welcome the ability to have a ban on GM cultivation enshrined in EU law, but it is essential that it is safe from legal challenge. To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in reducing the financing of repeat prescriptions. The significant proportion of spend in drugs is in supporting patients with complex, severe and enduring conditions that necessarily involve repeat prescribing, and that will continue in the context of an ageing population and the increase in prevalence of long-term conditions. It is extremely important to ensure that that does not lead to unnecessary waste through over-prescribing. That is why we are developing the Scottish Therapeutics Utility, which is currently being piloted in four NHS board areas, which will help GP practices to identify areas of potential medicine's waste within their repeat prescribing systems. We aim to roll out that software to all boards during the current financial year. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. Two years ago, in an answer to a similar question, the cabinet secretary advised that there was an estimated cost of £30 million attributed to some pharmacies not following the process's strictures on repeat prescriptions, as required. Will the cabinet secretary now reinforce the message to all pharmacists and GPs that the process must be followed, and will he seek the equivalent of anamnesty on medicines and ask patients to return all over-prescribed medicines to pharmacists and determine where the health boards might seek recovery of the appropriate costs? The scheme that the member refers to is not actually NHS pharmaceutical services. He will be aware that officials wrote to all NHS boards and contractors about the negative impact that those schemes can have, and I will absolutely reinforce that point again. In addition, we will continue to discuss this issue with community pharmacy Scotland, the national pharmacy contractor's body. I understand the point that he makes about an amnesty, however I do not believe that this would achieve the outcomes that he expects. NHS boards have a responsibility to take control of prescribing in their area and to ensure that prescribers prescribe according to patient need and that medicines are not given to patients when they are not needed. I would also say that patients must have a responsibility themselves to order those medicines that they need. The strategies that I mentioned earlier will go some way to achieve this together with GP and pharmacist medicines reviews and reviews of repeat prescriptions. Is the minister aware that almost all unused medicines that Mr Brody mentioned resulting mainly from repeat prescribing are returned to pharmacists and are then incinerated? However, if they are returned to the general practices, 60 of whom are now linked to a charity called Intercare, those medicines, if appropriate, will be used in sub-Sahara Africa on order. Will he meet with me to discuss how we can promote this alternative to burning millions of perfectly usable medicines? I am aware of that scheme. I am happy to meet the member because, like him, I would like to see if we can recycle some of those drugs, provided safety is not compromised, recycle some of those drugs to Africa and elsewhere. Before we move to the next item, business members will wish to join me in welcoming to the gallery Mr Raphael Catatonia, President of the Regional Council of Lombardy. We now move to First Minister's questions. Question number one, Johann Lamont. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. To ask the First Minister what engagements he is.