 Good morning. The first item of business today is general questions, and we start with question number 1 from Johann Lamont. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to figures that are published in the Scottish out of hospital cardiac arrest data linkage project, which suggests that people in the most deprived areas are 43 per cent less likely to survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest than those living in more affluent areas. Minister Eileen Campbell. Reducing inequalities in survival is a priority aim across the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest strategy for Scotland. We know that encouraging by-standers to give CPR is where maximum impact on survival will be achieved. That is why the Save a Life for Scotland campaign was launched in 2015 to encourage people to learn CPR and raise awareness of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Save a Life for Scotland partners are working with multiply deprived communities across Scotland. Those HCA data linkage projects supported by the Scottish is antonial to monitor the impact of the strategy. It will improve the understanding of the links between deprivation and survival to provide robust evidence for effective action. The minister may be aware that, according to Saint Andrew's first aid, survival rates from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest sit at 6 to 8 per cent, lower than the European average of around 10 per cent. That in itself must demand action. Someone who lives in a disadvantaged community is already more likely to have a heart attack. The fact that someone who has a heart attack in a disadvantaged community is far more likely then to die because they have been unable to get the first age that might save their lives is an utter scandal. What steps will the minister take to address this ultimate example of a postcode lottery? Will she meet me to see how we might draw on the expertise of Saint Andrew's first aid and other groups that are committed to giving people first aid skills in order to ensure that people in our deprived communities have a better chance of survival? I would absolutely be happy to have a meeting with Johann Lamont. I know that she takes a keen interest in this area. I know that she has publicly talked about this for many times, so I absolutely will commit to having a meeting with her. She is right that we need to try to make sure that we reduce inequalities. That is why this information is important. It allows us then to concentrate on where we can have effective impact on our future actions. There is a specific look at inequalities throughout the strategy. That is why we are continuing to move forward with our strategy to continue to increase the number of people who are able to give CPR—those bystanders—who are able to help to prevent loss of life. That is why we will continue to focus our efforts on those areas. That is why we have the target of 500,000 people by 2020 being able to give CPR and why we are pleased that we have 200,000 people already able to provide CPR. There are lots of action that we are taking forward. The information that was critical to enable us to work out where we need to help to reduce inequalities. Again, I am happy to meet Johann Lamont to explore what more we can do and her keen interest in this to help us to inform our way forward. Can the minister confirm that one reason for low survival rates in the most deprived communities is that people are generally in poorer health and are less deprived, not least because of higher consumption of alcohol, tobacco and a poorer diet? The way to improve survival rates is primarily to focus on improving the general health of people in our deprived communities to reduce the likelihood of cardiac arrest in the first place. Can the minister confirm that anyone, regardless of where they come from, who is treated by the NHS, receives exactly the same level of care regardless? Absolutely, some of the issues around inequalities are absolutely linked to poor health and those inequalities are a symptom of wider income inequalities. That is why we are taking action on a wide number of fronts. We are looking to end poverty. We are creating better support for families. We are continuing with our affordable housing, providing free school meals and a whole host of areas to help to improve health. That is also why we are refreshing our alcohol strategy. We are looking to reduce smoking rates. We are looking to encourage active lives and healthier eating. All of that is about trying to tackle those ingrained inequalities to make sure that people do not suffer from the postcode lottery that others found around their health and their wellbeing conditions. That is why we will continue to work to mitigate the impact of UK Government welfare cuts, which also has an impact on people's health and wellbeing. We will continue to focus on using the information that we have got through this data linkage work to work out how we can reduce those inequalities even further around the roll-out of CPR. Andy Wightman To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes. Minister Kevin Stewart Thank you, Presiding Officer. Over the next 15 to 20 years, we will transform the energy efficiency of the nation's homes through Scotland's energy efficiency programme, building on the significant progress that we have made to date. We are currently making available half a billion pounds over four years, and by the end of 2021, we will have allocated over a billion pounds since 2009 on tackling fuel, poverty and improving energy efficiency. Registered social landlords are making good progress in meeting the energy efficiency standard for social housing by 2020, and we are working with them to consider long-term milestones. We remain committed to introducing energy efficiency standards in the private rented sector following the consultation on that earlier this year. Next year, we will publish a route map for Scotland's energy efficiency programme, setting out our long-term ambition for the programme and the steps that we will take to achieve it. Within that route map, we will set out our approach to energy efficiency standards in all homes. Andy Wightman I thank the minister for that answer. It is now two years since the Scottish Government designated energy efficiency as a national infrastructure priority. Can the minister say why energy efficiency spending has actually gone down since then? Can the minister explain why last week's fuel poverty statistics show that there are still over a million homes that fall short of the EPC rating C recommended by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence? Can the minister also tell us what practical measures will be in the upcoming warm homes bill that will make energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority in relation to existing homes, both rented and owned? Thank you, Presiding Officer. The warm homes bill and the route map for Scotland's energy efficiency programme will set out in depth our ambitions for energy efficiency across all tenures. I am sure that Mr Wightman will be happy with certain aspects of last week's figures, particularly the ones that show that there are 100,000 fewer households in Scotland out of fuel poverty. That is a good start. We have ambitions to ensure that even more of Scotland's people are taken out of fuel poverty. Of course, our ambition is to eradicate fuel poverty in the future. Some of that conditions are outwith our control. Fuel prices still remain in the control of the Westminster Government, and I hope that they will take action. I can assure Mr Wightman that the warm homes bill and our route map for Scotland's energy efficiency programme will do much to improve energy efficiency across all tenures here in Scotland. Graham Simpson. Last week, we heard that 26.5 per cent of households are now in fuel poverty. That is a welcome reduction of 4 per cent from the previous year, but the Scottish Government was supposed to have eradicated fuel poverty by November last year. The consultation on a new fuel poverty strategy suggests that the Government intends to set a target to have fewer than 10 per cent of households in fuel poverty by 2040. How many more winters will people in Scotland have to endure before this Government eradicates fuel poverty? If we did not have to endure a Tory Government with its policies of austerity, then we could be doing much better. The fact that social security has been cut to many households including households and work adds to the woes. Beyond that, the UK Government said that it would take action on fuel prices and have failed to do so. Maybe Mr Simpson would be best placed to talk to his colleagues south of the border to get them to act in a reasonable manner, to get rid of austerity, to put a cap on fuel prices, and then we might be in a better position here in Scotland. Presiding Officer, I refer members to my register of interests as a registered mental health nurse who holds an honorary contract with Great Glasgow and Clyde NHS. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to attract more people to train as nurses. Last week, the chief nursing officer for Scotland published a report on widening participation into nursing and midwifery education and careers. The report recommends a range of measures to attract people into nursing, including a national campaign to recruit a more diverse workforce and tackle negative stereotypes and more flexible routes into education. The report was launched in the same week that we saw the highest ever number of acceptances to nursing and midwifery courses at our universities. The action set out will allow us to build on that, maximising the opportunities available and the people who can benefit from them. Last year, the UK Government scrapped bursaries for student nurses and introduced fees. Since then, there has been an 18 per cent reduction in applications from nursing students. Both the Royal College of Nursing and the President of Universities UK attribute that in part to the withdrawal of bursary funding. In contrast, recent UCAS statistics show an increase of 8 per cent of students enrolling at Scottish universities to train as nurses. Can the cabinet secretary reassure people in Scotland who want to train as nurses that this Government will continue to support them in this essential profession and will not withdraw bursary funding? I absolutely can, and I think that UCAS statistics tell a very interesting story of the position here in Scotland compared to south of the border. We continue to protect the non-means-tested, non-repayable nursing and midwifery student bursary and free tuition, which is in stark contrast to the UK Government who scrapped both in England, resulting in the dire consequences that the member describes. We have also increased support for students most in need or facing financial hardship. We will continue to review the support package to ensure that nursing and midwifery students receive the support that they need. In particular, we will consider whether additional support is needed for students in remote or rural areas or from low-income households. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on Transport Scotland's plans for road safety improvements on the A92. We are committed to improving safety on our trunk roads, including the A92, where we have been working closely with the communities and local elected members. We have invested more than £35.1 million on the A92 since 2007 to ensure that it continues to operate safely and efficiently. A number of studies are under way and are planned, which will identify further improvements that can be made. That will build on the investment that has already been undertaken in recent years, which includes works at a number of junctions, as well as providing better pedestrian facilities at Glynrothes and Forgan to Tabridge. Jenny Gilruth I thank the minister for that response. The minister will be aware that tomorrow I will be leading a walk along the five hazards of the A92. Earlier this year, he agreed with campaigners to visit the road himself. Is it still his intention to do so and can he provide me with a reassurance as a constituency MSP that improving road safety on the A92 is of paramount importance to the Government? Minister, I wish the member well for the walk that she is doing on the five hazards, as it is called, of the A92. I will be looking forward to hearing an update and some feedback from her. As the member rightly says in her question, she knows that we have met with the community councils, other community stakeholders and, of course, elected members. I thank her for the pressure that she has exerted on this important issue around the A92. As I said in my previous answer, there are a number of studies under way. I know that Transport Scotland last met with the community council earlier this year in August. It promised on the back of all the conflict studies that are being done, the traffic studies and the various other pieces of work that they would report back early next year. I say absolutely that it is my intention, of course, to visit the A92, which I will do in conjunction with the member's office. Question 5, Maurice Corry. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to develop restorative justice. Cabinet Secretary, Michael Matheson. Following on from the publication of guidance for the delivery of restorative justice in Scotland on 13 October 2017, we will consult on an order under section 5.2 of the Victims and Witnesses Act 2014 to prescribe who must have regard to the guidance. We will also work closely with justice and third sector partners to ensure access to existing services and to develop further provision to meet the needs of victims. Maurice Corry. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Experts are clear that restorative justice empowers victims and cuts re-offending. I welcome the guidance that has been published, but the fact is that there is simply not enough practitioners out there to use it. Victims deserve the chance to get an explanation from the person who commits to harm, and when will the Scottish Government make this the norm, rather than the exception? I agree with the member that restorative justice can be an effective tool in the right circumstances. What we are doing just now is taking forward some work with community justice Scotland to identify the areas in Scotland where restorative justice is presently taking place, because there are a number of local authorities who already deliver restorative justice programmes, and to identify whether there are gaps in different parts of other local authorities that do not presently provide restorative justice to then consider what measures can be taken in order to support them in delivering restorative justice programmes. I recognise the value that can come from restorative justice, both for those who have caused harm and for those who are victims of crime. I want to make sure that there is a greater consistency of approach across the country. The guidance will assist us in achieving that, and the work that we are now taking forward with community justice Scotland will assist us in identifying areas in which we need to make further progress. Does the cabinet secretary agree that it must be up to the victim of a crime if they want to engage in restorative justice practices and that the necessary support must be in place for them throughout the process? I agree with that. It is extremely important that both the victim and those who have caused harm are participating in the programme on a voluntary basis, because that is one of the key benefits that drive the system. The new guidance that we have issued highlights that that is a key aspect of how we want to see restorative justice being taken forward. Alongside that, those who are participating in restorative justice also have to be assisted by those who are appropriately trained to deliver restorative justice programmes in order to provide the appropriate support and assistance that is required as they get through that process. Liam McArthur Thank you very much. I welcome the publication of the guidance in October following the commitment secured by the Liberal Democrats in 2013. Can the cabinet secretary provide a little more detail on the steps to be taken to support community safety groups such as SACRO and others to act as facilitators in the restorative justice process? The member may be aware that SACRO is one of the organisations on the restorative justice forum that helped to draft the guidance that we issued in October. One of the important elements that we need to take forward before we decide on what our future approach to restorative justice should be is to identify the areas of good practice that are already taking place in a number of local authority areas in Scotland and to identify where there are gaps and then to consider what is the most appropriate approach in taking forward further restorative justice programmes in Scotland. That may come in the form of a national strategy to help to inform that at a local level, but we want to identify where the gaps are first in order to then consider what would be the most appropriate mechanism for taking forward further restorative justice programmes in Scotland as we move forward. To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to improve facilities at HM Prison Dumfries to meet the needs of older prisoners. The Scottish Prison Service has been actively considering its approach to population management. Older people are one of the population groups that are being looked at. If an older person is admitted to prison with specific needs, an individual care plan, care package and accommodation adjustments will be put in place following consultation with the necessary multi-agency partners. Older people with mobility issues are located in a specific area of HMP Dumfries. Disabled access ramps have been put in place in this area to aid accessibility and additional minor modifications are carried out to meet the needs of individual prisoners when required. Colin Smyth. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The need to improve facilities for older prisoners was highlighted in the chief inspector of prisons report, Who Cares. Now, given the explanation and the need to improve facilities, can the cabinet secretary explain why Dumfries was not included in the most recent estate development programme raising understandable concerns from staff about the future of the prison? Can the cabinet secretary give an assurance that bringing the prison up to a standard that is reasonable will definitely be included in the next phase of that programme? Given the integration of health and social care, can the cabinet secretary say whether he intends to revisit the lack of health and social care integration in prisons, where health boards are responsible for healthcare in prisons, but the prison service remains responsible for social care? The member may misunderstand the approach that has been taken forward by the Scottish Prison Service in meeting the needs of older prisoners in the prison estate programme. It has been taken forward as part of the prisoner population management programme, rather than by a prisoner segment group of older prisoners. That has meant that they have taken into account the evidence that has come from Hermaith's inspectorate of prisons and the Who Cares report that he made reference to, and they are taking a dispersal model, which means that they are providing access to facilities across all of the prison estate rather than to a specific establishment. That includes HMP Dumfries. The member may have then made reference to the issue of the capital investment programme that has been taken forward by the Scottish Prison Service. That has been taken forward on a phased basis, which has saw significant capital investment made in the creation of new establishments and upgrading existing establishments. The present stage of that is looking at HMP Inverness, HMP Bellini and HMP Greenock, and looking at how they will be developed going forward. The next phase of that will then be for HMP Dumfries and HMP Open Estate Castle Huntley. They will then look at how they will phase that programme moving forward. In relation to the issue of prisoner healthcare, that is an area that has now been progressed with the partnership that is developed between the Scottish Prison Service and individual health boards in each prison area. In order to support that at a national level, we have established the Health and Justice Collaboration Improvement Board in order to make sure that prisoner healthcare is driven forward right across all of the prison estates and also in the health boards that have a responsibility. One of its key priorities is to make sure that we improve prisoner healthcare overall and that workstream will be taken forward in the coming months.