 S wallslawnaeth I yst drains Nhaid i hawddio'r sglock ai gwaщiddio'r r vanished eich beth rhaglen von Will-en Nhan Felly'r busiol eich beth eich pryd 뜨fogol o w Ewusta Produkt mae'n gyntr allan ondddum ni yn eiblog。 Mae gydag i niol llawer o Dumheil diolch hefyd ddechrau i weldio os fawr i gael moyn blynyddol ac mae'n rhaid i ddweud ond awdroff Holdwell 27. I know that Dr Morrow gathered evidence from a wide range of sources including the Scottish Government, and all parties in the chamber. I would like to thank everyone for their constructive contributions. It is very clear from the review that work remains to be done and that we all have a responsibility to meet that challenge. The Scottish Government is fully committed to building on Dr Morrow's work. We have invested £12.5 million a本barchdd ac yn rhoi 12.5 miliwn o'r gwrs gwrs gwrs five years, i tach y sectoriwnwsrion, ac nid oeddo 9.3 miliwn i driwgaeth ar gyfer cymryd cyrraeth ynddo i gyfrifemwyr i Llyfrân Gwerth-Gareth. James Donan. Thank you minister for that answer. That minister will be aware that Doctor Morrell frequently says in his report, if not strict liability then what. Does a minister agree that the introduction of strict liability on and Scottish football clubs? We have some considerable way to reducing not only Sectarianism but also Homophobia Mesodyny and other unacceptable behaviors in Scottish football? I'm aware of Dr Morrow's comments about this. I'm aware that Mr Dornan is proposing a private member's bill on strict liability that are in the consultation period is on going, which I look forward to seeing the results of that due course. In the mean time we will continue to work with the SPFL, the Scottishなんです Personalised rules on other partners to ensure that the recently revised rules and associated guidelines on unacceptable conduct are robust, transparent and effective. The revised rules and guidelines are welcome, but without a concerted and sustained effort, we will not be able to eradicate offensive behaviour from our national game. There is scope to do more and I encourage the性 shotgun team and the SFA to work to that end. I refer members to my declaration of interest as a football referee for the Scottish FFA. The minister will be aware that the group also recognises the risk that strict liability could have unintended consequences. One of those unintended consequences is the cost to clubs. Indeed, a club in my region, Elgin City, has submitted a response to Mr Dornan's private member's bill, which said that a system of strict liability would leave us open to crippling and business-ending costs. What is the minister's response to those concerns? I hear what the member says. Of course, the process of Mr Dornan's consultation is on-going, and I would imagine that the member would wish to consider making his own representations there, too. Obviously, we, as a Government, will consider and reflect on the results of that consultation when they are presented to us. 2. Kenneth Gibson To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in North Ayrshire pay no rates because of the small business bonus scheme, and how many will be exempt in 2017-18. The small business bonus scheme provides 100 per cent relief to around 2,100 properties in North Ayrshire in 2016-17 and is estimated to provide 100 per cent relief to around 2,300 properties in 2017-18. I thank the cabinet secretary for that positive reply. Has clear and concise work to reduce the rates burden for almost half of our small businesses contrast sharply with the muddled thinking of the UK Chancellor, who abruptly cancelled his ill-conceived proposed increase in national insurance contributions from people who are self-employed? Often the very same folk of this SNP Government is helping with their business rates. Does the cabinet secretary agree that UK Tory ineptitude shows that small businesses in Scotland can rely only on the SNP to support and defend their interests? I find myself in agreement with that point, of course I do. The Government is delivering our manifesto as it relates to small businesses. Indeed, we have gone beyond the manifesto in lowering the tax rate to Scotland's small businesses, indeed to all businesses through the poundage show. In lifting 100,000 properties out of rates altogether through small business bonus, lowering the tax rate and delivering that enhanced package, we have responded very well in delivering our mandate and our manifesto commitments. In this Parliament of minorities, I have to reach out to other political parties to get support for my budget, but it appears that the Tory chancellor and Westminster could not even get the support of its own Tory members to support his budget proposition, so we will keep delivering for Scotland. I recently met with the Morningside Traders Association, my constituency, a number of whom have had relatively small changes to their rateable value. However, because those rateable values take them from over the £15,000 threshold, they have large rates-bills increases because of the removal of the 50 per cent tax ban. Indeed, their point was that the removal of the 50 per cent small business bonus ban has led to something of a cliff edge. Can the minister confirm what impact assessment has been made of the removal of that ban and the relatively large increases that can be experienced by businesses from a small change in rateable value over the £15,000 mark? I would remind Daniel Johnston that the Labour Party opposed all the reliefs in the actions that this Government set out to support small businesses and businesses right across Scotland. I also detailed in the budget how local authorities could assist businesses through the local rates relief support. There is a further opportunity for local authorities to assist where they feel they can go further to the national package. There will be a full revaluation report that will be delivered through the actions of the assessors who are independent of the Scottish Government, which can set out the picture post-revaluation. We have looked at the impacts of revaluation as we responded through the course of the budget and indeed beyond. I will continue to look at that to ensure that we have an excellent regime for business rates that ensures that it is a competitive regime and that it supports people through revaluation. As I say, it is faced with the chaos from the Tory party and the opposition from the Labour party. People can only trust the SNP to support businesses in this country to be able to respond to the challenges that they face. Jamie Greene It is interesting to hear the cabinet secretary talk about trusting the SNP, but the reality is that official Scottish Government data shows that nearly a third of all businesses in North Ayrshire will be hit by business rate hikes. Because of the revaluations of a number of small businesses, they are concerned that they will be taken out of the small business bonus scheme, but very little clarity has been provided over that. Can the cabinet secretary tell me how many businesses in North Ayrshire will be taken out of the small business bonus scheme by the increase in their business rates, and what assistance the Scottish Government will provide those businesses? Jamie Greene That avoids the answer that I have just given to Mr Gibson, that more businesses will benefit from the small business bonus. That has been opposed by the Tory party. All businesses benefit from the reduction in the poundage, which I think was the right action to take. We have looked at the package of reliefs, and if Tories and the Labour Party want to look further at enhanced measures for support, maybe they should be supporting local authorities in delivering those kinds of schemes. A number of sectors have welcomed the actions that we have taken, and I remind all members that many people have been waiting for the reduction in their business rates as a consequence of their revaluation. More than half of all businesses will pay nothing, and 70 per cent of businesses will pay the same or less rates than they did before. That is the right package to support businesses across Scotland, and the full details of the impact of revaluation will come out as the assessors provide that final information. I will look to future financial years to see what further support we can provide. However, all the actions have been totally undermined by the Tories and the Labour Party when it came to business rates in this country, who made a lot of noise but absolutely no difference when it came to supporting businesses in this land. To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to local authorities to help regeneration of town centres. The Scottish Government agreed the town centre first principle with COSLA and all council leaders. The principle asks that all investment decisions consider the impact on the town centre as a starting point, and I am pleased that the principle is gathering traction with local authorities applying it to suit their own local circumstances. We support local authorities through measures that are set out in the town centre action plan, which sets the conditions and supports activity across the wider public, private and community sectors to tackle the key issues in town centres across Scotland. We fund and support the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which provides practical assistance to councils and others to help owners to bring their empty homes back into use. It has been central to developing Scotland's network of empty homes officers, and 17 councils now have a dedicated empty homes resource. By April 2016, that partnership had assisted in bringing over 1,680 properties back into use. To add to the range of tools that are available to tackle empty homes and property, we are committed to bringing forward provisions for compulsory sale orders as part of on-going land reform measures. However, more work is needed to ensure that any powers that are brought forward are effective in tackling the impact of abandoned buildings, particularly those that blight town centres in neighbourhoods. Does the Government agree that the UK Government's insistence on charging full VAT for restoration of buildings, while new builds are zero-rated, is having a detrimental impact on efforts to regenerate town centres? As Ms McAlpine points out, VAT remains a reserved matter. Regrettably, it seems clear that we are not likely to be heard on this matter by the UK Government. While we do not have hard data to support the member's statement, I would say that it is a logical conclusion that zero VAT would help to regenerate many of the properties that she talks of. However, we are focused on other ways in which we can support the regeneration of our historic town centres. For example, through the provision of grant support such as that dispersed under the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme. The scheme, which is administered in behalf of the Government by Historic Environment Scotland, is aimed at addressing repair works to town centres and high streets where appropriate, bringing local vacant or at-risk buildings back into reuse. I recognise that the member has a major interest in this, Presiding Officer, and I intend to visit Dumfries shortly, where I know that she has been asking numerous questions on this issue. Question 4 was not lodged. To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of the discussions between it and the Scottish Council for Jewish Communities regarding the adoption of the international Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism. Scottish Government officials are due to meet with the Scottish Council for Jewish Communities and the Community Security Trust on 23 March to discuss the issues. I would also refer the member to my written answer under S5W-05829, which indicated that the Scottish Government agrees with the definition adopted by the international Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Can I thank the cabinet secretary for that response and say to her that I still receive regularly inquiries from constituents in Eastwood, which is where the largest Jewish community in Scotland reside. They are very grateful for the personal support of the First Minister, who attended an event in the community just recently. I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for what she says. I hope that there can be an early outcome from this and that Scotland, too, can join those other Governments that have adopted this particular resolution. I hope that that is the outcome that we can all achieve. I am grateful to Mr Carlaw for the tone and tenor of his supplementary question. Perhaps I could also point out to Mr Carlaw and to the chamber that, in the written answer to Ross Thomson on 14 March, just a few days ago, on the same issue, I replied that we agree with the definition produced by the international Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and consider the resolution that they have adopted to be a helpful guide to the different manifestations of anti-seminism. To ask the Scottish Government what communication it has had with the UK Government regarding a possible visit to Scotland by Donald Trump. The UK Government has not communicated with us regarding a possible visit by the US President. The Scottish Government wants to build a constructive relationship with the administration based on the shared fundamental values of equality, tolerance, diversity and human rights for all, regardless of faith, race, gender or sexual orientation. However, the First Minister has made clear that we would not support a state visit while the current travel ban is in place. I am a little surprised that the cabinet secretary thinks that those values are shared by the US administration. However, it has been widely reported that the UK Government is considering moving the state visit to Scotland, partly in order to avoid public protest. Both Governments must surely be aware that millions of people around the world—and certainly many thousands in this country—stand ready to oppose the Trump regime and everything that it represents. If such a visit did come to Scotland, it would be met with the biggest public protest seen in many years. Can the Scottish Government assure us that Police Scotland will do nothing to limit or suppress that legitimate public protest, including non-violent direct action where appropriate? Can the cabinet secretary also confirm that they will not be following the UK Government's line of instructing their own employees not to criticise Trump on their personal social media accounts? A number of issues are in there. In terms of solidarity on the values that I set out, I think that there are many people in the US that reflect those values, and we should respect those people that do. Indeed, the member might be aware that only a few hours ago a block was put in place with the current travel arrangements by a judge in Hawaii, and I think that that will be supported not just by many people in the US but also internationally. In relation to his point about potential protests, I think that the people of Scotland have already made a clear intention their position to stand in solidarity with those that are facing perhaps negative perceptions by the current US administration. In relation to Police Scotland, I certainly think that we in this country have a very good record of making sure that we can and support freedom of expression in protest, but we do so in a peaceful way and that that should be policed accordingly. In relation to his last point about freedom of speech, freedom of speech must exist in lots of different forms and fashions, and I think that it is regrettable if the UK Government is trying to seek to gag its own members of staff. To ask the Scottish Government whether the business rates review will consider the potential of charging properties marketed through platforms such as Airbnb. The Barclay review group has a wide remit to consider all aspects of the business rates system, including those properties that do not currently pay rates such as Airbnb lets. The group will make recommendations to the Government in July. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on the work currently being undertaken by the regulatory review group of the regulatory environment in Scotland for key sectors that are affected by digital disruption? My understanding is that the review group has scoped research, and I think that it would be very helpful if that research on impacts in the housing sector can help to inform the review and then all those matters can be taken into consideration as we respond to the Barclay review. To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to ensure that there is equal pay for local authority staff across Scotland. The Equality Act 2010 requires that women should be paid the same as men for doing the same or equivalent work. Local authorities as employers are responsible for ensuring that they comply with the 2010 act, and we expect all Scottish local authorities to comply with their legal obligations. For councils that still have outstanding equal pay cases to settle, I urge them to do so and to do so quickly so that people are not waiting even longer for their loss of income. The minister will note that the dispute on equal pay with Glasgow City Council and 5,000 employees has now moved to the court of session on appeal after having been heard at the employment appeal tribunal, in favour of the clients. Does the minister agree with me that Glasgow City Council must stand by its promise to reach agreement over its post-job evaluation pay arrangements and deliver pay equality for all those people? I am sure that the member will understand that, while it is inappropriate for me to comment on individual cases or indeed an on-going legal matter, let me stay very plainly that equal pay is not a matter of choice. It is indeed a legal requirement for all employers, and that includes local authorities. As a Government and myself, I have been consistently robust and public in our criticism of local authorities that are taking excessive time to settle equal pay claims. Some of those cases go back for more than a decade, and those excessive delays are, of course, entirely unacceptable. We are quite right to expect that local authorities, as with all public authorities, should be leading by example on something as fundamental as equal pay. I reiterate that local authorities must settle their claims, and they must do so soon. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that, when it comes to the equal pay claims, the pension contributions should also be included when the equal pay settlement takes place? I support that endeavour, Mr McMillan. It is important that women, in particular, as with anybody who has an equal pay claim, outstanding that people get what is due to them. We have to be very clear on their expectations.