 We turn now to First Minister's Questions, question number one, Jackson Carlaw. Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, why is it the case that this SNP Government is still choosing to invest less in general practice than is invested in other parts of the United Kingdom? First Minister. I wouldn't accept that characterisation. What we know is that we are investing record sums in our national health service more generally, and of course, per capita spending on the national health service in Scotland is significantly higher than it is elsewhere in the UK. If we were to match UK levels, we would require to take, I think, around £850 million out of our NHS budget in a single year. So our spending levels are ahead of the rest of the UK. Looking at general practice or rather primary care more generally, which is more appropriate these days as we seek to expand the primary care teams, we have set a very clear target to shift the balance of spend into primary care and achieve a particular proportion of the overall NHS budget that is dedicated to services in GP practices and the wider primary care teams. We will go on with doing that work. It is the right direction of travel. When it is accompanied by, for example, the integration of health and social care, we are the first part of the UK to undertake that reform, it underlines the fact that this is a Government that is investing in our national health service and carrying out the essential reforms to it. Jackson Carlaw That is a pretty speech, but it is not actually an answer to the question that I have posed. In each and every one of the last five years, investment in general practice has been lower in Scotland than it has been south of the border. A spending gap that is amounted now to a whopping £660 million of support lost to primary care in Scotland. The Royal College of GPs is now warning that, over the next five years, as a consequence of extra demand on services, we could be short of more than 900 family doctors in Scotland due, in their words, to a long-standing underfunding of GP practices. First Minister, are they wrong? The First Minister We are working with general practitioners. We are working with wider primary care teams. I have already made the point that is beyond any argument about the higher levels of per capita NHS spend in Scotland than in the rest of the UK. Also, by the end of this Parliament—this is a target that has clearly been set—we will be investing an additional £500 million in primary care, which includes £250 million in direct support of general practice. That will raise the primary care share of the NHS front-line budget to 11 per cent by the end of this Parliament. At the time that was set was, I seem to recall, welcomed by GPs and the wider primary care teams. Of course, we will also ensure a pay rise for GPs to ensure that general practice remains an attractive career. We have a whole range of recruitment initiatives and incentives in place to get more people not just into medical professions but into general practice in particular. Of course, we have the new GP contract now in place, which ensures that GPs are well rewarded and that we have the right focus on building primary care teams. Finally, in terms of comparison with the rest of the UK, which Jackson Carlaw, when I make comparisons with the rest of the UK, he says that it is not legitimate to do so. Of course, he is doing exactly that today. However, we have more GPs per 100,000 of our population than the rest of the UK. In Scotland, we have 91 for every 100,000 people, compared with just 71 per 100,000 people in England. Our record stands scrutiny, and of course we have set out a very clear direction of travel for the future. Jackson Carlaw, I am sure that the Royal College of GPs will be very impressed with that slapdown. Last week, in very revealing language, the First Minister said that the £550 million coming in health was only £550 million. I have had a look, and it turns out that that is nearly £200 million more than the Scottish Government's own increase for the NHS in its last budget. Why is it all hearts and flowers when Nicola Sturgeon comes up with the money and all grudge and grievance when it is Westminster that gives an extra £550 million to Scotland's NHS? We are clear that more of that increased resource should be going to general practice. Why? Because self-evidently, more funding to GPs will help our NHS, help people to keep people out of hospital and help reduce demand and critical services. The SNP says that they will eventually increase spending and primary care to 11 per cent of NHS spending, but GPs are also being told, as they were just now, that they will have to wait till 2021 to see it. Why the wait? Will she do the right thing and give Scotland's GPs and patients the support that they need now? Perhaps Jackson Carlaw had looked at this a bit more closely in advance of those questions. He would have known that investment in primary care has gone up in every single year of this Government. Of course, now we are working towards that 11 per cent target. Why does that have to be done over a phased basis so that we do not destabilise acute services as we do that? We have got to make sure that we get that balance right, but let me give Jackson Carlaw a few more facts for him to chew over, perhaps after this exchange has finished. Overall, health spending is over 7 per cent higher per head in Scotland than in the rest of the UK. As I said a moment ago, if we were to match the UK Government health spending plans, that would see our national health service lose £850 million in this year alone. We have given a commitment to pass on all revenue consequentials to the national health service. Just as an aside, those consequentials are not just a gift from the UK Government, they come from Scottish taxpayers' money that goes to the Treasury before it comes back to Scotland. However, two contextual points still require to be made. Yes, that £550 million is well. Three contextual points would be wiped out if we were to give tax cuts to the richest as the Tories want us to do. Secondly, that £550 million, however welcome it may be, is not the £600 million that the Tories were promising the Scottish budget. The Tories yet again are short changing the Scottish budget and the Scottish health service. Lastly, it does not take away the fact that it is confirmed by the Fraser of Allander institute in the report this very morning that, over the decade, from the Tories coming to power in 2010 to the end of this decade, the Scottish budget will reduce in real terms £2 billion real-term reduction in the Scottish budget. We will take no lectures from the Conservatives on those matters. Instead, we will continue to provide record funding for our national health service. Jackson Carlaw Actually, the Fraser of Allander institute at Crystal Crier, according to them, health spending in Scotland is going to double the previous projections. The record of this Government no longer fills people with any confidence. We just heard the First Minister say that we do not want to destabilise the NHS in a week when we have had warnings of huge job losses in NHS Tayside, low-come consultants in Highlands picking up £400,000 a year, delayed discharge in Scotland reaching its worst level in two years despite promises to abolish it, all part of a growing legacy not of destabilising just about 11.5 years of SNP incompetence in Scotland's health service. The £550 million budget investment in Scotland's NHS is an opportunity to put in place a sustainable long-term plan. This morning, Fraser of Allander explicitly reported that if the SNP does not take this opportunity, even more money will eventually be needed. Savilling the family doctor is our priority. Securing the future of GPs is essential. Will the First Minister use this investment to plan for the long term, or is it to be squandered, yet again, as it has been for over a decade, on short-term fixes? First Minister. Jackson Carlaw starts his questioning today, suggesting that we are not spending enough money on the national health service. He then cites a Fraser of Allander institute report that shows that the proportion of the total Scottish Government budget dedicated to health is rising and has been rising year on year. He talks about confidence, but forgets to tell us that patient satisfaction is at a record high since 2014. 86 per cent of people rated their inpatient experience positively. He also forgets to remember that the Fraser of Allander report today says that per capita the real-term reduction in the Scottish Government budget over the decade is 7 per cent. He also mentions delayed discharge. The most recent annual report, published in September of this year, showed a reduction of 6 per cent in terms of bed days' loss to delayed discharge. That builds on a 3 per cent reduction the previous year and a 9 per cent reduction the year before that. That is a 37 per cent decrease in delayed discharge since 2006. Those are the fruits of our investment and we will continue to invest in the health service and to reform the health service, as the Tory Government and Westminster continues to preside over real-terms cuts to the Scottish budget. We will get on with the job of delivering for patients right across the country. Time limits are essential in any legal system. Does the First Minister think that governmental bodies should have up to 20 years before they begin to pursue a person for debt? The First Minister I am sure that Richard Leonard is going to tell me the particular context in which he is asking this question. When he does so, I will be happy to seek to answer it in more detail. Obviously, the different context that might apply here may have an implication for the answer that I would give. I look forward to hearing his next question. Richard Leonard Well, this afternoon, this Parliament will be debating the prescription bill. And under the current system, the Department of Work and Pensions can take up to 20 years to notify people of debt relating to the overpayment of benefits. It is not just the DWP. Scotland's councils also have 20 years before they have to notify people about a council tax debt. We think that it is unfair that a person can be chased for a debt 20 years after it was incurred that they had no knowledge of and when no previous action has been taken. That can be ended in this Parliament this afternoon. In stage 3 of the prescription bill, Labour will put forward amendments to cut that period to five years. That means that Scotland's councils and the DWP under Scots law would have five years to notify people of their debt, not 20. Why are SNP MSPs planning to vote against that proposal this afternoon? To protect debtors, I am glad that Richard Leonard has told me what he is asking about. If he had done that in his first question, I could have given him the answer. He was looking for that. Scotland's local authorities have been very clear in the submissions that they made at stage 1 of the prescription bill that any amendment that shortens the period in which overpayments can be recovered would hurt debtors the most. If the debt would have to be recovered within five years, it could mean higher repayment instalments that would potentially cause greater hardship to debtors. We have listened to the view of COSLA. COSLA also said—I am going to quote COSLA here—that the consequences of moving to a five-year prescription period would be so significant that any consideration of such a change should be subject to full public consultation and financial scrutiny. The bill is not the place to try to make changes to council tax or other reserved benefits by the back door. There may be a wider discussion to be had here, but Parliament will have considered all those issues as the bill went through the different stages of the process. The Scottish Government has accepted the view of the Scottish law commission that the proposals should be accepted and the exceptions should maintain the status quo, as it is generally understood. Richard Leonard. Let me be clear. Labour's amendments are supported by Citizens Advice Scotland, Money Advice Scotland and the Debt Charity step change. Those are organisations on the front line who, day in and day out, witness the human cost of this unjust and unfair system. They have told us of a parent who stopped receiving child tax credits 10 years ago who was recently presented with a bill for almost £4,000, of a son who moved in with his mother to care for her, who was handed a bill of over £3,000 for council tax arrears going back eight years. First Minister, the system as it stands is not only unnecessary, it is cruel. It does not serve the interests of the individual, but it does not serve the public interest either. And we have the opportunity to change that this afternoon, so why won't the First Minister grab that opportunity? I have explained the reasons for that. Those issues, of course, have been considered as the bill went through its different parliamentary stages, but it is important to say that there has been no dedicated consultation, as I understand it, on those specific amendments. There is a view that, although there may well be a wider debate here—and I certainly would hope that all councils and other organisations would act sensitively in the kind of cases that Richard Leonard raises here—if there is a wider debate to be had, it is better that that happens properly with full scrutiny and full public consultation. I am happy to give an undertaking that the Government will consider whether that wider discussion is merited, but this is a narrowly drawn bill and I think that it would be wrong to make those changes by the back door rather than focusing on them properly. We have a number of constituency supplementaries. The first is from Shona Robison, to be followed by Finlay Carson. Will the First Minister take this opportunity to join me in paying tribute to the Michelin workforce and local managers in Dundee in the way that they have shown such resilience, tenacity and flexibility in the face of previous and current challenges? Will she reaffirm her support and that of the Scottish Government to do everything within her power to do whatever is possible to help to either retain or repurpose the plant and save as many jobs as possible? Finally, will she use her offices to help to persuade the UK Government, as a minimum, to contribute a further £50 million to the Tay cities deal to match Scottish Government funding? Can I thank Shona Robison for her question and also thank her for her engagement with Derek Mackay over the past few days to make sure that discussions with the local management at Michelin and indeed with the unions have been as constructive as they have been? This news this week has clearly been devastating for the 845 workers at Michelin and for their families and, of course, for the wider community in Dundee. My thoughts are with all of them at this time. Let me be very clear, as Derek Mackay was in this chamber earlier in the week, that we will do everything that we can to find a sustainable future for this plant. Our absolute priority is to pursue options for the site to continue with commercial production and we will leave no stone unturned in working with Michelin, with Dundee Council and with other partners to secure a positive future for the plant, for its workers and for the wider community. I hope that we have the support of all sides of the chamber as we take that work forward. Yes, we will continue to call on the UK Government to match the contribution from the Scottish Government to the Tay City region deal. We, of course, in the Scottish Government—Derek Mackay said this in the chamber on Tuesday—will continue to look at all reasonable suggestions for additional funding from the Scottish Government, but a good place to start would be for the UK Government to commit an additional £50 million to match that contribution from the Scottish Government and to ensure that all partners can look to invest that money in a way that is for the benefit of the wider community. We will do everything possible to support Michelin, to support its workers and to support Dundee. Stronar Station was without a train service for two months down to platform four at Air Station being closed due to safety concerns surrounding the stability of Air Station hotel. There were also a number of weekends when that coincided with road closures and lengthy delays, and that would be totally unacceptable elsewhere. I want to put on record the hard work of the ScotRail Alliance and others on the task force in getting trains running again last weekend. However, our further line closures must not happen again. Will the First Minister give the people of Stronar a personal commitment that she will intervene to ensure that contingency plans can be quickly and stated, which will see temporary platforms set up south of air and the event of platform four being closed in the future? First Minister. We will do everything possible to mitigate any disruption happening in the future. I know how difficult this situation has been. Of course, what happened at Air Station was unavoidable. We acted as ScotRail acted as quickly as possible to ensure that disruption was kept to a minimum. It is good that trains are running again, and we must all work to ensure that the right contingency options are in place to ensure that disruption is not replicated. I give that undertaking to me. Screting UK has announced this week that it will cease all operations in the UK, including its manufacturing base in my constituency in Invergordon. What support can the Scottish Government give to both the employees in Invergordon and its storage site at Cishorn, who will be affected by the decision? I was very concerned to hear that Screting plans to cease production at its plant in Invergordon and close its distribution centre on Shetland. This will obviously be an anxious time for the company's staff, the families and the local areas involved. Highlands and Islands Enterprise is engaged with the company locally and is seeking to engage with Screting management in Norway. Highlands and Islands Enterprise is exploring all possible avenues of support to help to secure a buyer for the business and retain jobs. However, in the unfortunate event that there will be job losses, our PACE team stands ready to offer its full support to staff. Obviously, PACE does everything it can to help those affected by redundancy to get back into work as quickly as possible. We understand that there are no immediate prospects of job losses at the warehousing. Cishorn is used by Screting and operated by a third party, so I can assure Gail Ross that everything that is possible will be done to support the company and the workers involved. Presiding Officer, I am sure that the whole chamber is aware of the tragic case of Craig McClelland and all of our thoughts with his three little children who will grow up without their father. They will do so because he was murdered by a dangerous criminal who was unlawfully at large and had been for nearly six months. Two reviews have indicated that there were significant failures, but we are not specifically tasked with looking at what went wrong in this case. Craig McClelland's family has conducted themselves with unbelievable strength and dignity. Unfortunately, they have not been able to find the answers to the questions that they have been asking. They still do not have confidence that the correct lessons have been learned or that changes have been made to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening to another family. The McClelland family now believes that only a full public inquiry will give them the answers that they deserve. Can the First Minister give them her support? That was an absolutely awful crime. I cannot begin to imagine how Craig McClelland's family and friends are feeling. I am not surprised that there are answers that they still seek and feel that they have not yet had the opportunity to get. The two inspectorates reviewed the processes that led to James Wright, who committed this awful crime, being released and the actions that were then taken to apprehend him. Of course, the Justice Secretary set out the Scottish Government's acceptance of all the recommendations from the inspectorates and set out in this chamber a number of immediate additional safeguards that have been or will be put in place to strengthen the home detention curfew processes. For example, there is now a presumption that individuals convicted of violence and knife crime will not, in normal circumstances, receive home detention curfews. Lessons have been learned from this dreadful tragic case, and I hope that that is something that members across the chamber welcome. In terms of the further action that Craig McClelland's family consider is appropriate, the Justice Secretary has offered to meet with them again, and that offer stands. The Justice Secretary will be very happy to discuss with them the actions that they consider appropriate and give full consideration as a Government to each and every one of them. 3. Willie Rennie I want to return to Michelin Dundee. That is real people's lives and real people's jobs. They have a right to expect Governments and local authorities to stand up for them. Michelin has been a giant presence in the city of Dundee. We need to do everything we can through the Tay City deals and other measures to keep as many jobs in the city as possible. When Michelin pulled out of their Balamina plant, there was a decent redundancy deal for the workers who paid proper respect to their service. Workers deserve that. Will the First Minister make sure that any Dundee workers who are made redundant get that Balamina deal or better? First Minister, I thank Willie Rennie for raising this issue and I agree with him entirely that this is an incredibly important issue. This is real people's and real jobs, and the Government will do everything that we possibly can to support them in these incredibly difficult times. In agreeing with Willie Rennie's point, I hope that people will understand when I say that, of course, if redundancies are inevitable here, then we will want to see workers getting the best possible deal. Michelin, as I understand it, has already given commitments that that will be the case, but we do not want at this stage to assume that that is an inevitable outcome. Our focus right now is in doing everything we can to try to find a sustainable future for the plant that will see commercial production continue at the plant, and the action group that we will meet under the convenership on Monday of Derek Mackay will be very much focused on bringing a plan together, and Scottish Enterprise will be central to that. In those situations, of course, we cannot stand here and guarantee that that will prove to be possible, but if it does not prove to be possible, it will not be for the want of trying. I hope that Willie Rennie will understand that that is what we want to focus on in the short to medium term. Of course, if redundancies do happen, we will absolutely demand that workers get the best possible package. Willie Rennie The First Minister is right to focus on keeping as many jobs as possible, and I am pleased that the company has given that commitment, and I hope that we hold them to that commitment, too. Another issue that will not help those Michelin workers is Brexit. I was pleased that the Scottish Parliament yesterday officially backed a people's vote. We have gone from the support of five to 65 MSPs. Momentum is building for the British people to have the final say, to save us from the economic damage that will come with Brexit. The First Minister has previously talked about compromising with the UK Government. The backstop could involve the whole of the UK remaining in the customs union for an unspecified time. Can the First Minister clarify if that is enough for her to support the deal? I hope that she rejects it and opposes everything but a people's vote, but what does she think? No, that would not be enough for me to give my support to that deal. I have made very clear—I have said this previously, openly, expressly and explicitly—that the bottom line for the Scottish Government. I make no apology for trying to compromise in the interests of the Scottish people, but the absolute bottom line for me, for the Scottish Government, for my party would be permanent unequivocal membership of both the single market and the customs union. That said, I would prefer that we stayed in the European Union as full members. I would prefer that Scotland was in the European Union as full independent members of it. We will continue to do everything that we can to protect Scotland's interests, to protect Scottish jobs, to protect Scottish living standards. It is, of course, for that reason that we have said that if the proposal comes before the House of Commons, we would support the option of a people's vote to give the people across the UK the opportunity to change their mind. Of course, it would not involve people in Scotland changing their mind, because the people of Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain at the first time of asking. We have a couple of further supplementaries, the first from Ross Greer. Yesterday, the Parliament's education committee heard from two members of the Scottish Youth Parliament who told us how the rise in instrumental music tuition fees of hundreds of pounds were creating Victorian levels of inequality, where only the wealthy could afford to take up an instrument. Does the First Minister believe that that is acceptable, or does she recognise that councils need the powers to raise the money that they need to give our young people all of the opportunities that they deserve? Of course, some councils provide music tuition on the basis that Ross Greer is suggesting already, so we would encourage other local authorities to look at that as well. Of course, the Scottish Government provides support for other music initiatives, the STEMA, for example. I am not suggesting for a second that that is a substitute for music tuition in schools. In terms of the overall support that we provide to local councils with, of course, the agreement of the Green Party, we in this financial year are providing real terms increases in the budgets that local government has to spend. Of course, we are currently in the process of finalising our budget for next year, where I am sure that local government finance, as well as a whole range of other matters, will continue to be subjects of intense discussion. The First Minister will be aware of last week's attack on Neil Lennon and the subsequent comments from Mr Lennon that numerous attacks that he has endured in Scotland resulted from bigotry and racism. Such treatment is wholly unacceptable in a modern, progressive country. Will the First Minister join me in condemning anti-Catholic bigotry and anti-Irish racism and commit the Scottish Government to urgent action, along with urgent action, to root out those unacceptable attitudes and behaviour? I thank James Kelly for raising an issue that I know is of huge concern to people across the country. Let me say at the outset and unequivocally that I condemned the attack on Neil Lennon that took place last week. Of course, that is a matter for the police to thoroughly investigate. I saw some of Neil Lennon's press conference at the end of last week and thought that he conducted himself with great dignity. Nobody should have to suffer the abuse and the attacks that he has had to suffer, and I am sure that all of us would agree with that. I unequivocally condemn anti-Catholic bigotry and anti-Irish racism. I condemn sectarianism in any shape or form, and this Government will continue to take the action that we need to take to ensure that Scotland is a country that demonstrates zero tolerance of any of that kind of bigotry. Whatever your footballing loyalties or whether you do not have any footballing loyalties, that kind of conduct has no place in modern Scotland, and all of us must unite to make that absolutely crystal clear. Gillian Martin Special Rapporteurs in Scotland begin an inquiry into rising poverty across the UK. That comes on the back of Trussell Trust figures showing that food bank use in Scotland has risen by 15 per cent, driven by the roll-out of universal credit. How will the Scottish Government engage with that inquiry? The First Minister I will meet the UN Special Rapporteurs later this afternoon. Other Government ministers will also be meeting him and his team, and we will look to be very constructive in our engagement with that inquiry. We will be setting out the actions that the Scottish Government is taking to tackle poverty, to see the assault on poverty as a human rights-based issue, which I think is extremely important. We will also be taking the opportunity to raise concerns certainly about universal credit, but also about the UK Government's welfare cuts more generally, because it is those cuts that are driving more and more people into poverty and seeing demand and reliance on food banks, for example, rising. I hope that we see this inquiry, when it concludes and publishes its outcome, be a helpful contribution to the work that all of us are doing to consign poverty to the dustbin of history. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government supports the real living wage. Currently, 80.6 per cent of employees in Scotland are paid at least the living wage, making Scotland the best performing of all UK countries. This week, I announced an increase in the real living wage rate, so people who receive it in Scotland will earn £9 an hour. We have provided funding to enable adult social care workers to be paid the real living wage, and from 2020 that rate will be paid to all workers delivering funded childcare hours. We continue to work with partners to deliver our commitment to lift at least 25,000 more people on to the real living wage in the next three years. We are also working to adopt a fair work first approach by extending fair work criteria, including payment of the real living wage to as many funding streams, business support grants and contracts as we possibly can. James Dornan I thank the First Minister for that answer, but does the First Minister agree with me that it is a disgrace that the UK Government failed to use our budget to finally put in place a real living wage for every worker and continues to subject workers under the age of 25 to a lower pay for no justifiable reason? Yes, I absolutely agree with that. I would make two points. I think that the UK Government should unequivocally get behind the real living wage. That is independently assessed as the level that people need for a decent standard of living. The age discrimination that is currently part of the Government living wage is unacceptable in modern times. We think that people who do the same jobs should be paid the same wages regardless of what age they are. Of course, that is one of the many reasons why I hope that, in the not too distant future, we see those powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament so that we, instead of the UK Government, can take those decisions. Brian Whittle To ask the First Minister, in light of the study that defines arthritis at every age, what the Scottish Government is doing to reduce loneliness and isolation among people suffering with the condition. I welcome this research and recognise the importance of raising awareness of the challenges that those living with arthritis can experience. We know that particular groups of people, such as those with long-term health conditions, can be at greater risk of experiencing social isolation and loneliness. We are committed to publishing a strategy to tackle social isolation and loneliness, which will reflect those risks and outline a programme of work that is designed to address those issues. The Minister for Public Health is meeting with the group that commissioned the research this afternoon to discuss how we can work together to improve the lives of people living with arthritis. Brian Whittle I thank the First Minister for that answer. Despite the fact that a staggering one in six people are living with arthritis, a lack of understanding of the condition has led to an epidemic of isolation according to the versus arthritis report. The British Society of Rheumatology published a new report yesterday on the state of play of rheumatology services in Scotland. It is noted that the waiting times for a first appointment has almost doubled since 2010, from an average of 41 days to 79 days against a 2016 Scottish Government target of 28 days. The First Minister's report states that there is a 12-week window after the onset of arthritis symptoms, where referral to a specialist can reduce those symptoms, thereby helping to reduce disability and work limitations. Given that a lack of mobility is often a key factor in increasing loneliness and isolation, when can the Scottish Government expect to hit its own stated target on waiting times for rheumatology appointments? Of course, the health secretary set out a couple of weeks ago in this chamber the waiting times delivery plan that we are now working towards and investing considerable sums of money to make sure that we achieve the targets in that plan. More generally, I think that it is absolutely correct that we need to do more to raise awareness around arthritis and make sure that those suffering from it, particularly those newly diagnosed, get access to the support that they need so that they can continue to be active and independent in their own communities. As I mentioned a moment ago, the Minister for Public Health is meeting with versus arthritis this afternoon and looks forward to discussing all aspects of this research so that we can ensure that Government policy, whether that is around health service waiting times or the wider loneliness and social isolation work, reflects the actions that need to be taken to address some of the issues that are identified in the report. Bob Doris First Minister, digital connectivity can make a significant contribution to tackling the loneliness and isolation for older people, yet 38 per cent of 65 to 79-year-olds report is not being able to use a computer at all. How is the Scottish Government seeking to address such inequalities and tackle loneliness among our older citizens? It is very important that older people can get online, and the Scottish Government is certainly committed to helping them to do so. The most recent Scottish household survey shows a significant increase in internet use by adults over 60 in the last 10 years. It has gone from 29 per cent in 2007 to 63 per cent in 2017, but we want more people to benefit from digital opportunities. Our digital participation charter fund, which was launched in partnership with BT, has made awards of more than £200,000 to 26 organisations for digital inclusion projects, and older people are a priority group for that. The Minister for Public Finance and Digital is also leading work with older people to better understand how digital technologies can add value to their lives in ways that are meaningful to them. Pauline McNeill Thank you, Presiding Officer. Many with MS and arthritis say that they will benefit from the medical cannabis and it will help with muscle spasms or stiffness. I've raised this issue with the First Minister before. I'm sure that she recognised and could congratulate the UK Government, who have allowed for prescriptions to be made for medicinal cannabis. Given that, is she able to say when the Scottish Government would be able to issue some guidelines so that GPs can freely prescribe medical cannabis where they think it's appropriate, and you will know that there are many arthritis sufferers who feel that they would benefit from that? The First Minister I'm told by the health secretary that we have already issued such guidance. I will ask her to send Pauline McNeill a copy of that more generally. As I have said in exchanges with Pauline McNeill on the issue previously, I am broadly supportive of medicinal use of cannabis or drugs that are derived from cannabis. Obviously, those issues are not entirely within the control of the Scottish Government. That's why we rely on Westminster decisions. On the issue of guidance, I'll make sure that a copy is sent to Pauline McNeill later today. Rhoda Grant To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to support mountain rescue teams. The Scottish Government provides annual grant funding of more than £300,000 to Scottish Mountain Rescue to help the organisation and all 27 Scottish civilian volunteer teams to effectively carry out their vital work. We are the only Government in the UK to fund mountain rescue in this way. In addition, we are currently providing £100,000 over three years from 2016-17, as well as advice on procurement to assist with replacing Scottish Mountain Rescue's radio equipment. Scottish Government officials also work with Scottish Mountain Rescue and responder agencies to help to resolve any issues that arise around the co-ordination of multi-agency working. Rhoda Grant Mountain Rescue volunteers put their own lives at risk to save others, and that's what it's sad that those teams believe that they're seen as expendable by the agencies. If there were recreational climbers, they would be airlifted off the hill. Can I ask the First Minister if Police Scotland is able to tax the rescue services to airlift mountain rescue teams on and off the mountains? If so, will she ensure that they do that, especially when volunteers are carrying out the distressing task of retrieving bodies of those who have sadly perished on the hills or when their time back to base is excessive, or indeed when they're carrying equipment that poses a danger to their own safety? Will she make sure that those agencies support and protect our mountain rescue teams? The First Minister I thank Rhoda Grant for raising the issue. First, can I take the opportunity to say that mountain rescue volunteers do a vital job, often putting their own lives at risk? I do not consider them to be expendable. I don't think that anybody in this chamber or anybody across the country would consider that to be the case, so I'm sure that we all want to take the opportunity to thank them for the role that they perform. I am aware of concerns that have been raised by independent Scottish Mountain Rescue about current search and rescue helicopter support arrangements. Scottish Government officials have previously raised those issues with the Coast Guard Agency following earlier correspondence with the teams. Police Scotland has legislative responsibility for search and rescue in Scotland, however the levers for change around search and rescue helicopter support remains at a UK Government level. Police Scotland is introducing its helicopter to assist mountain rescue teams as a last resort for body recovery. I know that Police Scotland has written to independent Scottish Mountain Rescue about those changes and the response to that has been positive. I understand that the Coast Guard Agency has now written to them to extend an invitation for a meeting, which I understand has been accepted. I will ask the relevant minister perhaps to write to Rhoda Grant with some more detail of the work that we are doing to make sure that the appropriate arrangements are in place. Liz Smith, does the First Minister accept that the concerns raised by mountain rescue teams—one issue here is the centralisation of Police Scotland that has diluted the interaction of mountain rescue teams and local police officers who know the relevant area much better than anyone else, and that this can impact, according to these mountain rescue teams, on the ability to co-ordinate the mountain rescue to respond with a necessary experience? First Minister? No, I do not agree with that at all. I do not think that there is any evidence that that is the case. However, there are a number of issues that have been raised, the issues that I have just gone through with Rhoda Grant. As I say, we take responsibility, as does Police Scotland, where we have that responsibility, but much of this, of course, lies with the Coast Guard Agency. Much of this still lies at UK Government level. We will continue to take the action and make the appropriate representations for mountain rescue teams to make sure that they get the support that they need. I hope that all of us will resist the temptation to be party political about these issues and instead get behind our mountain rescue teams in the fantastic work that they do. Question 7, Jackie Baillie. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the proposal by Scottish Water to remove the 25 per cent single-person discount from at least half a million customers, including older people. First Minister, there is no proposal to remove this discount. We recently consulted on investment priorities and principles of water charging for the 2021-27 regulatory period, which consulted on whether reducing the single-person discount could fund an increase in the maximum discount available to households on full council tax reduction from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. We are currently reviewing the responses to this consultation, but, crucially, any detail changes to charging policies would be subject to further consultation with customers and stakeholders in the course of the next year, prior to implementation in the 2021-2027 period. However, let me stress that absolutely no decisions on this issue have been taken. Jackie Baillie. It turns out, First Minister, that it is not a Scottish Water proposal, it is actually a Scottish Government proposal. We can fight over words about whether it is removed or reduced, but it is effectively proposing to cut the discount. On that basis, will the First Minister rule out now any cut to the single-person discount for water? No one would dispute helping the poorest more, but she should not be funding it by taking money from loan pensioners on fixed incomes that are equally struggling. Because people are concerned that this is the thin end of the wedge, will she also take this opportunity to rule out cuts to the single-person's council tax discount, something that her own SNP MSPs have in the past suggested should be scrapped? Will the First Minister give a commitment now that her Government will not penalise single households, particularly as many are pensioners on low fixed incomes? First Minister. What I will do is carry on, and the Government will continue to review the responses to the consultation, and then we will take decisions in the normal course. That is what is called responsible government. The decisions that we take when we take them will be progressive. They are all about making sure that the help that we provide to people goes to those people who need it most. Let me quote Citizens Advice Scotland about the proposal to increase the maximum reduction for recipients of the water charges reduction scheme from 25 per cent to 50 per cent. They welcomed that because it would provide additional benefit to over 340,000 households on full council tax reduction and another 160,000 on partial council tax reduction. Those are important issues. It is right that the Scottish Government fully consults on them. Any detailed changes, of course, would then require to go through a further process of consultation. Parliament will have plenty of opportunity to discuss any proposals that come forward, but no decisions have been taken at this stage. The Scottish Government will continue to give them proper and full consideration. Thank you very much. That concludes First Minister's questions. As members we know normally at this time we move to members' business, but today, given the significance of the anniversary, we are going to move on to a motion of remembrance to mark 100 years since the ending of the First World War. We are just going to take a short pause, however, to allow, there will be many members in the gallery who need to leave now and many more who wish to come in. We are just going to take a short pause to allow the gallery to clear.