 The next item of business is First Minister's Questions. At question number one I call Douglas Ross. Thank you. Tomorrow and on Sunday we will pause to remember those who lost their lives fighting for our country. I know the whole chamber will want to show our respect to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice, defending our freedoms and those who continue to defend us and our allies around the world. Rwyf i'r wych, mae'n unig i'ch gwaith efo i ddechrau gwaith ynghylch yn Gwylfaith Ysgolwng NHS ar gyfer rhywfodol yn ei anodd. Felly mae'n fwyaf o ddoch, mae'n dweud ymlaen mwy o'r crisis yn y Gwylfaith Ysgolwng. Yn y rhaid, Hilary Nelson i'r rôl yng Nghylch yn ysgolwg, mae hi'n rhaid i gwaith ysgolwg, iawn i d時候au, rydym ni i ddarganiaeth gyda gael gwybod ddwyngol. Mae ddim yn yn、 gan gyflym yn iawn i ddim yn ddaeth ddwyngol, wrth nu, i gael eich cyfrodd. Felly rydw i bendurau ei wneud o'r ddwyngol, dywy yn gallu gweithredu y Prifysgwp hwn o'r ddeuniad bach o gwagoddiant ond mae'n ei ddaeth i wedi cael eich cychwynio. Unrhyw gwaith i fi nhw i ni i yw amddangos yn gyfagorau rhesymd i dydd o bryd o'r rydym yn gweithio'r mewn cyfleol i'ch gwaith. Rwy'n gweithio'n gweithio'n gyflwyno i chi'n feithio sydd y peirth i wneud i gael i fynd i'r gyfffyllwyr i'r ceirwyr i'r cyfleol i'r cyfleol i'r cyflym i'r cyffyll yn myfyrdd i gael i'r mark the sacrifice of individuals throughout all conflict. As we speak, my cabinet colleague Keith Brown, who is himself a distinguished veteran, is in the Falklands...on the fortieth anniversary of his active service in the Falkland Islands conflict. We remember the suffering of individuals, the sacrifices of their families and their loved ones and we contribute to those who continue to endure that suffering today for for the injuries that they have suffered and the experiences that they have had. There are many challenges in our health service and I recognise the concerns that are expressed by members of staff through the ballots that have taken place. There have been extensive negotiations that the health secretary and I have also been involved in to try to resolve the pay issues. We have put forward a record pay deal, which on average will offer members of staff a 7 per cent increase for those in the lowest of incomes and a 11 per cent increase, recognising the enormous contribution that is made to our society by health service staff and recognising the enormous cost of living pressures that are being wrestled with by members of staff. In addition to that contribution to resolve those issues, the health secretary has been actively involved in discussions to address some of the challenges within our health service, principally around the issue of delayed discharge, which we recognise to be one of the most significant factors in impeding the flow of patients through accident and emergency and to other aspects of the health service. It is then ideally to ensure that those individuals are supported appropriately within the community. There are of course challenges about the availability of members of staff to do that. We have record employment within the health service just now, but we also have vacancies and we have vacancies within social care, which of course has not been helped by the fact that we have lost free movement of citizens, which was helping us to deal with the issues that Mr Ross raises. I assure Mr Ross that, on all issues, the Government is entirely focused with very clear direction from the health secretary and with the active support of the First Minister and myself to make sure that we address the challenges that we face. That is the Scottish National Party's defence for what it is doing. Let's hear from nurses themselves. Don Marr from the Royal College of Nurses said this last night, that we have been in talks for months and months and months, and it has got to the point now where nursing staff are having to stand up not only for ourselves but for our patients as well because this Government is not listening. It is now beyond doubt that this health secretary has failed. Dr Peele, chair of BMA Scotland's junior doctors committee, said this week, right now it's been so awful for so long we are simply broken, overwhelmed, exhausted, with nothing left to give. As far as I can see, the NHS is collapsing around us. Staff are leaving in their droves to protect themselves. The facts confirm that our NHS is on its knees. This week's statistics revealed that the situation at accident and emergency departments is at its worst-ever levels. More patients are waiting longer than ever before. This is a new low, but it is the 14th time since Humza Yousaf became health secretary that waiting times have hit their worst-ever levels. Every time we think it can't get any worse under his leadership in the NHS it does. So, Deputy First Minister, surely you agree that this is a damning indictment of the health secretary's time in charge of Scotland's NHS. Always through the chair please, Deputy First Minister. Presiding Officer, what I accept is that there are very significant challenges in the national health service. There are very significant challenges in the national health service right across the United Kingdom. The point that Mr Ross makes about accident and emergency is an important point, but it has to be considered in its proper context. Although there are challenges in A&E in Scotland, we have the best performing A&E system in the United Kingdom. On the question of, do Governments listen, yes, this Government listens, that is why we have offered health service staff in Scotland the best pay deal of any system in the United Kingdom. On the question of the future of the national health service, resources are absolutely fundamental. That's why it is laughable for Douglas Ross to come here and raise these issues with me when only seven weeks ago he wanted me to cut tax in the folly taken forward by Liz Trust, who's been a damaged public investment in our health service. Douglas Ross John Swinney wants to consider the statistics and the facts in the round, so let's make sure he is speaking about the correct figures, because we know that there are reports from a whistleblower this week that many as 2,000 patients per month are being missed off of A&E waiting times in just one hospital in Scotland, so if you're going to come to this chamber and quote figures, make sure they are the correct figures, because, Deputy First Minister, this is the most serious of issues. Lives are on the line because this health secretary keeps failing to bring forward any solution. We've spoken to one lady this week who called an ambulance when she had a suspected heart attack. She waited for an hour for the ambulance to arrive. When it then got to hospital, they waited outside the hospital for three hours. When they got inside, they waited 36 hours to get a bed. Now, the lady involved in her family are full of praise for the staff, but this is clear. It was a suspected heart attack, and a tragedy has been avoided in this case. I know that every single MSP in this chamber, including those who clapped at the Deputy First Minister's response there, has cases like this coming from their area. Yet this morning, the health secretary, Hamza Yousaf, said, and this is a direct quote, our recovery plan is a five-year recovery plan. We are already seeing elements of recovery. Elements of recovery. What planet is he on? Deputy First Minister, can you tell this chamber? Can you tell patients? Can you tell staff in our NHS what are the elements of recovery within the NHS? I remind members to speak through the chair, please. In relation to the circumstances that Mr Ross recounts, of course it is of the deepest of concern that a member of the public has had to wait that long for the degree of access to an ambulance and accident emergency. I would say to Mr Ross that the median time for the arrival of ambulances is of the order of 45 minutes, so the circumstances that he is recounted are unacceptable. There is congestion in our A and E departments, which is caused by the volume of presentations at A and E, and also because of the obstacle created by the number of patients who are in hospital that should be discharged. That is a focal point of significant activity across Government to ensure that we reduce delayed discharges. Indeed, the health secretary and I spent a significant amount of our time yesterday in discussion with partners about practical steps to address that. In relation to the question of improvements in the national health service, the Government has invested £600 million in the winter resilience support package. We are helping to recruit 1,000 members of health and care staff to support staff in their activities, and we are investing £50 million in urgent and unscheduled care to help to improve A and E performance. In relation to the progress that has been made, Mr Ross should be familiar with the fact that the longer waits for treatment are reducing significantly in relation to the two-year position, which was one of the priorities that was set by the health secretary. I accept that there are challenges in the national health service, but I take this opportunity to pay tribute to the members of staff who are working phenomenally hard on the back of a pandemic that Mr Ross has never acknowledged in its significance. Can I ask members to remember that the code of conduct requires that we treat one another with courtesy and respect, and that means that we hear one another when we are speaking? I pay tribute to members of staff who are working phenomenally hard on the back of a pandemic that Mr Ross has never mentioned, which has put huge strain on our national health service, but they are doing their level best with the largest number of staff that is ever provided in the national health service by this Government to support the people of our country. I will always praise our NHS staff. I highlighted the case study that I used as an example where the family rightly praised our NHS staff, but John Swinney, like his boss, is using Covid as a deflection for his Government's failures. Karen Morrison from Forth Valley unison described the situation at Forth Valley Royal hospital as far worse than we had in the pandemic—a million times worse. Stop using that as an excuse for your failures and start dealing with things. From day one, we have said to John Swinney the SNP and this Government that Humza Yousaf's recovery plan was hopeless. It was flimsy, no detail and no substance. The SNP insisted that it would get Scotland's NHS back on track, but this is what their recovery plan has delivered. Record vacancies, the longest ever waiting times, patients struggling to see their GP, nurses voting to strike for the first time ever, and the worst A&E waiting time statistics on record. Scotland's NHS is in crisis. Whoever the SNP tried to blame, it is obvious that the man responsible is sitting right there next to the Deputy First Minister. Humza Yousaf has failed, and all he can do is spin that the SNP is in recovery when really it is at breaking point. Just how much worse does it have to get for patients and staff in Scotland before he takes responsibility? Deputy First Minister, Scotland's NHS deserves better than Humza Yousaf. When will this health secretary be sacked? Given the absolutely, totally chaotic turmoil of ministerial resignations and dismissals in the United Kingdom Government, what a lovable proposition to put to me this morning. I have been active in politics for many years. I remember a Parliament for a quarter of a century and you know when somebody has run out of road when they start playing the man and not the issue which is what Douglas Ross is doing just now. Yes, there are challenges in the national health service. Yes, there are challenges, but with a record payday on offer from the Scottish Government. I am being gesticulated at across the chamber. Members are shouting. I would be grateful if we could remember that as parliamentarians we have a duty and a duty to adhere to a code of conduct. That requires that we treat one another with courtesy and respect. I would ask all members to please remember that at all times. Let me just tell Douglas Ross the situation that we are facing and we are experiencing. We have the best payday on offer in the United Kingdom to health and care staff. We have the best record performance of any health system in the United Kingdom. We have record numbers of staff in the national health service. I will tell him what is not helping. What is not helping is the folly of Brexit, because Brexit has reduced the amount of staff available because of the loss of free movement. I will tell Douglas Ross what is also not helping. The fact is that the United Kingdom Government is not recognising the public spending pressures that exist because of inflation that they have fuelled by their stupid economic decisions. As a consequence, public budgets are under enormous pressure. If Douglas Ross wants to make himself useful, he can ask the United Kingdom Government to increase the budget for the Scottish Government so that we can support the health service to a greater extent and start addressing the issues that face members of the public. Tomorrow is 11 November, and as we head towards Remembrance Sunday, we remember all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our country. We also thank all those who have served and continue to serve our armed forces and pledge to support them, their families and their communities. We must never forget. For the first time in their history, the Royal College of Nursing has voted for strike action. This strike is not just about pay. Nurses have been underpaid, undervalued and under-resourced since long before the pandemic. This is the words of Julie Lamberth, the chair of RCN Scotland. The Scottish Government needs to face up to the reality that their failure to focus on workforce planning and to properly value those in health and social care over the last decade is the root cause of the staffing crisis that we face. The result of our strike ballot is a wake-up call that must not be ignored. Deputy First Minister, do you agree with Julie Lamberth and thousands of nurses across the country? First of all, let me associate myself again with the remarks of Mr Sarwar in relation to Remembrance Day. In relation to the situation in the national health service and the comments recounted from the Royal College of Nursing, let me first of all make it absolutely clear that the Government remains committed and willing to engage in dialogue and negotiation with the Royal College of Nursing and with the other affected and interested trade unions, as we have been doing for some considerable time and notwithstanding the decisions that have been made by the members of the RCN, we will continue that dialogue and I commit the Government to that today. In relation to workforce planning, we find ourselves in a position today where we have record staffing levels in the national health service. Those staffing levels have been the product of sustained investment by this Government despite the climate of austerity in which we have been operating for some considerable time. The Government will continue to sustain that investment and to ensure that we have adequate levels of staffing. The limitations on what the Government can do are firmly restricted by the financial context in which we are operating. The limitations of the pressures on the public finances by assuring Mr Sarwar and Parliament that the Government will do everything in our power to properly support the health service workforce and to ensure that we have adequate numbers of staff within our national health service. Let me start on a point of agreement. I agree that we are in the midst of an economic crisis, an inflation crisis that has been made by a rotant Tory Government at Westminster, and they should pay the price for that and they will pay the price for that come the next general election. The Deputy First Minister missed the point of what Julie Lamberth was saying, a decade of failure, a decade of not supporting, long before the last seven weeks of this economic crisis and even before the pandemic and even before Brexit. Still, this Government gives the same old platitude about more numbers when we have record vacancies in the NHS under this Government's watch. This action is as much for patients as it is for nurses. Nurses have been warning for years that staff shortages risk patient safety. Let's look at just one health word, Greater Glasgow and Clyde. In just one year, they reported 216 investigations into significant adverse events. Those are events that the quote could have caused or did result in harm to people or groups of people. Among the top reasons for why they happened are workload, staffing levels and delays in referral and treatment. The same report reveals that sick people died due to these unintended incidents. The Deputy First Minister and nurses are saying that a lack of resources is putting patients at risk. Lives are being lost and health boards are reporting the consequences, yet this Government's failure to workforce plan means 6,000 nursing and midwifery vacancies. Why have you let it come to this? Mr Sarwar's comments are not borne out by the evidence that I have marshaled in my answers today. I am addressing the questions from Mr Sarwar. Mr Sarwar has raised with me the issues about workforce planning. We find ourselves today with record levels of staffing in our national health service. If that is not a product of workforce planning that has been designed to boost recruitment levels—we have seen over the past 10 years—an increase in nursing and student midwifery admissions over the course of that 10-year period as a consequence of the investment that the Government has made. We also have an increase in the number of consultants that are operating within the national health service. In Scotland we have 8.3 qualified nurses and midwives per 1,000 population compared to six in England. All that comparative data shows Scotland to be in a better and a stronger position. What I do not think helps the situation is the comments that were made at the weekend by the leader of the United Kingdom Labour Party, who said, I think that we are recruiting too many people from overseas into, for example, the health service. I listened to those comments with incredulity because what is hampering us in the national health service is the Brexit that was inflicted on us by the Conservatives and ending free movement of individuals that has lost members of staff from our national health service. We need to reverse that. We need to have an approach that is open to migration so that we can boost the recruitment into our national health service, and the comments from Keir Starmer are a disastrous signal to give to hard-working members of staff. Let me address that final point. I have led a cross-party campaign in this Parliament against racial and religious prejudice, so no one should miscategorise my position or the position of my party. People might want to heckle, but they should listen. Thank you. We will hear Mr Sarwar. Let me be clear. Migrants play an invaluable part in our NHS and they always have done and they always would do. I would also say that people who come and work in our NHS are not migrants, they are equal Scots just like the rest of us, but that should not stop us having an incredible workforce plan that means that we train more doctors and nurses here. The First Minister has rightly been calling in the last few days for more action on loss and damage on climate change, so we should not pretend that taking nurses and doctors from developing countries does not cause loss and damage to healthcare systems in those countries. Let's not create a climate of fear, let's not change and play on that rhetoric that is beneath the Deputy First Minister and let's actually talk about what is happening here right now in the SNP's watch. I also listened to the answer that the Deputy First Minister gave. His head is frankly in the sand. If it's so good, if it's so rosy, why are they striking for the strike action for the first time in their history? Nurses have been crying out for years about the problems long before the pandemic and let's not forget, these were the staff who kept going even when their lives were at risk from a deadly virus, but they are now being forced into action to try and save their patient's lives. Week after week tragic stories come to this Parliament and week after week we get the same old excuses. This health secretary and this Government are clearly out of their depth. After 15 years in Government, 750,000 Scots on an NHS waiting list, the worst ever waits at A&E and now the Royal College of Nursing going on strike for the first time in their history. Does the Deputy First Minister accept that our NHS has not faced a crisis like this in its history, that it's the worst it's ever been and it's all happening on the SNP's watch? First of all, I think I touched a very raw nerve with my comments about Kia Stammer because anyone looking at my track record of all my public service will find that I have always always been on the side of openness and about welcoming people from other countries into our society. The point that I'm making to Anna Sauer is that our ability to recruit staff, our ability to provide the necessary means by which people can work in our national health service have been totally undermined by Brexit and the Conservative Government and Kia Stammer by his comments at the weekend and by his hostility to addressing any issues about migration is simply taking the same line as the Tories and that is an absolute disgrace. Let me say that any international recruitment undertaken by the Scottish Government is done through an ethical route and we do not actively recruit from any of the World Health Organization's red list countries in relation to recruitment of staff. Lastly, I have acknowledged this afternoon as my colleagues have done on other occasions that there are huge pressures in the national health service. They are because we have had a pandemic, it is because we are recovering from that pandemic and we are experiencing enormous strain in the process of so doing. In that sense, I accept the points that Mr Sauer is raising about the seriousness of the situation that we are facing. Let me tell Mr Sauer this, the Scottish Government is absolutely focused on giving the necessary leadership and resourcing to addressing those circumstances and we will continue to do so and by the reactions and the support of people in Scotland over successive elections, the people of Scotland are supportive of the work that we undertake. I am going to move to question 3 and take supplementaries at the end. In order to reach those supplementaries, I would ask that we have short and concise questions and responses to match. I call Maggie Chapman, question 3. To ask the Deputy First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to mitigate the impact and prevalence of fires in Scotland caused by accelerating climate change, such as those seen during the high temperatures last summer. The climate change is identified as a strategic priority in the Scottish Government's 2022 fire framework. It requires the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to invest in the provision of specialist resources and technological advancements along with prevention activity and public awareness to enhance its response to increased flooding and wildfires associated with climate change. The Government is responding to the full range of climate risks identified for Scotland through its 2019 adaptation programme, which sets out more than 170 policies and proposals to build resilience to the impacts of global climate change as part of our just transition to net zero emissions by 2045. We are preparing our next programme in response to the most recent UK climate change risk assessment for publication in 2024. I thank the Deputy First Minister for that response. In spring and summer this year, we were repeatedly warned of extreme wildfires across Scotland. We saw blazers spread rapidly through urban areas in England. Research shows that firefighters come into regular contact with carcinogenic combustion products. They have high risks of cancer and get those cancers earlier in life than the general population. In fact, the World Health Organization recently classified firefighting as a carcinogenic profession. We clearly have a responsibility to ensure that our firefighters who tackle those blazers are safe. Can I ask the Deputy First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that our firefighters do have the equipment that they need to keep themselves safe, what plans are in place to ensure that fire stations have the necessary decontamination equipment and whether the Scottish Government will consider routine health screening for firefighters to catch any illnesses as early as possible? There is a range of points in the questions posted to me by Maggie Chapman, which are properly operational matters for the chief fire officer and the SFRS board in allocating the £352.7 million of budget provision that we make available to them, which looks at the whole range of improvements and enhancements that have to be made in the fire and rescue service. I am aware that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service contaminants group is taking action across all aspects of operations to reduce exposure to harmful contaminants. I understand also that that group met Professor Anna Steck of the University of Central Lancashire to hear directly of the important research work that she is undertaking in relation to those questions and to offer SFRS co-operation on that work. Thank you. Before we take a supplementary question, can I remind members that supplementary questions should be brief and should not consist of multiple questions? I call Siobhan Brown. Can I ask the Deputy First Minister what measures are in place to protect Scotland from any potential risks to cyber security? Cyber resilience underpins everything that we deliver as a Government and is crucial to fully realise Scotland's digital ambitions. Cyber security policy is reserved. However, in recent years, we have worked steadily with key partners to build Scotland's cyber resilience. In 2021, we have published the strategic framework for a cyber resilience Scotland, which sets out a vision for a digitally secure and resilient Scotland, and builds upon our initial strategy that was published in 2015. I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer. Cyber security is flourishing in Scotland with the first Cyber Scotland summit taking place just a few weeks ago, and Edinburgh aiming towards becoming the data capital of Europe. Can I ask the Deputy First Minister what we are going to do to continue this positive path through building cyber resilience in the public sector? The Scottish Government has been working directly with public bodies to improve its cyber resilience, and through the roll-out of the public sector cyber resilience framework, more and more public sector bodies are regularly testing their incident management and business continuity plans. That can only help to improve their resistance to cyber attacks. We are also progressing with the establishment of the Scottish Cyber Coordination Centre, which draws together the work of Police Scotland, the National Cyber Security Centre and other organisations to enhance Scotland's ability to prepare for and to respond to cyber incidents. Can I ask the Deputy First Minister if the Scottish Government will now commission a full independent inquiry into the medical negligence of the former LGML Professor at NHS Tayside and the related governance issues, given that more and more patients are coming forward to tell their horrific stories? I am sorry, Deputy First Minister. This is not a supplementary to this particular question. We may have time to come back to general constituency supplementaries at the end of this session. To ask the Deputy First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the reported comments by Highlands and Islands Enterprise that cheaper air travel for business passengers could help to strengthen the viability of island routes. We recognise that reliable and affordable transport to and from our islands helps to maintain thriving communities and local economies. That is why we provide significant funding to make air travel to our remote communities, including islands that are more affordable. This year, we have allocated £77 million to support air services in the Highlands and Islands. That includes funding to Hyal to maintain their airports and the air discount scheme, which provides island residents with a 50 per cent discount on fares to and from the mainland. It also includes subsidy for the air services from Glasgow to Campbelltown, Tiree and Barra. I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer. We know things are bad when a Scottish Government agency speaks of people moving away from the islands because the links are so poor, but at least Highlands and Islands Enterprise understand the desperation of islanders, so much so that they are giving £15,000 to some of them to look into how to run their own ferry services. HIE say that many island businesses rely on planes to get them on and off the islands, and that is largely because the ferries are so unreliable, so cheaper airfares for businesses will bolster vital air routes. HIE also say that better links for everyone will help to stop depopulation. They point to chronic issues around the West Coast ferry fleet and a need to help island councils who run their own services to replace their own fleets. Will the Government do anything more about airfares? Will it help the councils to fund new ferries? When will the Government pull its finger out, tell us how it wants to run ferries in the future and set out a proper ferry replacement plan? As I said to my original answer, the Government is significantly funding the air services in the Highlands and Islands to the tune of £77 million. If Mr Simpson is making an argument for more money to be spent on this, it is a bit rich since seven weeks ago the Conservatives were asking me to reduce taxes, which would have come at the expense of public expenditure. No amount of agitated explanations from Rachel Hamilton is going to defer from my course to point out that the Conservatives come to this chamber with absolutely hypocritical propositions about lowering taxing and increasing spending at the same time. On the question of public expenditure for ferries, about 10 years ago the Government was spending £139 million annually on ferry services. We are now spending £315 million on ferry services and expanding the routes and the services that people can rely upon. Liam McArthur In 2011, SNP ministers removed island businesses from the air discount scheme with no prior consultation. Ministers desperately tried to blame the EU, which was still being used as an SNP bogeyman back in 2011, but they eventually admitted that it was a cost-cutting measure. Given the assessment of HIE, which backs early analysis by Hytrans, showing that the ADS cut negatively impacted staff productivity, turnover and operating costs, will the Government now reverse the cut and allow businesses in the highlands and islands the chance to compete on a level plane? The Government makes substantial investments in the hands and hands of the air network, as I have set out. £77 million is what is being spent to support that network. Obviously, the Government will engage constructively with local communities, as I and other ministers do on a constant basis, but we have to make choices about the availability of resources and concentrate those resources in the most effective way to ensure that we support island communities. As I announced just in the emergency budget review last week, we are putting additional financial support into island communities to support the recovery from Covid. To ask the First Minister what urgent steps are being taken to ensure safe staffing across NHS, in light of recent reports of staff shortages, potentially contributing to patient death? The Scottish Government is taking a number of measures to ensure safe staffing across the national health service. That includes providing funding to health boards to support the recruitment of additional staff, measures to make it easier to retain and rehire experienced staff and measures to improve health system flow, timely discharge from hospital and to improve patient safety. I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer, but today's smokescreen excuses of Brexit and Covid don't wash. The Deputy First Minister would do well to listen to the former CEO of NHS Scotland, Professor Paul Gray, who has stated that her NHS was going to be overwhelmed regardless of Covid. His excuses do not explain why the First Minister slashed training places for nurses in midwives back in 2012 when she was health secretary. They do not explain why the Scottish Government missed its own target of recruiting 700 new student nurses this year, and they do not explain why, for the first time in history, nurses have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. A dispute not just about pay, but about better working conditions and higher standards on wards. The responsibility for the situation lies at the door of the Government and the failing health secretary. Two people have died at the Queen Elizabeth university hospital in only one month this summer, with their deaths linked to short staffing. Our health service is on its knees due to this Government's incompetence. When will the Deputy First Minister commit to an investigation urgently into those two deaths? When will he give a commitment to get a grip on safe staffing and ensure that all of our staff, hardworking, are supported with dignity and respect? I regret to any loss of life and questions about the investigation of individual deaths are not a matter for me, they are a matter for the Crown should it decide to do so. I think that Mr O'Kane does a disservice to this topic by brushing aside the implications of Brexit and Covid. We have got to live in the real world about the pressures that are rising out of the implications of the pandemic and the significant loss of access to staff that have come about as a consequence of Brexit. The Government is investing significantly to create a position where we have record numbers of staff in the national health service, where we are working to reduce the lead discharge because that is one of the identifiable ways of improving performance in the health service and in ensuring patient safety, and those efforts will continue to be the focus of intervention by Scottish ministers. I have been contacted by constituents in receipt of disability benefits. They are worried and alarmed over the comments of the UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride, who has refused to relate means testing of disability benefits for claimants elsewhere in the UK. I therefore ask the Deputy First Minister to offer his reassurances to those in receipt of such benefits here in Scotland that means testing will not be introduced here in Scotland and can he consider how either Social Security Scotland or the Scottish Government can reach out directly to Scottish claimants who are worried to get that message out loud and clear. As Mr Doris will know, when the legislation was put through Parliament to establish Social Security Scotland and to handle the benefits that are now the responsibility of the Scottish Government, we legislated for dignity and compassion and respect to underpin the approach that we would take to the exercise of our responsibilities in relation to social security. I assure Mr Doris and Parliament that those values will underpin all the actions of Social Security Scotland. We will communicate those widely because those are the foundations for any decent and respectful social security system. Will Smith? Thank you for the second opportunity. Can I ask the Deputy First Minister if I could ask him whether the Scottish Government will now commission a full independent inquiry into the medical negligence of Professor Eljamail, the former disgraced surgeon at NHS Tayside, and the governance issues, given that more and more patients are coming forward with their horrific stories about what happened to them. First of all, I recognise the seriousness of the issue that Liz Smith raises with me today, and I express my regret to anybody who has suffered as a consequence of the practice of Professor Eljamail. The health secretary, as Liz Smith will know, has already met her to discuss the issue, and he has also met some of those affected by the actions of Professor Eljamail. As Liz Smith will know, NHS Tayside commissioned a review from the Royal College of Surgeons into the practice of Professor Eljamail. Those are professional issues that affected his clinical practice and, obviously, restricted Professor Eljamail's clinical responsibilities as a consequence. The health secretary has made it clear to NHS Tayside that he expects them to meet those who are affected, and we are possible to answer any questions that remain unanswered, given the fact that those issues have been thoroughly examined by the Royal College of Surgeons at the request of NHS Tayside already. Deputy First Minister, the results of the Scottish Health Survey, which was published earlier this week, highlight, and I quote from the summary report, average levels of mental wellbeing were lower in 2021 than in 2019. The survey highlights that experience of depression, anxiety, attempted suicide and self-harm were more common in the most deprived areas. Those figures highlight that the Scottish Government's failure to address the root causes of mental health difficulties is having a direct and detrimental impact on the mental health and wellbeing of the Scottish population, and, importantly, failing to address the health inequalities that impact the most vulnerable in our society. Can the Deputy First Minister outline clearly how the Scottish Government across Government portfolios plans to improve mental wellbeing in Scotland, and will he set out a timescale for ministers to report back on how the Scottish Government will eradicate the health inequalities that are deepening divisions in communities across my south of Scotland region and beyond? The Government takes forward a range of different measures to tackle the issue of health inequalities in all of our communities, whether that is the work that we take forward in relation to the eradication of child poverty, which is captured in the child poverty delivery plan that Parliament considered earlier on this year, which has at its heart the addressing of some of the fundamental issues that Carl Mocken puts to me. That is supplemented by the work that is undertaken to tackle and address addiction within our communities, whether that is drug addiction or alcohol addiction, with the various measures that are put in place in that respect. The Government has achieved the objectives of the recruitment of staff in relation to the provision of counselling services both within our schools and within the wider community as a consequence of the projects and priorities that we set out. I acknowledge the importance of those issues, and I assure Carl Mocken of the commitment of the Government right across a range of portfolios to address those issues, because the questions of health inequalities are directly connected to questions of poverty and wider inequality in our society, and the Government's agenda is determined to address those questions. As the Tory-made cost of living crisis soars, it will sadly come as little surprise that the Trussell Trust have today said that it has recorded its busiest period ever between April and September 2022, distributing around 116,000 parcels in Scotland. Does the Deputy First Minister believe that an increasing reliance on not only food banks but now even warm banks is illustrative of a Westminster system that is not working for people across Scotland? I do agree with the point that Natalie Dawn puts to me. I do agree with Natalie Dawn, and my principal ally in providing me with material to support that position is none other than the chairman of the Scottish Conservative Party. Mr Craig Hoy said that Liz Truss made the wrong decision in going for growth in the way that she did, and I think that there is a price tag attached to that. I think that we have to be realistic about the consequences of that, which may be tax cuts or public spending cuts. The only bit that I disagree with Mr Hoy about is that I do not think that it will just be tax cuts or public spending cuts. I suspect that it will be both. It will be the unbridled responsibility of the Conservative Party, which, when that stupid budget came out, demanded that I follow that course of action. That would have inflicted misery on the public in Scotland, coupled to its inaction over the summer on energy costs. The Tories are responsible for the cost of living crisis, and they should pay a price for it. For over two years, women in Fife with endometriosis have had no access to a dedicated specialist gynaecology department since the closure of the ward at the Victoria hospital. Constituents have informed me that, as a result, patients are being admitted into a section of the maternity ward, leading to an appalling situation where women who have just suffered a miscarriage are separated from women nursing newborn children with nothing more than a curtain. The Deputy First Minister will be aware that it takes on average eight years for endometriosis to be diagnosed with women living in severe pain, suffering with excess bleeding and put on painkillers for excessive periods of time and needing surgery. I ask the chair if the Deputy First Minister when will the vital services at the Victoria hospital be reinstated so that those women can get access to the care that they so desperately need? I understand the point that has been made to me by Ros McAll, and I assure her that the challenges that will be faced on service provision around the country where there is a high degree of specialism involved in some of that care can be affected by movement of staff around the country in various other circumstances. Obviously, the health service works as hard as possible to minimise any disruption of that care. I recognise the seriousness of the point that she puts to me. I would say that one of the initial priorities of the women's health plan is to improve access for women to appropriate support, diagnosis and the best treatment for endometriosis, and to improve the care pathways that are involved. The Government will focus on those particular issues, and I will look specifically at the issues about NHS Fife that she raises with me today. A catastrophic blunder at Remfrewshire Council means that the newly built Dargaville primary school is half the size that needs to be built. For a capacity of around 450 pupils, the estimated role is set to be 1,100 children. I promised a new school now to face learning in Port of Cabins. Parents are appalled and have lost confidence in Remfrewshire Council. That mistake will cost millions of pounds from Remfrewshire's already squeezed education budget, a colossal waste. I ask the Deputy First Minister to meet with me and parents to discuss what solutions can be provided for local children now, to make sure that there is accountability for what has gone wrong here, and to ensure that no other child in Remfrewshire loses out from any resulting shortfall in school budgets. It is obviously a matter of concern when issues of this take their course. Of course, the points that Mr Bibby raises with me come against the backdrop of widespread improvements in the school estate across the whole of Scotland. When this Government came to office, 63 per cent of children were being educated in good or satisfactory buildings. That is now in excess of 90 per cent as a consequence of the investment that the Government has made. There is an individual problem that he is raising with me about this school, but the general position in Scotland is of an improving nature of the school estate. I will happily meet Mr Bibby and his constituents to consider the issues that he raises with me, but I encourage him to recognise that issues of this type can emerge in the planning of individual projects, but that against the backdrop of sustained investment by this Government, the quality of the school estate is improving around the country. I seek your guidance on the procedures surrounding the correcting of the official report. Yesterday, it was revealed by the think tank of these islands that a key Government statistic is false. It is a claim that will be familiar to every single MSP in this chamber, that Scotland has 25 per cent of Europe's potential offshore wind resource. Over the years, that has been referenced countless times both inside and outside this Parliament by SNP ministers and MSPs. In this chamber, it includes excessive environment secretaries such as First Minister Alex Salmond and Deputy First Minister John Swinney. The current First Minister, the constitution secretary and net zero secretary have all made the claim to other audiences. It was reheated just yesterday by Green Environment Minister Lorna Slater in the Edinburgh evening news, but it is a statistic that has now been proven to be false. A bogus analysis of a mixture of reports dating all the way back to 1993, when the technology was in its infancy and using a definition of Europe that excluded renewable powerhouses like Sweden, Norway and Finland. It was not the case that it was accurate in 2010, as the spokesperson claimed this week. It was never accurate. Several servants have been privately warning against its use for at least two years. Warning has, I quote, never been properly sourced and that these figures have, I quote, recycled robotically without really checking them. The true figure for Scotland's share of offshore wind potential is thought to be around just 5 per cent, yet still the 25 per cent claim appeared in the finance secretary's national strategy for economic transformation this March. Again, multiple times in the SNP-led debate on independence in the House of Commons last week from SNP leader Ian Blackford, Ronny Ciaran, Christian Allwood. I cannot recall a comparable situation where a completely fictitious statistic has been relied on so often and so widely. That matters because the Scottish Government has put that claim at the heart of the debates around Scotland's energy security on independence and our meeting our climate targets. I fully support the expansion of Scotland's renewable sector, and I desperately want to see Scotland fulfil our renewable potential. The strong case for that is not helped when the figures used by the Scottish Government leave it open to charge of misleading and misrepresenting. I seek your guidance on how the official report should be corrected in all of the circumstances, where there has been a pattern of misinformation dating back over a decade, leaving bogus claims littered across the transcripts of the numerous sittings of this Parliament. Can I ask whether any members of the Scottish Government have approached you, Presiding Officer, about making a statement to correct those records, given the provisions of 0.5 of the guidance on corrections of inaccuracies in information provided in parliamentary proceedings? I thank Mr Cole-Hamilton for his point of order. It is, of course, a matter of courtesy and respect that members ensure that contributions are accurate. It is the responsibility of the member to ensure that contributions and proceedings are accurate. However, in the event that a member becomes aware that they have provided inaccurate information, they can seek to make use of the corrections mechanism within 20 working days of the publication of the original official report. The mechanism sets out what the Parliament has agreed are the appropriate steps to make other members aware that a correction has been made. Corrections are also highlighted in the Business Bulletin and on the Parliament's website. They are published there, too, to ensure transparency. The corrections procedure allows members to seek to make a statement to the Parliament if they realise that a significant error has been made. The decision on whether or not to seek to make such a statement is a matter for the member, and no request has been made to me on that point.