 Rwyf iawn, y ffordd ymlaen i'r cyfnodau. Felly, ymlaen i'r ffordd? Felly, rydyn ni'n ffordd i'r ffordd i'r ffordd i'r ffordd i'r ffordd i'r Cymru 13 o'r Cymru Codol. Rwyf iawn, mae'r prosediad yw i'r prosediad yn rhan o'r prosediadau ym 15 oes fyw ddych chi'n cyfnodio'r cyffredinol. Rydyn ni'n cwestiynau cyfnodio, Pam Goswell yn fwy o ddod o'r cyfnodiau i'r rent cap yn cyffredinol i'r cwestiwn i'r Ystod ddechrau i Llywodraethau Llywodraethol 2022. Mae'n ddaw'r gyrd gan ddylch chi i'r ffordd i'r rhagleniau sydd yn ryw fach i un miliwn pwyntau ar hyn o'r lliwyr llwyr, yn yr hyn yn ddod i'r rhan o'r ddysgu o'r ddysgu. Rhyw gyrd i'r cyffredinol i'r cyfïlltau cymryd honi, ac i'r cyfrifffordd o'r cyfryd maen nhw rydyn ni am wysig ddar een duyn ni fyddwn ni gandd regionaal diwethaf arise mewn dweud a gywwar mlyneddiol yn y ddefnyddio I would take this opportunity to remind all members that it is a requirement of both the code of conduct and the relevant legislation that members make a declaration of interest before taking part in any proceedings of the Parliament relating to their registered interests. Under the code of conduct I do not have responsibility for considering complaints of this nature and the responsibility to make appropriate declaration lies with members. We will move on to our first item of business, which is portfolio questions. The first this afternoon is constitution, external affairs and culture. Questions 3 and 5 are grouped together, and I will take any supplementaries on those questions after both have been answered. Concise questions and responses appreciated as ever. Question 1, Emma Harper. To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to cultural organisations to promote Robert Burns this Burns season. Cabinet Secretary, Angus Robertson. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Robert Burns is an essential part of Scottish culture and heritage and continues to provide new and compelling reasons to visit Scotland throughout the year. The Scottish Government undertakes activity, funds public bodies and supports external organisations that help to maintain and increase the visibility of Robert Burns throughout the year within Scotland and overseas. Burns Night itself is an excellent opportunity to celebrate Scotland's vibrant and thriving creativity, bringing our communities together, boost Scotland's international reputation and engage with our varied diaspora. Specifically for Burns Night 2024, the Brand Scotland strategic partnership, all Scottish Government and SDI international offices, domestic stakeholders and more than 50 organisations in the culture sector have had access to a 2024 Burns Night toolkit to celebrate how our creativity is influenced by both the heritage traditions of the past and cultural innovations of today. In addition, our international offices have been engaging in supporting 27 Burns Night events, most of which have involved cultural organisations. Emma Harper. Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for that answer. I recently chaired a roundtable meeting to discuss winter festival funding, in particular for the big burn supper in Dumfries, which was impacted by the loss of winter festival funding this year. The attendance was event Scotland, Visit Scotland and many local organisations. The discussion was positive but highlighted the crucial importance of support for the promotion of Robert Burns. Can the Cabinet Secretary provide a commitment that the renewed winter festival funding for next year will support and promote organisations like the big burn supper to promote Scotland's national barge both at home and across the globe? I begin by paying tribute to Emma Harper's relentless work in this area. As she knows, we reluctantly informed stakeholders that the Scotland's winter festivals programme was permanently closed in September 2022 amidst the context of operating within the most challenging budget to be delivered under devolution. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government are taking the first steps on the route to investing at least £100 million more annually in culture and the arts by the financial year 2029. As I said to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee on 18 January, now is the right time to look in general at how we support festivals and how it all fits together. I understand that big burn supper continues to have ongoing discussions with Creative Scotland, Event Scotland and the South of Scotland Enterprise Agency. In addition, events such as these continue to have the opportunity to apply to public bodies such as Visit Scotland and Creative Scotland as well as local authorities through their general funds. Alexander Stewart says that Scotland's international network annual report states that the Scottish Government's international offices work to promote international profile such as holding events such as St Andrew's Day or Burns' Nights. Can the cabinet secretary confirm how much all nine international offices spent on Burns' Nights celebrations this year and explain the merits as to how much he justified the cost? I'm not in a position to give him an answer to that question today, but I undertake to write to him. I think he and other members will have seen the full range of events that have been promoting Scotland and Scottish tradition and culture internationally. I hope that he supports that. He's nodding affirmatively, and I very much welcome that. May I take the opportunity to pay tribute to both the Scottish Government offices, the SDI teams around the world and all others who've been celebrating Burns? The last time that this was quantified was by Glasgow University, which found there to be over two and a half thousand Burns suppers around the world. We'll continue to support them. I will write to the member to answer his question directly, and I hope he will join me in praising the international work in promoting Robert Burns and making Scotland an attractive place to come visit, invest, live and study in. To ask the Scottish Government what support it can offer to assist in the establishing of a small museum or exhibition centre in Gallusfields to celebrate the life and times of Robert Coulthart, the author of the children's song, Alley Bally Bee. There is no doubt in the cultural significance of Robert Coulthart's song, Coulthart's Candy. I'm sure that everyone is singing it in their heads as we speak. The song is sung in communities across all of Scotland and shared across generations. We welcome and encourage any exploration and celebration of our heritage, and I congratulate Christine Graham on running a keen campaign on getting this song and Robert Coulthart recognised for it. While we cannot guarantee any funding from the Scottish Government or even our partners, Ms Graham may find it helpful to contact Museum and Gallery Scotland who provide development and funding on our behalf for advice and support as she explores the opportunities to tell Robert Coulthart's story. As the minister may not be aware, I've already had a substantial meeting with Museums Galleries Scotland and they can obviously provide seed funding. On Monday we launched a crowd funder to erect a memorial headstone at his unmarked grave in Gallusheils. Then we're looking to explore a virtual exhibition placing Robert Coulthart in the context to some extent of the poverty of 19th century Gallusheils. Apart from funding, is the minister able to provide advice as to how the project or projects may be developed as tourism as well as the culture of this is so crucial to Gallusheils and the wider borders? There are organisations such as Culture and Business Scotland who may be able to offer assistance. However, I would be happy to look into this and provide further information to Christine Graham. I wish her well in her crowd funder and for the commemorations. As far as tourism goes, I'll endeavour to ensure that the minister responsible for tourism understands the importance of the work that Christine Graham is doing and her constituency is regarding Robert Coulthart and Coulthart's candy. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its funding for humanitarian assistance in Gaza. In November 2023 we provided £750,000 to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to ease the suffering of innocent civilians caught up in the conflict in Gaza. We do not regularly fund UNRWA but in this case we responded to a flash appeal for the current crisis. We do not currently have plans to further contributions, not least because of broader budget pressures. Given that over 2 million people are at imminent risk of starvation, the UK Government and the international community must work with the UN to find mechanisms to increase the level of life-saving aid getting into Gaza, which Israel must facilitate. As a convener of the cross-party group on violence against women and children, I wrote to the UK Government and the BMA requesting urgent aid to the thousands of women and children, including pregnant women, who have been disproportionately affected by this horrendous war. I have yet to receive a reply from either. Does the minister agree with me that an urgent ceasefire is the only way lives can now be saved? The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, particularly for women and children, who make up 70 per cent of those killed. Over half of hospitals in Gaza have ceased functioning, with the remaining providing vastly reduced services. Alongside this, the UN's special rapid tour for food has warned that famine is now inevitable. The bombs and bullets do not get these women and children, then malnutrition, disease and starvation will get them. The only way to bring a stop to this horror is to bring the hostages home with an immediate and permanent ceasefire on both sides. The international community cannot stand by while women and children starve, knowing that they could have done so much more to save them. CroCab Stewart To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the funding that it has made available for humanitarian aid for people affected by the conflict in Gaza. We have been in continued discussions with the UK Government on this matter, and welcome the additional £60 million committed for the humanitarian response in Gaza, which Scottish taxpayers have, of course, contributed to. However, unless there is an immediate ceasefire and sufficient aid allowed in to enter Gaza, thousands more will die from bombardment, starvation and disease. That is why the First Minister has called on the UK Government to make clear to the Israeli Government that it must comply with the ICG ruling or face being held accountable for the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians. CroCab Stewart I thank the minister for her answer. Over the weekend, the UK Foreign Office announced that it was pausing funding aid to the UN relief work agency. What effect will this have given that, by far, the largest and most effective aid delivery was through UNRWA? That leaves 81 per cent of Gazan populations who are already refugees without support. What is the Scottish Government's response to the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres' appeal to countries that suspended funding to the United Nations Agency assisting Palestinian refugees to reconsider their decisions to ensure the continuity of its vital humanitarian operations? We recognise the swift action taken by UNRWA to dismiss the implicated employees and to launch a full independent investigation. UNRWA has sufficient funds to cover humanitarian operations until the end of February. This situation must be resolved before then. The UK and international community must work with the UN to ensure that aid can be provided to the population to avoid mass starvation which we are warned is imminent. Israel must facilitate and secure sustained delivery and distribution of vastly increased levels of aid within Gaza, in line with the ruling by the International Court of Justice last week. We remain mindful of the words from Antonio Guterres and the UN community. At the end of last year, the IPC warned of a very high risk of famine in Gaza Strip. The report advised that more than half a million people were faced with emergency levels of food insecurity, leading to all children in Gaza being at high risk of severe malnutrition and death. What specific discussion are the Scottish Government having with the UK Government over provisions to prevent famine-causing, serious malnutrition and preventable death in Gaza? The UN special rapporteur on food has already laid out the imminent concerns that everyone has about starvation, particularly for women and children in Gaza. Faisal Childhood would have heard me in my previous answer to other questions on this topic that we remain committed to working with and speaking with the UK Government on ways to ensure that that aid gets to the people that needs it. It needs to change now. The only way to do that is through a ceasefire, the hostages coming home and that aid going into Gaza to support the civilians who are impacted by it to prevent the issue of famine arising over the next few weeks. To ask the Scottish Government regarding the potential impact on health and wellbeing of people in Scotland, what action it can take in response to reported calls for free-tier broadcasting of Scotland's national team football matches. While broadcasting is reserved, the Scottish Government has a strong interest in a fairer and more representative service for Scotland and we continue to argue for its improvement to ensure it better reflects and prioritises its specific needs and interests of Scottish audiences and our creative economy. The Scottish Government has previously advocated for and will continue to press the UK Government to expand the listed events regime so that more Scottish events, including Scottish men's and Scottish women's international football, are accessible to audiences on free-to-air broadcast TV. I understand that the current rights for the country's national team are held by Viah Play, which was announced last year that it would be scaling back its involvement in Scottish football. However, I also understand that there could be financial implications for Scottish football from not getting money from TV rights. Has the Scottish Government had any discussions with the football authorities around that and to look at what support the Scottish Government working with the football authorities can bring about the change that we need? I would make a point, however, that we could solve the issue quite simply if this Parliament was in charge of broadcasting and we just get on with it. We would not have to rely on others to realise that the coverage of Scotland's national teams and our national sport should be on free-to-view television. If we could have devolved broadcasting some time ago, it would be fantastic if the Scottish Labour Party would confirm that it is in support of that now. Kenneth Gibson. Brilliant officer, thank you very much. I have to see the cabinet secretary's moralized stoma thunder because all I was going to ask was, is it not a perfect example of why broadcasting should be fully devolved to this Parliament? Cabinet secretary. Why on earth is Scotland's national Parliament not in charge of national broadcasting? I appreciate the question that Alex Rowley posed, because it should be self-evident to absolutely everybody that our national sport and our national men's and women's teams who are doing tremendously at the moment should be easy to access when it comes to these important games. The easy way to do this is for broadcasting to be devolved and so it would be great to have clarification from the Scottish Labour Party whether it's in favour or indeed other political parties in the chamber. Question number six, Ash Regan. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government, as part of its work to further the case for Scottish independence, what its position is on whether it could hold a referendum on the powers of the Scottish Parliament. Minister, Jamie Hepburn. This Parliament has a clear mandate to hold a referendum on independence from the last election. Last year, the Parliament passed a motion calling on the UK Government to respect the right of people in Scotland to choose their constitutional future. The UK Government should respect both the 2021 election result and the position of this Parliament. At this stage, we have no plans to hold any other referendum on the powers of the Scottish Parliament. Ash Regan. Last week, the Alba Party released poll results showing an overwhelming majority of the country's support. The Scottish Parliament having the power to negotiate for and legislate for independence. Support for independence, of course, last week also showing at 52 per cent. If the Scottish Government doesn't want to back a bill that can unblock the constitutional roadblock, which is what the minister has just described, how then do they propose to move Scotland forward towards independence in this session of the Parliament? Minister. Well, it was no surprise to me that, of course, people in Scotland do expect and do believe that it should be this Parliament that has responsibility for these matters. Indeed, the manifesto on which I stood and the member will stood on is that people in Scotland should be provided the opportunity to have their say in the future of this country. The UK Government should respect that, but what I am also committed to doing and derived from the manifesto on which I stood and the member stood is to continue to provide people with Scotland the information they need to make an informed decision. We have published nine building a new Scotland papers thus far, covering a range of subject matter. We will continue to take that forward. Indeed, we debated one of those papers just yesterday on the European Union. We saw the Tory Labour-Liberum Democrat members voting against the simple problem situation that Scotland is best served by being part of the EU. Further evidence as to why Scotland is best served by being an independent country. I am keen to get as many members in as possible, so let's keep our questions and responses concise. On Monday, the national newspaper, one of my essential daily reads, reported of the latest shop defection of the South Ayrshire SNP Facebook page to Alibar, Ash Regan's party. Does the minister accept that, as his party's case for Scottish independence becomes ever more flimsy, support for the SNP is melting away? No, I don't, and such has been the impact of this revelation. That's the first I've heard of it. We move on to question number seven, and I call Tess White. To ask the Scottish Government how it sets the priorities for its international offices each year. Scotland's international network delivers benefits to our people, our businesses and institutions from attracting overseas investment and growing exports to facilitating cultural exchanges. Our engagement supports the delivery of Scotland's domestic policy objectives. As colleagues will be aware, we have now published our international strategy, which describes the three key areas of focus for the Scottish Government's international engagement and what we aim to achieve in each by the end of the current parliamentary term. This will see our offices develop business plans on these three main themes, namely the economy, trade and investment, climate change, biodiversity and renewable energy and relationships, influence and reputation. Tess White. Cabinet Secretary, in the recent tax and act Scottish budget, spending on international offices increased by 12% with another set to open in Warsaw. Millions of pounds are being spent by this SNP Government on a function that's already provided by the UK Government, and they have a massive overseas network of embassies and high commissions. So this is about priorities. Why does the SNP Government believe that funding for international offices should be increased while Angus residents who lost their homes to Stormberbet are desperate for more support? Cabinet Secretary. It would be really helpful to clarify, because I thought the position of the Scottish Conservative Unionist Party was in favour of the Scottish Government's international network of offices, and in fact has called for it to be increased. And now from the bank benches we seem to be hearing calls for it to be reduced. I'm not sure what the head shaking is about. Is it because one wants to close offices which promote inward investment, trade, tourism, education, or is it just saying one thing in the bank benches and another thing? We really need some consistency on this matter. Ivan McKee. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that Scotland's international offices are critical to growing our economy and are one of the main factors driving Scotland's best in the UK performance on inward investment and export growth? Cabinet secretary. Yes, best in class is quite right. In the financial year 2022-23 alone, SDI statistics show that Scotland's international operations helped to achieve £1.73 billion of forecast export sales and 8,500 forecast jobs secured through inward investment support. Scotland remains consistently the most attractive destination in the UK for foreign direct investment outside London, and that success is aided by the hard work and dedication of the people of our international network, the SDI offices and more than 30 locations across the world and nine of them in joint presences supported by the Scottish Government. I'm glad to have the support of some members in the chamber, certainly all on the governing side. It's a shame to see them being undermined by members of the Scottish Conservative Unionist Party. To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to support the music industry in relation to sustaining small grass-root venues. The Scottish Government delivers a wide-ranging programme of support for all businesses, including the music industry. Business support can be accessed through our enterprise agencies and business gateway. Creative Scotland can also provide programme support for small grass-roots venues, particularly where additional opportunities for emerging artists or new audiences can be identified. The Scottish Music Industry Association is also a member of Creative Scotland's regularly funded network. It exists to strengthen to empower and unite Scotland's music industry. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response. The music venue trust welcomed the announcement by the chancellor as he promised to continue the 75 per cent relief to business rates for grass-root music venues. This is vitally important to keep those community venues open, but that support has not been replicated here in Scotland. Grass-root music venues are concerned about their future. Does the cabinet secretary realise that decisions taken here on business relief have dire consequences on the music industry? It's a shame that Megan Gallagher chose not to recognise that in the recent budget the Scottish Government has in the first stage of raising annual culture spending by £100 million, did so by over £15.6 million this year, by comparison the UK Government has cut spending to culture in England through the DCMS by 6 per cent. In Scotland we are going to be delivering for culture, unfortunately the UK Government is not doing so in the rest of the United Kingdom. In August I asked about potential Barnett consequentials following the UK Government investment in its creative industries sector. I was advised at the time that it was unclear. Can the cabinet secretary now confirm if Scotland will receive any additional resource related to that investment and when it will? Are the Scottish Government actively considering providing additional funding to support grass-root music venues, which would match the £5 million worth of funding that is being given by the Arts Council in England? First on the question of Barnett consequentials, I'm not aware of there being any that have been received in Scotland, but I will ask officials for clarification and I'll write to the member to update her on that point. To reiterate what I just said a moment ago, this Government has committed to increasing culture spending not just in this year by £15.6 million but in the forthcoming budget for the next year by an additional £25 million taking us to a position where annual culture spending in Scotland will be £100 million additional from £28.29. That is a very, very considerable commitment by this Government given the level of financial pressure, so we will do all that we can. I'm sorry that we haven't received, as far as I'm aware, any Barnett consequentials whatsoever, but I will reply to the member and give her a clarification on that point. Mark Ruskell. Thank you. This February, the band Enter Chicari will perform in Edinburgh to not only celebrate their new LP but also to prove a point. Within the price of their tickets is a £1 donation to music venues trust, which will grow to grass-roots venues in each of the cities that the band is playing in. The band has shown us that ticket levies do not need to come at a cost to fans. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that now's the time of the Scottish Government to accelerate progress towards establishing a stadium tax in Scotland to reverse the decline in music venues that we've seen in Scotland in the last year? Cabinet secretary. Mark Ruskell, on this point, is consistent in using every opportunity that he has in this chamber, but also in committee, to raise this issue. We are still awaiting for the matter to be fully discussed by the cross-party music group. I look forward to that. No doubt there will be views from across industry and across the culture sector more generally. As he knows, and as all the other political parties in the chamber know as well, we are looking at not only maximising the commitment from the Scottish Government for culture and the arts sector in Scotland but looking at other means that will benefit the sector as we recover from Covid and move towards a situation where things are on the firmer footing that I think everybody is committed to. My apologies to those members who have been unable to take. We must move on to the next point of order, Pam Gossel. Presiding Officer, this afternoon a member accused me of failing to declare relevant interests in last week's session of First Minister's Questions in line with section 13 of the MSP code of conduct. I was accused of failing to declare my shares in the letting companies when I was raised concerns about the Scottish Government's rent cap. If the member was truly up to speed with my register interest, she would know that those are solely commercial letting companies, so I had no relevant interest to declare as the SNP's disastrous rent control only applies to residential property. I seek your guidance, Presiding Officer, as to how I can address these claims made against me today in line with Parliament's standing orders and how the member in question might, herself, like to correct the record. With regard to the comments that the member has made, which are, of course, now on the record, I would just reiterate that under the code of conduct I do not have responsibility in this chair for considering complaints of this nature. We will move on to the next portfolio, which is Justice and Home Affairs. I will allow a moment for front-benches to organise themselves. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to prevent drugs being smuggled into prisons. Cabinet Secretary, Angela Constance. The health and wellbeing of those who live and work in our prisons remains a key priority for the Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service. Investment in technologies such as rapid scan machines now available in every prison and the recent purchase of nine new body scanners further enhance a comprehensive range of security measures already deployed by the Scottish Prison Service. By working closely with partners such as Police Scotland, SPS Must and Does, we remain vigilant to the continuously evolving nature of drug use to ensure the use of technology and tactical measures remain current, adaptable and capable of detecting and preventing drugs from entering our prisons. Russell Findlay. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. Now Scotland's prisons are under siege from gangsters who control the drugs trade with prison officers on the front line and I don't say that lightly. The boss of HMP Edinburgh warns that new synthetic drugs are making inmates even more violent and unpredictable and at least one officer has become ill due to inhaling drugs being smoked by prisoners. Drones are now being used to smuggle contraband. Only seven were detected in 2022. Within the first nine months of last year, there were 54. Many prison officers feel scared and unsupported, so other than warm words and platitudes, exactly what action is the cabinet secretary taking to protect them and to tackle the drugs crimes? I reassure Mr Findlay that the safety and security of our prison staff who do a difficult and at times dangerous job is of the utmost priority to me and this Government. In fact, tomorrow morning I will chair, as I do every quarter or so, the Serious Organised Crime Task Force. That is about tackling the grip of organised crime in our communities as well in our prisons and, of course, the two are related. Mr Findlay is right to point to the threat of synthetic drugs, in particular synthetic opioids, given their potency. There are a number of members, including Ms Hyslop, who have written about the impact of psychoactive substances on the health and welfare of staff. That is something that I will discuss with the chief executive when I meet her in the not too distant future. However, there needs to be a whole range of action, including continuing work to prevent contraband coming into prison in the first place, because that does not make prisons safer and can often add to the violence in our prisons. In terms of technology, I will say briefly that the Scottish Prison Service continues to work with Police Scotland and an external provider to develop a pilot programme, trial and covert technology that elects establishments to drone activity within SPS airspace, and that is one of many actions being taken currently. Emma Harper Scotland's national mission to improve the lives of those who are impacted by drugs is, of course, not just for the people and communities, but also for those in prisons. With that in mind, can the cabinet secretary outline the Scottish Government's work with partners to embed that work within prisons throughout Scotland? As well as disrupting the supply of illicit drugs, we, of course, need to reduce demand for those substances and therefore it remains imperative that we improve access to treatment and access to recovery opportunities both within the community but also ensuring that there is parity of opportunity within our prison estate. The Scottish Prison Service continues to work in partnership with vital third sector organisations, our national organisations, whether that is the Scottish Drugs Forum, Crew 2000s, the Scottish Recovery Consortium, to enhance approaches to deliver consistent recovery pathways to help individuals reintegrate back into our community. Of course, thanks to the good work of prison officers, we see a full range of innovative projects that are supported, whether that is recovery cafes, recovery walks and, of course, the work that mutual aid organisations do. Jamie Halcro Johnston To ask the Scottish Government what its priorities are for tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in the Highlands and Islands. The Scottish Government supports action by Police Scotland and partner bodies to reduce crime and antisocial behaviour both in the Highlands and Islands and across the whole of Scotland. Police Scotland and local authorities have a range of options available to address antisocial behaviour and I have established a working group to examine our current approach to the issue and propose improvements. The 2024-25 Scottish budget will increase funding for policing by £92.7 million, which is 6.4%, including a 12.5% increase in capital budget to a record £1.55 billion. As of 30 September 2023, the Northern division in the Highlands and Islands had 668 officers, which compares to 624 at the same point in the previous year, an increase of 44. Jamie Halcro Johnston I thank the minister for that answer. The last few years I have seen police stations across the Highlands and Islands lost, while there has been growing concern in many local communities, both rural and urban, that despite the efforts of officers there is a move away from local policing and reduced police presence. Can the minister tell me, after the cuts of the previous budget, are there fewer or more police officers in the Highlands and Islands today than there were this time last year? Does she expect the number of police officers across the Highlands and Islands to increase or decrease by this time next year? As I said in my previous answer, there was an increase this year to last year of 44 officers. We have tripled the policing capital budget since 2017 to 2018 to support and continue it for investment in police assets. The allocation of these resources and responsibility for the management of police estate, including police station closures, sit with Scottish police authority and the chief constable. I point out that I agree with Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham, who has stated that our presence in communities is not defined by buildings but by the officers and staff who work there. We have already introduced technology that enables our officers to remain in local areas, reducing the need for them to return to police stations to deal with paperwork. In essence, we want officers to be spending more time in the communities, and the role of modern policing does not mean that they should be tied to a station. To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates that total cost of HMP Highland will remain at £139.5 million budgeted for when it is planned to be completed in June 2025. We do not anticipate that the total cost of HMP Highland will remain within the £139.5 million budget. The Scottish Prison Service is making good progress on the new state-of-the-art prison. However, like many large-scale capital projects, it continues to face supply chain and labour market challenges and increase costs due to inflation. That is consistent with large-scale projects of this nature globally. The costs of the construction contract are currently being finalised, and the contract award is scheduled to take place thereafter. We have seen a budget go from £86 million to £110 million to £139.5 million. We have seen completion dates go from 2023 to 2025. If the Cabinet Secretary checked the Government website, she would now see that the delay has been confirmed and it will not be operational until 2026, not 2025, as the question asked. Can we really believe that, with another year's delay, the price is not going to go up as it has done consecutively for the few years that it has been in design? I know that Mr Mountain regularly asks questions with respect to the replacement of HMP Inverness. I very much welcome members championing the local prison resource in their local communities. I have to say to Mr Mountain that, although the delays have not been within anybody's control, it is important to recognise that the delay is due not just to the pandemic but also to the time that it has taken the contractor to secure prices in a very challenging market condition. There are some things such as Brexit, inflation, hostile immigration and the cost of living crisis that are not within my gifts, I hasten to add. If we look at the cost of construction labour in the UK, that rose by 30 per cent between 2015 and 2022. That is in comparison to 14 per cent in European countries. Of course, the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in its own construction material price index, for example, has shown that precast concrete has risen by 56 per cent. Doors and windows, goodness me, has risen by 52 per cent. I do very much look forward to the progress that has been implemented. The Scottish Government has committed to prison replacement at Inverness in Glasgow but not Greenock. I know that the cabinet secretary has visited Greenock and is aware of what the chief inspector of prisoners has said in relation to the fact that cells are not suitable for human habitation. Will she provide an update on what work is being done and what consideration is being given to an allocation within the capital budget? As I have explained, I certainly hope both to Ms Clarke and indeed to chamber and the criminal justice committee that the significant financial and operational pressures have meant that the priority for replacing prisons is the new HMP Highland and the new HMP Glasgow. Nonetheless, there is recognition of the challenges in HMP Greenock that the member narrates and there is, of course, remedial action that will be undertaken to maintain the state there. But there is no imminent plan to replace HMP Greenock at this point in time because the priority right now is HMP Highland and crucially the new HMP Glasgow. To ask the Scottish Government what action is being taken to tackle police staffing shortages and operational capacity issues in the Highlands and Islands. The recruitment and deployment of officers and staff is a matter for the chief constable. However, Police Scotland recruited almost 600 officers in 2023 and around 1480 new recruits since the beginning of 2022. Further more, and as mentioned in response to an earlier question, Police Scotland's end division covering the Highlands and Islands had 668 officers at 30 September 2023 compared to 624 at the same point in the previous year. Additionally, individual divisions can access specialist expertise at a regional and national level to meet demand which would not have been possible before the creation of Police Scotland in 2013. The chief superintendent for Highlands and Islands division has stated that, due to centralised decision making, rural policing is facing a massive challenge. He quotes an example. Following an incident in Benbecula last year, staffing shortages meant that it had to be dealt with by two off-duty officers. The only two officers on duty in Lewis and Harris were also required to deal with the incident the following day, meaning that there was no police cover on the islands. This would be absolutely unacceptable in the central belt, but yet it is allowed to happen on our islands. Can I ask the cabinet secretary to tell me what actions she has taken to make sure that rural policing has the resources that it needs to keep people safe? The member raises a fair point that there are particular challenges in and around rural communities, challenges that are perhaps less obvious here in the central belt. Of course, we have duties with respect to the Islands Scotland Act 2018. I have also been advised from Police Scotland that local recruitment events have been undertaken in different areas of the division, and that is inclusive of all three island communities. I will endeavour at the member's request to make further inquiries and to report back to her. There is much interest in this portfolio. I would be grateful for succinct questions and responses. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support survivors of domestic abuse, whilst they are engaged in the justice system. Domestic abuse is abhorrent and totally unacceptable. It is vital that the perpetrators are held to account and that women and children have access to front-line services dealing with violence and domestic abuse. We are investing record levels of funding to support victims through a range of front-line specialist services. Our victims-centred approach fund will provide £48 million to 23 organisations between 2022 and 2025, including £18.5 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence. Of the annual £19 million delivery equally safe fund, £7,719,700 is provided to women's aid groups across Scotland. Additionally, the Scottish Government funds a domestic abuse and forced marriage helpline to offer free confidential support. I would like to thank the minister for meeting with me earlier this month, where we discussed a number of issues that have been raised with me by constituents of their experiences with the justice system. Those included domestic abusers using civil courts to continue to exert power over their survivor, potential limitations to the disclosure scheme for domestic abuse Scotland and, amongst other things, the cost of taking out non-harassment orders. Can the minister advise how the Scottish Government is listening to the views and experiences of domestic abuse survivors in order to inform future policy and legislative plans? The Victims, Witness and Justice Reform Bill has been and will continue to be informed by listening to survivors, victims and their families. The Bill includes provisions on special measures to protect vulnerable witnesses and parties in civil cases, recognising that domestic abuse can be raised. Another example of our commitment to learning from lived experience is a targeted engagement that informs decisions on our fundamental aspect of the domestic homicide and suicide review model for Scotland. We are also working with Safe Lies Scotland to explore how the expertise of those with lived experience can continue to meaningfully support the development of the model. We are committed to understanding and improving the interaction between civil and criminal courts. In addition to the work on domestic abuse round table, the Scottish Government is considering recommendations in the recent research on domestic abuse and child contact, the interface between criminal and civil proceedings. Workshops are being held with a range of interests to consider the issues and the improvements that are needed and to discuss potential solutions. I must continue to call for brief responses. I would be grateful, minister, if you could direct your microphone towards yourself. A brief supplementary, Liam McArthur. The Law Society has indicated that women seeking to leave a violent relationship often struggle to access the help that they need due to an absence of legal aid services. In addition to the minister last week, the problem is even more acute in rural and island areas, where a small number of legal aid solicitors are stretched over an even wider area. There is a growing reluctance of mainland practices to take on clients in the islands. What action will the minister take to address this problem and ensure access to legal services for domestic abuse services in places like Orkney? Solicitors in all parts of Scotland are able to access funding for the work carried out under the legal assistance schemes. The schemes are also flexible enough to allow solicitors to travel to rural and remote parts of the country to carry out work, should it not be possible to instruct a local agent. I did have a question on this from Beatrice Wishart last week and I have more statistics that I could perhaps write to the member in relation to this. In recent years, Scottish Government statistics have shown domestic abuse incidents at a record high. New statistical for the last year has been delayed until March. We do not yet have the most recent information about domestic abuse in Scotland. The given reason for this was, and I quote, to allow additional time to complete development work. Can the cabinet secretary give more details about that work and its progress, whether the statistics will be stronger, and will this work provide greater information on repeat attacks, which we know account for more than half of the domestic abuse cases? I do not have the information to hand, but I will write to the member regarding that. I know that the member has a domestic abuse prevention bill coming forward. I am happy to consider innovative policy interventions for a commitment to do more for victims of domestic abuse. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that the housing of adult male prisoners at HNP-Y-O-Y Pullman is being considered, what its position is on whether such an announcement should be made to the Parliament. As the management location of prisoners is an operational matter for the Scottish Prison Service, SPS wrote to the criminal justice committee and the cross-party group for women and children on 19 January this year to notify them about the phase transfer of adult male prisoners, which will be undertaken in small numbers and which began on 23 January. The safety and welfare of people in custody is a top priority, and the Scottish Prison Service decision is in the context of an 84 per cent reduction in the number of under-21s in custody between 2009-10 and 2022-23. The prison service has a strong track record of keeping different groups of prisoners separate, and robust mitigations are in place to provide separate accommodation for adult males, including separate regimes, reception area and an exercise regime that has no view to other residential areas. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. The SNP Government has let crime spiral out of control in Scotland, and as a result we see a rapidly increasing prison population, which is putting enormous pressure on already stretched resources. Those factors mean that prison services feel that they have no other option but to house male adults in prisons alongside young offenders. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that this move is necessary because the SNP's soft-touch approach to justice has failed to deter criminals from committing crimes serious enough for them to go to jail? A prison population of 7,898 does not smack of soft justice. Neither, indeed, is it smart justice. I have always been clear that we need to respond to the rise in prison population, and we will indeed. As for his assertions about crime statistics, I should let the member know that crime is among the lowest under this Government since 1974, and that crime has fallen underneath this Government. Of course, the Conservatives always soft on solutions, soft on options, but my word is tough in the old rhetoric. To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it used as the basis for its decision to bring HMP Cymaroc into public ownership. It has been Scottish Government policy that prisons should be owned and managed by the public sector for 17 years. We do not believe that public safety, rehabilitation and wellbeing should be driven by private profit. With the 25-year contract coming to an end, there were really only two choices—one to retender the contract or to bring the prison into public ownership in line with a long-running policy on private prisons. The decision was made not to put it out to tender. HMP Cymaroc is one of the most cost-effective prisons in the UK. It is regularly recognised for its positive approach that it takes with community engagement and its relationship with community organisations, and the current operator had reportedly offered to build a new wing at no cost to the taxpayer. Meanwhile, her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons has described six SPS-run prisons as ill-suited to a modern prison system, and the replacements for two of those prisons are delayed and over-budget. Will the cabinet secretary accept, as she did during my member's debate, that this decision is not being made on the basis of results or evidence that is driven by ideology, regardless of whether it will deliver the best outcomes for prisoners and staff at HMP Cymaroc? I think that he's taken some liberty there. As he knows, I have a high regard for the staff and the work that takes place at HMP Cymaroc. I look forward to welcoming the staff and the establishment to public control and to be part of the wider prison service family. I said this decision was taken some time ago. Cost comparisons between the public and private sector are, of course, not straightforward, but in more recent times the price and mechanism has increased greater than the RPIX. Price has escalated higher in private prisons than in comparison to public sector prisons. It's always about money, it's always about cost, as opposed to safety, security, care, rehabilitation and the terms and conditions of prison officers. Brief supplementary, Willie Coffey. I visited the prison myself just on Monday and heard from the director who assured me that the transition process is going well. Could the cabinet secretary provide an update on the engagement process that has taken place between staff and the SPS to ensure that the transition programme is delivering on its objectives for everyday concern? Staff engagement is of the utmost importance in the process that we are pursuing. I very much welcome the enhanced engagement that the Scottish Prison Service has carried out with employees in group settings and on a one-to-one basis to support the transition and ensure a smooth move into public sector ownership. I assure Mr Coffey that the prison service continues to work very closely with Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd and Circle to deliver that smooth transition in a way that supports those crucial front-line staff and those who are in our care and custody. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the former Lord Advocate, Frank Mulholland, should make himself available to Parliament to answer questions in relation to matters for which he was responsible in his former role in connection with horizon information technology prosecutions in Scotland. Lord Advocate, Dorothy Beane. Presiding Officer, as Lord Advocate, I am accountable to Parliament for the actions of prosecutors regardless of when those actions were taken. The wrongful convictions of sub-postmasters arising from the Post Office's failure to disclose errors within the horizon system is deeply concerning. While cases relying on horizon evidence were being prosecuted, the Post Office did not disclose to prosecutors the true extent of the system issues. There is no record of Lord Mulholland discussing this issue with the Scottish Government or taking any decisions in relation to cases involving horizon evidence. I thank the Lord Advocate for her response and welcome her back to the chamber to answer questions about this disgraceful episode where innocent sub-postmasters were wrongfully convicted. Last time the Lord Advocate was here she could not or perhaps would not answer a question I asked her directly on why there was a delay between the Crown Office being alerted to problems with the horizon computer system and then deciding to suspend prosecution proceedings against sub-postmasters. Can she now give me an answer or do we have to try and ask Lord Mulholland? Lord Advocate. I reject what Mr Fraser just said there. I did answer the question clearly and my statement was available to the Parliament before I took to my feet. In relation to the question of the period between 2013 and 2015, the concerns raised between that period were not the concerns that they are now known to be. Rather, the Crown was told of limited concerns in England and Wales but that they did not impact on Scotland. Accordingly, engagement with the Post Office as a specialised reporting agency was appropriately directed and managed by prosecutors within the Crown Office. As no systemic issues or concerns were identified by the Post Office regarding Scottish cases, there would not have been a need to take further action. As I said last time and I stress again, it was not until the judicial findings of the courts in England and Wales in 2019 and 2021 that the true and full extent of horizon issues became known. It was at that point that it transpired that the Post Office had misrepresented deliberately or otherwise the true extent of the problems with horizon during their engagement with Scottish prosecution. That concludes portfolio questions. We will shortly move on to the next item of business and I will allow a moment for members to organise themselves.