 The commentsicha mateh. The first item by Grant is portfolio questions. The first portfolio is to consult health and social care. I ask members who would wish to request to make a supplementary question to press a request to speak but during the relevant question or enter R in the chat function during the relevant question. I make a plea for succinct responses to get in as many members as possible. Question one is from Miles Briggs. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Does the Scottish Government plan on allocating any funding specifically for alcohol services in addition to allocating alcohol and drug partnerships for drug services? We are currently working in partnership with Simon Community Scotland to pilot and evaluate an innovative, managed alcohol programme for people who experience homelessness. Funding allocated to alcohol and drug partnerships ADPs is for both alcohol and drug treatment In 2021, 22 ADPs, and health boards received over 106 million for alcohol and drug services. That funding is used to ensure that the services meet the needs of people who experience alcohol as well as drug harms, including preventative approaches. Miles Briggs. I thank the minister for that answer. While the Scottish Government has stated that it recognises the twin public emergencies of drug deaths and alcohol harms, the Scottish Government stated earlier this month that it has no plans to introduce alcohol-specific treatment targets until 2024. I think that that is unacceptable. 2020, the number of people who tragically died because of alcohol increased by 17 per cent to 1,190. Can I ask the minister if the Scottish Government will now rethink that approach and introduce the specific treatment targets? Minister. Alcohol and drug-related harms are both important public health issues in Scotland, and that is why we established a national mission to improve and save lives. At the core of that national mission is ensuring that every individual is able to access the treatment and the recovery that they choose. We are working to ensure that people with alcohol use disorder continue to receive the same quality of care as those who experience problematic drug use. The forthcoming alcohol treatment guidelines will provide support for alcohol treatment similar to the medication-assisted treatment standards for drugs. We are also developing alcohol treatment targets alongside stage 2 of the drugs targets implementation in 2024, so I am more than happy to hear from the member should he think that there are things that we are not tackling in our approach to alcohol, but I am very comfortable with the work that we are doing and with the learning that we are gaining from the work that is being done in tackling our drugs challenges. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the support being made available to people with long Covid. We are providing £3 million this year to NHS boards to help them to respond flexibly to improve the care and support that is already available to people with long Covid. The investment will enable boards to introduce care coordinator roles, providing a single point of contact for people and their families to ensure that they have access to the most appropriate care and support for them. We will also provide additional capacity for community rehabilitation to help people to address issues affecting their day to day lives, including managing pain, fatigue and supporting a return to employment. We have also established a national strategic network for long Covid to ensure the continued development of our national approach is informed by evidence and expertise, as well as those of course with lived experience. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response. I have been assisting a constituent whose physical health has been so compromised by Covid that they are now wheelchair bound and remain in hospital almost one year after admission. A council tenant has local authorities working with NHS colleagues as they try to secure a more suitable tenancy and resolve the debt that he has unintentionally accrued. However, that is taking time and the longer it takes, the longer he remains in hospital, essentially bed blocking. I ask the Scottish Government how it is working with councils and health boards to ensure that people have timely access to the health and social care support that they need as they adjust to living with long Covid. I am very sorry to hear about Audrey Nicholl's constituent. That must be a very difficult experience for them and their wider family. I do not know all the details of the constituent. Audrey Nicholl is more than welcome to provide further details offline if she wishes. We work regularly with local authorities, NHS health boards and, crucially, health and social care partnership across the country. We want them to be working in an integrated fashion to deal with and to address the very issues that Audrey Nicholl references. We are putting considerable investment into delayed discharge. It is difficult in the social care sector, with workforce being one of the most significant challenges, hence why we have introduced two pay rises in the course of the past 12 months for adult social care workers. However, there is more to do. Delayed discharges are far too high. Where health boards, local authorities and health and social care partnerships are not working closely together, I and the Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care are more than happy to have the conversations with those relevant stakeholders. It is not just Audrey Nicholl's constituent. According to Professor Edward Duncan of the University of Stirling, many thousands of Scots of that 150 require treatment, but many remain unsupported. It is believed that some health boards are reluctant to offer support for sufferers of long Covid for fearing they will be overwhelmed. Will the Cabinet Secretary commit today to establishing a network of long Covid clinics to co-ordinate support that long Covid sufferers are crying out for? Can he tell us if any of this year's three million tronch has been allocated and for what? A couple of points, if I may. I did see the comments that Dr Sanders Grohani references, and I thought some of the comments around signposting were well made. Therefore, of course, we are picking those points up with health boards right up and down the country. I do not recognise his comments that health boards are reluctant to support people with long Covid. As a clinician, any clinician that I have met is willing to treat those with long Covid. I do not detect any hesitancy from health boards or clinicians to provide support for people with long Covid. As I mentioned, he will know in the debate that we had recently that the first tronch of that long Covid support fund has been allocated in terms of long Covid clinics, so I have said to him previously that there is nothing stopping any health board right up and down the country from establishing a long Covid clinic, if they think that that is the best way to address long Covid or, indeed, to provide support for those suffering from long Covid. We will leave those decisions for local health boards to come up with local tailored solutions for the health board area that they preside over. There are 155,000 people in Scotland with long Covid, and the numbers are rising each and every month. The majority are simply not receiving services. The £3 million allocated by the Scottish Government is, of course, welcome, but it is a drop in the ocean. It works out at £19 per head in a given year. Given that the Scottish Government's response is two years late and is inadequate given the scale of the task, will the cabinet secretary commit to increasing the resources that are available this year? I will look at any request to increase resources, but Ms Bailey's comments are misinformed to the suggestion that that is the only money that is being invested to support those with long Covid. That is, of course, incorrect. Prior to the announcement of £3 million of that funding going for specific projects and health boards up and down the country, health boards were already supporting people with long Covid. I accept our point that there are many people who are suffering from long Covid who feel that they have not had the support that they require. There are also many people, and I have met a number of them, who tell me that if it was not for the support that they received—whether it was from physiotherapists, GPs, doctors, nurses—they do not think that they would be alive today. Some have even said that they have been as strong in their opinions to me as that. To suggest that the only money that is being spent to support people with long Covid is the £10 million that would be incorrect. Of course, on her broader point of considering what further money can be invested, I will, of course, explore that. 3. Richard Leonard Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I remind members of my register of interests? To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the 6,600 nursing and midwifery vacancies reported at the end of 2021. The number of nursing and midwifery staffing is at record high. Staffing levels have increased by almost 15 per cent under this Government and by over 2 per cent in the last year alone. While the nursing and midwifery vacancy rate is high, it has started to come down in the last quarter. Investing significantly in workforce expansion, as we have done, creates new vacancies in the short term and we are now starting to see those posts being filled. To continue the downward trend, we will invest a record £11 million to support further international recruitment, building upon recent successes that will see Scotland welcoming almost 400 new nurses from overseas. We are also increasing domestic training too. Over the past 10 years, we have doubled the number of funded places for nursing and midwifery to a target intake in 2022-23 of 4,837. Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his answer, but can I first and foremost pay tribute and thank all of the staff in our national health service? One of the reasons why NHS staff are in the words of the health secretary, Nacod, is because they are overworked. One of the reasons why the staff are overworked is because of the high level of vacancies I am raising with the Cabinet Secretary today. This is down to poor workforce planning, but it is also down to the undervaluation of NHS staff, including nurses and midwives. With inflation running at 9 per cent, does the Cabinet Secretary seriously think that a real-terms pay cut for nurses, midwives and other NHS staff of 4 per cent, which he is offering NHS unions today, will cut it? We are offering 5 per cent in terms of an increase, and that is the largest single-year increase in the history of devolution, including when his party was last in power, which I accept many years ago. I should also say that, since that time, we have increased staffing levels in the NHS by almost 30,000. We have seen increases in nursing and midwifery staff. Of course, NHS staff in Scotland continue to be the best paid in the entire UK. It will now be, of course, for trade unions to take that deal away, consult with their members. I absolutely respect that. I write the discussions and negotiations with our trade union colleagues. They have been very constructive. At times, they are robust and challenging, and I respect no less from our trade union colleagues. However, we have a process in place and offer has been made, and I will leave it to trade union colleagues to then take that to their members to either accept, as I hope they will do, or indeed reject. I have previously met Minister Marie Todd and midwife representatives from Lothians in relation to the roll-out of the best start five-year plan for maternity and neonatal care, which includes continuity of carer, and NHS Lothians has agreed to meet me on this shortly. Can the cabinet secretary assure me that he is aware that midwifery vacancies may increase because of the way the best start programme is being rolled out? Many single parents, other working mothers and older midwives may not be able to operate on-call 24-7 five days a week and may not be contracted to do so and may leave the profession. Will he robustly question the pilot statistics as the results for mothers, babies and midwives of Lothian pilots is far from evident? Indeed, I understand that NHS Lanarkshire pilot was stopped. Can the cabinet secretary assure me that, in relation to the roll-out of continuity, carer has restarted in all boards across Scotland following the fact that it was paused due to the pandemic? As part of that remobilisation, as I say, we will gather data on the implementation of carer models of continuity of carer. As part of that remobilisation, as I say, we will gather data on the implementation of carer models of continuity of carer, as I say, we will gather data on the same midwife or small team of midwives providing care for women during and throughout her pregnancy, birth and indeed after birth, helping to build a continuous caring relationship between the women and her midwife. I should say that the best start model does not and never has required midwives to work on-call 24-7 five days a week, though I will explore and examine what Ms Hyslop has said. In our question, we expect all boards to develop models of continuity of midwifery care that are flexible, that are focused on women but also work for staff, including those who work part-time and, of course, those who have other caring responsibilities. Before I call the next supplementary question, could I just make a plea again for succinct questions and answers? I think that the last few exchanges in terms of questions and answers have been quite lengthy. I call by way of supplementary Crequoy. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Across Scotland, one in four vacancies for nurses and midwives have been opened for at least three months, and nearly 300 vacancies are left unfilled for more than six months after first being advertised. Beyond the minister's usual empty rhetoric, what action is the SNP Government to take long-term action to tackle those long-term and hard-to-fill vacancies in our NHS? That may be from Crequoy to dismiss facts as empty rhetoric, but I would say to the member that we have record levels of staffing within our NHS. Qualified nurses and midwives have increased on vacancies, and I take the points that have been made by members on retention. I have asked the chief nursing officer to look into the issue of where we can provide and the health boards can provide greater levels of flexibility. As well as, I am sure that Mr Hoy is aware of this, in Scotland we have 8.5 qualified nurses and midwives per 1,000 of the population that compares to 6.1 in England. That is not empty rhetoric. Those are just, of course, the facts. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the cervical screening programme. The impacts of Covid-19 continue to pose challenges to the cervical screening programme. However, we are working closely with the organisations that oversee screening in Scotland to ensure that the programme remains on track and is against its agreed recovery roadmap. The latest update data for the cervical screening programme for 2021-22 is due to be published later this year. In recognition that the pandemic is likely to have exacerbated screening uptake inequalities, including for the cervical screening programme, we have committed over 2 million, over two years, to tackle this. In addition, we have awarded over 456,000 to Joel's Cervical Cancer Trust in support of cervical awareness campaign work. That includes the cervical screening awareness week, so it is due to start from 20 June. I thank the minister for that update. I have been contacted by a couple of constituents who are facing longer waits for cervical screening results than normal, including one constituent who has been waiting for over 12 weeks, which has really surprised me. If you go along for your cervical screening, and you have never had any problems before, you usually forget about it, but if you have ever had problems before, you are waiting for that letter to arrive to tell you that you are clear. The minister knows about the situation that I have written to her last week. Can she advise what work has been done to ensure that everyone gets their results in line with the target set? The NHS is currently meeting the target for the average tablet lab turnaround time for all samples, which is within 14 days. In fact, over 80 per cent of the participants in the programme received their results within a week of the sample being taken. I am aware of the particular case that you have raised on behalf of one of your constituents. Indeed, if there are more, I am keen to hear about that. I am aware that my officials are looking into it. The Scottish Government's own women's health plan accepts that women from higher socioeconomic areas are more likely to take up cervical screening than those from the more deprived areas. Given that we know that a clear way of bringing screening closer to home is by rolling out self-sampling, can the minister outline any progress made in that regard and what role will self-sampling play in the cervical screening programme in years to come if the women's health plan target of reaching more people who may not ordinarily engage is to be met? I agree with the member that self-sampling is certainly likely to help in terms of uptake. It is not the whole answer. We can see that by looking at the bowel screening programme, which is done entirely at home but still does not have 100 per cent participation. We need to work more and we need to work clever. The chamber will be aware that the home screening for cervical cancer is at an experimental stage. We are participating in piloting in Scotland and we are very happy to do so. Those decisions will be made by the Four Nations National Screening Committee. We are putting in place work in Scotland to ensure that if a decision is made to use home sampling, we are more than able to hit the ground running as soon as that decision is made. We are keen to do what we can. That is one of the most important things. Remember, with cervical screening, we have an opportunity to prevent cancer before it is even there. The effectiveness of the HPV vaccine should be acknowledged and praised. The minister will be aware of research showing that, with the vaccine success, the screening programme strategy could change to focus resources. Will that happen? If so, does the minister have a plan to communicate those changes to ensure high take-up for the continuing screening? I thank the member for the question. I thank the member for her interest in the area. At the moment, uptake is higher among those who have received the vaccine than those who have not received the vaccine. We are keen to continue at the moment with the twin strategy of vaccinating the eligible population and using cervical screening to ensure that we detect cancer before it is even there. The member may or may not be aware that the World Health Organization has some work and some targets in place and is considering the possibility that cervical cancer could be eradicated. Of course, in Scotland, we are extremely interested in that work and we are keen to play our part in leading the way in the eradication of cervical cancer. Thank you to ask the Scottish Government whether it considers it possible in the future for all residential care to be provided as a fully funded public service. I thank Mr Coffey for writing to me on this important topic last month. As he will know, individuals assessed as needing personal and nursing care by their local authority and who reside in a care home will receive that care directly from the care home provider. For those who are self-funding their care home place, a payment contributing to those aspects of their care will be made directly to the respective care home by the local authority. The Feeley review considered whether it is appropriate for people to contribute to their accommodation costs in residential care or whether they should be free at the point of use. It concluded that it is reasonable for some charge to be made where the individuals' means permit because, in other circumstances, that person would be paying accommodation costs at home. You will be aware of the huge cost of private residential care in Scotland that can run into thousands of pounds per week and often requires families to sell off their family home to pay for it. Does he think that we can look forward to a system in Scotland where families who have paid their dues throughout their working life do not have to lose their life savings or their pensions or their homes in order to pay for that care and that Scotland might move towards a publicly funded and delivered residential care service at some point? As I pointed out, that was looked at in the independent review and I have already stated what Derek Feeley had to say. We recognise that the cost of residential care can be high and that is why we have increased the free personal and nursing care rates above inflation for the last two consecutive years to recognise the increasing costs. That is an increase in the rates of 18.3 per cent since April of 2020 and we will continue to review those rates annually. I am interested in bearing in mind what the minister has just said, whether he can continue to claim that the new national care service will be like the national health service, which will be free. If we are continuing to charge for residential costs, how can it be justified to have the difference between those who are in hospital who do not have to pay for their residential charges and those who are in the national care service who have to do so? One of the reasons why it is different is that folks in hospital normally still have to pay for their accommodation costs while they are in hospital. I have to say to the chamber that I am open to discussions and lots of issues, but I also have to know from those folks who are advocating change where money is going to come from to pay for that change. I have heard nothing from the Opposition in that front in any of the budget debates or any of the budget discussions that have taken place in recent times. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce waiting times at accident and emergency departments. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to put pressure on hospitals and services, despite more than two thirds of patients who are being seen in our A&E departments in for our target. On 1 June, we launched our new urgent and unscheduled care collaborative for health boards, supported by £50 million, which will support the implementation of a range of measures to reduce A&E waiting times and improve patient experience. That includes offering alternatives to hospital, such as hospital at home, directing people to more appropriate urgent care settings and scheduling urgent appointments to avoid long waits in A&E where clinically appropriate and safe to do so. The new approach will capitalise on the positive work already under way, such as discharge without delay, virtual capacity and the redesign of urgent care. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. The most recent waiting times for Fort Valley Royal hospital for accident and emergency and minor injuries show that over 500 patients waited more than eight hours and 100 patients waited for more than 12 hours, and all of this despite staff working around the clock. The cabinet secretary has outlined additional finance, but what I would like to know is what practical and urgent steps he will take to help Fort Valley, including additional recruitment of staff, to help Fort Valley Royal to address those wholly unacceptable waiting times. I agree with Dean Lockhart. We have regular discussions with Fort Valley. The level of performance there is not acceptable, and the board and the management team at Fort Valley know that that is the case. They are, as Dean Lockhart rightly says, along with clinical staff working around the clock and working hard to make improvements in terms of what we can practically do. There is a whole range of initiatives that are under way, including in Fort Valley. I am happy to write to him in detail about that, but if I gave him one example, in the answer, I just referenced the hospital at home programme, which we have recently increased our investment in that programme. Between September 2021 and February 2022, 4,500 people were treated by hospital at home services. They would have otherwise been admitted to hospital. That equates to over 26,000 bed days that have been saved. There is a range of initiatives in the interests of brevity. I am happy to write to Dean Lockhart after this session, with full details of all the interventions that have taken place and what we are doing to support, in particular, Fort Valley. I remind members of my register of interest. Scottish Ambulance Service workers play a vital role in supporting the delivery of patient care in our A&E departments. Unite the Union's recent survey of those workers revealed that they are increasingly understaffed, working longer shifts, facing greater abuse and many are contemplating leaving the ambulance service altogether. Will the Scottish Government begin immediate negotiations with Unite the Union to explore formally recognising the ambulance service as an emergency service, with workers employed on similar terms to those of the police and fire services? I will continue my engagement with trade unions and have regular engagements with our trade unions representing all those who work in the Scottish Ambulance Service. Last year, we had a record year of recruitment for staff at the Scottish Ambulance Service. One of the first acts that I did as health secretary was to introduce the paramedic bursary, which is incredibly important for the future pipeline of Scottish Ambulance Service staff. We continue to invest in Scottish Ambulance Service, but on Mercedes Villal's specific point, I will take up further discussions with children and new colleagues. I can take question number eight if I have succinct questions and answers. Question number eight from the Carson. Scottish Government wants support is providing to unpaid carers who are experiencing poor mental health. Our national wellbeing hub includes specific resources to help unpaid carers to look after their mental health. We have increased funding for breaks from caring as well as local carer support, including counselling and peer support. Our mind-to-mind wellbeing site links to lived experience videos and national resources directly relating to unpaid carers. We have also expanded local psychological services and therapies teams, which unpaid carers can access if they require bespoke help. Forthcoming standards for those services will include information about how carers should be supported as part of a whole systems approach using a stepped care model. For his response, evidence suggests that the pandemic has greatly exacerbated the poor mental health of carers. Accordant carers trust Scotland, 45 per cent of young carers and 68 per cent of young adult carers in Scotland stated that the mental health is worse due to coronavirus. Support in mind's marginal realised communities report established that for young carers money worries, care for relatives, feelings of isolation and stress greatly exacerbate poor mental health. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what targeted mental health support is being offered to unpaid carers specifically in rural areas such as my constituency of Galloway and Westam Frees? We will continue to do all that we can for all the population of Scotland in terms of ensuring that their mental wellbeing is best that they possibly can be. Mr Carson touched upon money worries, and I agree that they are money worries, particularly with the Tory cost of living allowance. Carers here in Scotland continuously in receipt of carers allowance have received over £2,520 more than carers size of the border since 2018, thanks to our introduction of the carers allowance supplement that year. We will continue to urge Westminster to match our efforts and increase the level of support for unpaid carers, including ensuring that unpaid carers, not on universal credit, also benefit from the UK Government's cost of living payment. We will now move on to the next portfolio, which is social justice, housing and local government. I will allow a very brief pause to allow front bench teams to change positions. The next portfolio is social justice, housing and local government. If a member wishes to request a supplementary question, they should press their request to speak button during the relevant question or enter the letter R in the chat function. Again, I would make a plea for succinct questions and answers, and I call question number one, Jeremy Balfour. To ask the Scottish Government what action it has been taking to promote the creation of mid-market rental accommodation in Malovians. The Government is determined to increase and accelerate the affordable housing supply across all tenures, including mid-market rent and to support local authorities to deliver their strategic housing priorities. Mid-market rent housing is supported where it is identified as a strategic priority and meets a recognised need. In the four years up to March 2021, 1,817 mid-market homes were completed in the Lothian area. In the current financial year, we expect 449 mid-market rented home approvals in the Lothian area and around 200 further mid-market rent homes should be available through the mid-market rent invitation. Jeremy Balfour Thank you, Deputy Minister. Our capital is facing a crisis. LAR housing trust is trying to address this by building and lessening affordable mid-market rental properties. The work of a funding model relies on loans from a Government that get paid back in full with interest. Why won't the Scottish Government commit to supporting housing trust, like LAR, but is not only helping to provide local affordable rental properties but also good for the public first? We certainly are aware of what has been done. This is a housing trust that pioneered the use of financial transaction loan money from the Scottish Government and has delivered housing with that. We have continued to work on that basis. Since 2016, we have provided £102.5 million of financial transaction loan funding, enabling private investment into the large-scale mid-market rent housing projects. As I said in my first answer, for a great many people, it is the wider affordable housing and social rented housing supply that is going to meet the critical need and be the most sustainable option for a great many people. The Scottish Government is delivering on that at pace. The cost of living crisis is squeezing every household in Scotland, none more so than on low and moderate incomes. In those difficult times, does the minister believe that mid-market rent can play an even greater role in the affordable housing supply programme, offering an alternative route for tenants? As I said in my answer to Mr Balford, mid-market rent is one of a range of affordable tenures. We are actively looking at how further innovative delivery mechanisms can provide much-needed affordable housing of all kinds in all tenures. We recognise that social rented housing is the more affordable option for many. That is why we have committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with 70 per cent of those being for social rent. That comes on top of the announcement yesterday that we surpassed the target of 50,000 affordable homes delivered since the start of the last Parliament. It is worth saying that 9,757 affordable homes were delivered in the last financial year. That is the highest figure in a single financial year since 2000-2001, and the Government will continue with that important work that will benefit communities right across Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on the level of need for accessible housing in Scotland. Local authorities are responsible for assessing the housing needs in their areas and setting out in their local housing strategies how that will be met. That includes targets for wheelchair accessible housing across all tenures. Local authorities should make their local housing strategies available on their websites in the interests of transparency. Wherever possible, all affordable new-build homes delivered as part of the affordable housing supply programme are built to housing for varying needs standards. 95 per cent of new-build homes delivered by housing associations and councils in 2021, where information was returned, met that standard. The new Scottish Accessible Home Standards is an important part of the housing to 2040 strategy, building fairness and adaptability into Scotland's housing vision. Can the minister tell me what she will do to ensure that a culture of accessibility remains at the heart of her house building programme? The Scottish Government is committed to delivering accessible homes that are fit for purpose now and for the future to meet the needs of older people, disabled people, wheelchair users and people with specific needs. We are currently reviewing the housing for varying needs design guide, and that will help us to inform the Scottish Accessible Homes standard. Our guidance for local authorities when preparing local housing strategies makes clear that they must ensure that specialists in accessible homes are central to their housing planning and delivery process locally. That includes the setting of all-tenure targets for the delivery of wheelchair accessible homes. I have a number of supplementaries. I hope to take all of them first from Miles Briggs. Evidence shows that people with MND spend their final months fighting and waiting for adaptations to accessible homes, which are urgently needed. Can I ask the minister what plans the Government has to fast-track applications for adaptations to accessible housing for people with MND and other life-formitting conditions? Miles Briggs will not be surprised to know that I have personal interest in ensuring that people with MND live to the best standards that they possibly can. We are looking at, as I said in the previous answer, reviewing the current housing adaptations system to make recommendations on how best to improve and streamline the system and to maximise the impact of those investments. That is incredibly important that we are doing that piece of work, reviewing that and working with stakeholders in it, but also ensuring that we are fit for the future and fit for changing needs as well. I thank the minister for the answer so far. The minister will be aware that, despite the strategies and guidance, tens of thousands of disabled people are waiting on accessible homes and some of them are waiting years. I would like the minister to set out whether she will commit to action to enforce, including possibly legislation, the building of at least 10 per cent accessible homes in every new development to reduce the huge length of time that people are waiting just now. I thank Pam Duncan-Glancy for that question as well. It comes down to the review that we are currently undertaking on housing needs and assessments. As I said, local authorities set those targets, but we are looking to have targets set across all tenures. As I said earlier, that standard and that process is 20 years old now. I am really looking forward to the review of that work being done, working with stakeholders. I am sure that Pam Duncan-Glancy has great ideas that she can share with us in order to ensure that review is as targeted and as specific to the needs of people as possible. The north-east has a significant number of military veterans, including disabled veterans, but does not have an adequate supply of accessible housing. I thank the minister for the detail that she has already provided in previous answers, but can I ask what steps we can take to ensure that there is accessible social housing, proportionate to the needs of the whole community, particularly veterans in geographical hotspots? Thank you for that question as well. Funding is available through the affordable housing supply programme to deliver accessible homes, including homes specifically for veterans, where local authorities identify that as a strategic need. Since 2012, over £6 million has been made available through the programme to deliver over 100 homes for veterans, and in preparing their local housing strategies, local authorities must demonstrate that they have considered all housing needs, including that of armed forces communities, and that engagement has taken place with relevant organisations such as Veteran Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to allow people who are seeking treatment for addiction to retain their tendencies through continued housing payments. Minister Ben Macpherson. Under current UK legislation, housing benefit or the housing element of universal credit are reserved benefits and cannot be used to support both a tenancy and residential rehabilitation. Therefore, the drugs policy minister introduced the dual housing support fund last year to cover full tenancy costs while someone is in residential rehabilitation, to ensure that no one has to make the impossible choice between accessing residential rehab and keeping their home. The Scottish Government dual housing support fund is part of the £5 million per year recovery fund that supports individuals to access residential rehabilitation. I am glad that the minister spoke of the dual housing support fund. It helps people with drug and alcohol dependencies to not give up housing and it came in May 2021, but over a year later there is very little information on the scheme and implementation appears to have stalled. Can the minister tell us how many people are in receipt of this fund? Does he think that it is right that some people are still having to choose between the health or the home? I thank Dr Gohani for his follow-up question and I am sure that he will be interested in engaging with the minister for drugs policy in making the case to the UK Government for changes to reserve benefits to help in this regard. To answer his question directly, the dual housing support fund has not stalled. It has been working and helping people. There have been several referrals to date for the fund, which have all been successful, and there have been five people who have been supported through the fund so far. If Mr Gohani wants to see more support for people in these situations, I encourage him to engage with his UK colleagues on the housing benefit and the housing element of universal credit so that those can be used to support both the tenancy and residential rehabilitation, as well as the additional support that, of course, I have mentioned that the Scottish Government is providing. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the reported labour shortages and significant cost increases on materials will have on social housing construction in Scotland. Thank you. We are, of course, aware of the global issues affecting construction, which are impacting affordable housing delivery. We are working with the construction industry and housing partners to mitigate that wherever possible. We offer and operate a flexible grant system that can take account of increased costs. Despite those challenges and those caused by the global pandemic over recent years, including the necessary lockdowns, as I mentioned earlier, the Scottish Government has delivered 111,750 affordable homes since 2007. 78,000 of those for social rent. We passed the target of 50,000 affordable homes starting on the delivery of an ambitious plan for a further 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. Can the minister elaborate on what modern methods of construction are being considered by developers and by the Scottish Government to meet our affordable housing targets? Yes, indeed. There is a great deal of work with the sector examining the potential for modern methods of construction. We already deliver homes using off-site construction methods, predominantly timber frame, and we will continue to support proven approaches. Given the potential, the real potential for benefits to housing delivery tenants and to the environment, we are considering how we can increase uptake and investment in off-site construction to support the delivery of more efficient, high-quality and net zero affordable homes in the future. Social housing construction depends on approval numbers, and the number of affordable home approvals has dropped significantly in the recent statistics published. Around 7,821 compared to 12,800 in the previous year, never dropping before below 10,000 up until the year 2016. Can the minister say what is the reason for the drop in approvals and how the Scottish Government can get that pipeline of affordable home delivery back up to the level that we have previously seen? As I have now had three opportunities over the course of two questions to remind the whole chamber, we have just this week announced the successful completion. We have surpassed the target of 50,000 homes delivered since the start of the last Parliament, and we are already making progress on the delivery of a longer-term and even more ambitious target of 110,000 by 2032. The number that I mentioned 9,000 in the previous answer was the most significant impact of any financial year to date, so we are making significant progress. That contrasts very sharply with the approach of the UK Government, which is currently contemplating rebooting the desperately damaging right-to-buy policy that the Scottish Government prevented from going forward in Scotland. We have no intention of repeating the mistakes that the UK Government looks about to repeat. What is the Scottish Government doing to address the skills shortage in the construction industry in the islands, which is impacting much-needed social housing projects that have been in the pipeline for years? Yes, indeed. As the member knows, a significant amount of work is not only on the skills and supply chain for new build but also for the retrofit, which is also a particular challenge in many island communities. We are working very closely with the sector to address those challenges, and I am sure that there will be much more to update the member on as we develop the supply chain delivery plan later this year. To ask the Scottish Government how it prioritises the national mission to tackle child poverty. Our second delivery plan, best start-break future, sets out our actions to tackle child poverty, including our focus on long-term parental employment support, increased social security and measures to reduce household costs. The resource spending review allocates up to £300 million for tackling child poverty and social justice. It also commits more than £23 billion through social security payments in the next four years, with almost £1.8 billion for the Scottish child payment, which will increase to £25 per child per week when the payment is extended to under-16s at the end of 2022. I thank the minister for that answer. The Scottish Government's plans to mitigate the impacts of the cost-delivering crisis are as welcome as they are necessary, especially when they seek to tackle child poverty, but they stand in marked contrast to those of the UK Government. Can I ask if any assessments have been done on how many children could be lifted out of poverty by 2023-24 if the UK Government found a moral compass and matched the support that the Scottish Government is delivering through the spending review? Scottish Government analysis recently set out that if key UK Government welfare reforms implemented since 2015 were reversed, an additional £780 million would be put in the pockets of Scottish households in 2023-24, lifting 70,000 people out of poverty, including 30,000 children. By doing that, it would be part of a concrete long-term action that is needed to address poverty. Other actions could be to match the Scottish Government action, including upgrading benefits and introducing the equivalent of the Scottish child payment. We know that UK ministers do not prioritise tackling child poverty, which is why this Parliament should have the full powers over social security and employment, so that we can take the action that is needed. It has been estimated that around 30,000 children in Scotland are in poverty as a direct result of the cost of privately rented housing. In response to my calls for immediate action to freeze rent at stage 2 of the Covid recovery bill last week, the Deputy First Minister said, and I quote, "...obviously the Government will look to take whatever action we can in the short term, so will the Scottish Government commit today to work with me ahead of stage 3 of the bill to strengthen amendments for an emergency rent freeze?" Thanks very much for Mercedes Villalaba for bringing that up. I am reliably informed by my colleagues that a meeting has been offered to talk about the very subject that she has raised in her question, and I would hope that she would take up that offer and address it at that point. To ask the Scottish Government how it will align its priorities for local government services with future projects by local authorities that are funded through the UK Government's shared prosperity fund. We have maintained that the replacement of the EU funding through the UK shared prosperity fund ought to be devolved to the Scottish Government and this Parliament to guarantee that investment best supports our national economic priorities. As the UK Government has chosen to bypass the Scottish Government in delivering the fund, it is difficult to ensure alignment with Scotland's national strategy for economic transition. Despite that, we will continue to work in partnership with our local authorities to make sure that all resources deliver the greatest benefit for Scotland. Given that the UK Government plans yet another fund intended to bypass the Scottish Government and, despite Westminster Public Accounts Committee noting in a recent report that the UK Government does not yet have a strong understanding of what delivers local growth, will the minister consider legislation or perhaps even guidance aimed at ensuring Scottish local authorities must take account of Scottish priorities when bidding for such funds? I thank the member. I noticed how the Conservative benches sighed when the member even pointed out that one of the Westminster committees supports some of the concerns of the Scottish Government. We have no plans to legislate at this stage with Scottish local authorities because they have their own power, responsibilities and financial freedom to operate independently, so it would not be appropriate for the Scottish Government to do that. However, we are very clear that we want to use the regional economic partnerships, as well as discussions with local government, to see where we can ensure that public investment is aligned with national priorities. It is a very important example that the member or Michelle Thomson highlights illustrating why the shared prosperity fund should have been devolved to this Parliament, given that we were promised that Brexit would strengthen Scottish devolution and that European funding would match, whereas instead there is a massive shortfall and this Parliament is being bypassed. To ask the Scottish Government what actions are being taken to ensure its success and viability of Scotland's affordable housing supply programme. More than £3.6 billion in funding is being made available this parliamentary term to support the delivery of affordable homes. Continuing the vital and ambitious work that we started in 2007, which, as was said earlier, has seen more than 111,000 affordable homes delivered, we continue to work closely with our housing partners who are critical to delivery and have provided five-year resource planning assumptions to give them the certainty to plan ahead and to ensure progress towards our commitment to deliver 110,000 more affordable homes by 2032, with 70 per cent for social rent and 10 per cent in remote rural and island areas. Challenges clearly exist in reaching 110,000 affordable home target. It is important to celebrate the precedent that Scotland has already set. Does the minister welcome, as I do, the fact that researchers in Australia recently called for Scotland to be used as a model for effective affordable house building? Can he illustrate how the Scottish Government and partners will build on this international recognition? We absolutely welcome this international recognition, which acknowledges the focus and priority that the Scottish Government placed on ensuring that everyone has a warm, safe, energy-efficient and affordable home. We will continue to work in partnership to build on our strong record of delivering affordable homes as part of our long-term housing to 2040 strategy, a strategy that clearly recognises the vital role that housing plays in tackling poverty and inequality, creating and supporting jobs, meeting our energy efficiency and fuel poverty targets and tackling the climate emergency, ensuring that we have connected cohesive communities to live in. That international recognition is something that we should all be proud of and look to build on. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met COSLA. The Scottish Government engages regularly with COSLA representatives to discuss a wide range of issues as part of our shared commitment to working in partnership with local government to improve outcomes for the people and communities of Scotland. I had my last monthly relationship meeting with the COSLA presidential team on 31 May and alongside other ministerial colleagues, we will be meeting the new COSLA presidential team soon, following their election this coming Friday on 17 June. Thank you. COSLA is well aware of the financial constraints that the SNP Government has imposed upon them. Despite allocating £20 million to preparations for a second independence referendum, the SNP will slash council budgets by 6.3 per cent in real terms, which means a cut of £11 million in East Lothian by 25, 2026. Why does the SNP Green Government not just give it a rest and commit that £20 million to council services rather than wasting it on a constitutional obsession? As has been pointed out in this chamber yesterday, we have an obligation to the people of Scotland to fulfil the democratic juicy on which we were elected. I refer Craig Hoy to the very poor record on local government funding that the SNP party has in other parts of the UK. Excuse me, minister, please resume your seat. Please do not sit across the chamber whilst you are seated. Thank you, minister. Please continue. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Overall funding for the Scottish Government, as has been said in this chamber before, has been cut by 5.2 per cent in real terms since last year. However, in 2022-23, we increased the total package of local government funding to £12.7 billion at a real-terms increase of 6.3 per cent. I have three supplementaries that I would hope to take all three. If we can be reasonably brief, first from Bill Kidd, please. The local council elections last month are a chance to refresh and renew democratic connections between the Scottish Government and local authorities. Is the minister hopeful that the Scottish Government and COSLA can work positively side by side to address the major challenges that our communities are facing, such as the cost of living crisis and the impacts that are felt from the war in Ukraine? Minister, I think that Bill Kidd makes extremely important points. Indeed, I have discussed this on several occasions with the COSLA presidential team, because we in the Scottish Government absolutely recognise in value the really important and unique role that councils play in the daily lives of the people of Scotland, and it is therefore vital that we can continue to work in partnership with local government as different spheres of government through COSLA and directly with local authorities, not only to jointly tackle the challenges that Bill Kidd rightly highlights, but also to be ambitious and share ideas about progressing our mutual aims and priorities. We are absolutely unequivocal about working with local government collaboratively and collectively, and the people of Scotland are best served when national and local government work together. Can I ask the minister what discussions there have been with COSLA about increasing the mileage allowance for social care staff, particularly those in the private sector, as fuel prices rise to £2 a litre? The Scottish Government can intervene because they already top up the salaries of care staff in the private sector. The First Minister promised action six weeks ago. Can I ask the minister what has happened since and when will care workers get an increase in their mileage allowance? Those are important issues that Jackie Baillie raises. I mentioned in a previous answer that ministers engage with COSLA in terms of different portfolios, as well as through the local government brief. It is something that health and social care ministers engage with the health and social care lead for COSLA on. I am sure that the new appointee to that position for COSLA will engage with relevant ministers on that point as soon as their elections take place on Friday. Can the minister confirm that, even if there is a real terms reduction to local authority budgets over the four years of the resource spending review, due to cuts imposed on this Parliament by the UK Government, it will still not, in any way, match the deep cuts imposed on local government in England already by Mr Hoy's Tory colleagues in that £20 million for an independence referendum in no way matches £4 billion of PPE being burned by the UK Government, a Government that really knows how to waste public money? Minister, have those extract the relevant bits for your portfolio? I think that, as he has done on several occasions before, Mr Gibson rightly, wisely and quite rightly passionately emphasises the extremely poor record of the Conservative Party when it comes to local government finance and also on financial management more generally. The outcome of our resource spending review means that we have, despite the most challenging our circumstances, protected local government revenue budget in cash terms with an additional 100 million being added in 26-27. While local government funding is not wholly comparable, we have delivered a 3.6 per cent cash terms revenue budget increase to Scotland's councils between 2013 and 2020, when, over the same period in English local authorities, they faced a cash terms revenue budget cut of 14.7 per cent. I think that the figures speak for themselves, Presiding Officer. Thank you minister. That concludes portfolio questions on social justice, housing and local government. There will be a very short pause before we move on to the next night of business.