 Yn y prif Weinidog, mae'n gweithio i'r gwahau cyflau COVID yw'r gwaith yma a'r amgylch yn sicr yn cael y cyfloedd cyhoeddarn ac yn y cwmiferion. Yn y elements y Prif Weinidog, mae'r cyfan yn teithio i fod yn eu cyd-Ryffordd. Ac mae'r pwfferdig itun yn bobl, mae'r drwf yn wel yn ei defnyddio. Yn amluno'r gweithio, mae'n cyfloedd sy'n iawn cyflau gyfan y cyfrwng rai'r pref Herbyn, mae'n golygu'r cyfrwng yr rai'r gwaith, neu'n gweithio i'r during the relevant question. I call question 1. Jim Eaglee. To ask the Scottish Government what its responses to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service consultation reducing unwanted fire alarm signals. Minister Ash Denham. I welcome this consultation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service addressing unwanted fire alarm signals is a priority in the current fire and rescue framework for Scotland. It is an issue for fire services throughout the UK, placing the public and firefighters at risk by causing unnecessary blue light journeys and diverting resources away from genuine emergencies. The consultation seeks to understand stakeholders' views on the options put forward and I would expect there to be further SFRS engagement to explore any significant concerns raised before a final decision is made on the way forward. Jim Eaglee. I thank the minister for that response. One of the serious options being considered to cut call-out times by up to 85 per cent is not mobilising blue light services in response to an automatic alarm if a follow-up call fails to confirm or verify a fire or even signs of a fire. Some organisations have expressed explicit concern about this already, Scottish Care, for one, around the effect that may have on care homes, for example, where it is simply not possible. Can I ask that reassurances can be given to that particular sector but also to the wider public that whatever the outcome of that consultation, no one will be put at risk and there will be no increase at risk of tragedy anywhere in Scotland as a result of any measures taken to cut call-outs? Yes, the member is right to point that out. There are actually three options in the consultation and two of them exempt sleeping premises. As the member has rightly pointed out, that would cover things like care homes, hospitals, prisons and so on. A reduction in UFAS could release significant resources to deploy to more productive and beneficial tasks, including prevention and fire safety work. Although SFRS remains committed to driving down the number of unwanted fire alarms, it will always respond immediately to alarm signals with appropriate resources if confirmed or signs of fire are reporting. As I said, it is worth noting that two of the options that are set out in the consultation, such as care homes and hospitals, will be exempt from being called challenged. Meaning and immediate response will be sent to investigate those calls and investigate the calls of the alarm. Any potential changes in response to such premises would be discussed thoroughly before any final decision is made on the way forward. Brief supplementary, Rona Mackay. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank the minister for outlining the work that is under way to drive down the number of unwanted fire alarms. Can the minister outline what work is under way to modernise the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to allow it to expand its work on fire prevention and fire safety with vulnerable households? As briefly as possible, minister. We are committed to modernising the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service so that it can do more to keep communities safe and contribute to better outcomes for the people of Scotland. That was demonstrated through our continued investment in SFRS with a further uplift of £8.7 million resource for 2021-22, bringing the total budget to £343 million. We are currently consulting on our fire and rescue framework for Scotland and modernisation is at the heart of our priorities and our objectives for SFRS. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its £500 million of funding to modernise a prison estate, including any updates to HMP Dumfries. Our on-going investment in our prison estate will ensure that it is fit for the future. Our current priorities are the new female custodial estate where construction is now well under way, as well as the much-needed replacements for HMP Barlenay and HMP Inverness. That investment also includes on-going maintenance work across the estate, including HMP Dumfries, which remains an integral part of the prison estate. Current improvement priorities for HMP Dumfries include the upgrading of flat roofing, increasing the number of accessible cells within the prison, refurbishment of the gym facility and replacement of existing cell furniture. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. As he will know, HMP Dumfries is one of the oldest functional prisons with one of the smallest prison populations in Scotland. Can the cabinet secretary therefore comment on whether HMP Dumfries has similar facilities to other prison campuses in Scotland and can he give a commitment that they welcome £500 million of investment into Scotland's prison estate and will not leave out HMP Dumfries staff, as well as its residents? All establishments across Scotland have similar facilities, although HMP Dumfries currently does not feature within the Scottish Government's infrastructure investment programme, the establishment will continue to benefit from the general investment provided by the Scottish Government for the prison estate. Improvements to the capital infrastructure of our prisons will have benefits for prisoners, prison staff and for the wider communities. To ask the Scottish Government, in the light of reports of a backlog in toxicology analysis, how many final post-mortem reports following a sudden or unexplained death were not issued within the 12-week target in 2020 and 2021? Post-mortem reports are issued by pathologists to the Crown Office and Procure to Fiscal Service at the conclusion of their investigations. Pathologists do not have a target to provide these reports within 12 weeks. The Crown Office and Procure to Fiscal Service aims to conduct its investigation and advise the next of kin of the outcome within 12 weeks of the initial report of the death in at least 80 per cent of those cases. In 2019-20, 70 per cent of cases were closed within the 12-week period and in 2020-21 it was 59 per cent. Previous delays with toxicology analysis have played a significant part in that 12-week target not being met, but there are also other legitimate reasons why it is not possible to conclude an investigation within 12 weeks, such as the need for further investigations with a view to determining whether a fatal accident enquiry should be held. Significant work has been done by the Crown Office and Procure to Fiscal Service, toxicologists and pathologists to address the issue. Since the beginning of 2021, there has been no backlog of toxicology reports. All reports have been submitted to pathologists within agreed timescales, and the Crown Office and Procure to Fiscal Service has established a dedicated team to manage the final post-mortem reports that have now been received and required to be considered. I thank the Lord Advocate for the detail in her response, and I welcome her to her new role. There will not be a lot of time to respond to all that, but this has been a deeply upsetting period for many families because before the pandemic, bereave families were experiencing long and agonising waits for final post-mortem reports. Instead of being told that it could take around 12 weeks, many were told that it could take 12 months and some were told that it could take two years. I am pleased that there are improvements, but under the new service level agreement between the Scottish Police Authority, Forensic Service and the Crown Office Procure to Fiscal Service, what robust measures will be in place? Are families being consulted? Will the Lord Advocate meet me and affected families to make sure that we never get this wrong again? I understand entirely what Ms Lennon has said, and I understand the impact that the history of this issue has had on bereave families. I would be more than happy to meet and discuss this issue at significant length with Ms Lennon and those to whom she has been profoundly affected as she rightly has described. What I can say, though, this afternoon, is that the success of the toxicology improvement plan has meant that pathologists have received delayed toxicology reports alongside toxicology reports for more recent cases. They have delayed reports, but they also have the new reports. A significant number of final post-mortem reports have therefore been received by the Crown Office and Procure to Fiscal Service over this year. That is set against a background of an increase of 40 per cent in the number of deaths being reported to the Crown from the previous year, with a resultant significant increase in the number of post-mortem examinations that are required to be instructed. Lord Advocate, I am going to have to cut you short there. I know that you have offered a meeting to Ms Lennon, and I am sure that you can pick that up there. Brief supplementary, Jamie Greene. Thank you. The Faculty of Advocates have said that the delayed instruction of post-mortems is a direct result of a dearth of forensic pathologists. Can I ask the Lord Advocate if that is an assessment that she agrees with, and if so, what has been done about it? Lord Advocate. The delay in the provision of toxicology services related to the fact that the Glasgow University toxicology department was no longer capable of producing the toxicology reports necessary. I think what happened was in 2019 the Crown Office and Procure to Fiscal Service began experiencing significant delays in the production of these reports, and the university indicated that they no longer wished to undertake the contract. Subsequently, there was a reduction in the number of staff available within the university to produce the reports. But there was a toxicology improvement plan, put in place, with the university, which has directly targeted the backlog of cases, and since the beginning of 2021, there has been no backlog in the toxicology reports being provided to pathologists who then need to conduct the final pathology analysis and report. The difficulties have arisen because of the delay in the provision of forensic services from Glasgow University, which have had a knock-on effect. I do not understand it to be. The position has been described by Mr Greene as he has quoted the faculty of Adam. Lord Advocate. Fulton MacGregor. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to implement a Bairns House or a Barnhouse model for children and vulnerable witnesses in criminal proceedings. Last week, I announced a £2 million funding initiative to support the roll-out of the new Scottish child interview model, which protects children and reduces the stress associated with recounting their experiences. That is an important step towards creating the foundations of our Bairms House vision with Scotland, within Scotland, which we are committed to delivering by the end of the parliamentary term. On 14 September, we published a vision for Bairms House setting out in broad terms a vision of how Barnhouse should be implemented in Scotland, the values that should underpin the model and our approach to its practical implementation. The vision has been welcomed by children first and others, and our next steps will be to establish a national governance group to oversee the delivery of the Bairms House in Scotland and to bring forward standards for the Bairms House. Further plans will be published by the end of 2021. Fulton MacGregor. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response and for his reference to the governance group. I wonder if the governance group will look at ensuring that children and young people who are involved in sexual abuse cases, for instance, will be prioritised through the system. If there will be scope for adult survivors of such crimes to access these facilities, although there will be adults and may not be vulnerable other than the crimes that have been committed against them when cases of historical abuse are brought forward. Cabinet secretary. Bairms uses will be available to all children and to children in Scotland. We have been victims or witnesses of abuse or violence, which includes sexual abuse that the member refers to. An interagency referral discussion is the start of the formal process of information sharing, assessment, analysis and decision making following reported concern about abuse on the collective of a child or a young person up to the age of 18 years. It is the role of the designated police, social work and health staff involved in these discussions to consider what action will be necessary and is in the child's best interests. The referral to the Bairms use will be one of the options that could be considered at IRD. The professionals involved in IRD discussions will decide if this is appropriate and prioritise the services produced by a Bairms use based on their judgment of the individual's needs of the child and the concern under investigation. Question 5, Dean Lockhart. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to statistics showing that the number of recorded cybercrimes has nearly doubled in the past year. We believe that this likely reflects the growing adoption of digital technologies in Scottish society, which has been of course accelerated by the pandemic. It is not unique to Scotland and similar trends have emerged in England and Wales where an increase in fraud has been linked to pandemic-related behavioural changes such as working from home and increased online shopping. The Scottish Government is responding to the increased cyber threats through the strategic framework for a cyber-resilient Scotland. The Scottish Government is working to ensure that organisations and mitigation measures raise cyber-risk awareness and deliver education and training. The Government, earlier this year, founded CyberScotland partnership which includes Police Scotland and the UK's National Cyber Security Centre as founding partners. It has to be recognised, though, that its efforts to raise awareness in themselves may be a factor in increasing reporting of cybercrime and organisations from cybercriminals. Dean Lockhart As the cabinet secretary indicated, the increase in cybercrime is largely driven by a rise in online fraud. Given the impact that online fraud can have unvulnerable people in particular, we are calling for harsher punishment for those who target the vulnerable. Will the cabinet secretary back those measures to help to tackle the serious increase in online fraud against vulnerable people? Cabinet secretary, I think I have said before that there are a number of measures from the Chamber to any sensible proposals to look at things that might help us to deal with, in this case, rising crime. That was a big increase in crime over the recorded crime period that we last reported on, in fact, the biggest of all the different areas. I will listen to anything like the proposals that has been made by the member if he wants to write to me more fully with that. It is worth saying, of course, that the bulk of the responsibility for online activity rests with the UK Government. We are doing that through training, through the cyber resilience partnerships that we have mentioned. Earlier today, we addressed this in the Serious Organised Crime Task Group, which has been established. That will be the main focus of the next meeting of that group. We are taking it seriously, but happy to listen to any suggestions. I want to take a couple of brief supplementaries. Pauline McNeill. In the most recent Scottish Government figures, cyber crime accounted for an estimated number of sexual crimes in 2021. In the last decade, most types of crime have fallen, but sexual crimes have risen by 78 per cent. Can the cabinet secretary set out what measures the Scottish Government is planning to protect vulnerable people, especially women and girls, from the increasing risk of cyber crime of a sexual nature? The member is right to point to the concerns in this area. I have already mentioned some of the things that you are taking forward, such as the cyber strategy that we have in working with Police Scotland. For example, in relation to young people keeping people safe in a digital world is the name of the initiative. That seeks to allocate resources where they can best meet the demands of the public, communities and businesses, but with a focus on vulnerable people. We are committed through Police Scotland to investing in its officers and staff and ensuring that it has the right skills and the right place within the organisation. The member is right to say that through the other agencies throughout the UK there is more work to be done on that. We have to reflect with the same vigor and ingenuity that people use to attack people. We have to have the same commitment to make sure that we can defend people's interests, not least the vulnerable people who Pauline McNeill mentions. I thank the cabinet secretary for his responses to those questions so far. I wonder if you could say just a little bit more about what the Scottish Government is doing to raise general awareness across the Scottish public about cybercrime and the damage it can do not only to the vulnerable people that Pauline McNeill has mentioned, but more generally across all of our communities. Mainly, that is what is done through a number of partners, especially in terms of public awareness. One of the groups that have been doing this for many years now is the Scottish business crime partnership, which is based in my constituency, but using all the different agencies both in Scotland and where it is appropriate in the UK to try and get that message out. There are courses that we have helped to fund in the past which people have attended. How to protect your online presence, how to protect the software that you use from the potential for fraud, sometimes people taking over your terminal and using that for nefarious purposes. A lot of that will be down to awareness raising, as well as, as I have just said to Pauline McNeill, making sure that our agencies are fully equipped to deal with a challenge in this area. Question 6, Richard Leonard. To ask the Scottish Government what role fatal accident inquiries have in the delivery of justice in Scotland. Fatal accident inquiries are inquisitorial judicial proceedings before sheriffs or sheriffs principle which are held in the public interest to investigate the circumstances of a death, to establish a time, place and cause of a death, and to identify reasonable precautions which may be taken to prevent deaths in similar circumstances. It is not the purpose of an FAI to establish blame or guilt in the civil or criminal sense. Fatal accident inquiries play a significant role in exposing systematic failings and unsafe working practices and ensuring that there are systems to safeguard and protect those held in legal custody. Where the sheriff identifies reasonable precautions which might have avoided the accident or death, defects in any system of work which led or contributed to the accident or death, any fact relevant to the death then they may make recommendations to prevent similar deaths happening in future. Richard Leonard. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. Over two years ago I raised in Parliament the death of Alan Marshall, a young man who died in the custody of the state in March 2015. His death was the subject of a fatal accident inquiry and was highlighted once again just yesterday following the publication of an important new report Nothing to See Here. The fatal accident inquiry concluded that Alan's death was entirely preventable and made 13 recommendations all to the Scottish prison service. But three of the recommendations have been rejected, including disallowing the use of feet as a control and restraint technique. That is the kicking of and stamping on prisoners by prison officers which we witnessed in Alan's case. I spoke to Alan's family yesterday. They do not understand why this continues to be rejected. Will the cabinet secretary for justice instruct the Scottish prison service today to reconsider its decision to ignore this recommendation and will he, in due course, come back to Parliament to give a considered response to this week's University of Glasgow report? First of all, just to point out that the outcome of FEIs is not one that the Scottish Government has any role in. The member rightly raises the situation when there are recommendations that are made and accepted, as is possible in the case of either a public agency or other organisations. It is possible that they do not accept those recommendations. What I will undertake to do in response to the point that Richard Leonard makes is to look into the case and to come back to him to see what action, if any, has been taken in relation to that by the Scottish prison service and to discuss it with him further at that stage. At that point, perhaps we could see if FEIs remain unsatisfied further forward. The research referred to by Richard Leonard reveals severe problems, but at least deaths in custody are automatically subject to an FAI. What does the cabinet secretary say to families who suffer deaths in non-custodial settings and have to fight for an FAI? Is he satisfied with that scope? The current system of FAIs where the duty lies on the Lord Advocate to take that decision is the right one. I am not aware of anybody else that sustained a proposal other than that. This was discussed at length with the previous Justice Committee. They looked at some of the issues and there are issues around this. Of course, there are not least in relation to the time taken for some FAIs, but that committee did not come forward with an alternative proposal. I do think that the current system has major benefits to it, not all of which are often advertised in this chamber, but substantial benefits not least in the role of the Lord Advocate in having a role in criminal investigations and joining up that function with the FAI. It is the right process. It does not mean that we are complacent at both the Government and the Crown Office as well. We will always look to make improvements. Improvements have been made, further improvements are being made and we will continue to improve the system. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it supports veterans and what official statistics it records to monitor this. The Scottish Government has given an annual update to Parliament each year since 2017 on our support for veterans and the armed forces community in Scotland. We will do so again in November this year. The member will also be aware that as part of our response to the UK wide strategy for veterans, the Scottish Government committed to improving the collection use and analysis of veterans data. Scotland's Census 2022 will, for the first time, include a question on previous service and the analysis of that data will support a programme of work to better identify and support the veterans community in Scotland. Alex Rowley, I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer and the census collection data will be important. The UK Government, as a result of that has recently announced that it will collect statistics on veterans suicides for the first time. I welcome move from the many charities and families who have long campaigned for more transparency on this issue. Will the Scottish Government confirm that it is doing likewise and within what timescale are we looking at? That is an interesting point and I think that it is fair to say that we have, certainly I have, over many years asked the UK Government for more data including service lever data, which is crucial to this and they have only just announced that they will do that with a weeks notice to the Scottish Government. We do want to undertake some of the analysis that they say will now take, particularly in relation to veterans that have suffered that have died after they have left the service and the reasons for that. We will work with national registers. It is not the same as ONS, there are different procedures but we will work with them to try and get the same output of information and analysis of that information. I just wish it had happened many years ago. As the cabinet secretary will appreciate the few remaining Korean war veterans very elderly, they took the decision to hold their last ever memorial service at the Korean War Memorial in Bathgate in my constituency last month. Will he send his best wishes to those remaining Korean war veterans and the newly established trust who have agreed to take over this distinctive Korean war memorial, the only one in the country and the garden for the future? Very briefly, cabinet secretary. I am grateful to have the opportunity to pass on my best wishes to the remaining veterans of the Korean War and to pay tribute to all those that have served in the conflict. There is more I wish to say, we do not seem to have time but I would say to the member and she might not be aware of this, I intend to visit the memorial which she will know very well in the coming weeks and we will get back in touch with her on that issue. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support Police Scotland in its upkeep of the police estate. Cabinet secretary. While the allocation of resources including for the police estate is for the Scottish Police Authority and the chief constable to determine we have committed to protect the police resource budget in the Parliament as we did in the last parliamentary term. Scottish Government funding for the Scottish Police Authority in 2021-22 increased by £75.5 million bringing the annual policing budget to more than £1.3 billion. In relation to on-going investment in its estate, Police Scotland will continue to ensure that in all cases the focus will remain on health and safety first in terms of its approach for all officers, staff and for the public. It is possible. In 2019 in this chamber I raised the concerns of the Scottish Police Federation about the poor state of Obann police station described by them as far and away the worst police station they have ever encountered. I understand that in December last year Police Scotland ordered a feasibility study to look into a new premises for Obann's hardworking police. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on this and will he commit the Government to any additional funds needed to ensure that our police in Obann and elsewhere in Scotland have a safe and modern premises to operate from given the dire state of Scotland's crumbling police station? Cabinet secretary. I am happy to be in touch with those who are responsible for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority on the issue that is raised. On the general point of funds, I have just detailed the increased expenditure increased budget that we have made available which incidentally was £15 million more than the Conservatives approached at budget time. It is also true to say that we have just gone through a decade of austerity unless Mr Greene found out at the committee this morning when he asked a question an additional £11 million cost because of the national insurance increase by the UK Government. Those things have to be paid for and they squeeze other resources and it would be good if the member could recognise that. We now move on to the next portfolio questions which are finance and economy. Again, if members wish to ask a supplementary please press the request of people buttons or an R in the chat function at the relevant question. I call question number one Fousal Chowdhury. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle the reported increase in under-employment. Minister, it should lock out. Under-employment can affect workers who are unable to secure work that matches their skills and qualifications and the Scottish Government's future skills action plan sets out our approach to addressing challenges on skills under utilisation. That includes providing workers with access to up-skilling and retraining opportunities to meet their needs and circumstances while at the same time delivering a skill system that understands and reflects the needs of employers. Workers can also face under-employment due to a lack of working hours to meet their financial needs. While employment law is of course reserved via the fair work agenda that we have here in Scotland, we have introduced a living hours employer accreditation scheme which is now being implemented across Scotland as from this August. Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you very much for the answer. According to annual population survey published last week, under-employment has increased in 22 local authorities. As many as 219,100 people are under-employed across Scotland with the city of Edinburgh facing one of the largest increase across the year. Under utilisation within our labour market has stopped Scotland's economy recovery. Under-employment normally rises in recessions because part-time work is the second best for people who want full-time work. Therefore, I asked the minister how many full-time work opportunities are the Scottish Government creating from their national transition training fund. Minister. The Scottish Government has a number of initiatives in place including the national transition fund to support training and employment opportunities. Given the impact of Covid, there are many different dynamics at play in the Scottish economy at the moment. The member is quite right. Statistics from the annual population survey show the under-employment rate in Scotland. The proportion of people in employment that would prefer to work more hours was estimated at 8.5 per cent taking the figures up to March 2021. That is one dynamic. That is why the accreditation for living hours is so important and why in the last few weeks it has been introduced in Scotland to make sure that people get a decent number of hours to earn a decent income. We can support the roll-out of the real living wage in Scotland to make sure that people get a decent salary and wage for the work that they are doing. More people in Scotland, a bigger proportion have the real living wage in comparison to elsewhere in the UK. We are making progress, but there is some way to go on that. Thank you very much. The UK Government's decision to end the furlough scheme will have a substantial impact on many low-paid workers and enforcing many households into financial insecurity. Does the minister agree with me that the decision should therefore be reversed urgently? Mr Lockhart. Yes, it is a point well made. It continues to be the Scottish Government's policy that the UK Government should make appropriate support available and not end supports in terms of furloughing, because it is still a very anxious time for many employers and particular sectors in Scotland at the moment who may well require on-going support. At the end of July, 116,500 jobs in Scotland were still supported by the furloughing scheme, and many are today as well or would have been. That is why the Scottish Government does say to the UK Government, please make sure that you do not cut off the vital support. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will respond to the calls being made by trade unions and activist groups and allocate an additional £17 million in funding this year to support the local authority services that are currently managed by Glasgow Life. Mr Tom Arthur. The Scottish Government does not underestimate the severe impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the arts and cultural sector in Glasgow, which is hugely important to the wider city economy and Scotland's cultural life. There are autonomous bodies responsible for managing their own day-to-day business. They must deliver services as effectively as possible. It is for local elected representatives to make decisions on how best to use their resources to deliver services to their local communities. How this is done is a matter for each council. Glasgow City Council will receive a total funding package from the Scottish Government of almost £1.5 billion in 2021-22 to support the provision of local services, which includes an extra £29.8 million to support vital day-to-day services, a 2.2 per cent increase when compared to 2020-21. Finally, Glasgow City Council has already been allocated an additional £221.7 million to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown through the local government settlement over and above the irregular grant payments. Paul Suni. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Of course, the pandemic has had an impact, but let's look at the preparedness in the situation as the pandemic hit over the past decade as a whole. Glasgow LISE block grant from Glasgow City Council has been cut by 8 per cent, and this Government has cut Glasgow City Council's budget by over 10 per cent, so clearly there are interdependencies. For the leader of Glasgow City Council, Susan Aitken, to continue to claim that the proposed venue closures come as a result of Covid is disingenuous and best. Will the Scottish Government please get a grip on the situation and provide local authorities with the funding that they need and stop taking Glaswegians for fools? As I may reference in my original answer, it is a matter for local authorities to decide how they allocate their funding. We have given a fair settlement to local government over the past 10 years. Ten years of austerity inflicted upon us from Westminster, but the point that I would put to the member is a very simple one. If he wishes to see increased resourcing for local government, it is incumbent upon him and his colleagues to identify where that resource should come from. Brief supplementary bill, kid. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update as to the funding that has been made available to support the culture secretary in Glasgow over the pandemic? A brief response, minister. The Scottish Government has supported organisations and individuals in the pandemic with more than £18 million through the Creative Scotland Covid-19 culture organisations and venues recovery relief fund and other Covid-19 targeted funding programmes. I would be happy to provide more details of that to the member in writing. Question 3, Maurice Golden. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote sustainable public procurement. Minister Ivan McKee. I'll start again. The Scottish Government has committed to using public procurement to help to achieve wider economic, social and environmental outcomes, including a national climate and procurement forum to ensure that public procurement is contributing to our ambition of becoming a net zero economy. We have mandated sustainable procurement through policy and legislation and promote widespread application through the sustainable procurement tools platform which provide a one-stop shop for guidance, e-learning and case studies. This year we added a revised introduction to sustainable procurement e-learning module and a climate literacy e-learning module, which has been widely used and is mandatory for buyers in several organisations including the Scottish Government. Maurice Golden. Thank you. Third sector involvement in sustainable procurement is supported through the Scottish Government's multi supplier framework reserved for supported businesses. However, it is limited in its scope with only a handful of suppliers on the framework covering a limited number of commodity areas, meaning the vast majority of Scotland's third sector who are defined as supported businesses under Scotland's 2014 procurement reformat are excluded. Will the minister commit to reviewing the scope of the framework and look at ways in which this could be extended in advance of the next re-tendering of the framework agreement? Minister. As a member is well aware, the supported businesses are hugely important and a great area of focus across all the work within procurement and I can undertake to have a look at the issue that he raises to see what else can be done on top of all the other work we've undertaken specific to those particular frameworks to extend the scope for supported businesses to take part in bidding for that work. Minister. Thank you. We are working closely with Inverclyde Council to encourage business development and investment into Inverclyde. We are working closely with Inverclyde Council and other local partners to ensure that Inverclyde is rightly seen as an attractive location for businesses to invest and grow. The Scottish Government is providing £500 million through the Glasgow City region deal that will support a number of projects at Inch Green, Ocean Terminal and Invercip, significantly enhancing the region's ability to attract new investment and business. In addition to a share of the place-based investment programme over the next five years, Inverclyde Council has been awarded a further £2.9 million from the regeneration capital grant fund to support three local projects in our commitment to the economic well-being of Inverclyde that is further demonstrated through the significant support given to key industrial projects such as a £13.7 million package of major inward investment support provided to diodes delivered through Scottish Enterprise. The work that is under way at Ferguson Marine will equip the yard to compete for new orders and new contracts in the future, retaining vital jobs and skills for Inverclyde. Stuart McMillan. I thank the minister for that reply. The minister will be aware of the high levels of deprivation in parts of Inverclyde but also the historic and on-going population decline. I am aware that local authorities are able to submit a specific business case to the Scottish Government for additional funding outwith the local government settlement. I confirm whether such a proposal has been forthcoming from Inverclyde Council and, if not, what additional resource in addition to what the minister has already touched upon, the Scottish Government is currently allocating to Inverclyde to tackle deprivation and population decline. As we've loose possible many. I stated my previous answer. We are working closely with Inverclyde Council and other local partners across a range of opportunities for additional funding being made available to local authorities through our city region deals place-based investment programme and a new generation capital grant fund, to name a few. In some cases, as mentioned, funding has already been allocated with work already underway in projects across Inverclyde. In other cases, such as in Green, the full business case is due later this year. When ready, this will require approval by the Glasgow City Region Deal Cabinet in accordance with existing deal governance. Question 5, Neil Bibby, who joins us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government in light of the decision to remove the cohesion target from the national performance framework, how it is monitoring whether the employment gap is narrowing between the best and worst performing areas. Minister Richard Lochhead. The Scottish Government regularly carries out analysis on the labour market for local authority areas. On 29 September 2021, the annual national statistics publication, Scotland's labour market People, Places and Regions, was published containing up-to-date employment rates estimates for local authorities, among other measures for April 2020 to March 2021. Between January to December 2017 to January to December 2020, the gap between the combined employment rate for the three best local authorities and the combined employment rate for the three worst performing local authorities has reduced over time with a gap of 11.8 per cent in 2020 down from 16 per cent in 2019. Neil Bibby. I thank the minister for that answer. Regional policy was a welcome feature of the recovery strategy unveiled yesterday, but the reality is for years that the Scottish Government has been raising regional equality from its economic frameworks. The west of Scotland is living with historic inequalities. Our region contains areas with the highest unemployment in Scotland and areas with the greatest levels of deprivation in Scotland. Targets requiring action on regional inequality can drive change. Does the minister agree that there is a case for setting clear new ambitious targets now to close the employment gap and make the economy fairer for west Scotland? Minister. Regional policy is something that I take a great interest in, but it is difficult for the member to say that we have not been implementing regional policy given that we have agreed funding for city and region deals across Scotland of over £1.9 billion worth. Regional partners will support over 80,000 jobs and attract over £1 billion of additional investment across Scotland's cities as well. Regional policy is very important and the Government is looking at economic transformation of Scotland for the next 10 years. I am sure that the advisory council is looking at the role of regional policy and we look forward to its deliberations. It is also a very important point to raise in the context of the question given Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister's reference today to levelling up across the UK so far he has refused to involve the Scottish Government to any meaningful degree that will be spent and invested in Scotland's regions in terms of regional policy and levelling up across Scotland and the UK. I am sure that the member will want to support us to make sure that we can help to shape how that funding is invested in Scotland as well. I am brief supplementary Douglas Lomster. I refer members to my entry in the register of interests which shows that I am still a member of Aberdeen City Council. The Conservative Labour Administration Aberdeen City Council has launched AVZ works which will help people into much needed jobs, training and education. Given this initiative directly by Aberdeen City Council without any Scottish Government support, can the minister confirm that this excellent example of local authority proactivity will be used as an exemplar for Scottish local authorities in the national performance framework? Minister. The member highlights one of many impressive local projects that local authorities have implemented to support employment in the local communities. That is why the Scottish Government is supporting the no-one left behind policy which will devolve further funding for employment partnerships in each local authority area in Scotland. I am keen to learn more about the example that the member highlights and will make sure that I do that in the near future. Question 6. Gillian Martin joins us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government how it will support the north-east economy as it faces the effects of EU withdrawal and the pandemic. Cabinet Secretary Kate Forbes joins us remotely. The Scottish Government recognises that the economy of the north-east is facing multiple challenges and we are actively supporting economic recovery in the north-east with up close to £100 million to support businesses and additional funding of almost £150 million to councils to help achieve that. We are also investing £157 million to the Aberdeen city with a varied growth deals and over £14 million to develop the skills needed to support regional economic recovery. We are actively supporting economic recovery in the north-east. Gillian Martin I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Infrastructure will play an important part in economic recovery in the north-east, particularly in terms of better connectivity. Can the cabinet secretary outline what transport and digital connectivity infrastructure has been funded or being considered for Aberdeenshire and how gaps in connectivity are being addressed? Cabinet secretary. I would agree with the member that investment in transport and infrastructure is absolutely critical. I know how active she is in representing her own constituency interests in that regard. We are investing £5 million in digital connectivity infrastructure through the Aberdeen city region deal to deliver digital projects connecting around 200 public sector and NHS sites across Aberdeen city. The site package commitment includes £10 million for digital projects in addition to the R100 programme. In terms of transport, we have also recently awarded the north-east £12 million from our bus partnership fund to enable work to be taken forward on the development of the Aberdeen rapid transit system as well as delivering significant bus priority in the city centre and on key routes into the city. I could go on about a number of other investments but I will leave it there. I would be happy to follow up in writing to the member detailing all the investments that we are making in infrastructure. Question 7, Willie Coffey. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its discussions with the UK Government regarding the digital economy and digital single market. On 28 September, I provided the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport with a detailed response to the UK Government's plans for digital regulation, a key feature of digital economy. I called for continued alignment with EU data protection standards and improved co-ordination across the digital regulatory landscape. In terms of the digital single market we continue to engage with the UK Government in order to minimise the risk of losing data adequacy and to maintain the free flow of data between the UK and the EU digital single market for Scottish businesses. Willie Coffey. Cabinet Secretary, for that answer she will be aware that the digital single market is worth €400 billion per year across Europe and that Scotland's businesses are being denied access to this. But with no thought or guidance from the UK Government about what they intend to replace it with can the cabinet secretary outline how she sees this going forward and how Scotland can continue to be part of this crucial market for Scotland and Scottish business? Cabinet Secretary. It is right that as a result of leaving the EU and its digital single market Scottish businesses have lost substantial membership advantages which the Scottish Government is having to mitigate. We are, for example, reducing the compliance burden for businesses in accessing the digital single market by taking steps to reduce regulatory barriers and local presence or representation requirements. We are also engaging with the UK Government to ensure that the on-going positive data adequacy decisions with the EU remains a priority and not agreeing to provisions and trade agreements with non-EU countries which could put that at risk. Lastly, we are building on co-operation with the EU on emerging technologies and ensuring that Scotland retains policy authority for future regulation related to digital developments. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of UK Government policies on the local economies of areas of high multiple deprivation. Analysis conducted by the Scottish Government highlights the harmful impact of UK Government welfare reforms upon the most vulnerable people in Scotland. A report from June indicates that key policies from UK Government including their callous decision to cut universal credit by £20 per week as of today will reduce social security expenditure in Scotland by £586 million by 2023-24. That is particularly worrying as the cost of food and energy increases, the furlough scheme ends and national insurance contributions are hiked. The UK Government's senseless and harmful decisions to remove this lifeline while costs of living rise will hinder communities across Scotland and it demonstrates why full powers over social security should be held here in the Scottish Parliament instead. Along with colleagues from around the chamber this morning I attended a demonstration outside the UK Government building up in East Market Street to campaign against a £20 weekly universal credit uplift being taken away. Does the minister join me on calling on the UK Government to reverse this decision damaging the living standards of those affected and also on the basis that this inevitable lowering of local expenditure will damage small businesses within deprived areas of Scotland? Scottish Government analysis shows that this cut will result in an extra 60,000 people in Scotland. 60,000 people including 20,000 children being pushed into poverty and hundreds of thousands of others will be pushed into hardship. In the reality of this, as the Children's Commissioner for Scotland has said, this cut will, and I quote, effectively knock out the benefits that the Scottish child payment will bring to families. That is why unsurprisingly there is such broad political opposition to the cut. Except, of course, from the Scottish Conservatives who were happy to defend this callous cut last week in the chamber. Thank you Minister. That concludes portfolio questions. There will be a slight break before we move to the next item of business.