 The first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions, and the first portfolio is constitution, external affairs and culture. As ever, I would make a plea for succinct questions and answers to allow as many members as possible to have their chance. Question number one, Mark Griffin not lodged. Question number two, Gillian Mackay. I apologise, Presiding Officer. My question has just disappeared off my screen. To ask the Scottish Government whether the UK Government has communicated any intention to provide exemptions to the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 in relation to legislation passed by the Scottish Parliament. Cabinet Secretary, Angus Robertson. Presiding Officer, the Internal Market Act radically undermines the devolution settlement in Scotland and was imposed on this Parliament without its consent. We can see the outcome most clearly with the deposit return scheme. Laws passed in this Parliament are now threatened by the act, placing the whole scheme at risk, including significant industry investment. Regrettably, the UK Government has yet to reach a decision on excluding Scotland's deposit return scheme from the Internal Market Act. We have been engaging with the UK Government on this issue for nearly two years now. UK ministers themselves have acknowledged that we have followed the agreed exclusions process. We cannot wait any longer in providing businesses the clarity that they urgently need. We need a positive decision from the UK Government, and we need it now. Gillian Mackay. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I have previously welcomed the creation of 140 new jobs in Motherwell as part of DRS, just some of the hundreds of jobs that are created across Scotland as part of the scheme. However, those jobs are now at risk because the UK Government is deliberately delaying over the IMA exclusion. There are many other issues that are being considered that may need an IMA exclusion, including a potential ban on disposable vapes. The common frameworks are meant to provide a forum for timely and collaborative decision making, but does the cabinet secretary agree that the DRS experience has shown them to be ineffective and could potentially put at risk some of the public health and environmental measures that we are trying to take? I agree with the member. The Scottish Government warned that the Internal Market Act would undermine devolution and that it would create confusion and uncertainty for businesses. Sadly, we have been proven right, as the example from the member's region shows. Brexit has been used as a pretext for eroding devolution and the powers of the Scottish Parliament, but common frameworks offer one of the few options available to us for engagement on mitigating some of the effects of the Brexit that Scotland did not vote for. The Scottish Government has spent a great deal of time trying to make common frameworks work, as intended, so the UK Government has now shown a similar commitment to take full account of the work undertaken collaboratively through the common framework and agreed to an internal market act exclusion and lift the threat of the act from Scotland's deposit return scheme. Does the cabinet secretary believe that the tensions arising from the UK Internal Market Act demonstrates that, under Westminster's control, Scotland's devolution settlement can be undermined at the whim of the UK Government, particularly by any hypothetical Scottish secretary who might harbour any scarcely concealed desire to act like a Government, a Governor General? As I have noted before, a Brexit that Scotland did not vote for is being used to roll back the powers of a Parliament that Scotland did vote for. The Internal Market Act imposed on this Parliament without its consent is the result. Despite that, we have acted in good faith to mitigate the act's worst effects, engaging through common frameworks to that end. That is what we are doing in respect of Scotland's deposit return scheme. We need the UK Government to finally recognise the evidence gathered through the common framework, agree to an exclusion and remove the threat that the act poses to the scheme. UK ministers have acknowledged that the Scottish Government has followed the agreed procedure. The fact that we are still waiting for a decision shows the vulnerability of the devolution settlement and the ability of the Scottish Parliament to use its powers to benefit the people of this country. To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering replacing any retained EU law. The UK Government's retained EU law bill is still reckless legislation despite the sensible change removing the automatic sunset of retained EU law at the end of this year. Vital protections remain at risk and UK ministers can still act in devolved areas without a requirement for consent from Scottish ministers or indeed from this Parliament. This is unacceptable and why we continue to call for the bill to be withdrawn. We do not have plans to use powers in the bill to alter existing policy but continue to assess this as part of an on-going work, including to prevent laws from being lost. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The cabinet secretary said in his statement of the 9th of May that the loss of Erasmus was the loss of opportunity for young people and we know it also has a loss to the economy. So whilst young people in England and Wales are accessing a replacement Turing or Tath scheme, young people in Scotland are still waiting, despite the SNP committing to a replacement in the 2021 manifesto. Does the cabinet secretary accept that this is yet another broken promise from the SNP to Scotland's young people? I am sure that the Presiding Officer would not wish me to answer questions. I appreciate the question seem to be a bit wide but if there is anything else that the cabinet secretary would wish to add perhaps as regards matters within his ministerial responsibility, he could always do so? Indeed. The question that was put was relating to retained EU law and the question of either the Erasmus scheme or Turing does not fall within the ambit of retained EU law. We are going to continue to work with partners, including members of the House of Lords, to do everything that we can to mitigate the disaster that the retained EU law bill still poses. We do not know the final outcome of that legislative process. Of the wider questions that Pam Duncan-Glancy has asked, I am always happy to answer questions at the appropriate stage about how we can maximise our educational co-operation between Scotland and the European Union. Question number four is not large. Question number five, Ruth Maguire. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting culture and the arts in Cunningham South constituency. Our culture strategy sets out our ambitions for nurturing culture and creativity across all of Scotland's communities. We support a range of initiatives and organisations in the Cunningham South constituency, including the culture collective programme, the youth music initiative and the Scottish Maritime Museum. For example, the traditional arts and culture Scotland is supported through the culture collective and is delivered by Creative Scotland. They bring together artists and people in local communities. In one area, focus is kill winning in North Ayrshire. Tracks have received £345,000 in total to support projects across nine communities. Ruth Maguire. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. There are many barriers that prevent our citizens, particularly families, on lower incomes from accessing art and culture, whether that is lack of expendable time, distance from events or festivals or affordability. How can the Scottish Government ensure that public money invested in arts and culture is to the benefit of all, whether that is those attending or indeed performers and artists creating outwith the main cities? Ruth Maguire raises an excellent point and one that is central to the work that we are doing. Our major cultural programmes actively work to break down those sort of barriers. Our youth music initiative, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, operates across the country in rural and urban areas. It aims to tackle inequality to engage young people who would not otherwise be able to participate in meaningful and high-quality music-making opportunities. Our culture collective programme, funded by over £10 million to date, has provided free, engaging community-focused activity again across the length and breadth of the country. Over the past two years, it has focused on access and participation. Later this year, we will publish our culture strategy action plan refresh, which will provide much more detail about our ambitions in this space. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting the arts sector. I understand that this is an incredibly worrying time for the culture sector. The Scottish Government continues to provide significant support to the culture sector. That includes funding to Creative Scotland, totaling £35 million for the regularly funded organisations, more than £9 million for youth projects, more than £2 million for festivals. The Scottish Government is committed to maintaining the £22.496 million of funding for the five national performing companies, £3 million for the V&A in Dundee, and the Scottish Government is providing an additional £2.1 million to support increased costs in the national collections, reflecting the high fixed costs that those organisations have. The arts sector plays a crucial role in promoting cultural expression, creativity and bringing people together in communities. In their 2021 manifesto, the SNP pledged to create a new £2 million fund for public artwork. Seven months ago, I asked when that would happen but no information was provided. Can the cabinet secretary give us more detail on what the pledge actually means and also when that commitment will be made? I have just given Sharon Dowie an overview of the level of financial commitment right across the arts and culture piece. She has a very specific question. I will be happy to write back to her to update her about progress in that area. I hope that she can be assured that the Scottish Government is committed to supporting arts and culture right across Scotland, and that includes the area that she has highlighted in questions this afternoon. I have several members seeking to ask a supplementary question. I would intend to take each member who has pressed. First of all, I would like to have a supplementary question from Audrey Nicholl. With the summer festivals season approaching, Scotland's cities agree gearing up for a very busy and vibrant few months, kicking off with the fantastic new art Aberdeen festival of street art, which begins on 8 June. What role does the cabinet secretary see culture and the arts playing in Scotland's on-going pandemic recovery? I agree that culture can play an important role in the recovery from the pandemic, and we know that participation in cultural and creative activities supports our well-being, not only at an individual level, but also across our communities and for the country as a whole. That is why I am pleased to confirm the on-going support for the culture sector. In the last year, Creative Scotland has provided £7.73 million in funding to festivals across the whole of Scotland through their regularly funded organisations, and also their open fund. In addition, Edinburgh and Glasgow festivals have received £3 million from the expo and place funds. Another important aspect of our cultural life is obviously our built heritage, and I was delighted to be able to confirm this morning together with Historic Environment Scotland the silver city heritage and place programme with the Aberdeen City Council, which I think will bring great benefits, particularly in the regeneration of the east side of Union Street, which is high levels of vacancy. I think that will make a huge difference to people in Aberdeen as well. The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the culture and arts sector hard. Cherished and well-respected arts venues such as the film house here in Edinburgh have been forced to close. Other venues such as Litt Theatre are in this repair due to lack of support and funding. Can the cabinet secretary tell us what funding can be allocated to those struggling venues to avoid Scotland's valued arts venue closing for good? I am sure that I am getting difficult with the Presiding Officer if I were to repeat the statistics that I read out at the beginning of this interchange with colleagues in the chamber. The Scottish Government has multi-million-pound commitments to the arts and culture sector, and I think that that is hugely important. I think that there is agreement across the chamber that that is worthwhile. Faisel Chindry however does hit the nail on the head when he highlights that there are significant challenges to cultural institutions, particularly venues, yes here, elsewhere in the UK and internationally as well. It is a challenge for all of us, for the artistic organisations in question, the venue management, our arms-length organisation Creative Scotland that is responsible for working directly with those arts organisations and a Scottish Government that wants to ensure that we can protect as many of our venues as possible. I can assure him and other members that we are looking extremely closely at everything that we can do to make sure that the arts and culture infrastructure, including institutions that he has mentioned, are able to continue and thrive into the future. I remain seized of that. I know that he will be too. With high costs of travel and fewer accommodation options, islands in rural Scotland are expensive places for artists to visit and perform. Post-pandemic, there has been a loss of creative outlets and funding options have reduced, so how best can the Scottish Government work with local communities to ensure that rural and island areas can continue to attract artists' productions and events to their areas? As an introduction to my answer to Beatrice Wishart, I am sure that she would recognise that we are fortunate that Creative Scotland regularly funds funded organisations right across Scotland, including our island communities. That is hugely worthwhile. It is also important to stress that Creative Scotland's grant priorities are aimed at supporting culture and arts throughout Scotland. I know that there is a lot of active thinking going on in Creative Scotland about how it can give maximum financial assurance to the creative and art sector over a multi-annual basis, so one is able to plan, including touring and performing in different parts of the country. Whether that is people going to Shetland or people from Shetland wanting to perform elsewhere in Scotland, I agree with her that that is hugely important. I am sure that Creative Scotland will be listening closely to the points that she makes, and I will be happy to underline that when I meet them next. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review its prospectus for an independent Scotland in light of reported divisions within the independence movement. I set out in the First Minister's recent policy prospectus equality opportunity community new leadership of fresh start. The people of Scotland will be given the information that they need to make an informed choice about whether Scotland should become an independent country. This Government will build the case for a thriving, socially just, independent Scotland. I thank the minister for that answer. Many people across the UK at the moment are looking at their power bills or household bills. We will be looking at the problems that are facing the UK. Many people in Scotland will be considering and concluding that an independent Scotland is more important than ever. With that in mind, a cohesive, vibrant, creative, cross-party wider movement is important in that way. It is important for designing a successful campaign. It is important for presenting that united front and then going on to win majority public support. Would the minister agree with me that establishing an independence convention is not only imperative right now, it is also urgent? Let me agree with the point that the member makes in respect of the urgency of the requirement for Scotland to become an independent country. My task, of course, is to make the Government's case through the series of prospective papers that we will lay out. There are three already published. There will be more to come. That is the activity that I will undertake. That will be laid out before the people. That will be a key part of making the case to the wider public. When I take the temperature of the independence movement at this moment on time, I see a real sense of unity of purpose and determination to work collaboratively towards that, and I intend to play my part in that regard. I have a number of supplementaries. First, Donald Cameron. I take the opportunity to warmly welcome the minister for independence to his new post. I know that he will work very hard on a subject that is clearly not a priority for the Scottish people right now. It is obvious from recent weeks that divisions in the independence movement have been trumped by divisions in the SNP. We have been treated to an internal melodrama of backbench rebellions and infighting. I ask him this. On that note, the minister's colleague Joanna Cherry recently described the Scottish Government's independence papers as lightweight. Does he agree with her? Minister. Let me thank Mr Cameron for his overdue warm welcome, certainly warmer than I have heard thus far. I have to say, it is an interesting perspective to say that we have no case or ability to make the case for independence. Of course, this Government was elected on the platform of advancing that particular case. We have, I believe, published three compelling perspective papers, and I can tell him and tend to publish many more in the coming months. Can I ask the minister for independence what budget he has and how many civil servants are working directly to him? Of course, that question has been put to me in the written form by a number of members. In respect of my own part, there is only one civil servant working directly to me. That is my private secretary. Of course, right across the entirety of Government's incumbent on civil servants to respond to the Government's priorities and independence is one of them. In that regard, the civil service is working towards our agenda. We should be grateful to Ash Regan for genuinely and honestly referring to the divisions in the independence movement, but she has also been incredibly creative with her most interesting suggestion about bringing her strange friends in from the cold. Will the minister for independence be seeking the advice from the former First Minister, Alex Salmond, when crafting his new prospectus? I will be working with dedicated civil servants to craft the prospectus papers. The minister will agree with me that one of the many strengths of the 2014 campaign was a wide range of organisations that were part of the yes movement at that time and continued to be. Can you ask what the Scottish Government is doing to engage with organisations in the wider yes movement and development of those prospectuses? I am in regular contact with a range of organisations. I will be happy to engage with any organisation with an interest in the future of Scotland, whether or not they support independence or otherwise, because at the end of the day, the future of this country is everybody's business. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regarding the reported communique to UK ambassadors and diplomats and their involvement in the Scottish Government's international engagements. I have written to the foreign secretary to ask him to withdraw his guidance, which will damage Scotland's interests and undermine devolution. More than two weeks later, I have yet to receive a reply that says everything about the disrespect shown by the UK Government thus far. Despite what those documents assert, there is nothing in the Scotland Act which precludes Scottish ministers from discussing any issue with other Governments or indeed international organisations. On that basis, I had a very successful visit to Vienna this week promoting Scotland's energy and promoting Scotland's space sectors, our commitment to human rights and the rule of law and our work to achieve net zero. As ever, I was grateful for the positive and the constructive support provided by the FCDO in capital, both from the embassy to Austria and the mission to the United Nations. Bill Kidd. Thank you very much for that. As the cabinet secretary intimates, condescending Westminster attitudes could cost real jobs and real investment, like that announced by the energy cabinet secretary Neil Gray on his recent visit to Japan of plans for a subsea cable factory in the Highlands, which will bring much-needed jobs to that region and across Scotland. Westminster is endangering direct foreign investment, which rose here in Scotland by 14 per cent last year compared to 1.8 per cent across the UK. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that we should all get behind Scotland's business and economy rather than meekly accept the Westminster Government's blatant contempt for Scottish interests? I thank the member for raising a vitally important reason that ministers travel overseas, namely securing investment and jobs for people in Scotland. My cabinet colleague Neil Gray was in Japan last month with the announcement from Sumitomo demonstrating the strength of confidence that investors have in our vision for a net zero economy. We have a world-beating pipeline of offshore wind projects, and the visit demonstrated the important role played by Scotland's international network and the value of growing and developing relationships with our partners around the world. The Government will therefore continue to promote Scotland's interests and fight attempts to undermine devolution. Thank you, cabinet secretary. That concludes portfolio questions on constitution, external affairs and culture. There will be a very brief pause before we move on to the next portfolio questions to allow front-bench teams to change positions. Thank you members. The next portfolio questions is justice and home affairs. Again, I would make a plea for succinct questions and answers in order to be able to take as many members as possible. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding any changes to the policing of protests. Cabinet Secretary, Angela Constance. I regularly meet the chief constable and his team. There have been no discussions regarding change to the policing of protests, while there have been recent significant changes to the legislation concerning public order policing in England and Wales. Those provisions do not extend to Scotland and we have no plans to make any changes to the policing of protests in Scotland. Scotland has a proud tradition of peaceful protest and the Scottish Government is committed to uphold the democratic right to peaceful public assembly. There was widespread anger at reports of heavy-handed policing of policeful protests at the coronation. The cabinet secretary's reassurance is over support for peaceful protests here in Scotland. He is especially welcome following the Disgraceful Public Order Act in England in Wales, which Labour now says it is keeping on the books if in government. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that trashing the right to peaceful protest is yet another example of where Tory's lead, Labour, follows? The member makes a political point, which I am compelled to agree with. By contrast to the legislation that has passed in England, some have described as draconian, a piece of legislation that clamps down on our basic democratic right to protest and describes as an anti-protest law that can be used to stop the public from seeking to hold even placards in the street. By contrast, we and this Parliament will uphold people's right to peaceful protest while always ensuring that balance between rights and responsibilities. I am glad to hear that the justice secretary confirmed that there is no intention to go down the same route as the UK Government in this area, but, as Ariane Burgess pointed out, there were concerns arising out of the policing around the death of the late Queen. There were also concerns in relation to COP26 about the use of stop-and-search and more general surveillance. Does the cabinet secretary intend to have discussions with Police Scotland about data gathering that could give us a greater sense of confidence that the human rights-based approach to policing by Police Scotland is, in fact, being delivered in practice? Police Scotland is one of the most scrutinised public services in Scotland and has a very clear track record and commitment to upholding human rights and the position of Police Scotland in terms of policing protests is, of course, to engage, to explain, to encourage and to do all that before they ever reach an enforcement stage. Of course, I will discuss matters with Police Scotland as you would expect me to do on matters in and around data to explore what would be proportionate and what would be possible. 2. Brian Whittle Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what concrete action it participates taking on the proposals outlined in relation to Michelle's law, which was discussed in the debate on Michelle's law campaign on 6 September 2018. Cabinet Secretary. Presiding Officer, the Scottish Government has already taken action in line with the Michelle's law campaign. We amended the parole board rules in March 2021 to make it clear that the board can take account of the safety and security of victims and families when deciding upon a prisoner's release. In addition, individuals registered with the victim notification service are advised when a prisoner is first being considered for temporary release and those that wish to can provide their views about that decision to the Scottish prison service. Victims can also make representations to the parole board for Scotland when someone is being considered for parole and, furthermore, the parole board can also already set exclusion zones as a condition of parole licence and parole licence conditions can include the requirement to be electronically monitored to stay away from a particular location or from named individuals, as well as monitoring that someone remains at a specified address at certain times. When you are sitting opposite a mother who describes the unimaginable pain of losing their daughter to murder and then go on to describe how that is exacerbated by the murderer being allowed out of prison and not being notified of that and that the murderer's father also was allowed to walk past her house so many times, I think that that brings Michelle's law into stark reality. The new justice bill does fail to introduce Michelle's law despite Humzaeus of previously promising action. I wonder if the cabinet secretary would agree with me that Michelle's law would give victims the reasons for a release decision in full and require their safety to be considered in every case. I very much appreciate the issues that Mr Whittle has raised in this regard and how different parts of the justice system can actually re-traumatise victims, but I hope that he would accept that a change to the parole board rules that are rooted in law is indeed a change in legislation. Of course, there is always more to do, we are currently in Parliament at stage 2 of bail and release where there are improvements. We hope to the victim support system and in the not too distant future we will of course be debating the victims witness and justice reform bill, so there will be ample opportunities for Mr Whittle and others to bring forward further improvements as required. I was very pleased to see victims at the heart of the recently introduced victims, witnesses and criminal justice reform bill. How will the cabinet secretary ensure that both victims and their families are supported to stay involved in the bill's passage through Parliament? The bill has indeed been shaped and developed through engagement and consultation with victims and witnesses who have had the courage and bravery to share their experiences. I have been clear that I will continue to engage with victims directly and through channels, such as the Victims Task Force, Victims Advisory Board and Rape Crisis Scotland's survivor reference group. I am sure that victims, witnesses and their families and advocates will also make their views known to Parliament as the bill progresses. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to tackle youth anti-social behaviour. We support local agencies to reduce anti-social behaviour and are investing in prevention and early intervention. Local agencies are well placed to deal with these issues and have a wide range of powers to tackle anti-social behaviour, including where appropriate warnings and formal measures such as fixed penalty notices and anti-social behaviour orders. As part of our broader support for prevention, we are developing a new youth work strategy so that all of our young people reach their potential and between 23 to 26 are committing £20 million through the cash back programme to support over 33,000 young people in communities around Scotland. No one, not least the elderly, should have to put up with harassment or intimidation. Sometimes, however, due to the age of the apparent offenders, this ends up being a multi-agency issue, as she has mentioned. Sometimes there is a perception, including from some offenders themselves, that little can be done to challenge them. Can I ask what more the Scottish Government can do to help the police, social workers and schools to work together with children, particularly in the 12 to 16 age group? The member is very right to be concerned about the impact of anti-social behaviour on some of his most vulnerable constituents. However, I want to reassure him and others that something can indeed be done to address those issues, and indeed on a multi-agency basis. I am aware that there is a specific group that has been established in the Western Isles, involving key partners. I understand that local children's services have been developing plans to divert more young people in the area away from criminalisation and are preparing a bid for additional funding. I also know that there are four partners in phase six of cashback for communities, Ocean Youth Trust, Access to Industry and Youth Scotland and the Scottish Football Association, which are all focused on diverting young people at risk of participating in anti-social behaviour. Of course, enforcement measures are also available, including talking to parents, issuing those formal warnings, acceptable behaviour contracts and anti-social behaviour orders. They may also be considered for children over the age of 12. Retailers against Crime Scotland have told me about two Lanarkshire teenagers using free bus travel to inflict chaos in shops across the country, with a particularly horrific attack on Edinburgh leaving staff injured. Glasgow's Chamber of Commerce previously raised concerns that free bus travel for under-22s is fuelling some anti-social behaviour, so shop workers are asking this very specific question. Will the cabinet secretary consider finding a way to remove free bus passes from the small number of those who abuse them? I am advised that transport colleagues will be undertaking a full review of the free entitlement, but it is important to acknowledge that it is a national entitlement to all young people for very good reasons. I think that we should always have a focus, perhaps less in the mode of transport, notwithstanding the work that is done across agencies to ensure the safety of people who work in public transport, as well as other citizens who are travelling on public transport. We really need to get to the root causes of those behaviours. Of course, there are a number of well-proven, well-evidence approaches to diverting young people from criminal activity and anti-social behaviour, as I have already alluded to. It is undoubtedly a fact that, in my constituency, there is an uptake in this sort of anti-social behaviour, ranging from simple egg-throwing through to the assault of security guards at fast food outlets, all of which are matters that I have had to deal with. I just wondered if the cabinet secretary could answer whether there are not any additional measures and consequences that are being looked at in response to that. While no-one wants to lock people away or throw away the key, there is a feeling, as Alistair Allan pointed out, that there is no consequence to many of those actions. Mr Johnson raises an important point. While the overall statistics for anti-social behaviour do not show an increase, we also have to be fully cognisant that, very often, that is an under-reported behaviour as well. The Government is undertaking work with the SCCN to explore what the appetite is and what the benefits would be of revisiting some of our past more formalised approaches and whether there is a need to review that or not. If the member wishes to write to me, I will keep him fully informed of how we progress with that. So far, Glasgow City Council has unanimously agreed that lights in parks is the right thing to do to help with anti-social behaviour. However, many people are still afraid, and the council has said that it will take years to do that. Does the cabinet secretary think that lights in parks could help with that and what more can the Government do to help to move things along more quickly in Glasgow? I am always happy to engage with partners at a local level and indeed MSPs about what would assist in their local area. It is important to remember that what solution is best where is often best determined at a local level. From my perspective, it tends to be a range of solutions that need to be brought to the table, because some of those issues in terms of their causes and consequences are complex. Has the Scottish Government done any work to ascertain if there is any connection between anti-social behaviour and cuts in funding to youth services? The Government is continuing to invest in youth services. If I refer the member to my original answer to Dr Allan, I outlined the investment that has been made, particularly via the cashback for communities that will benefit 33,500 young people in Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what work it has conducted to ascertain the public perception of the frequency of police patrols in their local area. Scotland continues to be a safe place to live with recorded crime at one of the lowest levels since 1974. Research shows that people in Scotland are significantly less likely to be a victim of crime than those living in England and Wales. The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey regularly has well-established questions asking respondents for their perceptions of safety in their local area and of local policing. In 2019-20, 65 per cent of respondents agreed that police in their local area could be relied on to be there when they need them. 73 per cent agreed that crime in their local area was either the same or lower compared to two years previously. The latest findings will be published in autumn 2023. The Scottish Crime and Justice Survey confirms that there has been a significant drop in the proportion of adults who were aware of police patrols in their area. In the year before Police Scotland was formed, 56 per cent of people said that they saw police regularly patrolling their area. That has now fallen to 37 per cent in 2019-20. A regular police presence reassures local communities and can often deter crime from being committed. What action will we put in place to reduce the current police Scotland's burden that they are under and boost the presence in our local communities? Policing continues to be a priority for this Government, and we have ensured that there have always been year-on-year increases to funding. I remind the member that 96 per cent of adults rated their neighbourhood as very or fairly good to live in and that 84 per cent of adults continue to trust the police. Of course, public perception and the presence of police is indeed important, but we also have to recognise that, given the nature of crime, it is changing under the stewardship of the chief constable that sometimes how we police to matters has to change with the times as well. I know that our police officers work very hard and do their utmost to respond quickly, efficiently and to have a very visible presence. The results of the Scottish Household Telephone Survey published last month showed that 84 per cent of respondents trusted the police, as the cabinet secretary just said, and that neighbourhood safety levels were also rated highly. With that in mind, what steps the Scottish Government has taken to ensure that neighbourhood safety remains a priority? As a central priority for this Government, we work for a society in which people feel and are safe in their communities. To that end, we will continue with our transformative policies, including those outlined in the vision for justice in Scotland and our programme for Government. In doing so, we will engage with a range of partners, including the emergency services, the wider community safety organisations that are referred to in the answer to Mr Johnston, organisations such as the Scottish Community Safety Network, Crime Stoppers and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland, as well as local community safety partnerships. To ask the Scottish Government how many front-line police officers have been trained to use and equipped with naloxone. The Scottish Government recognises the vital role emergency services play in providing and improving a response to drug overdoses to date. 10,300 officers have been trained and equipped with naloxone kits. As of today, Police Scotland has recorded 201 Administrations of Naloxone, which shows how crucial the intervention is in helping to tackle those preventable deaths. I want to thank each and every officer who has carried and administered life-saving naloxone. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The roll-out to front-line police officers in naloxone began at last year's International Overdose Awareness Day and is an emergency first aid treatment for use and potentially life-threatening overdose situations. When does the cabinet secretary see the results of the use of naloxone on the figures for overdose deaths? Of course, there are many factors that contribute to reducing overdose deaths. Obviously, the national statistics are published every year in the summer months. However, in terms of the number of Administrations of 201 recorded incidents where police officers have administered naloxone, they have done that in a wide variety of circumstances and locations. On all but seven occasions, the individuals have survived their ordeal. On the occasions where the individual did not survive most were and circumstances where the officers suspected that the person was already deceased prior to the police arrival, but administered naloxone to give them the best possible chance of survival. Once again, I want to thank Police Scotland for its leadership in this area and its front-line officers for playing their part to save lives. To ask the Scottish Government how many fines have been issued by courts to companies for breach of health and safety rules resulting in workers' deaths in the last five years? In the period 2018-19 to 2022-23, information provided by the Crown Office indicates that 164 companies have been convicted and fined for criminal breaches of health and safety law. Information is not available relating to the number of specific health and safety cases where death has occurred. The health and safety executive found that Scotland has the highest rate of fatal injuries for deaths in the workplace of all UK nations. It is highly concerning that no cases have been prosecuted in Scotland under the Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Act 2007, despite 164 companies being legally deemed responsible for workers' deaths. Whilst that law is reserved, will the Scottish Government review why those cases are not being brought as Corporate Manslaughter and how it can make this option more accessible for victims' loved ones? Of course, the member is correct that that is concerning. Health and safety legislation is reserved and the legislation that she refers to was UK legislation in 2007. While there is an argument progressed by some that the legislation acts as a deterrent because ensures that organisations are aware that they must meet the duty of care to employers and the public, the member and some of our other colleagues have narrated very effectively how the legislation in effect bypassed what was referred to as the transchool loophole as opposed to closing those loopholes. Of course, we will consider further what more we can do within our powers in this area. I recognise that the member and, indeed, Clare Baker have a long-standing issue in this area. The recent work of the SCC in the Scottish Hazards Group shows that we need to consider the best way to reform legislation to better allow medullant companies to be prosecuted. Enforcement of safe working environments is essential, too. It is a disgrace that the UK Government has cut the health and safety sector budget by 40 per cent. Does the cabinet secretary also agree with the Scottish Hazards Group that only full devolution of health and safety regulation allowing convergence with existing default powers will provide the necessary foundation of a health and safety system that protects workers and delivers justice for those impacted by health and safety failure? I very much agree with the member. Given the Parliament's powers over health and safety as something that the Smith commission considered but did not ultimately recommend, I am aware that the STU said that this failure was a missed opportunity to allow this Parliament to shape how workers can be better protected. I am sure that many members would agree with that statement, but the Parliament would be able to do more to protect workers if those powers sat here. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Court of Sessions' ruling that a nail cap for sexual entertainment venues under provisions in the Air Weapons and Licensing Scotland Act 2015 is unlawful. The Scottish Government delivered new powers through the Air Weapons and Licensing Scotland Act 2015, enabling local authorities to set policy on sexual entertainment venues, taking into account views from stakeholders and the community. The judgment does not mean that a nail cap is unlawful. Instead, the judgment made clear that the council ought to be aware of the impact of setting a nail cap in their area. In response, the council has delayed the introduction of a licensing scheme until 31 December this year, and prior to that, it will carry out a statutory 12-week consultation to review its licensing policy on sexual entertainment venues. Can I thank the minister for that answer? When I previously raised the issue in the chamber, her predecessor was very supportive of that policy. Although there is now a consultation on going, what steps will the minister and the wider Scottish Government now take to make modifications to policy and, if need be, to legislation to ensure that our councils can lawfully implement nail caps if that is their democratic decision after they have carried out consultation? I am very supportive of local areas who carry out their local consultations and come to a view on what is in the best interest of their area. If Edinburgh council wishes to continue to pursue a policy of a nail cap and follow-up process, I will indeed be supportive of that. I do not think that the issue in this instance will be happy to discuss further. I do not think that the issue is in relation to our policy as a Government or our legislation, but my door is always open to the member and others on that matter. Through its equally safe strategy, the Government has long recognised that commercial sexual exploitation in all its forms is both a cause and a consequence of men's violence against women. Can I ask the cabinet secretary for an update on legislation to tackle male demand and end that violence? The member is quite right to make that connection and we have to ensure that our work in this area does indeed align with equally safe. The Scottish Government continues to make progress to deliver on the programme for government commitment to develop a framework that effectively tackles and changes men's demand for prostitution and to support those with experience of it. There are, of course, several aspects of this work, as I have said, in particular, around equally safe, that recognises that commercial sexual exploitation is a form of violence against women and girls and that there are a number of reforms and measures that have been developed to underpin this work and will keep the member informed as we take it forward. Thank you, cabinet secretary. That concludes portfolio questions on justice and home affairs and there will be a very short pause before we move on to the next item of business.