 Yn wych yn gweithio i'r dynach y fawr o'r cyfnoddol i fynd i gael i gael i gael, mae'n golygu i nodi gwrth ymlaen a'r ddiwrnodd. Pryddoedd yna, naillaf, yn ymlaen i gael tiott white. Ieith y Cymru, o'r Llyfrgell Cymru, ymddangos arwaeth ynghynghwm i wneud cyfnoddol i gaelol sy'n f chemical syniadol i bawb iawn o gwleitio bydd y gael yn llwyaf ei rai yn eitwm. Disgustings of sectors across a range of portfolios, including sports and events, have been taking place in relation to the impact of Scotland's temporary timetabling and alternative transport. For example, on 20 May, culture officials joined the event industry advisory group meeting where I understand the group discussed the impact on the event sector. The EIAG includes members from cultural, sporting and business events. While we want the temporary timetable to be in place for as short a period as possible, engagement is also on-going with individual events as required. Many attendees will already have plans to make use of Scotland's extensive bus services that serve key routes. The world-class qualifier on 1 June is one of the biggest games in 20 years, with more than 50,000 people flocking to Hamden. Considering the last minute changes on the day, 700 services were axed, can the minister today give fans the assurances they need that extra capacity will be laid on to get them home from Hamden, many to northern cities, and that that capacity will not fall foul to more unplanned cancellations? I thank the member for her question. First of all, it is important to remember why this dispute is happening. Scotland has taken the decision to put in place a temporary timetable, and that has been made necessary by the decision as part of a pay dispute of train drivers not to take up the option of Sunday and rest day working. That is in train drivers' gift. Rest day working is entirely voluntary, and this has been a feature of British railways for many, many years, entirely predating nationalisation last month, I should say. It is also true to say that Scotland, like many other parts of the GB rail network, relies upon rest day working to allow the network to function. What we have seen over the past few weeks is the network not functioning. We have had mass cancellations on Sunday, for example. The last day of the old timetable, there were over 300 cancellations. I understand the concerns of supporters planning to attend the Scotland match against Ukraine on 1 June, which is just over it a week away now. This is Scotland's most important game in a long time, and we want to ensure that supporters can get both to and from the match on public transport, including using where possible our bus services across the Scotland. However, before the reduced timetable was introduced last year, I think that from Glasgow to Aberdeen it would have been at 2140, meaning that it would still not have returned people home to Aberdeen after the match. ScotRail is aware of the various large cultural and sporting events across the summer, and the impact of the reduced timetable might have on them is currently being reflected by ScotRail in terms of how they will address that. Specifically on the Scotland-Ukraine match, I asked ScotRail for an update on this last Friday. They have assured me that plans are in place, and they will publicise details of this in due course, as they do with all major events. I will be meeting ScotRail tomorrow to seek an update on this work, and more broadly, of course, on the negotiations as they are due to meet with Asliff this afternoon. Minister, the night-time economy and cultural sector are already on their knees with the pandemic. The Night-time Industries Association has described the cuts to rail services as devastating, and that Scotland's economic recovery in the future of many thousands of small businesses and jobs are at risk as a result of the rail service that has been cut to the bone. Last week, Douglas Ross asked the First Minister what compensation will be made available to businesses affected by the cuts. The First Minister did not answer. Can the Minister provide a response now? I thank the member for a question. Of course, ministers are very aware of the impact that the pandemic has had on the night-time and on the wider hospitality sector. I should say on Scotland's cultural sector—I know, as a former cultural minister, just how challenging the pandemic has been for our theatres and cultural venues in terms of the restrictions. Undoubtedly, this time has been the most challenging for the industry in living memory. We are aware, of course, of the emerging pressures from the cost of living crisis, both due to the cost of doing business and the consequences of reduced household incomes. Additionally, on leisure spend, for example, ScotRail will, of course, be keeping this timetable under review. However, in regards to the member's question, it is absolutely essential that we now get a resolution to allow for that restoration of the timetable and allow for services to go back to normal for passengers and staff alike. It is absolutely essential that we do that, and I will be seeking an urgent update from ScotRail on that meeting that we will ask Lethally to this afternoon. ScotRail's temporary revised timetable is one facet of industrial action taking place throughout the UK. However, while the Scottish Government wants all parties to get round the table and negotiate a fair and affordable pay deal, the Tories would seek to use this dispute to illegalise industrial action. I therefore ask what discussions the transport minister has had with Grant Shaps on his proposal to make industrial action illegal unless a minimum number of rail employees are working. Sorry, minister. Ms Dunbar, can I draw your attention to Standing Order 13.7.8, which tells all members that a member may ask a supplementary question only on the same subject matter as the original question? That being the case, we will move on, and I call Neil Bibby. The current ScotRail crisis is causing misery for so many people every day, but especially for those who do not work regular hours. One of my constituents is an NHS nurse who finishes her 12-hour hospital shift at 7.45pm. Her last train home is now at 8.04pm, but she will miss it because she has less than 20 minutes to get changed and jogged down to the station. There is no bus, there is no rail replacement bus, so how would the minister suggest that my constituent and countless others like her get home? I thank Mr Bibby for his question. It is a really challenging time for shift workers and for many people travelling across the country, as the question alludes to, of course, what relates to sporting events and wider events industry more broadly. In terms of his constituent, I would be more than happy to address the specifics of his question if he would like to write to me and I will raise the matter directly with ScotRail. We absolutely do not want this scenario to go on for any longer than it already has been on going for having started a new timetable just yesterday. We are seeing a reduction, I should say, on the network of cancellations yesterday. As I mentioned in my response to the first question, we had over 300 cancellations on Sunday and that was not sustainable. We had to get to a better scenario in terms of the delivery of services. ScotRail have put in place a temporary timetable as a result of drivers refusing to work their rest days. I am absolutely committed to working with ScotRail and Aslef to get a resolution for Mr Bibby's constituent and for the thousands of other passengers who have been inconvenienced by the dispute. Mark Ruskell. It is clear that unsustainable unfair working practices have been allowed to build up across the whole rail industry over many years. Does the minister agree that this is why Union and passenger voices on the ScotRail board will be so important going forward? And while passengers wait for the dispute to be resolved, can she make sure that no communities, like Dunblane, are disproportionately impacted by the emergency timetable? I thank the member for his question. In relation to Union and passenger roles, he will be aware that there will be representation on the new ScotRail board, which is certainly welcome news. I know that that news was welcomed by the trade unions, who I spent a lot of time with on my appointment back in January, discussing with them their views for nationalisation and where they saw the future of Scotland's rail network going. I want them to be part of that vision through, for example, developing our plans around women's safety. Additionally, staff safety concerns have been raised with me by the unions in that regard, and I am keen to work with them on that matter. With regard to the specifics of the disproportionality to Mr Ruskell's question, that has been raised with me in relation to rurality primarily. I have raised this matter with ScotRail, and I will be happy to provide the member with an update regarding the restoration of a number of services that I hope will be coming in a matter of days. The minister has got to accept that this is a utter failure of industrial relations from this Government. Organisers of July's 150th open championship in St Andrews are banking on more rail services for the almost 300,000 people that will be descending on the town for this world showcase. Does the minister understand the humiliation that there will be imposed upon Scotland if she does not get this rail strike sorted by then? If it is not sorted by then, what plans does she have for making sure that the roads of fife are not gridlocked with 300,000 people descending on the town? Many moons ago, as a teenager growing up in St Andrews, I worked to the open, so I recognise very much so how important the openness to the local economy of St Andrews and surrounding fife villages, I should say. I am advised that a meeting of the silver command group for the open at which the Scottish Government's major events team is represented is taking place today. It is expected that the traffic and transport group at which Transport Scotland is represented will be formally tasked with investigating the impact further and looking at those contingencies that Mr Rennie spoke to. I hope that that gives him a reassurance that plans are being put in place. However, I would say that the open is quite a wee bit away yet. I hope that we will be able to reach a resolution with the trade unions before then, and I am committed to working with them to delivering that in conjunction, of course, with Scotland. The minister will be aware that the international festival is just around the corner. Many people travel into the city from other parts of Scotland to go to the theatre, to go to shows. Some people have contacted me already that we have bought tickets, but we will no longer be able to attend those because the trains running back to where they are staying will not be running any more. Will the Scottish Government offer compensation to those who have already bought tickets who can no longer get home safely because of a rail strike? The premise of Mr Balfour's question is that no tickets would assume there was no festival. I do not accept that premise. Ministers, of course, are engaging with cultural stakeholders on a range of matters, including Mr Robertson's meeting with the director of festivals Edinburgh just last week, when I am advised that the issue was not raised. As I mentioned, as a fifer, I am well aware that people travel into the capital city to attend the festival. I would hope, as I outlined in my response to Mr Rennie, that we have reached a resolution far in advance of that date. Officials are also engaging regularly with the cultural and events stakeholders to understand the real difficulties that they are facing in their respective sectors. Again, I would appeal to the trade unions and ScotRail to work together. I am delighted that they are meeting this afternoon. I look forward to sharing an update with members on the resolution from that meeting later today, if I am able to do so in terms of the progress that we might be able to identify going forward, including, as I mentioned to Mr Ruskell, the reinstatement of a number of services. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of an outbreak of the monkeypox virus in the UK, including a case in Scotland, what action it is taking to monitor transmission of the virus in Scotland and support people affected. As the member would rightly expect, I am being regularly briefed by officials and clinicians on the monkeypox outbreak. Public Health Scotland is working with UK Health Security Agency, Uxha Public Health Wales and Northern Ireland Health Protection Agency to monitor and respond to potential confirmed cases of monkeypox in the UK. Work is progressing with NHS boards and wider partners both in Scotland and the UK to investigate the source of this infection. Close contacts are being identified and provided with health information and advice, and that may include the offer of a vaccination. There are well-established and robust infection prevention control procedures for dealing with such cases of infectious diseases. Of course, those will continue to be strictly followed. Does the Scottish Government continue to work closely with the NHS as we monitor the situation closely? I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, and I would join in highlighting comments of Dr Nick Finn, the director of public health science and medical director of public health Scotland, who said that the overall risk to the general public is low. Dr Finn has also said that early identification and vaccination can stop close contacts going on to develop the condition. Given the interest in tracing people who are travelling within the UK and the confirmed case in Scotland, can the cabinet secretary outline how any required contact tracing will be carried out and what role testing protect services that were developed during Covid-19 can play? I thank Paul Cade for at the beginning of his response, reiterating the important advice from Nick Finn and the reassurances from public health Scotland that the overall risk is low to the general public. There are well-established procedures in place. There is one confirmed case, as has been widely publicised of monkeypox here in Scotland. Of course, appropriate contact tracing has been and is being done in that case. In the cases in England as well, I know that contact tracing is well under way. That process and procedures predate Covid in terms of contact tracing for infectious diseases. To give them an absolute assurance, that is in place. What I would say to people is, please do, of course, familiarise yourself with what to do if you have any of those symptoms that are associated with monkeypox. There are good well-established procedures in place and there is a good four nations approach to our response to monkeypox. I am having a meeting later on today with other health ministers across the UK to discuss issues around vaccinations and antiviral treatments too. The World Health Organization has highlighted the importance of tackling misinformation about this virus. Monkeypox has previously been the most common in Africa and recent UK cases have been more frequent among people who identify as gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men, but there is no link to race or sexual orientation. I am sure that the cabinet secretary has been appalled by racist and homophobic assertions in the press and online regarding the virus. Dr Derek Sloan, a senior clinical lecturer in the School of Medicine at the University of St Andrews and consultant in infectious diseases at NHS Fife, has written extremely well in the courier today, misbusting around monkeypox and ensuring that health anxiety does not even accidentally fuel racist or homophobic discrimination. Does the cabinet secretary agree that we must do all that we can to tackle such misinformation and discrimination and can he outline how the Government plans to do that? I strongly associate myself with all the remarks that were made by Paul O'Kane. I have not seen the peace in the courier but I will make sure that I do so after I leave this chamber because, like him, I have been appalled at some of the disgusting and frankly bigoted reporting that I have seen in relation to monkeypox. It is important that we work hard to get the advice and the appropriate public health advice out to those communities that may be more affected by the current outbreak, but do that in a way that does not stigmatise that community and does not allow this issue to be weaponised for other purposes. I strongly associate myself with those remarks. To give Paul O'Kane and other members some assurance, we are working and I have tasked my officials to work with a number of organisations and stakeholders in the LGBTQI community. There is also some good material that I have already put out, for example, by the likes of the Terence Higgins Trust, which I would strongly recommend to anybody in the chamber. I think that it is important to highlight that anyone who has confirmed case or anyone who is in close contact should avoid people who are pregnant or immune suppressed or children. Can the cabinet secretary reiterate how that information can be passed on to members of the public? I would say to people that Public Health Scotland is putting out regular updates. I will be putting out regular updates that were provided yesterday, which give us really good details around, for example, the symptoms that people should look out for in terms of symptoms associated with monkeypox. Of course, if anybody feels concerned that they may have those symptoms, call your GP or, if you are out of hours, call 111. There will be further advice. We are probably at the early stages. I would fully expect there to be more cases identified of monkeypox, but I will go back to what I said to Paul O'Kane that there are very good procedures, robust procedures and infection prevention control procedures in place to deal with those cases. Despite the relatively self-limising and mild nature of monkeypox, there are some who may be more susceptible and may require hospital care if they do catch it. How is the Government ensuring that all health and social care workers are protected from the virus and have information about how to keep themselves and their patients safe from any on-going transmission? It is a very important point that was part of my discussion with clinicians to give her some assurances. Those conversations with health and care staff are really important and vital, in fact, but particularly for those health and social care staff that are working in CHID units, for example, and are dealing with those who have infectious diseases. That work is very much under way. We have, as she knows, mentioned limited vaccines, although there will be a further discussion on the further procurement of those vaccines at the meeting that I attend later on today. Those antiviral treatments, too, could be quite helpful in relation to those healthcare workers to keep them safe, so that they, in turn, can treat anybody who has this particular virus.