 Fielders neu pakor Lywunafutw arrangement i wych yn ffigura cofask yn gyd bobl下去 Oedd bwysig pa gyf eram yn dwyr i diwethaf o'i bywch yn eitem ymdd rhwng iawn. Mae Cymru gyda fi ageddeithas y bracell agos i gyda Si慢慢 shop heawiaol, mae famonau y gafain o unrhy CEO Caernaeth strategiae ymarfael ar y ein cwestiynau. Ysbytydd y Maidwyrwch Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud o'r 1,000 eu ddechrau yn ysbytyddio hon, yn unig o dysgwyl 147,000. Y cyweld y maidwyr ymddug yn yn gallu'r funud yn gwasanaeth i ddigon i ddweud i ymddugau ei chanol, ond iawn i'r 39% ddweud i dyfïdd cy piaceillu ymddug i eu sicrhau. Iened, yn ei ddweud, mae'r ddweud yn ddigon i ddweud ond rydw i ddweud iawn,ysgrwp hadd o'r cyfle i wneud i'r eich ei ddyniadau esgwyddiant i'r cyflwynt yn gair i'r flodi sy'n lleid i'r lleid i'r eich prifsat. Ivan McKee? I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The cabinet secretary will be aware that, in my role as parliamentary lizen officer for the economy, I take a keen interest in the economic impact of Brexit. It's generally accepted that a hard Brexit, with the UK leaving the EU's single market will act as an incentive to many businesses currently based in the UK that trade across the EU to move their operations to a location within the single market. What is the Scottish Government doing to encourage those businesses to locate here rather than in another EU country? Cabinet Secretary, The latest figures, as I have mentioned from the EUI attractiveness survey, confirm that 2016 was a record breaking year for foreign direct investment into Scotland iawn roi gyda'r cyhoedlic chwarae Gen popeth os agorledig o fyfield y menyn a blangoddiad Cymru. Aelod trierwch am i'r tymon ar y drafod, y lle defnym yn lle yn ein style cywydhe cameras oedd yn drioedal felly fel dipeth a fdeidliad o toothpod ar maes yr wynebyddwn. Felly nid rydyn nhw anodd. Aelod nid bach rwy'r cyhoedliad yr cyfair r zerfyrwydd i方面 o digwydd, mae ydych yniance mwy o由areth hyn oherwydd a, of course, to promote Scotland as a destination of choice, despite the damage being done by the UK Government. Murdo Fraser. What assessment has the Scottish Government made of the risks to Scotland's economy of businesses leaving the country if a hard border is created between Scotland and our biggest market elsewhere in the United Kingdom? That hard border being, according to the Scottish Government's own experts, a consequence of pursuing a differentiated deal with the EU, from that applying elsewhere in the United Kingdom. We have no proposals for a hard border to exist, and see no reason for a hard border to exist between Scotland and the rest of the UK. It surprises me that a Conservative Party, which proclaims to be in favour of business, wants to talk up the prospects of a hard border between Scotland and England. We have no suggestion for that, but once again, what we have is no reference at all in terms of this economy, in terms of the questions or debates from the Conservatives about the fact that we have just seen the UK trade deficit increase by nearly double from £2.6 billion to £4.9 billion, inflation now at 2.7 per cent, borrowing today up to a three-year high, national debt of £1.8 trillion. That is the record of the Conservative Party and Government. Why do not you talk a bit more about that in terms of damaging Scotland's interests? John Mason. At the economy committee, we took quite a lot of evidence about Brexit and the number of Scottish companies that are very dependent on workers from the European Union coming here. Those include Angus soft fruits, fish processing sector and Walker's shortbread. Does he think that the UK Government understands how much our food and drink sector needs these kind of workers? Cabinet Secretary. If they do understand it, showing no signs of understanding that, John Mason is absolutely right about the critical nature of EU nationals, not least in the sectors that he mentioned, hospitality is one that is very obvious about the soft fruit sector as well and in terms of financial services. Perhaps it is the most frequent issue that is raised with me by businesses across Scotland, the threat to having internationally mobile people that can come to Scotland and help to improve our economy. It is a real threat, one that is not acknowledged nearly sufficiently by the UK Government, one that is threatened by the idea of a hard Brexit and, of course, even more threatened by the idea of no deal at all. We will continue to provide what reassurance we can to nationals. I am aware from higher education institutes and others that people are leaving already. People are leaving the economy that we would want to stay in this economy. That cannot be good for Scotland. I would urge for one last time the UK Government to make clear that EU nationals in the UK will have the right to stay, as they should have been given that assurance immediately after the Brexit referendum. Dean Lockhart The cabinet secretary, quite rightly, highlights the importance of jobs for the Scottish economy. Has he had the opportunity to read the most recent Fraser van der Report that confirms that more than 500,000 jobs in Scotland relies on the integrity of the UK single market? My previous response is to argue against what the Tories are wanting to talk up about the importance of the UK market to Scotland and the Scottish market to the UK. I recognise those things, but I was interested to read the jobs figures, which showed a 42-year low for unemployment in the UK, which is great, but Scotland's unemployment was even lower. Not one word of congratulations from the Conservatives, not one mention of it. Just as there has been no mention of the EY attractive in the survey and 122 new projects coming to Scotland, it seems that the last thing that the Tories would ever want to do is to talk up the positive elements of the Scottish economy. Jackie Baillie Let me welcome the EY survey, because I think that it makes interesting reading, but would the minister concede that the percentage growth is down substantially on the last year? In terms of jobs, foreign direct investment has accounted for even fewer jobs than we have accounted for last year, and I wonder whether he has an explanation for that. Michael Matheson It is a fair point, and I would say that part of the explanation, at least perhaps a large part of the explanation, lies in the fact that around 35 per cent of those foreign direct investments are with employers who do not want to release the details of the employment consequences for that. It is stated in the report, if she would read the report, that is what it says. It is not possible for us to itemise that, but I also take some substantial encouragement from the fact that there is no percentage decrease in the number of projects that are coming to Scotland. In fact, it has gone up from 119 to 122, and places that second only behind the south-east of England. It is also true to say that we have seen an increase in research projects coming, research and development. That is absolutely crucial. Again, what stakeholders say to me is that they want foreign direct investment, but they want to see more research coming to Scotland, and that has got to be a promising prospect given those latest figures. Claudia Beamish To ask the Scottish Government how it supports women into work. The Scottish Government is taking a number of steps, not only to support women into employment but also to reduce gender inequality in the labour market, to tackle discrimination and to improve women's position in the workplace. I recently announced funding of up to £200,000 to deliver a programme of support to women who wish to return to work after a career break. Building on the £50,000 funding that I previously announced for Equate Scotland to take a similar programme specific to the STEM sector, while also chairing a working group to look at pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace, we are now just funding of up to £500,000 for a workplace equality fund to address long-standing barriers in accessing the labour market. We are establishing and advising Council women and girls to inform our action to tackle gender inequality. On top of the funding, we are taking action through the women and enterprise action framework to tackle the gender gap within enterprise growth. The Government continues to promote flexible working and have provided £178,700 for 2016-17 to the family-friendly working in Scotland partnership to support and promote the development of family-friendly workplaces across Scotland. Claudia Beamish I thank the minister for that answer, but this problem is indeed very intractable. The paid labour market in Scotland is fundamentally skewed away from women. Women, as the minister and those in this chamber know, make up the majority of some of the lowest-paid sectors—care, hospitality, retail, for example—and even full-time employment can be women struggling to pay rent, feed their families and, without financial independence, vital, if they have to leave their home, for instance, because the situation is unsafe due to domestic violence. Does the minister agree with me that support for labour's pledge to a £10 living wage by 2020 would certainly be a step towards correcting this deplorable situation? What action specifically is the Government taking to address women's low pay? Michael Russell Of course, what we are doing is delivering a range of funding to the poverty alliance to take forward the Loving Wage Accreditation Scheme. I have been able to meet the Loving Wage Foundation, and they are very pleased with the work that we are seeing here in Scotland. We now have more than 800 accredited employers. We also lead by example, ensuring that those covered by our pay policy are paid at least the living wage. That is very important, of course, because we know, as the member rightly said, that those who are on low pay are predominantly women. We know that that policy is making a difference. We also, through a range of activity that I have set out in conjunction with the Scottish Funding Council, are taking every effort—indeed, through the development young workforce programme—to address some of the structural and attitudinal barriers that exist to ensure that women are better represented across the entire gamut of the workforce. Ruth Maguire Can the minister provide detail on how female employment in Scotland compares to female employment across the UK as a whole? I certainly can say that we have seen the situation improving over the last year. We have seen that the latest available data shows that female part-time working has decreased over the year by 13,000, while female full-time working has increased by 32,000. That has led to a situation in which we have an employment rate for women. The latest statistic shows that an employment rate of 78.8 per cent and an employment rate of 4.2 per cent—both of those measures—were doing better than the UK as a whole. Gordon Lindhurst Does the minister believe that the loss of 152,000 college places—many of which are for part-time courses—has a detrimental impact on supporting women into work, in particular those returning to the workplace after a break? I can say to Mr Lindhurst that I know that he takes an interest in these matters, as the Committee for Economic Affairs is doing a lot of work to help women into employment. They will be taking that further through their action plan for gender equality, but we know that the number of women in full-time courses is up by more than 12 per cent since 2006-07. Women account for the majority of college enrolments, 51 per cent in 2015-16. Indeed, there are still significant part-time opportunities available at colleges in Scotland. The majority of total enrolments at colleges are still in part-time FE courses. The latest figures show almost two thirds of courses being the case. Our college sector is playing a significant role in improving the prospects of women and the entire population of Scotland. Liam McArthur To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to deliver inclusive growth for Orkney. We are committed to supporting inclusive and sustainable growth across Scotland, including in Orkney. We are investing in businesses, communities and infrastructure across the islands. For example, we are investing in a new hospital and healthcare facilities project, an EV primary school that opened last November. We are providing £0.5 million to Orkney Island Council through the regeneration capital grant fund for the Orkney research campus project in Stromnes, which will support over 100 jobs. Highlands and Islands Enterprise continues to work closely with ambitious businesses and communities to support growth and boost employment. Furthermore, the Scottish Government continues to press UK ministers for appropriate support to ensure grid connections to the mainland and support for island wind projects, both of which will significantly enhance the economic and social development prospects for the Orkney islands and thereby support inclusive growth. Liam McArthur I thank the minister for that answer. I welcome part of inclusive growth, about helping different communities to overcome specific challenges that they face in order to be able to play to their strengths. For my constituents, that is about allowing key sectors of the local economy to compete on a level playing field. Unfortunately, the cost of lifeline ferry services continues to put our islands at a competitive disadvantage. Nine years after cheaper ferry fares were first introduced on west coast routes, a year after the First Minister's commitment to, and I quote, begin work immediately to cut the cost of ferry fares for those who are living, working and visiting Orkney and Shetland, we are still waiting. When exactly can my constituents expect a fair deal on ferry fares? Paul Wheelhouse Clearly, this is a matter best directed to my colleague the Minister for Transport and the Islands, Humza Yousaf, but I am pleased to try and respond as best I can today. We recognise the effect that different reduced fares options have on demand and the case that has been made by local community for help in terms of the charges. It is worth saying that a consultation on fares was carried out at the end of 2016, and further analysis on the impacts on demand of different fares options and available options for increasing capacity is now being carried out. I can assure the member that consideration has been given to looking at how any subsidy could potentially be made available to commercial operators to allow them to provide reduced fares. As I am sure the member appreciates a complex piece of work, it is an important issue to ensure that any fares mechanism is fair and legally compliant, and I hope that that helps to answer the question. Peter Chapman Do you ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Queensbury crossing construction team? I last met Michael Martin and David Climey of the Queensbury crossing construction team on Friday 19 May, when I visited the site to view the significant progress that has been made in the admittedly favourable weather conditions on that day. I was hugely impressed by the progress that has been made across a number of the key activities on the project, including roads on the north side nearing completion, the completion of removal of the tower cranes and trestles and the installation of windshielding, waterproofing and the first two layers of road surfacing across the Queensbury crossing. Peter Chapman I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer, but given that the opening of the new bridge has already been postponed twice and is now six months late, can the minister give me an exact date as to when the bridge will open? If not, why not? I think that the member has heard from both the contractors and the board of the company involved in overseeing the contract that the scheduled opening of the bridge will be in the window between mid-July and the end of August. I know that the member is fully aware of why that was arranged rather than a specific date. That is simply because of the weather conditions in the forth. It is not six months past its contract completion date, which is next month, which is worth bearing in mind. It is also worth saying that, compared to other projects, the Runcorn bridge is a fraction of the cost and is being delivered more quickly. I am very pleased about the progress that has been made in the bridge. I have also made it clear to the contractors that they should proceed according to what is necessary in terms of the safety of their employees. I am also very confident that the bridge will be a world-leading bridge in a world-heritage location that the whole of Scotland can be proud of. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that worker safety must be paramount important in all projects and that those working on the bridge must follow the advice from experts regarding when it is unsafe to continue working? Cabinet Secretary? Clare Adamson is right that safety of the workforce in all those projects is absolutely of paramount importance and FCBCs continue to assure us that they remain fully committed to completing the project safely. When I was visiting the bridge on Friday, I managed to get to the top of one of the towers where you can see the level of activity taking place on the deck itself. It is very important that that activity, which involves a number of different work streams, is done in a way that ensures the safety of those involved. It also includes working to detail method statements based on risk assessments prepared by experts. As Clare Adamson says, the people that we should listen to in the construction field. In relation to a whole range of procurement issues on that force bridge contract, what has the cabinet secretary learned from the process and what would he do differently next time? Of course procurement is dealt with by my colleague Derek Mackay, but I am aware, of course, of course, of the time that I was involved in procurement, that the regulations, the guidance that has been issued in terms of the European context for procurement regulations has changed and it has produced some changes, which, of course, we may want to take advantage of, but it is also worth saying that if people let Neil Findlay have their way and we have a Brexit, then what we will see is the absence of those guidelines and the absence of those standards, which I think could be damaging for those projects in future. I would hope that that would not happen. We are going to move on to finance and constitution questions, and we will start with question number one from Patrick Harvie. Thank you to ask the Scottish Government whether its 2017-18 public sector pay policy is subject to an equality impact assessment. Cabinet Secretary Derek Mackay. Yes, an equality impact assessment is undertaken as part of our consideration of the public sector pay policy and the key findings from the assessment are reported in the policy. Patrick Harvie. Yes, I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for the answer. I am sure that it was merely an extraordinary coincidence that the equality impact assessment was in fact published the day after I submitted this oral question. I am happy that it is such a fortunate coincidence though. In previous years, under this public sector pay policy, with inflation hovering at or indeed well below 1 per cent, it could be argued that the Government's approach was ensuring that those at the bottom end of the pay spectrum, particularly including women and minority groups such as disabled people and minority ethnic groups, were being protected. Now that inflation is increasing well beyond that, and even the £400 minimum uplift to those below £22,000 income is clearly getting at an uplift that is well below the current inflation rate, surely we need to look again at how people at the bottom end of the pay scales in the public sector can be protected with at least an inflation-based increase. Cabinet secretary, I have some sympathies with the point that Patrick Harvie has made, and I have certainly engaged in that subject with the trade unions when I met them very recently. It is true to say that we have targeted support to those on lower earnings within our pay control, and that is how specific measures such as that fix payment and other measures of support are. Of course, we have to get the balance right in sustaining the workforce as well as proper remuneration, but I recognise that inflation has been an issue, but I remind the chamber that we have a policy on no compulsory redundancy, as well as a policy not shared by the UK Government to ensure that we are sustaining numbers and supporting our very valued workforce. James Kelly Bear in mind the fact that we now know that nurses, for example, are £3,400 cumulatively worse off as a result of the pay cap. Does the finance secretary accept that that is unacceptable and will he take action to address it specifically when the autumn budget revision comes into play in September and there are underspends from other departments? Will he use that opportunity to give those who's pay has been suppressed by this pay cap a much-needed uplift? Cabinet secretary, I would make the point to James Kelly that we have, through our budget process, invested hundreds of millions of pounds extra resources into our public services. Labour didn't support our budget when we were able to put in those additional sums, but I've made the point that I'm sympathetic to the workforce. The issues around inflation and we know how inflation is being affected because of the wider economic circumstances, partly caused by the Brexit decision as well and the pressures there. However, I've said that I'll continue to engage with the trade unions and I will, especially as we look at our pay policy going forward in light of our financial constraints, but also, yes, I am acknowledging the pressures that are faced as a consequence of inflation. However, I remind the chamber again that we've taken very specific measures in Scotland. It's distinct what the UK Government has done around pay that has sustained the workforce and ensured that our policies are in place such as targeting support to those on low pay and also no compulsory redundancies. On average, in Scotland, women earn £60,000 less over their working life than men. I wonder what specific steps are the Scottish Government taking to ensure that the public sector pay policy will combat that? Cabinet secretary? It is surprising that criticism is coming from the Tories on public sector pay policy, but we have avoided compulsory redundancies. We are looking at low pay measures. We recognise the gender impact here and that's why we have targeted extra support towards low pay and support for the living wage, of course, as well. The Government was able to make swift progress on that particular policy, but we will look closely at gender impact and other impacts as well in our pay policy, which was published in our consideration as part of the budget. Clare Adamson, Thank you, Presiding Officer. Does the cabinet secretary agree that all employers, both public and private, should be doing everything that they can to ensure that they are providing equal opportunities for employees? Does he share my concern that the Labour administration and local annexure are now propped up by the Tories have yet to deal with their equal pay claims? Yes, I share those concerns and I'm not quite sure that's what the parties told the electorate that that was their intentions before the council elections. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the UK Government's austerity measures are having on the Scottish Government finances. By the end of the current Spen review period, 2019-20, the Scottish Government's fiscal Dell block grant allocation will be £2.9 billion, which is 9.2 per cent lower in real terms than it was in 2010-11. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that Scotland has already suffered enough under the Westminster Government's austerity? Although the Scottish Government has mitigated where it can, many Scots families are still struggling because of Tory austerity. Yes, they are. I'm sure that's a debate that will continue over the course of the general election, whether there are alternatives to the Tory's plans. Does the cabinet secretary agree with the Fraser of Alder analysis, showing that there has been no reduction in the discretionary spend of the Scottish Government in real terms since the SNP came to power in 2007, so any talk of Tory austerity is merely a SNP spin? Dean Lockhart is not, for the first time, to say selectively quoting Fraser of Alder Institute. There has been real terms reductions and, under the Tories, there will be continued to be real terms reductions in our discretionary spend. I thank the cabinet secretary. I oppose both UK Government and Scottish Government austerity. So, to quote George Adams, and so they don't like the truth, do they, Presiding Officer? So, to quote George Adams directly to ask the Scottish Government what impact Scottish Government austerity measures are having on local government finances. Local government had a fair and strong settlement from Scottish Government. We've treated them fairly. We've consistently done that. It is unfortunate that not only did the Labour Party not support those extra resources to local government, including the £120 million attainment fund, where they are actually in power, they have frozen the council tax, so clearly the settlement is better than they said. Question 3, Neil Findlay. Meanwhile, back in the real world, he asked the Scottish Government what action it has taken to ensure that contractors working in hub projects are paid on time. Cabinet secretary. As I have indicated in my reply last week to the member, the standard contract forms used for hub projects, including provision, about the timely payment of contractors and subcontractors. Neil Findlay. Vaughan engineering from my region has carried out extensive works for Galliford Tri, one of the major contractors involved in an SFT hub projects. After completing work Galliford Tri unfairly held payment to the contractor for over two years and threatens to do so again putting in jeopardy 500 jobs. I raised this last week with the finance secretary and he said he would look at individual cases. Will the cabinet secretary now agree to meet me and representatives from Vaughan engineering so that we can try and resolve this very serious situation? I do take this issue very seriously. Mr Findlay also said that there were a number of cases that he was able to cite where this had been the case, so I absolutely will look at these matters if Mr Findlay will supply the details of the range of cases that is described to me, and I will absolutely take that forward. To ask the Scottish Government where its current and developing position is on the introduction of a 50p rate of income tax. Analysis produced by the Scottish Government showed that there is a revenue risk associated with raising the additional rate. However, the First Minister has asked the Council of Economic Advisers to consider how and to what extent that risk can be mitigated, and if we are sufficiently assured that it can be, we will consider raising the additional rate from 45p to 50p from 2018-19 onwards. I thank the cabinet secretary for repeating to me what was in the SNP manifesto a year ago, but does he agree with the analysis recently conducted by the Fraser of Allander Institute by Graham Roy, the former SNP Government adviser, who has concluded that as a result of the fiscal framework arrangements that were agreed, a 50p rate of tax applied across the whole of the United Kingdom would lead to a reduction in revenues to the Scottish Government? I have set out exactly what the Scottish Government's position is, the advice that we will take, and that will be part of our consideration for the budget going forward. We will also engage with other parties, but the First Minister has asked the Council of Economic Advisers to consider that matter, and that is exactly the source of information that I will draw upon. Ivan McKee Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that in order to avoid the risk of any changes to the top rate of income tax reducing rather than increasing funds available for public services in Scotland, the Scottish Parliament needs to have powers over dividend and savings income tax, taxes that are impacted by incorporation, including capital gains, incorporation tax and crucially powers to police tax avoidance? I know that you want shorter answers to get through as many questions as possible, so in essence, yes, I do agree with that point. Jackie Baillie On the basis that the First Minister has changed her mind about eight times now about the 50-pence tax rate, is it not the case, cabinet secretary, that she tells everybody else what to do, but when she has the power herself, she runs a million miles in the opposite direction? I am absolutely of the view that we have set out a consistent position on this. We said how we will draw upon evidence to make those decisions, but I think that it is abundantly clear that it is the Labour Party that does not know what it is doing in tax, other than taxing some of the most vulnerable in our society, including a basic rate increase as well. To ask the Scottish Government how many small businesses in Angus have received support from the small business bonus scheme. It is estimated that the small business bonus scheme supported around 2,500 properties in Angus in 2016-17. Graham Dey I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I have a constituent running a now highly successful high street business. He tells me that the small business bonus was the difference between surviving and failing in the early years of getting that business up and running. Can I ask, has the Scottish Government done any analysis of the economic benefit that the small business bonus delivers in Angus and across wider Scotland? The Scottish Government is engaged with stakeholders and businesses direct. The FSB, for example, I have recently surveyed about 1,000 business owners, and the results found that about a fifth of small firms reported that they would close the business if the scheme were to be abolished. A similar proportion said that it would have to cancel investments or amend our plans for growth, if that was the case. To ask the Scottish Government what action it took to ensure that the local government elections were open to candidates from all parts of society. Joe FitzPatrick A wide range of people are eligible to stand for election in Scottish local government elections, and the Scottish Government would like to see that diversity reflected in the profile of those who stand as candidates and are elected to public office. One group who are underrepresented in all elections are disabled people. Although the selection of party candidates is a matter for political parties, we have provided support for disabled candidates through the Access to Elected Office Fund, which was put in place to meet candidates' additional disability-related costs of the 39 candidates who received support through the fund. 15 were elected in 12 local authorities. Given the success of the Access to Elected Office Fund at our most recent local government elections, does the minister agree with me that financial help has clearly opened up the electoral process to people who previously may not have been able to take part? Would he join me in calling on the UK Government to reopen the equivalent UK fund? I very much do. I think that what we have shown is that this fund has been very successful in enabling people who might otherwise have found it very difficult to access the elected office here in Scotland. I would encourage the UK Government to look at how the model has worked in this case, perhaps to get in touch with Inclusion Scotland, who administered the scheme here in Scotland and hopefully to spread it out across the UK. 7. Ross Greer Thank you. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the distributional impact on Scottish households of its proposed air departure tax reduction. Cabinet Secretary. The Scottish Government fully supports and recognises the importance of robust analysis of its policies. That is why the Scottish Government has committed to undertaking and publishing a range of impact assessments of air departure tax. That includes an independent economic assessment, which will consider the best way to design a robust monitoring and evaluation framework so that that can be put in place for assessing, among other things, the social economic impacts of ADT in the future. The economic assessment will be published in the autumn, no later when the Government sets out secondary legislation plans for ADT tax bans and tax rate amounts. Ross Greer I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. He will be delighted to know that the Scottish Greens have already done some of that work for him. Research that we commissioned has shown that the richest 10 per cent of households stand to benefit four times as much as the poorest 10 per cent. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that that is not the action of a progressive government? Cabinet secretary. We have been progressive as a government in relation to currently devolved taxes such as LBTT and how we have approached other taxes such as our council tax position. However, in relation to UK APD, it is the highest tax of its kind in Europe and one of the highest in the world. We want to improve Scotland's competitive position, connectivity and business growth, but all of that will be part of the wider consideration. I will refer back to the assessments that we have commissioned. Marie Todd Can I ask the cabinet secretary what work is on going for the legislation of exemption to ADT for the Highlands and Islands? Cabinet secretary. I know that I have been asked about this at committee as well. I advise the member that we are pursuing the position with the UK Government. As the member states, it is for the UK Government to approach the EU through that notification process, and we are working in partnership with the UK Government to try to ensure that we can continue that Highlands and Islands exemption, which is certainly the policy intent of this Government. 8. Clare Haughey To ask the Scottish Government what additional revenue will be raised in 2017-18 by councils who have increased council tax rates. The additional council tax revenue in 2017-18 will be £53 million. Clare Haughey I thank the minister for that answer. My own local council, which until recently, the recent local authority elections, was a Labour-led council, chose not to raise council tax despite years of asking the Scottish Government to lift the council tax freeze. How much money would a council tax rise have provided for local public services to spend? I advise the member that, by freezing the council tax in 2017-18, South Lanarkshire Council decided to forego £4.2 million, reducing the overall potential increase in support for local services, although, of course, a matter for local government and that local authority is in sharp contrast to what was said by Labour before. Graham Simpson Thank you. Will the cabinet secretary agree with me that Clare Haughey was entirely wrong on South Lanarkshire Council? It was the policy of South Lanarkshire Council not to increase council tax rates, and they stuck to that. That was their right to do so. Would he agree A, on that factual point, and B, that it is not a matter for the Scottish Government to give a view on whether councils should increase council tax rates? I am not sure that Graham Simpson was listening to my answer before he asked his question. I made the point that it is a matter for local government, it is a matter for South Lanarkshire Council, but I was simply pointing out that the Labour Party for years had said that the council tax freeze was unsustainable, and with the position to increase it, it froze the council tax. I am pointing out the absurdity of the position of the Labour Party in that particular council. For completeness, there were many other Labour authorities who chose to freeze the council tax, which I think helps to make the point that the local government settlement was fair, because it put councils in a position where they felt that they could do that. To ask the Scottish Government when it expects the Barclay review of non-domestic rates to publish its recommendations. The Barclay review of business rates will report to ministers this summer. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response and we look forward to seeing that report. Given that the Parliament's local government committee asked the Scottish Government to ask the Barclay review to reopen the period for consultation, so more evidence could be heard from businesses affected by the recent rates revaluation. Given that the Scottish Government refused to exceed to that request, what assurance can we have that the Barclay review will properly consider all the issues that arise from the recent revaluation and the impact that has had on businesses? I have to say that the Conservative position on that was to say act before the review first of all, then hurry the review, rush the review and now the position is to prolong the review. I accept that the Barclay review is of great importance as we look at non-domestic rates. I look forward to its findings. We will act swiftly on those findings, but in relation to the point around the local government committee, I think that it has encouraged the Barclay review to look again at the consultation and those who they have engaged with. I believe that they have done that. Of course, it will be for Government and Parliament to consider the matters that are presented to us from Barclay review and matters wider than that. I think that Ken Barclay and engaging with him has reflected on those comments and has been able to reach out to others to ensure that the consultation and the engagement are as comprehensive as possible in light of the comments that were made at that committee. If he wants to move on to the next item of business in the meantime, I congratulate Mr Mackay and Mr FitzPatrick without the risk of embarrassing them further on getting through nine questions and nine supplementaries. I encourage all ministerial colleagues to take a leaf out of the minister's book.