 Fawr gweithio i gwybod i'r ffordd o gymorthymaeth ygafetaeth Cymru Oreig yn effeithio llwyddo ag yr oedd iawn gwybod i'ch gweithiau arall ac i gyda'r hollwyryd cynlluniaeth. Fawr y byd ymddir whallu cysyllt yma, mae cyfnod i i'r hollwch gweithio'r cyflosydd o hyn sy'n sgwrdd gellaeth ymddir mewn gwyrddion yn deckiwyr gweithio. A wnaeth i chi, pwysig, Siam Halechri Johnston. A fawr o'r Cysylltio Cymru? atweud registerd o ddiolch yn ddweud, yn gyfliadau o'r cyflawn eu cyd-19. Y First Minister i mewn ffun, pan wnaeth i ddechrau LHS i gael o'ch chi'n gweld â'r ddweud o gweld â'r ddweud sydd o gweld â'r ddweud ar gyfer LHS i gael o'r pandemac. Mae gael i'r ddweud i gael o'r ddweud i'r ddweud i'r ddweud i'r ddweud a'i lleol iawn i ddweud a'i ddweud a'i ddweud i'r ddweud.bekaw years pwysig policy biadig iawn o g tutn Germany in this financial year alone, has already been invested in supporting NHS boards to target the backlog of treatment and care. Although it is important to stress that recovery and reducing waiting times for patients with conditions other than Covid is the immediate task, the plan is fundamentally about ensuring that the recovery process delivers long term sustainability and alternative pathways care that allow people to be treated more quickly but crucially closer to home. Cabinet Secretary points to the NHS recovery plan, a plan that the BMA warned on its release contained worrying gaps and one that little progress was made towards in the months before the Omicron variant was a significant concern. In many areas, the pandemic has not created new problems but exacerbated pre-existing issues. Weekly A&E figures are the worst on record. We are seeing continued poor performance for the 62 days standard for emergent suspicion of cancer referrals of first treatment and almost 60,000 people have been waiting on treatment or diagnostic tests for over 12 months. Can the cabinet secretary tell me how long it will take before the delays and backlogs are meaningfully tackled and does he accept that while there may be more NHS staff than before demand is also higher, how will the Scottish Government tackle these backlogs without piling considerable additional pressure on existing staff? Cabinet secretary, did you make Halcro Johnston look? He is in danger genuinely of denying the impact that Covid has had. I am not saying to him that there wasn't issues or challenges or problems pre-pandemic, of course there were, but it would equally be ridiculous if somebody suggested that the pandemic hasn't had a major impact, not just a slight or marginal, but a major impact on the NHS and the services that it provides. On our NHS recovery plan, I won't rehearse all of the targets and ambitions in that plan, but crucially we intend to increase the NHS capacity by at least 10 per cent in order to address the backlog of care. We will increase our funding to the NHS and, of course, for the next financial year there will be a record settlement of above £18 billion. We will continue to ensure that we have record staffing within our NHS and we will continue to make sure that the best-paid staff in the entire UK—and crucially, as I said in my opening answer—we want to ensure that there are appropriate alternative pathways that allow people to be treated as close to home as possible. Neil Gray Thank you, Presiding Officer. Getting access to treatment, obviously primary care, is of fundamental importance and the health secretary will be well aware of the challenges currently being faced in NHS Lanarkshire, driven by demand and staffing pressures that have resulted in NHS Lanarkshire scaling back. Some of the service has been provided by GP practices. I am reassured that that has been reviewed on a weekly basis, and the conversations that I have had with the health secretary about the situation. I wonder whether the health secretary would be able to update me on any action that the Scottish Government has taken to try to support NHS Lanarkshire, the GP practices in particular, to allow the services to be returned as quickly as possible. I thank him for raising the issue with me directly, and I am hosting a meeting with Lanarkshire MSPs from across political parties on Monday, alongside the health board. I spoke to Dr Andrew Beust from the BMA today on that issue in relation to access to GPs. It is fundamental and crucial. We have—where we can, we will absolutely support staff across the NHS. For example, he will be aware that there is an exemption that allows staff to return after close contacts of somebody who has tested positive. That required a PCR or negative PCR test. I have removed that requirement upon clinical advice, and that again should help with that staffing issue. So there is not one single thing that can be done, but lots of things that we are doing that is helping with that staffing issue. I can give him an absolute assurance that NHS Lanarkshire in particular is a health board that we have very regular engagement with. Jackie Baillie Waiting times were already a significant problem before the pandemic hit. Indeed, before the pandemic, 450,000 people were waiting. Now it has gone up to 650,000. One of the royal colleges told me that one significant barrier to catching up on those waiting lists, certainly for operations, is that there simply is not the space within our hospital settings. In addition to creating capacity, what consideration has the cabinet secretary given to utilising spare theatres such as those at the Vale of Leven hospital? I think that it is a very good question and an important point by Jackie Baillie. Some work we are doing centrally within government to see where we possibly have theatre space, where we potentially have nursing and medical and clinical staff, and how do we marry them all together. Some of that work has been done, absolutely. The Golden Jubilee plays a crucial role in talking to the Golden Jubilee on a regular basis about how we maximise their capacity, but she is absolutely right. There are other acute sites there where they may have a theatre space but not quite the clinical staff, so that work is absolutely on-going and I am happy to continue to keep Ms Baillie and members updated on that. To ask the Scottish Government when it will release its plans for the reopening of minor injury units. To be clear, there is not any national policy of closing minor injury units throughout the pandemic. The majority of MIUs have remained open, but I know that some health boards at NHS Grampian, for example, units have closed temporarily to allow staffing to be allocated to areas with the greatest needs, such as Covid assessment centres. I should also say that we do not have a specific policy in the provision of minor injury units in communities where we leave local health boards to make those decisions at a local level and advise my clinical advice to ensure that everyone can continue to get the right care at the right time this year. We have invested £23 million towards the redesign of urgent care under this new approach. NHS 24 is now available 24-7 for those who think that they need A&E services, but their illness is not life-threatening. Through this service, people may be offered a virtual consultation, receive care closer to home or indeed receive a scheduled appointment during a safe time at A&E. The TIRF minor injuries unit provided an essential service to the local community. Indeed, without it, TIRF residents have to travel long journeys to already crowded A&E departments. Constituents have raised fears to me about the long-term future of the TIRF minor injuries unit, which was shut temporarily 20 months ago. Can the cabinet secretary commit to the reopening of the TIRF minor injuries unit and give a timescale for my constituents, who have been deprived of easy access to healthcare? Cabinet secretary, can I say to Douglas Lums? Obviously, I will leave the decisions to be made locally, but I will raise them, of course, with the health board. His central point is absolutely correct. If we do not have minor injury units open, people will, one, have to potentially travel further. Secondly, they will go to acute sites that are already under pressure and are already busy. I can completely understand and agree with his rationale and his reasoning that minor injury units should remain open where possible. In the vast majority of health board areas, they are, but he is right to raise this specific issue. I will raise it in turn with the health board and I will update the member on those conversations. Figures published yesterday showed that, for the week ending 9 January, only 60.4 per cent of patients attending A&E in NHS Forth Valley were seen within four hours. I want to give my thanks to all staff who continue to work immensely hard to try to improve that. Given the pressure being placed on A&Es, has consideration been given to reopening a minor injury unit within Forth Valley health board? Cabinet secretary? I am sure that consideration has been given and, again, I speak to Forth Valley on a very regular basis. I know that Gillian Mackay does, and she and I had a conversation before Christmas around the specific challenges in relation to Forth Valley. Although Forth Valley is absolutely challenged, I should say that I would expect improvement to be made, while I obviously would not comment on next week's figures until they were published. We know that the week ending 9 January was particularly pressured because of high staff absences because of Covid occupancy and, indeed, because of the cumulative effect of the pandemic over the last 22 odd months. However, I can give her an absolute assurance that A&E is leaving no stone unturned to better that performance. I would expect them to continue to ensure that local members are kept updated on that improvement plan. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the Care Inspectorate in its role of inspecting and assessing care homes. My apologies, minister. Kevin Stewart. My officials and I are in regular contact with Care Inspectorate discuss a range of strategic issues, including inspections and resources. Under the Public Services Reform Scotland Act 2010, Scottish ministers are also required to approve the Care Inspectorate's annual scrutiny and assurance plan, which underpins its activity and is reviewed regularly. In 2021-22, the Scottish Government provided the Care Inspectorate with an additional and recurring budget of £4 million to meet resource pressures. I thank the minister for that answer. The number of inspections to care homes has decreased by 41 per cent from 1,372 inspections in 2016-17 to just 812 in 2021. That decline was happening even before the pandemic. Following Storm Arwyn, it has come to light that a number of care homes and assisted living sites did not have adequate resilience planning, something that would have been picked up by inspections. Does the minister agree that the reduced resilience is a direct result of a decrease in the number of inspections and what actions will he take to rectify that? Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I am keen to hear from Mr Burn at the detail of those resilience matters. If he wishes to write to me, I will respond accordingly. During the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak, the Care Inspectorate with the agreement from Scottish ministers took the decision to scale down inspections, recognising that inspections may put an unnecessary burden on the care sector, could have also contributed to the spreading of Covid-19 and put their inspectors at risk. That reflected the position of other UK and Irish regulators. However, that decision has been criticised, but it was the right thing to do at on-site care home inspections resumed in May 2020. During the pandemic, it has not been possible for the Care Inspectorate to inspect all adult care home services in the conventional way. Instead, the Care Inspectorate has adopted a more targeted, intelligence-led and risk-based approach to service inspections. That approach has prioritised on-site inspections of care homes for other people and services where immediate risk is identified. It was reported last week that a third of Scottish care homes are now restricting visits due to high prevalence of infections in communities and the interpretation of a managed outbreak by public health authorities. Relatives, however, feel that, with a correct testing regime and protective measures in place, the visiting should be maintained in line with guidance. Some indeed have called for the Care Inspectorate to take on a key role of checking that testing is robust, comprehensive, timious and publicly reported on in inspection reports to provide confidence and keep homes open to visitors. As we move forward, will the minister look at that role for the Care Inspectorate in monitoring and reporting and ensuring that homes remain open to visitors? The Care Inspectorate is already looking at homes where visiting is not what it should be. I thank the Care Inspectorate for the help that it has given Government in those regards. I am very hopeful that changes to the PHS guidance that will be issued today will make some differences in ensuring that relatives have access to their loved ones in care homes. As always, I am keen to hear from members where there may be difficulties so that we can follow up that, along with colleagues in the Care Inspectorate, in order to get it right for relatives and the residents of care homes. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to extend financial support for PPE in the social care sector. Social care providers can claim back PPE costs over and above their usual amount. In 2021-22, £862 million has been allocated to help with costs arising from Covid-19 and has demonstrated our commitment to supporting the sustainability and resilience of the sector. A decision will be taken in due course about all financial support measures for social care providers post-March. Support is also available to social care providers, including unpaid carers and personal assistance through local PPE hubs for emergency PPE supply. We are working with NHS National Services Scotland on how best to supply PPE over the longer term. Russell Findlay. That is only one of the increased costs facing the sector. Will the minister he concerns and ensure that it is fully funded for the true costs of care through the renegotiations on the national care home contract? The Government is not involved in the negotiation of the national care home contract. That is a matter for COSLA and the care providers. It is they who make the decisions around that, not the Government. I want to ask about access to FFP3 masks in social care. Have risk assessments been carried out by employers if FFP3 masks are not routinely provided? Are those dynamic assessments and reflect increases in the levels of Covid transmission and are individual assessments available for those staff who consider themselves at risk? Winter respite guidance was published in November, which sets out the appropriate PPE to use in different circumstances. All of that is in line with the WHO guidance. PPE guidance is developed by infection prevention and control experts on a four-nation basis. The UK IPC cell is responsible for providing advice and guidance in relation to PPE requirements and IPC measures more generally. If Ms Bailey requires further detail, I am quite happy to respond accordingly, but we are following and have updated that guidance. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its discussions on social care provision in Fife. We are in daily contact with health and social care partnerships and continue to closely monitor the ongoing impact of the pandemic and the challenges that that brings to the social care sector nationwide. Health boards and health and social care partnerships have provided assurances that people in need of the most urgent care and support will continue to receive it and that its delivery will be prioritised. The Scottish Government's adult social care winter preparedness plan sets out measures to address social care provision in all local authorities, including Fife, and outlines how we will support those who use services, the workforce and unpaid carers. I thank the minister for his reply and, although I understand that responsibility for the delivery of social care services lies with Fife Council, NHS Fife and, of course, the health and social care partnership. Given the great challenges in Fife at this time, notwithstanding the tremendous efforts of our front-line social care staff, can the cabinet secretary advise as to what help the Scottish Government can offer so that all those who need social care get the services that they are entitled to and that on a timely basis? I thank Ms Ewing for her question. I know that she has been vigorously pursuing that. She asked cabinet secretary the last question at the time whether we thought that folk in Fife were straining every sinew to deliver for people locally. I think that that is the case having talked to the chief officer of the health and social care partnership on Monday, who has said that this has been the most strenuous three weeks in her career. I believe that staff are doing all that they can. In terms of Government support, NHS Fife was allocated £7 million from the additional £300 million of winter funding that was announced on 5 October. That included £2.7 million for interim care and £4.2 million to expand care-at-home capacity. Fife are ensuring that that money is spent wisely and that they are doing their level best. We fully appreciate the problems that local partnerships are having in providing social care at this time. The Deputy First Minister convened a special meeting yesterday with local council leaders, health boards and local authority chief executives along with representatives from the third sector to identify further ways that we can support the social care sector, including the social care sector in Fife. We will continue to have those discussions, we will continue to monitor and we as a Government will continue to do all that we can to support the social care sector across Scotland. Willie Rennie The minister should not be satisfied with the assurance that those with the most urgent needs are getting addressed, because there are many people every single day in Fife who are not getting important and essential visits. They are missing out on meals, tuckins and medicines. Is he going to realise that this is an issue that has been building up for years and that we should no longer take carers for granted? We need them, we need them now and we should start paying them properly. Presiding Officer, we recognise that there needs to be support in the social care sector. In terms of the issue of pay, we have announced two pay increases funded by the Government over the past few months. We have a way to go in terms of pay and conditions. One of the reasons why I am so keen to say a national care service is so that we can have the national pay bargaining and set the right conditions for folk in the sector. I agree with Mr Rennie that there are folks out there who are not getting the levels of care that they had previously. However, we are at the most precarious stage in the pandemic with Covid cases. I am glad to see them reducing, but there are still a number of Covid cases, with folk-off, with winter pressures, and it would be fair to say that staff are tired too. I know that Fife is doing their level best. We will continue to support them in any way that we possibly can. The discussions between Government and health and social care partnerships continue on a daily basis. We will do our level best to ensure that we support them to the utmost. I know that they will do all that they can to support the folks in their communities to get the right care. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the support that it is providing to the reported increasing number of people with long Covid. We continue to implement the 16 commitments contained in our approach paper that is backed by £10 million of a long Covid support fund. We have launched a long Covid information platform on NHS Inform that will help people to manage their symptoms. We continue to support clinicians to access evidence-based information and advice to inform assessments, investigations and referrals. Lastly, the NHS national services division is establishing a strategic network bringing together clinical experts, NHS boards and, most crucially, those with lived experience to support the on-going development, resourcing and implementation of services for people with long Covid. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. In September 2021, the Scottish Government earmarked £10 million to a long Covid support fund. Four months on, what improved or better co-ordinated services are now in place to care and support for the 100,000 Scots suffering with long Covid? Why has the Government decided not to invest in dedicated long Covid clinics? I thank Pam Goswell for recognising the investment that the Scottish Government has made. It is crucial, it is important and it is going to help when it comes to the development of our long Covid response. That is developing because we are continuing to learn more and more about long Covid as time goes on. That is why we have also taken the decision to invest in research, which is important as well as the practical action that I have outlined in our framework outlines. What I would say to Pam Goswell is that there is nothing stopping NHS boards from developing long Covid clinics such as, for example, the Hertfordshire model, which she and other colleagues have referenced before. There is no barrier to doing that, but to suggest or to allude to the fact that long Covid clinics are the solution for those who are suffering from long Covid would be misguided. We let health boards take the approach that works for them locally and, of course, we are proud to have invested or pleased that we have invested £10 million, and I will continue to take a personal close eye and close attention to this issue. If there is further resourcing that is required, we will continue to explore that. Question 8, Liam McArthur. I thank you to ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the date by which self-referral for over 70s to the breast screening programme will resume. While programme capacity remains challenging due to Covid-19, the pause on self-referrals allows appointments to be prioritised for women aged 50 to 70. However, I recognise the anxiety that the pause is causing, and I have asked officials to accelerate consideration of restart options, which would not unduly impact appointment times for the eligible screening population. That will not be easy. Any decision will be informed by clinical advice and the on-going pandemic. In the meantime, if anyone of any age is concerned, they may have symptoms of breast cancer, they should immediately make an appointment with their GP practice. Liam McArthur. I thank the minister for that response with cancer diagnosis rates down during Covid and an overall rising trend in the incidence of cancer. Many women in my constituency have been concerned about their inability to self-refer for breast screening. As the minister knows, Orkney is one of the areas reliant on mobile screening units turning up every three years. Does she accept that, as the screening service returns to pre-pandemic arrangements, there is a case for looking at what more might be done in places like Orkney to ensure those who need and wish to have an opportunity to be screened? Can she also confirm that there are no plans to move from a three-year to a five-year cycle for screening? I fully understand the concern of the women in Orkney, and I assure everyone that women who live on islands will not be forgotten. Working options to restart will consider impacts on those who rely on mobile screening solutions, whether on the islands or on the main land. On the review of screening frequency and screening age, all those decisions are guided by the UK screening committee, so they will be looking at evidence. I am not aware of a change to five-year screening, but should it come forward with that recommendation, we would be inclined to accept it because it would be based on clinical evidence. The UK screening committee will look at all the evidence relating to the screening programmes and give guidance on a four-nations basis, and all four nations tend to follow that guidance. I regret that, as we are over time. I cannot take any further questions. There will be a small short pause before we move on to the next portfolio. The next portfolio is social justice, housing and local government. If a member wishes to request a supplementary question, they should press the request to speak button during the relevant question, or indicate so in the chat function by entering the letter r. 1. Willie Coffey Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government how it is tackling inequalities and child poverty in Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley. Thank you. Tackling child poverty is a national mission for this Government, and we are making considerable investment to increase family incomes and reduce household costs. In 2021, we spent £2.5 billion in targeted support for low-income households, including nearly £1 billion to support low-income families with children. This year, through our Scottish child payment and bridging payments, we will put around £130 million directly into the pockets of low-income families across Scotland, including in the member's constituency to those who need it most. We will further increase the support available to families by doubling the Scottish child payment to £20 per week from April this year. Willie Coffey I thank the cabinet secretary for that detailed answer. At the local government committee on 11 January, we heard unison joining with the Tories to claim that the Scottish budget would do nothing to reduce inequalities in Scotland. Can you confirm that the Scottish Government has spent £594 million mitigating the budget cuts imposed by the Tory Government on the poorest people in Scotland with £83 million paying for the bedroom tax alone, and that we will continue to fund child support payments, expanding the school clothing grants and free school meals in my constituency, and that those measures are just a few examples of how the SNP Government is directly tackling child poverty and inequality in Scotland? Thank you. I can confirm that. I can also confirm that the 2022-23 Scottish budget continues significant investment to tackle poverty and inequality and strengthen public services, including more than £3.9 billion towards benefit expenditure, providing sport to over 1 million people in Scotland. We are also investing £831.5 million towards the delivery of affordable housing, as well as £65 million for employability support, and the first £50 million of the whole family wellbeing fund. We will continue to fund the expansion of free lunches and provide meals during school holidays to the children who need them most. I will take a supplementary. I note that the question relates to Traboverton, Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley. However, I also note that both the questioner and the cabinet secretary have widened out the subject matter of supplementary Pam Duncan-Glancy. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Only one in four eligible children will get the £20 rate of Scottish child payment. 170,000 of those children will not get the new rate of £20 because they are on bridging payments and 125,000 children will not get anything at all. Those children also need the extra money, too. Can the cabinet secretary set out whether she will double the bridging payments for those families? As Pam Duncan-Glancy knows, we had this exchange at the committee that I attended last week. I said to her that we are fully committed to rolling out the Scottish child payment to under-16s by the end of 2022, and until full roll-out, we will continue to deliver the innovative £520 a year bridging payments that make use of local authority data to deliver immediate support to around 150,000 children at a cost of £78 million a year. We have gone as far as we can with the doubling of the Scottish child payment to £20 from April 2022. Of course, if Pam Duncan-Glancy or anyone else wants to discuss amendments to the budget, I am sure that that is something that we can discuss, but, of course, we would have to show where any additional money would come from elsewhere in the budget. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to help residents in flats that have unsafe cladding. We are committed to ensuring the safety of people in homes with unsafe cladding. We are progressing with our single building assessment and cladding remediation programme, which, of course, is free to home owners. 25 high-priority residential blocks of flats have already been selected for the initial phase of the programme. Inspections are under way and we expect the first completed report soon. We expect that the majority of buildings will be shown to be safe. Where issues are found, we will seek appropriate solutions to remediation and urge other parties such as developers to play their part. We have been pressing the Scottish Government to take action on this for years and it failed to do so. Thousands of Scots are trapped in unsafe flats with little hope of ever selling them. Last week, Michael Gove put developers on notice in England that they have two months to agree to a funding scheme or measures could be put into law. What is happening here? Closes in the building safety bill will allow the UK Government to introduce a levy on developers of high-rise buildings. What is happening here? Finally, why is it that flammable cladding has still not been banned in Scotland? It hasn't, so when will it be? That is quite a misrepresentation of the position of the single building assessment process. Excuse me, cabinet secretary. I do not want all that shouting from a 70 position. We want to hear the answer of the cabinet secretary. The single building assessment has been an innovative approach that is being looked at by other parts of the UK. Our assessments will help to understand the scope and scale of the cladding issues across Scotland. As I said to reassure people, the majority of buildings will be shown to be safe but where issues are found, we will seek the most appropriate solutions to remediation. Of course, we want other parties, such as developers, to continue to play their part where construction is found to be unsafe. The member mentioned Michael Gove. I have written to Michael Gove, the secretary of state, for levelling up, but I have yet to receive any detail on consequentials in addition to the £97.1 million. I will continue to press the secretary of state for details in relation to the original £3.5 billion announcement that was made in the UK budget in February last year and in relation to the additional £4 billion announcement on 10 January, which we were only notified about on the day of the announcement itself. We welcome the announcement about making developers pay, but we need to see the detail of what that means for the Scottish budget because we need to go beyond the £97 million, but we need to know what those resources are that will be coming forward. We will continue to make the progress that we are making through the innovative single-building assessment. I would have thought that that was something that members across the chamber would welcome. The cabinet secretary has just answered the question that I was going to ask, but I am going to repeat it. Can you advise us what updates the Scottish Government has had from the UK Government with regard to the consequentials that it has promised that we are expecting to take this work forward? I think that that is a very brief answer if you feel that you have already answered that question. As I said, I am happy to keep Parliament appraised of any response that we get from Michael Gove and the UK Government, but it is important that we can give certainty for the remediation programme beyond the £97 million that we have already committed. I can say to people that we are absolutely determined to progress with the single-building assessment, get the works under way and done, but we need the UK Government to give us clarity on the funding that will be available beyond the £97 million. I am supplementary, Willie Rennie. This is a Scottish Government responsibility, and the minister must understand that flat owners across the country are deeply anxious at the snail's pace that this Government is moving at when we will actually get some progress on this so that we can give the flat owners the assurance. What is the date by which this is going to be done and what funding is going to be forthcoming from the Government? I do not know if Willie Rennie heard my first answer, but I told him that there is already under way the 25 high-priority residential blocks of flats, which were the pilot for the single-building assessment, so that we can see what the scale of remediation is likely to be across Scotland. As I said in my initial answer, those inspections are under way and we expect the first completed report soon. I would have thought when we are actually getting on and doing something that other parts of the UK are looking at because it is a good model that that would be welcomed. I am as keen as anyone else in this chamber to make that progress, but there are very specific and complex engineering projects that are having to be taken forward. When we get those completed reports, I will be happy to keep Parliament updated about those. To ask the Scottish Government how it is well for policies of supporting people in employment who have been impacted by Covid-19. We have a wide range of support available for people in employment and on low incomes. That includes the majority of our social security benefits, our five family payments, discretionary housing payments and the £500 self-isolation support grant. Local authorities have awarded 56,317 self-isolation support grants totaling £28.2 million between October 2020 and November 2021. Our Scottish welfare fund has also provided almost £63 million to around 60,000 households since March 2020 to help those on low incomes. By October 2021, around 530,000 households have received our £130 low-income pandemic payment, an investment of nearly £70 million to assist people in need. Does the minister agree that the level of statutory sick pay set by the UK Government at one of the lowest rates in Europe has been found wanting during the pandemic? Will the minister join me, the STC and anti-poverty groups in calling for that increase in statutory sick pay that ensures that it gives the necessary financial support to those who are unable to work due to Covid-19 and other health conditions? I absolutely agree. Because employment law is reserved, we will continue to call on the UK Government to increase statutory sick pay to match the real living wage. Earlier in the pandemic, the then cabinet secretary for social security wrote to the secretary of state for work and pensions asking for the UK Government to make statutory sick pay more responsive. In September last year, the cabinet secretary for finance and economy wrote to the chancellor asking for him to consider the closure of the statutory sick pay rebate scheme to reconsider it. We are in agreement that the current level is not fit for purpose, and we will continue to make this point to the UK Government at appropriate opportunities. One of the few positives to come out of a pandemic is the flexible working from home that has become more mainstream, which suits many disabled people. Will the minister commit to engaging with employers and reporting back to Parliament on how we can continue to foster this inclusive working style post-pandemic, while taking into account issues of isolation, loneliness and social participation? I thank Jeremy Balfour for raising those important points, and I agree with the sentiment that was behind his question. If I may, I would like to take that suggestion away and engage further with Mr Balfour and finance and economy ministers to consider the points that he raises. To ask the Scottish Government how it will support local authorities to make decisions on local services based on local priorities. Local authorities are independent corporate bodies with their own powers and responsibilities. The Scottish Government has committed to supporting councils with a finance settlement of over £12.5 billion in 2022-23. That represents a cash increase of £917.9 million, or 7.9 per cent, which is the equivalent of a real-terms increase of 5.1 per cent. Analysis by Spice shows that almost 18 per cent of budgets for local councils are ring-fenced for Scottish Government initiatives. A steep rise from just 4 per cent in 2018-19. Can the minister confirm why ring-fencing has increased by over four times in recent years and that it reduces the ability of councils to deliver services based on local needs? While ring-fencing funding is for increased investment in services such as our schools, nurseries and local authorities, it also has autonomy to allocate 93 per cent—that is £11.6 billion—of the funding that we provide, plus all locally raised income. However, the Scottish Government recognises that local government has repeatedly called for the removal of ring-fencing in the settlement and a greater focus on trust and partnership working. On that basis, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, Kate Forbes, has committed to reviewing all ring-fenced funding as part of the forthcoming resource spending and review. We would welcome constructive engagement from local government in that process to ensure that the removal of any ring-fencing goes hand-in-hand with our shared priorities and outcomes, while also ensuring maximum value for money. The Social Justice and Fairness Commission that I had the pleasure of being deputy convener of reported last year and recommended an increased use of participatory budgeting in local government to ensure that local people had a greater say in their local communities, had greater local accountability and felt that their communities reflected their needs. Is that something that the Scottish Government would support and expansion of? The Scottish Government certainly supports participatory budgeting as one mechanism to evolve people in decision making. From a constituency perspective, I have seen the significant success of participatory budgeting in the Leith Tuesdays initiative. Our national participatory budgeting support programme has enabled more than 122,000 voters to have a direct say on the dispersal of more than £6.6 million. We will work with the national participatory budgeting strategic group that has produced the framework for the future of participatory budgeting in Scotland, with a particular focus on health and wellbeing, education, housing and climate change, and we will continue to work with them in that regard. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. Scotland has led the way in the delivery of affordable housing across the UK, and I am proud of our record of delivering over 105,000 affordable homes since 2007. We remain committed to our target of delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032. To support that aim, our draft budget increase of £174 million for affordable housing brings investment in 2022-23 to £831 million and total investment across this Parliament to £3.6 billion, meaning that we can continue the important work that started in 2007 of ensuring that everyone in Scotland has a warm, safe and affordable place to live. Sue Weber. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. Affordable housing is particularly important in Edinburgh, where the average house price has now surpassed £300,000 for the first time. But affordable housing statistics published last week show that only 822 affordable homes were completed in Edinburgh in 2020-21, a drop of over 35 per cent on the previous year. Homes for Scotland have warned of flaws in the City of Edinburgh's city plan 2030 and say that it will not be able to meet the housing demand in the coming years. Can I therefore ask the cabinet secretary whether the Government will step up investment in affordable housing and can she guarantee that councils such as Edinburgh will be able to access the grant funding that they need in order to meet local housing demand? Let me say a couple of things about that. Edinburgh will benefit from investment of £233.8 million towards the delivery of more good-quality affordable homes, an increase of over £32.4 million on the previous five years. The member talked about the progress under over 2020-21. During that time, the affordable housing programme was hit by the pause in non-essential construction during 23 March to 10 June. Clearly, construction then resumed in a safer, slower way in line with social distancing guidelines. However, that will have had an impact on the pace of the delivery of affordable homes, whether it is in Edinburgh or anywhere else. I am sure that the member and most reasonable people listening to this would understand that. However, the progress is picking up again. As I said in my initial answer, we are determined to make the progress on the delivery of affordable homes in Edinburgh and elsewhere. I would make the point that the Government's per capita spending on affordable housing is more than three times higher than the UK Government's, so we will continue to prioritise the delivery of affordable homes, which is in stark contrast to the Government's south of the border. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what work is under way with local partners regarding the 11,000 of those homes that are secured for remote, rural and island communities? With £3.6 billion of funding in place in this Parliament, we are working closely with partners to plan the delivery of affordable homes in rural, remote and island communities. Although our demand-led rural and island housing fund is supporting community groups and others not able to access the main affordable housing supply programme, we have committed to develop a remote, rural and island housing action plan, informed by a wide range of stakeholders, including community representatives, as that will be vital to ensure that it delivers for more remote, rural and island communities. Rent payments are the single biggest cost for many households. Year-on-year rent increases from social landlords squeeze already stretched family budgets. Can I ask what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that affordable housing is truly affordable? I will give my personal welcome back to Ruth Maguire and to the Parliament. We have a clear interest in housing association rent affordability and even more so given the pandemic, which we know has caused hardship for many and has increased living costs. Individual social landlords are legally required to consult their tenants on any rent increases and strike the best balance between rent levels and meeting the housing needs of local communities. The social housing charter requires landlords to take account of what current and prospective tenants are likely to be able to afford and the Scottish housing regulator monitors rent levels and rent affordability. We are considering how to build on the strong work that is already put in place around rent setting in the social rented sector as part of the rented sector strategy currently being consulted upon. Lastly, we have committed to develop a shared understanding of housing affordability, which is fit for the future and takes account of the real costs of housing. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to provide homeless accommodation in rural communities. Providing a suitable home for everyone is at the heart of our housing to 2040 strategy, and we are providing local authorities with investment of £53.5 million over 2018 to 2024 to tackle homelessness and move people as quickly as possible into settled accommodation with the right support. Communities will also be supported by the continuation of the Rural and Island Housing Fund, backed by £30 million of investment in this parliamentary period. We are committed to delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which 70 per cent will be for social rent and 10 per cent will be in remote rural and island communities. Evelyn Tweed. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Many constituents in my constituency cannot access homeless accommodation in rural areas at all and are having to move into the city of Stirling remote from work and family support. How will the Scottish Government support councils to provide homeless accommodation where it is needed? As I said, more than £53.3 million of resource planning assumptions has been allocated for Stirling councils affordable housing supply programme for five years up to 2025-26, and we are providing up to £30 million this Parliament for the Demand-led Rural and Island Housing Fund. As I said earlier, we are developing an action plan for remote rural and island housing, and Stirling council has received more than £430,000 to develop and implement its rapid rehousing transition plan between 2019-20 and 2021-22, and we will receive an allocation of £132,000 for 2022-23. The funding helps to prevent homelessness and provide settled accommodation to homeless households. Last year, there were over 27,000 households assessed as being homeless in Scotland, while 47,000 homes, valued at £8 billion, lay empty, including in rural areas. Compulsory purchase powers are no use to councils without fair funding by welcoming the Scottish Government's housing to 2040 proposal to establish a new fund for local authorities to bring empty homes back into residential use. Can the minister confirm by what date the fund will be ready to receive applications from councils and how much the fund will make available in its first year of operation? We are determined to bring as many empty homes back into operation as possible. Of course, the empty homes officers who have been working in local authorities to identify empty homes have been doing a really good job. I am happy to keep the member informed once they are in a position to announce the beginning of the empty homes fund and the timeframe that it will be working to and the amount of money that will be in it. I will keep the member updated. I have two more questions on the business bulletin. I would be keen to take both. I would appreciate succinct questions and answers. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on whether all homes are on track to comply with the new fire safety regulations by February. The regulations were introduced to protect lives and property and to bring owner-occupied and social rent properties into line with the private rented sector and new-build homes. We would encourage everyone to install them. As the regulations are not yet enforced, information will be collected in the next Scottish house conditions survey. As we have constantly said, the legislation says that work should then be done within a reasonable period, which takes into account individual circumstances and no home owner will be penalised if they are unable to do the work. I thank the minister for her answer, but I think that it is pretty shocking, given that the regulations were delayed by a year because of a lack of publicity about the regulations and the pandemic. If the minister cannot tell me how many homes are now compliant, could she at least tell us how many people have received financial support from the fund that was allocated, given the cost of installing fire alarms and the fact that the Scottish Government underestimated the cost of installation to meet the regulations in people's homes? I will go on in my statement that I will come on to shortly to outline the publicity that has gone on around the issue and the awareness that is out there. I will go into some detail around that in my statement. In terms of the support to people, we have put out £1.5 million to the care and repair and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to support those who might have struggled or home owners who might have struggled to put those appliances in place. I think that, from the most recent figures, around 2,000 people have been supported in one way or another through the care and repair service, but I will go into more details of that when I come to my statement. To ask the Scottish Government how many families in the Cercodi constituency have received a new Scottish child payment. We do not publish statistics on Scottish child payment by constituency, however we have data at local authority level that shows that just over 8,700 applications from clients in Fife had been approved for Scottish child payment between the opening for applications in November 2020 and September 2021. Those figures are based on the most recently available official statistics that cover the period up to the end of September 2021 and are published quarterly. Doubling the payment to £20 from April 2022 underlines our commitment to deliver it on the national mission to tackle child poverty. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The Scottish child payment has made a huge impact already on doubling of payments so that the Scottish Government is committed to using the limited powers that it has to tackle child poverty. As we look ahead into 2022, can the cabinet secretary outline how the Scottish Government will provide further financial support to people with a roll-out of new devolved benefits? I can tell the member that we are committing over £3.9 billion for benefit expenditure in 2022-23, providing to support to more than 1 million people in Scotland by March of next year. That includes doubling and extending the Scottish child payment, which was forecast to benefit 334,000 children by the end of 2022, and our new low-income winter heating assistance, which will guarantee a £50 payment to around 400,000 low-income households from next winter. Replacing the UK Government's personal independence payment with a new adult disability payment from next summer, benefiting around 20,000 people in 2022-23, rising to over 400,000 in 2024-25. That concludes the portfolio questions. Before we move on to the next item of business, I remind members of the Covid-related measures that are in place and that face covering should be worn when moving around the chamber and across the Holyrood campus.