 Thank you the best! The first item of business is portfolio questions. The first portfolio is Covid recovery in parliamentary business. I remind members that questions 1 and 2 are grouped together and I will take any supplementaries on those questions after they have been answered and as ever, if anybody wishes to ask a supplementary I will invite them to press their request of speaker buttons in the relevant question, is on level 1 Clare Baker. To ask the Scottish Government how it is measuring progress on its Covid recovery strategy commitment to improve financial security for low-income households. The Scottish Government has identified a range of high-level indicators that will help to measure progress towards achieving individual outcomes in the Covid recovery strategy. The majority of our outcome indicators are drawn from population surveys or large administrative data sets, which report annually, and which are more measurable than the outcomes themselves. We are working to identify additional intermediate indicators that report more frequently, and can therefore identify and influence real-time trends in advance. In October 2021, the Covid recovery strategy set out a number of actions to address financial security for low-income households in the following 12 to 18 months, including the second benefits take-up strategy. The annual report that was published in October showed that take-up of the job start payment remains far too low at only 29 per cent, with the rate of tribute to low awareness of the benefit and a lack of clarity around eligibility. There are also concerns that those leaving school are unable to access the support. Can the cabinet secretary advise on action under way to ensure that young people on low incomes, moving from a period of sustained unemployment or directly from school into work, are getting the support that they are entitled to? I accept the point that Clare Baker makes that one of the challenges is to ensure that people are fully utilising the benefits to which they are entitled at the moment in life to which they are entitled to that benefit. We take a number of steps, and my colleague the Minister for Social Security has set out some of this information to Parliament previously to raise awareness about individual benefits and to maximise take-up. That is our intention, that is our desire to ensure that that is the case. There will be awareness-raising measures taken. We will obviously look very carefully at the effectiveness of those awareness-raising measures. The Government's marketing strategies generally result in good engagement and good participation, but I will look specifically at the points that Clare Baker raises to identify if there are further actions that we need to take to raise awareness and to boost participation. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the new report by the Resolution Foundation, stating that the average household will be £2,100 worse off by the end of the next financial year. How ministers across Government are working to prioritise support to low-income households is set out in its Covid recovery strategy. The Scottish Government is prioritising funding to help household finances across Scotland. We are taking action to increase financial security for low-income households, and the emergency budget review confirmed a range of additional support in response to the cost crisis. Those include increasing the Scottish child payment to £25 per week, doubling the fuel and security fund to £20 million, and providing local authorities with additional funding for discretionary housing payments. In total, the Scottish Government has allocated around £3 billion this financial year to contribute towards mitigating the increased cost crisis. Over £1 billion of the support is only available in Scotland with the remainder being more generous than that provided elsewhere in the United Kingdom. I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer and his long-standing recognition of the impact that the pandemic has had on low-income households. The Covid recovery strategy really has a focus on groups more likely to experience low-income, one such group is families with three or more children. It is correctly acknowledged that our Scottish child payment will be assistance to those families. However, the Deputy First Minister also acknowledged that the UK Government's two-child policy with its important rate clause hinders our efforts and shows that increased powers and social security are necessary to maximise the support that we give to those families. Maureen MacNeill is absolutely correct that the two-child limit can have significant and negative effects on household income, which is why the Scottish Government has not adopted that approach in relation to the Scottish child payment. The families who have more than two children are able to access the Scottish child payment should they be eligible. We are obviously taking measures that try to challenge and tackle the effect of measures taken by the UK Government, which essentially make our challenge even greater as we work to reduce child poverty within Scotland. Our measures have a beneficial effect on child poverty levels in Scotland, and we will continue that relentless focus to support families to boost their household income. Following Glasgow City Council decision last week on community grant funds, a number of organisations, including some of which provide mental health and access to food support, are facing funding cuts and even closure. Given the bleak outlook for households as highlighted for the member for Clydebank and will guide, will the Government ensure that the organisations in Glasgow and elsewhere providing this lifeline support will not be forced to pull out of communities and even face closure when these communities are facing such vital hardship? Obviously, there's a range of organisations that are providing valuable and vital support to individuals within our communities, and the Government wants to make sure that we maximise support to those organisations. I was very candid about this department in setting out the budget in December. There are very significant financial challenges that all public sector organisations face as they wrestle with the cost crisis. However, if we all maintain a focus on supporting those in greatest need, we can do all that we can, or as much as we can, to try to address the financial hardship that individuals face. To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Parliamentary Business plans to propose the scheduling of time to consider legislation to end sex by as legal impunity as part of the business for the current parliamentary year. Details of future legislation will be announced in the programme for government in the normal way. Our policy in relation to prostitution, which includes considerations around the purchase of sex, has currently been taken forward through a framework for Scotland, which will seek to challenge men's demands for prostitution and support those impacted. I thank the minister very much for that response. Yesterday, the cross-party group on human trafficking heard from Valiant Richie, the OSCE's special representative and co-ordinator for combating trafficking in human beings. In this, Mr Richie emphasised that full criminalisation of the purchase of sex is by far the most effective legislative approach to tackling human trafficking for sexual exploitation. Given that this unrelenting sexual exploitation of women and children is on-going and that we have power to effect real change here, does the minister agree that this devolved matter should be treated with urgency in this parliamentary session and that space should, hopefully, be made for further parliamentary engagement? I agree with Bill Kidd that this is an extremely important issue. Last December, as part of the 16 days of activism to end violence against women and girls, the Parliament reaffirmed that there is no place for sexual exploitation in Scotland. I am currently working with ministers to agree that the upcoming legislative programme will continue to be kept informed by the lead minister as the work progresses. Following on from last night's human trafficking cross-party group, it was clear that countries that did not hold sex buyers accountable for their abuse were attractive destinations for traffickers. We also heard from Mr Richie about the clear targeting of Ukrainian refugees by traffickers and exploiters to the sex industry, making the issue even more urgent. Can I ask about the clear timescales as to when legislation to hold sex buyers to account will be brought forward? In the meantime, what steps the Scottish Government is taking to protect Ukrainian refugees and other vulnerable groups? As I said to Mr Kidd in my answer previously, I understand how important it is as an issue and how we move forward with it. It is also extremely important. As I mentioned, as we are currently working towards year 3's legislative programme, discussions will be on-going with other ministers with regard to that. I will ensure that the questions that have been asked here today are brought up when I have my bilateral meeting with that portfolio. Question 4, Natalie Donne. Who joins us remotely? To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact that rising inflation could have on its ability to deliver on the priority outcomes set out in the Covid recovery strategy. Presiding Officer, the financial situation, including high levels of inflation, is particularly challenging given the absence of financial powers to compensate for those factors. The Scottish Government has prioritised spending that supports those who need it most, guided in part by the principles of the Covid recovery strategy. Last year's emergency budget review and the 2023-24 budget provide funding that helps families, backs business and protects the delivery of public services. The Scottish Government is committed to making progress towards the shared Covid recovery strategy outcomes in partnership with local government and other partners, and we will continue to prioritise spending that is targeted to support those in most need. Natalie Donne. I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer. One of the key priorities within the recovery strategy is financial security for low-income households. It has been announced this morning that inflation is still at an eye-watering 10.5 per cent, five times higher than the chancellor's target, with basic food items such as milk and cheese increasing by up to 46 per cent. The Deputy First Minister agrees that our ability to deliver on the Covid recovery outcomes is being made much more difficult by the Tories' economic incompetence. I was explicit with Parliament in the budget statement in December just the scale of the challenge that is posed by the economic turbulence that has been experienced since the start of the war in Ukraine, but exacerbated by the twin effects of Brexit and the aftermath of the ludicrous mini-budget in early September. The presence of inflation in our economy at the very high levels that is currently faced with an even more acute pressure on low-income households because many of the foodstuffs upon which low-income households depend have increased disproportionately and higher than the headline rate of inflation, those issues are of significant challenge. That is why the Government has prioritised the increase in the Scottish child payment to the extent that we have. That is why I also announced an uprating of benefits under our control by 10.1 per cent to do all that we can to try to address the difficult circumstances that low-income households face. Question 5 was not lodged, so question number 6, Katie Clark. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review its Covid recovery strategy in light of rising Covid-19 infection rates. Presiding Officer, the Covid recovery strategy focuses on reducing systemic inequalities in reforming public services. The Scottish Government remains committed to this work and there are therefore no plans to review the strategy. The Scottish Government remains alert to the on-going threat posed by Covid-19. Public Health Scotland has worked in collaboration with the Scottish Government, local government and other partners to meet the commitments in the Covid-19 strategic framework update to develop and publish an outbreak management plan. We continue to utilise this, apply careful judgment and take all relevant factors into account to ensure that responses are appropriately targeted and the necessary resources prioritised to deal with the effects of rising Covid-19 infection rates. The Scottish Government ended free testing last April, which has led to some of the poorest in society being priced out of accessing lateral flow tests, which now cost an average of £9 for a pack of five. The decision is at odds with the aims of the Covid-19 recovery strategy to support low-income households. With current high Covid rates, will the Scottish Government review its strategy and explore the feasibility of reintroducing free tests? The Government has taken a range of measures to ensure that we have the available intelligence to support us in the management of the Covid-19 pandemic. Obviously, with the current rates estimated to be at approximately one in 25, we are facing a significant challenge. The issues are regularly reviewed by the cabinet and the ministerial group on health issues that is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and the resilience discussions that are chaired by the First Minister, which are taking place on a weekly basis. I understand exactly the point that Katie Clark puts to me and I understand and accept its significance, but I have to say that, in the absence of consequential funding to provide for this from the United Kingdom Government, we would have to consider funding of such approaches from the existing resources available to the national health service in Scotland. As Katie Clark will know, we have taken some very significant decisions to boost the funding available to the health service by increasing tax for higher earners in the next financial year, but we would have to wrestle with that question as part of the overall financing of our public services. I will consider further the issue that Katie Clark puts to me, because it is a serious issue, and I assure her that those questions will be regularly considered as part of the management groups that I talked about, who are looking at the effect of the pandemic on our public services. An important tool in tackling rising Covid infection rates is the booster vaccination programme, which is currently being rolled out. I know of several constituents who have contacted me who are in the over-50s age group who have not received appointment letters for a booster vaccination. Although they are able to access drop-in vaccination centres, which are a very welcome resource, often having the prompt and reminder from an appointment letter is what encourages people to attend. Does the Deputy First Minister know how widespread this issue is and what more might be done to make sure that over-50s and those in other vulnerable groups are reminded of the need to get a booster? I reassure Mr Fraser that the update rates are really quite high. There is an excess of 70 per cent for the eligible population. I have in my mind 77 per cent, but I do not have that number in front of me, but I will tomorrow morning when I am at the Covid-19 recovery committee, so I shall perhaps be able to give them a more definitive answer by that time. Those are really quite high levels of vaccination uptake. Obviously, we have taken an approach to awareness raising, which is designed to maximise the participation in those programmes. As I said, there are very high levels of uptake, and we should continue to do that. I think that the drop-in facilities that are available are handy and convenient for people, but I will consider further the point that he puts to me about some written communication, because it is in all of our interests if we have a highly vaccinated population. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its longer-term cross-government plan for Covid-19 recovery. The Covid recovery strategy contains over 70 actions that will support people across Scotland and particularly those most affected during the pandemic. It focuses on increasing financial security for low-income households, enhancing the wellbeing of children and young people and creating good-green jobs and fair work. I co-chair the Covid recovery strategy programme board alongside the COSLA president. Together with our partners, we oversee recovery activity, and at our meeting in September, attendees noted the expectations of the Covid recovery programme that will be delivered. The board is meeting again next week, and minutes are published on the Scottish Government website. I thank the Deputy First Minister for his answer and note the 70 actions in the recovery plan, but on the important issue of Covid booster vaccinations, can the Deputy First Minister advise what the current thinking is as regards a further programme of such booster vaccinations later this year and indeed in the years to come? Annabelle Ewingrys is an important issue, and I have just rehearsed on my answer to Murdoff Fraser. It is important to encourage uptake of the vaccination programme, and we are encouraged by the levels of uptake that are taking place, but I would encourage anybody who still is in the eligible population groups and has not been vaccinated to take up the opportunity of that vaccination. Our approach on vaccination is based on the clinical advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, and I would expect the JCVI to consider the question that Annabelle Ewingrys put to me about the provision of further booster vaccinations in 2023 or in later years, and to provide advice to the Government. Obviously, we stand ready to implement that advice. In the interim, I would simply reiterate that the Winter 22 booster programme campaign remains open until the end of March, and appointments are still available, and I would encourage anybody who is eligible who is yet to be vaccinated to come forward. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what Government business it plans to bring forward for the current parliamentary year. Proposals for Government business and Parliament are agreed by the Scottish Cabinet, subject to consideration by the parliamentary bureau, and in turn approval by the Parliament. So, as the year progresses and things move on, this will be the process. Can I thank the minister for his response? There are increasing concerns that the Scottish Parliament's processes are inadequate when it comes to the legislative scrutiny of the executive. For that reason, I intend to bring forward a member's bill on parliamentary reform. Can I take this opportunity to invite the Scottish Government to work constructively with me on this project? In the first instance, will the minister meet me so that we can discuss those issues together? Although I do not agree with some of the points that the member made, I am quite happy to meet him and discuss things as we move forward. I will give some examples of some of the times where there seems to be an idea that legislation does not get time to scrutinise legislation in here. When we had the recent gender recognition reform bill, the Government listened to concerns of the committee and agreed to propose a deadline on understanding that additional time would be agreed if a larger number of amendments came in and expected. In the national care service, the bureau agreed a longer stage 1 deadline following feedback from the committees. When we were hunting dogs, the rain committee recently requested that stage 2 of hunting with dogs was extended by one week, which effectively created a stage 2.5, and revised the deadline in order to do that. On the whole, I believe that we do work with those in opposition in other parties and with the committee system to ensure that scrutiny is there for the Scottish Government. On the subject of fixed links, during the 2021 Scottish Parliament campaign, the First Minister told local media in Shetland that she was, and I quote, not just open to it but actually quite enthusiastic about seeing if we can make the case. But the Scottish Government has not scheduled a debate on the matter yet, so will the minister contemplate the debate about fixed links and tunnels so that the case can be made and help to reverse depopulation and save costs in the long-term for internal ferry replacement? I take on board what Ms Wishart said. Seeing as normally my answer would be speak to your business manager, but in your case, I will make a special allowance and I will bring it up to the bureau and the bureau myself at the bureau. Thank you very much, minister. That concludes portfolio questions on Covid recovery in parliamentary business. It's time to move to the next portfolio, which is finance and economy. Again, I would encourage members wishing to ask a supplementary to press the request-to-peat buttons during the relevant question. There is awful lot of interest in this series of questions, so I would make a plea for brevity in questions and indeed in responses. I call first question number one, Annie Wells. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide all hospitality businesses with 75 per cent business rates relief in 2023-24. Having set out a strong non-domestic rates package in the draft budget, the Scottish Government has no current plans to introduce any further reliefs. As a result of that package, around half of properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in Scotland will already pay no rates in 2023-24, due to the most generous small business relief package in the UK. The budget statement also delivered the number one ask of the business community by freezing the poundage, delivering the lowest poundage in the UK for the fifth year in a row. Next year, hospitality businesses in Wales and to the south will receive 75 per cent business rates relief, but Scottish hospitality businesses are getting no extra relief from the SNP. 100,000 Scottish businesses are being shortchanged. They are missing out on more than 200 million pounds of support. How will our economy recover when Scottish businesses are worse off than companies across the rest of the UK? As I outlined in my original answer to Ms Wells, we already provided the most generous package of rates relief for businesses anywhere within the UK, including freezing the poundage, making it the lowest rate for the fifth year in a row. The reality is that we have to take decisions in the round when setting our budget and any additional revenue to be supplied for rates relief would have to come from a corresponding decrease in another area of government. If there is a particular area of funding that Ms Wells wishes to see reduced to support non-domestic rates relief, I am happy to have that discussion. There are a number of supplementaries. I want to get them all in, but they will have to be brief, as will the responses. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome the decision to freeze the rates poundage for going £308 million of income while ensuring that 100,000 businesses pay no rates at all. Can the minister say how much it would cost to provide 75 per cent rates relief for all hospitality businesses? Has Ms Wells or any other Tory MSP suggested from wearing the Scottish budget that those resources should be found or if taxes should be increased to pay for it? It would cost an estimated £85 million to provide hospitality properties to 75 per cent non-domestic rates relief capped at 110,000 per business in 2023-24. As I already mentioned in my answer to Annie Wells, our package of reliefs, which is worth an estimated £744 million, will see around half of the properties in the retail hospitality and leisure sectors benefit from 100 per cent small business bonus scheme relief alone in 2023-24. As I said, if any party wants to enhance the relief package and offer in the budget, then I would welcome hearing the very alternative fully funded proposals. Short of a discount, we know that retail businesses pay a fifth of non-domestic rates when they only account for 10 per cent of the economy. Short of that discount, surely there is a case to rebalance and recalibrate between sectors based on their economic contribution? As the members are aware, the process of setting the rateable value is one carried out independently by the Scottish assessors. The point that you touch is on though is a broader concern that I appreciate members will have with the way in which non-domestic rates operate, namely the lack of a correlation often between rateable value and the economic performance of a business. That is a matter that prompts requests for fundamental forms for non-domestic rates relief reform or non-domestic rates reform more generally. Those are discussions that I am happy to have, but that is a complex area. As I said, my door is always open to any member who wishes to discuss this in more detail. Hospitality businesses in Shetland were grateful for the support that was given to them during the Covid pandemic, but many are now feeling left behind. What more can the minister do to help island businesses through this difficult winter? As I would say, we provide a range of support through the relief packages that we have provided through the non-domestic rate system, including rural rates relief as well. As I said, we have to take decisions in the round. The package of support that we are providing on non-domestic rates, which applies Scotland-wide, is one that is the most generous in the UK. As I said previously in response to other members' questions, if there are specific proposals that members have for reform of non-domestic rates, I am happy to discuss that. If there are specific reliefs that they would like to say, I would welcome conversation, but it has to be with fully funded, costly proposals. Unite the unions, get me home safely campaign, calls on councils to make free, safe transport home for late-night workers a requirement for new and extended alcohol licences. Some councils such as North Ayrshire and East Dunbartonshire have backed the campaign. Will the Scottish Government explore making the provision of safe transport home for late-night workers a condition of future support for hospitality businesses? The issue of conditionality around rates relief has been raised in a number of different contexts. There are complexities to that, but I would be happy to discuss with the member in more detail. 2. Sandra Scolhoney I apologise for arriving during the session. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has fully considered the economic consequences of its presumption against new oil and gas exploration both to workers within the industry and to the wider economy as a whole. The oil and gas sector and the highly skilled workforce have long been at the forefront of energy innovation and have an important role to play in our energy transition. However, as we all know, the North Sea Basin is mature and production will inevitably decline. The draft energy strategy and just transition plan draws and established industry data, as well as independent work and mission from consultants that analyses the energy and economic contributions of the North Sea and wider oil and gas sector in Scotland. That includes production forecasts and the expected growth of Scotland's low-carbon energy sectors and impact of the energy transition on employment and the wider economy. As a responsible Government, we have set out a pathway to ensure a fair and just transition. Any other approach would only serve to put jobs and their economy at risk. 2. Sandra Scolhoney The oil and gas communities of the north-east of Scotland will be devastated at the disregard shown to them by this SNP Government. The sector is highly important to our economy and even in our just transition away from fossil fuels, which is estimated to take 25 years or more, it will be a necessary component of our ongoing energy infrastructure. Does the cabinet secretary accept that halting oil and gas production would simply increase our reliance on foreign imports of oil and gas, propping up questionable regimes, which will only amplify and relocate the greenhouse emissions that we seek to reduce, as well as damaging domestic job creation in Scotland? First, this is a question about future exploration, not existing oil and gas production, as the member seems to suggest. Is the case that around a third of 1999 levels will be produced in the North Sea by 2035 and less than 3 per cent, I will repeat that, less than 3 per cent of the 9090 peak by 2050? Therefore, we have a responsibility as the energy strategy fulfills by looking to the 2030s, the 2040s and future generations and their energy needs and the needs for jobs to look at what we can do to make sure that we meet our responsibilities as a country and not just focus on today's headlines. In terms of jobs, the research from RGU and other institutions, but particularly RGU in this case, has said that it is estimated that the number of jobs will rise from 19,000 in terms of low-carbon jobs in 2019 to 77,000 jobs by 2050, an actual increase in energy jobs in North East Scotland and elsewhere. I have to say to the member, as someone who represents a constituency with many oil and gas jobs and indeed spends a lot of time through my ministry of responsibilities in North East Scotland, I am very familiar with the views of the oil and gas sector. And the fact that the oil and gas majors are investing heavily in and are very committed to the energy transition. I think that the Scottish Tory party has to make up its mind, but what does it want to transition to because we want to transition to clean energy for Scotland and tackling climate change? We do need, I think, slightly briefer responses about a supplementary Audrey Nicholl. Thank you, Presiding Officer. In Prime Minister's questions last week, Rishi Sunak committed to supporting the North East energy sector. Does the minister agree with me that the Prime Minister should put his money where his mouth is, match the Scottish Government's £500 million just transition fund and stop delaying investment into the ACORN CCS project, which to date has been left completely in the lurch? It is very good points. Of course, the UK Government has extracted over £300 billion and the North Sea should match the Scottish Government's £500 million for North East Scotland and Murray's just transition fund. Likewise, in terms of the previous question about the economic assessment of our energy plans, what is the UK Government's economic assessment being of refusing to take forward the ACORN project that would create up to 20,000 new jobs in Scotland, many of which would be in North East Scotland? To ask the Scottish Government what the continuing impact of Brexit is on Scotland's key economic sectors. It is clear now that Brexit is holding back our public services and scaring our economy, leaving the EU has made it harder, for example, to recruit doctors and nurses for our NHS. In the latest research by Nuffield Trust shows that, without Brexit, the UK would have had over 4,000 more specialist doctors from the EU. Meanwhile, exports of some Scottish industries have plummeted due to Brexit trade barriers. Just look at fruit and vegetables, where EU exports have been slashed by half since 2019. That said, the Scottish Government will continue to support our businesses through our export growth plan, supporting Scotland's export performance and enabling it to outpace the UK's international goods exports, for example, up to 16.7 per cent in 2022, compared with the first nine months of 2019, when UK figures were only up 2.4 per cent. Does the minister agree that Brexit was never a one-off event or vote, but it is having a continuous negative effect on our economy with no apparent positives? We also know that businesses that export are more likely to pursue innovations, so with Scottish exporters continuing to face growing challenges trading with countries in the EU, that continuing Brexit effect will also impact on innovations in our economy for the future. Does he agree that the longer Scottish businesses remain out of the EU, the more damaged Brexit will bring to Scotland's economy and that the only political route to full benefits of trading in the single market with the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats now both embracing Brexit is for Scotland to become an independent state and join the European Union? As the member correctly identifies, Scotland's economy will continue to suffer while we remain outside of the European single market because of a hard Brexit that we did not vote for. Only through the full powers of independence will Scotland replicate the success of comparable countries that are more prosperous, more productive and fairer than the UK. 4. Joe FitzPatrick Thank you to ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any investment arising from the Tay cities deal. The Tay cities regions deal has had a successful first two years since it was signed in December 2020, with over £70 million of government funding already received by regional partners. The partnership is currently preparing the latest annual report that will outline the achievements to the end of September last year, which we anticipate including securing more than £120 million of investment into the region. 5. Joe FitzPatrick I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The Tay cities deal is delivering vital support to the regions economy in these challenging times, supporting skills development, providing training and job opportunities and driving additional investment into the area. Can the cabinet secretary say more about investments in Dundee specifically and how that is helping to support local employment and drive innovation? The Dundee, Mr FitzPatrick's constituency, has benefited significantly from the Tay cities deal. The cities universities are benefiting with £25 million in the Scottish Government towards enhanced infrastructure for life sciences innovation at the University of Dundee and support for the refurbishment that led to the cyberquarter development at Abertau University. That opened in June and aims to support 150 businesses in the cyber security sector, which is absolutely vital in the developments in the global economy. In the other end of the city, the investment from the Scottish Government around the Michelin Scotland investment park is significant in supporting the development of new opportunities. If Mr FitzPatrick will forgive me the developments that the James Hutton institute in my constituency, which is very close to the boundary of the city of Dundee, is welcome into the bargain. I agree with Mr FitzPatrick about the value of the Tay cities deal. In line with the rest of the developed world, we have seen substantial construction price inflation over the last two years since the Tay cities deal was signed. When I visited the James Hutton institute in December, it raised the issue with me as to whether the funds that have been allocated in the deal would now cover the construction costs of the very welcome major infrastructure build that I have to commit to. Has the Scottish Government done any work looking at whether the funds allocated in 2020 will now be sufficient to meet those increased costs? This is an issue that I raised in my budget statement to Parliament in December, because the issues that Mr Fraser correctly highlights will undoubtedly put pressure on those long-term projects. For example, projects that had an estimated cost in the benign climate of 2020 are now in a very significantly different position with the effect of hyperinflation. Obviously, we hope that there will be reductions in inflation, but I have to say quite openly to Parliament that there will be challenges about upgrading projects that have been affected by inflationary costs, because it is a problem that we are wrestling with right across Government. We will do our level best in the capital programme to address that and to ensure that projects are able to be taken forward. However, there will be strains in city deals, which are long-term growth deals because of the effect of inflation. I'm briefly Willie Rennie. St Andrews University has delivered its part of the Tay cities deal at the new Eden campus in Guard Bridge, but it burst them with ideas about what to do next. It wants to crack on with the next phase of the Tay cities deal. Has the minister had discussions with the UK Government about that next phase, and if not will he start them? We're certainly open to further discussions on those questions. I compliment St Andrews University on the development at Guard Bridge. I drove past it the other week there on my latest in Andrews, so it's looking very good and it's a very significant enhancement of the area and also a very sustainable proposition that has been developed. We've not had further discussions with the UK Government about a further round of city deals. Mr McKee will be in the Presiding Officer's constituency on Friday for the signing of the Islands deal, which is the latest of the deals that are involved in the island communities. However, we are very happy to have further discussions with the UK Government on those questions. He'll be afforded a very warm welcome. To ask the Scottish Government how it takes the complexity of human behaviour into account during financial policy decision making. Mr Tomarth. The Scottish Government is aware of the risks and benefits arising from behavioural responses to policy proposals and actively works with stakeholders such as the HMRC to monitor and continually improve the evidence base to help inform policy development. The Scottish Fiscal Commission is responsible for producing independent forecasts of devolved tax and social security spending for the Scottish budget and for making judgments about the scale of any behavioural responses and their fiscal implications in those forecasts. Michelle Tomarth. I thank the minister for that response. He'll be aware that the Finance and Public Administration Committee has launched an inquiry into approaches to decision making in Government. One key aspect is to fully understand how to assess risk. Does the Scottish Government have an established approach to the disaggregation of risk and, if so, can he outline their principles? Welcome and recognise the committee's work in this particular area and its continuing interest in this area when I have been before the committee. I am sure that that will make a valuable contribution to the subject, including the area of risk management. The Scottish Government has a robust risk management framework to support the identification, assessment management and reporting of risks during the development and delivery of policy within each portfolio and across Government. That helps to promote best practice for the identification and assessment of risk in the development and delivery of policy. This framework aligns to the principles of risk management that are outlined in the Scottish Public Finance Manual, which is publicly available. Thank you. At the same committee, the minister said in answer to a question to John Mason that he understands the importance of the private rented sector when it comes to the mobility of the working population. Will the Scottish Government address the concerns of landlord associations and some local authorities that the proposed increase in the tax on the additional dwelling supplement, which comes at the same time as the rent freeze, will cause some landlords to exit the market there by threatening the supply of private rented accommodation, which is so crucial to the economy, especially in the rural areas? As I said in some length committee yesterday, we take decisions on fiscal policy in the round. Yes, the policy and tension behind the additional dwelling supplement is clear. It is to provide support for first-time buyers, but it also has a clear objective on raising revenue. With regard to the specific point made with regard to local government, as I said, the issues there and the current lack of parity with RSLs is something that has been considered through the ADS review, and I will be in a position to update Parliament on the outcome of that review soon. To the Scottish Government, will it provide an update on its response to an announcement from Amazon that it is to close its guru site? I spoke with Amazon last week, but I was very disappointed that there was no clarity on the rationale for the potential closure in guru. I have since written to their US headquarters to seek further clarification on those points and to seek a conversation with those behind the company's operational decision. I have had a response back from Amazon in the UK, and I am about to reply back to that, because, to my mind, that does not go far enough in terms of information that it is providing to us. It is vital that we access the detail here in order to explore all the viable options and seek to secure an alternative outcome to Amazon's decision to close that site. I urged Amazon during that meeting to engage with local trade unions. At my request, the company has agreed to engage with the Inverclyde task force to better understand the potential impact on the local economy. To support the workforce, I hope that the minister will continue to urge Amazon to think again and also seriously explore with them options to relocate locally if the current site is deemed unsuitable, working alongside the GMB and the council. I know that the minister as a member of the Inverclyde social economic task force understands the long-standing challenges that this community faces, yet, already this year, 300 jobs look set to go at Amazon. Ports from the Clyde have lost out on free port status to the east and north, undermining their competitiveness. An Inverclyde council faces a £6 million black hole in its budget, raising the prospect of more job losses. Given all that, does the minister share my concern that the Inverclyde economy has been undermined and what action will the Government therefore take to support the local economy and ensure that the area gets a fair deal? We are focused on all parts of Scotland in making sure that we maximise our full potential. As the member knows, I engage closely with members and others in Inverclyde. I look forward to the next task force meeting on Monday of next week, which I will be attending in person to take forward discussions on how we can work together to ensure that the economy in Inverclyde is maximised to its full potential. Of course, there is a range of support, including regional projects and others that the Scottish Government supports and funds to support the development of the economy locally. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the comments by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce regarding the budget 2023-24 that it represents a clear disadvantage for Scotland's businesses and workers. I do not agree with that assessment in arriving at our income tax policy for 2023-24. We have sought to carefully balance the need to raise revenue with the impact on households, businesses and the wider economy at the current time. The majority of people in Scotland will still pay less income tax than if they lived elsewhere in the UK, and our income tax policy will enable us to make additional investment in the national health service by exceeding the health resource burden at consequentials from the UK Government. In addition, Scotland offers the most comprehensive social contract in any part of the UK, making Scotland an attractive place to live, work, study and do business. As I highlighted with the cabinet secretary at committee, this morning the tourism and hospitality sectors are facing severe pressure at the moment, but the budget provides little comfort. As Annie Wells suggested, the sector south of the border will receive a 75% discount on rates next year, while Scotland's Government, despite receiving hundreds of millions of pounds of Barnett consequentials to deliver the same, has chosen not to. Scottish Beer and Pub Association says that it puts Scottish pubs at a significant disadvantage. The Scottish hospitality group said that the budget offered nowhere near enough to see the sector through and that many small businesses will not survive. The Scottish Tourism Alliance expressed the disappointment of its members and warned that 23% of Scotland's tourism businesses were in survival mode. If the cabinet secretary will not offer the same to Scotland's struggling sector, will he at least lobby his ministerial colleagues to roll back some of the extra and necessarily regulatory burdens, such as the delayed short-term let's licensing and deposit return schemes that they intend to push on this already struggling sector? In a sense, Mr Halcro Johnston answers his own question. The Government has already delayed the introduction of the short-term licensing scheme to provide more time for sector to adjust for that. The Minister for Public Finance set out in response to Annie Wells earlier in the session that about half of the retail tourism and hospitality businesses will benefit from 100% rates relief because we have a different small business bonus scheme in Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom. Rather than just saying to us that we should replicate what goes on in England, if we replicated what went on in England on the small business bonus scheme, lots and lots of companies would have to start paying business rates and Mr Halcro Johnston is not offering that. Finally, I come to the point here that Mr Halcro Johnston is asking me, according to the figures that Mr Arthur put on the record, to commit to spending another £78 million on business rates relief. If Mr Halcro Johnston wants me to spend £78 million on business rates relief, he has to have the honesty to come to Parliament and explain where the money is coming from. Already his colleagues are opposing the tax changes that I have made, so that is another £125 million or so that they have to find. The Conservatives cannot come here and ask me to spend more money when they will not tell me where the money is coming from. I am determined to get our final question in. In question 8, Pam Duncan-Glancy. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to support businesses in key sectors of Glasgow's economy. The Scottish budget for next year will deliver the lowest non-domestic rates poundage in the UK for a fifth year in a row and maintains a package of reliefs worth an estimated £744 million. That will benefit many businesses in Glasgow. In addition, in Scotland's industry leadership groups have played an important part in developing sectoral recovery plans that ILOG chairs around table facilities across industry conversations and actions focused on areas of greatest strategic importance for industry. Many of those sectors are represented across Glasgow's wide and diverse economy. Scottish Enterprise has invested £25 million in the Glasgow city innovation district and is a founding member of the Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company. I thank the minister for that response and one sector that has not been mentioned are back cab drivers in Glasgow. Black cab drivers in Glasgow have been given until June this year to meet low emissions own targets. Most cannot afford the £61,000 for new cars that would comply and on Friday the energy savings trust said that there was no money left for grants to retrofit vehicles and they stopped accepting applications from yesterday. Given the deadline to meet low emissions on standards as June, how on earth are cab drivers expected to meet the requirements and will the Scottish Government commit to providing more financial support and grants to prevent major job losses in the black cab trade in Glasgow? The Scottish Government has made £7.2 million available to support funding for small businesses, including taxi operators and households since 2019. There is support available for retrofit of existing vehicles. The Scottish Government has offered grant funding of up to 80 per cent of the capital costs of that and that is the most generous offer of its kind in the UK. This year, record numbers of taxes have been retrofitted as a consequence of that. Grant funding is available and is providing over £2,000 per vehicle, disposed of, where existing vehicles have been disposed. That is open to any micro-businesses in taxes, which complies the most applications for that in the last financial year. Glasgow City Council has a discretionary mechanism for eligible taxi operators to receive a temporary exemption to the LEZ beyond enforcement date of June 2020. That will give taxi operators additional time to comply, but I am very happy to take any other points that the member wants to raise separately in discussion and to raise those with Glasgow City Council. With apologies to those who I was not able to call for supplementaries, I would make the play that responses, particularly from ministers in terms of descriptive responses, need to be shorter and allow more of those supplementaries in. We now need to move to the next item of business. There will be a brief pause to allow front benches to change.