 Ydw i gaelr cyfnodau yn cydou iawn i'r clywedol hwnnw i'r clywedol, i'r cyfnodau, i'n fawr yn dewis i'r cyfnodau i'r cydwyddiad yma, felly, os ydych chi'n gweithio eich clywedol, ond y cyfnodau yma wedi cael eich cyfnodau i'r cyfnodau, wrth gwrs, na dod yn y cynnig ymdd indirect argreifyddau, ac mae'n dwyfnod rhan fyddiau gwasi anghylch â cerd wydd, ac mae anodd cwestiynau peiriau yma ar Yrgrifedd Gwriaim Simpson. That's right. Thank you very much. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the boycott announced by the Scottish's list of bar association will have on the number of outstanding trials in Scotland. Section 1 of the Domestic Abuse Scotland Act, or DASA, which criminalises coercive and controlling behaviour, has been in operation for over three years. Last year, section 1 cases accounted for 5 per cent of all domestic abuse cases. The latest data from Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service shows that accused in recent DASA cases have been represented through current capacity of the PDSO and with private providers who are continuing to work on those cases. As has been the situation throughout our aim, remains to seek an appropriate and affordable resolution to the issue in the interests of vulnerable victims and those accused of crimes that are barred from defending themselves. I think that the minister for that rather strange answer in which she appeared to be saying that there will be no impact. Perhaps she can clarify that, which can give a clearer response to this one, because solicitors are clearly saying that they have had enough. Does the minister not agree with the Law Society of Scotland that there needs to be a long-term fee review established for legal aid as soon as possible? In the meantime, what is she doing to support victims of crime? She will be very anxious about the lengthy delays that are set to face as a result of this action. I will answer the member's question. Not very much time has elapsed since the action that has been taken by some solicitors on DASA cases, so I am sure that the member would accept that at this point it is quite difficult to predict at the moment what impact it will have. The Scottish Government has taken a large number of actions, and most recently the action that has been taken was a targeted fee package, which was targeted specifically to areas of concern that had been raised with us by the profession, plus an additional offer of a fee rate rise—a cross-a-board fee rise to legal aid rates—of 5 per cent that has not been accepted so far by the profession. We are working at pace to put in place measures to address any shortfall. As I have outlined to the member at the moment, there does not seem to be a shortfall, but we will continue to monitor that situation to make sure that we can address any shortfall that does occur in the availability of solicitors. We are continued to commit to continued engagement to seek a resolution with the profession, but I remind the chamber that the demand by the profession at the moment is for an increase of 50 per cent, in addition to the increases that have already been made by the Scottish Government, which amounts to quite a significant investment of more than £20 million over the past few years. That would add around about a £60 million increase to the legal aid budget per year, and, unfortunately, that is quite simply at this time that it is not affordable. A very brief supplementary from Jackie Dunbar. To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to increase the capacity and capability of the legal aid profession in Scotland. Again, as briefly as possible, minister. I would say that one of the main things that we have done in order to address those issues that the member has raised is that we provided £9 million of grant funding. That was during Covid and some of that money was specifically for business resilience. In order to help businesses to adapt to the situation that they found themselves in and to invest in ways to find solutions to those issues that they might have. We were also approached by the profession about capacity issues. In order to help to resolve that situation, we set up a fund, and we invested £1 million into that fund. It is co-run with the Law Society of Scotland for trainees. Over 40 trainees are on that system, and 75 per cent of them are women, because we recognised that that was potentially an issue. That was, again, us attempting to resolve those issues raised by the profession. To ask the Scottish Government when its policy on ending custodial sentences for 16 and 17-year-olds will be implemented. The Scottish Government is committed to reducing and ultimately to ending the placement of under 18s in young offenders institutions. In line with our commitment to keeping the promise, we aim to deliver that by the end of 2024. Resourcing and legislative reform will be needed first, but we will move forward without delay. A consultation on legislative proposals was published on 30 March, and views are invited until 22 June. Sentencing decisions will, of course, remain with the independent courts. Where 16 and 17-year-olds require to be deprived of their liberty, they should be placed in age-appropriate settings. I thank the cabinet secretary for her answer. Scotland has seen multiple incidents of 16 and 17-year-old murderers in recent years, and their place absolutely should be in jail. Can the cabinet secretary confirm that 16 and 17-year-old killers, rapists and other serious offenders will still go to prison once that change has been implemented? It is obvious from the answer that, given that we agree with the idea that people committee and those serious offences should be deprived of their liberty and that public safety should come first. We also believe that they should be in the age-appropriate settings, and that is the reason for the answer that I have just given. The Conservative UK Government's own analysis shows that custodial sentences of under 12 months without supervision on release are associated with higher levels of re-offending than sentences served in the community. Instead of trying to appear tough on crime, we need policy that actually works. With that in mind, does the cabinet secretary agree that community sentences and an evidence-based approach to justice will better serve victims of crime by working to reduce offending? I absolutely agree with that point. It is a case that the Conservatives are not interested in reducing crime and the number of victims in society. If they were, they would support community justice alternatives, which, as the member said, drive down reconvictions. We know from national statistics that individuals released from a custodial sentence of 12 months or less are reconvicted twice as often as those given a community payback order. We are focused on what works. Our firm focuses on prevention, effective community interventions and rehabilitation, both in communities and custody, and that helps to reduce victimisation. While no sentence, either in custody or in the community, can eliminate the possibility, of course, of some individuals re-offending in the future, both reconvictions and overall crime in Scotland are at historically low levels. 3. Willie Coffey Thank you to ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering any reforms to the justice system in relation to convicted and incarcerated persons who own and control property in Scotland. I know that the member knows that it is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on individual cases, but I can assure the member that Scots law does prevent someone who has unlawfully killed another person from inheriting that person's estate. Although a murderer cannot inherit from the victim's estate, they can, however, assume the role of executor. The function of the executor is to represent the deceased and its fiduciary in nature, meaning that there is an ethical relationship of trust. Until such time as the estate is distributed, they have control of the deceased person's property. 4. Willie Coffey I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. I raised the disturbing local issue where a convicted and incarcerated murderer retains ownership and control of a house that is falling into disrepair with no maintenance being carried out, access being denied to family members and is also exempt from paying any council tax. Can the cabinet secretary consider what might be done to resolve a problem like this where neighbours are having to live beside such a mess and immediate family members are unable to resolve what is a humiliating and embarrassing situation for them? I said that I cannot comment, but I know the case to which the member refers. The Scottish Government has met previously with the family and heard about the personal toll that the lack of closure has had on them. I sympathise with the family in the situation that they find themselves in. It is important to be clear that, under Scott's laws, someone who is unlawfully killed cannot inherit from the estate. They can, however, as in this case, assume the role of executor, but the overarching role of an executor is to distribute the estate to those persons entitled to it, not to keep property indefinitely. The Scottish Government has consulted on whether a convicted murderer should continue to be able to assume the office of executor, and there was some support for reforming the law. We continue to keep the matter under consideration with a view to taking this reform forward. I would be happy to take that away and consider the matter further. Perhaps my colleague the Minister for Community Safety, who has responsibility for civil law, can agree to meet the member with further information about what might be done in the future to resolve this type of issue. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest reported crime statistics. Those statistics show that recorded crime remains at one of the lowest levels since 1974 and is down 41 per cent since 2006-07, with non-sexual violent crime down 36 per cent over the same period. Homicides are at the lowest level since 1976. Incidentally, last November, the member retweeted an accusation that I have mislead this Parliament in relation to homicides. I hope that you will take the opportunity either to repeat that accusation today or to apologise for it because it was entirely false. The Scottish Crime and Justice Service shows that adults in Scotland were less likely to experience crime in 2019-20 than those living in England and Wales. Although that progress is very encouraging, the levels of crime over recent years highlight that there is more to be done. We have increased the policing budget with a total of £22.23 of almost £1.4 billion. Police officers work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, but in East Lothian reports of anti-social behaviour have skyrocketed. Residents have reported cars damaged and homes egged in press and pans with youth-related anti-social behaviour becoming a growing concern for residents of Huntington town centre. With data revealing that the number of bobbies on the beat across Scotland has plunged to its lowest level since 2008, will the minister join me in calling for more community police in East Lothian? First of all, the chamber will note the member rejected the idea of either confirming the allegation that he made last November or apologising for it. The chamber will note that. On relation to the policing situation, of course it is the case that we have substantially more—and the Tories get very animated when they hear this—substantially more police officers in Scotland than they have in England and Wales. They are paid substantially higher for a constable starting in the police force around £5,000 a year higher as a starting constable. We know what the Tories do when they have the chance to set levels of policing. It is substantially less than what the SNP does, and we will continue to invest in police services. I would note just in passing that the Conservatives made no amendment to our budget after increased policing costs. They made no amendment when they had the chance to do so. They must, despite what they say today, be very pleased about the higher levels of policing here in Scotland under the SNP. I would encourage members to ask the minister to respond to the questions, whether they are not to be sedentary interventions or, indeed, from the front bench to respond to those sedentary interventions. A brief supplementary from Faisal Chowdry. In the latest available statistics for reconviction rate, I note that, while the baseline rate is 28.3 per cent, the reconviction rate for those with custodial sentence is struggling 43.8 per cent. What is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that prison gates are not revolving doors? That is, in my contrast, a very fair question. I would say that it is the case that we acknowledge the point that in a game we get interventions from a sedentary person, but it is the case that short sentences are associated with increased levels of reconviction, as the member says. That is why we are looking to increase the community disposals that can be used in the judicial system, because, as I mentioned in the previous answer, they have lower reconviction rates. I am sure that the member shares with me the ultimate aim, which is to reduce the number of crimes and therefore reduce the number of victims in Scotland. He makes a fair point, and I hope that he will agree that that is the direction of travel of this Government. Question number five has not been lodged to question number six. To ask the Scottish Government when it is last corresponded with Poppy Scotland regarding support for veterans. A last met with Poppy Scotland to discuss veterans issues on 29 September last year, and since then my officials have engaged with them regularly on a range of topics, including the Poppy appeal, the festival of remembrance, the preparation for events to mark the 40th anniversary of the falcons war, as well as discussing promoting the veterans question in the 2022 census and veterans employment and health. The most recent engagement by Scottish Government officials came last month when Poppy Scotland was invited to comment on the current draft of our upcoming refresh of the veterans strategy action plan. On 20 April, in response to my question on veterans mental health and wellbeing, the minister stated that the UK Government should fund the commissioner in Scotland, making comparisons with the commissioner in Wales. However, Poppy Scotland highlighted to me that the minister neglected to mention that the UK funded Welsh commissioner is limited to commenting on areas reserved to the UK Government. So my question is, as the Scottish Veterans Commissioner was set up by the Scottish Government and funded by Scottish Government and reports only to Scottish ministers on devolved area, why does the minister believe that the commissioner in Scotland should now be funded by the UK Government? And does he believe that the UK Government should now be involved in the appointment and operation of that role as they will be funding it? No, I do not agree with that. I just simply drew to the member's attention the fact that there were different rules being applied by the UK Government in relation to Wales and to Scotland. Of course, not only do the UK Government not fund the commissioner in Scotland, we set it up ourselves, we pay for it in Scotland through funds, none of which is associated with any part of the Barnett formula. We do think that it would be important that the work that we do on veterans and a great deal is done in this Government in terms of veterans has been for many years and we have dragged the UK Government with us to do more. We do think that that should be recognised in the funding formula. I would have thought that the member would want to agree that we should have more funding for veterans in Scotland and the UK Government should stand behind that and help our veterans wherever it is possible to do so. In light of the successful Poppy Scotland and Royal British Legion campaign to include a new question and service status in the census, will the cabinet secretary join me in taking this opportunity to highlight the importance of computing the census to better understand our veterans' needs? You are good to have a supplementary question that relates to the substantive question about Poppy Scotland. As I said in our news release with Poppy Scotland back in March, I would strongly encourage all of our veterans across Scotland who have not already done so to take the opportunity to complete the census and the previous service and the armed forces question before the now extended deadline of the end of May. That will help us to develop a more complete picture than ever before of our veterans' population and give us a real insight into the ages and circumstances of veterans across Scotland, which will be vitally important as we continue to improve the provision and targeting of support for armed forces, personnel and their families. I apologise that I was not present at the beginning of portfolio questions. I was late returning from a committee visit, and I apologise. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve the effectiveness of fatal accident inquiries into deaths in custody. As the member knows, the law and advocate is constitutional responsible for the investigation of deaths. The Crown Office has already put in place many improvements to systems and processes to ensure that all deaths are investigated thoroughly and within a reasonable timescale. Funding overall for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service budget has been increased in recent years to help to support the progress of those investigations. It is also true that a specialist investigation team will be established during 2022, which will investigate all deaths occurring in legal custody. Separately, the Scottish Government has also accepted in principle the recommendations of the independent review of the response to deaths in prison custody. External Chair Jill Emery has been appointed to oversee the work of implementation, including the key recommendation of an independent investigation into every death in custody. That will not replace the FAI nor any of the current inquiry processes, but would instead complement the independent investigation of the Crown Office into the circumstances of the death. Thank you, and I'm very grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for that answer. The public inquiry into the death of Shaco Baill has commenced more than seven years after his death in custody, and the inquiry would probably not have happened if his family had not fought for it. Research suggests that only 31 per cent of families are represented at fatal accident inquiries. Will the Scottish Government review the rules, particularly the legal aid rules, around the representation of families where there has been a death in custody? Can I say that the member's question touches on areas that I think are best responded to by the Lord Advocate, although they also involve questions for the Scottish Government. I would just say that the Scottish Government, the taxpayer, funds very substantial legal costs at public inquiries, as I'm sure the member will be aware that these can last for many years, involve very senior legal representatives. For my part, I'm happy to look at those issues, although I will do so in conjunction with the Lord Advocate. The freedom of information request that I put into the Crown Office shows that the average time taken to complete an FAI in Scotland is around three years. Last year, more than five took more than five years, with the longest been 4,000 days in total. The Cabinet Secretary will imagine the pain that that causes the families of the victims of these tragic deaths. Can he confirm that he's had a right, proper and sensible, robust conversation with the Crown Office about those elongated timescales? Can he also confirm that the FAI into the tragic death of John Ewell and Lamarra Bell will commence this year, as has been promised? On the latter point, I think that Jamie Greene would have had that undertaking from Lord Advocate, and I think that it's right that she should respond to that last point that's made. Yes, we have had a number of conversations, not just the one the officers myself and the Minister for Community Safety on this issue. I accept the point that the member makes about how things, if they take a very long time, can have an effect both on the victims and on the quality of evidence, ultimately. However, he will also be aware of recent efforts that have been made to try and reduce the time here. Also, the increasingly specialist nature, if you think about the one involving the helicopter crash in the North Sea, requires all sorts of expertise to do that properly, and it is very important that they are done properly. During the two reporting years from April 2020 to March 2022, despite the effects of the pandemic, including restricted court availability, Crown Office successfully concluded 53 FAIs relating to deaths in custody of those 31 related to deaths that occurred in 2019 or 2020. To ask the Scottish Government what developments have been made following the publication of the independent review of the response to deaths in prison custody report? We are committed to making improvements while providing more prompt answers. I held around table with the Inspector of Prisons and the review co-chairs and stakeholders in February to ensure progress of the review recommendations as implemented swiftly. I hope that the member will take some comfort from the fact that we have appointed already Jill Emery as an external chair to oversee progress against the recommendations. A range of progress is under way, including around-table held with UK and Irish counterparts that are learning lessons, and the instigation of a working group of key agencies and the Scottish Government to progress the recommendations, too. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the veteran secretary has had with the Minister for Mental Well-being regarding any urgent action that can be taken to meet the mental health needs of veterans. The Minister for Mental Well-being and social care and I are committed to ensuring that veterans can access appropriate mental health support wherever they live in Scotland. At the debate that we had in March this year, we jointly supported the principles in the veteran mental health and wellbeing action plan that was published in December last year. As a first step, we are providing £50,000 to CME to tackle the stigma veterans told us that they experience, and we have appointed Dr Charles Wyn Stanley to establish a veteran-led implementation board to take the plan forward. We are also continuing to fund combat stress and veterans' first point to provide veteran mental health services during implementation. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The Scotland Veterans Commissioner recently raised concerns that the mental health needs of our ex-servicemen and women are being forgotten about as the NHS recovers from the Covid pandemic. In the chamber on 1 March, before the publication of the commissioner's positive future report, the cabinet secretary endorsed and committed to 38 recommendations set out in the veterans mental health plan. Cabinet secretary, please outline what progress has been made towards implementing the recommendations and what response does the Government have to the concerns raised by the veterans commissioner? First of all, on the other recommendations, I mentioned some of my initial answer, and I am happy to write to members with a full account of the progress that we are making so far. On the second point raised by the member, what are we doing? So £1.4 million to combat stress, £666,000 to veterans' first point, which in turn is matched by six local health boards to provide services in 2023. We also help to fund a number of other organisations that are funded through the Veterans Fund, which help veterans from, for example, Horsbank, UK to a number of other organisations. We treat that very seriously. We are putting in and have put in substantial sums of money to do it. Of course, the action plan that we have mentioned, which I will write to the member further on details and further progress that we intend to make. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the £2 million funding boost that was announced in March for services that provide mental health support to veterans has had on the sector. I thank the member for that question. It allows me to say that both veterans' first point and combat stress—and this will be of interest to Pam Duncan-Glancy as well—allowed them to take on two specialist veteran mental health service providers to continue to provide advice and support to veterans across Scotland. The fund has also been used to commission CME to design and implement a campaign to address stigma. It seems appalling that veterans should suffer stigma at this day and age, but to address that issue, which has been experienced by veterans and their families. That concludes portfolio questions on justice and veterans. I thank colleagues and the ministerial team for allowing us to get through all the questions that were wanted to be asked. We now move on to the second portfolio, which is finance and the economy. Again, any member is wishing to ask a supplementary on a particular question if they could press the request-to-speak buttons during that relevant question. Again, it is to sync questions and answers. Please, starting with question number one from Evelyn Tweed. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on a recent report by the London School of Economic Centre for Economic Performance that states that Brexit-related trade barriers have resulted in a 6 per cent increase in UK food prices. The Tory cost of living crisis has its roots in the Tories' disastrous Brexit policies. The Scottish Government, alongside many others, has repeatedly warned that Brexit would be damaging to business and trade, and we are seeing that play out right now. The UK Government holds the levers to address the cost of living crisis, but refuses to use them. We are using all the powers and resources that we have to tackle poverty and to help those who are struggling to make ends meet. It is clear that Brexit has made the cost of living crisis worse for the UK and Scotland. Despite Scotland voting against Brexit, we are still living with the consequences of the Tory UK Government's hard Brexit deal. Does the cabinet secretary agree that this report clearly shows how Scotland is facing a cost of living with Westminster crisis? The member is quite right. It is the Tory's cost of living crisis, it is the Tory's Brexit and it is the Tory's failure to lift a finger to help anybody right now in Scotland who is contending with the challenges of rising inflation and rising costs. We have repeatedly warned that Brexit would be damaging, and that means that we have now seen Scottish businesses experience record increases in input prices in 2022, with firms citing Brexit as a contributing factor, as highlighted by SNP global statistics. That has fed through to the 17th monthly rise in prices charged by businesses, and that damage to trade reflects the reckless approach that is being taken by the UK Government. I think that the minister is right. There is no doubt that the Conservative policies, including Brexit, have contributed to rising food prices and the cost of living crisis. It is important that we learn the lessons of Brexit. Is the minister aware of any research on the potential impact on food prices from Scottish independence-related trade barriers? Trust the Lib Dems to defend the Conservatives on the challenges that Scots are facing right now when it comes to the cost of living and the result of Brexit. We know fine well that, if the powers to combat the cost of living challenges were in the hands of this Government, we would take a much different approach. To ask the Scottish Government what its latest engagement has been with the UK Government regarding programmes to deliver a replacement for EU structural funding. Since last month's launch of the UK shared prosperity fund, which confirmed that the UK Government has reneged on its promise that EU funding would be replaced so that Scotland would not lose out financially from Brexit and that devolution and this Parliament would be respected and strengthened post Brexit, the UK Government has made no effort to make contact or engage with the Scottish Government at either ministerial or official level on this fund. I thank the minister for his answer. In further to his answer, the Scottish Government previously made decisions about how best to spend EU structural funds based on local priorities. Now a UK Tory Government, which Scotland did not vote for, is cutting Scotland's elected government out of the decision making process. Does the minister agree that this Tory UK Government poses a fundamental threat to devolution? Yes, I do. The shared prosperity fund exemplifies the UK Government's encroachment into devolved policy areas. The UK Internal Market Act, which was passed despite no consent from the devolved Administrations, enabled spending in devolved policy areas with no recourse for the Scottish Government. That raises the significant constitutional questions and undermines the role of this Parliament. The lack of decision making for the Scottish Government in the governance of the fund completely undermines devolution. By referring to a joint ministerial board, it makes it explicit that UK ministers will always have the final say. The devolved Governments have been invited to join the board as advisors, but we were not elected to advise Westminster. We were elected to lead, to make decisions and to take responsibility for the future wellbeing of Scotland. The UK Government should fully devolve control of the fund to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government and immediately increase the value of the fund to £549 million, which reflects the amount that is needed to replace EU structural funding. Question 3 is not lodged. Question 4, Colleys de Duton. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to support the economy in East Kilbride. The Scottish Government is supporting the economy in East Kilbride in a number of ways, not least through its inclusion in the Glasgow City region deal, which the Scottish Government fund with £500 million over 20 years, but it is delivering a programme of investments to stimulate economic growth and create jobs. Projects in East Kilbride include the £62 million Stuartfield Way project and the £25.7 million Greenhouse Road project, and East Kilbride has also been identified as one of the four community growth areas in the deal. Furthermore, we will support retail stakeholders within East Kilbride to respond to the work emerging from the city centre recovery task force and with COSLA to the town centre action plan review, including promoting town and city centres as places to live and as retail and cultural destinations and repurposing vacant units. Last Friday marked East Kilbride's 75th anniversary as Scotland's first new town, and I want that to create a lasting legacy for the town and its economy. As the minister, you may know, Meij control systems was recently accredited as East Kilbride's first living hours employer. Does the minister agree with me that good employment practices are essential to delivering a sustainable economy in East Kilbride and across Scotland, and can he outline the schemes that are available for employers and how they can apply for that accreditation? I thank the member for her supplementary question, and I agree wholeheartedly that good employment practices are essential for delivering a sustainable economy. That is why fair work is one of the pillars of our national strategy for economic transformation. In 2022-23, the Scottish Government is providing £388,000 to the poverty alliance to expand the real living wage employer's accreditation scheme, the living hours employer's accreditation scheme and the making living wage place scheme to increase the number of workers receiving the real living wage and benefiting from a secure contract. I encourage all employers to pursue real living wage and living hours accreditation and to engage directly with the poverty alliance who will support them through the accreditation process. Additionally, groups of employers can seek support from the poverty alliance to form local partnerships to pursue making living wage places recognition. The minister said in his original answer that he quoted the Stuart Field Wae scheme, which is a, frankly, ludicrous scheme under the city deal to create a new dual carriageway round East Kilbride, a scheme that nobody wants, it will create no jobs and harm the environment. Can the minister give us an update of where we are with that scheme? The member raises an interesting point because, of course, decisions about the selection of projects are taken by the city region cabinet, and that's where decisions should be taken. Rather than when we are observing with the UK Government's approach to levelling up for decisions that have been taken distantly in Whitehall, that's what community empowerment is about, that's what economic regeneration is about, that's what supporting local economies is about and that's what we are doing, the autonomy for the city cabinet to take those decisions that are right for their particular area. The milestone of 75 years since East Kilbride achieved new town status the first in the country is indeed a cause for celebration. Looking to the future, people who live and work in East Kilbride are keen to that investment will continue, particularly infrastructure and jobs. What progress is being made to put the dualling of the UK rail line back on track? As the member will be aware, we are delivering electrification of the rail line to East Kilbride as we are doing so into the barhead as well as part of that project. That is a commitment that is fully considered and appraised through due process and it is one that this Government is delivering. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on implementing the delivery of its national strategy for economic transformation. We have made good early progress on implementation since the publication on 21 March. We published the technology sector export plan on Monday. We announced the establishment of the centre of expertise in equality and human rights, which will help to tackle structural inequalities and support the vision for a wellbeing economy. An announcement will be made very shortly on the new inset delivery board as well as the new chief entrepreneurship officer. That inset delivery board will hold to account the public sector businesses and the third sector partners. We undertook to work collaboratively with all sectors and with individuals and communities to develop the delivery plans and agree key metrics. Those plans will be finalised and since the launch of the strategy, both Ivan McKee and myself have met more than 150 stakeholders across all sectors. Ensuring that businesses in Scotland can benefit from the opportunities of digitalisation will be central to delivering economic transformation. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update as to the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to support businesses, including those in my constituency of Midlothian North and Musselborough, to access such opportunities? We fully understand the benefits that digital technologies bring to businesses. I am very clear that economic transformation needs to be digitally driven. That is why, since January 2021, we have invested almost £50 million to help businesses of all sizes across sectors and geographies to take advantage of digital technology. The commitment to support the digitalisation of businesses is reinforced in the national strategy for economic transformation, which includes ambitious commitments, including the introduction of a digital productivity fund and the development of new digital support programmes to complement what already exists. The Scottish Government's work to establish a new centre for expertise in the quality and human rights is very welcome. It is important that the quality and human rights is embedded within the economic policy making process. Can the cabinet secretary provide any further information about how the centre will help to meet human rights and equality at the heart of economic policy development? The centre of expertise in the quality and human rights will build knowledge, skills and understanding among economic policy officials to help to embed equality and human rights within the economic policy making process. It will help to shape the work that we do to build a fader or more equal society, including actions to remove barriers to employment for disabled people, women, those with care experience and minority ethnic groups. We are continuing to develop the centre in partnership with stakeholders. It will ultimately meet the strategy's ambition to build a strong economy that tackles structural inequalities and, critically, will try to embed that thinking on equality and human rights in the development of policy rather than trying to retrofit policies once they have been developed. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans for income tax. The Scottish Government will set out its plans on income tax policy and other devolved tax policies in future budgets. Engagement is one of our core principles of effective tax policy making as set out in our tax strategy document of the framework for tax. Engagement is crucial and integral to the Scottish Government's budget process, and we will engage with a wide variety of stakeholders on tax policy ahead of budget 2023-24 and update the chamber as per the usual budget process. The SNP income tax changes have seen Scottish taxpayers pay an extra £900 million over the past three years. According to Parliament's own researchers, that resulted in a net benefit of just £170 million. Will the SNP Government therefore learn from that mistake and allow Scots to keep more pounds in their pockets? I think that the members should consult with the record and the facts of the matter, which is that the majority of people in Scotland pay less in income tax than they would if they lived in other parts of the UK. More than that, they enjoy a range of benefits that people in Tory-controlled England can only dream of. They do not have to pay tuition fees, prescription charges or a range of other measures, which this Government has delivered. We know that, if the Tories even had a sniff of power in this Parliament, they would cast a way to go and give tax cuts to the wealthiest. It is welcome that the Scottish Government's priority continues to be to deliver a fairer and more progressive tax system. At a time when living costs are rising, people in lower incomes should not be paying more tax. Can the minister confirm that the majority of people in Scotland continue to pay less income tax this year than they would if they lived elsewhere in the UK? The member is absolutely correct to raise that point, particularly in the context of the cost of living crisis. I am happy to confirm that the majority, 54 per cent of Scottish taxpayers, will pay less income tax in 2022-23 than they would if they lived elsewhere in the UK. To ask the Scottish Government how the just transition will support Argyllun Bute's local economy through innovation in the renewables sector. There is no doubt that growth and innovation in the renewables sector present significant opportunities in Argyllun Bute. Upcoming projects include the re-powering of existing onshore wind farms, the 2 gigawatt potential from the Scott Wind project, macker wind and harnessing tidal energy off Islay. Scottish Power Renewables, the developers of macker wind, have committed to supporting maximum Scottish content for the project and will work with the enterprise agencies to identify Scottish suppliers with the potential to fulfil subcontracted scopes of work. Additionally, we have committed to invest up to £25 million in the Argyllun Bute growth deal over 10 years, which will further drive our sustainable economy and support a just transition in the region. I thank the minister for her answer. Scotland's renewable energy industry continues to move from strength to strength, and growing this part of our economy will form a vital part of realising our net zero-goat goals. I know that the minister for business, trade, tourism and enterprise is planning to visit Argyllun Bute in the near future, where manufacturers, such as the renewable parts in the gilpedd, are playing a vital role in the supply chain for the renewable energy industry. Can the minister provide any further information about the steps that the Scottish Government is taking to equip Scotland's workforce with the necessary skills for the green jobs of the future? We are taking several steps to ensure that the people across Scotland have the right skills to support our just transition to net zero. To give an example, the climate emergency skills action plan remains central to our ambitions to develop a workforce that can support the transition. Developments to date include the launch of the green jobs workforce academy platform in August 2021, as well as a suite of green skills training initiatives delivered through the national transition training fund. Additionally, we are investing £100 million over five years to help businesses to create new green jobs as they transition to a low-carbon economy. To meet our net zero targets and achieve a just transition, we have to change the way that we heat our homes. About air-source heat pumps, which seems to be the focus of Government policy, are totally inappropriate for tenemented properties. Can the minister set out what the Scottish Government plans are to invest in municipal heat networks so that those living in tenemented properties can change the way that they heat their homes? I am afraid that that is not really relevant to the Argyll and Bute local economy and innovation towards the renewable sector. If there is something that the minister wishes to offer by the way that we respond. To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to address the reported shortages in the labour market. I thank the member for the question. The Scottish Government recognises that employers across many sectors are experiencing significant challenges in attracting and retaining workers. As the member knows, I spend a considerable amount of time engaging with businesses across all sectors, covered by my portfolio and beyond. In almost every engagement that I have with businesses, the issue of labour market shortages is raised. The Tories have had Brexit, which removed freedom of labour as it adversely impacted on many sectors due to people from the EU leaving Scotland and many now not coming here in large numbers due to the Tory immigration policies, with a resultant reduction in the labour market and loss of skills. As a consequence, we have called on the UK Government to establish a joint task force on labour market shortages, but so far they have failed to engage with us on this, just as they have failed to engage with us on our calls to devolve immigration, which we believe is the right approach to allow the Scottish Government to make those decisions most appropriate to supply the labour market with the skills necessary to support Scottish businesses across all those sectors. We are continuing to work with businesses and sectors to do all that we can to mitigate those shortages with a focus on employability, skills and, of course, our very important fair work agenda. The area that I would want to focus on in the sector is health and social care, which is a public service that is delivered both through directly public provision and the private sector. There is a major recruitment and retention problem within that sector and older people up and down Scotland are suffering as a result. I have met many who work in the private sector, many private sector companies, who tell me that they simply cannot recruit and retain staff because of the poor terms and conditions in the poor wages. This is a public sector. You have the powers within this Parliament, so instead of trying to deliver care on the cheap, will you put the money into the sector that is needed to address the retention and the recruitment problems? The issue is identified across a whole range of sectors. Health and social care is a very important part of that, and it is a sector that has experienced significant challenges as a consequence of the tight labour market due primarily to the Tory Government's approach to Brexit and immigration. We continue to call for the evolution of those players, which allows to bring more people into Scotland to fulfil those roles. The member will, of course, be aware that in that sector the terms and conditions are significantly higher than they are in other parts of the UK. Something that the Scottish Government believes is important and has executed on. However, as he will also be aware, and I am sure he talks to businesses in his constituency, across every other sector only yesterday, he had discussions with the tourism, leisure and hospitality sector. We are facing the same challenges and we are talking to the construction sector, the same challenges, and every other sector across Scotland's economy is suffering from a shortage of labour. As I have indicated, what we continue to do is to call on the UK Government to address those challenges by removing barriers on immigration, and sectors are calling for sector-specific or indeed more widespread visa systems to enable that to happen. Of course, we are also, as a Scottish Government, taking actions to increase supply into the labour market with regard to the aspects that we have control over. If the member has read our new 10-year strategy for economic transformation, which I am sure he has, we will understand that labour market availability and tackling those particular challenges forms one of the projects. In that strategy, it talks about what we are doing to understand the labour market and activity statistics in Scotland, and what we can do to enable more people of working age who are not in the labour market and who are not currently registered as unemployed to take part in the labour market. We can do that through provision of childcare provision and a whole range of other measures. Minister, you need to be winding up your response. Sorry. I have a number of supplementaries that I want to get to as well. Okay, that is fine. We are also working to... Sorry, I will stop there, but I am sure that the supplementaries will pick myself. Thank you, Minister. I think that you would leave the chair to manage the time. If I need you to talk us through to the end of portfolio questions, I will let you know. Three supplementaries I want to get through all of them, first of all, is Jamie Halcro Johnston. Thank you. The minister mentioned skills in his answers to Alex Rowley. In January, Audit Scotland sent out a number of failings and a lack of strategic direction from the Scottish Government on skills alignments. Given the importance of reskilling and upskilling in a restricted labour market, can the minister outline what work they are undertaking to ensure that reskilling and upskilling become a reality, and what planning is taking place to ensure that skills provision is well targeted to the needs of Scotland's economy? Members are right that skills provision is hugely important across all those sectors. Again, if you have read our 10-year economic transformation strategy about where there is a whole pillar within that strategy, skills are devoted to ensuring that working right across Scotland in our skills provision from schools, colleges and universities, we have a focus on ensuring that individuals are able to have the skills they need for the jobs in the sectors of the future and are also able to transition from current employment in perhaps fossil fuel sectors into sectors in the renewable and green economy. There is a whole range of measures and significant funding being applied to deliver just those challenges. The Scottish Government's work to attract people to Scotland is very welcome. Expanding Scotland's talent pool will play an important part in meeting our economic ambitions. However, the minister does agree that the UK immigration system is failing to meet Scotland's needs and the best way to ensure that we can expand Scotland's talent pool is with the necessary powers in Scotland's hands. The UK Government's immigration policy fails to address Scotland's distinct long-term demographic and economic needs. That highlights the need for a tailored approach to migration. The Scottish Government will continue to develop practical, deliverable, evidence-based migration proposals that scoot to Scotland's needs. I hope, Deputy Presiding Officer, that I am digging a hole, so I will stop. I noted the exchange between the minister and Annick while we are guarding the impact of Brexit on certain labour markets. I have raised the issue of the shortage of bus drivers across the Scottish borders and will be elsewhere because of the impact of Brexit, but they are not on the shortage occupation list. It is disartening to hear that the UK Government is not discussing the issue with the ministers in Scotland. Will there be any hope that we will have drivers, lorry drivers and bus drivers put on the shortage occupation list in early course? As I have indicated, we have so far failed to persuade the UK Government of that case, but in that sector, as in many other sectors across Scotland's economy, whether there is a significant labour challenge, we shall continue to press the UK Government to put those occupations on the shortage list. Thank you, Minister. That concludes portfolio questions. I again thank members and the ministerial team for allowing us to get through all of them. We will have a brief pause before we move to the next item of business.