 The First item of business is general questions. Alexander Burnett To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work that it is doing to support the reopening of the Inche War Memorial Hospital. Any decision on the future use of Inche War Memorial Hospital will be decided between NHSahampian and local stakeholders. Ond y maes, yr ysgolwyr dypa hwn yn golygu gael ei prosiectau a'r gael. Aelodd wedi'i cymryd i ddysgu, mae eu bobl yn myth i mi, mae'n golygu i'r gael i'r gyferwyd a'r gael i'r gyfathorio cymryd yn gychydigol iawn o'r cyflwybranol mewn. Ac mae'n gael i'r gael i'r gael i'r gael i'r gael i'r gael i'r gael, oeddaeth y pwysigol iawn. Alex Sander-Burnett Aelodd ac yn gychydigol ysgolwyr ysgolwyr am ydyma'r pandemi yn 2020. ond, ddespid o ffordd o'r cymdeithasol, ac mae'r ddweud o'r ffawr o'r ffawr yn ystod yn ni, mae'n ddweud i'r ardal. Felly, ddiddordeb, y gallwn am yn ei gilydd y fawr 100 miliwn y gyrwyllt i'r gweithgwydau, mae mae'n ddweud i'r gweithgwyd i'r gweithgwyd yn ddwygen ein ffodus o'r sefydliadau ar adeiladol o cyfrifiadwyr 12-bed unig, ac mae'n ddweud o gyfrifiadwyr newid yn anhygoel hiss perspectives. Does not allow있는 bans to be freed up at the AR Eye, and in turn allow overdue operations to take place? Membership asked any plans that the local health board have to take forward the use of digital awareness of Europe Is a matter for local partners to decide on what the best configuration would be to meet local health needs, will recognise, that the £100 million that you have been investing in tackling waiting pounds over the next three years is revenue funding, not capital funding. Therefore, it can't be used for the purpose for which he's highlighted. He'll also be aware of the challenge that we face that has colleagues at Westminster have cut our capital grant, which means that there is less capital available to invest within our NHS estate and in capital projects right across the country. He may want to encourage his colleagues at Westminster to increase capital expenditure to allow us to invest in those types of facilities in the future. To ask the Scottish Government whether it consulted Elon Musk as part of its R100 programme. Minister Richard Lochhead, I've never spoken personally to Elon Musk, maybe that'll happen one day, who knows. Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, which was founded by Elon Musk, is one of the many companies that we engaged with when preparing to launch our R100 Scottish broadband voucher scheme. However, at that time, it chose not to register. We have continued dialogue with Starlink and other providers, and all of Scotland is now capable of accessing a low-earth orbit satellite broadband connection commercially. That confirms that the Scottish National Party Government is dependent on the controversial American billionaire and his low-earth orbit satellites to deliver their manifesto promise on R100. The truth is that the R100 programme is still going when it was supposed to be completed two years ago, and the Government itself admits that thousands won't benefit from R100 until 2028. Isn't the minister even just a little bit embarrassed that he is now using Elon Musk as his latest excuse for failing to deliver the SNP R100 programme on time? I'm not sure of the chamber's notice, but it was Mr Rennett who raised Elon Musk, not myself as the Minister for Connectivity in Scotland, and I was simply answering his question. What I can say is that access to superfast broadband Scotland has increased by 46.8 percentage points in the past 10 years. That compares with 29.8 percentage points across the rest of the UK in the same period. We're making really good progress in Scotland, and that also benefits Mr Rennett's constituency. Of the 30,680 premises within North East Fife I've benefited, 28,368 are capable of accessing speeds of 24 megabits per second and above. Of course, the R100 project is also rolling out to most of Scotland. We're also speaking to the UK Government about their £8 million-announced investment in satellite connections to understand what that means for Scotland. Despite telecoms legislation being wholly reserved to Westminster, the Scottish Government has made more than £600 million of investment through the R100 contracts. Can the minister provide any update on any engagements with the UK Government to extend gigabit networks to Scotland's rural communities, given that telecoms is its constitutional responsibility? In terms of gigabit activity, which offers even faster connections, the Scottish Government continues to work closely with the UK Government to prepare for project gigabit activity in Scotland. That has the potential to build on the transformational impact of R100 and continued commercial activity. Of course, we continue to urge the UK Government to be more flexible in their approach to funding for project gigabit and ensure that there is a sufficient level of funding that is available to deliver across Scotland, where many of the connections can be higher and cost than other parts of the UK. In September and October of this year, the Scottish Government and BDUK carried out a pre-procurement market engagement exercise engaging with broadband infrastructure suppliers to gauge the level of market interest in bidding for new gigabit-capable broadband contracts in Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government how it supports the safety of Scotland's fishermen when at sea. The Scottish Government takes the safety of all fishers within Scottish waters very seriously. Whilst maritime safety regulation remains a reserved power of the UK Government, the Scottish Government continues to support the work of the Scottish Fishing Safety Group and it has worked with partners to support a range of safety improvements through the Marine Fund Scotland. The group is a joint fishing industry and Scottish Government initiative that supports Scottish fishing on safety matters. Its group has clear aims and objectives with efforts to achieve zero deaths annually and reduce the number of accidents across the industry. The group, co-chaired by the Scottish Government and Scottish Fishermen's Federation, consists of 14 representatives from across Scotland and the UK bodies responsible for maritime safety regulation. The cabinet secretary will be aware of the video showing aggressive and downright dangerous behaviour last week of the French registered Spanish vessel Antonio Maria towards the Shetland fishing boat Defiant, 18 miles east of Unst. The Defiant had shot her gear when the long-liner Antonio Maria circled and tried to foul the Defiant's propeller. That's not the first time there's been such an incident in waters off Shetland. The case of another Spanish vessel, the German registered Pesora DOS, is well documented. Constituents question where Scotland's fishery protection vessels were in all this and what action, if any, they have taken to follow up this latest shocking incident. Can the cabinet secretary respond to that point and can she also indicate what representations the Scottish Government has made to the UK Government and the flagged states about fishing vessels that appear to have little concern for safety at sea and fishermen's lives? I would just to say that I really appreciate the member's questions and also very much appreciate the concern that these incidents and other incidents like it have caused. I would say that it is a very complex area when it comes to safety in the marine environment with different jurisdictions taking place there, too. If I am not able to cover everything in my response today, I am happy to follow up with the member, too. I understand that the incident that took place last week occurred outside territorial waters and relates to a maritime safety incident. Under devolution, the Scottish Government powers are restricted to enforcing marine and fishery-related offences that do not extend to enforcement of maritime safety regulations. Maritime safety is a reserved function and jurisdiction over these incidents rests with the flagged state authorities of the vessels involved. Although there was no evidence of a fishery offence taking place, the Scottish Government deployed its marine protection vessel MPV Herta to investigate the incident further and it has passed any information gathered on to the UK maritime coastguard agency. I would add to that in terms of next steps. Is it that senior operational staff are arranging a follow-up meeting with the MCA and Police Scotland to discuss further opportunities to work collaboratively to support safe working practices in the marine environment? We have much interest, so concise questions and responses are appreciated, I call Rhoda Grant. For years, fishery protection staff have been underpaid and undervalued and that needs to change to keep that expertise and experience within the service. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what she is doing to retain officers and strengthen the protection fleet to enable better policing of our waters? The member will no doubt be aware that we take a risk-based approach when it comes to incidents that are reported to the marine directorate as well. We have limited resources and a number of different vessels, but we have a large marine area to try and cover and to get across as well, which is why we have that risk-based approach in place. However, we make the best of the resources that we have, value and appreciate the work of the teams that we have working across the marine directorate and particularly in our compliance and working across the vessels, which have had the opportunity to visit as well. If there are particular issues there, the member would like to today's with me a more than happy to follow up after that. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the delivery of its stroke improvement plan. Since publication of the stroke improvement plan in June, the Scottish Government has appointed a consultant stroke physician as clinical lead for stroke to lead on implementing the plan. We are developing a bundle of rehabilitation measures for inclusion in the Scottish stroke care audit, and we are also developing measures of patient experience of rehabilitation. We are also increasing access to thrombectomy procedures for patients presenting to spoke hospitals and undertaking significant planning to further expand Scotland's thrombectomy service with a plan outlining expansion of the national thrombectomy service to be published by the end of 2023. I thank the minister for that response and the information on thrombectomy and it is to thrombectomy that I want to follow up. She'll be aware of the medical procedure thrombectomy, and for others in the room who might not be, it's where a large blood clot blocking blood flow to the brain can be removed. As a result of thrombectomy, a patient may be up and about within days instead of in a wheelchair for life. It's truly amazing. Around 10 per cent of stroke patients would benefit from receiving thrombectomy, but currently in Scotland it's happening for less than 1 per cent, which is the lowest level in the UK. Therefore, I note the words from the minister as per its commitment to the stroke improvement plan and its commitment that it will be moving forward, but I really would like to push on when the Scottish Government will publish the blueprint for the steps to get us up to a fully functioning, safe, sustainable, national 24-hour, seven-service to make it available to everyone that actually needs it. Minister. I thank the Ross McCall for that question, and I'd also like to commend the work that Ross McCall has been doing to really promote and explain the different symptoms that a stroke could result in, so I appreciate that very much. I'd like to say that the Scottish Government remains committed to introducing a high-quality and clinically safe thrombectomy service in Scotland. The delivery of a national thrombectomy service has already received over £26 million of investment, and through the national thrombectomy programme board and thrombectomy advisory group, work is being undertaken to drive expansion of the thrombectomy service. We expect additional spoke hospitals to begin referring appropriate patients to four thrombectomies in the coming months, increasing geographical access to thrombectomy procedures. To ask the Scottish Government what recent meetings it has had with neonatologists from NHS Lanarkshire. Minister Jenny Minto. Scottish Government officials had discussions on the new model of neonatal care with neonatologists from Lanarkshire alongside neonatologists from other Scottish neonatal units at the recent Scottish neonatal consultants group meeting. Senior Scottish Government officials also met recently with the chief executive and medical director from NHS Lanarkshire to discuss neonatal intensive care. Mark Griffin. If the Government are relying on clinical advice, which is now five years out of date to downgrade wish on neonatal unit, it is absolutely shocking that the minister has not taken the time to meet with the experts that run that unit. Will the minister commit to meeting with the award-winning experts from NHS Lanarkshire neonatal unit before progressing with the plans to downgrade this absolutely crucial life-saving unit? I thank Mark Griffin for his question. I think it's important to recognise that the best start project started in 2018 and has really taken evidence from experts on the clinical side, and it is those experts whose advice we are following. Originally, we had eight neonatal units that were reduced to five, and then the next stage, which was reviewed in 2022, was down to the three. I'm happy to meet with the unit at Wishaw General Hospital, and I think that it's important, though, that officials continue to meet with the services there and also patient parents that are involved in the service as well. We've also very much involved Bliss in all our work that we've been doing, and they represent parents that have experienced what must be an incredibly traumatic time in their lives. To echo the comments that Mark Griffin has just made about the vital neonatal service in Wishaw General, parents and families who have used the service over the many years that the award-winning neonatal department has been opened are deeply distressed, deeply worried, deeply concerned that they will not be able to travel locally in order to get the care that they need for them and their babies. Will the minister commit to making sure that she engages with families who have used the service over the many years to hear the life experiences in why this department is so important to them and their families? It's important to remind everyone that the neonatal unit in Lanarkshire will be remaining open and will be bringing the patients, the babies back as soon as possible. We have made those decisions to ensure that the sickest and the smallest babies, the most vulnerable babies, get the best treatment ever, and we have based that on clinical evidence. As I've said to Mr Griffin, I'm happy to meet people within North Lanarkshire. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported statistics showing that the number of people in Scotland dying from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia has more than tripled in the last 20 years and the concerns that the country is unprepared for the further expected increases. Minister Marie Todd? Firstly, our thoughts and condolences are with everyone who has lost a loved one. Scotland's new dementia strategy was published in May this year, setting out a 10-year vision for dementia policy. It recognises the importance of being able to access a timely diagnosis and post-diagnostic support that is right for them and for those who are caring for them. We'll soon publish our first two-year delivery plan, developed in collaboration with people with lived experience, local and national partners, and this plan will include measurable deliverables to help us to achieve the ambitions of our dementia communities as detailed in our strategy. I look forward to the delivery plan because I'm finding it difficult to see how we get from where we are now. I recently met a group of carers in Dumfimlan. What they described to me was the dehumanisation of care, a service that is in crisis. Community care is failing people up and down Scotland, so what is the plan to tackle the problems that we have right now in social care? Minister. We have invested over £6 million of ring-fence funding over the last two years for dementia post-diagnostic support, a significant further allocation for dementia periods in 23-24 will be issued this year to IJBs. That's in addition to the estimated investment in dementia by health and social care partnerships of £2.2 billion, a 14 per cent increase since 2014. As set out this week as part of our £1 billion NHS recovery plan, we'll reduce and address waiting times year on year for all conditions, including dementia. Of course, you will absolutely be aware of the social care system. Derek Feely did an independent review of adult social care for us in Scotland and said that the system, whilst working well in many ways, is under strain. His recommendation was very clear. It requires that if we keep doing the same thing, we will keep getting the same outcome. He made a very strong case for transformational change, which we are pursuing in the form of the national care service. I look forward to Alex Rowley and Scottish Labour supporting us in that endeavour. Can I invite the minister to meet, as I have, dementia-friendly Tweeddale, to learn of their work in supporting carers and those with dementia to continue to enjoy life and their activities after diagnosis and even add more? Absolutely. I'd be absolutely delighted. I recently visited a dementia meeting centre in Cirmure. It was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot from the people who were there and I'd be more than keen to meet the people in the MSPs area. Thank you. That concludes general questions. Before we move to First Minister's questions, I invite members to join me in welcoming to the gallery his excellency, Mr Miguel Berga, ambassador of Germany to the United Kingdom.