 We turn now to First Minister's questions. Question number one, Jackson Carlaw. Scotland does not want to be in a separate currency. Does the First Minister agree? First Minister. I think that Scotland should have the ability to choose the arrangements on currency and on everything else that best suits our needs and interests. That's the very essence of independence and it's why I, an increasing number of people in Scotland, support Scotland becoming an independent country. Can I say to Jackson Carlaw? I am always delighted to talk about independence, but there is a constitutional issue that is, I think, more immediately pressing right now. In just 22 days, three weeks tomorrow, Scotland is due to be taken out of the EU against our will. There is still no sign of an agreement on withdrawal issues, no guarantee of a transitional face and no clarity on our future relationships. Can I give Jackson Carlaw another chance to say something that people might actually want to hear? Will he join with me today in demanding that the Prime Minister stops asking people to choose between catastrophe and disaster and instead takes a no-deal Brexit off the table now? Jackson Carlaw. It is the First Minister's own deputy who has raised the issue of currency this week. Scotland does not want to be in a separate currency. I was quoting the First Minister herself just a few short years ago when she and her predecessor were telling us that it was Scotland's pound and nobody was going to take it. Who would have thought, five years on, that the only people who want to take away Scotland's pound would now be the SNP? This week, we have learned from the SNP's deputy leader that their new plan is to ditch the pound and set up a completely new and untried currency. So, First Minister, any homeowner who has a mortgage in pounds and overnight their salary is paid in a new untried currency, are mortgage payments going to go up or down? Of course, until a democratically elected Scottish Parliament in an independent Scotland decided to change that, people would continue to use the pound, which, of course, is Scotland's currency, just as it is the currency of anywhere else in the UK. Jackson Carlaw confidently talks about what people in Scotland want. You know the way to determine what people in Scotland want. That is to allow them to choose in a referendum. Of course, the Tories are so scared that people would choose independence at the next time of asking that they want to block them having that choice. That is deeply anti-democratic. However, people watching this exchange today—I am afraid to say to Jackson Carlaw—are thinking about what is due to happen three weeks tomorrow. Let me bring him back to the here and the now. Three weeks tomorrow, this country is due to be taken out of the EU against our will. We still do not know whether there will be a transition phase and we do not know anything about the future relationship with the EU. That uncertainty could be removed today if the Prime Minister rules out no-deal Brexit. I will give him another opportunity. Will he join with me today and call on the Prime Minister to end this uncertainty and to rule out a no-deal Brexit at any time, yes or no? Jackson Carlaw. The problem is that this First Minister just does not listen. There is no majority support for a second independence referendum. If the currency were changed, here is what would happen. The Fraser of Allander Institute made clear an ITV border this week. People would still be tied into mortgages or car loans, but they would be paying them off in an untried, unknown, as yet unnamed new currency—a clear risk of people paying more. That is the plan that your deputy leader launched this week. Worse still, today we read in the papers that the First Minister's deputy is also plotting another referendum on independence, no matter whether it is legal or not. Another independence referendum is the last thing Scotland needs, so irrespective of the views of her errant deputy, will the First Minister rule out this divisive plan? The legal basis for the next independence referendum should be the same as the basis for the last independence referendum. The only reason that we are talking about this issue is the disgracefully anti-democratic stance of the Conservatives, who refuse to recognise a mandate one at not just one election but two elections and endorsed by this Parliament. We can always tell when the Tories are in trouble, because pantomime Jackson Carlaw makes a reappearance. The face gets red, the arms get waved about. The fact of the matter is that people in Scotland will have ample opportunity to talk about the many benefits of becoming an independent country, but we do not have too much longer to sort out the mess of Brexit, so I am going to give him yet another opportunity. Twenty-two days, three weeks tomorrow, at midnight, Scotland is due to be taken out of the EU, and we still do not know what follows from that. That could be taken away that uncertainty if a no-deal Brexit is ruled out. For once in his life, Jackson Carlaw stand up to his bodies at Westminster, and will he join me in calling, demanding that the Prime Minister rules out a no-deal Brexit and that she does it now with no further delay? Jackson Carlaw. The whole chamber knows that in two short years Ruth Davidson will be sitting where the First Minister sits today, and a Scottish Conservative First Minister will be answering questions for a long time to come. For the moment, this First Minister remains in office, so, in summary, the SNP is preparing to launch a new currency according to its deputy leader, which would throw people's mortgages and Scotland's economy into chaos. Then, according to her deputy leader, with whom she is now disagreeing publicly, the SNP plans to launch an illegal referendum within a matter of weeks. Another week of the SNP showing that there is only one priority for this Government, and that is satisfying Nicola Sturgeon's obsession with a second independence referendum. Enough is enough. First Minister, just roll it out and let Scotland move on. At the start of that latest chapter in the pantomime, Jackson Carlaw actually had the good grace to laugh at himself. He was being so utterly ridiculous. I was going to say that Jackson Carlaw has lost the plot. I'm not sure he ever had the plot in the first place, but let me tell Jackson Carlaw what my obsession is right now. It's saving Scotland from the disaster of a Tory Brexit. I know how Jackson Carlaw plans to spend the rest of his day. Let me tell him how I'll be spending the rest of my day. This afternoon, I will be chairing a meeting. Jackson Carlaw might want to listen to this. I will be chairing a meeting of the Scottish Government's resilience committee. What we will be looking at is how, just three weeks from now, three weeks tomorrow, we can secure medicine supply in Scotland, how we can secure food supply, make sure that people in Scotland still have food on their table. We will be looking at how we can protect our economy from the risk of being plunged into recession, all of that time, all of that effort, all of that expense, because a Tory Prime Minister refuses to rule out a no-deal Brexit. It is shameful that the Scottish Conservatives have not demanded that she do so. I've been wondering why the Scottish Tories are so fine as they are. Perhaps it's because, Presiding Officer, they don't want to stand up for Scotland and never will stand up for Scotland. An independent Scotland will keep the pound because it is in everyone's best interests, and to try and suggest otherwise flies in the face of the facts. That's what Nicola Sturgeon said in 2013. First Minister, if that was true then, why isn't it true now? Can I have some quiet, please, for the questions and the answers? Nicola Sturgeon. Well, let me just share a quote with the chamber. People in Scotland need a strong party of Labour that speaks for working-class people and working-class communities, and they are not doing that. Richard Leonard's strategy is a recipe for failure. That's Gary Smith from the GMB on Scottish Labour. So maybe it's about time Scottish Labour stopped being a pale echo of the Scottish Conservatives and actually started standing up for Scotland as well. Richard Leonard. Well, I didn't discern an answer in that. So let me ask another question. Last night, the SNP Finance Minister, Kate Forbes, told the BBC that the currency you use the day before independence will be the same currency you use the day after independence. But under your plans, First Minister, that simply isn't true, is it? Because what Kate Forbes left out last night and what you've left out in your answer is that you plan to use the pound without a central bank. It's the SNP's very own no deal exit, and that would mean building up substantial foreign exchange reserves. The finance secretary, Derek Mackay, could not tell this chamber yesterday afternoon how much that would cost, but the people of Scotland deserve an answer. So this afternoon, can the First Minister provide us with an answer? The position of Labour and the Tories on those questions is utterly ridiculous. Remember in 2014, they told us that an independent Scotland couldn't use sterling in a currency union. Now they tell us that we can't use sterling without a currency union, and they tell us that we can't have our own currency as well. Scotland must be the only country in the entire world that couldn't have any currency. It is ridiculous, and the people of Scotland know that. So let me tell Richard Leonard exactly what the position is. It will be in an independent Scotland. Until a democratically elected Scottish Parliament decides otherwise, we will use the pound, which is our currency, just as it is the currency of other parts of the UK. Again, Richard Leonard is asking questions about independence. I am happy to talk about independence any day, but people across Scotland are worried right now about Brexit. Yesterday, we had a member of his backbenches telling us that he is so desperate that he is actually trying to stop his own party conference openly debating Brexit. Will Richard Leonard join with me now, not just in calling for no deal to be ruled out, but calling for people to have a chance again to reject Brexit? Will he do that today? Richard Leonard. Yes, I will do that, and I said that on Tuesday afternoon, but the answer to the question that I asked is that £40 billion of foreign exchange reserves would be required. That is before we look at the reserves needed to ensure bank deposits. That is before Derek Mackay's austerity programme to have the deficit in five years. That is not just a programme for austerity. That is a programme for turbocharged austerity, at the very time when the people are crying out for investment. This is not about the best interests of the people of Scotland, is it? It is just about the best interests of the SNP. If Scotland was independent right now, we would not be facing three weeks tomorrow being taken out of the European Union against our will. Right now, it is because Scotland is not independent that we have to put up with a Tory Government that we did not vote for. It is because Scotland is not independent that we face being ripped out of the European Union against our will, and perhaps until Richard Leonard and the Scottish Labour Party find it within themselves to stand up for Scotland instead of standing up for the continuation of Tory rule, it will never recover in Scotland and it will never deserve to recover in Scotland. We have got some constituency supplementary questions. The first is from Angus Macdonald to be followed by Jeremy Balfour. The First Minister will be aware that yesterday administrators were called into Grangemouth College firm Duncan Adams, which has operated in the port for nearly 60 years. 132 employees were made redundant yesterday following the devastating news with 12 being retained short term to assist with the closure of the firm. The priority in the immediate term clearly must be focused on supporting the staff and their families through this difficult period. Falkirk Council has been in touch with Skills Development Scotland regarding pay support and Unite the Union has arranged an advice session for the workforce on Sunday. Will the First Minister help to ensure that everything possible is done to provide follow-up support to the families affected and also ensure that plans are in place to avoid a backlog of containers at the port of Grangemouth? I thank Angus Macdonald for raising this important issue. I was very concerned to learn of the development act at Duncan Adams College and the impact that it will have on the workers, their families and, of course, the surrounding communities. I can confirm that through our PACE initiative, we have already been in contact with the administrators who have agreed to issue PACE guides to all 144 employees. PACE representatives will also attend the meeting on 10 March at the Lee Park hotel in Grangemouth, which has been organised by Unite the Union and which is open to all redundant employees. The local PACE team is considering what further support can be provided. I can also confirm that we are in touch with the Port Authority to assess the impact on port operations. I will be very happy to ask the minister involved to keep Angus Macdonald fully updated. Jeremy Balford is followed by Tavish Scott. To ask the First Minister if she would agree with me that no decision should be made by the City of Edinburgh Council to extend the Edinburgh Tram network until the findings of the Edinburgh Tram inquiry is published and all lessons learned. I think that decisions of City of Edinburgh Council are actually for City of Edinburgh Council to take. I am sure that they will take account of all relevant factors. It is important that the inquiry concludes. It is important that any lessons that come from that inquiry are learned. I know that the Scottish Conservatives used to be in favour of localism, they used to demand that the Scottish Government did more to support localism, so I am going to do that today, even if they have changed their mind and said that matters for the City of Edinburgh are for the City of Edinburgh to determine. Tavish Scott is followed by Bob Doris. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Air traffic control is employed by a company owned by the Government, and it operates across the Highlands and Islands, planned to strike next month. I am sure that the First Minister will recognise that that would stop air travel and create tremendous disruption for passengers across the network, including those potentially flying to hospitals for hospital appointments. Could she set out to the Parliament what her Government has done on this matter and what it now plans to do to make sure that the strike does not happen? It is, of course, disappointed to hear about planned strike action. Highlands and Islands airport is covered by our public sector pay policy. Highlands has implemented a pay rise for all staff, which is a significant improvement on previous years. It has also significantly increased its contribution to the pension scheme in order to maintain the benefit for employees. In addition, ministers have authorised Highlands to develop a retention allowance as part of the Air Traffic Management 2030 strategy programme. I hope that we can see strikes avoided, and I encourage the union and highland to continue to work together to resolve the outstanding issues. Bob Dorris could be followed by Alex Rowley. The announcement of 120 redundancies in looming closure of GEM and I Rail in my constituencies has a devastating blow for a skilled and dedicated workforce. GEM and I Rail have been unflexible, unimaginative and slow to engage, meaningfully in our efforts to retain jobs and operations. Will the First Minister commit to continuing to explore all options to support workers to retain jobs and operations at the site? On which point, First Minister, I would stress that, if spring burns to win the ScotRail 170 class tender, work that GEM and I Rail have staggeringly still failed to bid for, it would provide 30 jobs for three years and potentially kickstart a Railway hub model that the Scottish Government is currently exploring. I again pay tribute to Bob Dorris for the way in which he is representing the interests of his constituents. I agree very much with the latter point that he made. I was extremely disappointed to receive a letter from GEM and I Rail yesterday confirming the closure of the workshops at spring burn, and I know that this will be a very concerning time for workers there and their families. However, I want to stress this point, we believe that consideration does still need to be given to potential options for keeping the site open. There will be a further meeting of stakeholders at the end of this month to discuss the way forward. The workshops have worked to complete on vehicles leased to ScotRail until July this year, and GEM and I Rail has retained the lease until March next year. That means that there is time to work with industry with a view to repurposing the site for future rail use. To that end, Scottish Enterprise has already engaged independent financial advice in reviewing GEM and I Rail's model for the site, and we will keep members fully updated with any progress. Alex Rowley The BBC is reporting this morning that Bifab has lost out for offshore platforms to yards in Belgium, Spain and the United Arab Emirates. The United and GMB unions are calling for a committee of inquiry in this Parliament. They say that billions of pounds worth of contracts and thousands of direct and indirect jobs are going to be lost. They are now on the brink of being lost to state-sponsored companies and companies that hold an unfair commercial advantage or economies that do not apply labour standards that we would recognise. That is not a level playing field. What further steps will the Scottish Government take to secure long-term future for the five yards, and do you accept that we need more direct state intervention to ensure a just transition in our economy? The First Minister Yes, I agree with that last point, which is why we have established a just transition commission in Scotland on the recommendation of the STUC. It is important to recognise that notwithstanding the very real challenges that are being faced, Bifab today would not even exist had it not been for Scottish Government intervention. Although there are big challenges for the five yards, we had the good news about Arnish earlier this week. I indicated some of that last week. I absolutely share the concerns that have been expressed by Gary Smith of GMB and Pat Rafferty of Unite the Union. The concerns that Bifab may be facing unfair challenges in securing other contracts. I want the Scottish Government to work with the unions to fully explore that. I intend to convene a summit in early course to do so. We have worked extremely well with the unions and intend to continue doing so. In the interim, of course, we will continue to do everything that we can with the unions and with the owners of the yard. Of course, the Scottish Government has a stake in the yard. We will do everything that we can to help to secure work, not just for Arnish, but for the two yards and five as well. I hope that we will have the support of the whole chamber as we do so. Question 3, Alison Johnstone. Thank you. Young people are twice as likely to be injured on our roads. Some parts of Scotland have made their streets safer, healthier places, including here in Edinburgh, where a 20mph speed limit has been rolled out across the city, and in Fife 2, where more lives are being saved and children protected from injury, particularly in low-income areas, does the First Minister share my concerns that too many communities are not benefiting from the small change that would make a big difference when it comes to tackling the health inequality that continues to blight Scotland? First, I will take the opportunity to welcome Alison Johnstone to FMQs. I think that it is great to have her asking questions. First, I recognise and share her concern about the statistics that she has cited today. Many local authorities already have 20mph speed limits in certain areas, and I encourage local authorities to consider where they think that it is appropriate. I understand members' legislation about to come through this Parliament, and the Parliament will debate that, and the Scottish Government will continue to listen to all the arguments that are made. Alison Johnstone. I appreciate the First Minister's response. The Scottish Government has made some brave and important public health interventions such as banning smoking in public places and introducing a minimum price for alcohol. However, those policies are effective because they apply at a national level with government leadership. I think that the piecemeal approach will not deliver what I know both I and the First Minister want, which is all children, to have safe streets. The health and safety of our children cannot depend on which part of the country they live in, so will the First Minister join organisations, including NHS Health Scotland and the Royal College of Pediatric and Child Health, and back my colleague Mark Ruskell's 20mph bill, a public health measure that will have the greatest impact where it is most needed. First Minister. I can give an assurance that we will listen very carefully to the arguments that are made as Mark Ruskell brings forward his bill, and I would commend him for raising the issue in the way that he is doing. I think that Alison Johnson is right. This is an issue that, in government, we grapple with all the time, showing national leadership on an issue, which, as Alison Johnson has said, we have done on a range of public health issues in particular, but also respecting the autonomy of local councils, which is something that people across this chamber call for on a regular basis. It is important that we get that balance right, but paramount importance has to be attached to the safety of children. I absolutely commit to listening carefully to those arguments, as I am sure members across the chamber will do, so that I very much hope that the Parliament reaches the right decision on this that gets that balance right. Some further supplementaries, the first from George Adam to be full by Maurice Corry. George Adam. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Is the First Minister aware that global radio, who operate hard capital and smooth radio in Scotland, plan to create a virtual radio network to compete with BBC radio 1 and radio 2 using local licences to do so? Does the First Minister agree with me that off-com must become involved and keep local commercial radio in Scotland local? I am a great supporter and fan of local radio, so I think that its place in our broadcasting environment is very important. I hope that off-com would take into account all the very reasonable points that George Adam has just made. Maurice Corry, followed by Willie Rennie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. On Monday this week, my constituent, Mr Phillips, an armed forces veteran, collapsed from a suspected stroke. He waited just under six hours for an ambulance to arrive at his home, more guy, after which he was taken to the Queen Elizabeth university hospital, where he waited a further five hours before he was seen by a doctor. He spent the night in the receiving unit as there were no beds available. Does the First Minister agree with me that this is an unacceptable level of time for anyone to wait for an ambulance and an assessment from a doctor, let alone someone who has suffered a stroke? Will she look into the matter with the utmost urgency? Yes, I agree that, on the basis of what the member has narrated, that is unacceptable, and if he wants to provide greater detail of his constituents' case, the health secretary will be very happy to look into that. What I am about to say does not take away from that particular case and the unacceptability of what is just being described, but our ambulance service do a fantastic job day in and day out. Our accident emergency services, although they face considerable challenges, remain the best performing accident emergency services anywhere in the UK. I think that all of the staff who work so hard to deliver that performance deserve our grateful thanks, but we would be very happy to look into the individual circumstances. Willie Rennie to be followed by Jenny Marra. This morning, the UK statistics authority reprimanded the First Minister for the misuse of statistics in response to my question to her at last week's First Minister's Questions on NHS waiting times. The letter states that waiting times are a major concern to patients and their families. The statistics informing debates about them must therefore be trustworthy of suitable quality and useful. We are therefore extremely disappointed that it has been necessary for us to intervene in this way. This is the second time that this has happened recently. Will the First Minister therefore take the opportunity to apologise to the chamber and to the country for misusing statistics in this way? The Government always will reflect very carefully on anything that the Office for Statistics Regulation says. The statistics that I used were accurate. As I understand it, they are statistics that are available to anybody on request and are statistics that will be published by ISD. Of course, it is not the Scottish Government that decides what statistics ISD publish and don't publish they decide that. I hope that we can have as much transparency and as many comprehensive statistics as possible, because that would demonstrate that the NHS is, in so many different measures, the best-performing NHS anywhere in the UK. Jenny Marra, to be followed by Shona Robison. There are still electrical apprentices from McGill, the firm that went into administration after failure of this Government to provide a modest loan. There are still apprentices in Dundee trying to salvage their apprenticeships. This country's skill situation cannot afford to lose apprentices. I am not convinced that Skills Development Scotland from the representation that I have had from constituents are doing all they can. Can she guarantee me today that her minister will follow up every McGill apprentice to make sure that they secure another place to complete their apprenticeships? We will do everything that we always do in redundancy situations to make sure that apprentices are placed and are able to continue their apprenticeship. Skills Development Scotland works extremely hard to do that. If Jenny Marra knows of anybody who needs further assistance, she should bring those people to us so that we can ensure that that assistance is there. That is, of course, Scottish apprenticeship week. Right across the country, people have been celebrating the success of Scotland's apprenticeship programme. A few years ago, there were something like 10,000 modern apprentices in Scotland. Today, that is 27,000 as we work towards a 30,000 target. That is a success story, and we will continue to do everything that we can. When companies regrettably fail, we will continue to do everything that we can to make sure that apprentices do not pay the price of that. That is an absolute commitment that the Scottish Government will always honour. Does the First Minister share my concern that, in the week that we celebrate international women's day, we have seen the creation of a video game entitled Rape Day that enables players to verbally harass, kill and rape women as they progress through the story? While it is positive news that the gaming platform Steam has decided not to distribute and sell this game, does the First Minister agree with me that we should send out a clear message to other game developers and platform providers that such games have no place in our society in this day and age, and does she think that it is time for the UK Government to review the regulation in this area? Yes, I do. I pay tribute to Shona Robison for highlighting this issue this week. The Rape Day video game is absolutely sickening and appalling. Violence against women, sexual or any other form of violence against women is not a game and should never be treated in such a way. It is serious and must be treated in that way, so I hope that this game is not promoted, but it should not be down, in my view, to the individual decisions of companies. I do think that it is time for the regulations governing this to be reviewed. Perhaps this is something that the whole chamber could unite on and call on the UK Government to do without any delay. Question 4, Keith Brown. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the UK Government's stronger towns fund. First Minister. To be honest, it is hard to know what our response should be, because the UK Government has been unable to confirm any details of the funding implications of this announcement for Scotland. We will continue to press the UK Government to ensure that Scotland receives its fair share of any additional funding. As with so many things related to Brexit, the UK Government's plans are, frankly, as clear as mud, but they do suggest that Scotland is continually being shortchanged. Keith Brown. I thank the First Minister for her response and acknowledge the point that she makes about so much of it being unclear. Does she share my concerns about the exclusion of Scotland and Wales from the Prime Minister's Brexit bung? Does she agree that this is yet another example of the failing fiasco of Tory Brexit, which one of its own Tory cabinet ministers said was like hitting an iceberg, and which is only surpassed by the complete inadequacy of the 13 Tory MPs from Scotland, each of whom represents a constituency that voted to remain in the UK, and that is fairer to stand up for Scotland? Those points are important. Not only do we have no clarity on the stronger towns fund or whether Scotland will get any share, let alone a fair share of that, we still have no clarity regarding the future of structural funds or the so-called shared prosperity fund. We have also heard that the UK Government is to provide an additional £140 million to Northern Ireland, but with no indication of equivalent consequential funding for Scotland or Wales. We welcome the additional funding for Northern Ireland, but there must be confirmation that Scotland and Wales will be treated fairly. Of course, in sharp contrast to the Brexit bung of the Prime Minister this morning, the Scottish Government has announced the projects that will benefit from our £20 million regeneration capital grant fund. Not money to persuade anybody to vote for anybody, but money to ensure the regeneration of communities the length and breadth of Scotland. That is a Government that is getting on with the day job, and the UK Government could learn lots of lessons from us. To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to help people who have bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is, of course, a very serious mental illness, and we want everyone in Scotland to have access to effective mental health services when they need them. That is why we have set out in our programme for government a £250 million package of measures to do more to support positive mental health and prevent ill health. The funding for a package of new measures comes in addition to £150 million of investment over five years, already under way to support delivery of the mental health strategy. In addition, we are providing support to Bipolar Scotland, which provides information support and advice for people affected by bipolar disorder and those who care for them. I thank the First Minister for that answer. Bipolar disorder patients in Scotland are receiving treatments such as antidepressant monotherapy that are at best ineffective and at worst detrimental for long-term outcome, according to Professor Daniel Smith from Glasgow University. Lithium, on its own, is the recommended first-line treatment for bipolar disorder because of its proven effectiveness in preventing episodes of depression and mania. However, it is prescribed to only one in 20 patients. Can I ask the First Minister what action her Government is taking to address this important issue? Will she agree with Alison Kenes, the chief executive of Bipolar Scotland, that we need to see more patient-clinician partnerships in Scotland? First Minister. Yes, I agree with that. The Scottish Government expects all patients with bipolar disorder to have access to appropriate and evidence-based treatments with individual prescribing decisions of course made by clinicians but made in partnership with their patients. We have set a national standard in Scotland to outline the monitoring requirements of people treated with lithium and details of that were sent to health and care services in June 2017. Using that benchmark, we can improve the quality of care and treatment that we provide, improve patient safety and reduce what is an established health inequality. Individual health boards will, of course, determine how best to undertake this monitoring, but it is very important that it is done. First Minister, whether the merger of Police Scotland and the British Transport Police has been permanently abandoned? We remain committed to the devolution of railway policing, as agreed by all parties in this Parliament during the Smith commission. We have worked with stakeholders on options to improve the accountability of railway policing in Scotland. There is consensus that legislation currently enforced could be used to create an arrangement that facilitates a stronger role for the Scottish Police Authority. The SPA and the British Transport Police Authority are considering how that should be done, and they aim to present proposals to their respective boards in the coming months. It would be premature to rule out any option at this time, but any proposal must enhance the accountability of railway policing in Scotland while ensuring the safety and the security of the travelling public. Daniel Johnson I thank the First Minister for that response, but after almost two years and hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' pounds being spent trying to find a way of achieving integration of BTP into Police Scotland, it is clear to everyone, if not the First Minister, that it is simply not possible. The uncertainty that staff and officers have faced will not end until full integration is permanently ruled out. Can I ask the First Minister to take the opportunity now to go beyond the letter that was sent to staff and officers this week saying that they will not transfer and confirm that the plan for full integration has been permanently scanned? Will she take the opportunity to confirm when the repeal of the fatally-falled railway policing act in Scotland will take place? The First Minister I think that Daniel Johnson recognises that this is a challenging piece of work. It is a complex piece of work and considerable work has been done to assess all the risks and challenges. We have engaged with stakeholders throughout the process. A stakeholder engagement event was held in November to explore all options. The option that is currently developed will be a new committee that is established to oversee railway policing in Scotland, which would comprise members of the Scottish Police Authority and the British Transport Police Authority. Both of those authorities have been working closely on the proposed terms of reference for that new committee. They are making good progress on that and it is hoped that they will be in a position to present proposals to their respective boards in the coming months. I will give an undertaking today that the Cabinet Secretary will update Parliament once those negotiations are concluded. That is the right way to proceed to make sure that we have arrangements in place that do enhance the accountability of railway policing in Scotland, which I hope all members would want to see, but also ensuring the safety and security of the travelling public and those who work in our transport police as well. Liam Kerr, to be followed by Liam McArthur. At the outset, I would like to thank all the officers, staff, experts, academics and colleagues from across the chamber for forcing the Scottish National Party to concede that erecting a border on Britain's railways is a dreadful idea. Can the First Minister tell us how much taxpayer's money has been wasted pursuing full integration thus far? Will she admit that control room infrastructure cannot be replaced on the cheap? At least we know that we have trains when the UK Tory Government lets contracts for ferries, they do not check that they have ferries to do it. That is a serious issue. I would also pay tribute to those who work in our transport police, but the Tories here are not exactly in a consistent position. The Tories in their 2016 Scottish election manifesto actually advocated merger. Let me quote it. We will create a national infrastructure police force bringing together the civil nuclear constabulary, the Ministry of Defence Police and the British Transport Police to improve the protection of critical infrastructure. The idea that the Tories have always supported retaining the British transport police as a standalone entity is, I am afraid, not supported by the evidence or the facts. That is the case. We will continue to take that forward in a proper way. The work that is being done now is extremely solid. When that is concluded, the cabinet secretary will come back to Parliament to update members in the usual way. A recent academic paper by Dr Kath Murray and Dr Colin Atkinson concluded that, while cutting losses at this stage will carry short-term political and reputational consequences, such a decision would stem the escalating financial, professional and personal costs. Years were wasted on the full integration model, so why will the First Minister not take this opportunity now to rule out that option for good? I have already set out the chamber, as the cabinet secretary has done previously, the work that is being done to get to the right solution. I think that it is important that that work continues. In the interests of balance, given that I have just done it with the Conservative manifesto, the Liberal Democrat manifesto in 2016 said that they would, and I quote, transfer control of the British transport police to Police Scotland, but seek to retain the ring-fenced expertise of officers on transport-related matters. I have read out the full extract. The fact of the matter is that parties are not necessarily taking the same position now as they did previously, but that, of course, is history. What is important now is that we get this right and we will continue to support the work that has been done to ensure that that happens. John Mason, to be followed by John Finnie. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I wonder if the First Minister would accept that the ordinary constituents in my constituency do not understand why there should be one police force for the street outside the railway station and a separate police force for the railway station itself. My ordinary constituents want a much more joined-up approach than we have had in the past. John Mason makes an important point, because whatever our individual views are on the best arrangements, I suspect that most members of the public would simply want politicians to sort out the structures and arrangements so that they can have confidence in their police wherever they need the services of those police. Of course, if there are, for example, terrorist incidents on our transport network, it will be often police Scotland's resources that are brought to bear to help with the resilience in those cases. It is important that we have greater accountability for the British transport police and that we have as much integration around use of resources as possible and that we put the right structures in place to support that. That is what we are working towards doing and we are determined to get it right in the interests of everybody—those who work in the service and those who use the service—as well. Does the First Minister share my concern that there are hundreds of police officers in Scotland who can exercise the power of arrest in our citizens, who can enter and search their premises but have no political accountability in Scotland? The point about accountability is one that I have made on several occasions already today. It is important to improve the accountability to the Scottish arrangements of the British transport police. That is one of the motivations behind the work that is under way and why it is important that we allow that work to reach a conclusion. Thank you very much, and that concludes First Minister's questions. We are going to move on shortly to the member's business in the name of Annabelle Ewing on settled status scheme for EU citizens in Scotland. We will take a short suspension to allow members and ministers and the gallery to change seats. A short suspension.