 Rwy'n gwybod cais y gwasanaeth mewn cyfleid ar ôl sydd yn glwyddol i wneud yn gwasanaeth ymlaen chi i'w bod yn ei gweithio, a ddod iawn yn bwysigol i yr bwysigol. Rwy'n gweithio heto gael unigwyl gyfeithio cyhoeddfa yn y byw yn y bwysigol i ddyill yn neud y bwysigol i unigwyl cyhoeddfa nid y byw yn y byw, a oedd yn ynwysigol i unigwyl cyffirmaes yn 4% o premisiau yn gwybod yn siŵr 2017-18, ond yn ddechrau cyfnodol iawn o'r holl beth oes 21%. Pwysigol o'r targiadau yn cael 14,000 premisiau oes i ddim yn llwg ffibr o'r rhodol yn y Hylendon i Mor-i regoedd, a'r holl beth oes o'r holl beth o'r holl beth o'r hylendon i'r Hylendon i'r holl beth o'r holl beth o'r holl beth o'r holl beth o'r holl beth o'r The hardest to reach areas community broadband Scotland has helped and rural communities to develop and deliver innovative broadband solutions. Last month I announced a three-year extension and additional funding for community broadband Scotland, taking its total funding to £7.5 million. Gemi MacGregor? Well, I thank her for that. Notwithstanding that reply, what comfort can the minister offer to constituents in communities like White House in North Kintar where there y gweld y blwysig o'r gweithio yng Nghymru, ac mae'n dweud y cyfnodd ddigonwyr i ddweud y gweithiaeth neu'r cyfnodd gyffredinol yn ei ddeithas ei ddrygynnu. Mae gennym ni, ac mae'n parffwysion i ddweud 100 sg per mewn ffwyrau arall, o'r cyffredinol iawn o'r cyffredinol iawn. Mae Cymru fel ygafoddiad yng nghymru yn lenses. Maester Talksfaen yw ddechrau'n rhaid i ddweud ddigonwyr o'r cyffredinol iawn arall broadband to many more households than would have been the case under commercial roll-out. We recognise that, given our geography, there are areas in Scotland that are hard to reach. That is why we have done two things. There is a £2.5 million innovation fund, which has been set up to assess technology options once the fibre backbone has been deployed, and as new, more innovative solutions become available. Secondly, and as I outlined in my answer, we have established Community Broadband Scotland, which is working with communities in the harder-to-reach areas to look at innovative ways of delivering broadband solutions. We have just, as I said, increased the funding available to that. If there are particular areas, Jimmie McGregor wants to write to me about, I am more than happy to ensure that we look and help him and his constituents to look at the options that are available. Question 2, Neil Findlay. To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to privatise NHS services. Cabinet Secretary, Alex Neil. The Scottish Government's vision is for the NHS in Scotland to remain in publicly-owned, publicly-funded service provision, providing care, free at the point of delivery, unlike the Labour Party. We do not believe in privatisation. The cabinet secretary will be aware that NHS in Scotland is fully devolved, and whether services in England are procured publicly or privately, Scotland still gets our full share as it is still public money. We know that procurement in the private sector is usually more expensive. On top of that, the NHS in Scotland can only be privatised if this Parliament votes for it. Something that we know no party or no individual in this Parliament is advocating. Given the facts on what credible basis it is, can it be argued that Scotland's NHS will be privatised in the event that Scotland rejects separation? I will deal with the facts. The fact is that the UK Government has estimated the impact of privatisation will be to reduce the health budget in England by £1 billion a year within the next two or three years. If that happens, it means a knock-on impact in the Barnett consequentials, which clearly Mr Finlay does not understand, will be a loss of £100 million a year to the national health service in Scotland. Unlike Mr Finlay, I do not believe that we should put the future of the NHS in Scotland in Tory hands in London. In relation to the change fund, cabinet secretary, which is accessed by NHS and local authorities, and accesses home care provided by local authorities and third sector providers, the cabinet secretary will be aware, from his recent visit to Heir Myers hospital, about discharge delays because of home care packages not being put in place timeously. Can I ask whether the cabinet secretary has had any further thoughts about a potential solution to this following his visit? Ms Fabiani, it is surely quite wide of the mark when we are talking about privatisation, but if the cabinet secretary wishes to briefly answer it. I will as always briefly answer it, Presiding Officer. I have this morning announced £5 million to deal with the issue of delayed discharges, and I am glad to say that the allocation to deal with the issue in South Lanarkshire is £400,000, and that will be used to maximum effect to reduce delayed discharges particularly in relation to Heir Myers hospital. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the newly appointed Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The cabinet secretary has written to Liz Truss, the new DEFRA Secretary of State, twice since her appointment, to congratulate her on her new post, and to finalise the details for notifying Scotland's voluntary couple support schemes to the European Commission. In the first letter, he also took the opportunity to ask her to reconsider the appalling convergence allocation decision made by her predecessor, which will shortchange Scotland's farmers to the tune of around €187 million between 2015 and 2020. Bearing in mind that Ms Truss will be the fifth DEFRA Secretary of State that the cabinet secretary has worked with during his time in office, he suggested an early meeting to discuss the need for Scottish and devolved ministers' involvement in important rural and marine issues. I hope that the new Secretary of State will look more favourably on and indeed show greater respect for the needs of Scotland's farmers, fishermen and other rural industries than her immediate predecessor. Angus MacDonald I thank the minister for his reply. I think it's fair to say that the previous Secretary of State, Don Patterson, has not exactly left behind a legacy to be proud of. Failure to repatriate the red meat leveo to Scotland, failure to repatriate the convergence uplift funding from the EU to Scotland's farmers and crofters, and failure to represent Scotland properly at EU level during cap negotiations. Does the minister agree with me that it's imperative for Scotland to have a seat at the top table in Europe prior to the next round of cap negotiations starting in 2017, and the only way to ensure that is a yes vote on the 18th of September? Michael Matheson Minister Yes, I do agree with that assessment. I would say about the need for us to be at the top table is that we need to have direct representation in European Union and the ability to negotiate our own priorities and avoid the situation, unfortunately, to be filled. Mr Patterson, he forgot to raise the very red line issue that the Scottish Government had raised with him prior to entering those discussions. We need to achieve more cap funding clearly from Europe. We need to have the opportunity to use the full fiscal powers of an independent country to encourage farm tenancies and new entrants to farming, and we need to ensure that Scotland's agricultural leveys support Scottish produce. Finally, just to ensure that we have overseas representation dedicated to promoting Scotland's food and drink sector and to avoid the ludicrous situation where we have had a challenge getting beef imports to Japan, something because the UK did not prioritise that in their negotiations with the Japanese Government. Question 4, Margaret McDougall. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of taxation in an independent Scotland. In Scotland's future, we have set out our plans to build a simple Scottish tax system after independence, which stimulates Scotland's economy, builds social cohesion and sustains our public services. The UK tax system is complex and inefficient. By designing a simple tax system based on a clear set of principles with few reliefs and exemptions, Scotland could reduce opportunities for avoidance and so generate additional revenues without increasing tax rates. As Scotland's public finances are healthier than those of the UK as a whole, there will be no requirement to raise the general rate of taxation to fund existing levels of spending after independence. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Just before recess, the First Minister claimed that in an independent Scotland, the council tax would be replaced with a local income tax. Spice calculated that such a move could cost the average family with two earners £550 more a year. Increasingly, it appears that under SNP proposals in the event of a yes vote, big business will profit while ordinary workers will suffer. Why is the white paper so light on taxation and is it not the case that taxes will have to go up to achieve what is being promised with a yes vote? If not, how exactly are you paying for it? When Mrs MacDougall's last point, the answer is no, taxes will not have to go up to pay for independence. What independence will give us the opportunity to do is to change our spending priorities. One of the spending priorities that we will change is the ludicrous amount of money that Mrs MacDougall and her colleagues seemed prepared after yesterday's vote to do to spend vast amounts of money on weapons of mass destruction rather than spending the money on tackling child poverty and the issues that I thought used to matter to the Labour Party in Scotland. On the issue about local taxation, the Scottish Government has a commitment during this Parliament to work with others to discuss the future of local taxation and to introduce a system based on the ability to pay. That is the Government's commitment and that is what we will fulfil during this time of Parliament. The finance secretary will be aware that Opposition parties have failed to agree proposals for devolving further tax powers in the event of a no vote, as evidenced by the vague declaration earlier this week, in which Alasdair Darlane has completed an ability to detail these on Tuesday night. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the only guaranteed way to see this Parliament being full taxation powers is to see this as a referendum? When people are entitled to know exactly what proposition will be put forward by the Opposition parties, there was absolutely no clarity on Tuesday at the declaration from all the party. Leaders nor has there been any occasion in the past and there certainly wasn't any clarity from Alasdair Darlane in the television debate on Tuesday night. So let's be absolutely clear, if people want to control their tax in Scotland, they've got to vote for independence. Thank you, Presiding Officer. In the latest Scottish Government mailing, it says, we would increase tax allowances in line with the cost of living. Will that apply to every single tax allowance and, if so, what is the approximate cost? Well, clearly, yes, the commitment extends towards the relevant taxes and, of course, all of the issues would be set out in the budget of an independent Scotland on the issues taken forward by the finance minister at that time. That is what is set out in the Government's document. That is the commitment that we make to the people of Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the decision to arm police officers on routine duties was regarded as an operational matter and not scrutinised by the Parliament. Over 98 per cent of police officers in Scotland are unarmed, and we've clearly stated on a number of occasions that decisions on the deployment of police officers, including the small number of armed police officers, are a matter for the chief constable of the Police Service of Scotland. That freedom from political interference reflects the position of all parts of the chamber when we debated the Police and Fire Reform Scotland Bill in the Parliament. That legislation made sure that we also have the appropriate checks and balances in place, including scrutiny roles for the Scottish Police Authority, the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner and Her Majesty's Inspector of Constability for Scotland. Furthermore, the Parliament's sub-committee in policing exists in order to scrutinise all aspects of policing in Scotland. This whole issue lays bare the Achilles heel of a single police force, with no meaningful public accountability to local areas. A threat about which my party repeatedly warned the cabinet secretary, does he now concede that this policy regrettably confirms that vital checks and balances have been lost by the rolling out of a uniform police culture across all of Scotland, regardless of need or appropriateness? No, I don't. I believe that there are now significantly more checks and balances and safeguards than existed under the former regime. We now have, in particular, a Scottish Police Authority that I think is greater statured than the previous individual constable's authorities. We have, as I say, an existence to that. We also have the parliamentary sub-committee that did not exist. We now also have three particular matters relating to armed policing. We have the PIRC that did not exist before, and the Investigations and Review Commissioner is there and was not previously with the same power of authority. HMICS has a particular role and enhanced role, doubtless because of the single service. Equally, we have the commitment that standing firearms authority is reviewed on a three-monthly basis. That is a far greater amount of safeguards and checks and balances that ever existed under the old regime. Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government what steps have been taken to tackle antisocial behaviour in Glasgow province. The Scottish Government is committed to tackling antisocial behaviour, our 2009 strategy promoting positive outcomes marked a significant shift in policy recognising that prevention, early intervention and diversion should be at the heart of approaches to tackle antisocial behaviour. The number of reported antisocial behaviour related crimes in Scotland has fallen by 38 per cent over the period 2009-10 to 2012-13. Of course, there are also more police now in Scotland than there have ever been. Both Police Scotland and Community Safety Glasgow confirm an overall reduction in antisocial behaviour in the proven area. Diversionary activities are a key contributor to that, and local partners are working to ensure that there are appropriate activities available for young people in the area. The Cashback for Communities programme also provides a range of sporting, cultural and youth work opportunities for young people in Glasgow province. The Scottish Government is also currently consulting on a number of potential legislative changes to the antisocial behaviour, etc. Scotland Act 2004, which will help to improve the response to antisocial behaviour. Paul Marston? Perhaps the reduction in the reporting of crimes has come down for the very fact that members of the public have been charged for calling the 101 service. Will the minister advise me if there are any plans to ensure that that service is a free phone service to ensure that people are encouraged to report antisocial crime in the first place? Thank you for the promotion. The introduction of the 101 service was designed to ensure that the 99 service worked as efficiently as it could in connection with serious reports of crime. At the moment, I am not aware of any intention to change the proposals in respect of the 101 service, but I am sure that the member will want to make representations not just here in the chamber but directly to the justice ministers in that particular regard. To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to address income poverty. The Government takes low pay very seriously, and we are leading the way by doing all that we can to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from the living wage. Our commitment to support the Scottish living wage for the duration of this Parliament is a decisive long-term commitment to those on the lowest incomes. We want to encourage others to follow the example that we have set. That is why we have funded a pilot for the poverty alliance to deliver a living wage accreditation scheme, which aims to increase the number of employers paying the living wage in all sectors in Scotland to make decent pay the norm in our country. In Scotland's future, we have set out information on our plan to set up a fair work commission and guarantee that the minimum wage will rise at least in line with inflation. Over the last five years, that would have improved the annual earnings of some of the lowest-paid Scots by over 600 pounds. Christina McKelvie I thank the cabinet secretary for that very welcome announcement. The cabinet secretary will be aware that, over the last decade, more and more people are being pushed into poverty pay and reliance on and work benefits because of UK pay policy. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that the only way to ensure that Scotland workers are lifted out of poverty pay is a yes vote six weeks from today? When we look at the erosion of the value and the significance of the minimum wage, because of the failure to increase the minimum wage with the cost of living every year since 2008, we can see the real effects, the realities of Westminster Government in Scotland. What independence provides us with the opportunity to do is to ensure that, in line with the commitments that we have set out, the minimum wage rises at the very least in line with inflation, which the Government gives to the people of Scotland. As the Scottish Government has, it is improving access to justice for rape victims. Rape and sexual assault are among the most distressing crimes in our society, and they are totally unacceptable. The Scottish Government is working with its key partners to ensure that perpetrators are held to account and that victims have access to appropriate support. We have and continue to strengthen the law in relation to rape and sexual assault that includes strengthening the law around sexual crime through the sexual offences Scotland Act 2009, giving victims of sexual offences automatic access to measures such as screens and video links when giving evidence, and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Scotland's creation of the national specialist as sexual crimes unit to prosecute serious sexual offences. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The cabinet secretary will be aware of a recent BBC survey regarding regional variation in the practice of marking police reports no crime, covering a four-year period, whereas Police Scotland has only been in existence since 1 April 2013. However, how can consistency across Scotland be achieved without compromising operational independence? I am grateful for the question, and I think that I should make clear that there are long-standing rules that the police follow in deciding whether to record a report as a no crime. Those apply to all offences where a crime originally been recorded and include situations where credible information emerges after the recording of a crime, which indicates that a crime has not been committed. Those rules predate the creation of Police Scotland, and nothing has changed since the establishment of the single service. The single service has allowed for greater consistency, improved national standards and procedures, and indeed the establishment of a national unit, as has been referred to. That ends General Questions time. We now move to First Minister's question.