 Thank you, that's a group thatanhовlltion of questions, on the next item of business portfolio question time. The point of orderthat I can gather vergessen relations with official issues. On a point of order of which I have been given notice I seek your guidance. On 8 September, the Parliament said that in light of loss-of-life in road incidents over the summer, the Scottish Government will bring over detailed fel gyntafol delfwyddsodol, a dwi'n gilydd y llefod teisiowyr gydag o'i polfio y lleifodau a leion, dwi'n gilydd eich uwch i'r Aeniadau i A96. Mae'n cymhysgwrth amdano'n ymddangos i'r parwyr o'r enghwypanol. Fy enw i dd sterofodaeth, yn gorfod y ddim yn y ddechrau â'r aeswylltau mor phwysgol, o rhan ychydig o'i wahanol i'r ae ballots yna. Rwy'n ddych yn gwybod i fynd i'ch ei bod yn ei wahanol i'r ae faultwyr o'r Both are not a sympathise are with the families. Can I ask your guidance, Presiding Officer, in how I can secure the objective of the Scottish Government proposing a oral ministerial statement to this chamber setting out its revised plans, not least because the current target for dualling the A9 remains 2025, something that is plainly impossible and requires updating. As the First Minister also said, procurement is complex, but that need not prevent the publication of such plans and, after all, it did not prevent the 225 target being fixed in the first place. What procedure or process is available to me as a backbencher of the party and government to represent my constituents on this vitally important matter? It is a matter for the Scottish Government whether it wishes to propose making a ministerial statement rather than a point of order for me to rule upon. However, your comments are now on the record. As you have noted, you were able to raise this matter at First Minister's questions on 8 September and you will be able to use all the various scrutiny mechanisms available to all members to continue to raise concerns. We now move on to portfolio question time. The first portfolio is justice and veterans. At question number one, I call Jamie Greene. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the era with Police Scotland's online crime reporting system, which meant that between 3pm on 3rd 1st of August and 6pm on 1st of September crimes reported through that online system were not recorded. Cabinet Secretary, Keith Brown. That was clearly a regrettable incident. However, it is important to stress that this affected only non-urgent messages that do not require immediate police attendance. Of course, in an emergency situation, 999 should always be called. Police Scotland have confirmed that the issue was related to a third party supplier's platform that stopped around 215 emails being processed. I am grateful to Police Scotland for their swift action to inform the public and the moves that they have made to reviewing current service provision to ensure that processes are robust against any possible recurrence. I thank the cabinet secretary. Regrettable is one word. I would say that concerning is perhaps a better description of this IT failure. We actually learned recently that since 2018, 2 million calls to 101—again, non-urgent calls—went unanswered. A large number of calls even to 999 themselves go unanswered. It is vital that any crimes reported online or otherwise are both logged and acted upon, because we all know sadly the serious consequences of what happens when emergency call handling goes wrong. It ends in tragedy, cabinet secretary. Can I ask, first of all, what reassurances can be offered that this is actually a fail-proof system? This will not happen again. Does he also share my concern that the very real effects of a real-term potential budget cut on Police Scotland's capital budget will have grave consequences for the very vital IT projects that they need to be investing in now? First of all, I think that there can be some reassurance from the immediate action taken by Police Scotland and the fact that the same system has worked continuously since the incident occurred for the last three weeks without a fault. I have been given certain from Police Scotland that there is work being done to make sure that there is no recurrence of that issue. I also think that, possibly further reassurance from the HMICS report on Police Scotland's contact assessment model, which is very clear that the contribution of CAM is a significant step forward for Police Scotland independently assessed. HMICS also highlights that it's role in enabling Police Scotland to maintain an appropriate level of service throughout the pandemic. Figures published by the Home Office for example for July this year show that Police Scotland was well above the UK average for 999 call answer times, which the member mentioned, with 79.9 per cent of calls answered in under 10 seconds, compared with 68.3 per cent for the rest of the UK. In relation to the budget, as far as I know, the member has made no call on the UK Government to either reverse the 5.2 per cent cut to this year's budget that the Scottish Government has or also given the cost of living crisis and the huge costs associated with pay claims, associated with very high levels of inflation. He would have thought the member, if he was concerned about the police budget, would have made representations about that, but none at all. Also, as far as I can remember, there's never been an amendment from the Tories to say that they want to increase police spending. In fact, in times past, I remember at least one occasion when they asked for less money than the Scottish Government put into these. So, if they're serious about it, perhaps they can make some calls on the UK Government to help bolster some of the increased costs, whether it's through the cost of living or the energy crisis that the Scottish Government and Police Scotland are facing because of their Government's ineptitude. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the first few weeks of operation and how many women are now resident at the newly opened Bella Centre in Dundee, the UK's first community custody unit. Minister Ashton. The Bella Centre community custody unit became operational on 1 August 2022. There are currently nine women residing in the unit, with further women being assessed for their eligibility to transfer to the Bella Centre in the coming weeks. I thank the minister for that response. It is becoming increasingly understood that our prison system is a product of inequality, having been developed through a class-infused lens of men's experience. Can the minister outline what she considers to be the specific needs and challenges for women in custody, and how the vision for justice will support the much-needed transformational change in the women's prison sector? I think that Bella Centre is an example of this Government's implementation of that type of transformational change. Women in prison in Scotland often present with a number of complex and often interconnected needs. Broadly speaking, they disproportionately experience physical and psychological problems, which are frequently exacerbated by substance misuse, often as a result of traumatic events experienced in childhood or as adults. Through the Scottish Government's vision for justice in Scotland, we will continue to dedicate work within the justice sector to ensuring that women get the help that they need. We remain absolutely committed to making improvements to the justice system that will benefit and empower women throughout the system. The women's justice leadership panel, which I chair, has been established to address gender equality and improve women's experiences within the justice system. That panel has been examining a range of experiences of women both as victims and as offenders in a range of different settings, including policing, community justice, criminal and civil courts, tribunals and prisons. We hope that the work of that panel will promote the development of strategic outcomes that can guide and enhance the scope and uptake for gender policy competent making and the design of justice policies that can go further to help women and to help to achieve our vision for justice in Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Police Authority about improving the accountability of policing in Scotland. Policing is one of the most accountable and highly scrutinised services in Scotland. An entire organisation in the Scottish Police Authority is in place specifically to hold a chief constable to account. In addition, several other organisations have a key statutory role in the oversight of policing such as His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner. The Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament and Audit Scotland also take a keen interest in matters of accountability, as demonstrated by the member's question, of course. I meet the chair of the SPA regularly as I do the chief constable and Her Majesty's, His Majesty's pardon me, inspector of policing. The subjects discussed at those meetings are relevant to policing issues at this time. Stephen Cack. Thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. It's going to take some time for us to get used to His Majesty rather than Her Majesty. I do hope that the cabinet secretary might be able to answer this question, which has been raised to me by many concerned constituents, but without being tempted to make any party political pop. The number of incidences of drug dealing recorded by the police has fallen by 20 per cent, while the number of people dying from drugs remains stubbornly high. It's no surprise that many people in my central Scotland constituency are coming to me because they feel less safe in their neighbourhoods. So can the cabinet secretary say how can these communities, who are genuinely concerned for their public safety, hold the police accountable to keep them safe from drug dealers? Of course those figures, which the member mentioned, are ones independently produced or independent from the Scottish Government, so I think we are right to place some faith in them, which show, as the member mentioned, a substantial reduction. It's also true to say that my colleague Angela Constance is perhaps better placed to respond to this, that there is a lag. You mentioned drug deaths. There is obviously a lag as to when those deaths take place from when people, of course, first start taking drugs, but it is the responsibility of the police to provide that reassurance that the member mentioned. I think that there is some reassurance, notwithstanding, I'm sure that the members of the public have come to speak to Mr Kerr. There is some reassurance from the police figures, which show that there is a reduction. However, through the different methods that I've mentioned already, there is a possibility for people to raise these issues either, as I've said with the SPA, individually, as they've done with the member concerned. I would encourage them to do that. The police are always willing to listen to that, and of course they will rely on local intelligence to find the best disposition of their force as well, so that may also be a factor. There's more information that the police have than the more effective they can be. I hope that's helpful to the member, but I'd be happy to have a further discussion if he'd find that helpful. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to further improve trauma-informed policing across Scotland, especially when policing vulnerable communities, and what steps can be taken to ensure officers are held accountable for actions or attitudes that negatively impact vulnerable communities this year? First of all, our vision for justice in Scotland sets out that justice services must be person-centred and trauma-informed. Those are, I understand, almost like buzzwords these days, but if they are properly realised, they can be transformative in people's experience. It's recognised that people in the criminal justice system can be affected by psychological trauma in many different ways, and that the system itself can be re-traumatising. As set out in the strategic workforce plan, Police Scotland is committed to working with a wide range of partners, recognising that the majority of police demand is rooted in complex social need with the aim of protecting vulnerable individuals. To support that, all officers and staff within Police Scotland's partnerships, prevention and community well-being division are trained in trauma-informed policing. Additionally, we are funding trauma specialists to develop a knowledge and skills framework to help to create a more trauma-informed and trauma-responsive justice system that will be published later this year. To ask the Scottish Government how the proposed criminal justice reform bill will aim to improve the experiences of victims in the justice system. The bill will progress the ambition and priority set out in the vision for justice in Scotland, and it will deliver reforms building on a recent consultation on improving victims' experiences of the justice system and the recommendations from Lady Dorian's review on improving the management of sexual offence cases. The bill will include proposals to introduce a statutory right to anonymity for complainers in sexual offence cases and to abolish the not proven verdict, a verdict that people do not understand that can stigmatise the acquitted and may cause additional trauma for victims. I thank the cabinet secretary for his response and I welcome that the bill sets out to deliver legislative reforms, bringing building on the recommendations of Lady Dorian's review on improving the management of sexual offence cases, notably the anonymity of complainers of sexual crimes, as mentioned by the cabinet secretary. Can the cabinet secretary advise what plans the Scottish Government has to work with the legal sector to ensure a smooth implementation of those reforms in court practice? The member raises a very important point, specifically on ensuring statutory anonymity protection for complainers in sexual offence cases, for example. The Scottish Government is engaging closely with key interests, including rape crisis Scotland, to ensure that the policy is delivered effectively. More generally, for the various reforms likely to be in the bill, we have continued Lady Dorian's approach of partnership working. A cross-sector governance group where the legal sector is represented, along with victim support organisations, is driving further consideration, including implementation planning. That is invaluable in helping to ensure that reforms in court practice and procedure achieve the intended benefits. Russell Finlay. Countless rape victims and the families of murder victims have their pain compounded by the not-proven verdict. Can the cabinet secretary tell them when Scotland's bastard verdict will be scrapped? We have laid out in the programme for government the proposals to have that brought forward this year. I would also say that this has been here for centuries. It is also true that we resist the member and other members' pleas to do this more quickly, because we think that there are other parts of the system that will have to change in order to accommodate that change. That is supported. The consideration of those matters is supported by, whether it is the Law Society, the Faculty of Advocates or the Senators' Judges in Scotland. We have to take people with us on such a fundamental change. That is why it is right that we consider other aspects as well as an not-proven verdict. That is entirely what we have done up to this point and what we will continue to do. For the first time, a Government has said, for centuries, that we will abolish the not-proven verdict in Scotland, and I think that that should be welcomed. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the latest recorded crime in Scotland statistics. Whilst the latest recorded crime statistics are at the lowest level since 1974, which shows Scotland as a safer place since this Government took office, there is much more to do. We are investing in policing to ensure that police numbers are higher than at any time during the previous administration, and we are ensuring that victims and survivors are supported. Our victim-centred approach fund of £48 million will provide practical and emotional support to victims over the next three years. That includes £18.5 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence, in addition to the delivery of Equally Safe, providing £90 million per year that focuses on prevention, as well as providing vital support services in every part of Scotland. Any reduction in overall crime levels is to be welcomed, but the cabinet secretary overlooks the fact that sexual crimes are at their highest ever level, and the number of domestic abuse incidents has also reached record levels. In a recent article in the justice and social affairs magazine 1919, Keith Brown boasted that Scotland was such a safe place to live. Even for an administration that is complacent to the Scottish National Party Government, aren't those remarks crassly and sensitive to the record number of victims of these horrific crimes? Of course, we have to be mindful of the experience of crime of people and how traumatic it can be, and of course we are, but it is another absurdity to talk about complacency. When I am looking at an article that I saw today in the newspaper, 45.1% of every 1,000 people in Scotland suffer experience of crime compared to 77.6% in England and Wales. If we were so complacent, what does that make the UK Government? Of course we are concerned for victims, and that is why we have taken the measures that we have. In relation to policing, we have far higher levels of policing in Scotland than the rest of the UK. We have a starting salary for a police constable in Scotland that is over £5,000 per year more than it is in England and Wales. Perhaps those are some of the things. And the success of the police in driving down those lowest levels of crime since 1974. 1974, the lowest levels of crime. You think that that might be the occasional word of praise for Police Scotland from the Conservatives, but no, we do not get that. 6. Mark Rostell To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on addressing court backlogs, leading to young people being held on remand for longer than 140 days in young offenders institutions. The Scottish Government has established a justice recovery fund of £53.2 million in 2022-23, which is supporting the courts and the wider justice system to recover from the impact of the pandemic. Action taken to address the backlogs, including the creation of 16 additional courts, is having a positive impact on court throughput. The total number of scheduled trials outstanding has reduced each month this year and has fallen by over 7,400 since the start of the year. We are also reforming the use of remand and are ending the placement of under 18s in young offenders institutions. I welcome that response, particularly in relation to the justice recovery fund. I have constituents from Fife who have been held on remand at the young offenders institution in Pullman for up to a year, locked up for up to 22 hours a day away from home, without access to adequate support. There is obviously no way to treat any young person in Scotland today. The Scottish Government is applying the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Scotland. In what ways those forthcoming bills will ensure that young people are not unnecessarily deprived of their liberty and are also treated with trauma-informed and age-appropriate support, which is so important. The decision to deprive a child of their liberty is, of course, for the independent courts. We are very clear that that should be as a last resort and that it should be in secure care. That is why we are committed to ending the placement of under 18s in young offenders institutions and that is through the forthcoming children's care and justice bill. I understand that there have been improvements for under 18s on remand in YOI, including access to vocational training and realignment of a full-time inclusion officer, to work with individuals to reduce social isolation and to encourage participation in activities. However, I take the member's interest on that. I suggest that perhaps he would like to meet with the minister in charge of that bill to discuss his concerns in more detail with her. To ask the Scottish Government what support has been provided to assist those veterans, predominantly women, who have been victims of military sexual trauma whilst on duty? The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to improving access to support for all those who have experienced rape or sexual assault. We fund a range of front-line specialist support services, for example, through a victim-centred approach fund that will provide £48 million to 23 organisations across Scotland over the period 2022-25. That includes £18.5 million for specialist advocacy support for survivors of gender-based violence, underlining their absolute commitment to putting victims very firmly at the centre of the justice system. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that, with over 22 per cent of female veterans reporting incidents of sexual assault by their colleagues, the UK Government and Ministry of Defence should do more to stamp out that culture within the armed services and that the UK Government should recognise military sexual trauma in the same way that the US recognises it as a criminal offence within their federal law, where trials are held in civilian courts? I certainly agree that more should be done to stamp out that culture. That has been true for many decades. One of the first engagements on taking up this position that I had last year was to go to a new veteran centre in Fife, where a woman who had been one of the first women to become a wren stationed on a ship recounted some of her experience in the 80s, and which had continued since then, absolutely horrendous experience. Much more should be done and should have been done over many years. Of course, I agree that the most serious cases should be dealt with in the civilian criminal courts. We continue to push the UK Government to commit to the future implementation of recommendation 1 of the Lions review. In January, I wrote to the defence secretary asking how the UK Government will address this important issue and how our service personnel can be assured that it will not be affected by such awful behaviour during their service. Very reasonable questions, I did not even receive the courtesy of a response from the Secretary of State. To ask the Scottish Government what conclusions it has reached through its monitoring of the community payback order scheme on its effectiveness at reducing re-offending. Use of community payback orders, or CPOs, is monitored in a variety of ways, including through national criminal justice social work and reconviction statistics. We know that CPOs can be more effective than prison at addressing the causes of offending, whilst also delivering benefits to communities. Our justice vision includes a continued focus on shifting the balance towards justice in the community. The reconviction rate for those given CPOs is consistently lower than for short custodial sentences. In 2018-19, the reconviction rate for CPOs was 29.2 per cent, compared to 51.7 per cent for custodial sentences of one year or less. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. A key part of vision for justice is shifting the balance between use of custody towards greater use of justice options within our communities. Can ask the cabinet secretary what action the Scottish Government has taken to achieve this and to make further progress in reducing re-offending. I assure the member that further steps are being taken to shift the balance towards greater use of community-based disposals. A delivery plan to support implementation of the revised national community justice strategy is being developed with partner organisations and will be published to drive towards actions at a national as well as a local level. In addition, we will be introducing the bail and release from custody Scotland Bill to Parliament in June. We are supporting effective use of new powers to electronically monitor use of bail, and we are continuing to invest in community justice services within the parameters set out in the resource spending review. That includes sustaining additional investment of £15 million in justice social work services this year. Public protection remains paramount as we work to reduce re-offending and assist with rehabilitation, which leads to fewer victims and safer communities. Thank you, cabinet secretary. That concludes Justice Investments portfolio questions. There will be a very short pause before we move on to the next portfolio questions. Thank you. The next item of business is portfolio questions on finance and the economy. I remind members that questions 3 and 7 are grouped together. I will take any supplementaries on those questions once they are both answered. If a member wishes to request a supplementary question, they should press the request-to-speak button or indicate so in the chat function by entering the letter R during the relevant question. I call question 1, Pauline McNeill. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of energy price and inflation increases on businesses and jobs. We monitor closely the impact and know the effects of energy price inflation are felt by both traditional energy intensive industries and by small businesses. We have engaged extensively with businesses and supported their calls for measures on energy prices, VAT reduction, staff shortages and handling business loans, which all fall within the reserve power of the UK Government. While the UK Government's long-anticipated announcement this morning is welcome, it comes too late for many businesses across Scotland who are already struggling to pay bills. The UK Government needs to do more, and we have written to them requesting an urgent quadrilateral meeting. Pauline McNeill. Businesses feel that they are lurching from one overwhelming crisis to another, and that is despite the UK Government's intervention today, and I agree with the minister that it has come a little bit too late, but I am sure that it is welcome. Hospitality businesses were here last week, and I want to put on record my thanks to Ivan McKee for coming along to listen to those businesses who described the current financial situation in Scotland as worse than during the coronavirus period, and many fear that they will not be able to continue trading through this winter. They have indicated that business rate reliefs would make a sizable difference to many companies. Can the minister say what the detailed plans are to support businesses this winter? I know only too well that the minister is aware that businesses have said that they are really scared that, if they do not survive this winter, they will not survive at all. Thank Pauline McNeill for the question, and thank her for organising that event with the hospitality businesses recently. It reinforced my understanding of the difficulties businesses in that sector and others are facing, not just because of the price rises, but because of the uncertainty as a consequence of that. We have seen from the UK Government a six-month-only price cap, which is clearly not helpful to businesses as helpful as it could be to businesses that are looking to the future. I fully appreciate the difficulties businesses see as a consequence of that. The Scottish Government is looking at all options that we have to be able to take forward measures to support businesses. Many of the levers, as we all know, are controlled by the UK Government. The Scottish Government, my colleague Deputy First Minister, will be bringing forward measures on the budget once we have seen what the UK Government's budget action in that regard is so that we fully understand the fiscal scope that we have within to operate, but rest assured, we very much understand and appreciate the impact of the current crisis on businesses. Given that the UK Government holds a key lever to support businesses and jobs during this crisis, what engagement has the Scottish Government had with the UK Government on this matter? What action do the ministers think that the UK Government should be taking now to support businesses and people? The response from the UK Government and the Singapore Broadways has been unacceptable, with key policy levers currently reserved, as the member rightly points out. We will continue to press the UK Government across a range of measures, including expansion of shortage occupation lists, vat reduction on SME energy bills and an extension of the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme. The long-awaited business energy cap is welcome, but that must be funded, in part, by targeting windfall gains in the energy sector and other companies benefiting from significantly higher profits through the pandemic and energy crisis. We have written to the UK Government several times on those issues, most recently, on 16 September, when we requested an urgent quadrilateral meeting. We will continue to press urgently on those issues. Energy projections for the Shetland community bike project show that unit price increases of over 300 per cent, while the impact of energy price and inflation increases questions the viability of even long-established businesses in my constituency and makes planning for the future difficult. Does the minister agree with me that this demonstrates that we need longer-term solutions rather than the temporary sticking plaster that the UK Government is offering? Yes, indeed I do, and it is one of the cruel paradoxes of the current situation that in an energy-rich Scotland we are seeing such, which is self-sufficient in energy, we are seeing such rises in costs outwith our control, particularly in an energy-rich Shetland, where I know that the impact, as Beatrice Wishart will say, is what will recognise. Those only too well is even more severe in many instances as it is across the rest of Scotland. Beatrice Wishart is absolutely right, we do need long-term solutions to this crisis, that is why Scotland has to have the control over full economic levers and full energy levers, in the only way that we see that that can be delivered as for Scotland to be a normal independent country and enjoy those full powers. In the Scotsman this morning, the head of the CBI says that there is not enough dialogue with Scottish ministers and he declared that freezing business rates was the CBI's top ask of the Scottish Government. Minister, business rates is a lever you do have, so will you listen to business? I also saw those comments from Tony Duncan, he was very complimentary about his engagement with the First Minister and myself. The Deputy First Minister and other ministers engage extensively with the CBI in Scotland on a very regular basis and with other business organisations. My door is always open, so any business organisation or business that feels that they are not being listened to please come and arrange a meeting with me to discuss those or other matters. With regards to the steps that the Scottish Government can take, the member will be well aware that because Scotland is not an independent country, we do not have control over borrowing powers, we are therefore operating within FISCO. We can only fund those with the finite resources that we have because we are not able to borrow to support those emergency measures in the way that the UK Government does. That is why we call on the UK Government to take the measures that it is taking to support businesses and to give us more FISCO headroom to be able to take the measures that the members mentioned. As I said, the Deputy First Minister will bring forward the emergency budget in that regard as soon as we are clear what the landscape on the FISCO situation looks like. 2. Neil Bibby, who is joining us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated in the financial year 2022-23 for it and its agencies to spend on social media advertising. Budgets are not allocated by the Scottish Government to agencies specifically for the purposes of social media advertising and information is not held on the breakdown of social media advertising expenditure by agency. Scottish Government spend on social media advertising from April 2022 to August 2022 was £371,993. The Deputy Minister for that answer is clear that the Scottish Government do spend a significant amount on social media advertising and last year it was reported to be £2.3 million. The Deputy First Minister set out a number of options for spending cuts as part of the Government's emergency budget review, but that does not appear to be including cutting this budget. Clearly, that would not offset other difficult decisions, but it is still a significant amount of money. Can the Minister confirm whether the social media advertising budget is to be protected or considered for further cuts? As Mr Bibby will be aware, I have set out an initial round of reductions in budgets, which was explained to Parliament two weeks ago. I do not believe that that will be the last set of reductions that I will have to make because of the enormous financial pressures that we face because of inflation and public sector pay. I am currently exploring a range of different aspects of public expenditure, which might be the subject to further reduction as part of the emergency budget review and as part of my in-year financial management. That might have an effect on the advertising and social media costs of the Government, but I will advise Parliament in due course of what decisions I arrive at on any of those questions. To ask the Scottish Government what its latest engagement has been with the UK Government regarding the funding that has been provided to mitigate the impact of the cost of living crisis. The cost crisis is an unprecedented challenge for us all, and action must be taken by all Governments, including and especially the United Kingdom Government. The First Minister wrote to the Prime Minister on 6 September emphasising the need to act urgently to support citizens now. Given the grave nature of the crisis, I also wrote to the new chancellor to press the need for action. The Prime Minister's announcement on the energy price cap is welcome, but more action is required to support the struggling families and businesses. Presiding Officer, despite actions by the Scottish Government to mitigate the UK Tory cuts and provide direct financial support not available elsewhere in the UK, independent analysis in the financial times suggests that living standards continue to decline and, for instance, the average Slovenian household would be better off than the British equivalent by 2024. Given that the Scottish Government does not have the fiscal levers of independence to be able to borrow to provide additional support to households and businesses as inflation spirals, what measures he would like to see introduced by the UK Government in order to prevent a recession and reduce soaring levels of fuel poverty, food need and indebtiveness that are impacting too many of our constituents already? Presiding Officer, Mr Doris will have heard the statement that I made to Parliament two weeks ago in which I explained the financial constraints under which we are operating, whereby once we have set the tax rates for a financial year and given the fact that we have no ability to borrow for resource expenditure, we essentially are operating in a fixed budget. There has been spiralling increases in inflation during this financial year and that has resulted in the necessity to settle pay demands at a much higher level than the levels that we were expecting in pay policy. That puts acute pressure on the Scottish Government's budget because we do not have the flexibility to which Mr Doris refers that is held by the United Kingdom Government. What I would like to see the UK Government doing is taking forward targeted measures such as, for example, an increase in universal credit payments because that would provide support directly to those who are most affected by the challenges that are faced in the cost of living crisis. That is why the Scottish Government has taken the steps that we have taken, for example, on the Scottish child payment to make sure that families who are really struggling are given the greatest amount of support. I am very concerned in reading news reports of what is expected to be in the Chancellor's Statement on Friday, that more and more of the measures that are proposed to be taken by the United Kingdom Government run the risk of increasing inequality in our society and preferring the interests of those who are wealthy over those who are facing financial challenges and in poverty. I appeal, as I have done with my colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland, to the United Kingdom Government to bring forward measures that will support those who are hard pressed by this financial crisis. To ask the Scottish Government what indications it has received that additional funding will be provided by the UK Government to deal with inflationary pressures. Despite the huge challenges faced by the Scottish budget, there has been no support offered by the United Kingdom Government to deal with inflationary pressures. With inflation now more than 10 per cent and predicted to go higher, the Scottish budget is now worth around £1.7 billion less than it was when it was presented to Parliament in December. The Scottish budget is fixed. We cannot vary Scottish income tax in year. Our reserve funding is wholly allocated and our borrowing powers are woefully inadequate. We need to secure from the United Kingdom Government the necessary financial flexibility to enable us to address the very real financial challenges that we face during this financial year. I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply. It does agree that, without additional resources to match rising wage, energy and other costs, Scotland's public sector will struggle to maintain services and staff. Given that poorest areas will be hardest, additional funding is essential if the UK Government is serious about its own levelling up agenda. I have indicated in a number of responses to members this afternoon the challenges that we face, which I set out openly to Parliament two weeks ago. The effects of inflation on our budget are to undermine the value of our budget to the tune of £1.7 billion. That means that there is intense pressure on the ability to deliver public services and to afford the significantly higher increases in public sector pay that we are envisaged at the time of setting the budget. That is why I have made the appeal, along with my colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland, to the UK Government to have an approach to the fiscal event on Friday, which meets the needs of these days and addresses the fact that, unless specific action is taken, the risk of increasing inequality and damaging impact on the poorest in our society will be the consequence of the actions of the UK Government. Will the Deputy First Minister agree that, in addition to the consequential fiscal transfers available to the Scottish Government to respond to cost-living pressures, the introduction of new tax levies on wealth-held assets such as land and issuing of sub-sovere bonds to finance public sector capital investments should be explored as a matter of urgency? I am perfectly happy to explore those questions, although I think that the question on the issue of sub-sovereign debt would be outwith the competence of the Scottish Parliament, but I am very happy to explore that if Mr Sweeney wants to write me to me with particular thoughts about how that might be done. I think that he highlights however what I welcome about his question is the recognition of the limitations of the current range of responsibilities and powers that we have to deal with the crisis that we face. One of the points that Parliament needs to engage in as a whole is that, when we are in a situation where, largely during a financial year, we have a fixed budget unless the UK Government decides to expand public expenditure in England, we have no ability to deal with inflationary pressures or changes in dynamics with any other course other than to take money from one area of policy and apply it to another. That is the dilemma that I am wrestling with every day of the week just now, and it is one that I will have to come back to Parliament about in the course of the next few weeks. To ask the Scottish Government for its reaction to reports that the Westminster Government is considering a post-Brexit removal of EU workers' rights. The Scottish Government is firmly opposed to any weakening of worker protections, and removing important EU protections could lead to a reduction of workers' health, safety and wellbeing outcomes. In the Queen's speech this year, the UK Government took the decision not to bring in an employment bill. Will the minister agree with me that, given Westminster Tory Government's poor track record when it comes to protecting workers' rights, coupled with the emergence of a Liz Truss Government intent on stripping protections and power away from unions while undermining workers, it is becoming ever more evident that the only way that we can safeguard workers' rights and tackle in-work poverty in Scotland is by ensuring full employment powers rest with the Scottish Government? I thank the member for his question, and I agree with the point that he makes. I was very concerned when UK civil servants recently confirmed that having been asked by their political masters to look at how to use Brexit freedoms, they confirmed that they were looking at EU regulations such as working time, parental leave, two-pay, agency worker and part-time workers. Given the tone that Colin Beattie refers to from the new Tory PM Liz Truss, I think that we should be very worried and I agree that those reports are further evidence that workers in Scotland will only get the employment protections that they need when the levers of change are placed in the hands of the Scottish people and the Governments that they vote for. To ask the Scottish Government to put your budget line in the £5 million previously allocated to the islands bond scheme will be reallocated. The £300,000 allocated to the islands bond this financial year will now support projects that will deliver on priorities identified by our island communities. Those projects will help to inform our future funding requirements so that we can tackle the depopulation challenges across our islands. This work complements the support provided to deliver on the national islands plan, which will see a total of £8.3 million invested in critical infrastructure projects that continues our record of delivering significant investment in key island-based projects. It is not entirely clear from the Cabinet Secretary's response what that money will fund. He is right to highlight that depopulation is caused by housing and especially housing for young people. I wonder if he has given any consideration to Jim Hunter's suggestion of a Highlands and Islands Housing Authority in power to address housing and depopulation. While the £5 million set aside for the islands bond would not fund that scale of initiative, can I also ask if he is considered making that money available to young islanders by way of grants to self-build? I am always interested in the thinking and contribution of Jim Hunter on all matters, but in particular in relation to the Highlands and Islands. I will look with care along with my colleague Mary Gougeon at those issues. Rhoda Grant helpfully points out the significant relationship between the issues of affordability of affordable housing, economic opportunity and the question of depopulation. I think that there is, without a question of a doubt, an interrelationship between those questions. On the question of a new authority, I would reserve my position and I would rather try to achieve the outcomes that Jim Hunter is raising on that question, in which I am certain that Rhoda Grant will support. I hope that the measures that the Government is taking in relation to our island's expenditure is of assistance in trying to support those objectives about tackling depopulation, boosting economic opportunity and boosting the supply of housing in the Highlands and Islands. The Scottish Government dropped the proposal for an island's bond on the back of feedback from islanders whose voices are central to the future of their communities, but the Government's commitment to financially back initiatives to support the retention of people in our island communities is clear. How the £4.45 million allocated through the island's programme will support population retention in island communities? Across 31 different islands, across six island local authorities, the funding will be allocated directly supporting islands with populations in the low hundreds. The projects include the development of digital and community hubs, which will provide or safeguard key economic and social infrastructure to support healthy thriving islands. The largest single award of £1.3 million will support a major new nursery development on mainland Orkney, which will benefit all of Orkney's islands. The project is directly linked to population retention and growth, while addressing child poverty and providing practical training opportunities for employment. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response and, particularly, the last element of it. He will perhaps be aware of the idea that I posited to his cabinet colleague, Marie Gougeon, about expanding the inter-isles air services in a way that would support population retention not simply on one island but across the north isles or most of the north isles in my Orkney constituency. Can he confirm that there is part of the further thinking that is going on in the Scottish Government that that idea will be taken fully into account? I have had that idea put to me in recent discussions with leaders of islands authorities, to which I may come on to in the subsequent question if we reach it. That has been put to us and will be considered as part of a range of measures that we want to take forward to try to improve connectivity among islands and to ensure that some of the practical measures can be taken to tackle the issue of depopulation, which I know is of concern to Mr MacArthur and his constituents. Question number six, not lodged. Question number eight, Lee MacArthur. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government when it last met Orkney Islands Council to discuss budget settlement. Although negotiations on local authority budgets are conducted between the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities on behalf of their member councils, a range of portfolio cabinet secretaries, ministers and officials have regular contact on key shared priorities with individual local authorities, including Orkney Islands Council. This has included a number of cabinet secretaries and ministers visiting Orkney over the summer, during which some met with Orkney council leaders and officials and discussed a range of issues. I also had extensive discussions with the leader of Orkney Islands Council on this and other matters when I recently met the leaders of the three island authorities. Lee MacArthur. Thank you. With these family connections to Orkney, I'm sure that Mr Swinney will be delighted to hear that Orkney's population has grown faster over the past two decades than almost any other part of the country. A population of 22,400 is now less than 500 fewer than neighbouring Shetland, yet that has only made worse the disparity in funding between island authorities. Per head of population, Orkney receives £367 less than Shetland and almost 700 less than the Western Isles. We pay £1.3 million into the flow of mechanism from which Shetland and the Western Isles gain almost £5 million and £18 million respectively. Were the same mechanism used for allocating funding around the UK and Scotland found itself in the same position as Orkney? Does the finance secretary believe that the Scottish Government would be happy to accept that as a fair deal? If not, what does he propose to do about Orkney's on-going underfunding? First of all, I'm delighted to hear that the home of my dear beloved late grandmother is thriving so well in population terms. I'm pleased to hear that news. I also should say that I spent a bus journey from St Gill's Cathedral to Parliament with the convener of Orkney Islands Council, Councillor Graham Bevan, who did not miss his opportunity to bend my ear about the financial arrangements of Orkney Islands Council. Mr MacArthur can be assured that his local authority colleagues are using every available opportunity to advance the arguments. The funding settlement for Orkney Islands Council is a product of many variables that are agreed in general with local governments. Mr MacArthur will be familiar with the questions that are negotiated by the Scottish local authorities. There are specific elements that relate to islands expenditure, such as the special islands needs allowance, and Councillor Stockin, who I met and Councillor Bevan, both made points to me about those questions. I will be reflecting on those points as we take forward the discussion with local government about the funding arrangements for the next financial year. Thank you, Deputy First Minister. That concludes the portfolio questions on finance and the economy. I seek your guidance, Deputy Presiding Officer, as to whether it's discourteous to the chamber to receive documents pertaining to this next debate, probably just over an hour before the actual debate. How is it possible to have a meaningful scrutiny session and discussion about those documents if we don't have sufficient time to do so? I thank the member for his point of order. I would advise the member that that is not a matter for the standing orders, but rather is a matter for the Scottish Government, who will obviously now have heard the point that the member raised. I will now plan to move on to the next item of business after a very short pause to allow members to take their seats.