 Gwyddoedd, mae'r ffordd i siwr y bwysig yw'r pwysig yw'r pwysig yw'r pwysig, y pwysig yw'r pwysig yw COVID-19, yw'r llawm yn y parlymenau? Gwyddoedd? Mae'n cael ei bwysig. Yn ddiwedd yn hynny. Mae'r ffordd! Yn ymwysig yw'r pwysig. those noth of the way the first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions the first portfolio is Covid-19 recovery and parliamentary business as ever any member wishing to ask a supplementary questions should press the request to speak button or place an RTS in the chat function if they are joining us remotely and we are tight for time across this afternoon. So as ever I would appreciate succinct questions and succinct answers wherever possible and 1. Daniel Johnson I ask the Scottish Government how it will evaluate the progress made in achieving the attended outcomes of its Covid recovery strategy. The Covid recovery strategy sets out three high-level outcomes that focus on reducing inequalities and supporting people most affected during the pandemic. Those outcomes that are shared with local government are also relevant to the Scottish Government's on-going response to the cost crisis. The Scottish Government is working in close partnership with local government, Public Health Scotland and the Improvement Service to promote those shared outcomes and consider the experience of different people in places across Scotland. Together, we are using a range of data sources, including national performance framework indicators, to better understand and evaluate progress towards our shared outcomes. Daniel Johnson On that point, we all know that Covid continues to have an impact on things like poverty, diagnostic waiting times and people attainment. Can I ask how those things are being measured and he alluded to the national performance framework? I also know that colleagues in the Parliament have struggled to table questions relating to those sorts of measures. Can I just clarify whether he believes that tracking those sorts of measures and reporting on them are part of the Covid recovery brief? Daniel Johnson I would certainly judge that to be the case. The issues that Mr Johnson raises are all relevant to the post-Covid situation. The recovery measures that we are taking are not just Covid-related because they are addressing the issue of inequality. For example, Mr Johnson has heard me before saying that Covid simply exacerbated inequality and did not simply create it for the first time. The framework that we have in place in the national performance framework effectively provides the forum to address the issues that Mr Johnson properly raises. Just for the record, I would be very happy to answer any questions on those matters should they be selected. Alasdair Allan To ask the Scottish Government how its Covid recovery strategy is supporting rural and island tourism businesses. The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the tourism sector in our rural and island communities. Since the pandemic started, we have delivered packages totalling £258.5 million to support Scottish tourism and hospitality businesses. We have established the rural tourism infrastructure fund to support critical projects in rural and island areas. Additionally, we have helped businesses to recover with the tourism recovery programme, consisting of 10 projects aimed at assisting and accelerating recovery, providing the foundations for the sustainable recovery of the sector. The new tourism and hospitality industry leadership group that we have established will drive sustainable long-term recovery. Alasdair Allan I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. I have been contacted by a number of his hospitality businesses in my constituency who are concerned that they may not survive this winter due to the impact of the cost of living crisis, with produced costs and energy bills both having skyrocketed. Given the devastating impact of this and the earlier events on the hospitality sector, can the cabinet secretary outline what representations the Scottish Government is making to the United Kingdom Government on the lack of adequate support for energy costs for SMEs who are not on the gas grid? Those are issues that are being put to the United Kingdom Government on a regular basis by the Scottish Government. Indeed, the First Minister indicated those points in her letter to the new Prime Minister on 27 October. The points that Dr Allan raises about the particular challenges of energy costs for non-grid users are a particular problem that is the subject of active dialogue with the United Kingdom Government and I assure him of the importance of that being taken forward. The Government recognises the importance of taking that forward. I would also make the point that the wider inflationary pressures beyond energy costs in relation to food and supplies to which Dr Allan referred are real significant issues. They have been exacerbated by the decisions that have been taken that have fuelled inflation and the lack of action on energy costs over the summer has contributed significantly to that experience as well. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is working with colleagues in local government as part of its Covid recovery strategy to support Carrick Cymdeicant and Dyn Valley's recovery from Covid-19. The Scottish Government and COSLA have agreed shared priorities for recovery, focusing on those most affected by the pandemic. The Covid recovery strategy brings together over 70 actions that will support people across Scotland by increasing the financial security for low-income households, enhancing the wellbeing of children and young people and creating good green jobs and fair work. The strategy also focuses on renewing public services to ensure that they meet the specific needs of people and communities. East Ayrshire and South Ayrshire councils that cover the parliamentary constituency of my colleague Elena Whitham in Carrick Cymdeicant and Dyn Valley have been allocated an additional £38.6 million and £34.4 million respectively to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic through the local government settlement. Those payments are over and above their regular grant payments which, in 2022-23, have increased by more than 10 per cent. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. Can I ask what impact will the delay to the UK Government's fiscal statement have on the Scottish Government's ability to plan ahead in terms of the support that it can provide to local government, particularly in the context of the Tory Government's crashing of the UK economy and now making people pay the price for its failure with a new wave of impending austerity cuts, slashing public services and cutting incomes? Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that independence is the only way to keep Scotland safe from the damaging Tory cuts and long-term economic decline? I fundamentally agree with the analysis that Elena Whitham applied. I would make the point that the decisions that were taken in the mini-budget over the summer—I have more to say about that in the statement that I made to Parliament this afternoon—has significantly exacerbated the scale of the financial challenge that we households and businesses are wrestling with. That will be felt acutely within the communities that Elena Whitham represents. The decisions and the timing of the fiscal statement being delayed from 31 October to 17 November compresses the available time that there is for the Scottish Government to consider that information and, as a consequence, to formulate the financial settlement for local government that arises. I assure Elena Whitham that we will take forward the dialogue that she would expect of us with local government in addressing those issues. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its engagement with stakeholders regarding its Covid recovery strategy. The Covid recovery strategy was informed by extensive stakeholder engagement and the Scottish Government continues to work closely with a wide range of partners to ensure that we deliver a successful recovery. We meet regularly with stakeholders, including local government, community planning partners, the third sector and business organisations, to resolve barriers, identify solutions and maintain progress. Our stakeholder engagement informs the discussions and decisions of the Covid recovery programme board, which I co-chair alongside the COSLA president and allows us to work together towards a shared national vision for recovery, as well as to support local recovery that is informed by local priorities. I am pleased that the cabinet secretary mentioned the third sector. I think that we all appreciate the value of charities and volunteers during the Covid pandemic. I think that it completely revolutionised the perception of self-worth giving and helping our fellow communities. With that being said, in the pre-budget submission, Volunteer Scotland raised substantial concerns about what is likely to be inevitable cuts to third sector funding over the next couple of years, notwithstanding the issues that the cabinet secretary mentioned. How do we ensure that those much-needed vital volunteer organisations both survive but thrive in our communities, given the good work that they do and the pressure that they take off pay public services? Mr Greene raises a very substantial point. I am keen as we work our way through what is going to be a really difficult budget process this year that will be compressed into a very short timescale. I will not rehearse all of the issues around that. I will have enough to say about that later on. The point that Mr Greene raises is one that I am anxious at all times not to lose sight of, because I am convinced—indeed, I am a strong advocate of this within Government—that there is work that the third sector can undertake that will deliver better outcomes, more than likely for less money, if we can properly support and design that assistance. This morning, I visited with Mr Greene, the Minister who is looking after the Ukrainian refugee programme, a third sector venture in Aberfeldy in my constituency, where local volunteers emerge out of the Covid programme, a group called Feldyru. I will leave members to reflect on the name, which delivered vital assistance to families during the Covid pandemic. They have created a hub for welcoming and supporting Ukrainian refugees. They are now supporting over 70 individuals within the community, and it is working fabulously well. However, it is a third sector venture that achieves huge amounts for very small amounts of money. The point that Mr Greene makes is one that I am very anxious that we try to take forward substantively during the budget process. The decision to close all bar 4 of Scottish Enterprise's offices, including one in Clydebank, suggests that regional economic development is not a strategic priority for the Scottish Government. There are real and genuine concerns that there is a disjointed approach to business support and to economic recovery. Can the cabinet secretary tell me how he will ensure that regional economic development and support for business is not lost as a result of those decisions? Let me just reassure Jackie Baillie that I do not consider the test or the measure by which we deliver effective business support is through the arrangements for offices around the country. There are many changes in the way in which services are now being delivered, with an increasing move towards digital delivery of services and the remote working with which we have all become familiar. If the decisions that have been taken are means of enabling us to deliver wider ranges of business support, I think that we should be prepared to embrace reform. I simply say to colleagues—I have much more to say about this this afternoon—that the existing financial arrangements are going to put enormous strain on maintaining the current network of arrangements that we have in place. Can I finally make clear to Jackie Baillie that the national strategy for economic transformation recognises the absolute centrality of regional economic policy? I welcome the opportunity to put that on the record today and to reassure Jackie Baillie about that point, because there is no point in the Government pursuing an economic strategy that only works for some parts of the country. It needs to work for all parts of the country, and that is what is the focus of the regional economic policy approach of the national strategy. To ask the Scottish Government what support is available in the context of its Covid recovery strategy to help high streets to recover from the pandemic and ensure that there are no long-term scar and effects. We are working with all of Scotland's cities and towns to support their recovery and help to build thriving sustainable towns and cities of the future. We maintain a competitive non-domestic rates regime, delivering the lowest non-domestic rates poundage in the UK for the fourth year in a row and supporting a generous package of non-domestic rates release worth £801 million. That is in addition to the action that we are taking to support our towns and city centres and to help retailers and communities to recover, not least through our £80 million Covid economic recovery fund, the £6 million city centre recovery fund, the £325 million place-based investment programme, our retail strategy and the town centre action plan. The Scottish retail consortium reported last week that the recovery and vacancy rates have stalled in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK. That is evident in my home city of Aberdeen, where the business improvement district of Aberdeen-inspired has organised an emergency summit for next Wednesday to save Union Street. Will the cabinet secretary attend this summit so that he can hear first hand from the retail and hospitality industries the issues that they face? I think that it is unlikely that I will be able to attend that event, although I am very glad that it is happening and that the business community is drawing together partners to ensure that it can happen. If Mr Lumsden wishes to write to me after the event to let me know the issues that are raised and the points that are identified, I will happily engage on those questions. It is important that individual communities, in the case of the city of Aberdeen, join together the work of local authorities, business improvement districts and I had a discussion just the other week there with Opportunity North East to identify further steps that we can take to advance much of the good collaboration that is going on on these measures, but I will be very happy to address any questions that arise out of the summit if Mr Lumsden would draw them to my attention. In addition to the challenges posed by the pandemic and Brexit, businesses in Scottish high streets now face additional pressures caused by the catastrophic economic policies of the Tory Government at Westminster. With nothing but uncertainty and austerity cuts in the horizon as a consequence, would the DFM share my view that the people of Scotland have the right to decide whether to continue suffering under a less productive and highly unequal EU economy or seize the opportunities that independence gives us? I would very much welcome the opportunity for people in Scotland to have the chance to decide on the independence question and to be able to exercise the choice about the approach to governance that they wish to see in Scotland. We face extremely difficult challenges ahead, which have been made worse by a combination of Brexit and the United Kingdom Government's decision making, which has had catastrophic implications for businesses and for families. So the point that Mr Kidd puts to me is a substantial point with which I agree, and I would welcome the opportunity for people in Scotland to be able to exercise that choice. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions ministers have had with the UK Government regarding making MSPs prescribed persons under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and extending parliamentary privilege. The Scottish Government has no formal role over MSPs of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Parliament corporate body, therefore led in making a direct request to UK officials on this issue. The UK Government laid the statutory instrument that adds MSPs to the list of whistleblowing prescribed persons in Westminster on 17 October. When this change comes into force on 15 December, MSPs will have parity with MPs on this matter and the Scottish Parliament will be responsible for providing MSPs with guidance and training on the impact of this legislation. I welcome the response from the minister in relation to PDEA, an act which I think is long overdue for reform, but every one of us in this chamber will hear from our constituents on a regular basis stories of injustice, people being let down very badly by service providers and of mistreatment and worth. The Scottish Parliament must be the place where these issues can be brought up, discussed and addressed. Members of this Parliament should be unafraid of censure or legal challenge. In fact, Members of Parliament in the House of Commons are given legal protections when speaking in the House of Commons. Will the minister support a move to introduce the same privileges to members of the Scottish Parliament that are enjoyed by members of Parliament in the House of Commons? Stephen Kerr makes a number of important points. The Scottish Parliament, as opposed to the Scottish Government, has now taken action that will at least improve the situation from the perspective of Stephen Kerr and, indeed, other MSPs in this chamber to give parity with MPs. In this case of whistleblowing, it means that anyone who wishes to approach an MSP can do so with their own employment being protected in the way that is the case with MPs in Westminster. Any other improvements that the member wishes to see he may wish to raise with the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament if it is in relation to the privileges that are otherwise of MSPs in this chamber? Stuart McMillan Thank you very much to ask the Scottish Government what role the autumn winter Covid-19 booster vaccination programme will play in its Covid recovery strategy. The winter vaccination programme will play a vital role in protecting people with the highest risk from severe illness and hospitalisation this winter. That will help ease the potential additional pressures that Covid-19 and flu will have on the national health service and social care services over the winter months. Although uptake of the vaccines has exceeded our expectations, we are continuing to explore ways to increase the vaccination rate. In line with our commitments in the Covid recovery strategy, we have embedded inclusivity as a key aspect of the vaccination programme from its outset, working alongside health boards and other partners to encourage uptake, remove barriers and respond to evidence of low uptake in certain communities, including those from more deprived areas. The winter vaccination programme began on 5 September, starting with frontline health and social care workers and residents and staff of care homes for older adults. Appointments for those aged 65 and over began on 19 September, and since 24 October those aged 50 to 64, with no additional risk factors, have been able to book an appointment online. Appointments for those aged 5 to 64 in a clinical risk group also began in the week commencing on 24 October. I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me that it is vital that as many people as possible take up the offer of both Covid and flu vaccinations as it is one way that we can help to protect ourselves, our family, the wider community and take pressure off the frontline health services? The Covid vaccination programme has been an unbridled success. It has given such assurance to the population and it has also given us such protection of our vital public services that would have been overwhelmed had we not had the protection of the vaccination programme. It has also enabled many of us, but not all of us because some of our fellow citizens still face real challenges because of their own and wider health factors, have been able to return to something closer to normality in our lives and that is a welcome progress that has been delivered by the vaccination programme. However, I take this opportunity to encourage anybody in the eligible groups to take up the vaccination programme. I echo everything that the Deputy First Minister has said about the importance of taking up the booster vaccination. I have booked my own for next week, perhaps I will. Perhaps I will see him there, Deputy Presiding Officer. But there does seem to be some anecdotal evidence that individuals are, in some cases, reluctant to come forward for a booster at this stage, perhaps because they think that Covid is over. Does the Scottish Government have any data as yet on the take-up figures for the booster, or when? I would like you to get that data. What more can the Scottish Government do specifically to target those groups, for example from certain ethnic minorities, who have a historic issue with reluctance to come forward and be vaccinated? I am glad to hear that Mr Fraser has booked his appointment, so have I. I was going to be rather impertent and suggest that I would have thought that he would have been in earlier grouping to me age-wise, but clearly that would be inappropriate for me to even infer it. The take-up has been very encouraging and has exceeded our expectations to date. I have those numbers in front of me, so I presume that I can use them. In older adults and care homes, for example, 85 per cent have been delivered in age 65 and over age group 74.2 per cent already. We are very encouraged by the progress that has been made so far. Having said that, Mr Fraser's point is a legitimate one, that we have to use every opportunity to encourage people to take up the vaccination, to not be deterred by some of the stuff that swirls around, because this is essential protection for individuals, and it is also protection for our public services to try to reduce the demand that may well present itself. We are encouraged so far about the progress, but I assure Mr Fraser and Parliament that the Government is tailoring its messages to make sure that we reach the groups. As I said in my answer to Mr McMillan earlier on, we have evidence from the previous experience where the take-up can be low, and we are taking steps in our communication message to enable that to be improved. I can confirm that I have booked my appointment as well, but I can only assume that it is because NHS Orkneyer is working through the age groups more quickly than other health boards. With that, I conclude portfolio questions on the point of order, Stephen Kerr. I had failed in asking my question to disclose and point members to my register of interests as a director of Whistleblowers UK, and I think it's important that I put that on the record. Thank you, Mr Kerr. That is indeed on the record. We now move to the next portfolio of questions. The portfolio is finance and the economy. Again, I encourage members who wish to ask a question to press the request of speak button or place an RTS in the chat function if they are joining us remotely during the relevant question. Question number one comes from Stephanie Callaghan, who joins us remotely. To ask the Scottish Government what its latest engagement has been with the UK Government regarding the funding available to support people with the increased cost of living. Presiding Officer, I had an initial meeting with the new chief secretary to the Treasury last week and have sent a number of letters to the UK Government requesting urgent action to address the cost of living crisis, given the powers to properly support people and businesses that are currently reserved. The First Minister also wrote to the Prime Minister last week calling for urgent action that meets the scale of the challenge, including additional funding for devolved governments to support our people, provide fair public sector pay-up lifts and protect our public services. I thank the cabinet secretary for that reply. Households and low incomes desperately need stability and certainty as they try to afford the essentials, pay their rent and keep food on the table. The Scottish Government call upon the UK Government to extend its cost of living support with new support packages that target those households most impacted by the increased cost of living, as we have done here in Scotland, and demand the upgrading of benefits in line with inflation. Those are calls that we have made to the United Kingdom Government. We recognise the importance of increasing social security benefits in line with inflation in April. If we were able, for example, to see the bringing in of a permanent £25 uplift to universal credit, that would make a huge difference to the circumstances of low-income households. The Government in Scotland is taking steps in the public sector pay deals that we are putting in place to ensure that the lowest incomes receive the highest increases or the highest percentage increases, I should say. Those are all measures designed to try to support people practically, but I assure Stephanie Callaghan that the Scottish Government is using every opportunity to engage with our United Kingdom Government counterparts to advance those important issues. To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made regarding increasing the employment rate for disabled people. The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics annual population survey show that the employment rate for disabled people in 2021 is estimated to be 49.6 per cent. That is an increase from 42.8 per cent in 2016, which was our baseline year for having the disability employment gap and indicates that we have made significant progress towards meeting our first interim targets to increase the employment rate of disabled people to 50 per cent by 2023. The progress that the minister outlined is very welcome. Can he confirm that the Scottish Government is on track to meet its overall targets in increasing the employment rate? In the Scottish Government's 2018 publication, Affair Scotland for Disabled People Employment Action Plan, we identified interim milestones that the employment rate for disabled people will increase to 50 per cent by 2023, as I said, but also 60 per cent by 2030. I can confirm that it is our understanding that we are currently on track to meet those targets. The Scottish Government also made an overarching commitment to ensuring that the disability employment gap is reduced by at least half from its 2016 level by 2038, as the member said. I think that we are making good progress in Scotland, but of course there is still a lot to do. Can the minister shed a little light on why Scotland lags behind England in terms of disability employment? The latest figures that I have from 2021 show that the average English employment gap is 27 per cent, as low as 22.4 per cent in the south-east of England, whereas the gap in Scotland is 32.8 per cent. Why the difference? I am happy to look at the regional figures for England and try to delve in a bit further to why there may be any differential, but I think that it is encouraging that we are making progress in Scotland with closing the disability employment gap. The measures that we are taking are hopefully making a difference, but of course there are many stakeholders and organisations who are supporting that as well. There are a number of different indicators. Some Scotland are ahead of the rest of the UK, and the member has highlighted some regional disparity perhaps in terms of this debate. I am happy to look into that further and perhaps drop a note to the member. Question 3, Finlay Carson. To ask the Scottish Government whether we will provide details of the £53 million reduction in the employability budget that was announced by the Deputy First Minister in September 2022. Mr Richard Lockhead. The £53 million reference was to support additional employability activity in 2022-23. The decision not to issue this funding was not taken lightly, but at a time of acute labour shortages, historically low unemployment and soaring inflation, and Scottish ministers have been clear on the need to prioritise money in people's pockets now over additional spending on employability, which is unlikely to result in immediate benefits for individuals. We have, however, maintained our existing investment in employability this year, with over £59 million being made available through the no-one-left-behind approach and £21.5 million available through Fair Start Scotland in 2022-23. Finlay Carson. I thank the minister for the response, but any cuts to the employability budget could impact on essential apprenticeship places right across Scotland. There are presently almost 1,000 apprenticeships in Frees and Galloway with employers such as Jas P Wilson and Depaunt Films. Those apprentice places provide an excellent pathway for young people to develop their skills and give them a great start in their career, but also create skills that are vitally needed in my constituency. Will the minister give a commitment to protecting those apprenticeships so that young people in my constituency and across Scotland will continue to have those opportunities? Yes, I am happy to give the member the assurance that he asks for, but I would point out, of course, that the employability budget is a different budget and is under our limited powers in relation to employment where we can support people who are very far from the labour market to come into the labour market, and that is what we are speaking about in terms of employability budgets. I would also make the obvious point to the member that, if he is concerned about the budgets available to the Scottish Government and indeed this Parliament, he should be making representations to the UK Government and he perhaps may wish to offer his support to the Deputy First Minister when he delivers his budget statement in a short while. The notable thing about the employability cut is that it was the only line within skills and training that was actually going up in the last budget, but it does underline the need to focus on the series. What is being done to improve apprenticeships and other skills measures to maintain or improve their accessibility to disabled people? I reiterate to the member that we still retain our employability budget and what was cut was the planned increase, so we clearly took that decision against the very difficult backdrop. In terms of his reference to apprenticeships, I think that I answered the point to the previous member about that and also disabled people in terms of the previous question as well. The specific question is about employability budgets. We still have the employability budget, but the substantial increase that we had planned for, of course, was cancelled due to the pressures on Scotland's overall budget. To ask the Scottish Government if it can provide an update on Prestwick airport and the contribution to the South Asia economy. Prestwick airport continues to grow steadily, making a positive contribution to the local and regional economy, supporting 300 direct jobs and many more in the local economy. The airport is working with the councils to play its part to attract inward investment with projects that are connected with aviation. The management and board have a clear strategy to deliver growth and the airport continues to strengthen its position as a niche airport with a reputation for being innovative and flexible in meeting customers' needs. I thank the minister for that answer. Prestwick was one of the few airports in the world to make a profit during the pandemic and also played a major part in cargo distribution across the whole of the UK. With the Brexit chaos and the backlog cargo at Heathrow, it was actually quicker to send cargo to Prestwick and then down to London than it was to get it out of Heathrow. Prestwick airport is also an integral part of the aerospace industry, which currently spawns over 4,000 jobs locally. Does the minister agree with me that the continual conservative criticism in the Chamber of Prestwick Airport is bizarre? I agree with the member that it is very important for all of us to consider the language that we use in this chamber and to make sure that when we are seeking to make critical points, we do not do so in a way that talks down or undermines confidence in any sector of our economy. Prestwick has clearly had significant challenges, but the recent performance of the business is promising and welcome. Significant progress has been made in winning a bigger share of the fixed-based operations market. Property around the campus has very high occupancy rates. As well as continuing its passenger operations, it is focused on growing its dedicated cargo operations for which it has a strong reputation. As home to approximately half of Scotland's aerospace sector, Prestwick is playing a key role in the Ayrshire growth deal and is helping to unlock significant inward investment, creating high-value jobs and potential supply chain opportunities in South Wales. That is progress that we can all surely be proud of, including all of the Opposition parties. Thank you, and I apologise that I should have advised earlier on that there is a grouping in this portfolio section, group 5 and 8, so any supplementaries I will have to take after question 8 and I call question 5, Audrey Nicholl. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it's had with the UK Government on matters impacting the Scottish economy. Over the course of the last few weeks, I have had discussions with a number of chief secretaries to the Treasury, but the new one just last week. I have also had extensive discussions with the Secretary of State for levelling up on the issue of investment zones. I have made clear the impact of the current economic crisis on people across Scotland and our economy, including the increased pressures on the Scottish budget and the vital public services that we support. Aberdeen in the north-east has made significant contributions to UK Government coffers through its energy sector. In return, the north-east of Scotland has been gifted Brexit, with Aberdeen the worst-hit UK city at a cost of £9,000 per person, turmoil in the housing market and skyrise energy bills, damaging families and forcing small businesses to close. Does the Deputy First Minister agree with me that it's time that the UK Government stops treating the north-east as a cash cow and that Rishi Sunak has to get a grip on the economy that his party has ruined? Audrey Nicol raises some very serious economic issues that are affecting the north-east of Scotland. The principal one that she raised was about Brexit and the implications that that is having on supply of labour and on the ability of companies to trade effectively with markets with which they were very familiar up until the implementation of the Brexit deal. That difficulty has been added to by turmoil in the housing market, where the housing market has been severely damaged by the effects of the mini-budget and the wider consequences that Audrey Nicol has highlighted. Audrey Nicol raises very significant issues that are having a negative effect on the north-east of Scotland economy. Obviously, the Scottish Government is keen to support the north-east of Scotland through the matching funding that we have put in place to the Aberdeen city region deal. The money that we have put in place for the energy transition fund is £75 million, and we have committed to the £500 million just transition fund. We recognise the significant challenges that the north-east of Scotland economy faces. A transition has to be made to net zero, and it has to be done in a just fashion. The Scottish Government is determined to work with the north-east of Scotland and interested local authorities and parties to advance that agenda, but the prevailing economic conditions are very challenging because of Brexit, and the prevailing economic mood arising out of UK Government decisions. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. I had a meeting with the Chancellor, but I have been in correspondence with the Chancellor on a number of occasions about issues, as was my predecessor, Kate Forbes, the substantive finance secretary. I would point out that a number of those letters from Kate Forbes, the Welsh finance minister and the Northern finance minister were not replied to for significant numbers of months by UK chancellors. When we get lectured in this place about the engagement with the United Kingdom Government, I would point out that some of our correspondence quite simply does not get answered. I have had an apology from the chief secretary to the Treasury for that fact, and I am glad to say that I replied to my most recent letter. It is sometimes difficult for us to advance that dialogue when there is nobody at the other end engaging on those questions. I thank the Deputy First Minister for his answer, and it is, of course, very disappointing to note that the latest UK Chancellor, by not finding the time to even speak with the Deputy First Minister and acting finance director cabinet secretary directly, appears to have as little regard for Scotland and our elected Government as his predecessors. As for the lack of response to correspondence, there is absolutely no excuse for that. What on earth happened to the respect agenda, but can I ask the Deputy First Minister to advise as to what options, if any, will be open to him in the context of the devolved budget settlement to protect the people of Scotland from further UK Tory Government austerity cuts, cuts that the people in my Cowdenbeath constituency and people across Scotland did not vote for? Annabelle Ewing puts her case powerfully, as I would expect, and the constituents that Annabelle Ewing represents in Cowdenbeath will be significantly affected in a negative way by a further programme of austerity. Annabelle Ewing, in her case load, will be dealing with the consequences of the last round of austerity from the United Kingdom Government. The Chief Secretary to Treasury has promised me dialogue in advance of the statement on the 17th of November. I obviously will commit myself to that at any occasion in the hope of influencing the agenda to avoid a further round of austerity, because that would be very damaging for Ms Ewing's constituents and for members of the public around the country. I would point out that there was absolutely no interaction with the Scottish Government before the mini-budget in early on, just trying to think when it was, late September, absolutely no dialogue. Indeed, not even the courtesy of an advanced phone call, which is a breach in terms of the normal protocols of dialogue that are undertaken. The current Chief Secretary to the Treasury has assured me that there has been a restoration of the normal protocols of interaction. I will hold on to that, because it is vital that the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government and my colleagues in Wales and Northern Ireland are just as livid about this as I am, I might add, that we are properly engaged with to ensure that we can put forward the concerns and the views of members of Parliament and particularly constituents such as those of Ms Ewing that she has put to me today. The Deputy First Minister has mentioned his engagement with the UK Government, but I was disappointed to learn recently that there has been minimal engagement from Scottish Ministers on the development of the UK national shipbuilding strategy and the refresh of that. Would the Deputy First Minister please commit to having the Scottish Government engaging fully with that strategy, given that we are the second-biggest purchaser of vessels in the public sector outside the Minister of Defence, and we need to get this right when those vessels are awarded to Turkey as a failure for Scottish industry? I am very happy to commit to dialogue on any aspect of strategy that affects the industrial basis of Scotland or any other question of Scotland, but I respectfully point out to Mr Sweeney that there has not been a functioning United Kingdom Government for the best part of 12 months. It literally has not functioned. Interaction has been appalling. Dialogue one way. There has been no decision making coming back from the UK Government and what decision making they have undertaken, as Mr Sweeney and I will agree, in the mini-budget was catastrophic. I hope that we have some degree of functioning Government in the United Kingdom Government to allow us to advance the very legitimate issue that Mr Sweeney puts to me this afternoon. 6. Fulton MacGregor Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to businesses in the hospitality sector in light of the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost of living crisis. Minister Tom Arthur. The hospitality sector is vital to Scotland's economy. We provided over £4.7 billion in support to businesses during the pandemic, including across the tourism and hospitality sector, and are closely monitoring impacts of the cost crisis. We are also establishing a tourism and hospitality industry leadership group to drive sustainable long-term recovery. We maintain competitive non-domestic rates, delivering the lowest non-domestic rates poundage in the UK for the fourth consecutive year, supporting a package of non-domestic rates reliefs worth £801 million. In light of increased pressures and limited powers, we will continue to press the UK Government for support. 6. Fulton MacGregor I thank the minister for that response. During the recent October recess, I was invited to meet with a number of pub owners from Cope Ridge Main Street who expressed a real concern about the viability of their businesses in the short term due to the cost of living crisis, rising energy costs and changes in behaviour following the pandemic. One of those is the Eden group, which employ nearly 100 people in my constituency. We are also in the national newspaper this weekend. The minister might have seen that. They are calling on the Chancellor to cut VAT immediately, offer rates assistance and provide some form of recovery funding. Would the minister agree with those calls on the UK Government and lend his voice to them? We understand that businesses such as the Eden group, operating in Fulton MacGregor's constituency, continue to face significant challenges, including the longer-term impact of the pandemic and the cost crisis. We do not underestimate the scale of those challenges. That is why my colleague the Deputy First Minister wrote to Jeremy Hunt, the new chancellor, on 19 October to re-emphasise the need for targeted support for households and businesses that are funded by windfall gains in the energy sector, and to seek clarity on the support that will be available from April 2023. We will continue to work with businesses in Scotland to press the UK Government for a range of measures to help ease the current pressures, including on VAT and recovery support. The Audit Scotland report on Scotland's financial response to Covid this year stated that 100 per cent of the £4.5 billion of Barnett consequentials related to business support was allocated, but can the minister tell me how much of the £4.5 million was allocated to funds but not spent? Is that money now available to help businesses who are struggling right now? We have committed all Covid consequentials for business support that we received during a pandemic to support businesses. I missed some of the detail of the member's questions, but I will be happy to consult the official report and get back to him in writing if there was anything I missed in the points that he made. To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to small businesses through the cost of living crisis. We understand the challenges facing small businesses that have been exacerbated by the economic upheaval caused by the UK Government in recent weeks. We have in place an existing package of non-domestic rates relief that is worth more than £800 million, which includes the UK's most generous small business bonus scheme. However, the powers and resources that are required to tackle the crisis of course lie with the UK Government and we will continue to press them to do everything possible to help Scotland's small businesses. I thank the minister for that answer and I refer members to my entry of the register of interest. I have already been contacted by business owners within the Lothian region, particularly in the restaurant businesses, who have been operating for decades, but now find themselves having to close for good thanks to the perfect storm of Covid. Our staffing crisis and now the cost of living crisis too. As we see this happening across multiple sectors at once, does the Scottish Government share my fear that we may have preserved our economy through the worst of the Covid pandemic, only to see it hollowed out by this latest crisis? I can assure Faisal Cowdery that we absolutely share his fears and his concerns in relation to the impact of the current cost of living crisis and rising energy bills on Scotland's small businesses in Lothian and throughout the country. I should say that Faisal Cowdery and myself and some others in the chamber were at the Asian Cating Awards dinner last night, where we enjoyed not only some fantastic curry and some good company, but we also heard from numerous small businesses in the hospitality sector and the catering sector, the restaurants of the enormous challenges they are facing at the current time with rocketing energy bills, bills for ingredients and other costs. This is a very, very serious situation. The First Minister, of course, wrote as recently as 27 October to the new Prime Minister, stressing the urgent need for clarity on what support will remain available for non-domestic consumers beyond April, and we have committed to working with the business sector to explore how businesses can be supported with their energy costs within and of all powers. We are supporting Business Energy Scotland and Business Issue Contact, Business Energy Scotland for advice, and we will do everything else within our powers. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Many small businesses in Scotland are facing substantial pressures, as has been said, so can the Minister provide any updates to the Scottish Government's latest engagement with the UK Government regarding the support available to small businesses to deal with this rising cost? I just reiterate to Bill Kidd to make many perfectly powerful points and boval points that the First Minister, of course, has just written to the new Prime Minister about these issues, and we await a response and hopeful a positive reply, and I have no doubt that the Deputy First Minister will address some of these issues in his forthcoming statement.