 I want to make a plea to members that, in order to get in as many members as possible, I would appreciate synced questions and answers to match. I would like to call question number one, Pauline McNeill. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to support the development and expansion of Glasgow's international financial services district in the past year. Minister, Richard Lochhead. Glasgow's International Financial Services district is driven by a partnership between the public and private sectors, and since its launch, more than £1 billion of investment has been secured, more than 90 per cent from the private sector, bringing more than 15,500 jobs to the area so far. Scottish Enterprise has completed the purchase of a key development site in December 2022 to facilitate continued investment on the grooming law, and through the agreed master plan, continuing to work in partnership with the private sector, this will expand the district west of the current boundary and will unlock even more opportunities for the district. I thank the minister for that thorough answer. Bartley Spine decided to invest in Glasgow in 2018, and JP Morgan agreed to expand and become tenants of the new office in Argyll Street in 2019. However, there does not appear to have been much progress since then. In November last year, I was saying young reported that 655,000 square feet of development under construction in Glasgow, only 55 per cent of that is pre-let or sold. There is a concern that Glasgow remains low compared to pre-Covid levels, and, importantly, those prospective occupies are looking for grade A office space. Therefore, I ask the minister to outline how ensuring that a pipeline of grade A office space is available, what specific inward investment pitches have been made to investors over the past year, and how many notes of interest have been submitted. If he cannot give me the answer today, I would appreciate a follow-up if that was possible. I am happy to follow-up the member's questions in writing. After question times, a lot of detail is quite rightly seeking there. Since the launch of the financial district, more than 15,000 jobs have moved into the district through new investment expansion or diversified development. Of course, the district is playing a really, really big role as being a catalyst for regenerating the grooming law in the west city centre area. There have been many new investments this year alone, bringing more new jobs to the area from a number of companies. I am right in saying that there are several dozen fintech companies now based in the city. Glasgow is forging a really impressive international reputation as an international financial centre. I am keen to support that, as are my colleagues in the Scottish Government. I am happy to write back to the member about what action has been taken. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on how it is supporting communities and local authorities to strengthen local bus networks across Scotland. Local authorities have greater tools at their disposal from the Transport Scotland Act 2019 to revitalise bus networks. Since June of 2022, authorities are able to run their own local services. From 1 April, they can now request more information from operators via a new information sharing process if they propose to vary or cancel services. Further legislation on partnerships and franchising will be introduced later this year. Separately, £26 million of bus priority funding through the bus partnership fund has been awarded to 11 partnerships covering 28 Scottish local authorities to tackle congestion and improve journey reliability. Mark Ruskell. I think that the answer is from the minister and the package that is emerging. Despite public subsidies, private bus operators are still slashing services in rural areas, communities such as the Glenfark community transport group are stepping up and are providing new services. This community group recently launched a new bus service running on a recently axed route from Glenfark to Kinross, which managed to carry around 200 passengers in its first week alone. Can I ask the minister to outline the Scottish Government's plan to support communities to deliver the quality bus services that they deserve? It is always heartening when communities get actively involved in improving their local services. I welcome the launch of bus service 55 in Glenfark. We brought forward a toolkit of flexible bus options in the Transport Scotland Act 2019 to enable local authorities, such as Perth and Kinross Council, to respond to transport challenges in their own areas. Local authorities now have the power to run their own bus services, which sits alongside their existing ability to subsidise services. In 2021-22, local authority spent £55 million on subsidising socially necessary services. Powers to develop bus service improvement partnerships and to establish local services franchising will follow. As Mr Ruskell knows, because we have already had the discussions, we are also introducing a community bus fund to support local transport authorities to explore the options in the Transport Act 2019 and to improve public transport in their areas, like what is happening in Glenfark. I have a number of supplementaries. I will only be able to take some given-on-time constraints. I would make a plea again for succinct questions and minister succinct answers. I call supplementary from Graham Simpson. Thank you very much. If the minister was serious about getting people on to buses, then he would take action on fares as he is doing on the trains. Why doesn't he replicate what they have in England at the moment, which is a fair cap on local bus journeys? We will continue to look at fares as we move forward, not only on rail but also on bus. Why would I point out to Mr Simpson that we do things somewhat differently here? If we look at what we have in this country, we have a concessionary travel scheme, which covers over six days and under 22s. In all that, we are investing some £359.3 million in those schemes, which benefit people right across Scotland, over 2.3 million people across Scotland who have access to free bus travel. That is certainly not the case south of the border. Referencing the concessionary bus fares, which I welcome, can I ask how much those subsidies—indeed, I would call them investments in the services cost? As I just pointed out to Mr Simpson, we are investing £359.3 million in concessionary travel, giving 2.3 million people access to free bus travel in Scotland. In March of 2022, the child poverty action group reported that free bus travel for young people can save a total of £3,000 in the lifetime cost of a child in Scotland. That is also tackling child poverty. With more than 3 million journeys every week, those schemes are helping people right across our nation to cut costs for essential everyday and leisure travel, making sustainable travel a more attractive option. Of course, all that supports our net zero ambitions, too. I will be able to squeeze in Monica Lennon as a supplementary if I can get a succinct answer for the minister. Monica Lennon. The free bus travel is great, but in parts of Scotland, bus fares have been taken away altogether, like in Hamilton following the withdrawal of the X1 bus. We have local people with the free bus pass having to use the car, use taxis, is bad for climate action, is exacerbating social and economic inequality. Three weeks ago, I met with 100 residents who want to see action from transport chiefs, and that joined up support. They are not getting that from the Government or from others. Will the minister welcome to his new post, meet with me and campaigners, to see how we can find a way forward? Presiding Officer, first of all, I am willing to meet almost anyone as folk in the chamber who are very well aware. However, in the first instance, those campaigners need to speak to the local authority who are ultimately in charge of those services. I would say to Ms Lennon and other members that the Government will do what it can in terms of investing, like in the concessionary travel scheme, and the bus partnership fund to get that right. Ultimately, some of that is down to local authorities and local decision-making. I hope that local authorities, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire, in this case, will have listened to Ms Lennon's question here and will take action in supporting local bus services. To ask the Scottish Government whether it has reviewed the guideline sentencing young people issued by the Scottish Sentencing Council. Responsibility for the development of sentencing guidelines is for the independent Scottish Sentencing Council. Prior to the introduction, all sentencing guidelines are approved by the High Court. The Sentencing Council has a statutory duty to periodically review the sentencing guidelines that it produces. As with the work of the council more generally, the independent nature of this process is fundamental. As I have already made clear as part of my new responsibilities, I intend to meet with the chair of the council to discuss the important work, including how the council plans to keep its published guidelines under review. Community service for child rape is obscene, but similar sentences are being passed across Scotland because of the sentencing quangol created by the SNP Government. A 22-year-old hit-and-run driver who killed a child, a 22-year-old who scarred his teenage girlfriend for life, a 20-year-old who almost killed a police officer, a 19-year-old sex offender who prayed on 28 underage girls, yet victims' voices are not being heard quite literally. Will the new cabinet secretary ensure that, when she meets the chair of the Scottish Sentencing Council, the vacancy for a victim representative is filled immediately? Let me start by reassuring Mr Findlay that the recruitment of a victim's representative for the sentencing council is well under way. There had been an earlier recruitment round which was unsuccessful, and I can assure him that that is now at an advanced stage. Mr Findlay will be well aware that, as justice secretary, it would be entirely inappropriate for me to comment about individual offenders or indeed individual sentences bearing in mind this Parliament, which, in an act that all parties supported passed the judiciary and courts legislation where we all, ministers and MSPs, have to uphold the independence of the Scottish judiciary. It may well be of some information to Mr Findlay to say that, with respect to some of the most serious offences such as rape, that 98 per cent of convictions for rape across all age groups result in a custodial sentence, and, with reference to young people, that, since the implementation of the sentencing guidelines over the course of 2022, nearly 1,000 under-25s have been incarcerated. I can squeeze in two supplementaries if I have brief questions and succinct answers. The cabinet secretary has gone into some detail about the independence of the sentencing council, and I understand that it consulted a range of stakeholders, including victims groups, when formulating the guidance. I therefore ask the cabinet secretary what action the Scottish Government is taking to improve victims' experiences of the justice system, in particular, to ensure that their voices are heard. Improving victims' experiences within the justice system is at the very heart of our vision for justice and will also be progressed through the forthcoming criminal justice reform bill. We are also working closely and directly with victims through the victims advisory board to embed their lived experience into our actions. The victims task force brings together victims, organisations and criminal justice agencies to work collaboratively to deliver improvements. We are also committed to establishing a victims commissioner as an independent voice for victims and other pioneering initiatives to ensure that the needs of victims are met throughout their justice journey. Could the cabinet secretary clarify what discussions the Scottish Government has had with the Scottish Sentencing Council about the rights of victims and the extent to which the trauma of young survivors has been reflected in sentencing guidelines but also the impact that victim impact statements are taken into account by the courts, particularly in serious cases such as rape? The member is quite correct to reference that in any sentencing decision or indeed any set of independent guidelines that, as well as having matters and regard to rehabilitation for example, that guidelines often make very specific reference, as it does in particular to young offenders, that the purpose of sentencing is also about punishment, protection of the public and expressing disapproval of offending. Of course, the impact on victims is absolutely imperative on that, particularly given the young age of some victims. That is why, as a Government, we are committed to developments such as the Bairns House, where we can ensure that young victims have access to justice, care and recovery. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the recent analysis by the International Monetary Fund, which predicts that the UK's economy performance in 2023 will be the worst amongst the G20 economies, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of this in Scotland? The forecast by the IMF for the UK economy to be the worst performing in the G20 is a shocking indictment of the UK Government's mismanagement of the economy, which undeniably has an impact on the Scottish economy. Global economic conditions are challenging and the Scottish Government is doing everything possible within its limited powers to support households and businesses through the current cost crisis and to grow and transform the economy in a way that delivers fairer, greener prosperity. However, the UK Government's mismanagement of the economy alongside the economic damage of Brexit risks harming our international competitiveness and holding back our ambitious programme of work. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The analysis by the IMF just serves to underline the on-going detrimental impact that Westminster control continues to have on Scotland's economy and the people of Scotland are paying the price. Experts are now predicting that the UK's withdrawal from the EU is costing millions of workers £1300 a year in lost income. Does the cabinet secretary share my concern that the Tories and Labour at Westminster seem determined to press ahead with imposing their disastrous Brexit on Scotland, no matter the economic consequences? Does he agree that the best way to ensure that our economy and communities can flourish is by rejoining the EU as an independent country? Briefly, please, cabinet secretary. Absolutely, Presiding Officer. Independence and rejoining the EU gives us the powers that we need to take advantage of the rich economic opportunities that we have and where we are currently being held up by UK in action. The EU, the US have invested in their economies, putting them at a competitive advantage for taking advantage of the green industrial future. We need independence and the powers that that gives us to make sure that we can take advantage of our rich opportunity here in Scotland. To the Scottish Government, how many apprenticeship places it will commit to funding this financial year? Minister Grimdy. Presiding Officer, more on apprenticeships are a vital resource for employers to invest in their workforce and for the people to develop their skills. Investing in skills across people's lifetimes is critical to our future productivity and success. My priority and that of this Government is for high quality apprenticeships that provide sustainable jobs and careers supporting our transition to net zero. Skills Development Scotland have already issued contracts for 39,000 modern apprentices currently in training. We are working closely and intensely with Skills Development Scotland to respond effectively to the expectations of learners and employers. I expect Skills Development Scotland to begin finalising contracts for new modern apprenticeship starts eminently. Here is what the Scottish Training Federation has said in the past hour. 3,000 apprentices due to start a modern apprenticeship this month have been left in limbo due to the current freeze on funding for new apprenticeship places, and around 1,000 employers who had planned to hire those apprentices have had to put their recruitment plans on hold. That is after they surveyed 1,000 employers planning to take on apprenticeships. I know that the SNP is consumed by its internal woes, but why should thousands of young people be paying a price for the SNP's incompetence and distraction? For months, the SNP has been denying that there is a freeze on apprenticeships. There is a freeze. There was a freeze last summer and there is a freeze now. I welcome the minister to his new post. I welcome the minister to his new post. I know how passionate he is about apprenticeships, so will he turn the page on the mess that his predecessor left him and fix this mess today? Minister, briefly please. The very significant budget challenges that we are facing, which the UK Government's mismanagement economy has much to do with, and the change of ministers, was entirely reasonable to pause temporarily the issue of contracts for new starts whilst we looked at the bigger picture, but I am pleased to tell the chamber that we are about to greenlight that process, and despite the huge budgetary challenges that we are facing, I would anticipate that the number involved will be in line with 2223.