 Sgolwyddon yng nghylch ddaeth. Rwyf yn fawr o'r pryd. A'is cychwyn i weld o'r plengwyd yng Nghymru o'r cyfer y cyfysgareddau a'r cyfer ynw'r cyffredinol o eitbolaeth yn ei cyfysgareddau a'r cyffredinol. Felly mae'n mynd i'r cyffredinol yn credu i gwmpas gan gyffredinol o'r perlwyddo. Felly ma' ymgylcheddau i ddiweddech chi'n rwyf ynlineg, He might also be aware that a few years ago, when similar applications made elsewhere in Scottish waters, the then environment minister Paul Wheelhouse wrote to the Secretary of State for Transport in the UK Government seeking greater powers for the Scottish Government in this reserved matter. Unfortunately, that request was declined. However, again I have written this week to make the same request and I have also made it clear to the Secretary of State that the Scottish Government expects to be fully consulted prior to a final decision been taken on the application. I'm pleased to hear that the cabinet secretary has written again and that he's asked that the Scottish Government be fully consulted in relation to this matter before a decision is taken. There's huge concern in my constituency and neighbouring constituencies of Rob Gibson to the north of the Firth in relation to this matter. I worry that the MCA will just follow a process and automatically grant a licence if the main conditions are agreed to. I wonder if the cabinet secretary could elaborate a wee bit more on what pressure he is prepared to put on the UK Government to devolve this power to us and deal with this matter. I can assure Dave Thompson and other members that I will continue to apply that pressure at the very least absolutely the Scottish Government should be involved in the decision-making process. I can also inform the chamber that our advisers, Scottish National Heritage, have submitted to the consultation as a statutory consultee and I now have a copy of their submission. They indicate they disagree with the conclusion of the environmental statement about the residual likely significant impact and effect on European designated sites. The advisory maritime and coastguard agency is a competent authority in this matter to carry out an appropriate assessment. They believe that mitigation can reduce but not eliminate the risks to the integrity of several designated interests. They also say that it is not possible to conclude no adverse effect on the site integrity in relation to the Murray Firth special area conservation and, of course, the SACs for bottlenose dolphins. The cabinet secretary is aware that this consultation has been on-going for months. There's great concern that has been highlighted by my colleague Dave Thompson, yet there's been utter silence from the cabinet secretary for rural affairs. Would he wish to reflect on whether he was wise to wait till after the consultation before expressing a view? It's only right that the Cromity First should carry out their consultation in what is about extending and existing activity. What I said publicly in the last few weeks is that we would await the advice from our own advisers who, in turn, are statutory consultees for the application that went through the consultation. However, the consultation has closed and I am aware of the views of Scottish Natural Heritage and other advisers. As you can imagine, I am very concerned about what I am learning and I am taking a very close interest in what now happens in response to the consultation outcome. This is a reserved matter. Although, unlike the situation in the fourth ports a few years ago, where a different type of oil has been proposed and different circumstances applied, there are still very real concerns in terms of the Cromity First application and the potential impact on the marine environment. That's why we will take a very close interest in this issue, maker of views known both to the Cromity First authority and also to the UK Government. 2. Alex Ferguson To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to address the reported shortage of GPs in rural areas. Cabinet Secretary, Shona Robison. Ministers are fully committed to sporting primary care, including GPs, and ensuring that all communities in Scotland, including remote and rural, will receive safe, reliable and sustainable healthcare services. Over the next three years, the Scottish Government will invest £85 million as part of the primary care fund. As part of that £2.5 million will be invested in work to explore, with key stakeholders, the issues surrounding GP recruitment and retention, which can be particularly challenging in remote and rural areas. Alex Ferguson I am grateful for that response, but in the recent Galloway, there are currently 14 GP vacancies, soon to go up to 16, with two impending retirements. Only four out of 12 training scheme places were taken up this year. 25 per cent of GPs are over 55, and they do not appear to be persuaded to continue working past retirement by the Government's proposed contract. So why is it that, since this Government came to power, the proportion of the NHS budget allocated to GPs has reduced from 9.8 per cent in 2005-06 to 7.4 per cent in 2014-15? What actions will the Government take now to address the decline within the NHS budget in order to make general practice more attractive to young doctors and encourage older practitioners to remain in practice? The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Sport and Well-being Under this Government, the number of GPs employed in Scotland has risen by 7 per cent to nearly 5,000. Of course, we recently announced an extra 100 extra training places, but I accept that there is more to be done. That is why, of course, we are in the midst of negotiating a new contract. There is not a new contract there for GPs to reject or otherwise, because we have only just began to negotiate it with the BMA, and I hope that the member will appreciate that. If we get it right, the new contract has the potential to deliver Sir Lewis Ritchie's vision for primary care, which is one based on a multidisciplinary team. Everybody working to the top of their skill level freeing up GPs to be able to spend more time with those more complex cases. That is what we want to deliver. We will commit to more GPs to deliver that model. Of course, we have already said that, so I hope that the member will appreciate that we are doing a whole range of things that are going to be important in delivering a very good future for GPs in Scotland. I can just end by saying that I would hope that through the junior doctor recruitment, which of course is operating over the next month, we will see a lot of junior doctors wanting to come to Scotland and wanting to train in general practice here in Scotland, because it is a great opportunity for them. Question 3, Drew Smith. Thank you, Presiding Officer. May I ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the personal foot care guidance? Minister, Maureen Watt. The national personal foot care guidance was launched in September 2013, and we have no plans to review it at this time. Drew Smith. I thank the minister for that answer. She may be aware that my colleague Patricia Ferguson recently raised concerns with the cabinet secretary about the podiatry service offered by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Although I do not want to go into individual cases, I have examples of elderly and blind constituents being told to cut their own nails, but my concern really is about the volume of complaints that we are receiving about the service. Can I ask the minister that she seeks statistics from the board on the number of users being turned away from a service that she previously accessed in order to assure herself that this upturn in complaints is not actually a result of attempts to reduce costs? If she does believe that the guidance has been followed appropriately, I would urge her to consider whether or not there are unintended consequences flowing from the guidance that was issued in 2013. I thank the member for his supplementary question. I am happy to look into the figures in Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Personal care is available to anyone without charge for those people over 65 who have been assessed by the local authority as needing it. The legislation includes keeping fingernails and toenails trimmed as one of the aspects of personal care, but that need not necessarily be carried out by a podiatrist. Detailed information is available from NHS health boards and NHS inform as to how one can look after one's own feet or have someone else look after them. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it is having with the UK Government regarding the proposed referendum on EU membership. Although the Scottish Government was not consulted on the UK Government's proposals, I last spoke to Minister for Europe, David Lidington, on 2 February and received an update on the tusk letter and the UK Government's position. The Scottish Government believes that continued European Union membership is overwhelmingly in Scotland's best interests, which is why we are making a positive constructive case for staying in the EU. It is essential to ensure that voters are fully informed of the arguments of EU membership and, as such, the Scottish Government is strongly opposed to a June referendum that has been suggested. Given a June date, it would also cut across election campaigns for the Scottish Parliament and other devolved Administrations. The First Minister of the Devolved Administrations wrote a joint letter to the Prime Minister on 3 February, urging him to defer a referendum to ensure that a debate is free from other campaigning distractions. One of the threats of the UK Government's negotiating position is to give greater powers to national parliaments to block or scrap EU legislation. My understanding is that the UK Government has been exploring the possibility of a sovereignty bill to enshrine that, according to the Sunday Times, either in a British Bill of Rights or in another bill. Does the cabinet secretary share my concerns about the implications for Scotland and will she seek urgent clarification of the UK Government's intentions in that respect? Indeed, we share the member's concerns. Alex Neil and Michael Matheson, from their respective portfolios, seek urgent clarification from the UK Government in relation to any proposals for a British Bill of Rights. We will stand firm in our position that we do not want to see a diminution of any human rights across his aisles, but we also need to respect the sovereignty of this place and of the people of Scotland. In relation to the issue of the so-called red card, I think that it should be interested to point out in terms of sovereignty that the red card is meant to allow groups of national parliaments to block EU legislation, but it is worth noting that the existing yellow card procedure, which is a far lower threshold than that proposed by the red card, has only ever been used twice since 2009 and the orange card has never been used before. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Lanarkshire. Minister as ungovernment officials meet regularly representatives of all health boards, including NHS Lanarkshire. May I ask the cabinet secretary at the last meeting whether the out-of-hours service in East Kilbride was discussed and when the residents of the town can expect an update on the current interim situation? As Linda Fabiani knows, the recommended interim model to the NHS Lanarkshire has introduced in the short term is giving them an opportunity to develop a longer-term solution around a broader range of out-of-hours proposals, including those for the East Kilbride area. Those longer term proposals must be developed as I have made clear to NHS Lanarkshire in consultation with staff and the public and have to be completely in line with the outcome of the national review of out-of-hours services published at the end of November. I understand that NHS Lanarkshire is intending to involve Sir Lewis Ritchie in those proposals and discussions in taking that forward to ensure that what they are looking at is very much in line with the national recommendations. I am very happy to write to Linda Fabiani and give her a further update in due course. Question 6. Claudia Beamish has reduced the climate change budget. Minister Aileen McLeod is in relevant portfolios, including support for renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable travel, waste reduction and natural carbon capture through forestry and peatland restoration. Productions are predominantly in the energy budget, and it is widely recognised that the UK Government is hampering the renewable energy sector and putting at risk millions of pounds of investment in the Scottish and UK economies. If the UK Government had kept its previous commitments, the viability of many projects would not now be in question, and Scottish Government support would have been maintained. In addition, the axing by the UK Government of its Green Deal Home Improvement Fund led directly to Scotland losing £15 million in ring-fence consequentials that supported our home energy efficiency programme cashback scheme, but, despite the raft of UK regulatory and policy changes in energy and energy efficiency, we have increased our climate change budget across other areas by £13.3 million. Claudia Beamish, I thank the minister for that answer. It is disappointing to hear the blame being passed to the UK Government when these are issues that are priorities that can be made by the Scottish Government. Agriculture, for instance, accounts for a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, so it is again disappointing to see a reduction in the rural land-use budget. I would like to ask the minister how that will affect the emissions, and, further, after the failure to meet the climate change emissions this year again, what engagement has there been across portfolios in the Scottish Government climate change sub-committee in relation to the draft budget and climate change? The challenge that we have is that this Parliament does not have all the levers that it needs, not least in the crucial area of energy policy, where we need the UK Government to assist Scotland's drive to develop renewables and carbon capture and storage, not stym yet, as it has done so recently. We are developing our third report on policies and proposals, and that will contain an assessment of the progress towards implementing policies and proposals that have been set out in the RPP2. It will include any adjustments that Scottish ministers consider are required. It is our aim wherever possible to overachieve against our future annual targets to recover the difference by which the earlier targets were missed. The RPP3 will also set out proposals and policies to compensate in future years for the excess emissions from previous annual targets. 7. Alison Johnstone What is its position is on extending train services between Edinburgh and Glasgow later into the evening. Minister Derek Mackay The Scottish Government, as part of the ScotRail franchise agreement, specifies later evening services to be provided to Kate for special and big events across the network, including in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Alison Johnstone I welcome the improvements to the line, and I welcome the minister's assurance that this will happen when bigger events are on. It is important that people have reliable frequent transport options enabling them to get home. Not only after attending events and gigs in the city, but enjoying an evening that perhaps goes on far into the evening. The minister knows, of course, that Glasgow is now home to the third biggest venue in the world, but there would be many benefits to introducing a later train service where the conditions are agreed by staff and unions on an on-going basis, and it would benefit Townslightland-Lithgow in between. Will the minister look into maximising the potential of the improvements to this line? I think that Alison Johnstone raises a very valid point. Previously, there were studies into the cost-benefit analysis and outputs of such an investment. It is something I am happy to look at. Again, as well as the substantial multi-million pound investment in infrastructure track and rolling stock, what further improvements can be made around maximising that rolling stock to suit the timetable and see what further support we can bring in terms of economic growth? To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting local organisations that raise awareness for issues surrounding mental health. Mental health is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government, and we continue to work closely with our partners, including the national health service, local authorities, the third sector. Service users and carers to ensure that we offer the best quality of life and opportunities for all people with mental health problems. The Scottish Government funds CME, the Scottish Association for Mental Health, Voices of Experience, the Scottish Recovery Network and NHS Health Scotland, who all work with local organisations to raise awareness of mental health issues. Last year, we announced additional investment of £100 million to improve mental health services over five years. The draft budget for 2016-17 provides a further £50 million, resulting in a total package of £150 million to 2019-20. David Torrance I thank the minister for his answer. Staff members of the Penumbra Fife youth project, an organisation that works in every high school in Fife, are now on 90 days notice as Fife Council of Cutler funding, the Fife prior consultation of service users, which will have a severe impact on crucial services they provide. We do minister agree that early intervention is an important mechanism to prevent mental health problems and help young people who are at risk to focus on positive outcomes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. This is an important question, not just locally, for Mr Torrance, but also because this is Children's Mental Health Week. I would certainly agree with Mr Torrance that early intervention with youngsters in particular is crucial. I would also conclude that Penumbra are a great organisation. I am aware of the situation. Fife Penumbra have not approached me directly on the matter, as Mr Torrance sets out. It is a decision for Fife Council, but I would certainly expect Fife Council to consider the impact that any closure might have on young people and have plans in place to mitigate any adverse effects. To ask the Scottish Government what impact the closure of the Glasgow Queen Street tunnel will have on commuters in the Clydebank and will guide constituency. The ScotRail Alliance has developed a temporary timetable for the Queen Street tunnel closure, which minimises the impact on all commuters and allows the vast majority of customers to continue to travel to and from Glasgow by train. Four services will continue to operate each hour from a guide to Glasgow, and customers using Clydebank will experience a reduced service from four to two trains per hour. During the tunnel closure, there will be 12 trains each hour connecting the west of the city with Glasgow Queen Street low-level and Glasgow Central low-level. With the upgrading works taking place at Queen Street to enhance our railways, I wondered if the minister, after the works that are carried out, would look at the possibility of a feasibility study for a rail halt at the Allender to increase capacity, which would be allocated on the branch line between Hilfoot and Mulgai. I understand that the council is carrying out an appraisal of that in line with our guidance. I am happy to look at that and give it due consideration through, for example, the Scottish stations fund. Before we move to the next act of business, members will wish to join me and welcome to the gallery, her excellency, Piety Loose, Terri Nen, the ambassador of Finland to the United Kingdom.