 We have general questions. Question 1, Gord MacDonald. To ask the Scottish Government what relationship it has with UK visas and immigration. Minister Humza Yousaf. The Scottish Government has regular contact with UK visas and immigration. In matters relating to Scotland's interests and priorities, we will continue to press the UK Government to provide an immigration system that meets Scotland's needs. Gord MacDonald. I thank the minister for that answer. I was contacted by two constituents who required assistance on an immigration issue. As there are no MPs at present, I was approached as their local MSP. On contacting the UK visas and immigration department, I was told the following. If they have not already done so, they can contact our Westminster parliamentary candidate during the current pre-election period. Does the minister agree with me that the decision undermines our democracy and that UK visas and immigration is suggesting that constituents contact a member of the public for assistance rather than an elected representative? I agree entirely with the member. It is completely unacceptable that any department of the UK Government can demonstrate such a lack of respect for our hard-working members of the Scottish Parliament across the entire chamber. It is essential that our MSPs are able to represent their constituents appropriately. I call on whoever is the incoming UK Government to take a respectful approach to Scotland's MSPs and work with us to best serve the people of Scotland. It is a practical and pragmatic issue, as Gordon MacDonald rightly demonstrates, but it is also people's lives. The families are getting ripped apart because of UK immigration rules and hard-working MSPs are being completely dismissed by the UK Government department, so I agree with him entirely. It is in the front of our democratic mechanisms and completely unacceptable. Presiding Officer, on the point of respect, do you share my concern that it is now a change that there was nobody in here on the front benches of the Opposition for General Questions, which I think is disrespectful to yourself and to the chamber? There is no such rule, and I note that all of the members who wish to ask a question are here in the chamber, and that is the priority. Question 2, Nenette Milne. Thank you. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will use consequential funding to help to provide defibrillators in public places. Out of hospital cardiac arrest, a strategy for Scotland was published on 27 March 2015. That is a five-year plan to improve Scotland's response to the out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with the aim of saving an additional 1,000 lives by 2020 at the Scottish cardiac arrest symposium on 27 March, as well as launching the strategy. I announce that 100,000 of health consequential spending will be used to support the delivery of OHCA strategy. Work with stakeholders is now in hand to ensure that this funding is used to best effect to strengthen the chain of survival to deliver improved cardiac arrest outcomes. Thank the minister for her response. Following the budget, George Osborne announced £1 million for defibrillators south of the border, which will result in an extra 100,000 for the Scottish Government to spend. Will the minister commit to this money being used to help fund defibrillators in public places across Scotland? Will she agree to undertake a review into the sighting of defibrillators in public places in Scotland to provide an accurate picture of their availability? I agree with Nanette Milne. I mentioned the chain of survival, and that is absolutely crucial. It is not just about the provision of defibrillators, it is about rapid recognition of cardiac arrest, early bystander cardiocp response, early defibrillation, effective pre-hospital resuscitation and advanced post-resuscitation care. I absolutely agree with her that lots of organisations are fundraising themselves and have provided defibrillators. It is very important that we map where they all are and that the ambulance service knows where they are so that they can inform bystandered CPR resuscitators. To ask the Scottish Government what support it will provide to the kind of nurse-led initiatives highlighted in the RCN Scotland campaign, Nursing at the Edge. The Scottish Government welcomes the RCN's Nursing at the Edge campaign and the excellent work highlighted in its report. Nurses have a critical role to play in tackling inequalities by empowering communities and individuals to be involved in decisions that affect their own care, helping to assess and address local population health needs, and providing specialist support and intervention with particularly vulnerable individuals, families or groups. While ranging work is under way to strengthen that contribution further, we will also continue to ensure that we have the right numbers of nurses in place with the right skills to deliver high quality of care to the people of Scotland whatever their needs. I agree that, as well as general action to deal with inequalities in society, it is very important that the health service should have specific initiatives addressing those who are most disadvantaged and vulnerable in society and that the nurse-led initiatives highlighted by the RCN are a very important part of that. Will she meet with the Royal College of Nursing to discuss how those kind of nurse-led initiatives can be promoted, including discussion of training and research issues, so that the new integration authorities can provide the best kind of services possible to address the health and inequalities outcome? I say to Malcolm Trism that I meet regularly with the RCN, and I am very happy to meet him on the specifics of the campaign and to look at the issues that Malcolm Trism has raised. The new integrated joint boards have a responsibility to look at how they invest to tackle health inequalities within the communities that they are serving, and I think that there is an important opportunity through integration to do that more effectively. However, I am happy to meet with the RCN and take forward the issues relating to the campaign. Question 4, in the name of Graham Pearson, has been withdrawn for understandable reasons. Question 5, Margaret McEarl. To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Rolls-Royce regarding its presence in East Kilbride. Presiding Officer, the Scottish Government's economic development agency, Scottish Enterprise, is in regular contact with Rolls-Royce. Scottish Enterprise officials most recently met with Rolls-Royce at its East Kilbride and in shinnen sites on 31 March following the company's announcement of potential job losses at its UK facilities. The purpose of that meeting was to discuss the implications of that announcement and what support could be provided to reduce any impact on its sites in Scotland. Margaret McEarl. I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. The decision of Rolls-Royce to withdraw from East Kilbride, as you know, and move to Renfrewshire, was meant to secure jobs. Now we know that there is going to be a wave of redundancies. While the Scottish Government urged Rolls-Royce to seek an alternative to job losses, and while it also urged them to co-operate with the local council in finding a new use for their soon-to-be vacant site in East Kilbride? Presiding Officer, it is important to recall that the announcement that was made on 26 March by Rolls-Royce was part of a group restructuring exercise that was previously announced in November 2014, which affects 2,600 of the Rolls-Royce staff worldwide. That is not just specifically a Scottish issue in relation to the short-term point that Margaret McEarl has raised. On the question of maintaining employment, that will be at the heart of the representations that the Government through Scottish Enterprise makes to Rolls-Royce and part of the approach that we take to finding the mechanisms and interventions that we can take forward that will support employment within Scotland on behalf of Rolls-Royce. The move to Inchinnon is taking place, as it was previously announced. The Government will continue to discuss with Rolls-Royce the importance of employment within Scotland and do whatever we can in the support that is available to us to assist the company in undertaking that dialogue. Finally, Margaret McEarl raised the issue about the future of the site in East Kilbride. I appreciate the significance of that manufacturing site. It is important that the company works constructively and actively with South Lancer Council and Scottish Enterprise in finding ways of ensuring that such an important and prestigious manufacturing site is used for further manufacturing activity in the future. Linda Fabiani Thank you, Presiding Officer. I say to the cabinet secretary that co-operation is crucial in things like that. Could I ask him, sadly, yet again to impress upon South Lancer Council that co-operation works both ways? It would be very useful if it would include all political representatives and parties in that area in the struggle to bring work to East Kilbride through the East Kilbride task force. I think that it is important that there is co-operation on those points. If I think to the experience that we have had in different circumstances where we have had to deal with employment loss, the Government has one example of springs to mind of where we convened the task force in West Lothian to deal with the halls of Broxbon issue. We invited and welcomed participation from constituency members elected to this Parliament as party colleagues of mine, but we also included representatives of the Labour Party who were constituency members for the area in Broxbon. I think that it is important that we try wherever possible to work collectively and collaboratively to try to address what are difficult circumstances affecting members of the public and the uncertainties that come with the loss of employment. Question 6, Clare Baker. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Fife and what issues were discussed. Ministers and Government officials regularly meet with representatives of NHS Fife to discuss matters of importance to local people. The cabinet secretary will be aware that the First Minister and her previous role as health secretary stated her desire to get bonuses in the health service under control. Earlier this month, following an FOI by the Scotsman, it was found that this had not been achieved with the continuing use of discretionary awards and discretionary payments, the latter of which has risen by £3.5 million. Can I therefore ask the cabinet secretary if she has discussed bonuses with NHS Fife and if she is aware of any plans by the board to award such payments? Clare Baker will be aware that distinction awards, which were of course paid under the previous administration, were stopped under this administration, led by the First Minister when she was cabinet secretary for health. The issue of discretionary payments is a different matter to distinction awards, which I am sure the member will be aware of. That has always been part of the system and continues to be so. It is important that the member understands the difference between distinction awards and discretionary payments, but I am happy to write to her to explain that in more detail so that she fully understands the difference. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met South Lanarkshire Council. Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of all Scottish local authorities, including South Lanarkshire Council, to discuss a wide range of issues as part of our commitment to working in partnership with local government to improve outcomes for the people in Scotland. Linda Fabiani. Can I ask the minister that next time he visits South Lanarkshire Council, he tells them about the very successful application by EKE's cobride shop mobility on the people and communities fund grant that was recently given, and can he impress on South Lanarkshire Council the very particular needs of town centres in new towns when it comes to town centre regeneration? The Scottish Government has already been very pleased to highlight shop mobility when we launched the online town centre toolkit just a few weeks ago. I know that the member has been essentially involved with EKE's cobride shop mobility, including helping them at the start of the process to getting this PCF grant, which shows that the contribution that members can make. I would also pay tribute to her constant, repeated personal representations to me in the run-up to the announcement. I was very pleased to see that shop mobility received support from people and communities fund, now part of the community empowerment fund, helping groups across the country. Margaret Mitchell. With interchange construction work, boggle residents have been subjected to constructions, lorries parking illegally on the road in front of dryways, and they have to put up with excessive dust, dirt and noise. Can the minister confirm that South Lanarkshire Council has oversight of this part of the construction work? If so, will he urge it to look into those issues? I would urge all councils to respond to issues raised by people living within their areas. I can undertake to write to the member with further information once I have had a chance to investigate and to discuss with the council in question. To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that Ayrshire College is facing a shortfall in student support funding. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that students at all colleges across Scotland are supported throughout their studies. Miss McDougall will be aware that, earlier this year, I announced that the estimated £7 million shortfall in student support funding for 2014-15 would be met. Since then, the Scottish Funding Council has been working closely with colleges, including Ayrshire College, to ensure that all students remain financially supported. The funding council will ensure that funding for student support is matched more closely to colleges' estimates of need. I understand that that will result in an additional 10 per cent £900,000 in student support funds for Ayrshire College in 2015-16. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. This year, Ayrshire College and other colleges had to cover a shortfall in student support funding by using depreciation funds—money that is not meant to be used for this purpose—and some colleges do not even have that money to spend. That situation simply is not good enough and students are suffering due to a lack of funding. What assurance can the Scottish Government give to student support funding? Will it be fully funded next year so that colleges do not have to use depreciation funds to via funds from discretionary funds into bursaries, meaning that colleges are then unable to meet requests from students, particularly mature students with hardship challenges, such as housing costs? I hope that Miss McDougall would have welcomed additional funds made available to Ayrshire College. In addition to the £900,000 in core student support available, there is also £320,000 in student support available for European social-funded students. That is an additional £1.2 million additional funding for student support in Ayrshire College, which is now receiving a total of £10.5 million for student support. That is a 47 per cent increase in real terms in student support since 2006-07. The Scottish Funding Council has made additional funds available as part of the in-year redistribution process, and we will carry out the same exercise moving forward in 2015-16. Of course, we will look to a longer-term solution. There is a valid debate going on in further education in terms of an entitlement-based system versus a discretionary-based system, and we are alert to that debate and are engaging with relevant stakeholders on that matter. It is understood that the reclassification of the college sector by the Office of National Statistics changed the financial reporting rules, resulting in confusion and the freezing of some £17 million of Scottish college cash budgets. If the Scottish Government was consulted on the change, what has been done to ensure that money is not lost to the sector? Mr Brodie touches on an important point. As a result of the unwelcome ONS reclassification, colleges became subject to two sets of financial reporting rules, and a conflict arose between those two sets of reporting rules that effectively freezing £17 million of cash from budgets. It is not helpful when UK bodies make changes that have a far-reaching impact on Scottish institutions, notwithstanding the change and the challenges caused by the change. The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council did indeed work together with the college sector to allow colleges to release those funds to spend or share priorities, including to put more money into financially supporting students, which I am sure that we can all agree is an imperative priority to enable students to complete their studies. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact on the lowest-income households in Scotland of the spending reductions required to achieve the targets laid out in the charter for budget responsibility. The three largest parties in the last UK Parliament signed up to the Charter for Budget Responsibility, which commits them to billions more cuts to public services and the benefit system in the first years of the next Parliament. We already know that the most deprived parts of the UK have borne the brunt of the UK Government's austerity programme. With child poverty organisations warning that an additional 100,000 children in Scotland could be living in relative poverty after housing costs by 2020, because of UK Government welfare reforms, it is essential that we adopt an alternative approach to cutting the deficit as advocated by the Scottish Government. Does the minister agree that we cannot sustain further austerity, which results in those with the least being hurt the most? Does he share my belief that what we need to see is a commitment for public spending increases that would ensure that we can help those who need it most and get our economy working to its full potential? I agree that modest increases in public spending can still see the deficit come down year on year and ensure that ideological cuts that prolong the recession can be replaced by an investment in recovery.