 That concludes General Questions. The next item of business is First Minister's Questions. At question number one, I called Douglas Ross. Thank you, Presiding Officer. In June, 2021, the Scottish Government was told to retain messages relevant to the handling of the Covid pandemic. Five months later, the SNP introduced a policy to destroy what sat messages. This is the digital equivalent of building a bonfire to torch the evidence. So, First Minister, why did the SNP bring in a policy to delete messages after they'd been told to keep them? First, the policy that's being referred to by Douglass Ross is a general policy around messaging mobile messaging, including informal messaging such as WhatsApp. What is key when you got the advisory notices dan dwych. Fy gen Gymru, pan sut, dwi..'r informatio i ddim byw dal o'r Unigwrs Y Dweyút yn olyg nhw yng Nghymru. Mae rhywbih引atiau meddewch. gallw'n ei cael?" Mae'r informatio indig antechyn ac mae'n amdannu ar unaill y ddwey別logol yn gwyfawr, a� bod yn cael rhoi effeithgoel dros yr unrhewrau. Diolch, fel Roeddが Forces исor 14,000 watsat messages ond the process of being handed over. Now that we have the section 21 order, it's why 19,000 documents have already been submitted. It's why, when I submit my final statement, it will have unredacted watsat messages handed over to the inquiry. I should say, Presiding Officer, that is in very stark contrast to the Prime Minister who tried to take the public inquiry to court, lost, of course, in the courts, and is still refusing to hand over his watsat messages. Douglas Ross. People viewing this are listening to the First Minister to tell us what the Scottish Government are doing. It is not up to Humza Yousaf or any SNP minister, current or former, to decide what is relevant to the inquiry, to pick and choose which messages are going to be handed over, because it is absolutely clear that the SNP brought in an auto-delete policy not just after being told not to do so by the UK Covid inquiry, but after Nicola Sturgeon had set up a separate Scottish inquiry. This policy was introduced two months later. Nicola Sturgeon went on television to say that she couldn't withhold messages even if she wanted to, but this week it was reported that Nicola Sturgeon has deleted her watsat messages. We know that destroying or withholding evidence from an inquiry is illegal, so does Humza Yousaf accept that if Nicola Sturgeon or any Government minister has destroyed watsat messages relevant to the inquiry, they would be breaking the law? Of course, Minister. As Douglas Ross has mentioned, the former First Minister, let me just remind Douglas Ross and, indeed, the chamber, in terms of accountability and transparency, Nicola Sturgeon stood up day after day, virtually every single day, did 250 media briefings, 70 parliamentary statements in full accountability, full transparency, answering questions— First Minister, if you might take a seat for a moment, we are not going to continue the session in this vein. Members are required to conduct themselves in an orderly manner. Let's treat one another with courtesy and respect and let's not decide to contribute from our seats, First Minister. Can I remind the opposition, particularly the Conservatives, when the former First Minister stood up, did those daily media briefings, spoke to the public, took questions from the media? It was the opposition that wanted to stop that from happening in the first place. Let me be absolutely clear, because this is such an important issue, particularly— First Minister, Mr Kerr, I must ask you to cease shouting from your seat. I'd be very grateful if you could comply. First Minister. It is important that Opposition members don't shout from a sedentary position, because there are members, families of those who have been bereaved by Covid, who do want insurance. I accept. Let me reiterate what the Deputy First Minister said a couple of days ago in this chamber. The Government does apologise to those families who were bereaved by Covid for any anxiety or distress that we have caused them. It was certainly not our intention. We received, of course, clarification from the Covid inquiry last week around their expectations. They had provided us with that section 21 order. We are in the process of providing 14,000 WhatsApp messages. On top of that, I will give my WhatsApp messages unredacted to the Covid inquiry, because we set up that inquiry for one reason and for one reason only, to get to the truth and to ensure that answers are there for those families who suffered the most during Covid. I cannot believe that Humza Yousaf has just stood up and, in the strongest possible way, defended Nicola Sturgeon, who has been accused of deleting vital WhatsApp messages. He did not answer the question, would she have broken the law if she has done so? The law is very clear. Deleting evidence required by an inquiry is a criminal offence. It is in writing in the Scottish Covid inquiries letter. The SNP Government were told to make sure that the material of potential relevance to the inquiry is destroyed, deleted or disposed of. It is an offence under section 35 of the inquiries act. The problem with the SNP's policy is that the messages are deleted before the inquiry can judge if they are relevant or not. Humza Yousaf has previously told this chamber, and I quote, any material that is asked for will absolutely be handed over to the Covid inquiries and handed over in full. Why has the SNP Government failed to deliver on that promise by deleting evidence? Douglas Ross continues to say that we are not handing over WhatsApp messages. That is incorrect. We are in the process of handing over 14,000 messages. On top of those 14,000 messages, when I submit my final statement, I will be handing over many messages, not just with Cabinet Secretary, not just with ministers, of course, with UK Government ministers, with opposition politicians that I communicated with across the chamber. I will be doing so unredacted because we believe, this Government believes, in accountability very different to Douglas Ross' leader of the Conservative Party, who is refusing to hand that material over. I understand why Douglas Ross wants to talk about process as opposed to substance. The reason why, of course, is because just in this week alone, we have seen utterly scathing, damning evidence about the UK Government's handling or mishandling of the Covid pandemic. I am absolutely committed, and this Government is absolutely committed to being transparent, to being accountable because we want the truth to be heard, not just by the public, but particularly by the families who are bereaved by Covid. We certainly do not have anything to fear from the truth, I suspect, and the Conservatives absolutely do. Douglas Ross comes to use if it is all over the place with this. He starts off by saying that he is going to hand over all the messages. Now he is saying that he is going to hand over many of them. He does not hide from the truth. We do not know what the truth is because messages have been deleted and they have been deleted because of a policy of the SNP Government. That policy means that it can cherry pick the information that the inquiry sees. Crucial discussions may have been destroyed by their auto delete policy. Any uncomfortable information may be lost never to see the light of day. This secretive approach treats the Covid inquiry and grieving families with contempt. The Deputy First Minister is saying that it does not. Shona Robison, listen to Margaret Waterton, who lost her mother and her husband. Jenny Gilruth, listen to someone who lost their mother and her husband to the virus. Mr Ross, I would be very grateful if members would do one another, give one another courtesy and respect. When a member is meant to be speaking in this chamber, let us listen to them. Mr Ross, senior Government ministers in the SNP do not want to hear what grieving families think about their actions. Margaret Waterton, who lost her mother and her husband to the virus, said that the news that the Scottish Government has withheld evidence from the Covid inquiry is, and I quote, frankly, shameful. Jane Morrison, a member of Scottish Covid belief said, if someone deliberately deleted stuff to avoid us getting to the truth then, morally and ethically, as well as legally, it is totally in the wrong. Does the First Minister regret letting down those families and so many others? I think that it is really important, because Douglas Ross has every right to ask the questions he is asking. We have a responsibility in this chamber to remember that there are many people who lost loved ones to Covid, including many people in this chamber, including members of my own Government. I reiterate the apology that was made by the Deputy First Minister to Scottish family, Scottish Covid bereaved, and to their representatives that we did not mean to cause them the anxiety that they clearly felt as a result of what was said at the Covid inquiry last week. That is on us, and we intend to make right with that. That is why we will release those 14,000 messages and I will release those messages as well. The absolute purpose of the inquiry is to get to the truth of the handling and where there were mistakes made to learn from those mistakes. Ultimately, everybody will have an interest in that. Businesses across the country will have an interest in that, members of the public, but most particularly, most acutely, will be those families who have been bereaved by Covid. I can give them an absolute assurance that we are here to co-operate fully with the inquiries. Let me just remind Douglas Ross what we already know about his party's mishandling of Covid. Those families who could not say goodbye to their loved ones, those families who had to attend funerals by themselves without their family, without friends around them, they were doing that all the while. The Conservatives were partying, breaking Covid rules in number 10. Because we know the Conservatives, they do not believe that the rules frankly apply to them and we have seen that in the evidence this week. I can give an absolute commitment that the Scottish Government will fully co-operate with both inquiries. During the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland, thousands of people died. It is important for those people that we should be thinking about our answers and our questions today. This Government sent untested and Covid-positive patients into care homes with devastating consequences and millions suffered from the effects of lockdown. That is why both the UK and Scottish Covid inquiries are crucial because we need to understand what happened to learn lessons for the future. The Deputy First Minister and First Minister have talked a lot about individual responsibility in relation to the inquiry, but the First Minister is responsible for the conduct of the Scottish Government. Will he take personal responsibility for ensuring that the Government complies in full with all requests from the Covid inquiry? Of course, my responsibility and, of course, I will lia as closely as Anasaw would imagine, I would, with the Permanent Secretary to ensure that the organisation fully complies. As I said to Anasaw previously, we will hand over whatever material that has been retained from the Scottish Government. That is why 14,000 messages are in the process of being handed over. I should say that that is on top of the 19,000 documents that we have already submitted. It is appropriate that every official in the Government complies. I should say to Anasaw on the specific point that he asks. I am, of course, responsible for my witness statement. I do not know, of course, what other requests have gone to individual ministers, to individual cabinet secretaries, nor do I know what they have submitted. That is appropriate. Anasaw is mouthing why. The reason why, of course, is this confidentiality in a public inquiry that must, of course, be adhered to. If I tried to break that, Anasaw would be the first one to drag me over the hot coals and say why on earth are you breaching confidentiality of an inquiry that could potentially prejudice any said inquiry. Just to make it absolutely clear, my understanding is that that information about the confidentiality of the inquiry has been put into Spice, but we can make sure that Anasaw gets a copy for his information. I think that Humza Yousaf is missing the central point. He is the First Minister. He is responsible for the actions of the Scottish Government, ministers and officials, not just his own responsibility as an individual. I do not think that he has read the transcript from the Covid inquiry last week, which is absolutely damning about the actions of this Government and his own behaviour. In June, I asked the First Minister directly, and I quote, Will he confirm that all ministers and officials, past and present, have complied with the do not destroy instruction? Will he give a guarantee that all requests, e-mails, text and WhatsApp messages will be handed over in full to the inquiry? He gave a direct answer. He said, and I quote, Yes, they will. No equivocation, no caveats, no grey areas, but we now know that messages have been deleted. Crucially, it is for the judge to decide what is relevant, not for individual ministers and officials, to decide what is relevant. Again, this is about the conduct of the Scottish Government. Can the First Minister tell us, off the 70 ministers and officials, how many have failed to comply with the do not destroy notice and how many have deleted messages? First Minister. Can we just be absolutely clear about this? Anna Sauer is asking me to demand from individual witnesses their witness statement so that I can see what they have handed over or what they have not handed over, because that is the only way I could know if former ministers have submitted information or not. Members, let's hear the First Minister. That would be, in my view, a pretty serious breach in terms of the confidentiality of the inquiry. In terms of the organisation, which is what Anna Sauer has also asked me about, yes, it is absolutely my expectation, the expectation of the permanent secretary, that potentially relevant information is kept, recorded in the appropriate way and handed over to the inquiry when that is requested. That is why, of course, we are in the process of handing over 14,000 messages. Anna Sauer is absolutely right. 14,000 of those messages, many of them I suspect—I do not know, because I have not seen the detail—but I suspect, given that they were on WhatsApp groups, as we understand, as the Deputy First Minister outlined earlier this week, many of them may not be relevant. Anna Sauer is right. That is for the inquiry to determine. Hence why I, as First Minister, will hand over all of my WhatsApp messages in an unredacted form, because I go back to the point that I made to Douglas Ross. The reason for this inquiry, the Scottish inquiry being set up, was to get to the truth of matters. That is why, in the terms of reference, the issue around the discharge of patients is clearly one of the issues that the inquiry will examine and one that we will fully cooperate with. Anna Sauer. The public can see, and indeed the inquiry can see, that the First Minister was unequivocal in June and now they can see how he is dodging responsibility in his answer to give today. It is also clear that the section 21 notice was issued to the Government, not to individuals and ministers and officials, and it is the Government that is responsible for collating and providing that evidence to the inquiry. To abdicate responsibility, I think, is frankly shameful, and people will see that right across the country. The harsh reality is that the First Minister has lost control of his Government. He does not know how many ministers or officials have complied with a do not destroy notice. He does not know how many have deleted messages, and he claims that the Government's response to the inquiry is for individuals rather than for his Government. The First Minister promised this chamber that he would ensure that all material was handed to the inquiry in full. We have seen how important these messages are. Why does he believe that his Government should be held to a lower standard than the Tories at Westminster? What is he doing to identify those who do not comply with the do not destroy notices, and what action is he taking against those who have failed to comply, or should we conclude that his word means nothing? Let me try to clarify again some of the issues that Anas Sarwar has raised. It is important to say—this is crucial—that when it came to the request from the UK Government inquiry, it, in June, asked us for details of the various WhatsApp groups concerning Covid-19. It did not request the messages themselves. The messages themselves were asked for in September, just a matter of weeks ago. We then, of course, the Government asked for a section 21 order because of the personal information in some of those messages. That was received. Now, of course, we will meet the deadline for the 6 November to hand over 14,000 messages in unredacted form. I can hear Jackie Baillie shouting destroyed. The 14,000 messages have not been destroyed. We are handing them over. They include ministers, past and present. We do not know the ministers because, again, for confidentiality purposes, we know that they include ministers, past and present. I go back to the point that Anas Sarwar, Douglas Ross, has every right to ask about messages being handed over. I can give an unequivocal guarantee to those families who have been bereaved by Covid that the messages that we have retained will absolutely be handed over and handed over in full. As First Minister, as the head of this Government, I will, when submitting my statement, be handing over my messages in full and unredacted. Question 3, Pam Goswell. To ask the First Minister whether he will provide an update on waiting times for post-cancer breast reconstruction surgery. We recognise the importance of breast reconstruction surgery. I am aware that there are still unacceptable ways and some specialities, but we are committed to delivering sustained improvements and year-on-year reductions through service redesign and national working. Waiting times are not published by individual procedure. However, the most recent national statistics from June show that there was almost 7,500 patients waiting for inpatient day-case treatment in the plastic surgery speciality in Scotland. Breast reconstruction surgery covers a range of procedures and delays can be caused by a number of factors. We know, of course, the impact that the pandemic has had, but I can assure Pam Goswell that we are working hard to ensure that we reduce those waiting times. I thank the First Minister for that response. Breast cancer treatment is not just physically demanding. It is emotionally taxing too. Reconstructive surgery gives women the chance to regain control of their bodies. A freedom of information response that I have received shows that average wait time for this surgery is nearly 400 days in greater Glasgow and Clyde. For my constituent, it has been more than three and a half years since her mastectomy. She was told that she would have a date for her surgery by 21 October. The date has come and gone. Does the First Minister accept that this is not good enough? What steps will he take to cut waiting times for this surgery and ensure that patients such as my constituent are not left waiting for years? I thank Pam Goswell for raising the case of her constituent. I obviously do not know the details, but she can write to me if she has not done so already. I will be happy to look at the case. The Health Secretary will be happy to raise it with the health board because I do agree with Pam Goswell's premise that the weights of that length are unacceptable. Pam Goswell speaks powerfully about the emotional and physical impact of breast cancer in particular. We have been working towards improvements in waiting times. We have met the 31-day standard, as by the most recent statistics, but I am afraid that it has fallen short where we need to be in the 62-day standard. We will continue to work in action to reduce those waiting lists. I will ensure that the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Health and Sport writes in detail to Pam Goswell about some of the actions that we are taking. In the meantime, if Pam Goswell provides the details of our constituent, we will, of course, liaise with the health board to see if there is anything further that can be done. To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Government is taking to increase public awareness of firework safety ahead of bonfire night. We have recently launched our annual public awareness campaigns across a range of media platforms. Those campaigns reinforce appropriate messaging around attending organised displays and how to stay safe over the bonfire weekend. I encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with those campaigns and with the firework code. Additionally, we have distributed over 200,000 safety leaflets to retailers and the Scottish Wholesale Association, trading standard teams and third sector partners to increase awareness of firework safety and the law at the point of sale. It is, of course, illegal to buy or give fireworks to anyone under the age of 18 to use fireworks before 6pm or after 11pm. That is extended to midnight on 5th. It is also legal to use fireworks in the street or other public places. Ultimately, that is so the public and, crucially, our emergency services can have a safe bonfire night. Clare Adamson. Thank you, First Minister, for his answer. Recent data from Scottish Fire and Rescue shows that the number of deliberate fires in the three weeks up to November 5 has fallen by 30 per cent since 2018 to 907 last year. That is very welcome news, but every year our emergency workers are subjected to immense pressure through to the misuse of fireworks compounded with anti-social behaviour. Will the First Minister agree that the public can do a real service to our emergency services by taking the decision to attend a public display that is far and away the safest and most enjoyable way for our family to spend on the evening of bonfire night? First Minister. I do agree with that from Clare Adamson. Fireworks can be a great spectacle and enable communities to come together. As injuries are less likely to occur at a public display, we would always encourage people to attend one. I know many communities, regional, national organisations as well as local authorities do fantastic work to organise such displays. As members know, we have strengthened the law around access to the use of fireworks with the aim to reduce demand on our emergency services. The new law also makes attacks against emergency workers an aggravated offence that can be considered by courts when sentencing offenders. I would do as Clare Adamson has articulated very well and encourage people to attend those public displays where they are available. Russell Findlay. SNP ministers claim that their new firework control zones will improve public safety around bonfire night, but my party has found that at least 28 of Scotland's 32 councils have no plans to introduce them. That includes Dundee, where riot police are on the streets to tackle gangs using fireworks to inflict chaos and terror. Can Humza Yousaf explain why his rushed firework law is being ignored by councils suffering from severe SNP cuts? Of course it is for local authorities to make an application for a control zone. I am assuming that Conservative-led councils do not have control zones in place, so I do not think that we should be blaming local authorities or the Government for the actions that we saw in Dundee. We should be very clear that those who misuse fire work particularly to endanger the public, particularly to endanger our emergency services. They should be the ones that should be held to account for their reckless actions. Getting behind our fire service, getting behind Police Scotland to do a fantastic job and an ambulance service to do a fantastic job in the run-up to bonfire night and bonfire night itself, but we have brought forward legislation. There are a number of applications in for a control zone and, of course, they will be given due consideration. Christine Grahame. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I declare an interest as convener of the cross-party group on animal welfare. First Minister, the safety of people, especially children, is obviously paramount. Does the First Minister agree that we should be mindful of the effect of fireworks on our pets and that they need livestock to keep them safe too? If in doubt, what to do to follow the advice of annual organisations, including the NFUS? Yes, I agree with that. There are excellent guidance from a number of our sector partners. NFUS is one of them, from the SSPCA and others. There are some very good guidance up, because Christine Grahame is right. We often focus on members of the public. That should absolutely include our pets, whom we know can suffer during the lead-up to bonfire night and bonfire night itself. As Christine Grahame has suggested, for those who are unsure about animal welfare and safety during this period, please do look at a range of third sector organisations who can provide that excellent advice. Question 5, Faisal Choudhury. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to ensure that dentists are suitably funded to be able to continue taking on NHS patients in light of reports that some dentists in Edinburgh are seizing to accept NHS patients altogether. First Minister. That is a serious problem that has been exacerbated, of course, by the global pandemic. There has been a police to say an improving picture in NHS dentistry since the pandemic. Building on that progress is an absolute priority for the Government. We have been working closely with the British Dental Association Scotland and the wider sector on payment reform, which launched just yesterday. That is the most significant change to NHS dentistry in a generation. It provides practitioners with a whole new suite of fees that are designed to provide a full range of care and treatment to NHS patients. I am very confident that reform will provide longer-term sustainability to the dental sector and encourage dentists to continue to provide NHS care, helping to further mitigate some of the access challenges that we are seeing. First Minister. Thank you, First Minister, for the answer. My constituent, Claire, was informed that her dentist would be privatised from January, and they would need to start paying monthly fees or leave. This is not an isolated issue. Another family in the west of Edinburgh were also informed that their dentist would be privatised. Both families were not able to find another dentist taking on NHS patients in their areas. Can I ask the First Minister to outline what action the Scottish Government has taken to support dentists and their staff to ensure that they remain accessible for all? First Minister. As I have said, this is an extremely important issue that Foisio Troudery has raised. I hope that when we can provide him with the details of the payment reform, he will see that we are doing our very best in working with the sector to incentivise NHS dentistry. Just by way of example, a dentist providing a full set of dentures will now receive £366.80. That is an increase of over 60 per cent. In terms of a surface filling, we have increased the fee by almost 45 per cent. We are trying to incentivise NHS dentistry because of the issues that Foisio Troudery is absolutely right to mention. I would also say that we are working with the BDA and others in relation to the recruitment and retention of dentists, particularly in areas where we know that the problem is most acute. I will ensure that the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care does right to Foisio Troudery with a full detailed response of all the actions that we are taking in this regard. Question 6, Mark Ruskell. To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is making public transport more affordable. First Minister. The range of actions to deliver an affordable public transport system for people right throughout Scotland. Earlier this week, we announced that £2 million will be made available in next year's budget to progress free travel for people seeking asylum here in Scotland. We also this week announced the expansion of the existing national ferry concessionary travel scheme to all island residents under the age of 22. Right now, passengers throughout Scotland are also benefiting from low fares as a result of our decision to trial to pilot the removal of peak fares on ScotRail. I'm a thanks to the most comprehensive concessionary travel scheme in the UK. Over 2 million people are eligible to benefit from free bus travel with over 3 million journeys taking place every single week. Mark Ruskell. I thank the First Minister for outlining those successes. Free bus travel has been described as life saving for people seeking asylum. When those people having escaped from persecution, war and suffering are now forced to live on just £6 a day, the very least that we can do is to extend a hand of help. Does the First Minister agree with me that it is our responsibility to use the full extent of our powers to welcome those forced to flee their homes? Does he agree that by extending free bus travel to people seeking asylum we're showing that we are a country and a Parliament that is proud of those who seek safety here? That is absolutely well said by Mark Ruskell and I agree with every single word of it. We have long campaigned together and we have done so often with other political parties. The Greens included against the UK Government's inhumane asylum processes that have left asylum seekers, many asylum seekers who are not able to work almost to the point of destitution, in fact many of them are in destitution. Mark Ruskell is right to challenge the Scottish Government to see what more we can do to try to help and try to assist. That's why I'm pleased we've announced £2 million will be made available in the next year's budget to progress free bus travel for people seeking asylum. It's an issue that our Green colleagues have been keen to pursue with urgency and with pay. The announcement is the next step in making sure that our transport system, our country, is fair and accessible to all. I could not agree more with Mark Ruskell that where people are seeking safety, sanctuary from war, persecution, extreme poverty, hatred, we have a responsibility, all of us, to step up to ensure that we help them as best we possibly can. Graham Simpson. I'm sure the First Minister would agree with me that the UK Government's £2 bus fare cap scheme is a very positive initiative. It's made a real difference for thousands of people and encourages more people to use the buses. So when can we expect to see something similar here in Scotland? First Minister. That last response from his non-colleagues is probably quite meditative because we have of course the most comprehensive very comprehensive concessory bus travel scheme the most comprehensive concessory travel scheme in the UK and of course we have just expanded that as mentioned in my response to Mark Ruskell on the point, of course, that Mark Ruskell makes and I agree with entirely is that we are having to step in here because for asylum seekers the origin of course of this question asylum seekers are suffering so badly because of the inhumane laws of the UK Government and because of those inhumane laws because of the fact that the UK Government are inflicting destitution upon many of those asylum seekers we are proud to step in but we shouldn't have to step in we shouldn't have to continually mitigate the worst excesses of the UK Government far better we had these powers in our own hands Alec Crowley Presiding Officer the origin of the question was how do we make bus travel more affordable and the fact is that we have a good comprehensive policy in place for those up to 22 those over 60 it's that bit in the middle that people are finding very difficult and it is people on low pay and low income that are asking the question so the point about the £2 when Andy Burnham introduced the £2 fares in Greater Manchester the usage went up by 10% within a month when are we going to look seriously at helping people who are low paid struggling most and finding bus travel unaffordable First Minister Of course we can compare concessionary travel schemes right across the UK and I go back to the point that we have the most comprehensive concessionary travel scheme here in the UK when it comes to helping those Let's hear the First Minister those young people when it comes to helping of course those with disabilities of course older people are all being through this concessionary travel scheme that we have and that in turn of course is ensuring that there are millions of journeys every week being made which of course in turn help those bus companies particularly in the face of the challenges that they struggled with in the course of the pandemic I should say to Alex Rowley we do also have our fair fares review and that is to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach is taken to public transport fares and of course I'm sure Alex Rowley and others will take great interest in that when it is published but wherever we can act whether it's on our buses or whether it's from removing peak fares on rail or in our ferries when it comes to the expansion of the concessionary scheme we will act wherever we have the power to do so Liam McArthur Thank you, Presiding Officer for those living in the smaller aisles in my constituencies ferries to and from the Orkney mainland perform the very same role as bus transport elsewhere in the country so can the First Minister confirm that young islanders relying on these lifeline routes will also be included in any future free ferry fare scheme? First Minister Well of course consider that very important point that Liam McArthur raises and he raises an important and crucial point that these links are lifeline they're important to young people on islands just as for example rail services or bus services would be on the mainland so we will give further details in due course but at that point will be one that is given serious consideration We move to general and constituency supplementaries if we're concise we'll be able to get more members in and I call Clare Haughey I'm sure that members across this chamber will join me in welcoming the emergency access naloxone scheme beginning this week this will see access to potentially life saving naloxone kits which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose being expanded to community pharmacies right across Scotland Can the First Minister say any more about how this will complement the Scottish Government's on-going work to widen access to naloxone as part of the national mission to reduce drug deaths? First Minister I'm very pleased that access to naloxone is being expanded to community pharmacies right across Scotland through our national mission to reduce drug deaths and indeed drugs harm. We've already invested more than £3 million in widening access to naloxone including through our emergency services like Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service however we are now going further and this new nationwide service which launched on Monday is a welcome addition to existing services it's been backed by £300,000 of Scottish Government funding and it will ensure that every community pharmacy will now hold at least two life saving naloxone kits I'm very grateful to all those community pharmacies who are supporting a £250 million national mission to reduce drug deaths. Liz Smith Can I ask the First Minister when the chair of the LGML independent public inquiry will be in post? First Minister That issue is one that of course we have to consult with the Lord President I think that Liz Smith will be aware of that it will be for the Lord President to be able to nominate an appropriate senior judge for the inquiry so those discussions are very much under way I do understand a desire a completely understood desire for those who've suffered so badly at the hands of Professor LGML for pace and urgency so there's no dither delay at all from the Government simply we have to go through the appropriate processes I will ask the Cabinet Secretary for Health to write to Liz Smith with further details but of course I just reiterate at that point that currently the issue around a judge an appropriate judge being nominated is with the Lord President Sarah Boyack Can I draw members' attention to my register of interests this afternoon the City of Edinburgh Council is expected to declare a housing emergency following a call from Shelter Scotland so will the Scottish Government now accept that there is a housing emergency in our capital city and will the First Minister look at targeted solutions and investment to increase housing supply in Edinburgh? First Minister Of course we will watch those proceedings very closely from Edinburgh City Council that is simply no getting away from the real challenge that Edinburgh City Council faces in relation to housing and that's why this Government has a very good track record of not just building houses but of course socially affordable houses from April 2007 to the end of June 2023 we have delivered over 123,000 affordable homes over 87,000 of which are for social rent including 22,994 council homes we are of course at the party that also ended the right to buy that has protected an estimated 15,500 social homes and of course Sarah Boyack would be very aware of the measures that this Government has taken in order to control rent so we will of course continue to liaise with Edinburgh City Council as we would in order to see what assistance we can provide in order to ensure that we deal with the real significant challenges that they are facing in relation to housing Thank you Can I ask the First Minister if he can provide an update on the Scottish Government's latest engagement with the UK Government regarding any plans for the medical evacuation of injured civilians from Gaza in the light of his commitment to injured civilians in Scottish hospitals in the event that there is a medical evacuation First Minister I'll make the points that I've made in the chamber before that the people of Palestine, the people of Gaza they are very proud people they should not have to leave their land but of course many of them have been forced to leave particularly those from north Gaza to south Gaza and of course many are lying injured and dying in hospitals because of medical supply so where we can bring those injured people for treatment here in Scotland in the UK Scotland is certainly prepared to do that so officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in the UK Department of Health and Social Care there's not been a request for the UK to receive medical evacuations from Gaza but we hope that if that does come then the UK and indeed Scotland will be ready to play its part and to reiterate the calls that I've been making for many weeks now that there must be an immediate ceasefire to allow humanitarian corridor open to allow supplies, including fuel to come into Gaza and of course for the bombing and the killing to stop we have seen horrendous scenes over the course of just the last week alone let alone the last three and a half weeks in particular the sickening bombing of Jabalia refugee camp in the strongest possible manner Sharon Dowie On Tuesday night in the Cactan area of Dundee large gangs caused chaos by damaging property, setting fires and blocking roads into a housing estate prompting the intervention of riot police this behaviour is unacceptable and Cactans residents deserve better The police force is stretched due to funding constraints making it increasingly challenging to handle large scale incidents like this so First Minister will you get behind the police and reverse police funding cuts First Minister Well let's just first of all say very clearly that this was a very efficient response by Police Scotland we should thank our police officers for all what they do every single day which is putting themselves in harm's way in order to protect the public In terms of the funding for Police Scotland I've said on many occasions in this chamber of course we've provided this financial year an increase to Police Scotland in terms of their revenue budget so I'm very grateful not just to Police Scotland but also to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and other partners for their swift attendance and their efficiency in dealing with what was damaging and reckless behaviour and of course there is an open investigation, a police investigation under way and I would urge anyone with information about that disorder to contact Police Scotland and Carol Mockham Thank you Upper Lour have called for a cancellation of school meal debt they have also identified through their research that and I quote income thresholds for free school meal eligibility have barely risen in the last 20 years Indeed delays to free school meal extension mean that some parents and families are now feeling the impact of this Government's inaction Will the First Minister back calls for a cancellation of school meal debt and will he consider an immediate uprating of income threshold to give working families some much needed relief and further reduce the likelihood of hunger in schools? What I would say to Carol Mockham is of course we'll consider any suggestion not just from trusted third sector partners like Aberlour but indeed from right across the chamber as we head into the budget process but we have of course a very generous free school meal offer and as part of my programme for government we will seek to expand that but we know of course that we still have significant challenges around poverty here in Scotland it is due of course to the Scottish Government's actions including the game changing Scottish child payment that is an estimated 90,000 children will be lifted out of poverty this year but instead of having to mitigate continually the harm for Westminster such as the two child limit such as the benefits cap such as the rape clause all of these issues some of which we can mitigate some of which I'm afraid we simply can't there wouldn't be much better to have the full powers in our own hands so we couldn't just reduce poverty but eradicate it all together Thank you that concludes First Minister's question point of order Douglas Ross I'm grateful Presiding Officer in his answers this afternoon the First Minister said of the request for messages from the Scottish Government messages themselves were asked for in September just a matter of weeks ago however commenting on this at the UK COVID-19 inquiry Jamie Dawson KC said requests have sought not only information but also access to potentially relevant messages requests for such information and such messages were issued in late 2022 so is the First Minister able to confirm that the council to the inquiry is correct and if so will he revise the statement he made to Parliament The point Mr Ross reizes is not a point of order obviously Mr Ross's comments are now on the record and there may be a response or otherwise it's certainly the content of members' contributions are a matter for the member themselves At this point we will move on we will ask the gallery and the chamber will be cleared and there will be a short suspension before we move on to members' business