 I start by reminding members of the COVID-related measures in place and that face masks should be worn while moving around the chamber across the Parliament campus. The first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions. The first portfolio is Covid-19 recovery in parliamentary business. As ever if a member wishes to ask a supplementary question, they should press their request-to-speak button or put an R on the chat function during the relevant There is quite a bit of interest in this portfolio and the next portfolio. I am keen to get in as many members as possible. Please ask as I have six sync questions and answers, please. Question number one is Emma Roddick. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the anticipated timescale for the publication of the independent public inquiry into the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic? Y Llywodraeth Cymru will establish an independent Scottish Public Inquiry under the Inquirys Act 2005 by the end of this year to scrutinise decisions taken in the course of this pandemic and their lessons for the future. That will include a statement on the appointment of the chair and the terms of reference for the inquiry that will be made to the Scottish Parliament in accordance with the requirements of the Inquirys Act 2005. The Scottish Government remains committed to working with the United Kingdom Government to develop the approach to the UK-wide inquiry where possible avoiding duplication and overlap. Emma Roddick I thank the cabinet secretary for his answer. What assurances can he give that the voices of bereaved families will be fully heard during this inquiry? I am engaging actively with bereaved families in the preparation of the remit of the inquiry. The families have had the opportunity to submit in response to the consultation that we undertook on the terms of reference. I have now had a number of meetings with different groups of bereaved families and will continue that engagement as we progress towards the agreement of the remit of the inquiry. Once the inquiry is established, it is a matter for the chair of the inquiry to determine what will be the role of particular relevant parties. It will be wrong for ministers to prescribe that approach, but that approach is set out in the terms of the Inquirys Act and any chair appointed will operate on that basis. My own view and what the Government will be setting out to the chair of the inquiry is that we want the families that were bereaved during Covid to be central to the issues raised in the inquiry. Paul O'Kane I thank you. As we have heard, there are thousands of front-line staff, social care users and bereaved families for whom the inquiry will be crucial to get answers on why Scotland was not better prepared. It is important that those responsible are properly held to account. Will the minister confirm the inquiry's relationship with the wider judicial system, whether that will be set out in the terms of reference that he mentioned? Will that include how it will handle evidence of potential criminality? The issue will not be set out in the remit to the inquiry. Those are entirely separate functions that the Lord Advocate and the Crown are independently responsible for determining whether there is any issue of criminal consideration to be borne in mind so that the inquiry will have no involvement in and no proximity to those discussions and decisions that are entirely the preserve of the Lord Advocate and the Crown. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its work in connection with the consultation paper on Covid recovery, a consultation on public services, justice system and other reforms. The consultation closed on 9 November. I am pleased to report that almost 3,000 responses were submitted from individuals and organisations. Those responses will be considered fully as part of the development of the Covid recovery bill, which the Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise when it is introduced later in this parliamentary year. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. In terms of the increase in online services over the pandemic, can the cabinet secretary outline how those modernised, efficient services could offer on-going benefits to the public sector, front-line staff and service users, while ensuring protections for those without internet access so that they can still access vital services? Obviously, there is a range of developments that have taken place during the pandemic, where there has been an increased emphasis on the delivery of services through digital means. The points that Collette Stevenson makes are absolutely valid about the importance of the delivery of efficient services through digital means, but also that individuals are able to access those digital resources and that there should be no impediments to that. Obviously, the Government's commitment to improving connectivity, whether that is around the commitment to the R100 contract or whether that is the work on the 4G mobile infrastructure and the mobile hotspots, plus the voucher schemes that are available to support people who are on low incomes to have access to devices, are all part of the Government's response to make sure that those services are in place and that there is no obstacle to individuals accessing them. Something that was not of benefit to the general public was the temporary release of 348 criminals in prisons, of which 40 per cent went on to re-offend. Does that sound like the sort of temporary measure that we want to make permanent? Obviously, there are a range of measures within the bill that are the subject of consultation. As Mr Greene will know, the Government had to take some difficult decisions during the pandemic around the whole question of early release to provide a response to the pandemic. We will obviously consider and Parliament will have the opportunity to discuss and decide whether it wishes to legislate on questions in relation to those matters that were the subject of consultation. Before Parliament is scrutiny available for members, I am sure that Mr Greene will take every opportunity to make sure that his voice is heard in that process. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported findings in the Lancet that having two doses of a vaccine does not prevent the transmission of Covid-19 and how that may impact its Covid passport scheme. I recognise the findings of the article that was published in the Lancet that found that vaccination did not prevent transmission of Covid-19 in those infected with the virus. There have been a number of studies that highlighted that vaccines have some effect in reducing transmission. However, more data is required to confirm the actual magnitude of that effect, and it is likely that it varies with different viral variants and hence is lower with the current delta variant. What is clear from the paper, however, is that vaccine does reduce the risk of delta variant infection and accelerates clearance of the virus. Furthermore, what is also clear from the evidence to date is that we have seen a significant vaccine effect in terms of reducing the risk of serious harm from Covid. That is why it is critical that those who are unvaccinated come forward and receive both doses and those who are eligible get their booster. The study also highlights the importance of mitigation measures such as certification to protect individuals and manage the spread of the virus. I urge everyone watching to get their Covid vaccinations. It is our best weapon against the virus. We are all in agreement that the science will see us through this pandemic. The Lancet showed no scientific evidence that the Scottish Government's Covid passport cuts significant transmission of the virus. In the absence of science, what we have is a policing app that is mandated by the SNP and the Greens. Will the Scottish Government end the compulsory use of the app for policing Scottish businesses? No, we will not. The First Minister set out yesterday to Parliament the rationale why that is the case. The Government is interested in navigating a careful course through a dangerous set of circumstances that we face. We are intent, as members of the Conservative Party, on the importance of ensuring that businesses are able to continue to operate. Dr Gohani knows as well as I do that the settings in which the Covid certification scheme is applied are comparatively higher risk settings than others, hence the justification for the application of the Covid certification scheme. It is our intent to try to sustain those venues for as long as we possibly can do, because the alternative is to apply greater restrictions, which the Government does not wish to do. That is the rationale for why we are taking the stance that we have taken. We have seen that the Covid certification scheme has contributed towards an improvement in the vaccination level in the critical age group of 18 to 29-year-olds. A couple of brief supplementaries for Stephanie Callaghan. Presiding Officer, while two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine does not fully prevent transmission of the virus, I have to say that I have personally viewed a range of evidence that full vaccination does lower the risk of passing on the virus and of developing serious complications and or hospitalisation. Will the cabinet secretary agree that the current vaccination certification scheme provides greater reassurance to many members of the public who are considering attending venues or large-scale events that are covered by the scheme? I agree with that proposition. The vaccination certification scheme is a proportionate measure that will contribute to reducing the risk of transmission and the risk of serious illness and death. In doing so, it will help to alleviate pressure on the healthcare system and will allow higher risk settings to continue to operate, as I have just explained to Dr Gilhane. At the same time, we believe that it helps to increase vaccine uptake. No single measure is going to control the virus on its own, so we need a range of targeted measures to keep transmission under control. Vaccines help to prevent transmission of the virus as vaccinated people are less likely to become infected and ill than unvaccinated people and only infected people can transmit the virus. Is the cabinet secretary aware of concerns surrounding the Covid passport scheme not being enforced rigorously or consistently at large sporting events such as football and rugby? How will the Scottish Government address such concerns to allow the Covid passport scheme to have its desired impact? We obviously engage with the football clubs and the rugby authorities in relation to the application of the scheme at large events. From the information that I have seen, all the authorities are reporting at very high levels of participation. We said in the consultation document that we did not envisage 100 per cent certification, but we place an obligation on the relevant authorities to take the appropriate steps to ensure that there are adequate levels of certification. From the evidence that I have seen so far, I am confident that that has been taken seriously by football and rugby authorities, but the point that the member has put on the record is an important point to reinforce the necessity of doing so. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Minister for Parliamentary Business has had with ministerial colleagues regarding steps that can be taken in relation to transparency of its activities to better enable scrutiny during parliamentary business. The Scottish Government is fully committed to maintaining its strong track record of supporting effective parliamentary scrutiny. The Government will continue to make appropriate use of each of the routes approved by the Presiding Officer for making announcements. Ministers are regularly making important Government announcements via backdoor answers to written questions. Parliament seems to organise its time to be able to suit ministers' convenience. Ministers are determining which questions fall within their room before answering them. The First Minister reads out scripted answers to scripted questions at FMQs. What is the point that the previous Parliament accepted the commission on parliamentary reforms recommendation that we will review the operation, capacity and effectiveness of the Parliament before the end of this session? Therefore, does he agree with me that we must begin this process now? I will say that, when we stick to purely the parliamentary process over the past number of weeks, the member has said that he has an issue with GIQs. It is to ensure that the Government activities are brought to the attention of all MSPs and the Scottish Parliament, and it has been used that way in the past. Mr Kerr may wish to reflect on the fact that GIQs are a means of improving rather than reducing transparency that he seeks. However, I accept that there is a judgment to be made about whether a GIQ is the appropriate means by which Parliament should be informed about Government activity or whether, for example, a ministerial statement would be more appropriate. I keep that under regular review with my ministerial colleagues, and all the members know that I am always open to representations on those issues, and we discuss them on a regular basis at the Parliamentary Bureau. To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of the Covid-19 vaccine passport scheme, including on the hospitality sector. In line with our legal duty, statutory measures are reviewed every three weeks. We consider the necessity, proportionality and targeted nature of the regulations, taking into account a range of evidence across the four harms. Covid vaccine certification is part of that package of measures and considering whether the impact on the business sector, including hospitality and society, at large remains proportionate is part of the review. The minister is always considering if our measures could be relaxed or ended. However, given the state of the pandemic, we have also been clear that we are considering whether it would be necessary and proportionate to expand certification. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is not clear to me exactly what the Cabinet Secretary means by proportionate impact, but what we do know is that the introduction of vaccine passport has a negative impact on hospitality. Does he tell us why there is still no sign of any additional support for the businesses that are affected by the vaccine passport, and there are many more that will be when he extends it? Why is the Government now saying that they plan not just to consider a vaccine passport or a negative test for entry into venues, but what assessment has been made about the potential impact of that decision? The first thing that I need to say is that no decisions have been taken about the extension of the vaccine certification scheme. That will be the subject of discussion at the Cabinet on Tuesday, and, obviously, Parliament will be advised in the statement by the First Minister on Tuesday afternoon. Any suggestion from the question from Mr Smith that decisions have been taken is not correct. Mr Smith asked about the question of whether measures were proportionate. That is the test that ministers must satisfy themselves off of any measures that they are taken proportionate against the scale of the pandemic and the threat to public health. That is, of course, a very material issue upon which ministers have been challenged in the courts. The courts have, in the most recent case, not supported those who have challenged the Government's decision to apply a limited certification scheme in relation to nightclubs and other limited venues with which Mr Smith is familiar. The Government will give consideration to this issue at the Cabinet on Tuesday. Any question of financial support has to be considered within the resources that the Government has available to it, and Mr Smith will be familiar with the fact that, over the course of the last 18 months, the Government has given in excess of £4 billion of support in relation to the activities that are associated with Covid to deal with the challenges that businesses and other organisations have faced. A couple of brief supplementaries, brief questions and brief responses. I have been contacted by a number of businesses in the hospitality sector that are extremely concerned that they might be brought under the reach of the vaccine passport scheme due to an announcement due on Tuesday. Is the Scottish Government carrying out an economic impact assessment of the impact on those businesses should the scheme be extended, and if so, will that be published in tandem with any announcement being made? As the First Minister set out yesterday, the Government will produce an evidence paper on some of those questions later this week. The Government has to consider a range of factors to assess the question of the proportionality of the actions that we propose to take should we decide to do so. As I have explained to Mr Smith, that is the legal obligation that we have got to satisfy ourselves often. It is one that ministers take very seriously. Cinemas are only just getting back on track yet. We are told that the Scottish Government is considering expanding Covid ID cards to cinema attendants. Will the Scottish Government explain to stakeholders why this is a consideration when no outbreaks have been traced back to cinemas? Part of the judgment is about ensuring that we have sufficient resilience in the measures that we have in place to protect wider impacts that could be damaging to the public health of the country. We have gone through on many occasions the dilemmas that the Government is facing. The principal dilemma is about the damage to health. We have had countless demands from even Conservative members—the heckling Conservative members—that we should be protecting public health. When the Government comes forward with measures to protect public health, we get criticism about the measures that we potentially might bring forward. Those are some of the dilemmas. Mr Simpson says that there is no evidence. If Mr Simpson wants to ask me a question, he is perfectly entitled to appeal to the Presiding Officer to be invited to ask a question, and I am always here to answer questions. However, what evidence does Mr Simpson need? How much evidence of the harm to public health does he need for the Government to have to act? If Mr Simpson wants to stick his head in the sand, he is free to do so, but the Government has got a duty to act proportionately to protect the public health of the public health of the country. To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether the regular and last-minute changes to parliamentary business impact on the effective scrutiny that recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic requires. I can assure the member that the parliamentary bureau makes every effort to provide as much certainty as possible with the timetabling of chamber business. Circumstances can, of course, require business to be changed. In those circumstances and in those instances, proposed changes are proposed after full consultation with all the members of the parliamentary bureau. Would the Scottish Government not agree that, when we have increasingly short notice for parliamentary business, it not only impacts on the third sector, businesses and our constituents being able to express concerns and views on the issues that we are discussing in Parliament, but it also impacts on our capacity as parliamentarians to be effective in scrutinising the work of the Government. We do realise that there are lots of challenges but, fundamentally, it does impact on our capacity to do the job that we are here to do. On average, we try to ensure that we have as much time as possible to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to do all of that. I will take it on board some of the points that you have made, Ms Boyack, and possibly, if you mention to your own business manager, to bring up at bureau so that we can have that discussion as well. Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government whether it will undertake across Government Covid-19 strategic review into the impact of the pandemic on front-line public services. The impact of Covid-19 on Scotland's public services people in places is well understood and has driven the Scottish Government's response to tackling the wide-ranging harms that the pandemic has caused. We continue to work closely with our partners across local government and service providers to closely monitor the impact of the pandemic on services across Scotland, particularly as we prepare for the wider winter pressures. Our health and social care winter overview outlines a package of more than £300 million of investment in NHS and care services this winter to help to address those pressures. The recently published Covid recovery strategy, in addition to specific proposals for the NHS, justice and education, were developed in recognition of the huge impact that the pandemic has had on services workers and the people who use them. Alex Rowley. I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer. My problem is that when it comes to health and social care, that is not what I am seeing on the ground. What I am seeing is a situation that is getting worse by the day, never mind by the week. It is absolutely heartbreaking that health and social care authorities are now writing out to older people, vulnerable people, to tell them that their care packages will be cut in order to manage. It is heartbreaking that the number of emails, letters and contacts that my office is dealing with. Although I accept that Brexit and the free movement are a factor, as I am sure he will accept, low pay is a factor, my problem is what is the plan? I cannot see a joined-up plan across the public sector to try to address those issues. Mr Rowley is correct that he and I have had this exchange. I know the seriousness that Mr Rowley brings to those exchanges. The challenge that the Government and our local authority partners and service providers are facing up to is about having adequate capacity to deliver the social care support that is required within the community. Some of that is about the fact that there are few people around to do that because of the loss of free movement. Mr Rowley acknowledges that that is part of the problem and I accept that it is part of the problem. The Government has already taken steps to increase the pay for social care workers. I appreciate that Mr Rowley does not believe that that is sufficient, but we have taken steps already to do that. We will continue to keep that under review, and we are in active dialogue with our local authority partners about what further steps we can take to try to improve the situation, because Mr Rowley is absolutely correct in that, if we do not address the fact that there are some people who are currently in hospital that could be at home with an effective social care package, we will have a greater degree of congestion in our hospitals and therefore will weaken our resilience to be able to deal with winter pressures and Covid as the months develop. I take seriously the points that he raises and assure the Government that we can address them. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with implementing its published Covid-19 recovery plans. The Scottish Government is committed to publishing a plan of how we will deliver a report on the action set out in the Covid recovery strategy before the end of 2021 and subsequent quarterly reporting of progress thereafter. The plan will be agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities to ensure successful and collaborative delivery to support people across Scotland who have been most affected by the pandemic. Today, at the Education, Children and Young People Committee, three witnesses from organisations that represent young people told me that they were not aware of any significant analysis from this Government that assesses the impact of the pandemic on young people's education. Linda O'Neill informed us that we do not have data that we could use where we could look at the before, during and after. It shows us where there are gaps and we have known that for a long time. How can we begin the process of recovery if the Government has not attempted to understand the baseline of the challenge that is faced? I am not familiar with the evidence that was taken by the committee this morning, but, from my own experience as education secretary, I am familiar with the volume of data that is available prior to the pandemic, a lot of which was resisted by the Labour Party for having been put in place in the first place. I would just point out that the Labour Party was completely hostile to the level of reporting that I put in place in relation to those measures. That exists before the pandemic. Obviously, we have taken a proportionate approach with the education system to ensure that teachers are not being asked to provide information on the capacity of pupils when they have not had adequate opportunities to engage with pupils because of the disruption to learning. I am absolutely 100 per cent certain of that every single teacher in the country is focused on ensuring that the learning needs of individual children are being met, and that is something that Parliament should applaud. Thank you, cabinet secretary. We need to now move on to the next portfolio, which is net zero energy and transport. Again, if a member wishes to ask a supplementary, could he please press the request-to-speak buttons or put an R in the chat function during the relevant question? We have a lot of interest in this portfolio, so again please succinct questions and succinct answers ministers. Question number one, Foisal Chowdhury. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage the public to travel by bus in light of reports that the recent transport Scotland COVID-19 transport trend indicates that concessionary bus trouble is down by 35 per cent on pre-pandemic levels. Minister Graham Day, COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on passenger numbers and revenue across the public transport system. To date, more than £210 million has been made available to the end of March 2022 to enable bus operators to maintain services during the pandemic, and we are working closely with bus operators to support the safe and confident return to public transport, which is vital to ensure that there is a viable and sustainable public transport system for the future. Foisal Chowdhury. I thank the cabinet secretary for the reply. Pre-pandemic Scottish Government analysis showed Scottish bus passengers numbers were falling by 10 per cent on average, yet on Lothian buses, passengers numbers had remained constant. Given the success of this mutual ownership model, is the Scottish Government prepared to give the resources to the local authorities provided for in the 2019 transport act, so that the rest of Scotland can enjoy the level of service offered by the Lothian buses? Will the Scottish Government take this opportunity to support Scottish labour calls for free transport for the under-25s? The member makes a good point about Lothian buses bucking that trend. That is one of the reasons why the powers in the transport Scotland Bill, the full range of powers, is there, and it will be supported by a community bus fund in order to extend the implementation of those powers. With regard to the point that the member makes about the extension of free bus style, as he is well aware from January of next year, we have already extended it to under-22s, and as part of the fair fairs review, we will look at further opportunities in that regard. Free bus travel for young people in January is going to be really transformative for them, and a shot in the arm for struggling bus services across Scotland. Can I ask the minister how prepared are the communication plans about the scheme? How will schools and colleges be involved? Are we going to see the minister or some other influencers on TikTok or Instagram or YouTube to get the message out to young people well ahead of the start date? The idea of me being an influencer on TikTok fills me with utter dread, but to answer the point more seriously, as Mark Ruskell knows, a targeted marketing campaign commenced on 25 October to advertise the new scheme, and there is further work being done on a full marketing campaign to make young people aware of that. Of course, one of the partners in the whole project is, of course, Young Scot, who is assisting us in that regard, so I agree with the work going into that to make sure that people have the opportunity to access the scheme. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the two CalMac fairs being built by Ferguson Marine. The turnaround director of Ferguson Marine updated the net zero committee on the delivery timetable and budget for 801 and 802 on 31 September. The cost to complete the vessels remains the same as reported in the turnaround director's December 2019 report, and the delivery of 801 is planned for between July 2022 and September 2022, and the delivery of 802 is planned for between April 2023 and July 2023. Hull 802 was ordered in 2016 with due originally to be in service 2018. There is a lot of speculation that it may never see service. Can the minister today give an undertaking that it will indeed become serviceable on a CalMac route? As the transport minister with responsibility for ferries, I can say to the member that we are planning for the introduction of 802 into the service. We are all acutely aware that the standing position of the Tories since the 80s has been to close shipyards. The Elisabeth Frigate factory on the Clyde is a more recent example in a long list of conservative betrayals of Scottish shipbuilding. Ferguson Marine employs over 400 people, and I wonder whether the minister shares my views that were it not for the SNP that shipyard would be closed, and those 400 employees would have probably had to seek work outside the shipbuilding industry. Absolutely, that is a fact. Nevertheless, what we must now all focus on is working with the yard to ensure that it has a sustainable long-term future. To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to encourage people to use public transport rather than cars. We have a comprehensive suite of measures to promote sustainable journeys instead of private cars in line with our national transport strategy. Our target to reduce car distance travel by 20 per cent by 2020 is truly world-leading, and that is backed by our landmark investment in active travel and bus priority infrastructure. As I noted earlier, we have the forthcoming under-22s free travel scheme. The second strategic transport projects review will help to prioritise investment towards interventions, aimed at reducing further the need to travel unsustainably. Does the minister think that ScotRail's proposals to cut 300 train services each day are consistent with meeting our net zero targets? As we have discussed before, the proposals for next May represent a 100 service gain from the current pandemic situation. Of course, in the long term, we want to see an increase in services, a return of existing services that we had pre-pandemic, and to add to those, but there is no getting away from the fact that, right here and now, we face very considerable financial pressures, and we cannot be running trains that are not being occupied. The Government has pledged to revisit the development of a rail connection between Aberdeen City and Ellen with the possible extension onwards to Peterhead and Fraserborough. Even if we are successful in realising that, it will not happen overnight. With many people having no option but to use their cars in my constituency, what is the Scottish Government doing to allow us in rural Scotland and Aberdeenshire East to rely less heavily on petrol and diesel cars in our everyday lives? There is a very great deal of support going into the north-east in that regard, and you would take very badly if I was to stand and list it all, but what I will say to the member is that we work very closely with Nestrans on all of this. They have a mass transit proposal for the Aberdeen and wider Aberdeen area, and if memory cells contain with that are some proposals, for example, to improve bus connectivity to Ellen in the member's constituency. If we want more people to use public transport, it has to be reliable. Recent incidents of industrial action mean that that has not been the case, and the SNP's approach has been to stand back and let the employer and the unions fight out. Even after I showed the minister contractually, the Government should have been front and centre. Does the minister now accept that, in order to encourage more people on public transport, the SNP has to take a much greater and more proactive role in industrial action? Where it is appropriate to do so, the Scottish Government will work with the employers whoever they are to bring about the resolution of industrial actions to ensure that we do not have disruption to transport services, whatever form they take. The introduction of free bus travel for under-22s from the end of January 2022 will see approximately 1 million young people travel free of charge. That is in addition to a third of Scotland's population who already benefit from the older and disabled persons free bus scheme. Does the minister therefore agree with me that the SNP Scottish Government has already taken significant steps to encourage the use of public transport? Yes, we have. Let's give credit to our green colleagues for the part that they played in the under-22 scheme. As I noted earlier, we have the fair fairs review going on at the moment to try to ensure that we best capture opportunities to support our citizens to enjoy easy access to public transport. To ask the Scottish Government what role passive house homes and off-site manufacturing have in the Glasgow Shelton constituency in supporting its aim to achieve net zero by 2045. We continue to take action to increase the energy efficiency of new homes and to modernise construction to put Scotland's homes on the pathway to net zero by 2045. We are currently consulting on improvements to the high energy standards in Scottish building regulations for introduction next year. Those improvements will be strongly focused on reducing overall energy demand in new homes. We are also developing a strategy to build more high-quality and energy efficient affordable homes in communities across the country through greater use of off-site construction. I wonder if he would join me in congratulating West of Scotland housing associations CCG and Hub West Scotland on the passive development at Parkhead, which I believe is the largest in Glasgow so far, will mean very high standards of insulation and ventilation and will keep heating costs at a minimum. Yes, indeed. Along with many other positive developments, I am really delighted to congratulate West of Scotland Housing Association CCG and Hub West Scotland on the delivery of this new development at Springfield Cross in Glasgow. 36 new homes are being delivered with the support of grant funding through the affordable housing supply programme, being built to achieve high energy efficiency standards, which will result in low fuel bills for tenants when they move into the complete homes next year. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to improve ferry services to island communities. Our £580 million investment in ports and vessels announced in February will support and improve Scotland's ferry services over the next five years. As part of our wider infrastructure investment plan, we continue to work constructively with partners and key stakeholders to progress a sustainable and efficient fleet placement programme. I know that the recent purchase of the MVU, which I am pleased to tell the chamber, has arrived in Scotland and will shortly begin her fit out. We continue to look at the opportunities to bring other second hand tonnage into the fleet to improve reliability and availability. Engagement with stakeholders to develop detailed deployment, cascade and related timetables for the 2022 summer season continue. The minister will be aware of a number of cancellations due to crew testing positive with Covid-19. Those cancellations are obviously at short notice. Can I ask what steps the Scottish Government is considering to minimise the risk of ferry cancellations in the event of a positive Covid cases within the crews over the winter months, when infections are high and likely to rise, and when ferries already face disruption due to weather? It is a very fair point that the member makes. I am pleased to say that I had discussions just yesterday with CalMac management on this very matter. She will appreciate that the primary consideration with something like that happens is, of course, the health and wellbeing of the crews, and we have to take essential measures. However, we are actively looking at whether we can assist them in speeding up the testing procedure to minimise the disruption for the vessels and the aspects around deep cleaning and what we can do there to ensure that disruption is minimised. I am not at all surprised at the considerable interest in the issue around ferries. There are a number of supplementaries that I hope to get through as many of them as possible, but again, brief questions and brief answers. First, Kenneth Gibson. The Lachranza to Clunic ferry route is vital to that ale of Arran, not least when the ferry from Brodick to Ardrossan cannot sail, yet in the winter it is replaced by a Wednesday service to and from Tarbot. What steps will the minister take to extend and enhance this vital service? Presiding Officer, I am very much aware of the request from Arran stakeholder groups to extend the winter timetable between Lachranza and Clunic. As Mr Gibson is aware, however, this request has been considered several times previously by CalMac and Transport Scotland. I want to assure him that this was looked at in very great detail, but it is simply not possible to operate a reliable service in the winter due to the nature of the slipway at Clunic. CalMac has also looked closely at the request to provide more sailings from Tarbot to Lachranza, but again, Mr Gibson will know that any such deliberations need to factor in benefits against disbenefit for separate populations. In that case, more sailings from Tarbot to Lachranza would mean reducing the Tarbot port variety timetable, and that would be problematic for regular users of this service, including children and young people who use it to get to and from schools. We learned today that full lifeline ferry services to Harris and Uist will not be reinstated next summer. The Harris forum says that this could cost their island £3 million a year in lost business, and they want a meeting with the minister. Will he commit to meeting them and reinstating the full ferry services? I met the Harris transport forum just a few months ago, and I understand entirely the concerns that they have in that regard. What is happening currently is that my officials are engaged with CalMac to see if it is possible to arrive at a compromise on this issue. The costs involved in providing a full service both in terms of using the mes deck and the full weekly services are prohibitive, to be honest. However, we are keen to see if we can find a compromise here, and my officials will engage directly on that. Thank you, Presiding Officer. CalMac, as the minister has indicated, is consulting on two options for that service, the Uig triangle timetable, which have no additional cost implications but result in less capacity than in previous years. Given how busy the route is in the summer months, particularly, can any consideration be given to alternative options that would see an increase rather than a decrease in capacity? That is what is happening at the moment. Indeed, Mr Allan wrote to me earlier this week in one of the suggestions that he has made is one of the things that has been looked at as a possibility. Beatrice Wishart. Will the Government commit to expanding the free bus travel scheme to internal ferries for under-22s in island communities as they rely on ferries in the same way as their mainland counterparts rely on buses? As the member knows, our responsibility for inter-island ferries lies with local authorities. However, all ferries for ferries and others are part of the fair ferries review, which is forthcoming. The purchase of the MV Utna in October is the latest instalment in a series of investments in our ferry services, vessels and infrastructure by the SNP since 2007. Despite the vessel reportedly being earmarked for the Obancraig and Neur run, I wondered whether the minister might detail how other island communities will benefit from this addition to the CalMac fleet. I have some doubt to say that the Utna has arrived in Scotland this week and I look forward to seeing her inter-service. Yes, she is earmarked for the Obancraig and Neur route, which will enable a year-round commutable service from all alongside the larger vessel serving Obancraig and Neur customers. The potential additional benefits for our introduction include the return of the Carousc to the Malyg Armadale route, improving service frequency as well as freeing the MV Lord of the Isles to operate solely on the Malyg to Lock Boys' deal route. With the addition of the Utna fleet resilience during dry dock periods, it will also be improved. Question 6 is not lodged. Question 7, Bill Kidd. To ask the Scottish Government where it sees as the sustainable development opportunities emerging from the decisions and outcomes of COP26. In advance of COP26, the Scottish Government recognised our moral responsibility to respond to the urgent need for global action on loss and damage. That is why the First Minister announced a £1 million partnership with the Climate Justice Resilience Fund to help some of the world's most vulnerable communities to prepare for an adapt to climate change, tackling structural inequalities and recovery from climate-induced loss and damage. Responding to calls from activists and young people from those communities throughout the course of COP26, the Scottish Government will trebel rather than double our climate justice fund, including £1 million, to specifically address loss and damage. Bill Kidd. Thank you, cabinet secretary. For our response, I'd be grateful if the cabinet secretary outlined plans that the Scottish Government has to promote sustainable and ethical pension options for public sector workers and whether the Scottish Government considers pension investment an important avenue through which we can boost business and sustainable and ethical models and whether they are operating in Scotland or further afield. One of the five Scottish public pension schemes four are unfunded and therefore do not make direct investments and only the local government pension fund is one that is funded. It is clear that environmental, social and corporate governance issues can affect the performance of investment portfolios and we are aware that some Scottish local government pension funds have already signed up to the principles of responsible investment and exercise a preference in new investments with positive ESGs and set that out within their financial criteria. I can also inform the member that the Scottish ministers intend to liaise with the Scottish local government scheme advisory board with a view to launching a consultation on climate risk reporting and on ESG standards for local authority pension funds in line with the recommendations from the task force on climate related financial disclosure for companies to describe the impact of climate related risks and opportunities on organisational business, strategy and financial planning. I can ensure the member that we intend to progress this work in a timely fashion. To ask the Scottish Government how to engage with oil and gas businesses in the north-east as Scotland transitions to a net zero economy. The Scottish Government engages with companies operating in the oil and gas sector across the north-east, recognising the sector and supply chains knowledge and experience will be important for developing and investing in new and emerging technologies. Ministers engage regularly with a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce and most recently I chaired the oil and gas and energy transition strategic leadership group on 19 August, which was also attended by the minister for just transition. The Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise is also scheduled to meet the Chamber of Commerce next month. My constituency of Aberdeen South and North Cincardin is home to a range of businesses, many family run that have been part of the oil and gas sector supply chain for many decades. Many have skilled workforces, established suppliers and a knowledge of the energy sector. What support will the Scottish Government provide to ensure opportunities within the renewable sector will be available to businesses such as those in order to project jobs and support the local north-east economy? We already provide significant support for the economy of the north-east and I recognise that there are specific sector challenges facing the region, but there are also significant opportunities. That is why we have committed some £500 million to a new just transition fund for the north-east and Murray over the next 10 years. We are also calling on the UK Government to match that investment. The Scottish Government's £75 million energy transition fund will also support our energy sector and the north-east over the next five years. Those funds will help to protect existing jobs and create new jobs by opening up opportunities through energy transition and harness private sector funding and support our thriving sector. I can also say to the member that there is part of the Scotland round leasing programme, which is, I believe, one of the largest offshore wind leasing programmes in the world. Those bidding to take part in that programme are also required to submit a supply chain development statement setting out how they will use the domestic supply chain to support any developments that they may be awarded. The purpose behind that is specifically to help to secure greater investment in our domestic supply chain and to support the very businesses that the member made reference to within her constituency as we transition from an oil and gas sector to one that is much more dominated by renewable energy. Thank you, cabinet secretary. That concludes portfolio questions. I thank members and both ministerial teams for their co-operation and allowing us to get through as many questions as we did. There will be now a slight pause before we move to the next item of business.