 Is that so? We agree to. To ask the Scottish Government what it's response is to the BBC programme A Forcing Crisis, alleging that in 2014, the chief constable's office suggested edits to a critical report on culture and ethos at Police Scotland. Secretary Michael Matheson. Yes in the evening's BBC documentary explored a number of issues relating to the leadership yn y pryd o bwysig i ddalei llifon ffordd mwy o ddechrau i Llyfridol. Mae cyfnodau gyda'r mynd i'r ddweudio'r llifon fyddennolol, gyda'r llifon bwysig i ddweudio'r brif cangol o'r ddweudio'r ddweudio i Llyfridol. Ieidwch i i, dweudio'r ddweudio ddweudio ar gyfer y rhaglen Slyfridol i fewn o fagorau ac i'r ddweudio i gydagoronwyr, through the BBC programme and note their commitment to addressing those matters through the appropriate governance and assurance routes. The Scottish Police Authority board is due to next meet on Wednesday of this week, where it will discuss on-going efforts to transform policing in Scotland. That transformation is delivering an increasingly outward-focused model of policing, emphasis on officer and staff wellbeing and a continued focus on professional standards and ethics, all of which attracted comment in yesterday's programme. The changes being taken forward will allow the service to build on the significant progress that has been made in recent times. Will that be in relation to the more ethical use of stop and search as a police tactic, the strengthening of Police Scotland's anti-corruption practices or the delivery of targeted activities to support wellbeing across the service? It is clear that the issues that were previously encountered in each of the areas that predate Police Scotland and I am confident that the establishment of a single command structure coupled with the enhanced oversight arrangements delivered through police reform has aided the improvements that we have seen. I welcome the continued focus that Police Scotland has placed on ethics and professional standards throughout the process. That was recently demonstrated through the establishment of a new executive portfolio of professionalism and assurance, which is headed by an assistant chief constable. I am committed to supporting Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority as they continue this important work, ensuring public confidence in policing remains strong going forward. I think that people watching this today will feel that the cabinet secretary's answers are not really good enough. This is a scandal and I do not use that word lightly. It appears that the head of our national police force has engaged in a deliberate cover-up of allegations of corruption and changed the tenses of other problems to suggest that they were already fixed. People and their trust in their employer make our police force what it is, yet it is alleged that an entire section of the report, entitled Culture of Fear, was re-titled, redacted and re-scripted. That goes to the very top, but people will not want to know how far. When did the cabinet secretary first learn about the problems identified and the whitewash? If the answer is in the last 48 hours, does that suggest that he is not on top of his brief? The member will be aware that the report is almost four years old. It was an internal Police Scotland report, which was considered internally within the police service. The member makes reference to the actions of the not previous chief constable, but the chief constable for them, Sir Stephen House, in the changes that were made to that particular report. What I would expect is that, in a report of this nature, there would be appropriate oversight by the Scottish Police Authority on how Police Scotland is taking forward those matters. However, it is worth picking up on some of the issues that were highlighted in that particular report, part of which was in relation to corruption, which I believe the member was referring to in relation to the T side force, a previous legacy force before Police Scotland was created, something that I understand was investigated by the Crown Office at that particular point and looked at. He made reference to the way in which the counter-corruption unit had been operating. The member clearly is not aware of the fact that HMICS undertook an assurance review of the counter-corruption unit within Police Scotland and published its report back in 2016. Within that report, it made some 39 different recommendations, all of which were accepted by Police Scotland. As a result, it changed its model on how it was dealing with anti-corruption issues. One of the things that is now happening, which the member I am surprised as a justice spokesperson is not aware of, is that HMICS is about to produce an update review of the progress that Police Scotland has made in those issues. Another aspect that the report highlighted was the culture of fear, particularly around targets in dealing with targets around a range of different issues, including that in stop and search. We set up the independent oversight group, the advisory group to look at stop and search, which was headed by John Scott QC, and set out a range of recommendations. As a consequence, we now have the new code of practice for stop and search, which was approved by the Justice Committee in this Parliament as a significant step forward in changing the culture around the use of stop and search. As a result, we no longer have the target culture that the report made reference to. The member does not seem to recognise that a range of different areas of significant progress is being made and continues to be made. I am assured that a Scottish Police Authority has given a very clear indication to Police Scotland that it wants an urgent update on the actions that have been taken forward that have been highlighted in the report, and it will then take that through its appropriate assurance mechanism. The member will recognise that the Scottish Police Authority is the body that is responsible for the oversight of the police service, and that is exactly what it intends to do in the issue. Liam Kerr The cabinet secretary seems very clear on what he thinks that I am aware of, but I am not sure that we have got an answer to the question of what the cabinet secretary was aware of in relation to those issues and when. Perhaps someone else will pick up on that. An early draft of the report claimed that, throughout Police Scotland conducted itself using unauthorised surveillance, threatened and intimidated witnesses, unlawfully detained subjects, colluded on witness statements and failed to reveal evidence. There was also a culture of fear. Can the cabinet secretary confirm whether he is aware that, if any or all of those allegations are true, and in any event will he be ordering a full and forensic investigation into the report, its original findings, and ensure that those who created the situation and those who may have tried to hide it are fully held to account? Michael Matheson I have just mentioned how the matter is going to be taken forward and will be taken forward by the oversight body for policing in Scotland, and it is the Scottish Police Authority. It has asked for urgent assurance from Police Scotland on the issues highlighted in the report. The member will be aware that it was an internal Police Scotland report. There is no record that officials have of the report having been shared with the Scottish Government, with myself or previously. On that basis, it was an internal report that was taken forward by Police Scotland. It is a report that I think, in terms of the outcomes of it, that it should have shared with the Scottish Police Authority. The important thing is for the service to move forward. As I have mentioned, in a number of the areas that have been highlighted in the report, that is a matter that significant progress has been made on a range of different areas. I hope that, in going forward, the Scottish Police Authority will make sure that the issues that were highlighted in the report have been appropriately addressed by the Scottish Police Service, and that it addresses the issues in a way that people can have confidence in the way in which it manages matters. I have four more members who wish to ask supplementary questions, so please keep the supplementary questions relatively brief and the answers similarly. Daniel Johnson First of all, I will begin by expressing my disappointment that we are not having a full statement, because this is an extremely serious matter. While the Cabinet Secretary went to some length to explain how those matters have concluded, what he did not say, or make any comment on, was the action of suppression of key allegations in the report itself. That was an action that he had in the very early days of Police Scotland, so what does it say about the organisation's culture and ethos, that those were some of the very first acts of the chief constable? Is the cabinet secretary confident that no such manipulation of reports or suppression of evidence of wrongdoing has taken place since? Finally, let's return to the original question. When did he first become aware of this? Was it before last night, and if so, why has he not brought this before Parliament before now? John Swinney The nature of the report that the BBC published in this matter was brought to my attention when they published information relating to their programme, and the fact that they were focusing on this particular report. As I have already mentioned, the report has not been shared with the Scottish Government. It is not something that we have a record of having ever received. It predates myself when I was in office in the first place. Can I say to him in relation to the content of this particular report that it is a report that I think Police Scotland at that time should have shared with the Scottish Police Authority? The Scottish Police Authority is an opportunity to look at those issues, and I think that it has been a mistake in their part not to do so. It should have done so at that particular point. What I would expect is that the Scottish Police Authority is very clear with Police Scotland that any internal reports of this nature where issues of concern are being highlighted that they should be brought to the attention of the Scottish Police Authority, who are the appropriate body that have oversight of those matters. That is what I would expect to happen in the future, should any report of this nature be brought forward by Police Scotland. Rona Mackayde will be followed by John Finnie. Does the cabinet secretary agree that the progress that Police Scotland has made since its creation is reflected by high public confidence in the police and the lowest crime rate in 43 years? There is significant progress that has been made by Police Scotland. As I mentioned in my response to Liam Kerr's question on this matter, many of the issues that are highlighted in that report, including the actions of the counter-corruption unit and the use of targets, particularly around matters such as stop and search, are issues that have been addressed and taken forward. The structure, for example, about staff not feeling as though their wellbeing has been addressed, has a significant amount of work that has been taken forward in the service to address issues of welfare and wellbeing. Something that the DCC of Livingston has been absolutely keen and instrumental in taking forward in the force to make sure that they are appropriately addressed more effectively and has put in place a whole range of measures to address those matters. Where there have been issues in relation to questions about illegal actions, my understanding is that, at that time, matters were referred to the Crown Office for them to consider those issues in relation to the legacy forces. I am sure that members will recognise that the nature and findings of the report and the title, Forcing Crisis, is not reflective of where Police Scotland is today. It is certainly not reflective of the dedication and hard work of thousands of police officers and staff day in, day out, who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe. I, in my view, believe that that title itself does a disservice to those who work hard to keep our communities safe day in, day out. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for doing so. John Finnie, full about Alex Cole-Hamilton. Thank you. I share the cabinet secretary's view that that title is a fiction. We need to take reassurance on the serious criminal accusations that the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service intervened in respect of those in the legacy case. I take some reassurance from the police authority continuing an interest in that. There seems to be a marked unwillingness from colleagues to move on in issues. A lot of that is rehash of things that, if you care to look into, Mr Kerr, you will see that the Justice Committee or, indeed, the Police Committee have looked at. I wonder, cabinet secretary, when there is not one unsolved murder during the life of Police Scotland, when organised crimes were being tackled and there was a significant conviction recently for very, very vicious people working on an international basis. Were victims of sexual crime—my colleagues do not seem to want to listen to this—when victims of sexual crime have growing confidence in the police service, I have confidence in the police, we will continue to scrutinise. Do you have confidence in the Police Scotland? The member, I think, made a number of important points. I do recognise that the members were not wanting to listen to them because it was good news because, as ever, when it comes to the Opposition parties in here, they are not here to support the police service, they are here to kick it when they can in every opportunity, they take that opportunity. It is reflective of the standard that we have come to expect from just-as-spokes persons in the Opposition benches these days. What I can say, though, is that the member is correct, is that there is no unsolved murders which are caught since Police Scotland has been created. There has been significant progress made in tackling issues around CSN organised crime and the recent conviction of nine individuals at Glasgow High Court. There is a clear example of the very significant progress that we have been able to make, particularly with a single-command structure, in giving clear focus to tackling those types of very significant serious and organised crime groups. How we are not just significant here in Scotland but internationally are significant within the organised crime sector. That, in itself, I believe, is a demonstration of the very real benefits that have come from the way in which the services are addressing those issues. I have absolutely no doubt that the service will continue to make improvements. There are areas in which there continues to be challenges, areas in which they will want to continue to make improvements and address issues of concern going forward. However, I have absolutely no doubt that the service is moving in the right direction, and the reason that it is moving in the right direction is because of the dedication and the commitment of those thousands of men and women each day officers and staff who do everything in their power to make sure that they are keeping our communities safe. I have every confidence that the service is moving in the right direction. Alex Cole-Hamilton I have to say that I take some exception of accusations of Opposition members doing police down when, with the exception of the last two questions, we have actually been holding this Government to account. Up until yesterday, it was clear that this review was still being kept secret by Police Scotland. Indeed, the police rejected a freedom of information request for it five weeks ago. Is not the real reason that the Scottish ministers have shown no interest in obtaining the original of the report because it calls into question the effectiveness of their centralisation of power in the police and, indeed, their toothless police authority? Michael Matheson No, I do not agree with that. For the very reason is that the actual report was highlighting, to a large extent, issues that were related to conduct in previous legacy forces. I am not sure whether the member gave proper consideration to that, but he would probably raise some serious doubts about the quality of oversight of what was going on in those previous legacy forces in addressing some of those issues that Police Scotland has inherited and is having to deal with. I can assure him that, as I said in my original answer, the Scottish Police Authority is very clear that it wants urgent assurances from Police Scotland on the issues that were raised in that particular report and that they are being addressed and have been addressed in the service. I made reference to a number of the areas that progress has been made on. For example, the issue of stop-and-search is former colleague Alison McInnes was at the forefront of demanding the way in which we needed to change the way in which stop-and-search was addressed. Someone who made a very positive contribution to the policing debate and trying to change policing and to improve the way in which it operated in society. That is a legacy that is reflecting the change, and part of the report was highlighting some of the issues around the culture of targets that were set and the culture of fear that that created. Part of that was driven by the targets around stop-and-search, something that has now changed very significantly. I assure the member that progress has been made in a number of those different areas, which is a matter for the producers to decide on whether they wish to reflect that in the course of the programme that they produce. However, I have already mentioned several of them here today, which were referenced in that particular report. I have no doubt that the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland will want to continue to drive all those improvements in the months and years ahead. To ask the Scottish Government what process it will use to monitor the effectiveness of the pricing per unit of alcohol. Well, today is truly a landmark day as Scotland becomes the first country worldwide to introduce minimum unit pricing for alcohol. NHS Health Scotland is leading the monitoring and evaluation plan for minimum unit pricing. The plan involves an extensive portfolio of research examining a number of areas, including implementation and compliance, price and product range, alcohol sales and consumption, alcohol-related harm, economic impact on the industry and attitudes to minimum price. Some studies will be carried out by NHS Health Scotland and others commissioned. An overarching governance board and evaluation advisory group for the individual studies has been established. For some studies, baseline data collection has already been completed. I look forward to seeing the data from the evaluation programme as we embark on this next phase of our journey to tackle Scotland's relationship with alcohol. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. With the intention of minimum unit pricing being part of a wider health policy, can the cabinet secretary set out the number of lives that it is hoped will be saved as a result of its implementation? I can tell Ash Denham that the University of Sheffield modelling estimates that if a minimum unit price of £0.50 was introduced in the first year, there would be 58 fewer alcohol-related deaths and almost 1,300 fewer alcohol-related hospital admissions. Over a five-year period, we could expect 392 fewer alcohol-related deaths during that period and 8,254 fewer alcohol-related hospital admissions. For some illnesses that are associated with drinking alcohol, it might take a longer time to see the full benefit of drinking less. We believe that it will take probably 20 years for all the benefits of the policy to be realised, but there will be substantial progress made over that period of time. Could the cabinet secretary outline if the model that Scotland has now introduced is one that other countries are looking at and that other countries are possibly considering implementing themselves? The member may be aware that the Welsh Assembly introduced legislation for a minimum unit pricing of alcohol in October 2017 and Ireland is also looking at the policy. I understand that the Australian Northern Territories are currently considering a minimum floor price for alcohol. Minimum unit pricing is a landmark policy that is getting gaining interest across the world and other countries are watching Scotland with interest. I would certainly hope that all other parts of the UK will eventually follow suit. I know that, certainly among the health professions and the chief medical officer in England, I think that he is a supporter of that. I think that there will be growing voices for other parts of the UK to follow suit. I am conscious that we are well over time, but if the members will be brief, I will take two from bench questions to Miles Briggs. Will the assessment process give any consideration to a banded minimum unit price approach, which was highlighted by the Centre for Economics and Business Research in their recent report and was submitted to the Scottish Government's consultation on price? As I have said before, we will keep price under review, but it is important to establish the evidence based on the 50p price. Obviously, as the evaluation goes forward, we will keep price under review, and we will come back to look at what is important now, is that we get on with the implementation of the policy. In monitoring the effectiveness of MUP, will the cabinet secretary commit to looking at two other areas—one, the downward trend in investment in alcohol and drug partnerships and the impact that that has on our alcohol strategy? Secondly, where the money goes, so would we look at having a social responsibility levy so that additional resources that come from MUP do not go to supermarket profits, but instead can be invested in our NHS and support services? It is good to finally see Labour supporting this policy. It is an important policy, and he will be aware, as I have said already, that the evaluation process will, of course, capture where any revenues land because they could land in a number of different places, and that will be monitored as part of the evaluation process. I have explained why that would not be the right time to introduce a public health supplement or a social responsibility levy, which, of course, was aimed at addressing local circumstances, rather than minimum unit pricing. Again, of course, we will keep that under review. In terms of spending alcohol and drug partnerships, I would have thought that Anasaro would have been aware that the budget included £20 million of additional spend for alcohol and drug partnerships, something, unfortunately, that he voted against. Thank you. That concludes topical questions. We will turn now to a statement by Marie Todd on the agreement of multi-year funding package for expansion of funded early learning and childcare. The minister will take questions at the end of her statement, and I would encourage any member who wishes to ask a question of the minister to press their request-to-speak buttons.