 The first item of business this afternoon is portfolio questions and the first portfolio is rural affairs, land reform and islands. I would remind members that if they wish to seek to ask a supplementary question, they should press the request of speak button during the relevant question or enter the letters RTS in the chat function if online. At question number one, I call Karen Adam. To ask the Scottish Government how the proposals outlined in its latest building a new Scotland paper are a marine sector in an independent Scotland, will support Scotland's fisheries and coastal communities. Minister Gillian Martin. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Scotland's marine sector plays a critical role in creating jobs and prosperity in coastal and island communities. As set out in the building of the new Scotland marine paper, the full potential of the sector can only be realised with independence. Unlike the UK Government, the Scottish Government will always champion Scottish marine sector interests. Within independence and EU membership, Scotland would enjoy full access to the EU single market for our seafood exports, freedom of movement to address post-Brexit labour shortages and the ability to negotiate directly for priorities like fisheries at the heart of Europe. Karen Adam. Thank you, Minister for that answer. Scotland's marine sector is a key contributor to Scotland's success, generating £5 billion in gross value added in 2019 and accounting for 3.4 per cent of the overall Scottish economy. We know that Brexit has had and continues to have adverse impacts on Scotland's coastal and island communities, businesses and industries. Can I ask the minister what recent and on-going engagements the Scottish Government has had with fishers regarding the future of the industry? Minister. I thank Karen Adam for that question. The Scottish Government meets representatives of the Scottish fishing industry very regularly in pursuit of our shared vision of a vibrant, prosperous and sustainable fishing industry that provides opportunities and good jobs for generations of fishers to come and which continues to help our coastal and island communities to survive and thrive. Recent engagement has included close partnership working with the industry at annual fisheries negotiations to secure the best possible deal for Scotland. The Gougeon's attendance is an event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation and identify opportunities for future collaboration. I, as an environment minister, have responsibility for inshore fisheries. I engage every week with representatives from that most varied of sectors. Ms Adam will know that my first engagement in this part of my portfolio area was in her constituency at Peterhead harbour in June with multiple sector stakeholders. While the Government continues to speculate about hypothetical scenarios, our coastal and island communities need support right now. One way that the Government could support our coastal and island communities is ensuring that fishing in Scottish waters works for the benefit of Scottish communities. Given that only 50 per cent of Scottish fish is landed locally, how is the Government using the powers that it currently has to increase its proportion and ensure that our coastal and island communities benefit from fishing? The answer to that would be widen and varied. I will write to Rhoda Grant with a full suite. The cabinet secretary deals with the pelagic aspect of things and I deal with inshore fisheries. If I talk about inshore fisheries in particular, we are working with inshore fisheries organisations to establish the collection of more data with the use of remote cameras on their vessels so that we can have a clear picture of what is actually out particularly in the Clyde areas and in those inshore fishing waters so that we can see where there are vibrant fishing grounds that could be better monitored and see where the species are because, obviously, climate change is having an effect on where the actual species of fish is actually moving around the inshore waters in particular. That important piece of science data collection working with the industry is really important in having a sustainable inshore fishery and working with the fishers is the only way to do that. Scotland's largest seafood sector and the UK's largest food export is Scottish Salmon, which supports 2,300 jobs directly and up to 10,000 indirectly in Scottish coastal communities. Innovation is essential to the future of the sector and its ability to compete internationally. Indeed, aquaculture is identified specifically in the Scottish Government's innovation strategy as a key sector. However, recent reports indicate that the future of the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre may be at threat. Can I ask what the Government is doing to guarantee the future of the centre to ensure that the sector continues to grow, create jobs and compete internationally? I thank Ivan McKee for that question. We set out our support for the sustainable growth of Scotland's aquaculture earlier this year, recognising that innovation is key enabler to delivering a vision for sustainable aquaculture. In light of the outcome of the Scottish Funding Council's review into the innovation centre programme, the Scottish Government is working closely with the Scottish Funding Council, the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre and other partners to explore transitional and future funding arrangements. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle the increasing risk of wildfires in rural areas. We are working with Scotland's fire and rescue service on the implementation of its wildfire strategy. We have asked it to continue to invest in the provision of specialist resources, technological advancements and forward-thinking operational practices. We know that wildfire incidents are likely to increase due to climate change, so it is vital that we continue to work together to plan for and deliver an appropriate response. That is why we committed in this year's programme for government to explore what more can be done to prevent and to manage wildfires. As the minister said, it is highly likely that wildfires continue and grow bigger. During the summer, I visited the site of one of the largest wildfires at Canich. It is well accepted that, locally, it was gamekeepers who used their many decades of experience of fighting fire with fire that responded and stopped the fire. Obviously, the Parliament will discuss the issue of mureburn tomorrow. Will the minister agree on the importance of mureburn for fire breaks and ensuring that gamekeepers are allowed to continue to fight fire with fire? I am happy to reassure Ms Forbes that the wildfire management and mureburn bill contains provisions that allow the continuation of mureburns by practitioners to prevent or reduce the risk of wildfires. The bill also contains provisions that would allow practitioners to undertake mureburn without a licence in emergency circumstances such as those that Ms Forbes has described. Flexibility is absolutely necessary and important. We recognise the knowledge and skills that are held by practitioners such as gamekeepers. NatureScot has made sure that they are a key part of the development of the new code of practice that accompanies the bill. I would like to take this opportunity to commend the swift action taken by the gamekeepers that Ms Forbes mentioned. I am happy to discuss this aspect of the bill or any other concerns that a member has on mureburn provisions, but, as she said, we will have an opportunity to debate it in full tomorrow. In its recent firestorm report, FBU Scotland found that 93 per cent of its members who participated in a survey believed that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is not adequately resourced to deal with the increase in climate-related incidents such as wildfire. Does the minister accept that assessment and what is the Scottish Government doing to ensure that the fire service is properly equipped? I thank Katie Clark for that question and I will refer everything that she has asked for around the funding of the fire service to the minister that has that in her portfolio. However, the Scottish Government has continued our commitment to support the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service delivery and reform at a further uplift of £10 million of resource for 2023-24. In recognition of the pain and inflationary pressures faced by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, we have provided them with an additional budget of up to £4.4 million on top of the allocation set in that budget announcement. The minister mentioned the use of mureburn in an emergency without permission, but is it not the case that, if you wait for an emergency, it is too late? Everyone in rural Scotland that deals with wildfire says that if mureburn is reduced, the risk of loss of human life increases. Does the minister share my concern that any such diminution of mureburn, particularly on a significant level, will significantly increase the loss of human life in Scotland? I do not wholly share the concerns, but I think that the Fergus Ewing points out that we need to have a flexible system that allows a speedy response without a licence to any kind of potential emergency. I think that it is going to be in the detail of how we define the emergency of the back of that. The mureburn licensing scheme in that bill that has been mentioned, the wildlife management mureburn bill, is required to ensure that mureburn is undertaken in accordance with the code of practice in an environmentally sustainable manner, but we intend that the licensing scheme is going to be straightforward to apply for, and we recognise that mureburn has a positive impact by helping to reduce fuel loads and lower the risk of wildfires. The bill contains provision to enable NatureScot to issue those licences with this purpose on both non-Petland and peatland. The practice will be allowed to continue, but the scheme will ensure that those undertaking it are trained and that we have a full picture of where and how it has been done, and I recognise the welfare prevention that it can give. On the emergency issue, I want to give Mr Ewing assurances that there will be flexibility around that to mitigate the potential issues that he describes in his question. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the work of the Food Security Unit in relation to the monitoring of food system reliance. The initial focus of the new Food Security Unit is to develop evidence-based systems to monitor risks or threats to supply chains and help to mitigate future shocks and impacts on food security. Those are still early days for the unit, but enhanced monitoring should mean that the Government and industry can be in the front foot and able to react as quickly as possible to future shocks as those arise. Although it is not possible to predict all impacts, improved monitoring should in turn help to bolster industry confidence during those hugely challenging times. In my region of south of Scotland and beyond, food insecurity and hunger are becoming increasingly prominent, which has no place in a modern Scotland. Although I welcome the establishment of a Food Security Unit, it is my belief that a right to food enshrined in Scots law as independent legislation is critical to ensuring food security. I ask the minister why does the Scottish Government continue to reject calls from the Labour members to introduce this important right? What I would say to Carole Mawrhan is that there are quite a lot of leaver, a lot of drivers of people not being able to eat, and those are around poverty. I want the Scottish Government to identify meaningful and efficient measures that we can take to alleviate poverty. The child payment of £25 a week has been hailed by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations in the report that is just out this week. I recommend that Carole Mawrhan have a look at it if she has not already. In my portfolio and the energy part of my portfolio, we deliver the fuel insecurity fund, which has been tripled since the current First Minister took place. The biggest drivers of poverty are the cost of food and the cost of energy. We are also calling for a social tariff on the energy bills, as well, and for the two child cap benefit to be lifted. Those will be measures that would tackle the issues that Carole Mawrhan rightly brings to the chamber at source. We would alleviate the poverty that many of the families in Carole Mawrhan's region are experiencing, and that is where we are putting our efforts. Thank you. Each week, butchers in Orkney by locally reared beef and lamb at the auction mark, shipping it to Dingwall for slaughter with carcasses returning to Orkney by refrigerator lorry. Reliable ferry services are key to this trade and to butchers fulfilling contracts with local schools, care homes and NHS Orkney. However, the Government's failure to provide cover during the Hamn of Oe's dry dock period in January puts all this at risk. Previously, a rowpacks vessel was used, then SNP ministers approved use of a freight vessel. Now the Government has abandoned the route completely during refit. Can the minister explain how this meets the requirements of food system resilience or, indeed, a lifeline ferry service? Thank Liam McArthur for that question, although it does very much straight out with my portfolio and into the transport portfolio. He raises a really important point about the geographical locations of abattoirs, which is in my portfolio. That is something that we are actively looking at. I am looking at that with the chief vet in particular, because I have a similar issue, not a similar issue, as we are not across any kind of body of water in my constituency, but about getting animals to slaughter in a way that is not distressing for them. We are involving long journeys and we are looking at a range of measures that might improve that situation. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I am going to take this back to the original question about a food security unit. A few weeks back, there was a debate in the chamber that the Labour Party actually tried to stifle us even having it. It touched directly on the ability for us to create a secure and resilient food system. In that debate, I pointed out to the chamber that berry farmers had, in fact, given up on growing soft fruit and that Brexit was undoubtedly sitting at the heart of that problem. Can I ask the cabinet secretary for the Scottish Government's latest assessment of the impact of Brexit on our food security? Does she agree with me that the hypocrisy of the pro-labor Brexit stands that they now take proves that they are not what Scotland needs? I thank Jim Fairlie for that question. I recognise the issues that he has outlined, particularly about the soft fruit growing industry. The food and drink sector as a whole has undoubtedly borne the brunt of the United Kingdom Government's hard Brexit with disrupted supply change, new trade barriers and costs for higher food prices, so we are all paying for a Brexit that Scotland did not vote for. Of course, the access to labour is fundamentally part of the issue that Jim Fairlie outlines. That is why it makes Labour's position all the more cynical. They know that Brexit is hugely harmful, yet they will continue to impose it in Scotland if they win the next Westminster election. It absolutely shows that it does not matter who is in power in Westminster, nor their labour authorities will stand up for Scotland. The only route for food producers in Scotland to once again enjoy the benefits of access to the EU labour force, removal of export red tape and unfettered access to the European single market is for an independent Scotland whose first priority would be rejoining the EU. Question 4 has been withdrawn. Question 5 was not lodged. I call question 6, David Torrance. Thank you, Presiding Officer. To ask the Scottish Government when it last engaged with the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other relevant UK Government departments regarding the provision of future agricultural funding for Scotland. The Scottish Government has regularly pressed the case that rural Scotland has been shortchanged as a result of Brexit and that the UK Government must ensure certainty around rural funding for the future and give Scotland and the equitable share of available funds that meets our needs and interests. Ms Gougeon wrote to the new secretary of state at DEFRA, Steve Barclay, this last week. She also raised it at an inter-ministerial group meetings with the previous secretary of state and our Deputy First Minister raised it with the chief secretary to the treasury in June this year. David Torrance. I thank the minister for that answer. The Tories cannot be silent on the scandal that is leaving our farmers in the dark with their future funding, complicity in Westminster's treating the sector with utter contempt and at the same time cast themselves as champions of Scottish agriculture with any credibility. Farming is a long-term endeavour and the people need clarity now to plan for the future. Can I ask the minister whether there has been any indication that the new DEFRA secretary understands his concerns and does the minister know if Labour is promising anything different? Agriculture is devolved and it is crucial that Scottish Government policies are unhindered by threats, any threats posed by the UK Internal Market Act, subsidy control regime and the lack of long-term replacement VU funding. We have not received any response from the new secretary of state at DEFRA, Steve Barkley, on Moscushon's recent letter to him where she stressed that we need to work closely together on certainty of future agricultural funding. We continue to raise this issue regularly and urgent with the UK Government and we will do so with any Labour colleagues that might be looking to be in government after this one. The SNP Green Government's disdain for our farmers and croftus is all too clear to see. We even had one columnist describing Mary Gusion's approach as something you'd see at a mad hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland. Little wonder when one of the rabbits out of the hat last week from Shona Robison's budget statement was slashing £28 million from the agricultural budget. Further, £61 million of agricultural funds allocated to the SNP by the UK Treasury went missing over the last two years. Minister, where has the money gone and when will it be returned? What I would say to Rachael Hamilton is that the most pressing issue for the farmer, certainly in my constituency, is about the long-term certainty of funding. His Majesty's Treasury has provided yearly allocations for the current UK parliamentary term, but there is no funding commitment for 2025 and I will continue my answer if I can without interruption. That has direct implications on the management for the current common agricultural programme, including the Scottish rural development programme and the work under way in the agriculture reform programme. Agriculture requires future funding certainty due to its multi-annual funding commitments and long lead-in time for farmers, croftus and land managers. I am sure that Ms Hamilton is absolutely aware of that. Of course it would be helpful if the Westminster Government gave some clarity, but it would be equally helpful if the Scottish Government did not cut £28 million from the agricultural budget. That is not providing any certainty for the farmers in my constituency or in hers. When is she going to restore that cut? Indeed, when is she going to restore the £61 million that should be in the pockets of farmers? Willie Rennie reads a point that is probably for the cabinet secretary to answer. I will refer her Willie Rennie to the cabinet secretary on the detailed answer that he requires, and I am sure that she will write some given assurances. £61 million of ring-fenced money allocated to the Scottish Government, the UK Government, has been withdrawn. The scale of the hypocrisy of the Scottish Government has no bounds. Does the minister, because the cabinet secretary is not here, not share the anger of farmers and croftus right across Scotland that they are asking for money from the UK Government when they get £61 million? It disappears. As a matter of urgency, will you find out when that £61 million will be returned to the agricultural budget? I will tell Finlay Carson one thing that I absolutely share the anger on with farmers in Scotland. That refers back particularly to the question that Jim Faley has asked about how the hard Brexit has impacted on our farmers. We were assured that there would be multi-year funding allocations given. That is the most pressing issue for farmers in Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what discussions the Royal Affairs Secretary has had with ministerial colleagues regarding action to mitigate any future crop losses due to flooding, included by an updating of the water management plans. The cabinet secretary has witnessed and discussed first-hand the impact of crops on farms affected by the severe flooding that the country experienced in October. Ross McAll will know that the cabinet secretary's constituency was the worst affected. That has been central to her discussions with ministerial colleagues on our collective response. The cabinet secretary confirmed at the AgriScot conference on 22 November that the Scottish Government has now established and funded a scheme for agricultural flood bank repair. A budget of £1.8 million has been set aside and the scheme will be open for applications shortly, offering up to £30,000 per individual farm business to reinstate flood banks to their pre-damage levels. At a recent meeting of Fife NFUS, the adverse impacts of recent flooding on food security was raised. We know that the general increased groundwater and the submersion of vast areas of land after intense flooding is having a detrimental impact on all winter crops. What is the Scottish Government doing to mitigate further against future crop losses in light of current environmental policies stopping farmers using tried and tested methods of water management? The weather events of recent weeks have affected communities and farms across our water catchments. It is right that we take a holistic approach to our work on flood risk reduction and recovery response. We are committed to promoting and advancing our understanding of natural flood management programmes, and part of this commitment we are funding the long-term Edelstone Water Research programme and the Allen Water Improvement Project, which I believe is in Miss Macaulay's region. Those projects are helping to develop and evidence-based to improve our understanding of how floods work or how floods operate and help stakeholders to understand the potential value as alternative flood prevention measures. Through the Farm Advisory Service, the Scottish Government funds a range of support for farmers, crofters and land managers, delivered through events, videos, technical notes and advice line support on bespoke specialist advice to name a few in terms of dealing with floods. I can squeeze in question number eight if I have a brief question and answer. As the Scottish Government regarding its pesticides policy, how it monitors any impact the use of pesticides on the rural environment, including watercourses? There are a range of pesticide monitoring strategies operating in Scotland. The Scottish Government performs annual surveys to monitor patterns and estimates Scottish pesticide use on agricultural and horticultural crops. Pesticide records are inspected as part of cross-compliance inspections to ensure that pesticides are being used in line with their approval conditions. The Scottish Government also participates in analysis for pesticide residues in food and wildlife. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency, SEPA, monitors the chemistry and ecology of surface waters, which is indicative of pesticides and their impact. Monitoring has recently been carried out at nearly 100 freshwater locations. I thank the minister for her response. I recently joined experts at the James Hutton Institute to discuss the de-catchment management plan that aims to protect the river catchment's ecosystem. Among the issues that were raised was the recent discovery in a remote stream in the Cairngorms of a mid-chloropid, an insecticide band from use in agriculture, but is still used in domestic pet flea treatments. The most likely source of this pollution is a dog or other treated animal entering the stream. Given that nature is our first line of defence against climate change, what action is being taken to ensure agricultural pesticides are being used in accordance with regulations and what action is being taken to halt the use of band pesticides in domestic pet flea treatments? I thank the member very much for highlighting these important issues and the good work that is being carried out as part of the de-catchment management plan. Regarding pet treatments, this is a reserved issue, but I would emphasise that all pet owners should follow the guidance that is provided with the treatment, that pets should not enter water for a period of time after it has been applied. I agree that non-chemical control of weeds should be considered wherever possible, which is why the Scottish Government promotes integrated pest management, which encourages a limited and targeted approach to pesticide use. I and my officials have also contributed to the development of a UK national action plan for the sustainable use of pesticides, which is due to be published this year. To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the budget for its mental health directorate, having increased substantially in the past three years, how it plans to measure the impact of the spend, including outcomes for people with mental health conditions? The new 10-year mental health and wellbeing strategy, which is jointly owned by the Scottish Government and COSLA, was published in June. It includes outcomes that describe the differences or changes that we want to see as a result of the strategy. We will use those outcomes to help monitor and evaluate progress as the strategy is implemented. That will build on work that we have already delivered to improve data collection in health boards and to publish new core standards for mental health. As she will be aware, that was one of the central recommendations that was made in the Audit Scotland report into adult mental health. As part of our evidence sessions at the Audit Committee, it was noted that people were unclear about the range of options available to them and were rarely surveyed about the quality of service that they received and whether they felt that outcomes for them were improving. Simply to ask the minister, will he be able to offer some reassurance that this will be a priority in coming years? Absolutely. Those mental health standards that I referenced in my initial answer are crucial to that process of ensuring that everybody, both those accessing care and those delivering care, know what standards are expected from them. I think that they will be really empowering for people who are trying to access support through the services in terms of making sure that they understand what to expect in the way of care. The strategy also sets out national sources of support. In the first instance, people are asked and encouraged to phone their GP practice. That is, of course, the front door to the NHS, but there is the mental health hub, the 24-hour NHS 24 mental health hub, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 111. They will direct people to the right help. We also provide online resources such as Mind to Mind, which is situated on NHS Inform, the Scottish NHS on the net. That all sits alongside a whole range of community support. The member for Camarnock and Irving Valley mentions an increase in funding for the directorate, but that does not reflect the reality on the ground. The Scottish Government confirmed an in-year cut of £30 million to mental health funding last week. That is a second year running that in-year cuts have been made to mental health spend. How does the Government expect patients to have confidence in mental health services when the only consistent thing about their approach is budget cuts? The financial pressures that we face are by far the most challenging since devolution, and that has a result of rising inflation, the on-going impact of Covid and Brexit. As a Government, we have had to make really difficult decisions to balance and prioritise the budget, including a record pay offer to our NHS staff to support them through the cost of living crisis and to avoid industrial action. The new mental health and wellbeing strategy strongly signals the priority that we place on mental health, and despite 23-24 savings, we have supported overall increases to mental health spending over a period of years since 2021. The mental health directorate's programme budget has more than doubled from £117 million to nearly £260 million in 2023-24. Between the Scottish Government and NHS boards, we expect spending on mental health to be well in excess of £1.3 billion. We continue to focus on delivery of our new mental health and wellbeing strategy and supporting delivery plans and learning disability, autism services and cross-cutting trauma work. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on any supply issues with drugs for people with type 2 diabetes. The Scottish Government is aware that there are global supply issues with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists products, which are licensed for treating patients with type 2 diabetes. It is anticipated that supplies of all GLP1 RAs products will be limited and intermittent until at least mid 2024. The supply of medicines and the associated legislation are reserved matter for the UK Government. NHS Scotland has robust systems in place to manage medicine shortages when they arrive. I recognise the impact of those global shortages and anyone affected by them should speak to their clinical team. I thank the minister for that answer and I am aware that people can get help from the diabetes UK helpline. Could the minister detail any collaborative efforts with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors to mitigate the supply issues of drugs for people with type 2 diabetes? And what steps have been taken to enhance the resilience of the supply chain to prevent future disruptions? As I mentioned, the UK Government remains responsible for medicine supply. The UK Department for Health and Social Care has a dedicated team who have been working with the companies concerned to establish the current supply position by modelling demand and supply and working with companies to consider how to mitigate shortages. I am pleased to say that our chief pharmaceutical officer attends these meetings and the Department of Health and Social Care are modelling and drawing on intelligence, which is received as well from the devolved nations. At the moment, access to diabetes technology is a postcode lottery with patients having to battle to get it and they have to justify why they deserve to get it. It is demeaning for my constituents and for everyone and my constituents being Rachel and John. That will add mental strains to their struggle. Can the Scottish Government provide an update on its plan to address the unequal access to diabetes technology for people living with type 1 diabetes as highlighted in Diabetes Scotland's Diabetes Tech Can't Wait campaign report? We are working closely with NHS boards to deliver effective, evidence-based options for those at risk. We have provided core funding of just under £6 million to health boards in 2023-24 to deliver various services with regard to diabetes. We aim to reduce that and are working closely to look at how we can include the closed-loop mechanisms in these discussions with health boards. As always, there are supply issues for those with type 2 diabetes. The recent report by Diabetes Scotland in their Diabetes Tech Can't Wait campaign has highlighted that for adults with type 1 diabetes, only 14.5 per cent are using an insulin pump and 5.9 per cent are using continuous glucose monitors. Does the minister agree that more funding is vital to provide fair and equal access for life-saving diabetics technology across Scotland? As my colleague Ms Todd highlighted, we are in probably the most difficult financial circumstances that the Government has found itself in. I agree with the member that we need to find innovative ways of improving technology support to those living with diabetes, which is why I have been working closely with various third sector organisations and health boards. To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support children with long Covid. Across NHS Scotland, local primary care teams are providing assessment and initial investigation for children and young people with symptoms consistent with long Covid. Primary care clinicians can give advice about the management of symptoms and any potential treatment options for those in the first instance. They can also refer to occupational therapy and physiotherapy for further support where appropriate. In cases where referral to secondary care is required, children and young people may be referred to general pediatric services for investigation and on-going management. The Scottish Covery inquiry has heard that children with long Covid have been dismissed and ignored by those who are supposed to support them. The charity Long Covid Kids told the inquiry that healthcare professionals were not appropriately changed, that there is a postcode lottery of care and that there has been no education given to healthcare professionals regarding the condition. Does the minister agree that the Covid inquiry should be an opportunity to learn lessons over the poor treatment of people with long Covid and what training has now been provided to healthcare professionals so that they can adequately support children living with long Covid? The member might be interested to know that, earlier this month, I met a range of organisations that represent people who are impacted by long Covid, including long Covid kids, who are part of our national strategic network, which has been set up to inform our approach to long Covid. I have committed to holding a follow-up meeting with long Covid kids to discuss this important subject in further detail. I do not think that it is appropriate for me to comment on detailed evidence presented at the inquiry at this stage. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Long Covid Kids Scotland has raised concerns that the Scottish Government has produced no detailed report on the development of long Covid services for children and young people in the NHS. There are no dedicated services yet up and running, or even close to opening, and that is nearly four years after the start of the pandemic. Can the cabinet secretary advise that when paediatrics long Covid services will be fully up and running, and given the growing numbers of children and young people developing the condition, can she confirm what the forecasted spending requirements for treatment will be over the next 10 years? I thank Jackie Baillie for that question and reiterate that I am going to be meeting with long Covid kids to discuss the issues that she has highlighted. With regard to the more detailed questions, I am happy to respond to her in writing. Can the minister provide any further information as to what has been undertaken by a long Covid strategic network to improve treatment for children and young people with long Covid? The national long Covid strategic network has a dedicated work stream looking at the needs of children and young people, including representation from the Royal College of Paediatrics, Child Health and the Charity Long Covid Kids, who I have already referenced. The group is currently reviewing and updating the information available to NHS board colleagues and primary care clinicians on the appropriate assessment, referral and management pathways for children and young people with long Covid symptoms. Once updated, that information will be shared with the NHS boards as a clinical pathway for local implementation and aims to improve consistency and approach across Scotland. To ask the Scottish Government what work the NHS is undertaking to support people with gambling addiction. People with gambling addiction in Scotland can get support through a range of services, including those that are signposted on NHS Inform, primary care services and mental health services and secondary care, where appropriate. We have established a gambling-related harms working group with Public Health Scotland to consider what needs to be prioritised for gambling harms research, prevention and treatment. The UK Government white paper high stakes gambling reform for the digital age includes proposals on a levy to fund research, prevention and treatment. Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government to ensure that Scotland benefits from those proposals. Problem gambling and debt often leads to relationship breakdown, homelessness, mental health and even suicide, and it is galling that the UK Government has failed to introduce the gambling reduction bill. Can the minister outline what discussions she has had with the UK Government about the proposed gambling levy that features in the draft bill? I would also like to know how she envisages the money raised from the levy that will be spent on boosting NHS services in Scotland to support problem gamblers with their addiction. I recognise the description that Mr Stewart shows in his question. I met a young man who is living with gambling and he explained the situation that he is living in. I met my counterparts in UK and Welsh Governments on 21 November to talk through the proposed gambling levy. The meeting discussed how the proposed levy would need to take account of the different landscapes across the three nations and must involve the devolved administrations in decision making at all levels. Health is devolved and so any decisions on the use of funding to support prevention and treatment for gambling in Scotland must remain with the Scottish Government. The NHS is one avenue for support for people with gambling addiction and we will continue to work with the UK Government on the levy post consultation to ensure that individuals can find the right support and advice that meets their needs and circumstances. Gambling harms and addiction can destroy lives, families and communities. According to the 2021 Scottish health survey, in the least deprived 20 per cent of Scotland, 2 per cent of people had or were at risk of having gambling problems. In the most deprived 20 per cent of Scotland, the figure is 11 per cent of people surveyed more than five times higher. Can the minister advise if the Government has plans to come forward with a public health-based approach to tackling gambling harms and whether such a plan will have measurable objectives that will seek to eradicate this divisive health inequalities that exist? I thank Carol Mocken for the question and the Scottish Government does treat gambling as a public health issue. We know that the voice of those with lived experiences is absolutely critical to developing that policy, especially in the areas where the harms are often hidden, and I think about women gambling as well as the increase of online gambling and where it could be stigmatising. We are working just now with the gambling-related harms working group, as I mentioned earlier, to bring in the voice of the lived experience. 5. Graham Simpson Thank you. To ask the Scottish Government what services people experiencing poor mental health can access this winter. People who are experiencing poor mental health and wellbeing will continue to be able to access a range of specialist services and community-based supports over the winter. As I mentioned in a previous answer, people who require clinical support should first telephone their GP surgery or where possible their usual mental health team in the first instance. If they are unable to access mental health support that way, then NHS 24 mental health hubs available 24-7 on 111. There is further information and support, including our mind-to-mind website, which is really useful and can be found in our mental health and wellbeing strategy, and I would be more than happy to share the details of those resources with Mr Simpson. 5. Graham Simpson I thank the minister for her answer, and I will certainly take up that offer. Too many people are falling through the cracks. We have been hearing that on the Public Audit Committee recently. All its Scotland's recent report on adult mental health referenced a person-centred model of mental health care in Trieste in Italy. It is a 24-hour day, seven-day week service. It requires no appointments. It is a one-stop shop, and, as well as being better for those who need the help, it has also saved money. Will the minister be willing to look at the model as a way forward in Scotland? I am certainly always keen to learn from other countries where we can. Undoubtedly, there are challenges with just lifting the strategies from other healthcare systems and other support systems. I am putting them into ours, but, as ever, I am keen to learn from other systems. Audit Scotland, though, did report very positively on the mental health and wellbeing strategy that this Government has brought forward. It said that it recognises the importance of that whole-system approach to supporting mental health and wellbeing, and it provides a foundation for better joint working. Admittedly, as referenced in the previous answer and as Audit Scotland has pointed out in this and other reports, we are doing this in very, very challenging financial circumstances. Poor mental health and long waits for treatment are affecting NHS staff too, just in fact the NHS sickness rate is 7 per cent, and much of that is mental health related. That is contributing to the current overspend of £15.86 million. The Scottish Liberal Democrats secured £120 million for mental health support in the 2021 budget, so why are mental health waits still so long? Mental health waits are improving, and the statistics that I am seeing and which I think will be in the public domain very soon are showing a continued decrease in the psychological therapies waiting time. That indicates a sustained improvement over recent times. Our new psychological therapies and intervention specification will ensure that psychological therapies are delivered to a high quality and with consistent standards across Scotland. I absolutely acknowledge that for somebody who is waiting for a long time to get an appointment, that is not an answer that they want to hear, but I assure the chamber that things are improving in mental health. The steps that we are taking are working and we are managing to improve the situation. The mental health strategy delivery and workforce plan mentioned by the minister is very welcome. Can the minister say more about how those plans will help to ensure that we are meeting the changing mental health needs across Scotland? As the member said, the delivery plan and the workforce action plan that was published on 7 November joined with COSLA are absolutely key if we are going to make the progress that we want to see. The strategies, vision and outcomes take a whole systems approach. We know that mental health ranges from severe and enduring mental illness to everyday worries and feelings of distress and hopelessness. Mental health is a cross-government priority and it is supported by a strong collective ambition in this Government and leadership so that we can influence the whole range of issues that contribute to whether we are mentally healthy or not. That includes poverty, employment, housing, our communities, many more. A whole diverse range of services and supports will ensure that people can access the right support in the right place at the right time. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure the sustainability of healthcare services in Edinburgh in light of the significant increase in the population of the Lothian region in recent years. It is for territorial NHS boards and their planning partners to organise and provide high-quality services that meet the needs of local people in line with national guidelines and frameworks. Clearly, those services will be developed over time to account for a range of factors such as population growth alongside others such as changes in clinical best practice and significant technological developments. In terms of this Government's commitment to an investment in local health services, NHS Lothian's resource budget is currently over £1.7 billion and has increased by 28 per cent in real terms since 2010-11 and 2023-24 and by just over 100 per cent or £874.6 million in cash terms from 2006-07 to 2023-24. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The population growth in Edinburgh has been significant and the projections are also very significant. The grant and waterfront development in my constituency is projected to bring an additional 10,000 patients to the area by 2028. As I have raised previously, the proposal for a new GP practice in the ocean terminal shopping centre could be a quick, very accessible and cost-effective way of meeting current demand and creating much-needed additional capacity, as the Minister for Public Health saw on a recent visit to the vaccination centre there. I appreciate the current public finance pressures, but, constructively, working with NHS Lothian, the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, are the Scottish Government able to seriously consider the proposal for a GP practice at ocean terminal? I am aware that this is an issue that the member raised with me in September earlier this year. I am conscious of the significant pressures that are on primary care services in different parts of Edinburgh, including in the member's constituency. The member will recognise that the Scottish Government's approach to capital infrastructure projects is to use existing buildings rather than to build new buildings in provision of health services, where possible. As I have highlighted to the member previously in my correspondence, the issue of deciding on whether to take forward a particular development at ocean terminal to be used as a GP facility would be a matter for the health board and for the Edinburgh City Council. However, to that end, I can advise the member that I understand NHS Lothian that he will be looking again at this very issue as part of his capital reallocation re-prioritisation process at his December board meeting. I would, of course, want to encourage the member to continue to engage with NHS Lothian as he considered this matter in the coming weeks. I am glad that you mentioned capital there. The First Minister committed to a new ipavillion when he was Cabinet Secretary for Health, yet the ipavillion is still in a building that has been condemned. The Royal Edinburgh Hospital is still only in phase 1 of a three-phase plan. The national treatment centre at St John's is supposed to be a national priority. A new sterilisation unit must be built. My constituents in Lothian are asking where those things are. Those are all projects that have been promised in the past. I am not asking where the money is coming from. I am asking where the money has gone. I recognise the member's interest in those particular issues, including the ipavillion and also the NTC, which has been proposed in the Lothian Cancer Centre. However, the member will be aware of the capital allocation review that has taken place. It has had a direct impact on capital projects right across the country, not just in health, but across the public sector. Principally, as a result of the UK Government cutting our capital allocation, that is the reason as to why so many capital projects are not able to progress. Alongside the disaster's budget that was taken forward by Liz Truss resulted in significant increases in capital projects, which means that projects are now well over the price that they were previously, which makes, alongside the cut in capital, very difficult arrangements to take forward capital projects of this nature. To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Rittenfisher Health and Social Care Partnership and what was discussed. The Minister for Social Care, Mental Well-being and Sport met with the integration joint board chief officers on 2 November this year. The chief officer for Rittenfisher Health and Social Care Partnership was in attendance at this meeting, where the substantive agenda item was the national care service. The director of social care and national care service met with Rittenfisher health and social care chief officer on 21 November this year to discuss the lead discharge performance and unmet community need. Neil Bibby. The Scottish Government frequently claimed that they are protecting health services and giving local councils a fair deal, but the Rittenfisher health and social care partnership faced a £14.7 million black hole, which will likely lead to the closure of either Montrose, Hunter Hill or Renfrew care homes, the merging of Mirren and Mildale Day services and the closure of the FlexiCare service as well as the use of vital reserves. What will the Scottish Government do to protect those vital services that so many people in Rittenfisher rely on? To support the provision of social care, the Scottish Government has been putting in additional investment to help to support the provision of social care across the country. From the health budget alone, we provide £1.7 billion for social care and integration, meaning that social care spending has increased by more than £800 million compared to 2021-22. That is well ahead of the trajectory of an increase of some 25 per cent that we intend to deliver in the course of the lifetime of this Parliament. Notwithstanding that, I recognise the significant challenges that our social care partners are facing and we continue to engage with them to provide support where we can. The member will be well aware of the very difficult financial environment in which we are operating in, where, at last week's autumn statement, there was little more than £11 million provided as health-barnock consequentials, which has a direct consequence in making it much more difficult to invest in key parts of our public services. To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to provide financial support to those who are infected with chronic hepatitis B due to receiving contaminated blood. The UK Infected Blood Inquiry recommended a UK-wide compensation scheme for those who are infected or affected by infected NHS blood or blood products, including compensation and support payments for those who are infected with chronic hepatitis B. The UK Government is currently considering those recommendations, but it has made clear that it needs to see the inquiry's final report, which is expected in March 2024 before confirming its plans. The Scottish Government understands the concerns of those affected by this terrible tragedy, which is why I have written to the new paymaster general to request a four nations meeting to discuss those issues. My constituent was infected by hepatitis B and now has cirrhosis of the liver, but has missed out on all financial support. She wishes to remain anonymous due to the still pervasive and profound stigma around her personal situation. The chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry stated in the second interim report that those infected would be eligible for support. Can the minister confirm what assessments the Scottish Government has made of those recommendations? Will the minister meet me and my constituent to discuss a way forward for hepatitis B victims who are missing out on urgent financial assistance? I understand how difficult the long wait for the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry has been for all those who were infected and affected, including anyone infected with hepatitis B. The report specifically recommends a UK-wide compensation scheme. As I have already said, I wrote to the UK paymaster general earlier this week to ask for another four nations discussion on next steps. This follows two four nations meetings earlier this year with the previous paymaster general. I have asked that we specifically discuss hepatitis B as well as a number of other matters that I have requested action on as soon as possible. That includes interim compensation payments for certain bereaved relatives. Once I have met the paymaster general, I would be happy to meet Miss McNair and her constituent to discuss the particular issues that have been raised. That concludes portfolio questions on NHS recovery, health and social care. There will be a short pause before we move on to the next item of business, to allow front bench teams to change positions should they so wish. Thank you.