 G. Co. Levine E. Whos in the gallery? Thank you. We now move to First Minister's Questions question 1. Kezia Dugdale. Do you ask the First Minister, other than the important matter of the tennis, what engagement she has planned for the rest of the day? First Minister. Engagements to take forward the Government's programme for Scotland and, hopefully, Fingers Crossed, celebrating an Andy Murray victory in the tennis. Kezia Dugdale. On 25 February last year, the school's minister, Alasdair Allan, said that a small minority of pupils would be sitting the old higher this year. This week, we learnt that almost half of Scotland's pupils will be sitting the old higher. What's gone wrong? First Minister. Nothing has gone wrong. What has happened is that teachers have been given the flexibility in the timetable for delivery of curriculum for excellence that Kezia Dugdale once asked for. Curriculum for excellence is founded on professional judgement and it's right that decisions take account of local circumstances. Schools are able to use this flexibility to phase in the new qualifications in the way that best serves the interests of pupils. This flexibility was warmly welcomed when it was given by teacher unions and indeed by opposition politicians. This is the only year in which dual running of the exams will be permitted, but given the importance of ensuring proper implementation, I thought that that would have been something that Kezia Dugdale and her colleagues would have welcomed. Kezia Dugdale. I would accept it was Mike Russell who told this chamber that I do not believe that any teacher in Scotland who has the right support, the right help and the right leadership cannot rise to the challenge and deliver the conclusion of a programme that has been eight years in the making. There is real concern from parents, teachers and pupils across Scotland and we know that from the past, when there is a problem in our education system, it's the kids from the poorest backgrounds who suffer the most. It's worrying that the schools minister clearly didn't know what was going on with the higher system, hopefully the First Minister will know what's going on with the appeals system. Last year the SNP Government started to charge for exam appeals. Freedom of information responses to Scottish Labour showed that for state pupils, the money for an appeal must come from either the school budget or the council budget. We all know that money is tight, but for private school pupils, parents can pay for the appeals themselves. Can the First Minister tell us whether the number of exam appeals from state school pupils has gone up or down in the last year? Consistency clearly isn't Labour's strong suit this week. On the issue of dual running of exams, Labour has raised an important question for pupils and parents across the country, so let me give an answer to the question. It is worth pointing out that it is not that long ago, 12 September 2014, to be precise, when Kezia Dugdale said that the timescale for implementation of the new exams was too fast. She said that timetable was ridiculous. She then cited the introduction of standard grades and said that that had been over 10 years, presumably implying that she thought that that was a more appropriate timescale for the implementation of the new exams. Now that we are seeing teachers and schools using the flexibility that they have been rightly given, Kezia Dugdale turned round and said that the implementation timetable is too slow. It almost puts the hypocrisy on fracking into the shade. Kezia Dugdale wants to quote teachers. Let me quote Larry Farrigan, the general secretary of the EIS. He said that this is a sensible approach that will enable teachers to use their best judgment in deciding which option is in the best interests of their pupils. If that is what teachers have to say, I do not quite know why Kezia Dugdale takes a different view on the issue of appeals. We have put in place a system that is right and proportionate in terms of appeals to give young people the best opportunity of fulfilling their potential at school. I have said previously on a whole range of subjects. If on this issue Kezia Dugdale wants to bring forward some suggestions for improvements, I will be willing to listen. However, not for the first time, I will be waiting a long, long time for Labour to come up with anything constructive. Kezia Dugdale wants to quote Larry Farrigan, the general secretary of the EIS. He said that the appeals should be based upon the professional judgment of teachers rather than on the wishes of parents. What is now happening is fundamentally wrong. The First Minister does not have a clue what the answer to my question was, so let me tell her. The reality is that, since the SNP started to charge, the number of state school pupils appeals has fallen by 55,000. Even if you factor in the fall in the number of exams, that is a drop of more than 75 per cent in just one year. Good exam results can be the difference between a pupil going on to university or not. For disadvantaged kids in particular, this can be a deal-breaker, so let me ask the First Minister another question. Since the SNP started charging for appeals, has the number of appeals from private school kids fallen at a faster or slower rate than for state school pupils in Scotland? First Minister, I am surprised that Kezia Dugdale does not want to focus on what I thought would be the real success story, not of government but of pupils across the country. There was a record number of higher passes in Scotland in 2014, almost 4,000 more than in 2013. We are introducing rightly and properly curriculum for excellence in a new system of exams and yes, changes to the way in which appeals are applied for and processed. We will continue to make sure that we respond to the experience of all that so that we continue to do what we have been doing each and every year that we have been in government. That is taking the action that needs to be taken to ensure that our young people get the best possible education and get the best possible chance to pass the exams that give them the best chance in life. There was a day when Labour would have supported that, but as on so many other issues, Labour has moved beyond and away from its very basic principles. Once again, the First Minister has not got a clue. The truth is that the proportion of appeals from privately educated pupils is now double that of state kids. The system now favours private school pupils more than ever before. Patients of private school pupils can buy their kids a second chance. Patients of private school pupils can put their hands in their pockets to help their kids, but state school pupils cannot. It is no wonder that just 220 kids from the poorest background in Scotland get the grades needed to make it to our top universities. The SNP's record on educational inequality is clear for all to see. Teacher numbers down by more than 4,000, appeals for state pupils plummeting by 55,000, kids from the poorest backgrounds being left behind. People in Scotland simply want to know, is this the fairer Scotland that the First Minister promised? In spite of what Kezia Dugdale has just said, 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged areas are more likely to be accepted to university under the SNP. UCAS stats show that the percentage of 18-year-olds from the most disadvantaged areas accepted to university is up from 6.4 per cent under Labour to 8.9 per cent in 2013, an increase of 2.5 per cent. Can I say very clearly to this entire chamber and to this entire country that I do not think that that is good enough? I want to see more children, more young people from our most disadvantaged backgrounds getting the same kind of opportunities that I have as a young person to go to university. That is why, in my programme for government, I set the goal of increasing the number of people from our most deprived areas who do get to go to university. That is why we are working to ensure, firstly, the best possible school education for our young people. I repeat what I said earlier. We are seeing a record number of higher passes. It is also why this party, unlike the Labour Party, has worked so hard and will continue to work so hard to protect free higher education for our young people. If Labour had their way in introducing tuition fees, it would be a lot harder for our poorest young people to get the chance that I had to go to university. I would like to invite the First Minister to join with me in congratulating Andy Murray, who has just won his Australian Open semi-final in the past few minutes. To ask the First Minister when she will next meet the Secretary of State for Scotland. I hope that Ruth Davidson was not looking at Twitter in the chamber. I think that Jackson Carlaw might be in some trouble. Can I take the opportunity to congratulate Andy Murray on his semi-final win? I am sure that, on behalf of everybody in this chamber, we can have an outbreak of consensus and wish him all the best for the final on Sunday. I will meet the Secretary of State on Monday at the oil and gas summit in Aberdeen, and I will take the opportunity there to again call for the UK Government to take immediate action to cut the supplementary charge for the oil and gas sector instead of waiting seven long weeks until the UK budget. Ruth Davidson. Thank you very much. When this SNP Government defended its massive cuts to college courses, the former education secretary said, and I will quote, that there were bluntly too many hobby courses and far too few courses were focused on employment. There is one group of courses that is geared specifically towards employment. They are called STEM courses and they take in science, technology, engineering and maths. Can the First Minister tell us whether the number of students on further education STEM courses has gone up or down on the SNP's watch? The new figures show that the vision that we have set for the college sector is one focused on skills for work and economic growth is paying dividends. Ruth Davidson rightly says that the changes that we have been making to the college sector are designed to ensure that people going to college come out of college with qualifications that are able to help them get into work. I am happy to discuss with Ruth Davidson any particular aspects of our approach to colleges that she thinks we should be looking to improve. I say that in a genuine spirit of consensus, but I am proud of the fact that we are taking the action, often the tough action, that is making college education more productive for our young people. Ruth Davidson. I asked her about student numbers and the First Minister knows the number that I asked. She just does not want to say the number that I asked. It was published by her Government this week. When the SNP came to power, there were over 86,000 college places in STEM subjects. The most recent figure is just 56,000, a cut of 30,000 places in science, in technology, in engineering and in maths. This Government is failing on science and maths because their college forces lead to jobs, and they have been slashed by a third. In schools, less than half of science and maths pupils will actually sit in new exams this year, as we have just heard. In the international tables, on every measurement since this Government came to power, Scotland has gone backwards in both science and maths. Our young people need the skills to compete. Getting a decent job depends on it, so why is this Government failing them? I am very happy to look in detail at the figures that Ruth Davidson has quoted. I am more than happy to do that and to respond. Labour clearly finds the issue of education amusing. In the year of the most recent figures that we have available, approximately 14,000 more students successfully completed courses, leading to recognised qualifications than was the case in the year 2008 and 2009. That is an increase of 33 per cent. We are also seeing the average hours of learning per student increase back in 2006-07. That was less than 250 hours. That is now up to almost 400 hours. We have, as we committed to doing in our manifesto, maintained the number of places in Scotland's colleges, and the number of students achieving HNC, HNDs, which are qualifications both recognised and valued by employers, is up 36 per cent. The number of getting degrees is up 121 per cent. I think that that is something to be celebrated on the issue of STEM subjects in particular. One of the things that I would certainly readily agree with is that we need to get more girls and women into STEM subjects. I do not stand here and take the view that we have done everything that we need to do, but we are doing the hard work to make sure that our colleges are equipped to give young people the preparation that they need for the workplace, and we will continue to focus on doing that. David Torrance The announcement by Tesco yesterday to Closker Cardiff Store is not only devastating news for our employees, but will have a huge impact on the surrounding area. Can the First Minister tell me what assistance the Scottish Government can give to 199 employees who now face losing their jobs? I thank the member for the question and firstly say that my thoughts are with all of those that were made by Tesco yesterday. Yesterday, the Deputy First Minister spoke to the council in respect of the Corkory store this morning and gave a commitment that the Scottish Government will work with the council to do everything that we can to support affected employees. Of course, PACE has already been in contact with Tesco to offer support for employees who may be facing redundancy, and information on PACE has been provided to the company. We understand that the company will seek to minimise redundancies through redeployment and alternative roles within Tesco, but PACE representatives will work with Tesco to provide a tailored package of support to minimise the time those affected by redundancy are out of work. Liam McArthur To ask the First Minister what progress has been made in implementing the recommendations in Jackie Brock's report on closing the gaps in the child protection process. The Government welcomes the Brock report, and we have accepted all of its recommendations. We are implementing the 12 recommendations that were made, including holding a national strategic leadership summit next month. The report was one strand of a wider programme to ensure Scotland's approach to safeguarding children and young people continues to be as robust as possible. A parliamentary briefing note on the progress of the Scottish Government's response to the Brock report will be available from SPICE today, and we will continue to act decisively to implement the recommendations that were laid out in the report. Liam McArthur I thank the First Minister for the response that she refers to the summit, but the truth is that Mike Russell promised this chamber that he would hold that summit by the end of last year. That did not happen. Those who have suffered the harrowing experience of child sexual exploitation are owed nothing less than robust and urgent action. Jackie Brock knows that, and that is why she has felt moved to express her frustration at the lack of progress by the Scottish Government in taking forward the recommendations contained in the Brock report. Is not it the case that the Government has taken its eye off the ball on this vital issue? Will the First Minister now commit to taking the decisive action that the survivors of child exploitation expect and which we were promised back in November last year? First Minister. No, that is not true. I do not think that it is a fair characterisation at the Government, and I am sure that every single member of this chamber is absolutely resolute in our determination to do everything that we need to do to protect children and to protect our most vulnerable children. As I have said, we have accepted all of the 12 recommendations of the Brock report. The summit that has been referred to, as I said in my initial answer, will take place next month. Of course, the Brock report was just one strand of a wider programme of work, which of course included the full child sexual exploitation action plan, which was published on the same day as the Brock report. That was the result of work that was established in April 2013. It was developed over 19 months by a team of experts, including children's charities, child protection experts and the police and social work. It drew on a full committee inquiry into the issue. We will take forward all of those recommendations. I hope that we will do so with a considerable degree of cross-party support to make sure that we are taking the action that we need to take to protect our vulnerable young people. Iain Gray. The Brock report explicitly pointed out the vulnerability of on-the-radar children to sexual exploitation, citing the Rotherham case. This week, police launched a probe into 14 cases of child sexual exploitation here in Edinburgh. The urgency of this could not be greater. It is a week now, since Jackie Brock told us there had been little or no activity since her report. Can the First Minister tell us what she has done in the past week to redouble efforts in this area? As I said in my initial answer, there is an update available to all members in Spice today that sets out the actions that we are taking as a result of the Brock report. Indeed, as I have already said, that is part of a wider suite of action that we are taking. Iain Gray references police investigations clearly, as I am sure he understands. I cannot comment on on-going police investigations. The action plan that I have already referred to complements the wider action that we are taking, including the wider action around the establishment of a new specialist police unit. Police Scotland has formed a new national child abuse investigation unit. That was announced in October last year. That announcement and that unit will enable the police to play their full part in making sure that we are protecting children and protecting our young people. We have also, as the chamber is well aware, strengthened child protection legislation and policy that the Children and Young People Bill has received royal assent. That act strengthens the protection of children's rights. It creates a statutory single point of contact for raising concerns, the named person. Obviously, we saw a court judgment just in the last few days on that particular issue. It requires all agencies to work together in the child's best interests. We will continue to do everything that we possibly can to protect children, to protect the most vulnerable children and to protect children who are vulnerable to sexual exploitation. I genuinely say that we will listen to ideas and suggestions from wherever they might come, because on this issue, perhaps more than on any other issue, we should come together as one Parliament determined to do what needs to be done. Question 4, Mark McDonald. Can I ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will provide an update on the work of the Energy Jobs Task Force? I very much welcome the constructive discussions and the actions that came out of the first meeting of the Energy Jobs Task Force, which was held yesterday in Aberdeen. The meeting saw a group from across the public and private sectors come together quickly to reinforce the determination of industry to ensure that Scotland retains the skills and talent that support the sector at home and overseas. A range of ideas were considered by the task force, and immediate action will be taken to translate this into tangible outcomes, including a large-scale pace market event to match those facing redundancy with opportunities elsewhere. It's also been agreed that the task force will convene monthly with the next meeting scheduled for 26 February. Mark McDonald. Can I thank the First Minister for her answer? I know what she says the task force will look at opportunities elsewhere. One example might be North East Scotland College, which has recently struggled to recruit lecturers for its oil and gas skills courses, and there may be beneficial opportunities amidst the recent spate of redundancies. Can I also ask the First Minister if she shares the disappointment that is being expressed in the North East that the UK Government who holds the fiscal powers looks set to wait until the budget in March to make any interventions, and will she continue to press for early interventions to support the industry and the workforce? First Minister. I certainly share Mark McDonald's views on what I think the UK Government should be doing right now, which is not waiting until the budget, but acting with tax changes now. As I said, in response to Ruth Davidson, that's an argument that I will make again on Monday at the Oil and Gas Summit. I think that Mark McDonald also makes some very reasonable points around North East Scotland College. It's important to emphasise that the aim of the task force is to safeguard the decades of skills and experience that have been built up within the oil and gas industry. That will include and necessitate close working with colleges and universities, and that's why the Scottish Funding Council is represented on the task force. Mark McDonald. The First Minister will know that the Scottish Conservatives support further reductions in North Sea oil and gas taxation, and we have already made that case to the Chancellor. But Sir Ian Wood has stated that any reduction in taxes will make no difference to the situation over the next six to nine months. So what additional action will the Scottish Government be taking now to assist the sector? First Minister. I have just outlined some of the work that we are doing through the jobs task force. I have made it very clear that that is the key intervention that supplements the work that we would do routinely to support the sector through skills support, innovation support, support for the sector in exporting. The jobs task force is designed to do three things in particular. First, to work to maintain jobs and skills as far as possible. Secondly, to provide targeted support to those who are facing redundancy. Thirdly, to support better collaboration across the industry. The task force, which met yesterday for the first time, heard a number of ideas that will now be turned into a tangible action plan. I would hope that Murdo Fraser and others will get behind that. Finally, in respect of Ian Wood, I spoke to Ian Wood last of the week before last. He made the point, and I think that it is the point that underpins what we are calling for in terms of UK Government action. Companies are making decisions now and therefore they need now the clarity for the medium to long term in terms of the tax regime that they are going to be operating in. That is why it is so important that we do not see a weight of seven weeks to the budget. It is why we should see that action now. I would hope that the Scottish Conservatives would perhaps speak a bit more loudly in calling for their colleagues in Westminster to take the sensible action. Question 5, Mark Griffin. To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to report that science lessons and skills are being underfunded by £8 million per year. We continue to see a very strong picture on science in our schools with increased higher entries across the three main science subjects since 2006 and past rates remaining high. We do not agree that school science is underfunded. The learner societies group on Scottish science education report looked at approximately 2 per cent of primary schools and 13 per cent of secondary schools. The report itself indicates that the findings should be treated with some caution. Indeed, that is borne out by looking at international comparisons where we see that Scotland is above the OECD average for science as measured by the piece of rankings. Mark Griffin. Given that the First Minister has questioned the small sample size, will she listen to the evidence that the Learning Society gave to the Education and Culture Committee this week when they asked the Government to take their work forward, carry out a full independent audit of schools in Scotland to make sure that our pupils have the right equipment that they need to learn the practical science skills that colleges, universities and employers are looking for? First Minister. I am very happy to work with the learner societies group in order to make sure that we build on the work that we are already doing to improve science learning and teaching. I was struck by one thing in particular that Dr Bill Beverage, who gave evidence on behalf of the societies to the committee this week said. The knowledge of the science subjects has been taught well and I think that lots of pupils are seeing positive benefits from studying the sciences. We will continue to work with all those with an interest to make sure that we improve our performance even further. Indeed, after FMQs today, I am going to present certificates to this year's winners of the Higgs prize. The Higgs prize, which bears the name of Professor Peter Higgs, the Nobel prize winner, is designed and was introduced by the Scottish Government to motivate and inspire young physicists in our schools. That is one example of the work that the Scottish Government is doing and I hope that the chamber would welcome it. Question 6, Liz Smith. To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with NHS boards regarding the reported reduction in funding for mental health research. The Scottish Government direct funding for mental health research through grants awarded by three sources, direct funding through grants awarded by the Scottish Government, direct funding of the Scottish Mental Health Research Network and grants awarded to Scottish researchers by the UK Government's Department of Health National Institute of Health Research Funding Committees. That is seen rises in mental health research funding under this Government when you take these three strands together from around £1 million in 2006-07 to nearly £4 million in 2014-15. Thank you, First Minister, for that answer. It was revealed that there has been actually an 85 per cent drop in funding for mental health research in the last eight years of the SNP Government. Today in the Scotsman, the Scottish Children's Services Coalition repeats its warning of two years ago that the number of educational psychologists is dangerously low and on the 9th of July last year they warned the then health secretary, Alex Neil, that there remains a large number of unfilled vacancies for trainee psychiatrists. Does the First Minister agree with those health professionals who say that the Scottish Government's complacency on mental health issues is unacceptable? The Scottish Government is not complacent in any way, shape or form when it comes to mental health. We announced in November last year additional investment of £15 million over the next three years to improve mental health services. We are taking a range of action to make sure that we are reducing waiting times for access to psychological therapies and particularly for access to mental health treatment services for children and adolescents. I am happy to make those figures available to Liz Smith and indeed to anybody else who is interested in seeing them. I think that the report that Liz Smith has referred to looked at, if I understand it correctly, two out of the three strands of funding that I referred to in my initial answer. It looked at funding from the chief scientist office committees and funding for the mental health research network. What it did not include was the funding that comes through the National Institute of Health Research funding committees. Of course, Scottish researchers can apply to that because the chief scientist office pays around £9 million annually into the pot of funding. When we take the three strands together, as I said, funding for mental health research goes from in 2006-07 just over £1 million to in 2014-15 just under £4 million. That is the reality and I am happy to make those figures available. Richard Simpson. Can I first of all thank the Government for providing me with the answer, which was the basis of Liz Smith's question? What it demonstrated, however, was that the funding that she refers to is UK funding largely and that the Scottish funding demonstrates, does she not agree, a total lack of leadership on mental health research. First Minister. Clearly, Labour has not changed its spots that much. It is still trying to make out that Scotland is too weak and too poor in order to do those things. I do not know if Richard Simpson is aware of this, but the National Institute of Health Research funding that I just referred to is contributed to by the chief scientist office in Scotland to the tune of £9 million every year. In other words, we contribute our share of funding to the pot in order that Scottish researchers can bid into it and get funding back. We do not get anything for nothing, even though Richard Simpson clearly wants to give the impression that we do. In terms of one of the other three strands I spoke about, in terms of chief scientist office committee's funding, again, as Richard Simpson will be aware, this is a pot of money that researchers bid into. It fluctuates year on year. In some years, I have got figures here going back to 2005, 2006 and in some years we have seen that over £2 million. In one year it was over £3 million. It sometimes goes down and then goes back up again. It is a fund that is open for bids and I hope we would all agree to encourage those doing vital research into mental health to bid for this funding because the funding is there and we want it to be used. That is, First Minister's questions. We now move to members' business, members to live in the chamber. Quietly.