 Overtro, didd Depending, mae'r tarig wedi bod wedi rhoi'r bwysig, mae'r banksiau kanleghau yn gyflaen â'i mlynedd yn seitwer o'r rhan orlivellau ar portodniac. Yn Handelkei sut nid.." O beth y mae oherwydd, mwy edrych ond naw o front rat teimlo cyflauiaid mewn cyflaensiaid ar br130 comparison mewn cwnghECA. Write also be aware that this would end Scotland's capability to refine petrol and diesel at scale. I will increase our reliance on facilities south of the border, or indeed abroad. Let's not forget that Grangemouth plant makes up 4% of the entire Scottish GDP. So, thousands of jobs are reliant on the plant, and the entire supply of petrol Mae Animal eistedde y cyrnydd ar yr eich yrthuorddiad? Mae unrhyw ffrodds maen nhw yn meddwl hyd yn fawr. Mae ein bod yn dbylcheddau hunain. Rwy'n ddweud ei ddylch yn rhaid i chi ben hyffordd. Mae'r ddodd ddigonwyd eich yrthuorddiad eich yrthuorddiad ar gyfer dda, mae unrhyw unrhyw ddysgu ffordd o'i rheddig yr hyffordd yr hyffordd, a fe bod hynny'n dda nhw'n ddodd beth rydw i'n ddodd ddodd ddodd. sydd gyda'r gael olygu bod ffordd ac yn gweithio? Mae gael olygu a chymwyllgor yn oeddiad. A gael olygu dwi'n credu i ddylch yn eu cigain hollu ac yn gweithio am gweithio. F kupu chyrsgoi'r cumanaeth, mae'r cyfnod raisedell. Rwy'n gwneud i gael gweld gweithio, mae'n gallu hefyd os ddim yn gweithio gwahol o'r gweld y coswaith yn gweithio. Maen nhw'n fawr i ddechrau i amser hwnnw i ddau'r gynhyrch gwaith? Mae'n dweud i ganfeyddio'n gwyfod ardal. Maen nhw'n fawr i ddechrau i gwyfod ardal. Gwyfod yw'r gynhyrch gwaith? Mi fawr i ddechrau i gwyfod ardal, na dweud i gawr y fwyfodau景ol. Mae'n ddau'n gwyfod ardal. Mae'n ddau'n gwyfod ardal i gwaith. Gwbodaeth nhw'n ddau'n gwyfod ardal. Mae'n俺w'n ble bleth o'r peiriau, ond yn rhaid i ddweud eich proses er admit y dyfodol yn beth dyfodol i chi'n fawr. Felly, mae'n ddwybod i ddweud ei wneud, ac mae gael i'n gwybod ei hwn o'r cyfan i'ch cyfrifoldau i ddechrau i'rddangos. Mae ymdigoed cawed i'i ei wneud i'ch i'ch ei wneud eich cyfrifoldau i'ch bwysigol i'u ddweud i'ch wneud eich gwneud. However, if I could finish my comment, the member will appreciate very well the various ways in which matters can be raised in the Parliament. On the issue of a ministerial statement, I would imagine that the member would perhaps wish to discuss that matter with his party business manager so that the party business manager can seek to raise the matter in derbyr, thank you. the bill. Further point of order, Mr Kerr. Mae'n caos i4, ond ni'n ddysgu, wrth respond gitti Legacy ddisalıwg ond ni ein gwych arnyn diwael. Pwy sydd yn adser o mor iawn i今wyr. Fi mae wneud derbyg gwir Fif concludur, esg mentos ni気 intersection, fyddwch chi ein ddych arwefod ag arms byddwn ni gydag yn y byg. Rwy'n caos euno ar bydwch a'n bwysig i sow כן. Pwy sydd yn gwych ar rai gym Rivera. Mr Kerr, please resume your seat for a second. Mr Kerr, I have asked you a number of times to indicate specifically. Mr Kerr has indicated that he is seeking a ministerial statement. I have indicated to Mr Kerr how that can be pursued. Mr Kerr wishes to raise a further point of order. I am happy to hear Mr Kerr's further point of order, but I would wish to be assured that it actually is a point of order that engages the standing orders of the Parliament. Thank you, Mr Kerr. My simple point, Deputy Presiding Officer, is that my understanding of the standing orders is that I have a couple of minutes to explain the context for the point of order that I am raising. You allowed me very little time to give this important point of order, and I repeat, despite all of the muttering from the SNP benches, this is a very important matter for my constituents, thousands of whom the jobs are on the line, their livelihoods, the whole economy of this area, and yet I am granted a few seconds to make a point of order. Mr Kerr, you have already, it is now 14.04.37. Mr Kerr, what is the next point of order? I have tried. What is the next specific matter pertaining to the standing orders of this Parliament that the member, by pursuit of a point of order, wishes to invoke? My point of order is as I have expressed it, but I am making the point that under the standing orders of this Parliament a member is entitled to two or three minutes to explain the stand, to explain the point of order, and I was not allowed that privilege. We are already at 14.05. We are at 14.05, so I think that there has been a good exploration of the issues that the member wished to raise. The member's point about seeking a ministerial statement has been noted, I am sure about everybody in the chamber, but of course the way in which the member can best pursue that, and I really would not appreciate the member continuing. Mr Kerr, please desist from challenging the authority of the chair of this Parliament. Please have the courtesy to do that. As I was saying to Mr Kerr, who continues from a secondary position to challenge the authority of the chair and also is being extremely rude in my view, I would say that the member well knows how a matter can be pursued, and that is through his party's business manager, and I suggest that he may wish now to have that conversation. I would like to now move to our portfolio questions. The first portfolio is wellbeing, economy, fair work and energy, and at question number one I call Emma Harper. To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting businesses in rural areas to become accredited living wage employers. The absence of legislative powers to mandate a living wage which are reserved to Westminster, we fund the Living Wage Scotland team at the Poverty Alliance to deliver living wage employer accreditations and promote the benefits of a real living wage to businesses, rural and urban across Scotland. As a result of this effort, Scotland now has over 3400 living wage accredited employers situated across all 32 local authority areas covering a range of industries and sectors. Scotland leads the UK with 91 per cent of employees earning at least the real living wage and proportionately five times more accredited employers than the rest of the UK. Emma Harper. I thank the cabinet secretary for that response. Rural and small businesses that I regularly visit across to Freeson Galloway and the Scottish Borders report that they would like to become accredited living wage employers, often due to the nature of rural employment practices such as seasonal working and often small and changing workforces and the costs associated with becoming accredited it can be difficult for small and medium sized rural businesses. Can the cabinet secretary provide any further information about the steps that can be taken such as through enterprise agencies to help support rural businesses to deliver fair work practices such as a real living wage and a remind chamber, I am also a living wage employer. The cabinet secretary. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I thank Emma Harper not just for her question but for her work in this area. We appreciate the challenges many employers have faced due to the pandemic, Brexit, the rising costs of doing business and that some sectors of regions, particularly in rural areas, continue to face difficulties. The Scottish Government's Fair Work Action Plan commits to supporting employers to utilise the resources available to embed fair work in their organisations. We have made fair work first guidance available to have developed a fair work employer support tool with our enterprise and skills agencies and, in Emma Harper's case, I would like to pay tribute to the work of the south of Scotland enterprise and their partners in encouraging the uptake of the real living wage in that area. We will continue to work with partners to join up provision of advice and support for employers through a central fair work resource making it as simple and efficient as possible to use. I supplementary Mercedes Biaf. Does the Scottish Government know that many of Scotland's 1,125 rural estates are accredited living wage employers? Will the cabinet secretary join me in calling on any estates who are not yet accredited to register today? Yes, anyone who has the ability to take that choice to move to being a real living wage employer will see the benefits in lower attrition rates and greater productivity amongst their business. Of course, regardless of the sector, I encourage employers across Scotland to take up becoming a real living wage employer. I supplementary Biaf's wish. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can the Scottish Government outline any assessment that is made of the growing number of businesses who are accredited living wage employers and the impact on the horticultural sector and the future of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board? This is an area that is under active consideration across Government and across different portfolios, recognising the fact that there are challenges across different elements of the economy, the agricultural sector, being one. We are looking to do all that we can to provide support to employers regardless of sector to ensure that the benefits of being a real living wage employer can be utilised, but at the same time we are understanding of some of the challenges that there are in those areas, and we will be happy to discuss that further with Beatrice Wishart. To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the reportedly stagnant level of economic growth. Cabinet Secretary. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The cost of living crisis continues to impact households and businesses' ability to spend, which in turn affects the wider economy. Despite those extremely challenging economic conditions, the Scottish economy remains resilient. Our national strategy for economic transformation contains bold and ambitious actions that will deliver fairer greener prosperity for Scotland, making our economy more sustainable and resilient in the longer term. Similarly, our new deal for business is about creating an environment support, so a wellbeing economy maximises opportunities of the green economy and helps businesses to thrive. So while we remain tied to a failed UK economic model and do not hold all the financial levers needed, we continue to use all the powers that we do have to grow a fair green and growing wealth. To grow a fair green and growing wellbeing economy, which meets the needs and aspirations of the people of Scotland. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. He spoke about resilience. The news from Grangemouth this morning is deeply concerning and a huge blow to those communities, not just the thousands of jobs at the site, but those in the supply chain as well. We know that there are significant issues in Scotland in terms of stagnant growth, with less well-off areas growing more slowly than better-off areas. That will have a significant impact not only on the regional economy, but also on our national economy. I ask the cabinet secretary when the Government was made aware of the announcement by Petroenios what discussions have they had and crucially what action are they taking and are going to take in terms of protecting and safeguarding jobs and moving to that just transition and keeping this Parliament informed. Cabinet secretary. We were informed of updates with discussions with Petroenios going forward. Obviously, this is a decision that has been taken as a commercial one by the company. We were informed last night that they intended to take this decision. There wasn't a timescale upon it. We were giving reassurances that they had fully consulted the workforce first before going public. As Mr O'Cain would expect, I'm endeavouring to have further conversations with Petroenios in short order in order to understand how this is going to operate. Assurances that we have been given are that the changes that they are looking to make at the site are about ensuring a sustainable future for industrial work at the Grangemouth site and ensuring that there is a long-term future both for jobs and investment in that area. That is something that, as he would expect, I am incredibly exercised on ensuring that it can take place. I will continue to not only laze with Petroenios but with the UK Government, who have a locus here, as well as an update Parliament in due course. I have received requests from four members and given issues that could be raised here. I would intend to seek to take all four, but I would hope that I could have brief questions and answers. Supplementary, Colin Beattie. There is no denying the economic impact of Brexit. However, as the ever-increasing damage of leaving the European Union continues to mount, it seems that Labour notaries are keeping their heads in the sand. Can the cabinet secretary provide any update regarding the latest assessment that the Scottish Government has made of the impacts of Brexit on economic growth? Will he join me in calling on opposition members to wake up to the reality of these impacts and to join us in standing up for Scotland's place in Europe? Yes, I can. I appreciate that question from Colin Beattie. Brexit has caused economic devastation to Scotland and the UK. The UK's inflation rate in October 2023 is still higher than in France and Germany. In a recent survey of small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, most respondents said that Brexit had affected them negatively. In March, the OBR repeated their expectation that the UK's GDP will be 4 per cent lower in the long run due to Brexit. It is clear that the costs of Brexit outweigh any costs of UK membership. Joining the European Union is, as an independent nation, to offer Scotland a chance to regain what has been lost because of Brexit. With 4 per cent of Scotland's GDP dependent upon the Grangemouth refinery, does the minister not see that this Government's rhetoric towards the oil and gas sector matched by the rhetoric from the Care Starmer's Labour Party is not helping in supporting what is an essential part of the Scottish economy in the future? This is a commercial decision that has been taken by Petra Ineos. The site is obviously of a particular age that causes a challenge in itself in terms of what is required for the future. My understanding of conversations that have been had and the conversations that I've had with Petra Ineos is that the decision that they are taking is about ensuring that there is a long-term future for that site, which includes ensuring that they're moving to more sustainable areas. As I have said in response to Mr O'Kane, I will be looking to engage in further discussions with Petra Ineos. We'll make sure that not only Mr Fraser but the remainder of this Parliament is updated on those discussions, not just with Petra Ineos but also the UK Government who have locusts in this as well. What's the point of having an economy secretary if he doesn't know what's happening to one of the major employers in this country more than 24 hours in advance of a decision? Surely he'd be integrated into this company understanding what's going on. If a just transition means anything we should have had a plan ages ago. Has he got a just transition for this plant? What's he going to do about it? Yes, work has been on going over a long period of time in order to engage with Petra Ineos and the Grangemouth site around ensuring that there is a sustainable future for it in exactly the ways that Mr Rennie describes. Ensuring that there can be a sustainable future and ensure that there is continued industrial capacity there at Grangemouth continue to engage with Petra Ineos and the UK Government who have locusts in this, an update Parliament in due course. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, which economic levers currently reserved to Westminster would help to boost economic growth the most if devolved to this Parliament? In which of those, if any, Labour and Conservative parties have committed to devolving those areas? Thank you very much indeed, Presiding Officer. I appreciate that from Kenny Gibson. This Government has consistently argued for the devolution of migration powers to the Scottish Parliament which would help us attracting working-age people and their families ensuring that our businesses can access skills and people and meet the needs of those parts of Scotland most at risk of depopulation. The UK Government has blatantly ignored those calls on more than one occasion despite the fact that the UK's immigration system is not designed to meet the needs of Scotland and is having a damaging effect on our economy and communities especially in rural areas. We also continue to call on the UK Government to devolve employment powers to this Parliament so we can introduce the real living wage and boost the rights of millions of workers across Scotland. I hope that the Labour Party supports those calls but with the full powers of an independent country we would of course do much more. Question number 4, Douglas Lumson. Thank you Presiding Officer. I ask the Scottish Government what assurances it has received that the Scottish National Investment Bank is supporting its ambition to create a wellbeing economy in light of there not being an advisory board in place. Thank you Douglas Lumson for that question. Now that the bank is fully established with a growing portfolio of investments, work is under way to establish the advisory group. We receive assurances on the bank's support for a wellbeing economy by the fact that the missions set by ministers align closely with our wellbeing economy principles. The bank's robust investment processes ensure that investments align to at least one mission and the work of the bank to measure the benefits of their investments published in the bank's impact report. Myself and senior officials also have regular meetings with the bank's senior leadership team. Douglas Lumson. Cabinet Secretary, the bank has been in operation for three years now and recently there has been serious allegations of the national investment bank. One being that the bank lent £7.5 million to a company run by the brother of a bank employee a company that was loss making and whose accounts were overdue. It was also reported that there was political pressure in investing £9 million in Circularity Scotland, most of which has now been lost. I don't know if those accusations are true but I do know if the advisory board was in place, as is required in law, then we would have the assurance that things were in order. Does the cabinet secretary accept that it is vital that the advisory board is in place as soon as possible? Yes, I do. We are looking to establish that. As I said in my first answer to Mr Lumson, we, in addition to bringing about the advisory group, as I also set out in my answer, have regular meetings with the senior management. I recently met the chair and chief executive on 2 November. My officials meet regularly to ensure that we have that oversight and the advisory group will be set up as soon as possible now that it is fully operational. In light of the recent reports that the Scottish National Investment Bank investments are being made into firms that are linked to personnel at the bank, what work is the Scottish Government undertaking to improve transparency at the bank, avoid the type of conflicts of interests and meet the high standards that are expected of a public entity? Cabinet secretary. I thank Mr Regan for that question as I set out to Mr Lumson in the first answer that I gave. We receive assurances on the bank's support for a well-being economy and on their work that is linked to at least one of the missions by having regular meetings with them both at official and ministerial level. They also have to publish the bank's impact report as well and all of the investments that are made are done so in a transparent way for people to see clearly. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The failure of the recent UK Government auction for offshore wind subsidy contracts to attract any new projects has left investors with reduced confidence in UK renewables according to the recent EY renewable energy attractive report with the UK dropping down their international rankings. Can the cabinet secretary provide an update on any strategic investment through the Scottish National Investment Bank that will accelerate Scotland's offshore renewables capabilities and help secure a just transition for our energy sector and a fairer and greener Scotland for everyone? Mr Lumson, were you wishing to make any point of order? On a point of order I can ask in terms of supplementary questions as I've not got to be some relevance to the initial question that's been asked because the initial question was on an advisory board for Scottish National Investment Bank and the supplementary question seems to have no relevance to that whatsoever. What I would say is and I listened carefully to the supplementary from Mr Stewart is that he did sufficiently bring the issue back to and part of Mr Lumson's own initial question what assurances it has received from the Scottish National Investment Bank that it is supporting its ambition to create a wellbeing economy and that was the bit that I understood Mr Stewart was getting at and perhaps that is the part of Mr Stewart's question that the cabinet secretary could focus his reply on. I appreciate that direction Presiding Officer and you Mr Stewart will appreciate that I cannot give details on active investments that the bank is currently working on however the Scottish National Investment Bank has a strong record investments contributing to the offshore renewable sector including a £6.6 million investment in clean energy pioneer Verloom whose technology uses intelligent energy management to deliver constant output of power from renewable sources supporting the company's expansion plans. In addition £50 million investment in north star renewables by the bank is supporting the building of service operations vessels to assist the renewable energy sector strengthening Scotland's position as a global leader in the offshore wind supply chain and finally the bank will also be a key delivery partner in the recent £500 million commitment to Scotland in its supply chain. Question number five, Marie McNair. To ask the Scottish Government in light of the commitment set out in the programme for government 23-24 to provide more details on how it plans to increase the number of people earning the real living wage. In line with our programme for government commitment to boost wages we are providing grant funding to the poverty alliance to deliver our living wage and living hours accreditation schemes across Scotland which promote the business benefits of pay security both for workers and their employers. In July we introduced a requirement on public sector grant recipients to pay at least and provide appropriate channels for effective voice. While minimum wage rates are reserved to the UK Government, we will continue to use the levers that are at our disposal to promote payment of the real living wage and enhance fair work in Scotland. Marie McNair. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. An effective real living wage policy is very welcome attack on poverty pay and more must be done to assist those on low pay. Does the cabinet secretary agree with me and the SCC that the full resolution of employment powers would allow Scotland to do so much more like ending zero-hour contracts and fire rehire practices? Thank you. I thank Marie McNair for the question. The SCC and the Scottish Government have long shared the view that employment powers should be devolved to Holyrood. We continue to call for this to enable for us to create fairer workplaces, enhance workers' rights in Scotland, help shift the curve on poverty and deliver a growing economy in a more prosperous Scotland. The full devolution of employment powers would allow us to legislate to support workers in precarious employment, ban fire and rehire practices and it's important that Scotland can legislate appropriately for its own workforce to ensure adequate protections and the security of employment and to fully implement policies that will best meet Scotland's distinct needs. Question number six, not lodged. Question number seven, Martin Whitfield. I'm very grateful, Deputy Presiding Officer. As the Scottish Government, in light of its fair work first policy, what its response is to report that workers in Scotland lost nearly £1.9 million in wages in a year due to working unpaid overtime? Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Far be it for me to correct Mr Whitfield but I think he meant billion as opposed to million so we believe that workers should have good work and secure conditions with a fair wage for a fair day's work. We have called on the UK Government to devolve employment powers to the Scottish Parliament however, while employment law remains a reserve matter we will continue to use our fair work policy to promote fairer work practices across the labour market in Scotland. Through our fair work policy we ask employers to pay at least the real living wage and they consider the number and frequency at work hours which are critical in tackling in work poverty. Martin Whitfield. I'm very grateful for that response and assistance. One of the workforces that of course the Scottish Government through its emanations is responsible for is of course the public sector. So what does the Government have to say to the estimated £15 million of unpaid overtime hours coming from that sector including teachers who are working well above their 35 hour week? So what is the Scottish Government doing to ensure those workers are paid for their work during this cost of living crisis? Cabinet Secretary. I feel I must declare an interest in this case being the husband of a hardworking teacher and also the son of a recently retired hardworking teacher. Obviously we look to ensure that in our public sector pay settlements we do everything that we can to make sure that our hardworking public service workers are earning a fair pay and doing all we can to ensure that included in those contracts are also an assurance that they are working the hours that are being ascribed to them. There are always challenges to that. We all look to do what we can to make sure that we are contributing in our workplace but that should be recognised in the fair work policies that we brought to bring forward and the contracts and the payments that people receive. Brief supplementary Gordon MacDonald. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree with me that if Scottish Labour members are serious about protecting the rights of workers and going further to deliver fair work conditions in Scotland then they need to take some proper action so that London bosses can commit to devolving employment law to Holyrood as a priority? Perhaps the cabinet secretary can focus on the matters that could be within his purview. In terms of me being able to as the economy secretary and fair work secretary ensure that our commitments are being worked through in policy terms it would be most helpful if Labour were able to give that such commitment and stand shoulder to shoulder with their Scottish colleagues because I think we are in a very similar place I think it's the divergence that there is between here and London that is the challenge and perhaps the further conversations could be had around if there is to be a future Labour Government whether or not they would allow us to have employment law to deliver on our commitments. 8. Murdo Fraser To ask the Scottish Government what policy changes it has implemented as a result of issues raised in the new deal for business group report on progress and recommendations. I thank Murdo Fraser for his questions. It gives me the opportunity to set out that we have extended the deadline for lodging non-domestic rates proposals from 31 August this year giving businesses an extra month to submit their 23 revaluation proposals following the introduction of the new two-stage appeal system on 1 April. Re-establish the regulatory review group which met for the first time on 26 October and will provide an advice on the pragmatic implementation of regulations moving forward. We have started activities to review and update the business and regulatory impact assessment toolkit and guidance ensuring that it is accessible and purposeful and we are establishing the new small business unit to work more closely with small businesses and ensure that their voices are heard during policy engagement. In such short order I think that that is a good start and there is more to come. I welcome all the engagement that he referred to which is very necessary because a poll done last week of business directors in Scotland showed that less than a quarter believe the Scottish Government understands the business environment in Scotland more than two thirds disagree with that statement and what business wants is action and delivery not just words. We have just heard from the chancellor that the 75 per cent rates relief for businesses in the retail hospitality and leisure sector will be extended for a further year. That is the number one ask of this Government from businesses in those sectors so will they follow suit? Obviously this is part of the final point that Mr Fraser raises on non-domestic rates all of this is in the mix as we assess the impact on Scotland's budget from what we have just heard from the autumn statement as it takes some time for the implications of what has been set out to come through in the wash and some of the more positive elements maybe turn out to be more negative in terms of Scotland's budget. So what we will do is look carefully at what the implication of the autumn statement is on our ability to look at non-domestic rates and on Mr Fraser's previous question on the attitudes of directors and the feeling at the sentiment of the Scottish Government that is something that we continue to work on and the reason why we have the new deal for business, why we are engaging in the way we are and we understand that delivery is going to be critically important which is why we published an implementation plan earlier this year to go alongside the recommendations of the new deal for business growth so we can be held accountable to the work that we have committed to doing. Thank you Cabinet Secretary that concludes portfolio questions on wellbeing, economy, fair work and energy. I turn to the Finance and Parliamentary Business portfolio allowing front bench teams to change position should they wish. Thank you. So again if anybody wishes to ask a supplementary question during the Finance and Parliamentary Business portfolio questions they should press the request to speak button during the relevant question or enter the letters RTS in the chat function during the relevant question I call Edward Mountain. Thank you very much to ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to propose a parliamentary debate on waiting times for elective care for both outpatient and inpatient appointments. Minister George Asen. Thank you Mr Mountain for the question. Currently there are no plans at this time and as Mr Mountain is aware any proposals for government business and parliament are agreed by the Scottish Cabinet subject to consideration by the Parliamentary Bureau and in turn approval by Parliament. Edward Mountain. As the Minister will know and I thank him for that response this party business is limited to nine debates per parliamentary year so there's very stiff competition so will the Minister undertake to raise this specific issue with the Cabinet Secretary for Health? As despite the national treatment centre opening earlier this year waiting times are increasing in the highlands and constituents in the highlands expect these matters to be debated in the Parliament. Minister. Thank you Mr Mountain for that question. This is the third time today I've been asked a question out with my portfolio I take that as a compliment of my ministerial abilities but I encourage the member to continue I encourage the member to continue engaging with health colleagues and I am quite happy to pass on his concerns to my health colleagues as well. Question 2 To ask the Scottish Government what impact UK Government annual financial settlements have on its ability to undertake long-term financial planning. The UK Government's financial settlements to Scotland significantly curtail the Scottish Government's ability to undertake long-term planning has been a significant alteration to assumed UK Government's plans as a result of events such as a disastrous many budget a little over a year ago. In addition we must also factor in potential changes to assume capital programme spending by the UK Government in year to hold against the possibility of negative consequentials that would reduce our spending power in year. This autumn statement simply does not go far enough in delivering the funding that we need. This makes the challenges on our budget severe and in order to bring as much clarity as we can within our gift we publish the medium-term financial strategy which of course sets out the challenges to be addressed in our financial position. I thank the Deputy First Minister for that answer. Virtually every organisation that the Scottish Government funds seeks three to five year financial settlements yet have seen chronic financial instability at UK level with four chances with Exchequer in four months last year for example. Has the Cabinet Secretary been given any indication that the current Chancellor is considering longer-term settlements in order to help to deliver the certainty, efficiency and effectiveness of the longer-term financial planning that we would bring? We have had no such clarity or certainty about longer-term financial planning from the UK Government. We continue to face significant funding pressures in the year ahead at a time where costs continue to rise and they need to support people through these challenging times that remain. Prior to the autumn statement, I wrote to the Chancellor urging him to provide a funding settlement that enables us to invest in public services, vital infrastructure and fair public sector pay increases. We have seen no such thing from the autumn statement today and what is emerging is a set of choices that will have a devastating impact on our public services next year. Supplementary John Swinney. Presiding Officer, I wonder when the answer that the Deputy First Minister has just given to Mr Gibson whether the Government will give consideration to making further representations to the UK Government about the necessity of longer-term financial planning information so that we are able as a Parliament to provide greater funding assurance to third sector organisations who are interested in providing transformational change within our society but need greater certainty about the funding horizon to enable them to do so. As I said to John Swinney, we will continue to do so and having met a range of organisations over the past few weeks, for many organisations, particularly third sector organisations, that funding certainty is almost more important than the quantum of the settlement because it is about being able to keep staff and being able to plan. I have to say though what is emerging from the autumn statement today will make every single part of our public sector, our third sector organisations funding extremely difficult indeed and I will be keen to set out to Parliament the earliest opportunity, the full impact and how grave the situation is after what the Chancellor announced today. Minister Joe FitzPatrick. The refresh town centre action plan that was published last year is a call to action both locally and nationally to support the rejuvenation of our town centres and reaffirms our commitment to the town centre first principle. In 2021, we established the place-based investment programme which we deliver in partnership with local government to accelerate ambitions for town centres, place 20 minute neighbourhoods generation and this year we have invested £70 million to support projects across the country through this programme. Gokab Stewart. I thank the minister for that answer. City centre economies are facing significant challenges and Glasgow is no different. Currently a £5.7 million investment in redeveloping Salki Hall Street, Buchanan Street and Argyll Street is under way thanks to the city region deal funding. However, there is a decline in the number of hospitality businesses operating in Glasgow. What additional investment is being considered by the Scottish Government similar to the announcement of funding for Aberdeens Union Street that will help to boost the hospitality sector and night-time economy in Glasgow town? Minister. For her supplementary question I am aware of the challenges some in the hospitality sector are facing as such. We have established an industry leadership group with tourism and hospitality sector to understand its unique needs going forward. Glasgow City Council has benefited from a range of investments. For example, in addition to the investments made through the city deal the council has already received a direct allocation of over £9 million from the place-based investment programme which council has discretion on how it uses. We continue to work closely with Glasgow holding quarterly leadership meetings with the Scottish Cities Alliance last week. The First Minister and Mr Gray met with all eight city leaders as an opportunity to further reinforce our aims to encourage investment and strengthen the prosperity and wellbeing of our cities. It is up for the minister, Daniel Johnson. I remind the chamber of my register of interests. A town centres act as important and vital commercial hubs and provision of employment. While we must rebalance and rejuvenate town centres, does the minister agree with me that commercial purpose must remain at the heart of town centres? I think that the member is absolutely right but I do think that across the piece we are all looking at how town centres can have a new vision for the future with potentially more people residing in those town centres to increase the footfall, make sure that they remain vibrant but absolutely commercial so that a basis for our town centres is crucial going forward. That is at the heart of the town centre action plan. A survey from Scotland's town partnership this summer showed that people want to shop locally for ease and also for the planet but many retail properties in smaller towns and villages are poor insulation and high energy costs so what more can be done to support the rejuvenation of high streets in small towns and villages to enable more people to shop locally? A lot of those small properties that the member is talking about already benefit from substantial support from the Scottish Government but I think that we need to look at what more we can all do working in partnership with the Scottish Government and our local government colleagues to make sure that our town centres remain vibrant and sustainable going forward. Footfall is absolutely crucial to that sustainability, particularly given the incredible increases in energy costs are a really important factor to be considered. To ask the Scottish Government from which part of its budget the additional £300 million pledge for the national health service will be allocated. The First Minister's announcement of new funding of £300 million in October aims to help reduce inpatient and day case waiting lists by an estimated 10,000 patients over three years. The investment is subject to the outcome of the Scottish budget process for 24-25 and future years and associated approval by the Scottish Parliament. I have to say that it is deeply disappointing that the Chancellor has failed to provide the funding that devolved Governments need in the autumn statement. That makes the challenges for our budget next year even more severe including for the NHS. I declare my interest as a practicing NHS GP. That is not an answer. That is just a rehashing of a statement. I ask again where is this money going to be allocated from and is it not right that you will be having substantial cuts to places like mental health where you have already cut £30 million this year? I remind all members we do need to speak through the chair. Let's talk about substantial cuts in the treasury documents published today shows no noticeable investment in public services, including the NHS, resulting in minimal consequentials for Scotland's NHS. Less than £11 million in 2024-25 for the NHS compared to £367 million in last year's autumn statement. Those are the choices of Sandesh Gulhane's Government that will mean devastating consequences for every part of our public services here in Scotland and he should hang his head in shame for coming to this chamber asking us about funding for the NHS when his Chancellor has deprioritised funding for the NHS for all to see. I'll take no lectures from the Tories today of all days on funding for our NHS. Supplementary. Can the cabinet secretary confirm today that all capital spending plans with regard to the financing of its programme of national treatment centres will be delivered by the end of this Parliament as committed in its NHS recovery plan? Cabinet secretary. What we will do is, throughout the budget process and when I come to set out the budget on 19 December I have said that alongside that we will set out the revisions and the infrastructure investment plan that will need to be made. If you look at the capital cuts that have been announced and confirmed today for a 7 per cent reduction in our capital spending availability due to the cuts that are coming from the UK Government there is absolutely hardly anything for capital that has been announced by the Chancellor today so that cannot have no impact on our capital spending and our infrastructure investment. We will have some very challenging decisions to make when we bring forward the choices that we are making and the priorities that we will take forward and I will set that out alongside the budget on 19 December. Supplementary. The cabinet secretary will have seen that NHS Fife has already built up a 10.9 million deficit in just the first few months of the financial year and the chair of the NHS board is pessimistic about whether costs can be recovered without damaging front-line services. So what is the cabinet secretary going to do to stop the cuts to front-line services as it could result from this? We have always, as a Government tried to prioritise funding in the NHS. I am not going to deny or dismiss the pressures that have come on our NHS with trying to deal with the Covid backlog trying to deal with pay pressures the cost of medicines all of that does heat pressure on our NHS boards but surely today of all days Willie Rennie would join with me in condemning the Chancellor and the UK Government for giving £11 million of consequentials for the NHS next year £11 million, that's all for the NHS next year compared to £367 million for the NHS announced in last year's autumn statement that shows a hollowing out of funding for the NHS for NHS England and the consequences for NHS Scotland I don't know why Willie Rennie is shaking his head these are the facts I have the figures from the Treasury reports I'll need to move on to the next question Surely he should join with us in condemning the Chancellor and the UK Government for the NHS Thank you, Presiding Officer to ask the Scottish Government how it is ensuring that local government finance support schemes are operating effectively Minister Tom Arthur Local authorities are accountable to their local communities and have the financial freedom to operate independently taking account of local needs The Scottish Government will continue to work on the accountability framework to underpin the Verity House agreement in the coming months We have also committed to inviting the Accounts Commission and Audit Scotland to be part of this work We have been helping a number of my constituents who, regarding the dual housing support scheme to support people going into rehab and also the discretionary housing payment to mitigate the Tory's bedroom tax Both excellent examples of this Government putting cash into the hands of the most vulnerable at the most difficult of times in marked contrast to austerity from Westminster but it has become apparent that many constituents, many third sector organisations are not aware of these support schemes administered by the local authority Can I urge the Scottish Government to work with local authorities to ensure that these initiatives are promoted locally and passported to those who are entitled to support I thank Claire Adams for her supplementary and for highlighting that Scottish Government investment We have commissioned Healthcare Improvement Scotland to establish regional improvement hubs that will bring together groups of ADPs and other key parts of the local system to design and improve pathways into through and from rehab Part of this work is to ensure that local pathways promote routes into residential rehabilitation such as the dual housing support fund Local authorities are responsible for promoting the DHP scheme within their areas The Scottish Government has been working with third sector partners to raise awareness of the support available to households particularly with the newly established fuller benefit cap mitigation Question 6 Bill Kidd To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the UK Government regarding any impact of the autumn statement on Scotland's public finances Cabinet Secretary As I outlined to Parliament yesterday I wrote to the chancellor ahead of the autumn statement setting out the Scottish Government's priorities for action I also spoke to the new chief secretary to the treasurer this morning and again emphasised the need for investment in public services net zero and to support people with the cost of living The Welsh Finance Minister and I previously discussed the need for additional investment in devolved government budgets to the treasurer at the last meeting of the Finance and Ministerial Standing Committee It's very disappointing that the chancellor has today failed to provide the funding that devolved governments need and this increases the challenges for our budget next year Bill Kidd I thank the cabinet secretary for that As we were hearing earlier hospitality businesses have suffered particularly throughout the pandemic facing rising costs due to inflation and increased energy prices Can the minister outline any discussions that have taken place specifically to ensure support for the hospitality sector? Cabinet Secretary My ministerial colleagues and I regularly meet representatives of the hospitality industry the minister for community wealth and public finance chairs the new deal for business non-domestic rates subgroup which includes representatives of the hospitality industry We responded to businesses' biggest ask on non-domestic rates in 2020-23-24 ensuring the lowest non-domestic rates poundage in the UK for the fifth year in a row A rates package is estimated to be worth £749 million and ensures that around half of properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in Scotland will pay no rates due to the most generous small business bonus scheme relief in the UK Going forward we will set out our decisions around non-domestic rates in the budget that will be set out on 19 December and supplementary, Kate Forbes According to the OBR the outlook for the UK is pretty subdued and inflation as well as interest rates will be higher for longer much as has been made already of the impact of Tory decisions and consequential funding that Scotland will receive but does she accept that it's a double whammy because not only will we be receiving less but our costs will remain higher because of Tory incompetence? Kate Forbes' summation is absolutely on the button and that is absolutely as she describes it as a double whammy The question for us going forward is how do we reconcile a reduction in our budget, a real terms cut in capital In fact next year the CDL for capital is a total of £10 million for next year's capital allocation from the UK Government I think that puts in context some of the questions that we were hearing earlier on about infrastructure investment priorities so I look forward to hearing what the Tory's priorities are in the face of the Chancellor's decisions today and when each and every one of them comes here asking for more money I will be reminding them of the Chancellor's priorities today the Chancellor's priorities today that will have an impact on every single one Thank you cabinet secretary Question 7 Colin Beattie To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it's made of any impact that its council tax fees policy will have on households in the Midlothian north and Musselborough constituency Minister Tom Arthur The total funding for local government and the significant associated savings for taxpayers for 2024-25 will form part of the detail of the implementation of the council tax which will be agreed with COSLA over the coming weeks That will mean that every Scottish household will continue to benefit from cheaper council tax bills Where council tax for example in England increased by 3% next year it would see the average band D property in England pay over £700 more on average than a band D property in Scotland following our freeze Colin Beattie On that the SNP Scottish Government is helping households across Scotland to save hundreds of pounds with the council tax freeze putting money in people's pockets when they need it most Meanwhile East Lothian's Labour council leader apparently recently threatened to raise council tax by 32% this would hammer hard pressed families across my constituency right in the midst of a cost of living crisis Will the minister join me in calling on the Labour party to condemn that Labour party has been planning similar council tax rises across Scotland Minister If I'm Mr Beattie for the supplementary we are absolutely committed to constructive engagement with our partners in local government to deliver a council tax freeze which will benefit every part of Scotland It is for other parties to set out their position I do admit I struggle to keep up with other parties position as it seems to change on a weekly basis We are absolutely committed to working with our local government partners to deliver a council tax freeze that will benefit every single household in Scotland The member is right to question how council tax freeze will affect households in Midlothian, North and Musselborough but isn't it the case that this will also affect households across Scotland including my region west of Scotland when it comes to delivery of public services Can the minister confirm the expected cost of the council tax freeze and can more crucially where will the money come from As I set out in my earlier responses to Mr Beattie we are committed to that constructive engagement with COSLA to deliver a fully funded council tax freeze that will benefit households in the member's constituency and indeed in households across Scotland Does the minister recognise that for a lot of local services they are buckling under the financial pressure and without getting into the party politics of this does the minister intend to sit down with local government and look seriously at what can be done to protect some of those services that are for the most vulnerable people in our communities Minister Thank Mr Riley for his question and the tone of the question We are committed not only to making an agreement with local government to delivering a fully funded council tax freeze but through our wider commitments and the very to house agreement to ensure that we can provide services for all people in Scotland and to ensure that these public services are sustainable and deliver the person centred services that we all want to see Question 8 To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to issue government bonds Cabinet Secretary Minister announced on the 70th of October subject to market testing and due diligence that the Scottish Government will go directly to the bond market for the first time in our own right The issue of bonds is part of a wide ranging package of recommendations from an investor panel of senior figures from investment finance The Scottish Government will issue bonds when the value for money case supports it from a fiscal and economic perspective It's deeply disappointing that the Chancellor has failed to provide the funding that devolved in the autumn's statement and that makes the challenges for our budget next year even more severe So it's right that the Scottish Government pursues all of its fiscal and economic levers to boost investment in Scotland including the issuance of bonds The next steps will be set out at the 24-25 Scottish budget on the 19th of December I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her response The bonds clearly represent an important opportunity to use the powers we have to invest in infrastructure at a time of what today is clearly going to be continued Westminster austerity So can she say any more about how the bonds themselves may help to raise Scotland's profile and engagement with international investors? The investor panel provided its first stage work to the Scottish Government in September and it covers a wide range of findings and recommendations relating to how Scotland can attract mobile capital to support the transition to net zero It includes a recommendation that although it will potentially involve additional costs, Scotland's profile could be significantly raised in international capital markets by using existing devolved powers to issue debt. This will provide a motivation for regular engagement by investors and an opportunity to market Scotland's investment story It would also allow the development of relationships with providers of debt attract record and a credit rating It has to meet the value for money test and it needs to meet the tests that will be set out by the Scottish Government before we would proceed but it is a valuable piece of work and I'd like to thank the investor panel for their efforts and the information they've given us Thank you, cabinet secretary That concludes portfolio questions on finance and parliamentary business and 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 wish Thank you